The Knewkey Rymek keyboard

Pretty much everyone has heard of crowd funding these days and the two most popular crowd funding sites, Kickstarter and Indiegogo are full of projects searching for funds. While there have been some well known successes (and, indeed, failures), it must be said that in any crowd funding project, it is a case of buyer beware – indeed, pledger beware as you are not handing over money for an item, merely the promise of said item.

With that said, my eye was caught by the Knewkey Rymek keyboard. This is a USB/bluetooth keyboard in the style of a traditional typewriter. With internal lighting and a tablet supporting bar at the back, it was the look of it that made me consider backing the project. So I did, pledging about £95 (roughly about that dependent upon the dollar exchange rate back then) for the early bird offer.

After several months and quite a few updates from the project manufacturer (which is always good - I have seen a few projects where the communication from the developer/builder/etc has been non-existent), the keyboard duly arrived along with a wrist rest and a set of Windows key caps (Mac was the default set up – I saw what they did there, sneaky buggers).

Packaging first and the box, along with the protective sleeve, are of good quality and give a good first impression. The keyboard itself is rather weighty, that being the battery for wire free use. You can also use a direct USB cable link. It looks good even though the keys themselves are plastic. It would be fantastic if they were metal but the extra cost and weight would have been prohibitive. There is a support bar for tablets and other devices up to 9 inches or so in screen size, the rotary dial acts as a volume control and the carriage return bar is used to select which of the three Bluetooth devices you can simultaneously connect to the keyboard.

Looks shiny...

Good quality too...

And well packaged.

I purchased the model using Cherry MX blue switches and in use, these provide plenty of feedback and a nice, gentle clack with each key press. If I have a complaint, it's that the space bar is a little too clacky but that's more a gentle niggle than a complaint. Some ergonomic folks will complain that the typewriter design will play havoc with people’s wrists but the supplied wrist rest does a very good job of preventing too much strain. Truly, the Rymek looks and feels the part. The only thing I cannot comment upon is the battery life as so far, I have only used it attached to my desktop PC. I will add here though that the manual recommends a full battery charge even if you are just going to use the keyboard as a desktop replacement and I have to agree with that. The keyboard was not picked up at all via USB until the battery had had a good three hours hooked up to a charger. The keys are backlit and can provide some funky disco effects if needed, as well as providing some decent illumination of the keys themselves. Another small blessing is the instruction manual, in that it is written rather well and much better than some Chinese translated materials.

Keyboard, wrist rest, key cap remover, key caps, brush, cloth and instructions

So far, for just over a ton (including import duty and fees), I think I have done rather well. Would I try any future crowd funding projects? Maybe, depending on the cost and what the project was trying to achieve. I have seen more than a few gaming and technology projects fall over as the development team has either ran out of money or the project was never a genuine item in the first place. This, of course, is less of an issue with Kickstarter than Indiegogo as the former has better submission and protection policies but as with any crowd funding request, it is your money you are risking and there is no promise of a finished product for delivery. As has been the case for centuries, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is too good to be true. In this instance though, I am one very happy keyboard owner.

The lighting is rather effective

As set up, it's rather neat and tidy.

If this takes your fancy, head over to https://www.knewkey.com/ and follow the link to Indiegogo. Just beware that the early bird prices no longer apply and the current price is $179, rather more than what I paid during the funding campaign.

Catching up with some reading...

One of the ‘joys’ of getting the bus to work is the opportunity to catch up on my reading. A couple of hours per day means I can get through quite a lot of the ever present book pile in a short period of time. With that, here are four recent reads I’ve quite enjoyed.

First up, Shackleton Boys. The latest in the ‘Boys’ series of military memoirs, this follows the UK based squadrons that operated the Shackleton in the MR/AEW/miscellaneous role from the 1950’s to the early 1990’s. That a derivative of the Lancaster bomber was still on operational service in 1990 tells you a lot about UK defence policy of the time!

Anyhoo, on to the book itself and it follows a format of stories told in airfield order. By and large, the tales are interesting and informative and definitely give you a very good idea of what squadron life was like outside of the fast jet community. None of the contributions are wasteful, each adding a bit more to the overall history of the “Shack” and I finished the book wondering how such an aircraft could end up being loved by so many with all of its foibles and challenges. Also surprising was the length of time the aircraft remained in service. Even with the tremendous balls-up of the Nimrod AEW project, it’s still hard to fathom that if the balloon had gone up in the 1980’s the RAF would have depended upon the “Shack” to such a high degree. Then again, they also used the MR version as a makeshift troop carrier during Suez so they would have managed somehow. Well written and entertaining, if you have any interest in the Cold War RAF, you could do far worse than read this book. A follow up is due this year covering overseas bases and the sole non-UK operator, South Africa.

