'Net News
	Righty, I've only been back from London for a couple hours, and I feel tired, so I'll get a couple 'net things outta the way, then hit the hay. Got an email from DJ Hooligan saying that he's altered the design of his site again. Hmm. Can't see it myself, but then I can't seem to access DJH Downloads at all. Now I have to say that my 'Net connection has been considerably duff for the last few days. Anyone else having trouble getting to chat.ru sites? Had a new link posted to me. GFX Zone claims to be the "ultimate demo scene graphics site", and who am I to argue? Having a (very) quick look around, I don't spot any screen$ in there. We should form a union. Interestingly, they have a poll on screen-size, up to 22". Heh, they don't include TVs? Saw on CSS that Planet Sinclair has reached version 3. If you've not seen previous versions, this is the ultimate Sir Clive "groupie" site, with info about all Sinclair products. Nice retro demo-FX on the front-page, too <g> Finally for now, check out a few new downloads at POS. You can grab a couple games, a text editor, and the latest version of Hrip (v1.05).
	[icabod] - 22/07/2001 @973

	Alchnews MB02 Special
	Got an email from FBI who handles the distribution of the MB02 disk interface. Seems that Andy Davis will be running an "MB02-Special" in the next issue of AlchNews, and he's looking for some input. I was asked if either me or the rest of RA could help out, but I thought I'd post it on here, as there's a lot of users in the scene. Hopefully this will open up the drive to a whole new audience (ie. non-sceners). If you have anything (review, pictures, etc) that could be included, send them to me and I'll pass them on.
	[icabod] - 22/07/2001 @958

	Away, away, we're sad to say
	Well, it's a quiet time right now, with only a couple interesting bits of news in the last couple days. Of coz, I could have missed something, but if that's the case, then it's your job to tell me, hehe. Anyway, I've managed to grab a day off of work, so I'm taking a long weekend to see some family and friends - and probably to consume vast quantities of alcohol. Hmm, but I did some of that last weekend. Oh well <g>. So yeah, I'll be away for the weekend. Have a good one. Hope it's sunny.
	[icabod] - 19/07/2001 @014

	DJH Downloads?
	A mail arrived for me a couple days ago from DJ Hooligan. Yeah, it's taken me a couple days to act on it, but it's here now. He's added a few new programs to his page, which I'll simply list here: TR-DOS disk with pictures of unrealeased game "Heroes Of Might & Magic" ZX-Word v2.5m - txt editor for ZX with mouse support AC Edit v0.5c - another txt editor - more advanced, but non-interfaced. Oddly, I can't seem to access DJH-Downloads right now. But if you can, you could check those out, especially as both editors are in English!!!
	[icabod] - 19/07/2001 @010

	Liquidation Update
	'K, I mentioned a few days ago about the Liquidation ChipPack. Well, I didn't really expect AY-tunes to be involved in the pack, and the project is just for Amiga only. However, I got a mail from Factor6 about the project. Here's a snippet: " liquidation is based on player libraries which allow to play different formats as sid, ahx etc. if you do know any GOOD amiga ay library-based player, don't hesitate and write to makak :-) " He's mentioned an old player by Raxoft, but it doesn't handle hardware envelopes. If anyone knows a decent player, let me know and perhaps we can get AY-tunes in the pack <g>
	[icabod] - 19/07/2001 @007

	New ftp site
	Got a mail from Phoenix about a new FTP-Site he's setting up. I don't have any details about what you can find on sunbeam.dyndns.org, and it's currently out-of-action (due to firewall problems), but when it's up we can hope for some cool gear.
	[icabod] - 19/07/2001 @003

	WL/W.A.R keeping busy
	Well, another software pack has been released by WL/W.A.R. Oh wait, I'm wrong. Another two software packs have been released. Not sure what's in them, but you can grab them from POS.
	[icabod] - 15/07/2001 @689

