Juiced.GS » December

Tiger Learning Computer gallery

Ken Gagne — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:35:18 +0000

The cover story on Juiced.GS's December 2011 issue is the Tiger Learning Computer. Released in 1996, this portable machine used licensed technology based on the Apple IIe, offering the promise of a new lease on life for Apple Computer Inc.'s longest-running product. Alas, the TLC never made it out of the test market phase, but a few units do exist in the wild — including in the hands of Juiced.GS associate editor Andy Molloy, who not only reviewed the hardware but also interviewed Kristi Petters, the former Apple employee who negotiated the license with Tiger Electronics (now part of Hasbro).

Andy shot many photographs before we settled on the one that graced our front page. If you've read his articles and want to see what was left on the cutting room floor, please enjoy these additional photos!

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Enjoy Juiced.GS Volume 16, Issue 4 (December 2011)

Ken Gagne — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:56:59 +0000

The December issue of Juiced.GS is now available!

This 24-page issue features reviews of the CFFA3000, the Steve Jobs biography, and the Tiger Learning Computer; an interview with Kristi Petters, the former Apple employee who licensed the Apple IIe technology for the TLC; a behind-the-scenes look at David Schmenk's Escape! From The Homebrew Computer Club; a tribute to Steve Jobs by the colleagues who knew him in the Apple II days, including Bob Bishop, Paul Terrell, and Lane Roathe; and much, much more!

Check out this issue's index, as well as links to online resources for more related content.

Now available: the entire 2011 volume at a discounted rate!

Don't be left out — sign up for a 2012 subscription!
Get the latest Apple II news, reviews, interviews, and how-tos,
delivered right to your mailbox.

Not sure what to think? Check out our sample content!

Volume 16, Issue 4 (December 2011)

Ken Gagne — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:10:23 +0000

Page: 2
Type: My Home Page
Author: Ken Gagne
Headline: Reflections
Sub-headline:
Synopsis: Looking back at 2011: CFFA3000, Open Apple, Steve Jobs, Ryan Suenaga, and Colorado

Page: 3
Type: Letters
Author: Misc.
Headline:
Sub-headline:
Synopsis: Jim Pittman's long affair with the Apple II, and Thomas McLaren's thanks for a Digital Dinos plug

Page: 4-7
Type: Review
Author: Mike Maginnis
Headline: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Sub-headline: CFFA3000: The pinnacle of interface expansion cards
Synopsis: Rich Dreher's CFFA3000 CompactFlash and USB storage interface card is the best such peripheral for the Apple II

Page: 8-9
Type: Review
Author: Andy Molloy
Headline: The Last Apple II
Sub-headline:
Synopsis: Tiger Electronics' Tiger Learning Computer, a portable edutainment device that licensed the Apple IIe technology

Page: 10-11
Type: MusinGS
Author: Andy Molloy
Headline: License to Roar
Sub-headline: The Apple side of the Tiger Learning Computer
Synopsis: Interview with Kristi Petters, former Apple employee in charge of technology licensing

Page: 12-13
Type: Cover ][ Cover
Author: Eric Shepherd
Headline: Thinking Differently
Sub-headline: The first authorized biography of Steve Jobs
Synopsis: Review of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs, the first authorized biography of Apple's co-founder, chairman, and former CEO

Page: 14-16
Type: Juiced.GS Tribute
Author: Lane Roathe, John Romero, Mark Munz, Paul Terrell, Bob Bishop
Headline: The Man Behind The Myth
Sub-headline: On the loss of a legend and a friend
Synopsis: Former friends and colleagues share memories of Steve Jobs

Page: 17-20
Type: Behind the Scenes
Author: David Schmenk
Headline: Escape! From Expectations
Sub-headline: How the 8-bit Apple can do the impossible
Synopsis: The secrets behind Escape! From the Homebrew Computer Club

Page: 21,23
Type: Apple Mysteries
Author: Martin Haye
Headline: The Devious Design
Sub-headline:
Synopsis: The secret in the KansasFest 2011 logo

Page: 22-23
Type: DumplinGS
Author: Ken Gagne
Headline: Founding Documents
Sub-headline: Contracts and magazines unearthed
Synopsis: Apple's founding contract; Silver Platter and Gsoft BASIC reclassified as freeware; NuInput updated; David Greelish reissues Historically Brewed; 8 Bit Weapon releases DMS Drummer software

Page: 23
Type: Random Numbers
Author: Eric Shepherd
Headline: Meeting the Apple II
Sub-headline:
Synopsis: Sheppy's introduction to the Apple II

Page: 24
Type: Season's Greetings
Author: Sarah Walkowiak
Headline:
Sub-headline:
Synopsis: Happy holidays from Juiced.GS!