Next up is 1983. No, not a prequel to that novel, 1983 is the telling of what the author describes as perhaps the greatest period of Cold War tension outside of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This is narrative history and manages to pack quite a bit in, with background on both American and Soviet activities, the events of the year itself and the later events that calmed the Cold War down. However, there are a few technical inaccuracies that spoil the generally authoritative tone of the book.

Other issues include a degree of repetitiveness where chapter topics overlap and an annoying habit at the end of most chapters to leave a cliffhanger or forewarning. This betrays the books origins as a TV program and the author’s background. Whilst it might work every time there is a commercial break, it really does not work in written form. While this book is very much an overview of the period, there are some nuggets of information that I did not know about and the excellent bibliography does improve its worth. If you are a Cold War aficionado, then you could do far worse than 1983. An entertaining read and a good start for further reading.

Sniper One by Sgt Dan Mills follows the sniper platoon of Y Company, 1^st Battalion Princess of Wales Royal Regiment during its tour of Iraq during 2004/05. This is an easy book to read, well written and straight-forward. The characters of the various soldiers are well-drawn and whilst you sometimes think they are a little too stereotypical, there is a genuine thread running through the account. Very much a warts and all telling of the platoon’s activities, Mills does not pull any punches and for that, he should be applauded. Again, of much interest if that is your gaming period or if you're a history buff.

Another warts and all tale is Sir Cedric Delves Falklands War account, following then Major (now Lieutenant General retired) Cedric Delves leading a troop of the SAS to war. From the very beginnings of the conflict, to the ill-fated and extremely lucky South Georgia operation and then to the Falklands itself, this memoir is highly readable and both entertaining and enlightening. The author finds his voice quickly and his often humourous portrayal of the operations of the day definitely give you the feel of being there. A major plus is the honesty of the author. When things go wrong, he points out the reasons why, be they technical, human or sheer bad luck. There is a degree of discretion though and there is little negativity towards others, something that the passage of time and the professionalism of the author must have a hand in. Where self-criticism is warranted though, it is given. As a memoir, you get very little of the wider picture but to be honest, there are books a plenty for that. No, this title is a worthy addition to the library of anyone with an interest in the period. It also humanises those who took part in the conflict, something that tends to be lost when gaming. Personally speaking, I have always found that an understanding of those who fought in the period you are playing helps make the game both more realistic and thoughtful – it’s never just about the dice.

Finally, a piece of fiction. The Last by Hannah Jameson is a murder mystery set in the period immediately after World War Three has broken out. Located in the grounds of a remote Swiss hotel, the author builds up a decent atmosphere and some unique characters. Using a first person narrative, they do indulge in a little of of unreliable narrative and the final denouement is decent, but not spectacular. Some people don’t like post-apocalyptic fiction and to be fair, this doesn’t much fall into that category as the author seems to have concentrated upon the murder-mystery aspect first and the apocalyptic setting second. In that sense, this is a bit of a disappointment and the final page is a bit of a cop out. Having said that, I have read far worse and since the copy I have is also signed by the author, I’ll be keeping hold of this one.

A kick in the Spratleys

Saturday saw another gathering of the TWATS, again in reduced numbers due to work and personal commitments. I was in the chair and had decided to give Shipwreck an airing. I’d bought this rule set years ago, alongside the Freeplay ‘88 supplement but never got round to putting anything on the table,,, as I hadn’t anything to put on the table. However, last year I bought an 8 pack of snap together plastic ships off Wish. The eight ships included are the Hood, the Liaoning, a Type 54A frigate, a Burke-class destroyer, a Tico-class cruiser, a Slava-class cruiser, a Sacramento-class supply ship and what the packaging refers to as a Kilo-class sub but I think it’s a Seawolf-class SSN. Quite liking these, I bought another pack from Amazon in December. In each instance, the price was just over a tenner for the eight. With these, I could put a game on.

The toys for the game

Joining me on Saturday were Shaun and Andy, who played as the Chinese and Americans respectively. The scenario was a simple one: a US Navy supply ship, the John Lewis (wait, there’s more) is damaged and drifting after a typhoon savaged the area. The Chinese have claimed the waters as theirs and the US Navy believe they are international waters. The Americans have dispatched a surface group of one Tico (the John James Fenwick) and two Burke-class destroyers (The Thomas Marks and Michael Spencer – told you there was more). The Chinese were heading to the Lewis with the Liaoning freshly out of trials accompanied by two Type 54A frigates. Due to the poor weather, there were no flight ops (in other words, I have no models yet for helo’s – that will change). In addition, there was a Russian Slava-class cruiser in the area due to meet up with the Chinese for joint exercises after the two countries signed a friendship pact.