	AY-Emulator 2.4b released
	Looks like a new version of the "really rather nice" AY-Emulator has been released. This new beta version features some support for .AY and .AYM files, as we were expecting after the final release of MicroSpeccy.
	[icabod] - 15/07/2001 @680

	New URLs
	Actually, that should be "new URL". Just the one added today, to the site of Hackerz Design Software. Quite a nice site, you can download all their productions, including graphics and music.
	[icabod] - 13/07/2001 @957

	RealSpectrum Greyscale Preview
	You know I get excited when chunk-mode becomes greyscale, so I was kinda pleased when I was sent this movie from Ramsoft. I'm guessing you've all seen the rather nicely-coded "Refresh"? Of coz you have. This movie shows a 45s section of the demo running in RealSpectrum's new Greyscale mode. Yep, zero-chunks. I must say it does look good, and you get to see the effects much clearer. To quote from the email: "...now I've realized for the first time all the action taking place in that demo." Roll on beta 11.
	[icabod] - 13/07/2001 @948

	ZX-Party 2001. Almost.
	An announcement over on the X-board from Yerzmyey reveals some details of this years ZX-Party. Of coz, it's going to be held in Wroclaw, Poland, but apart from that and it happening next month, details are vague. Because of the short-notice, it'll mainly be a meeting rather than filling it with competitions, but hey, compos just get in the way of vodka drinking, right!? If you think you can make it, let Yerz know when will be the best weekend for you. Alas, I don't think I'll be able to make it this year. But hey, if Beerever actually happens, I can maybe see some of you there <g>.
	[icabod] - 13/07/2001 @942

	Sprinter "in-the-box"
	There's been a FAQ-update on the Sprinter homepage. A section has been added covering what you actually get when you buy one of these bits-o-kits. If you're considering a purchase, you should have a look.
	[icabod] - 13/07/2001 @935

	'Zines at the POS
	Couple bits of news regarding 'zines over at POS. A reminder of the deadline for articles for Scream: 25th July. That's another, ooh, week-or-two. They've also posted the complete set of ZX-Light, which you can grab from the page.
	[icabod] - 13/07/2001 @932

	More scene links
	Just checking through some of my back-log of URLs, and thought I'd push a couple here. scene.at.tut.by - basically a big collection of (zx) scene sites (and their buttons). Worth a look for something new. pouet.net - a rather nice demoscene resource. Raver has done a great job of adding a bunch a zx-scene productions and groups. Placebo - the homepage of, uhm... Placebo. I've altered the link to Gas13 - it now points directly to the English version of the site. Okay, I have a few more
	[icabod] - 11/07/2001 @961

	Complete Pussy
	More game news. Well, there's not a huge amount happening right now, I think. So I'll stick with it for now. You can grab, from POS, the apparent full version of Pussy, "The love story from Titanic". Hmm. (also posted on Scenergy, too). And while you're there you may as well get the second software-pack from WL/W.A.R.
	[icabod] - 11/07/2001 @952

	Liquidation ChipPack
	A little way down the main news on Scenet you can read a post from Makak\LQS. He's compiling a "chippack", titled "Liquidation". Now I'm guessing this is a chiptune pack, but I could be wrong. I think it's worth mentioning anyway as, can it be, Factor6 is listed as an LQS member. Heh. So perhaps AY-tunes can be involved too? Incidentally, I've been registering a couple more domain names, one of them chip-tune oriented. I'll leave you lot to figure out what they are (shouldn't be too hard).
	[icabod] - 11/07/2001 @008

	SchuCon 2001
	Okay, I confess to being about a day behind on the news. I've not checked the updates to any sites in the last 24 hours, and as I've just got back from the pub I'm not about to do it now, either. But you may want to get yourself over to the X-board, where some information has come to light about an inpromptu party titled SchuCon 2001. Details are a little sketchy (at least in my cached version of the logs), but I'm sure TDM will break the big news soon. Oh, and in case you're thinking of going to SchuCon, I think you've already missed it.
	[icabod] - 11/07/2001 @004

