S i l l y t o r i a l !

(Takes a careful look, nobody is watching. This lot looks sufficiently different from the other two he did. Monkey is quietly satisfied..)

Confidently striding to the limitless electron beam horizon!

Well we've managed to come back to inflict another dose of textual punishment. This one is a bit smaller in scale, but more thematically structured. This time around, we've made a publication to specifically celebrate the Sillyventure 2013 party. In a move that typically stretches credulity on everyone else's part. I've delayed releasing this slightly, in order to add a few more texts, especially the very fresh Sillyventure 2014 report! I liked this editorial so much, I decided not to completely rewrite it - CiH in December 2014.


So what have you been doing?

Well Monkey has been short on time this year, that most tricky and precious commodity. For 2014, he has decided that work of a remunerating nature taketh priority, so the sort of leisure he had to conjure up his witless witterings, erm, descriptive and creative writing, has been in shorter supply than usual.

This aptly named 'Souvenir' is a modest project, attainable with the limited resources to hand. Actually, Monkey has managed to find some freer space latterly, so the scope of the project expanded slightly. As well as all the informative propaganda about the 2013 Sillyventure party, there have been some amusing diversions in remembrance of even more olden golden times past. Also some material that might tickle your rib-bones with excess chortling. He modestly added. Well I'm happy with the outcome anyway.

Anyway, you should be able to enjoy yourselves sufficiently, until the next proper project comes along.


Which leads us conveniently on to..

The Maggie 25th anniversary. It's got its own small text. We won't dwell overly on it here. There will be *something* coming out to celebrate the occasion. It would be nice if some other people want to join in as well.


So to reiterate, what have you been doing with yourself?

There have been some movements on the Atarian front here. The mighty SuperVidel has finally been fitted. Monkey might get around to get help in unbricking the CT60 side of things sometime to get it to work. Not to mention the possibility that the DSP might have gone to sleep (Monkey puts head in hands at this point.)

Once we do get it fixed though (Hi Dal, not forgotten you!) more cool and exciting things to happen!

He has also been to a few happenings away from home. These include the massive Revision 2014 party. That most amazing of things, a big all-formats Easter demo party that does not provoke shivering, fits, dry retching and skin lesions at its merest mention! There was also the latest edition of the rather enjoyable and springlike Outline party in the sunny Netherlands too. We're going to culminate this year's globetrotting with the mega-tastic Sillyventure 2014 party in that most coastal of Polish cities, Gdansk.

Did I mention the work thing here before? Yes, I did.


Don't we get some smart-ass instructions on how to use this thing?

(Sarcasm mode engaged:-) Well I guess as you've managed to get this far, you don't need any further assistance. It's not as if we're having to cater for ST-Format reviewer levels of user-un-interactiveness anymore, are we! (Sarcasm mode disengaged.)

This does follow the same basic template as the previous two 'Mag!' issues. The HTML side is intended to cater for people with restricted screen modes in the nature of 640 x 480 (or 400) pixels, such as classic Atari 16/32 bit computers and clone derivatives thereof. I've tested briefly in Aranym, so it does seem to work in an Atari GEM environment with the right encouragement.

I've freely scattered lots of pictures in text, so any notion of making this a proper 'disk-magazine' by restricting file size to something that can fit on a 1.44 MB floppy disk, has really self-defenestrated.

The menu design is a bit simplified from the first two, with a single index page. The black background and white text seems to work really nicely with this one. The mood and look is a little bit 'Jaguary', which is nice!


To end with, there was one big downer.

I've had to say goodbye to our furriest family member in November. This was Molly, our cat who appeared in the Sillyventure Party report, albeit in a gentle alarm clock role. She was rehomed with us just over a couple of years ago, with incorrect information given for her real age. So a bit like a dodgy second hand car in some respects?

As a justified and ancient feline, she had a few interesting visits to the vets in her time with us, which she tolerated, and an increasing stack of medication (which she also didn't mind). Eventually though, she used up her last of nine lives.

To slightly contradict the previous paragraph, the time not spent at the vets was very happy and she lived out her remaining time with us very fully indeed. But this does rather painfully rub in the point that nothing is forever and you'd better enjoy life whilst you can, procrastination fans.

Rest in peace little one, you are missed!

Ah, I think I've dragged the mood down a bit there. Time for you to leave this text and go on to commemorate the happy party vibe instead!

CiH - 30th November 2014 and December 2014.

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