The US Task Force as the game started

The set-up gave the Chinese a bit of a head start in the race to the Lewis but both sides started at flank speed for the first few turns. The Lewis was using its radar and data-link to keep the US group informed of the Chinese location, whilst the Fenwick alone had its radar active – the destroyers Marks and Spencer were under full EMCON. As the two forces approached the Lewis (and each other), the Americans were very vocal in telling the Chinese they were in international waters on a rescue mission. The Chinese in turn were pretty loud in proclaiming their socialist friendliness and willingness to escort the Lewis to a Chinese port since they were in Chinese waters.

The Chinese Squadron

As the ships closed the distance, the Americans detected the Chinese force first, the two Type 54A’s ahead of the carrier. I made Shaun roll for the Slava to make an appearance, which it didn’t.

In turn 6, the Chinese declared they were going to have to board the Lewis in order to "rescue" the crew. The Americans did not take this well.

The Chinese frigates surge ahead, the John Lewis in the distance

Turn seven saw the Chinese get painted by the Lewis’s fire control radars for their Sea Sparrow missiles. Whilst not dedicated anti-ship missiles, they could still cause some damage. The Chinese ignored this and approached closer still, though by this point, they had activated their radars and finally saw the Fenwick and her escorts. As an aside for our northern England readers, rumours that the Fenwick was equipped with an advanced chaff substitute called Window were just that, rumours, though the thought of Fenwick’s Window being a distracting was quite apt.

The Americans, and rough seas for the Spencer

Turn 9, and the US commander at sea gets a message from Pacific Fleet Command – the Chinese should not get closer than 3 miles and that permission to fire was granted. Of course, when told this, Shaun brought one of his 54A’s to within one mile. Finally, some shooting started.

Closer...

Closer still...

Very close now...

Dude! Personal space!!!

Now, I quite like Shipwreck’s mechanic of movement turns lasting 10 minutes of game time but when firing occurs, this is sorted out in up to six combat turns before another movement turn can be started. It neatly takes into account missile speed and distance as well as being neat when trying to figure out what is going on. Needing relatively low dice to get hits due to the way the Sea Sparrows were balanced for anti-ship use, Andy fired to at the closest 54A and missed. Similarly, an attempt at Phalanx fire also failed, though that was more of a desperation shot. Once that had been decided, it was the next movement turn.

"Western belligerence" was claimed by the Chinese, as they launched boats with marines on to grab what they could from the Lewis. When asked what kind of boats they would be (as there were no models for them), the reply of "don’t know but don’t say they are from Taiwan or we will fire" seemed very apt. The Americans were given the all clear to fire at will (poor lad) and the Fenwick and Marks each launched four Harpoons at the two frigates. The Lewis joined in with its remaining 6 Sea Sparrows at the the nearest frigate. It must be noted here that the Liaoning was keep its distance. The remaining frigate tried its hand with 76mm cannon fire against the Lewis and missed. Both, however, unleashed their entire payload of 8 C802 missiles each at the Americans, divided equally between the Fenwick and the Marks.

Vampire, vampire, vampire!

Another intermission here as I kind of cocked up. I didn’t read the ship cards properly which limited the number of SAM’s that could be guided at any one time. However, my defence is that modern day Standard missile/AEGIS combo’s are much more effective than even these rules have them (originally written in 1999) so I let both sides fire whatever they wanted at their respective incoming targets. So let that be a lesson, when you cock up, cock up so that both sides are receive a fair benefit of the cock up.

Another shot of the missile action.

Pretty fair exchange here

So, the first set of SAM’s went up. Andy fired three Standards per incoming missile so 24 from Marks and Spencer. Even with a miscounted points value (again, my cock up but again, fair to each side), all but one of the C802’s was shot down. In response, the Chinese only managed to down five of the eight incoming Harpoons. Final result – one hit on the Marks, one hit on the port Type 54A and two on the other. The 54A with one hit took light damage and lost it’s now empty C802 mount. The other 54A took a crippling hit first, then sunk with the second hit. The Marks took it’s hit head on, leaving it crippled and down a Phalanx mount.

At this point, I enacted the third rule of the TWATS. The first one is "The umpire is always right, especially when he’s wrong". The second is "refer to rule one" and the third is "the umpire is a TWAT". And so I was. I took Shaun to one side and asked him if he wanted to call upon the Russians for help. He said yes, so on one corner of the table, the Slava appeared as did four missile tokens, each one representing four SSM’s. Yep, the Slava had shot its entire load, eight at the Spencer and eight at the Fenwick.

Ain't I a stinker!