	New version of MicroSpeccy?
	WOS is again reporting a new version of Sergey Bulba's MicroSpeccy, although this time it's simple a fixed edition of the recent v1.0. Nothing about it on the offical homepage (at least as I write this), although there's another skin for AY-E, courtesy of Ironfist.
	[icabod] - 11/07/2001 @002

	Gas13 in Russian
	I think the headline really says it all. Gas13 has now set up a Russian version of his webpage. Check it.
	[icabod] - 10/07/2001 @998

	LoadRage Sinclair T-Shirts
	Noticed this a few days ago on CSS, but never bothered to really check it out until WOS mentioned it. loadrage.com are selling Sinclair-related T-Shirts. Looks like there's only 3 there right now, but I must say, that Manic Miner T looks kinda cool. Now, where can I find myself a classic YS Shirt?!?! Coz it's crap (in a funky, skillo sorta way).
	[icabod] - 08/07/2001 @677

	SpecView SE v2.2.0 released
	Here's another exclusive release of SpecView SE. So, what's new in v2.2.0? Well generally not much. There are a few improvements "minor enhancements", and the documentation has improved. But more importantly, a few annoying bugs have gone, so this version should be more stable than before. You can grab the new version here.
	[icabod] - 08/07/2001 @887

	Sintech Online
	Okay, thanks to the various people who sent me the working link for SinTech. I've updated the links on this page.
	[icabod] - 08/07/2001 @662

	Bunches of Files
	I'll simply slip a few of the "download" posts into here, I think. Couple places have reported the release of a new issue of Black Crow. This latest issue (#06) is sadly the last issue. You can grab it from POS (if you use IE) or from DJH Downloads. While at either of these places, you can also grab a filepack released by WL/W.A.R.group. Editors, and that kinda thing.
	[icabod] - 08/07/2001 @660

	POS Downloads
	Bit of a 'zine-frenzy over on POS right now, with 3 new releases (well, 2 releases and a "follow-up"). Also there you can grab the latest version of Hyperion Player (that's v1.1), which I think I spotted over on the RealSoft homepage at one point. Or am I thinking of something else? Either way, there's also a couple new plug-ins for BGE 3.0.1, so if you use that gfx-tool, they could be worth grabbing.
	[icabod] - 05/07/2001 @975

	Demotopia Updates
	Just before jetting off to somewhere sunny, Gasman has posted a couple more productions on Demotopia. You can find the recent "POS-WebTeam" intro, and a old demo (1994) called "Maxi Mix 2". Also posted there is some more news of the upcoming parties. Worth a check.
	[icabod] - 05/07/2001 @972

	RealSpec Rumours
	Okay, not really rumours, more of a teaser. Posted up on the RealSpectrum site by Ramsoft. All we basically get is: "the long awaited beta11 is arriving and it's very tasty!" But at least it's some news.
	[icabod] - 05/07/2001 @970

	Sintech Down?
	Got a question from Anestis asking where Sintech has disappeared to. I did a bit of checking and... I can't find it! I even checked the old URL for the site, but it's just kinda gone. If anyone has any news on the site, please let me know.
	[icabod] - 05/07/2001 @881

	Looking for Pussy?
	It was pointed out yesterday at work that a recent headline wasn't followed up with enough information. I mean, people may get the wrong idea with a headline "Mmmmm, Pussy!" and no mention of the release of the game, titled "Pussy". Well, I got a note from DJ Hooligan last night stating that he's uploaded disk #1 of the game to his site. He also mentioned that, after talking to the authors, it seems the disk only contains 1/6th of the full game, which was a commercial release.
	[icabod] - 05/07/2001 @876

