Braben and Bell in the Radio Times

Website · Post by **DaddyHoggy** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 11:48 pm

I read "The Dark Wheel" and began collecting anything and everything written by Robert Holdstock - RH also had a huge input on the Flight manuals too.

Robert Holdstock actually admitted he owes his current writing career to Elite. Another Sci-Fi writer (Ray Bradbury I think) passed on the opportunity to write TDW but gave Rob's details. He was offered 17.5p per copy of the game sold - which he thought would give him a few hundred quid a year to supplement his full time job and pay the bills - but of course Elite sold 150,000 copies on the BBC alone, then the C64, Spectrum, Amstrad and Rob got 17.5p for every single one...

Which gave him time to write the Mythago Wood series of books and he hasn't looked back since.

JohnnyBoy · Post by **JohnnyBoy** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 11:22 am

DaddyHoggy wrote:
He was offered 17.5p per copy of the game sold - which he thought would give him a few hundred quid a year to supplement his full time job and pay the bills - but of course Elite sold 150,000 copies on the BBC alone, then the C64, Spectrum, Amstrad and Rob got 17.5p for every single one...

...and that's the 'secret' right there, DH; charge a low price for a digital product and then watch as computing's ability to replicate information an (almost) infinite number of times, and the network's ability to get it to a global audience multiplies that small amount by many thousands.

(Quiz question: Can you spot the guy who's just read "Internet Riches" and is currently reading "The Kitchen Table Entrepreneur"...?

)

drew · Post by **drew** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 5:16 pm

DaddyHoggy wrote:
but of course Elite sold 150,000 copies on the BBC alone, then the C64, Spectrum, Amstrad and Rob got 17.5p for every single one...

Probably 50k+ in 1984! Nice one! Not bad for an 8 chapter novella!

Cheers,

Drew.

JohnnyBoy · Post by **JohnnyBoy** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:19 pm

drew wrote:
Probably 50k+ in 1984! Nice one! Not bad for an 8 chapter novella!

My dad bought a three bedroom bungalow Sussex in 1983 for £26,000. So yeah, 40 or 50 grand was good money in the early '80s....

Back on topic, I can't believe that nobody has posted the Braben and Bell episode of BWMTMW on YouTube. Bastards!

Website · Post by **DaddyHoggy** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:31 pm

If I could get my webcam to work under Ubuntu (cheap Tesco value job) which isn't detected by 3rd party software such as camorama - I'd play it back on my freeview PVR and capture it on my webcam (frequency clashing permitting) - also cheap PVR - no PC output...

polyh · Post by **polyh** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:22 am

You just need a proxy in britain and access the five site through it. Tor should do the job. You may have to reconnect a few times to get a british exit node, but then it should work just fine.

Ivan · Post by **Ivan** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:09 am

I'm not sure why, but Braben & Bell remind me of Coe & Ovett. Lord Braben - now there's a thought

JohnnyBoy · Post by **JohnnyBoy** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 8:32 am

polyh wrote:
You just need a proxy in britain and access the five site through it. Tor should do the job. You may have to reconnect a few times to get a british exit node, but then it should work just fine.

Geographical location isn't the problem. This is:

I've left a message on my usual Mac forum. Let's see if the cavalry comes to the rescue....

polyh · Post by **polyh** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:11 pm

Using a Mac is indeed a problem. I suggest using a proper computer instead.

FSOneblin · Post by **FSOneblin** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 2:51 pm

This post is a joke, if you do not like jokes, then do not read, and I don't say things like this, ever!

polyh wrote:
Using a Mac is indeed a problem. I suggest using a proper computer instead.

Is a mac with windows the proper computer? Just joking, windows is just a waist of memory, and they went to the bathroom, took the what's-it out of the toilet, put a screen and a hard drive in it, made it hard and less smelly, Put some 1's and 0's in it, and called it a computer. And vista is a bad copy of mac os x. It's all true, you know it.

Don't panic: FSOneblin

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:32 am

polyh wrote:
Using a Mac is indeed a problem. I suggest using a proper computer instead.

Hmmm. That seems like a contradictio in adiecto to me. Or just an oxymoron?

JohnnyBoy · Post by **JohnnyBoy** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:47 am

JohnnyBoy wrote:
I've left a message on my usual Mac forum. Let's see if the cavalry comes to the rescue....

Well, the cavalry don't think that it's possible. (Insert rude word here)!

Website · Post by **DaddyHoggy** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:18 am

Sorry to hear that JB - I've had/am having similar issues with BBC iPlayer and Ubuntu - no streaming :¬(

And the BBC - the alleged bastion of impartiality claim other versions will be along "eventually". M$ really do rule the world sadly...

JohnnyBoy · Post by **JohnnyBoy** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:34 pm

DaddyHoggy wrote:
M$ really do rule the world sadly...

Yes, and I would have discovered that sooner if I'd spotted the system requirements link at the bottom of the page...

Five.tv wrote:
To use Demand Five you need ensure that your computer is set up correctly with the right software and a broadband connection.

Please follow these system requirements.

Country: UK only;
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Vista;
Browser: Internet Explorer 6.0 or above and Firefox 2.0 or above;
Active X: Enabled;
Cookies: Enabled;
JavaScript: Enabled;
Media Player: Windows Media Player 10 or above (for streamed media), Windows Media Player 11 or above (for downloaded media);
Flash Player: Adobe Flash 9 or above;
Connection Speed: Broadband Connection Required (1Mbps minimum);
System Clock: Set to correct time zone, time, and date.

Star Gazer · Post by **Star Gazer** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:07 pm

Another sorry story of a British inventor losing out...
http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/n ... wsid=22709

The last paragraph is heart-breaking.