Onto turn ten and the remaining 54A tried again with its 76mm to hit the Lewis, more bum dice here from Shaun. An emergency message from the Varyag claimed that an unfortunate error had meant the launch of all of the Varyag’s SSM’s. Totally an accident and unintended(!). However, whilst Andy was prepared to rescue survivors from the sunk 54A, he knew he had been well and truly kippered. Not that this was to stop him. Cleverly (and totally unintentionally), he bypassed the multiple missiles per target rule and had the Spencer and Fenwick each fire one SAM per incoming missile. As each ship was acting individually, I ruled that this would have no effect on the accuracy of the missiles and with a total of 32 against 16, the incoming Russian barrage was dealt with smartly. At the end of this combat round, a quick check of the ammunition situation revealed that the Fenwick was down to 106 SAM’s and the Spencer down to just 34!

Turn 11 saw the Russians once again claim a technical malfunction and also making a pretty sharpish withdrawal. Whatever the agreement between the two governments, there was little appetite for a further missile exchange, especially as the Americans still had a good number of Harpoons left. The surviving 54A also turned tail and joined the Liaoning in leaving the combat area, not even helping to rescue their own sailors, something the John Lewis was more than willing to do. Everything else would be sorted out at the UN.

The first run for a rule set is always just a case of seeing if the game mechanics work. In the case of Shipwreck, whilst the scenario was simple, it revealed that they aren’t half bad and with a little updating to to take into account current day weapons capabilities, will see future use. One thing that was remarked upon was the possibility of adding politics to mix. Several years ago, Andy and I ran a political game set in "not Iraq", with multiple sides and backstabbing a plenty. Something like that, with ulterior motives and the like would suit this well as it would add an extra layer to just rolling for missile fire – indeed, once the missiles start flying, there is not much more to do than hope you get good AA fire rolls. We would need more players (the previous political game had 9 including the two umpires), but in that case, it would be one player captains one ship with national orders assigned to each ship captain. Hmmm, with a bit of thought, that could be a go-er.

One thing that will be added to (after the York Vapnartak show) are helicopters. Tumbling Dice do a good range and whilst they are light on Chinese types, that can be worked around. They would also give a bit more subtlety to the hunt. Some fixed wing would also not go amiss, especially with the carrier. This could even lead to a campaign…

Some of you might be thinking, having seen the pictures that the scale of the models looks wrong. And to be fair, they all seem to be scaled so that the actual model size is about four inches. True, that leads to some funny looking size comparisons but to be honest, it wasn’t an issue here as the all measurements were made bow to bow. The models themselves are quite decent and when you consider how much I paid for them, it was enough to put on a game. True, the painting is a bit iffy and some of the fittings were rough and included a fair amount of flash on some of the pieces, but for the price, it would be churlish to complain. Main take away here is that it doesn’t have to cost the earth to put a game on and they made a decent impression on the (green) sea – a props issue that made not much difference to be honest. They were also easily visible, something that smaller scale ships would cause trouble with in the slightly gloomy light as the afternoon waned.

All told, I enjoyed this game. It was nice to try something different and there is room for expansion later on. Both participants also enjoyed it (so they tell me, though they both were well versed in political double speak by the end of the game :-)). As always, the fine hospitality of Eric and Jean at the Commercial was much appreciated, as was the Consett Ale, and the Beef Butties and Chips were well served. Empty plates and full stomachs all round and a satisfying afternoon of gaming.

Note: For non-UK readers, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and Fenwicks are the names of department stores in UK. Fenwicks is particularly popular in the north-east of England for its Newcastle store where a large Christmas display window (hence the chaff/window reference) is set up each year. And yes, bad jokes will continue is future games I run :-).

Mary Poppins Returns

It was with some trepidation that my good lady and I ventured to the local cinema recently to watch Mary Poppins Returns. At the risk of sounding all soppy, the original is still one of the best movies of my childhood and has pretty much stood the test of time, ignoring the seemingly ever present need for some people to find offence in everything. Nope, taken as what it should be, the original Mary Poppins is a classic and the belated sequel was something we both wanted to see. As it turned out, we had nothing to worry about.

Set many years after the original, MPR sees the Banks children all grown up, with Michael recently widowed with three children of his own. A short preamble to set up the conflict of the story (they will lose their house, 17 Cherry Tree Lane, in a few days due to a failure to keep up loan repayments), we’re quickly into the film proper.

MPR is reverent almost to a fault towards the original and matches it beat for beat. The situation may be different, but each event in MPR mirrors MP. This is no bad thing as it helps reinforce the theme that people repeat the same mistakes, just as Michael Banks has effectively turned into his father.

The animated sequence in the first half of the film is an equal to the country stroll and fair ground of MP, and it’s very pleasing that Disney kept the original animation style with nary a CGI creation in sight. The visit to Mary’s cousin, a hilariously over the top Meryl Streep, is as good, if not funnier than the visit to Uncle Albert and it’s only the lamp-lighter bike sequence at the two thirds mark that doesn’t measure up to the originals firework dodging chimney sweeps.