	CC01 Rules - in English
	Following on from the new URL, I spotted some information in a mail from MacBuster for CC01. He's sent me the rules for the Spectrum part of the party, translated into English. You can grab the rules here. Of worthy note is this addition to the Demo compo: "A .tap version is a MUST for our Western friends (so, if your demo need to load some data during show - stop demo, load data and resume demo show)." Yeah, .TAP is the best way to spread your work, I think. Nice stuff.
	[icabod] - 05/07/2001 @872

	NU URL 4 CC01
	Ooh, here's some more information on the upcoming CC01-party. Some controversy has surrounded it. Well, perhaps not controversy, but some doubt about whether it'll happen. And there's now a new official URL for you to get your fix from: http://www.cc01.org.ru/
	[icabod] - 05/07/2001 @862

	Mmmmm, Pussy!
	Okay, quiet today. There's only a couple things happening it seems (unless I've missed something). The release of the new MakeTZX is finalised, and you can download it from the Ramsoft page. And I spotted a new (?) game posted on fido7.zx.spectrum. I also saw it mentioned over on POS, but when I checked I didn't see the file for download. Perhaps it's fixed now...
	[icabod] - 03/07/2001 @842

	RealSpec Chunky-view
	Quick note before I get to bed. Just had an email from Luca/Ramsoft about my last article (you know, Greyscale Chunky-view). To cut-n-paste: "just to point out that RealSpec B11 already has a new greyscale mode." Sweeeeeet! I now just wonder what other features this divine tool will have in the upcoming release... don't leave us in suspense!
	[icabod] - 03/07/2001 @026

	Chunky Specview
	Feedback is a very important thing, especially in the world of software. It allows the programmer to create bug-free, user-friendly, feature-packed software. It can also benefit the person giving feedback. Example 1: I pointed out a bug in a beta version of WinRAR (yep, I'm a registered user). The bug was fixed, and I received an early test-release. Example 2: I suggested a couple useful features in WSW, and they've been added. Gives me a warm feeling to think I had an influence. Example 3: I had an idea of grey-scaling "chunk" images. Either in an emulator or in a viewer. The result of this last example is that I can bring you an exclusive version of SpecView SE. Here's a few images converted with the new feature (enabled in the "Preferences" window, on the "Misc" tab). Okay, so the shots are tiny (they're converted using a 4x4 matrix), but they do look kinda kewl. In case you missed, the shots are from "GOA", the first chunk demo I saw. Anyway, grab the new version of SpecView SE (2.1.12) and play with it yourself. Load in the screen$, and export to .gif. Now all we need is this feature included in an emulator <g>.
	[icabod] - 02/07/2001 @891

	ROMs'n'things
	Couple ROM-type updates today. First up we have a couple ROMs posted on Speccy4Ever. A couple days ago ROMs for the Multiprint were uploaded. Today, you can find a mod of Quick Commander 2.6, by Spectre. I don't have any details at the moment of the changes made in this mod. I also noticed a new download posted on POS. This one is a version of TR-DOS for Profi. It allows the creation of a RAM-Disk instead of drive "D". Go there to grab TR-DOS v6.05R. 'K, I don't think this is of huge relevance to demosceners (feel free to correct me), so I'll tack it onto the bottom of this post. Ramsoft have released/are about to release a new version of their MakeTZX tool. You can use it to create "real" copies of your old Speccy games. v2.31 should be downloadable soon, if not already.
	[icabod] - 02/07/2001 @869

	Realsoft Moved
	Okay, the news as I find it... the homepage for Real Software Creative Group has moved. You can now find it hosted alongside ZX-Chart at hotbox.ru.
	[icabod] - 02/07/2001 @864

	Interlacing and the X-Board
	If you're not one of the many who frequent the X-board, you'll have missed out on the current "flavour of the month" discussion. It's all about Interlaced graphics. Okay, mebbe the conversation isn't everyone's cup-of-tea, but if you get a few spare minutes you could check it out. You could even contribute if you have something worthwhile to say ("Number 1. The Larch.").
	[icabod] - 01/07/2001 @848

