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Just give me the Powerball numbers for next week.
“Humility is an important quality - especially if you’re wrong a lot.” — Gregory House
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- First I would be frightened to discover that supernatural entities are real.
- Then, I would become extremely depressed to realize that knowing my future means the future is fixed, so even if I knew my future, I couldn't change it.
- If I can know my future, then the decision to find it out is predetermined, so the question is moot.
- If the future is not fixed, then I can predict your future as well as anyone, and if it doesn't come true, I can say that knowing your future changed it.
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If it was an ability like Nicholas Cage had in the movie 'Next', yes I would! He could see multiple paths into the future so he could choose which path to take to accomplish his goal(s).
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You know that feeling when you get something working and it was like magic?
It's like being a kid again. 
I was looking around for a way to play those old Infocom games. (Sure I had Zork1, but I need them all!!!) 
They're all available at: historicalsource (Historical Source) · GitHub[^]
Z-Machine[^]
But I don't have a Z-Machine -- the old virtual machine that lets you run those.
Well, I searched GitHub to see if someone built one.
I found one written in Go-Lang[^] (github again).
I've never used Go at all. But I was game so I installed it:
sudo apt install golang-go
I ran it but it was expecting zork1.dat file and it failed.
I opened up the source and searched for zork1.dat found this line in the Go source.
func main() {
buffer, err := ioutil.ReadFile("zork1.dat")
I went back to the Historical Infocom Github, found Deadline[^] project and didn't know what was a which. But then I decided to download the raw deadline.z3[^] file from the repo.
1) I dropped it into the folder where the ZMachine is located
2) Changed the line of code to ref the deadline.z3 file:
buffer, err := ioutil.ReadFile("deadline.z3")
3) went back to the command line and started the zmachine:
$ go run zmachine.go
Here's what I saw!!!!
DEADLINE: An INTERLOGIC Mystery
Copyright 1982 by Infocom, Inc. All rights reserved.
DEADLINE and INTERLOGIC are trademarks of Infocom, Inc.
Release 27 / Serial number 831005
South Lawn
You are on a wide lawn just north of the entrance to the Robner estate. Directly north at the end of a pebbled path is the Robner house, flanked to the northeast and northwest by a vast expanse of well-kept lawn. Beyond the house can be seen the lakefront.
>
I've wanted to play Suspended [^] again since I bought it for my Commodore 128 back in 1987. Now I can.
Update
It's like it's 1987 all over again. The good old days.
Suspended is running.
SUSPENDED: INTERLOGIC Science Fiction
Copyright (c) 1983 by Infocom, Inc. All rights reserved.
SUSPENDED and INTERLOGIC are trademarks of Infocom, Inc.
Release 8 / Serial number 830521
FC ALERT! Planetside systems are deteriorating. FC imbalance detected. Emergency reviving systems completed. You are now in control of the complex.
SENSA INTERRUPT: Seismic aftershock detected ten meters north of Beta FC. Tremor intensity 9.7. Projected damage: connecting cables in Primary and Secondary Channels.
FC INTERRUPT: All Robots, report locations.
IRIS: In the Weather Monitors.
WALDO: In the Gamma Repair.
SENSA: In the Central Chamber.
AUDA: In the Entry Area.
POET: In the Central Chamber.
WHIZ: In the Advisory Peripheral.
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I have the original first boxed set on floppy. Luckily, I copied them to USB a while back. I'm going to have to find that and load them up in my well-preserved Windows 98 VM and play them. I've been itching for some old school gaming that makes me feel like a kid again.
-Sean
----
Fire Nuts
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Windows 98 VM?
What are you using? Hyper-Visor doesn't support 16-bit mode.
I know 98 is 32-bit, but for DOS mode it runs in 16-bit.
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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I have it running in VMware Workstation. I haven't fired it up in ages, so we'll see if I can get it to run in 16-bit mode.
I did find this though:
16 bit color mode on a win98 virtual machine - VMware Technology Network VMTN[^]
I'll give that a try once I get the binaries for all the Infocom games moved over.
As much as I liked Zork I/II/III, I liked Starcross more. I need to find a copy of that somewhere.
