C64 Datasette – you remember it. The Datasette embodies Commodore cheapskatery from start to finish: it was a cheapo alternative to a proper disk drive, it’s got a crudely thrown-together connector with wires hanging out and it’s even got a skinflint mono drive head apparatus. All expenses spared, so that Jack could keep the costs down!

So it turns out they last pretty well. And in this age of 1541 emulators, MMC64 interfaces and the like, it’s sad to see a Datasette sitting unused and unloved. So I decided to lavish about four quid on mine and turn it into a block-rocking pimp star supreme with:

# an internal speaker
# internal 9v battery power
# an external in (for when I eventually get the recording head to work)
# a line/headphone output
# a switch/knob for power and drive motor speed control (though this doesn’t really work yet)
# an unfeasible amount of mystery line noise, which I’m going to pretend is intentional and adds ‘character’.

(more…)

So I’m basically up and running now. In order to get me into the habit of regular posting, and away from my previously held conviction that the greatest blog-orientated contribution I could make to the world would be never to post at all, I’ll be throwing up embedded FLV screencaps of classic/new/crap-but-favourite demos with total abandon and glee. PC stuff; Amiga stuff; C64 stuff – even Atari stuff!

This won’t be:

• A ‘one-post-a-day-for-a-year’ thing (unsustainable, due to the fluctuating quality/quantity of both the source material and my daily quota of inspiration)
• An outreach project, where I try to disrobe the seductive demoscene before an audience of potential voyeurs (pointless, since a) art should be able to stand on its own two feet and b) screencaptures are always a tenth of the quality of the real thing, so impressiveness takes an immediate dive in most instances)
• A detailed, autistic, programmer-style breakdown of inherently creative principles, OR a pretentious, superfluous, pseudo-analysis of fundamentally technical paradigms.

Although I reserve the right to piss all over those caveats whenever I please!

I’ll tag all this stuff ‘demoscene’, so that it’ll be available from the demoscene category in the sidebar. Let’s go!