	Tracking Mices
	Mices. Meece? Hmm. Bunch of new files uploaded at POS, but the most useful to demoscene people will be a "remix" of Pro Tracker. This tweak of v3.4 simply adds mouse support. At one point, LaesQ did something similar... not sure which version of ProTracker. He also fixed it up for MB-02-usage as well. Could always check at RAA.
	[icabod] - 01/07/2001 @845

	More Links
	Okay, got another link sent to me, to a site titled "ZX-Likers". The page is in Russian again, but there's some interesting stuff there if you can get past the text. There's even some information on the upcoming CSP party announced recently. Pop the page through Babelfish and check out the info. One thing tho', CSP looks to be the same date as Paradox. Hmm. Clashing parties. I also found this link to rakewell.com hidden away on the AR homepage. Okay, it's not specifically Spectrum-related, but they deal in the Cambridge Z88, so you may find something on the site that you'd like to acquire.
	[icabod] - 01/07/2001 @625

	PD-Libaries online
	A new URL exists for Alchemist Research, one of the more famous PD-Libaries here in the UK. They're also the producers of AlchNews, a 'zine I'm sure you've heard of already. Anyway, check out the site, and you can even read a little about the "fun shenanagins" between AR and Prism PD. Aah, those were the days.
	[icabod] - 01/07/2001 @615

	Constructions Site
	Received this link from a couple sources... it's to an infopage for the CC1 demoparty. There was some doubt about if the party would go ahead, but things look in it's favour, and the gig is still on. The date hasn't changed, but you could check out the new site for any other details. I heard a rumour that this will probably be the last CCparty. Anyone care to confirm this news? Oh, and the site's in Russian, natch!
	[icabod] - 01/07/2001 @608

	Phat 0.5 announced
	Spotted a post by Raver on Scenet announcing a short-notice party by the (unofficial) name of Phat0.5. Yeah, it's a mini-party dedicated to "c64, amiga, speccy, msx compatibles and any other systems visitors can come up with." It's not quite a demoparty, more of a copy-party, and it's being held next, ehm, Saturday (7th July) in Utrecht, Holland. You can find some more details on the party here.
	[icabod] - 01/07/2001 @601

	More re-vamps: DJH
	DJ Hooligan has taken some time out to re-vamp his site a little. Seems to me to be mainly a tweak-session, but I kinda like the re-arrangement. I'll leave you to check it out here.
	[icabod] - 01/07/2001 @596

	Blah!
	Another blah. Really feeling tired right now, so you'll just have to live with it. Hopefully my workload will get smaller soon, and I'll be able to catch up on things. POS has some updates, but I just noticed that the "download" section isn't viewable in Netscape. Sort it out, guys. One of the things they have posted is some information on CrazySiberianParty Millenium. Hmm, catchy name. Not checked the details yet. It's in my To-Do list. Spotted a new poll over on the Sprinter page. The question is "Do you want a text-editor/ word processor for the Sprinter?". Seems a few coders have contacted Peters (the maker of the board), and an editor was one of the suggested programs. Join the poll. New issue of ZX-Chart is available, at the new url: zxchart.hotbox.ru. Both POS and Scenergy have reported that CC1 is not cancelled. Well, it was kinda just rumour anyway. Good news, tho'. Got sent this link, also spotted on Scenergy, for the homepage of Brainwave (you know, creators of "Tryptomine Dream", among others). Nice looking site, and it's even in English, too <g> Finally for tonight, Gas13 is compiling views on the recent Nuotrauka virtual party. Comment on stuff you thought was cool, the whole thing... whatever. The aim is to motivate people to produce work ("People will be sure that their works will not disappear without a trace. Everyone will know opinion about his work - not only informationless points and places."). Looks like a good idea. An article will be posted in Scream. There. Sorry for the crapness on this site recently, but when I get a chance I'll be re-vamping the thing. Yeah, it's been going on for a while, but hey, we'll get there.
	[icabod] - 27/06/2001 @922

