These are just some reflections from me, a has-been musician. Is perfect pitch a blessing or is it a curse? Perhaps a bit of both. I’m also a has-been piano tuner. One day I went to a customer’s house and began preparations for tuning her piano. I looked in my box for the ever-present tuning… Continue reading Perfect Pitch
Author: thespyde
An Incomplete German Course
Well, hello, faithful follower or followers. A few days ago I was chatting with a lovely friend, and she offered me a German course. Well, I never turn down a German course, even if I can’t get much out of it, so I said I’d love to have it. She downloaded it, zipped it up… Continue reading An Incomplete German Course
Permanent Residency
Yesterday, August 1, I received a letter that says I can go pick up my permanent residency document. What I was told, both when I researched this on the Internet and by the person at the Aliens’ office is that the document would be coming in the mail. I can, and did, authorize someone to… Continue reading Permanent Residency
Put the Joystick up Your Butt
Although the Extended BASIC cartridge, when it calls the built-in phrases, doesn’t say butt with two t’s, I wrote my blog entry title to suggest that it says like the rear end of someone. If you want to hear this recording, just press tab and maybe get a laugh like I did when my friend… Continue reading Put the Joystick up Your Butt
An Amusing Story Related to the Texas Instruments Computer
I remember all too well, once I got all the built-in words and phrases read out to me, and having stored them in program form, having sent that list, at least the words, to a friend of mine. The sentence he came up with was, and I quote, "Put the joystick up your but". I… Continue reading An Amusing Story Related to the Texas Instruments Computer
A Sample of the Built-in Phrases
I did correctly remember how to access the built-in phrases in the Extended BASIC cart, however, I don’t believe I remember them all, so here’s a sample of three of them. The last word you’ll hear isn’t a built-in phrase, it’s the word uh-oh, U, H, O, H for clarity. You enter it uhoh, without… Continue reading A Sample of the Built-in Phrases
An Additional Sample
And here’s the Extended BASIC sample.
Requested Sample
In my previous post I talked about an emulator for the Texas Instruments 99/4A computer. Here is a sample of the speech from the Terminal Emulator 2 cartridge. In my next post I will put a sample of what the Extended BASIC speech sounds like. It was harder to do because that uses the built-in… Continue reading Requested Sample
A Trip to the Past
First, there has been no change on my residency status. Recently, a friend of mine sent me a link to an emulator for the Texas Instruments 99/4A computer. I don’t think he realized I used to program on that machine. I was quite enthused. The emulator has rudimentary screen reader support. It has problems but… Continue reading A Trip to the Past
Permanent Residency, Almost a Certainty
Loyal followers of my blog may know, if their memory is good, that I’ve been waiting for permanent residency here in Germany. On Tuesday, May 17, just two days ago, I went to the Aliens’ office. I haven’t quite been living here seven years, but still I had hopes that this time they wouldn’t just… Continue reading Permanent Residency, Almost a Certainty