pixelmischief

Can someone please PM me with a list of some original games on the Atari 8 Bit that are programmed at the level of this version of Space Harrier?

I can't believe they actually broke out the Barry White when she was soldering. That was sexy.

Thank you for so succinctly proving my point. =)

I guess a buddy with a car is out of the question?

WOW! That's devotion.

'vi' is the Visual Editor. It is ubiquitous on *Nix operating systems. If you want to experience some of the most bitter flamewars ever waged, Google 'vi vs. emacs'. Emacs is another editor for Unix-alikes and the two have extremely passionate fanbases. It's worse than Yankees/Red Sox. No kidding.

Reading the discussion, I am wondering what the scope of this project is. Are you writing a graphical file manager and program launcher, a GUI library for inclusion in other software projects, or a shared-tasking system wherein multiple programs can run simutaneously, each with its own "viewport"?

Reading through some of the discussion on memory optimization, I was reminded of a really good book I read some years back as part of my studies, "Small Memory Software". It identified design patterns for limited memory systems. Maybe it can help. You can read it online at http://www.cix.co.uk/~smallmemory/book.html

I'm in. I used to have one and I really liked it.

So you feel normal then?? Oooh, a joke as original as your name. Think of that name all by yourself-y? =) What would be hilarious is if your name was actually Dave or something. =) Look at us, hijacking the thread with petty bantering. We're like a couple of rats scrapping it out under Einstein's desk. =) Enough from me. Let the genius commence.

This thread makes me feel horribly inadequate. And I'm Irish, for Christ's sake!

You know, it was rough getting here, but I'm really glad I did it. I think we are all cool now and I hope those fellows will take me up on my offers: final value paid for the seller, shipping paid for the buyer. You guys are all aces in my book.

You're right. I shouldn't have said that. Even though it's...no...shutting up now.

Well, what would you have me do. And don't say, "I would have you not cause the problem in the first place!" That's a cop out. The mistake now made, what do you think is the way it should be handled? How would you handle it, in my shoes? Yeah. It is. No, but it does say that on at least 140 other occasions, I conducted business honorably. And while it doesn't excuse this cluster-f%$k, it must be given some weight in terms of judging my character. I don't know much about your reputation, other than how I have perceived you: highly intelligent, passionate about Atari 8-bit systems, long on opinion, and short on either patience or consideration for the viewpoint or feelings of others. That said, you are the big fish in this small pond. If you want to soapbox at my expense, I guess I have invited it. That's true, I was just feeling picked on.

I have interest in neither prolonging this or "quitting while [i'm] ahead." I just want to be sure everyone has said all they wish to say on the matter, including me. In the end, however, my actions will be the final word on both my intentions and my regard. This really is the heart of the thing and it just sucks that I am as selfish as I am sometimes. Mea culpa. I was going to until I got a look at how much it actually meant to the members here. In your shoes, I would have said, "Meh". But when I saw the furor surrounding it and that it might actually cause some real trouble for the sellers, I figured that was something I wasn't willing to turn away from. On that, I can't agree. He will get the MIO, and for less than I would have been willing to pay for it. And he'll get it shipped for free. Yes, he will have waited longer for it, but I think the dollar value of the reparation more than covers the damage. It's not like he's trying to buy an organ or something, it's a toy for Christ's sake. The issue here is one of principle, not practicality. I was wrong, but in the end, I will bear the burden of it. There are no martyrs on this one; here or there.

Thanks, but somehow I think enduring this is all part of the price to be paid. I love this forum and want to feel good about being here. I couldn't do that if I slunk away and hid from the mob before they had their full say.

