Happy 40th Birthday Spectrum

A place to discuss the ZX80's and ZX81's younger brother - the Sinclair ZX Spectrum
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Lardo Boffin
Posts: 2160
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:42 am

Happy 40th Birthday Spectrum

Post by Lardo Boffin »

Apparently it is the 40th birthday of the Spectrum today!

Happy Birthday!
ZX80
ZX81 iss 1 (bugged ROM, kludge fix, normal, rebuilt)
TS 1000 iss 3, ZXPand AY and +, ZX8-CCB, ZX-KDLX & ChromaSCART
Tatung 81 + Wespi
TS 1500 & 2000
Spectrum 16k (iss 1 s/n 862)
Spectrum 48ks plus a DIVMMC future and SPECTRA
Lardo Boffin
Posts: 2160
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:42 am

Re: Happy 40th Birthday Spectrum

Post by Lardo Boffin »

ZX80
ZX81 iss 1 (bugged ROM, kludge fix, normal, rebuilt)
TS 1000 iss 3, ZXPand AY and +, ZX8-CCB, ZX-KDLX & ChromaSCART
Tatung 81 + Wespi
TS 1500 & 2000
Spectrum 16k (iss 1 s/n 862)
Spectrum 48ks plus a DIVMMC future and SPECTRA
Moggy
Posts: 3231
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:00 pm

Re: Happy 40th Birthday Spectrum

Post by Moggy »

May do but like most am a bit cash strapped at the moment. I went to the 35th anniversary, met up with Charlie, Andy and Paul and was lucky enough to meet the late Rick Dickinson and Jim Bagley.

I tend to visit the museum when doing my Bletchley Park pilgrimages in memory of a couple of Bletchley warriors I was privileged to know, now sadly passed on and who sparked and encouraged my pastime of creating ciphers and encoding programs for the 81.

I go to the museum mainly to see how the Edsac replica is progressing and to have yet another gander at the colossus replica and to marvel at one of the first solid hard discs which is about three feet in diameter yet held only enough data for a small lunch menu! :lol:

On one occasion one of the staff asked if I would like to press the "start button" on the Harwell Dekatron computer, the oldest original working computer in the world hence of great historical value. This I gladly did and after a bit of whirring and clanking the lad said "Hmmm it shouldn't be making that noise." at which point my colleague and I could be seen "moonwalking" out of the door!
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TMD2003
Posts: 149
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:39 pm

Re: Happy 40th Birthday Spectrum

Post by TMD2003 »

Happy birthday, Spectrum, and cheers for being there for me even when I didn't realise I needed it.

I would say "allow me to spin a yarn with only the mildest of apologies for those who have heard it all before, or who might read it on any other Sinclair-related forum"... but I re-read it and it looked so self-indulgent that it's probably best not posted in public, or at least hidden where only those who want to see it can see it. Plus, it has a dreadful confession for which today is about the least appropriate day to do so.

So I'll just stick with this FUN FACT: I was 1001 days old when the Spectrum went on sale.

And other than that, I'll crack open a celebratory bottle of elderberry wine this evening. I was going to do that tomorrow, over (Channel 4's cut-down re-run of) the Grand Prix, but as there's (Channel 4's cut-down re-run of) a sprint race this evening, I can justify it that way as well. And I'll have a celebratory curry, though that shouldn't be taken as an endorsement of Chris Curry, nor him having a punch-up with Our Glorious Departed Creator in the Baron of Beef.

Cheers and many hails to the computer that's been part of my life for 80.315% of its length - and it was already north of its fifth birthday by the time I found it.
Spectribution: Dr. Jim's Sinclair computing pages.
Features my own programs, modified type-ins, RZXs, character sets & UDGs, and QL type-ins... so far!
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