October 2020
SECRETARY’S REPORT
•October 2020 Edition• TECH TALK
By Steven Peck
By Steven Peck
HELLO WORLD!
Welcome back! Today, we will discuss in Tech Talk storage media and the advancements made in the technology. Let’s get started!
Well, here we are again. The year is going by fast and still we are far apart from each other. Bummer. Well, let’s get on with the Report. I hope that everything is OK with everybody, as usual. Also, I hope that none of you have been sick lately. But, maybe by next month, there will be a vaccine. Scientists were saying possibly by November, and that is sketchy. I do know, however, that there are vaccine trials right now. That is according to the news. Well, here’s to hoping that things turn around soon and we can beat this pandemic. I have faith that something good will come of it. Anyway, I am hoping that I can soon pay my membership, as it is due in October. I guess that I may have to mail it in so it can be counted as another year for my membership. I will announce if there will be a way to mail in funds for membership renewals and such, but only if the Club decides on doing that as a general rule. Until then, it is in the air if we can do that. We may have to wait until opening time. Well, that concludes the Secretary’s Report. I will continue to report on club happenings until we open up for business again at City Hall. In the words of the late, great Stan Lee… EXCELSIOR!
TRIVIA TIME! In computer jargon, the word “pixel” is really a portmanteau (or a type of compound word) for its meaning, which stands for “picture element.”
I think that the first real storage technology was with film and sound. Like when Thomas Edison invented the talking machine, which evolved into the phonograph, which was the first record player that we are familiar with. At first, the sound was stored on cylinders for Edison’s talking machine. The sound would be produced by just turning a crank. Then, “Mary Had a Little Lamb” became heard by this early and primitive system. Photography needed film. Film was also a storage media in and of itself as well at the time. Negatives of the pictures taken would be stored on film to be developed into pictures. Then, film was used in motion pictures. It was a breakthrough in entertainment. Movies were born, and we still enjoy them today. Then, eventually magnetic tape was invented. It was used in early computer media and in recording music. Soon, cassettes were shrunken down for the consumer. Floppy disks were them developed for the home computer for storage. People could enjoy this stuff then on a consumer level with 8-track for audio, VHS for video, and floppies for computers. It was a breakthrough for preserving images and music for future generations. But, then there was the problem of what to do if it wears out. Enter optical media. CDs were invented in the 1980s. Digital media would last longer and be more compact on CDs and, eventually, DVDs in the 1990s. Then, Blu-Ray came along for even more storage. Also, let’s not forget CEDs and LaserDisc for posterity, as they had their day. But, even discs fail. So, people eventually miniaturized storage and came up with the SD card and the flash drive, which are more durable and have no moving parts, which make the media last longer, theoretically. As it gets more advanced, eventually our old hard drives will become obsolete as SSDs get cheaper. So, expect more from technology in the next few years. Perhaps, something cheap will be made for the consumer that can be read and written for centuries without any worry about it failing. Well, that’s it for now. Be back at you next month. Sorry for the abridged discussion, but this is an abridged Newsletter. Thanks, Folks! ATARI MULTI-PLATFORM GAME REVIEW Today, we are going to review the game, “Baldies,” for the Atari Jaguar CD unit. Think of this game as like playing God with a funny twist.
Message from Captain Irata: “Be driven! Play a racing car simulation!” HOO-RAH!
In this game, you control races of little bald people in a virtual world. They can build villages, advance in technology, and even go to war with each other. It is an early simulation game for the Jag, and even has funny Cinepak FMV video scenes. It looks like a great sim. It reminds me of the old
God games from the nineties. The graphics are interesting and the Cinepak movies are funny and goofy. but, it looks cool and I like the premise. It makes me wonder what would have happened if the Jag succeeded in the market and prospered. What else would have come and been better for the future of Atari? I can only dream. Anyway, I will score the game: SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
10 9 10 9
TOTAL SCORE:
38/40
So, I will see you in November, and it will be Election time by then. I hope that we can have the Election online if we can’t have it in person. Anyway, let’s hope that it will work out. Thanks and have a great day. See you soon!
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