The music takes many cues from Mary Poppins and whilst there are new original songs, they don’t (yet) feel as if they match the classics such as A Spoonful of Suger and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. However, the Big Ben section at the end of the film is something new and adds greatly to the finale.

Acting wise, Emily Blunt is very good as the new and improved Mary Poppins, with the right level of strictness and control to match the knowing glances to her reflection and her uber-controlled manner. If I have one complaint here, it’s maybe that her accent is just a little too plummy, but that’s quickly overlooked. Lin-Manuel Miranda is good as Jack, the lamplighter and Dick Van Dyke replacement. True, his accent does slip a little and it does feel that he’s trying a bit too hard but he’s nowhere near as bad a Dyke famously was. Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer play the older Banks siblings with warmth and familiarity (and boy, can Whishaw sing), and the three child actors playing the younger Banks are very well cast and avoid the stereotypical annoying child syndrome. Colin Firth is scenery chewingly evil and Julie Walters adds a touch of humour as Ellen the Cook. The cameos extend from the aforementioned Streep to David Warner as Admiral Boom and Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady – it’s balloon flying at the end of this film, not kites, though the kite from MP does play a pivotal part in the story. Comment must be made about Dick Van Dyke, who nearly steals the film as Mr Dawes Junior (he played Mr Dawes Senior in MP). Sprightly and energetic, the few short minutes he’s on-screen are near perfect.

If it sounds like I am waxing lyrically about this film, then yes, I am. At a smidge over two hours, it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s that long and I spent most of the film with a smile on my face, the end result combining something new with a lovely call back to nostalgia. Whereas the original could be called a little twee in places, MPR avoids that saccharine overload and is tonally note perfect. This is a bright and breezy family film, devoid of bloat and fluff and neatly captures what made the first film so good. It is also devoid on any cynicism, something that most family films seem to have in buckets these days. Heartfelt and uplifting, MPR is Disney at its best, and I can see this film joining the ranks of classics in future years. And no, this is not me going soft in my old age, just enjoying entertainment as it was meant to be – entertaining.

The Amstrad NC100 - portable perfection?

A new year has arrived and this being the first new post of the year, I thought I'd begin with a retro-tech post, forward looking and all that malarky. As some of you may have noticed, I have a bit of an interest in old tech. More specifically, the tech of the early 1980's to early noughties. This encompasses the period of first generation consumer computing tech hitting the market to the final generation before the homogeneity of today's smartphone culture, where two operating systems and an almost identical form factor have combined to remove almost any individuality from the market. Indeed, where there are modern day unique devices: The Astrohaus Freewrite/Traveller, the Gemini handheld and even the open-source Pandora-derived Pyro, these tend to be small scale production models with prices commensurate to their niche appeal.

In part, this interest stems from growing up looking at such devices and thinking they were the dog's danglies (and some actually were for their time). It's also in part in seeing how much technology has developed and whether or not the original device designers got it right at the time but no-one noticed. There is also the self imposed challenge of seeing if tech discarded as obsolete fifteen, twenty or even twenty five plus years ago can still cut it today. Obviously, I am not going to try and run Pocket Internet Explorer from a 1998 vintage Windows CE palmtop or lug around an Amstrad PPC-512 portable from 1988. That would just be silly. No, it's more a case of if the device and software can still be used today, can they be used in a genuinely productive manner.

As such, it's time to talk about the oldest piece of retro-tech (outside of games consoles) that I own: The Amstrad NC100. Launched for the princely sum of £199.95 in 1992 (that's about £406 in today's money), the NC100 is an A4-sized slab of plastic with a qwerty keyboard, mono-LCD screen and 64kb of RAM. Powered by the ubiquitous Zilog Z80 processor racing at 4Mhz, you could expand the memory via PCMCIA cards of up to 1Mb (wooooo!!!) capacity. Four AA batteries offered a twenty hour lifespan, you have an RS-232 serial port for PC connectivity and a parallel port for printers. Primary applications include a word processor, calculator, diary and organiser. It even has BASIC for any programming needs and a terminal emulator/XMODEM ability for file transfers - indeed, a reviewer at the time of launch typed her review on the machine and filed back to the office via a 300-baud modem link. Take that you youngsters with your high speed fibre :-). In short, this was a device I really wanted when I was a teenager and I finally have my hands on one now, including it's original packaging which has not handled the passage of time too well.

In not too bad a condition considering the age.

Back when packaging was practical and informative.