V16I4 (Dec 2011)

Ken Gagne — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:37:11 +0000

My Home Page

Apple II ornament pattern
Embroider your own miniature Apple II! Provided to Juiced.GS under Creative Commons by designer Sarah Walkowiak. See more photos here.

Review: CFFA3000

R&D Automation
CompactFlash and USB storage interface for the Apple II.

Waiting list
Sign up for the second batch of CFFA3000 cards, due in 2012.

Discussion forum
Ask questions and receive support about the CFFA3000.

Review: TLC

Instruction manual
Hasbro's user manual (PDF) for the Tiger Learning Computer, a portable educational tool based on the Apple IIe.

Photo gallery
Additional photographs of the TLC, courtesy Andy Molloy and Kristi Petters.

Cover ][ Cover: Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs
The first authorized biography of Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson.

Behind the Scenes: Escape! From The Homebrew Computer Club

David Schmenk's homepage
Author of HBCC, with pages devoted to Apple and retrocomputing.

DumplinGS

Apple founding contract for sale
The document that established the empire, as auctioned by Sotheby's.

Silver Platter
Kelvin Sherlock's NDA HTTP server, now freeware.

GSoft BASIC
The Byte Works' 16-bit implementation of the BASIC programming language, now freeware.

NuInput 2.0
Ivan Drucker's assembly routine to replace Applesoft INPUT.

The Complete Historically Brewed
David Greelish's Kickstarter-funded compilation of Historically Brewed newsletters

Apple II DMS Drummer Software
Chiptune music utility, from 8 Bit Weapon and Michael J. Mahon.

The December 2010 issue in-depth

Ken Gagne — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:30:00 +0000

As announced yesterday, the sixtieth issue of the world's longest-running Apple II publication has now shipped to all domestic and international subscribers.

Though the cover photo may suggest we've strayed from our focus of Apple II coverage, Mike Maginnis's piece on the Apple III is right in line with our mission statement. Rather than tread old ground by reviewing what made this machine Apple Computer, Inc.'s first commercial failure, Mike dissects the technological advances that debuted in the Apple III and were eventually incorporated into models of the Apple II. It's a great piece about the overlooked origin of aspects of our favorite computer.

Perhaps the issue's most substantial piece is an interview with Wayne Bibbens, who has been selling Apple II hardware and software for more than twenty years. After being featured in the documentary Welcome to Macintosh, reviewed in our December 2009 issue, Wayne's phone has been ringing off the hook! Rather than get in the queue for his attention via phone or email, Juiced.GS associate editor Andy Molloy drove to Bibbens' store and got a personal tour and interview, complete with photos.

This issue's installment of our five-part series on transferring files between the Apple II and a modern computer covers the reading of physical media (floppy disks, hard drives, CD-ROMs, and CompactFlash) as well as how to convert those same volumes into disk images. It was a fun challenge to get the wisdom and expertise of Tony Diaz, Ivan Drucker, Mike Maginnis, and myself all into a single article!

Hot on the heels of the KansasFest 2010 debut of Slammer is a behind-the-scenes look at its creation by its inventor, Ivan Drucker. This utility makes it possible to executes monitor commands from within Applesoft programs without requiring any external routines.

Martin Haye provides Juiced.GS with what could be the first piece of fiction we have ever published. His short story of two detectives puzzling over the disastrous consequences of an innocuous PEEK command is a fun read for programmers and budding sleuths alike.

Our regular columns round out this issue. In the quarterly editorial, I talk about how my academic pursuits have influenced Juiced.GS, and vice versa. DumplinGS reveals the KansasFest 2010 keynote speaker and looks at other recent events in the Apple II community, while hinting at content to be found in our March issue. Eric Shepherd's back-page column makes a call for the tools necessary to support a thriving Apple II development community. Interested in being a part of this project? Drop us a line!

The envelope in which your December issue will arrive includes a reminder of whether or not you've renewed for 2011. If you haven't, you can use the enclosed order form to ensure you receive another four issues of the last Apple II publication still in print. If you missed the 2010 volume entirely, all four issues can now be purchased for only $16, which includes shipping anywhere in the world. This volume is also now included in our print bundle and "Everything Juiced.GS" bundle.

Online resources referenced in this issue are indexed in the issue links. I think this issue marks a new record — I counted 35 URLs! Since not all our readers have easy or any access to the Internet, we do try to provide offline alternatives whenever possible. But so much commerce is conducted online these days, and print space is at such a premium, that it's impractical and nearly impossible to offer a postal address and phone number for each and every resource. I will continue to accommodate requests for this information, as has happened with the occasional postal letter to the editor.

This issue is also indexed in our exhaustive online database and is outlined on its own page.