Comments on: The Apprentice http://www.neildewhurst.com/the-apprentice/the-apprentice.html/ Faintly interesting adventures in hi-fi and holdem Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:53:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0 by: Neil http://www.neildewhurst.com/the-apprentice/the-apprentice.html/#comment-248 Thu, 23 Feb 2006 12:18:32 +0000 http://www.neildewhurst.com/the-apprentice/the-apprentice.html/#comment-248 You're absolutely right - I've done Sinclair a great disservice here. I can't believe that I mentioned the Amstrad CPC but overlooked the fact that really, my formative computing experience was the ZX81. With its unneccessrarily showy 16k RAM expansion pack (who needs that much RAM, I ask you?) and touch-insensitive keyboard - complete with crazy SHIFT + CTRL+ combinations - I spent many an hour playing 3D Monster Maze or chase the dot or something, or programming pointless write forever play once games, nt to mention many an hour thumping the stupid thing when it crashed. Ah, blissful times. Yes, I guess if you're going to get it wrong, at least do it properly, rather than just coming across as clumsily off-beam. And I like the idea that the Queen might be reading this. No doubt she's the one trying to submit spam comments all the time... You’re absolutely right - I’ve done Sinclair a great disservice here.

I can’t believe that I mentioned the Amstrad CPC but overlooked the fact that really, my formative computing experience was the ZX81. With its unneccessrarily showy 16k RAM expansion pack (who needs that much RAM, I ask you?) and touch-insensitive keyboard - complete with crazy SHIFT + CTRL+ combinations - I spent many an hour playing 3D Monster Maze or chase the dot or something, or programming pointless write forever play once games, nt to mention many an hour thumping the stupid thing when it crashed. Ah, blissful times.

Yes, I guess if you’re going to get it wrong, at least do it properly, rather than just coming across as clumsily off-beam.

And I like the idea that the Queen might be reading this. No doubt she’s the one trying to submit spam comments all the time…

]]> by: kyb http://www.neildewhurst.com/the-apprentice/the-apprentice.html/#comment-246 Thu, 23 Feb 2006 10:09:15 +0000 http://www.neildewhurst.com/the-apprentice/the-apprentice.html/#comment-246 Sinclair beats Sugar every time. If you're going to have to work on some stupid project that'll probably be a flop, it may as well be something weird that might change the world. Actually Sinclair was fairly successful until the Monarchy knighted him. 1972, he marketed the world's first pocket calculator, in 1976 the first digital watch and in 1977 marketed the first pocket television. In early 1980 he demonstrated the ZX80, an affordable personal computer, and by the end of the year had sold 20,000. This later became the ZX81. That was what he did in the 10 years before he was knighted. What has he done in the 20 years since then? Two electric bicycles nobody wants and the smallest AM radio in the world. What we need is some sort of deknighting honour. Some sort of NLKBE nor no-longer-knight-of-the-british-empire honour that the Queen can hand out to people who really need to have their lack of achievement since they became knights to be recognised and to help them get back to where they were before. Your Majesty, if you're reading this, please consider it - by knighting them, we're robbing British inventors of their innovation! Sinclair beats Sugar every time. If you’re going to have to work on some stupid project that’ll probably be a flop, it may as well be something weird that might change the world. Actually Sinclair was fairly successful until the Monarchy knighted him.

1972, he marketed the world’s first pocket calculator, in 1976 the first digital watch and in 1977 marketed the first pocket television. In early 1980 he demonstrated the ZX80, an affordable personal computer, and by the end of the year had sold 20,000. This later became the ZX81.

That was what he did in the 10 years before he was knighted. What has he done in the 20 years since then? Two electric bicycles nobody wants and the smallest AM radio in the world.

What we need is some sort of deknighting honour. Some sort of NLKBE nor no-longer-knight-of-the-british-empire honour that the Queen can hand out to people who really need to have their lack of achievement since they became knights to be recognised and to help them get back to where they were before.

Your Majesty, if you’re reading this, please consider it - by knighting them, we’re robbing British inventors of their innovation!

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