When it got to the end and I had to decide what to do, I thought about honoring the $500.00 deal and backing out on the non-functional unit for $300.00. The end result, however, would appear as irrefutable evidence that winning both and screwing over one was my intention all along. I would have my MIO, loser be damned. But that wasn't my intention. Of one thing I was sure: that whatever the outcome, I shouldn't end up with an MIO. So I backed out of both, offering both the same reparations and leaving the MIO for other buyers. Except for the time it takes to resell them, my solution is a net advantage for everyone involved at my expense. The sellers reputations are restored and they will be given the final value fee for their trouble. The buyers will have the chance to get the units and get shipping for free. And I end up looking ridiculous, out a fair sum of money, have no MIO, and exclude myself from the market. If it all happens like that, I will deem the debt paid in full. No arguments here, though the bit about disregarding the interests of others is a little preachy. That seems a little paranoid to me, especially when combined with the whole thread happening here, but I guess more devious plots have been hatched for profit. I submit that it is a weak defense indeed, but can only point to the feedback. Alright Mr. Perfect, enough. I am willing to take it on the chin for having done something stupid, but I'm not trying to become the villain responsible for all the woes on eBay. "...lest you be judged."

My deepest apologies for the whole thing. Please PM me to recover the listing fee. EDIT: When I said listing fee, I meant final value fee.

What? You have 140 transactions and a 100% feedback rating. That's more than I have and Ive been using/watching ebay on a daily basis for over 10 years. It is nice that you came forward, but your explanation does not excuse any of your actions, or the actions of the seller. Nor does it shed any light on whether or not you and the seller were involved in an agreement to inflate the price of the auction with no intention of purchasing the item. The rules/regulations on Ebay are there to protect the intersts of both buyers and sellers.. Ignorance is not an excuse, and you can't expect others to accept it as such. I ask for no excuse or forgiveness. I spoke up to restore the honor of the two sellers and offer some restitution to both buyers and sellers; both of whom were injured by my actions. On the question of whether or not I was complicit with the sellers in a plan to drive the price up, I can only offer my feedback rating and these posts as a defense.

I have been watching Atari 8-Bit stuff on eBay for a few years and seen far fewer than 10 ICD MIOs. Three, maybe. I would submit however, that it is only in the last year that I have been using the "Worldwide" option for searching. The strategy was not to pay $300.00 and $500.00 for the auctions. The strategy was to set the number to a level that I thought would guarantee a win. I thought perhaps to pay, like you indicated, a couple of hundred bucks for each. I could have put $9999999. It meant the same thing to me. Globally, I would not call 2000 of anything "plenty". I don't know as much about the MIO as you, but I know that they are very rare. I volunteer that I have sometimes vastly over-payed for things on eBay for the convenience of being sure to get them. If that inflates the future price of similar items, so be it. The fair market price of anything is what someone is willing to pay for it. I make no apology for it. You misunderstood me here. I did not honor either contract.

On lying and covering up, I will agree with you. On the ease with which one may be forgiven, I'm not so sure. Well your name IS full of Mischief Scandalous!

Truth be told, I don't put much stock in either grudges or forgiveness. Community, on the other hand, is quite important to me. People were damaged. The man in the mirror tells me I need to make it right. Reputation matters and I have been on this forum long enough to know that it is the Court of FiberWire, MetalGuy, FlashJazzCat, Orpheus, and Candle. Judge as you will. I expect MetalGuy's offering to be...colorful.

On lying and covering up, I will agree with you. On the ease with which one may be forgiven, I'm not so sure.

To make amends, I will pay the eBay listing fee for the seller, and shipping for the winner. It's on me. I insist. PM me to make arrangements.

I can't believe I'm actually doing this. But being as it is my irresponsibility that is now causing these sellers real harm, in both reputation and capital, I will. I was the winning bidder on both items. I drove the prices up. I backed out of the deals. And not that my explanation will matter, but I will explain anyway. I'm in IT. My job requires that I travel a lot and spend long hours in data centers, away from any system that has Internet access. For this reason, I often lose out on auctions. When I saw these MIO's come up, I was determined. Convinced that this would be my last chance to get my hands on a real ICD MIO, I bid both items to level I thought, based on past sales, couldn't possibly lose ($500.00). I never dreamed they would actually hit the prices they did. And when I won both, I was left with an $800.00 bill I couldn't possibly afford. Embarrassed and pissed at myself for being so reckless, I closed my eBay account. I was just going to turn my back on the whole thing and chalk it up to experience. But seeing now that these fellows are taking a real beating here over the subject, I figure that stepping up and taking the blame for it something I have to do. Hate me if you want to. That's the story. I couldn't be sorrier, for whatever that's worth.