	New version of AY-Archive
	Spotted an update on the homepage of AY-Emulator. The tr_songs archive has been updated to v2.5. Not sure what the updates are in this version, but it brings the total to around 5500 tracks. Nice number there. The archive is around a 5Mb download, and well worth it. There's also some notification on the site that the latest version of the non-tracker music (from games and so on) in .VTX format will be the last version. Of coz, .AY-files will soon be supported in the emulator, so who needs them? Strangely, there's been another file modified, but no indication (at least none that I can find) as to why. MicroSpeccy has increased in size by a tiny 111 bytes. Hmm. The things you discover when you're semi-concious.
	[icabod] - 26/06/2001 @879

	Virtual Sceners
	Well, it's nice to see a site doing something. Oh, I have plans, but I seem to be busy all the time at work. Really. I think my boss is worried that I'm looking for another job, so the work keeps piling up. This leaves me with little time to look for a job, or even to play with raww.org much. So yeah, POS have added a new feature to their site, titled Virtual Scener. It's a list of sceners, with some information about each. Only a few there as I write this, and I've not added myself (I've gotta find a decent photo first <g>). But the list allows you to see what various sceners do for "the cause". It's a nice idea, and I hope it's successful. So go add yourselves.
	[icabod] - 25/06/2001 @933

	Casting doubt over CC1
	Yeah, read about this on the X-board in a post from ag0nia. Basically there's some doubt about whether CC1 will happen this year or not. Something to do with dual-citizenship, so it seems. But the fate of the party has not been decided just yet. Things change. There's some more news on this over on Scenergy, if you fancy piping it through a translator.
	[icabod] - 25/06/2001 @927

	Minigame 8-bit coding competition
	Got an email from Gasman (just after I read his post on CSS) with details of a competition that's been set up. To save me some time (it's about 00:30, and I'm working in a few hours), here's the full info: " Announcing Minigame, an intro competition with a difference... There are two categories: 512b and 2K. However, in this competition the challenge is to write a game that fits in this size limit. The competition is open to the Spectrum, Commodore, Amstrad and Atari 8-bits, so this is set to be an exciting co-operation between these scenes. There's no deadline yet - this will be decided later, when more entries have arrived. Also, there's no limit to the number of entries that can be submitted by one person. Full details of the competition, plus some early entries, are available on the website . Send your entries to minigame@demo.raww.net. Let battle commence :-) " So, looks like it could be quite interesting. Game-coding isn't really my thing, but it must interest a bunch of you out there. Check the site, and get-a-writing.
	[icabod] - 24/06/2001 @024

	MicroSpeccy finished
	Yep, the recent announcement of a new release of MicroSpeccy (the .AY-file player) on WOS was correct. The official page has been updated, along with the news that this is the last version. Okay, so it's hardly a shock, as it was mentioned a while ago. From now on, .AY-file playing will be incorporated into AY-Emulator.
	[icabod] - 21/06/2001 @899

	Placebo out-of-reach
	Got a mail forwarded to me today from MacBuster about Placebo. Seems they're going to have "minimal access" to the 'Net in July and August (heh, summer eh?). So emails to them will take a while to get a reply. "The only way we can suggest you is to send all your letters to spy_pcb<at>imail<dot>ru also. Please don't even try to write on D-Man's & Paracels' personal mailboxes." So there you go.
	[icabod] - 20/06/2001 @936

	New face of POS-WT + Blackmarket
	Popped over to POS only to find they've gone and changed the look. Kinda nice it is too, not too different from the previous version, but a little easier on the eyes. There's also a note from Raver posted there, mentioning a 'zine titled Blackmarket, and the upcoming #242. Hmm, I think it's a wierd numbering system, perhaps. Anyway, get over there to check out the news.
	[icabod] - 20/06/2001 @933