First things first, the look. It follows the design of the Cambridge Z88, another device that found heavy use in educational and journalistic circles due to its ease of use and portability. It's a slab of black plastic, yes, but livened up by brightly coloured function keys that allowed shortcut commands for the built-in software. Why? To make it easy to use. That was the design brief from Mr Sugar himself (to the point where he wrote the introduction to the manual - so the story goes). And by and large, they did it. True, a younger user would struggle (where's the screen to tap away on?), but within ten minutes of switching the NC100 on, I'd figured out pretty much every menu and that was just by trial and error.

Everything that came in the box.

Build quality is fairly good. There is a bit of creaking if you really try and bend it but otherwise, it's a solid machine. Less hollow sounding than the Alphasmart 3000 I am typing this one and, dare I say it, a bit more durable. The manual is very detailed and handy for perusal but I get the feeling that new owners of the machine were meant to switch it on and get on with it.

The main menu - simplistic and clean

Although basic, the screen does its job well

The screen is basic, very basic, with 80 characters per row and 8 rows visible on-screen. it's not going to win any beauty contests and the text is rather small, but it does the job, unless it's dark. No back-lighting here but that helps with the battery live immensely. The follow up NC200 offered a half-clam-shell design with a built-in 3.5 inch floppy drive and a bigger, back-lit screen. You also got a spreadsheet, database and some games. The downside here was the move to C-cell batteries and the inability for the device to access the floppy drive if the batteries were even slightly below a full charge.

Organiser applications.

Calculator.

What the NC100 does benefit from is the keyboard. It clacks reassuringly like a typewriter, it's not overly loud but the sound is pleasing and not overly plasticky like most modern keyboards. The keys have a good amount of travel and spring back with just the right amount of tension. Honestly, this is the best non-desktop keyboard I have ever experienced for its size. Sitting down and bashing out a couple of hundred words was effortless and rather enjoyable and the only fault I can mention with the design is the slightly iffy angle of the screen which made viewing it a little bit of a chore. Other than that, the NC100 is superbly designed.

This brings me to the major issue with using it today. Whatever I type on the machine is held in battery backed up RAM. Finding 1Mb or smaller PCMCIA cards has proved a tad difficult and where I have found one, the prices being asked are eye-watering. There is the option of a serial cable so that will probably be my preferred method of transfer, but that may take some playing about with terminal programs and the like. Sadly, the NC100 pre-dates plug and play (even the hated Windows 95 idea of P&P) and lacks the easy transfer option of the Alphasmart. If only there were a way of combining the keyboard of the NC100 with the slightly more modern tech of the Alphasmart...

In a way, it's a shame. the concept is sound, the tech is good enough and the implementation excellent for its time. Yet, because of its age, it's not easy to use today. However, there are workarounds and with a bit of care and effort, I can see the NC100 lasting a good few years yet. What would be really good is if instead of going down the big-business data collection route of Google with their Chromebooks, or the bloated and relatively poorly performing budget Windows laptops or even the tablet/keyboard hybrids that are neither fish nor fowl, someone put together a low cost typing device that follows the mould of the NC100/Alphasmart/Z88? Think about it, a decent low power screen (doesn't have to be colour - in fact it shouldn't be to preserve battery life), in an A4 format with an ARM chip, a couple of GB of storage and the ability to run off either removable lithium-ion batteries or AA's. Using a basic operating system with applications saving in modern file formats, I think there could be a market for this device. Less fragile and cheaper than laptops, a better typing experience than tablets, what's not to like?

It won't happen, not least when you have the likes of the Astrohaus Traveller which offers something similar but in a clamshell format and a price that's just scary ($238 when the Indiegogo campaign launched, $349 (£270-ish) now - though comparing to the inflation adjusted price of the NC100, that's not too bad). It also doesn't help that if such a mythical machine were available, it would need to retail for $150 or less, and that would have to make it a relatively high volume, low margin product and I don't think the volume would be there, not compared to Chromebooks and tablets. Of course, it would be a niche product and by its very nature, lack the "perceived" value competitors offer.
As for me, I'll keep using  the Alphasmart and, when I have the cabling, the NC100. They are specifically focused machines with cracking battery lives and decent (in the case of the NC100, brilliant) keyboards. For simple text entry, nothing comes close. Sometimes, it's true, they just don't make them like they used to.

Year in Review - Books

My final Year in Review piece and it's books this time. I've managed a fair bit of reading this year and have read titles of varying quality. Not all of these have made the review but of the ones that have, some I have already posted about so I'll get those out of the way first.

Stephen Kotkin's Stalin duo, with still no date on the final volume, proved a tough read but interesting enough, whilst Richard Pike's Phantom brace were good, despite the second volume's change in presentation and The Explorer's Guild didn't live up to its promise.

