ScuzzBlog: Diaries February 2020
Entry 27th February 2020: Post 01: Evidently Rare.
Evidently Rare.
I don't have a YouTube channel or have any plans to create one. My
primary reason for that is that I only ever wanted to celebrate my
collection if it was under my control. And so in 2004 I launched
the website to show and share the collection. All that I show has
been acquired by me and is cared for and recorded by me. Further
in viewing this site you will see a distinct lack of adverts. ie none.
I will not comment on the sometimes quite insulting adverts that
are featured on videos, but I get that to make money out of what
'Toobers' do they add the BlipVerts.
And so to my point. I have been acquiring a good time and I made
a conscious decision a long time ago to put together a computer
collection that represented a timeline of home computers. I wasn't
able to get everything but I am pretty pleased with what I got.
I do watch YouTube and enjoy for the most part the productions. I
object to some of these guys being held up as standard bearers
given that their views are seen as the norm for collecting habits.
None of these guys have training in antiques and openly encourage
collectors to undertake aggressive destructive processes in an
effort to 'de-age' something that is old. That is not what true
collectors do. The historic nature of a piece demands that it is
shown a little more respect.
Where am I going with this ..
Well I watched tonight a 'toob' on five rare British computers.
First off if you consider that the Mona Lisa was rare cus there
was just one, then you can hardly cite any of the machines as
rare. They simply were names picked from a bundle of computers
that the guy had access to show and talk about. Suggesting rarity
is a touch false. Something that is truly rare is way way more
scarce. Added to the fact that British computers were cheap in
the first place and so are never going to become rare. Give me
a break.
What was worse is that the items shown were not even unusual and
or unique, or for the most part made a difference to the history
of computers. Its just that to attain validation through viewing
figures these so called retro enthusiast just seem to grasp at
any old straws when tagging computers as something other than
what they are... just plain interesting. I would much prefer a
'toob' about the lost works of Gary Kildall or what it was really
like to develop some of the early computers. You know, interesting
stuff. By now all those collecting computers or who have had an
interest in retro have seen all these computers to the point of
being common place. Trust me they are not rare and not even that
interesting any-more.
YouTube is crying out for someone to make subjects such as retro
computers way more educational and informative. You really have
to go back and study the base content and structure of early
computer mags to both understand how the subject should be reported
and the target audience it needs to reach. Sadly, and to my point,
the complex and diverse structure of computing is at risk of being
over generalised, and over simplified, to the point that your
average 'fat thumb' will be brainwashed into thinking that five
computers such as these were milestones and flagship machines
for the era and that is all you need to know. My goodness its like
everything else that happened is just fading into the mist and
deserved of being forgotten.
The home computing retro era was a little more diverse and dare
I say idiosyncratic. Even bedroom programmers were pioneers in
their day and wouldn't have given a second look to much of these
so called rare machines. What these computer nutters were doing
tends to get overlooked, and so their histories get discarded.
Just pick up any mag from the era and read a little deeper. If
the 'Toobers' have their way it'll be the kiddies toys that
get remembered and all the serious kit will just be forgotten.
Our computer history deserves better.
Anyhoo just to prove a point here are those supposed five rare
computers... It really wasn't hard getting any of them. Plus a
few more that deserve a mention. Like I say for me its more about
the boundaries that the true enthusiasts were trying to cross
and expand on, than the quite primitive tools that were available
in the high streets of the day. Trust me they will never be
rare.. In truth if I had a time machine and could go back I
wouldn't be grabbing any of these for my collection. I can think
of a thousand and one more things of interest.
Evidently Rare.
Memotech - MTX500
Oric Atmos
Oric-1
Sinclair ZX80
ZX Banger Racing
Enterprise Sixty Four
More not rare stuff
NewBrain - Grundy NewBrain Model A
Jupiter Ace
Sam Coupe from Miles Gordon
Acorn Atom
BBC B - Microcomputer
Dragon 32
Tatung - Einstein
Sinclair ZX81
Sinclair ZX81
And finally ..
May not be rare, but way more
significant to the era.
Atomic Theory in Practice
Final comment
Kinda representative of an era. Held together with bits of string.
Just didn't matter did it. It really wasn't what it looked like,
it is what it did. And that is where 'UToobers' miss the point.
It aint about 'Retrobryte' you pillock, its about computing.
A word that 'fat thumbs' don't undertand cus they can't download
it onto their telephone and share it on PinInfest.
Think about it. M'kay. if you don't understand then sorry ....
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