Andrew Davie

[Andrew Davie]

Hey ho. I'm quite terrified to be joining another retro forum, as the last time I became too close to a retro console (Atari 2600) about a decade of my spare time disappeared. I'm from Tasmania and I'm old enough to have actually played a Creativision when it was actually a super-cool desirable. I have a couple of them sitting somewhere in cupboards, or under the house. Somewhere. And a few cartridges lying in boxes, somewhere. Mostly the machine is just fond memories for me and perhaps I can keep it that way. Last thing I need is another hobby

As I noted, I'm an Atari 2600 guy. I'm quite well known in that hobby, having written a tutorial series on how to program the machine. These days I'm less active, but do have a game or two on the backburner which should be finished in.. oh, let's say... 2025. My past life includes professional video game programming (from about 1981 to 2000 inclusive) although these days I do much more technical stuff.

Right now I'm working for CSIRO, which is Australia's governmental scientific research organisation. Lucky me, I get to 'play' with an autonomous robotic submersible, writing software to automatically classify underwater habitat through image analysis. Mostly I just get to play submarine commander, writing missions that mostly try not to bump into things. It's a lot of fun, and keeps my mind from wandering back onto retro stuff.

I've known Luca for a number of years, and contributed a few cartridges to the compilation effort. At least I think I did. If memory serves me correctly, I built up an early list of Creativision cartridges and accessories sometime last century, and this was the basis of some of the later much more comprehensive works on the machine. I do like retro technological archaeology, so I'm happy to join this forum just to be with other sad cases like myself.

Some of you might like to visit my (now fairly inactive) Museum of Soviet Calculators at http://www.taswegian.com/MOSCOW/soviet.html where I display 100 or so of my early Russian electronic calculators. They're quite interesting. Really. Trust me. Also, I'm fairly active these days in the mechanical television area, and have actually built myself a working mechanical TV in the fashion of those from 1928. Yes, it's watchable. You can visit the Narrow Band Television Association forum for lots of interesting mechanical TV goodness at http://www.taswegian.com/NBTV/forum -- I've even gone so far as to use my mechanical TV as a rudimentary display device for a video game!!

OK, enough about me. Nice to be on board, and I wish this forum and its patrons all the best.

Cheers
A

[berserk1981]

welcome from me

[MADrigal]

Hi Andrew, long time no see, hope you'er fine.

Thanks much for the very nice presentation, and yes, you contributed to the CreatiVEmu project long ago, it was 2000 when we first talked about that system.

I'm pleased to learn more about you, since I didn't know of your current occupation - I bet it's a really exciting job!

Feel free to discuss about anything creatiVision-related, including telling us your memories of the good old days.

[mr_bogus]

Welcome Andrew, wow sound like you've been involved in lots of interesting stuff!