Other books this year included another due of history tomes, James Holland's The War in the West. Volume three is due next year and is worth consideration. The books take quite a high level view with emphasis on individuals and their course through the war. Focusing as it does on the West, there is only cursory mention of the Eastern Front but the author does tie things neatly together. I would say that there is some repetition of facts within the narrative (Yes, I get it, the MG34 was wasteful to produce), and that the author's key contention, that Britain was never in that much danger due to it's logistical capabilities, is a bit too pat from the start, but overall, these two volumes tell the story of the Western theatre well.

Suez, by Keith Kyle, is considered by some to be the reference work on the Crisis and after reading it, I can see why. It is compelling and authoritative, combines details and grand scale politics and treats everyone fairly, which is not to say that it's kind to them, No. not at all. But there is one key off-putting issue with the book and that is the style of writing. This is purely a generational thing (it's flowery and effusive, a style that hasn't been taught in schools for a long time) but don't let that put you off if you want to know the background and the events of Suez. It just made it harder to read for me that I thought it would be.

Keeping with the period, slightly, is The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg. He of the Pentagon Papers fame, Ellsberg writes with some humour about his time working as a nuclear strategist and planner. It's an enlightening tale and one that should fill you with horror at the mentality of those who controlled the nuclear forces of America during the Cold War. There are some factual errors in there and the overall tone betrays a left-leaning political basis but again, as with Suez, don't let a style (or politics but you off). There is much to be learned here.

That could also be said of The Sleepwalkers, Christopher Clarke's history of how Europe came to be in the position it was in during 1914 that led to The First World War. This is a densely packed title and hard going, especially with the focus on Serbian and Balkan politics but as a book to tell you why the First World War happened, it's hard to beat. There are other tomes that provide differing points of view and scale but The Sleepwalkers is an excellent addition to the mass of literature about that horrifying period.

Richard J Aldrich's GCHQ gives the uncensored tale of the eponymous secret agency. It does, especially the early years, and is entertaining in its own right. However, there are a couple of factual errors in there that detract from the authority of the author and the period following the end of the Cold War is patchy at best (the 30 year rule is a massive hindrance here too) so it's a case of buyer beware for this title.

Off the historical track and onto videogames, which tend to do poorly when it comes to books. Somehow, the mediums don't tend to gel too well. In these two instances, they kind of do. Blood, Sweat and Pixels is an anthology book by Jason Schreier, detailing the production stories of ten videogames. Some were massive successes, one didn't even get released. However, in each section, there is a tale of joy, humility, triumph and despair. If you're ever wondered what videogame development could be like, or want a window onto that world of entertainment software development, then this is the book for you.

Then there is Retro Tech by Peter Leigh. Better known by his YouTube channel name of Nostalgia Nerd, Leigh has written a guide to home computer and console hardware in a neat and tidy little package. By his own admission, PC gaming and handhelds get short shrift as they really do need books of their own, but what you do get here is a brief history of each machine, some nice pictures and a selection of three games for each one: a must see title - demonstrating the power of the machine at the time, a must play title - one you must play to appreciate what the machine brought to the table and a must avoid - really, one that should never be touched with a barge pole. What I like about Leigh's writing is that his voice shines through the text and if you've ever seen one of his videos, you'll know straight away what I mean. As a one book guide, this is very good and whilst there are other hardware books out there, this is one of the best.

Finally, we have Persepolis Rising, book 7 of The Expanse series. If you've read previous posts, you'll know how much I like the TV series which is based upon the books. The TV show is only up to the third book and I do wonder how they'll continue given the scale of the books. Even after seven volumes, the characters remain fresh and the story interesting. It helps that the planned nine-title series is split into three books of three. Seven kicks off another fight for the crew of the Rocinante and this time, you do get the feeling it's the end of the line for some, even if they don't know it yet. If you've not picked up The Expanse from the beginning, it's no good starting here, but I do recommend you do start. It's grand scale sci-fi and a good read too.

Well, that's it for the Year in Review series. I hope you've enjoyed them and if you have any comments, I welcome them all. May you all have a happy new year, and a healthy and prosperous 2019.

Year in Review - Games

Videogames in 2018 this time and I have to admit that there aren't many worthy of remark. Not because there weren't many good games released this year, just that I simply haven't had time to play much.

First up, we have Kingdom Come: Deliverance. An action role-playing game set in Bohemia in 1403, KC:D offers an open world experience with period accurate weapons, architecture, clothing and politics. I picked this one up as it had been reviewed with a tag-line of "like Skyrim, but without the Dragons". That got my interest. That it is also as historically accurate as it can be in an entertainment medium also piqued my curiosity. What it delivered was a decent, though not spectacular experience that was a bit rough around the edges, had more than a few bugs and a god-awful save system (there were conditions required for you to save your game and you could die a lot!). It did deliver on the history and the developers must be applauded for that. It just felt right and if you have even a passing interest in the period, give it a try.