-Sean
----
Fire Nuts
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Sean Cundiff wrote: I liked Starcross more. I need to find a copy of that somewhere.
GitHub - historicalsource/starcross: Starcross by Dave Lebling[^]
I'm playing it now on the Go Zmachine. Seriously. 
EDIT
STARCROSS: INTERLOGIC Science Fiction
Copyright (c) 1982 by Infocom, Inc. All rights reserved.
STARCROSS and INTERLOGIC are trademarks of Infocom, Inc.
Release 18 / Serial number 830114
You are sound asleep in your bunk aboard the deep-space black hole prospecting ship "Starcross," operating out of Ceres. Just as your sleep becomes deep and comfortable, an alarm bell begins ringing! It's the mass detector! Instantly you awake. This hasn't been a profitable trip so far, and you don't even have the cash for repairs. This could be the break you've been waiting for.
Living Quarters
(You are in the bunk.)
This nook is your spartan living quarters, containing only a bunk and a bureau. The only exit is to starboard.
There is a tape library here. (outside the bunk)
>
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Ha! Finally downloaded Starcross, but I cannot get it to work with GO. I can start it up just fine, but when I try to give coordinates to the unknown mass I just get "I don't know the word '100,'".
How did you get past this?
-Sean
----
Fire Nuts
modified 26-Dec-20 19:03pm.
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I had the same problem and should’ve saved the solution somewhere. It’s been a few weeks and I can’t quite remember. I looked at the code and I noticed there is an error in the parser related to multi-word instructions. You need to use spaces after the colons ( for each coord} or something like that. It’s related to how it is parsing for each part of command try spacing using colons and other “breaks” in commands. I finally guessed it in relation to the error it was giving. Good luck.
I will try it again in a bit and see what I remember.
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Okay, I got it again. It's quite terrible, but you can get it working with the following command:
>Computer , r is 100 . theta is 200 . phi is 300
Keep those spaces in mind. The first part of the problem is that there has to be a space between Computer and that first comma.
I finally got to this by issuing the "read instructions" command and reading the output very slowly:
>read instructions
Your Frobozzco FB-69105 Computer
For your safety, this voice-activated computer will not respond unless directly addressed by the operator. Prefix all commands with the word "computer," as in "Computer, Set course for Mars." Navigational commands are entered in terms of the R, theta, and phi of the destination, as in "Computer, R is 100. Theta is 200. Phi is 300." Following these instructions will ensure full satisfaction with your new Frobozzco Computer.
Of course, the bug in this Go version (which requires the extra spaces) made it a bit more difficult to get it working.
When you successfully put your coords in you'll see something like:
"R set. Waiting for additional values."
"Theta set. Waiting for additional values."
"Phi set." Lights blink furiously for a moment. The computer speaks: "I know my instruments aren't as good as the mass detector, but I see nothing at that location. Well, if you say so. Please confirm new navigational program. I'm waiting..."
After that you'll confirm the command:
>computer , confirm
"Thank you. New navigational program will initiate in fifteen seconds. There will be a course correction burn of 58 seconds duration. I advise you to fasten your seat belt."
Just make sure you always address the computer and leave a space and a comma after and you should be able to communicate with the computer.
Good luck and have fun, spaceman. 
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Boom! That was it!
-Sean
----
Fire Nuts
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Yay retrocomputing. Cool.
I wouldn't mind giving Space Quest another go. 
Real programmers use butterflies
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Very cool and well done.
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@10
Now who would've thought?
"If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're going"
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Unable to load the requested member's information.
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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You are supposed to read it, not click it.
"If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're going"
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OK I admit that I don't get the joke. 
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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Dominic Cummings has left Downing Street.
The triumph of Carrie, it would seem.
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UK politics. Move along, nothing (of importance) to see here.
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That comment can be taken in more than one way.
And I think you're right either way.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
Never stop dreaming - Freddie Kruger
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Thank's Griff, that was a witty piece.
"If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're going"
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Quote: Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist
Well I would never have guessed.
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I really don't get the press obsession with Cummins! Just another excuse to replay the excruciating press briefing he gave after his lock-down trip to Durham, maybe? 
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