We Happy Few was one of the most anticipated titles for me in 2018. Set in an alternate 1960's England where we lost World War 2, people are controlled by a substance called Joy, WHF is steeped in English history and Shakespeare in particular. With a unique art style, intriguing story and three playable characters, I took to this game immediately. Then stopped. The melee combat is practically broken, there are game-breaking bugs, general graphical and sound issues and even the story left so much up in the air, it kind of made me question why I had bothered at all. I suppose if you can pick it up on the cheap, then give it a go, but for a full-price title, it's disappointing.

The Shenmue Collection brings two classic Sega Dreamcast titles that surely deserved a greater audience back in the day to modern gaming consoles. Whilst not true re-masters, the Collection is a welcome return of Yu Suzuji's seminal due ahead of the much anticipated Shenmue 3 due in 2019. The lack up much of an update to the graphics isn't that bad a thing, they're still functional today but it's the character animation that really is showing its age. However, despite being nearly 20 years old, they still deliver the goods. What has dated are the gameplay mechanics. There really are from a different era and the slow, nay glacial pace at the very beginning of the first game does draw you into the story if you give it time. The gameplay can be a tad unforgiving and there is a lack of polish in some areas that younger gamers may not be used to but even now, the Shenmue Collection is evidence of a master of the trade showboating a technical and story-telling ability that even with the passage of time, astounds today.

Oh Strange Brigade, I so wanted to like you. With your 1930's pulpy story and funny characters, you promised to be a shooter that would be just the bill for a Saturday afternoon session. And you almost were, but with gunplay that was a smidge too loose and the game really needing co-op play (I know it was advertised as an up to four player co-op experience but you still permitted single players), it snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. True, you have a likable swagger and the premise is worthy of Rebellion Studios continuing it with it's comic or movie/TV wing, but as a game, this lacked that vital spark to make it a must play.

Similarly disappointing was Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The final part of the most recent re-boot's trilogy, SotR is a polished and enjoyable experience with a couple of issues that stop it being a truly great game. The base story is decent and most of the performances are good, with just Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft coming across as a bit bored of it all (which is a shame as her previous two appearances have been excellent). The exploration sections are challenging enough and the shooting is as good as the series has had, but the key fault in the game lies in the silly turns in the story makes to keep it moving. One example is Lara donning a disguise and questioning the Peruvian locals in her plummy English accent and no-one realising it's Lara. Hmmm...

Next up, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse. Not a new release per se this year, but it was ported over to the Nintendo Switch and it was on this format that I revisited the game since originally purchasing it on the X-Box One a couple of years back. This is point and click adventuring in the true Revolution Studios style and sees the welcome return of George Stobbart and Nico Collard. The move to switch suits the slow pace of the gameplay and the port is well handled. The story is intriguing and the puzzles are mostly sensible (but all point and click adventures throughout the years have suffered from weak puzzling at one point or another. The quality of the voice acting, animation and artwork make the fifth of the Broken Sword series feel like a comfy blanket, to be enjoyed and savoured. I'll honestly say it's not the best in the Broken Sword series (that would be the first game), but The Serpent's Tale shows the series still has what it takes and is well worth purchasing. Hopefully, they'll get round to number six at some point.

Finally, we have Forza Horizon 4. Another sequel, yes, but one that continues the drive (see what I did there) of the Forza Horizon franchise to become the most polished and fun driving series available anywhere. Moving to an idealised Britain after number three's Australian tour, FH4 introduces seasons, changing on a weekly basis, more enhanced weather effects and what I can only describe as amazingly accurate facsimiles of British geography given the limitations of storage and playability. Derwent Reservoir is identifiable by shape, Bamburgh Castle is correct and present, as is the car park opposite it and the village is pretty spot on. Ambleside is a bit smaller than I remember but the bits that are there are correct, and Edinburgh is Edinburgh (well, at least the city centre bit). It's one of those kind of cool things when a videogame developer aims to recreate the real world and does so with such a degree of fidelity that being there in-game brings back vivid memories of being there in the real world. I will add that real world beats computer world every time (just in case anyone was wondering :-)) The driving remains sublime and there is enough freedom and challenges to keep you occupied for weeks, if not months. The first of the DLC packs, Fortune Island, adds even more and I eagerly await the second DLC pack in January 2019. Are there any issues? Some, maybe a hint of slowdown in really busy sections, but they are few and far between. That and the wheelspin prize function which, as it brings in clothing and accessories alongside the traditional credits and cars, tends to give you a fair bit of unwanted crap. However, there are no micro-transactions and that should be applauded.

Well, only one more to go, so next time, it will be books for 2018.