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Posts posted by Zafinn Books
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Wow, does this bring back memories. I went to work for Gateway 2000 right out of high school at the South Dakota location. My first job was working on the assembly line, in a giant warehouse, building computers. My hours were from 4pm until 2am and most Saturdays as they were always running behind. I sure don't miss those freezing cold winters, especially at 2am when you had to shovel out your car, pray it started (no cell phones folks) and drive home on the interstate back to Iowa.
Ted Waitt would show up on occasion, his hair always pulled back in a pony tail and bald as a cue ball on top.
I was in Sioux City a few times, always had a great time there. I was always asked why someone from Ireland would want to go to South Dakota when I was getting connecting flights from Chicago or Minneapolis

Check these out - http://www.thespottybox.com/spottythings.html
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And for a while Gateway had ownership of Amiga, so probably another reason I payed the place a visit, to see what would happen next with the Amiga line.

So in short, we are talking about Gateway years later so they obviously did something rememberable.
I wrote a little piece about that on the website, you can read it here http://www.thespottybox.com/barn.html - Scroll down to the end of the page.
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@ Flojomojo - No problem! We all have our opinions
I love MAC too! I have an original iMac, a couple of G5 Towers which I kept because its the best case design ever! I use to run a school bank on trusty Apple II's back in the day, so Apple has a place in my heart too.@ RandomRonn - Thanks for the nice words, I couldn't find much online about the company, so I did

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Hi there,
Order #'s from 10018 - 10021 have all shipped, along with your free poster and sticker. E-Mail confirmations with tracking numbers have been sent.
Thank you guys again for the support and let me know what you think of the book, as I want to ensure Volume Two is even better than the first.
Spread the word if you can, I'd appreciate it,
Karl
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@Flojomojo
The word classic can be used wildly these days, but if you were to remember a classic PC brand manufacturer (from the so-called "low-end"), Gateway 2000 (as opposed to the more recent Gateway brand that had been re-banded several times after 1998, and eventually gobbled up by ACER in 2007) was definitely one of them. It stood out from the crowd and provided good value low-end and high-end PC systems (including Server products via its ALR acquisition in '97).
History -> http://www.thespotty...om/history.html
I consider computing on PC's in the 1990's "classic". Keatah's DX2 was out before the Atari Falcon030... Most "classic" PC titles hale from this era.
Old is not classic agreed, and there are people reading your post who have never seen or heard of a Ford Taurus and would class that as old and perhaps even a classic, but for "old" cowboxers like myself, I think we are on the cusp of being "classic"
Karl
www.thespottybox.com
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Looks good so far, cant wait to read the history behind this company. And just in time, too, because Im just finishing spiffing up my 486. Next steps are to gather all the manuals and my original catalog. And perhaps recap the crystalscan monitor.
History -> http://www.thespottybox.com/history.html
Love to see a piccy when you have it up and runnung Keatah!
It is funny how we managed to find room for such big computers back then, and yet, I still don't have enough room and everything is much smaller now

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I'm in - I enjoy supporting these type of projects.
@5200Fanatic - Thank you

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Remember the cow spots?
I'm sure some of you must have bought or used one of these PC's during the 90's (when it was a much better PC company IMHO), I put a little page online to remember them.
(click on "The Spotty Box").
If anybody has any old magazine ad's or catalogs you can share with me, there is a contact form on the website, I'd be happy to use them on the website.
Although, I would have prefered an Atari PC

Enjoy!
Karl
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Just in case nobody ventures into the Gaming Publications forums

My book is finally out, you can read the details here http://atariage.com/forums/topic/288871-we-love-atari-volume-one/
Thanks to all AA members for their support so far.
best regards,
Karl
www.atariexplorer.com
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Hi there,
Order #'s up to 10017 have all shipped, along with your free poster and sticker. Thank you guys again for the support and let me know what you think of the book, as I want to ensure Volume Two is even better than the first.
Spread the word if you can, I'd appreciate it,
Karl
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Hello!
Just a quick update, I know people get anxious after purchasing something online! The first orders from Thursday (14th March) have been processed and I've just got the first orders ready to ship

See the image for actual proof

Of course, I just wanted to share the moment, and thank all of the users here at AtariAge for their support so far. Spread the word! I can't wait to share Volume Two!
Thanks,
Karl
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Looks like a great book! To save some shipping, is there any chance we can order Vol 1 but wait until Vol 2 is ready to ship with it?
@atarilovesyou - Interesting idea, but I'd hate to take orders (your hard earned cash) based on something out of my control. I'd like to say Volume 2 won't be long, be that depends how quickly I can sell the first (limited) print run. Don't get me wrong, I think its a great idea in theory, but I don't want to let people down. With respect to shipping, it's the main reason I split the book into two volumes, because I needed to keep the weight down.
I decided to absorb the PayPal processing fees and half the packaging costs to lessen the effect of shipping, but I'd rather ship with insurance and tracking to ensure your book(s) get to you safely.
It's a bummer, but sadly shipping costs are out of my control :-(
Karl
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Book is available. Purchased a copy earlier this morning.

@sramirez2008,
Thank you for your order and support.
Karl
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Hello,
Thanks for all the e-mails - your support makes the effort all the more worthwhile.
@Curt Vendel - Great to be back! Can't wait to re-launch the website, and its great to see the mighty Atari Museum get a face-lift. Happy 40th Birthday Atari 400/800 :-)
@TrekMD - Thank you, your very welcome to visit :-)
Book Update: Should be able to take orders from the 18th March, keep checking the website for updates. Pricing, shipping etc will all be revealed next week. Special gift with all First Editions sold.
all the best,
Karl
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Hello everybody,
It has been a long time since I posted here, so long in fact I couldn't find my old login details (Username: AEX), but some kind admin has validated my new account and I have some news to tell you.
Oldtimers might remember my website "Atari Explorer" (and before that "The Atari Time Machine), when I was young and free I enjoyed keeping the Atari site updated in my spare time but I had this thing called "a family", and that has kept me for want of a better word... busy :-) I had mentioned before all this family stuff happened, I was working on a book, well I finally finished it...
Just some background before you all nod off to sleep, I decided that Curt and Marty had pretty much covered all there was to cover (and then some) with their great book and since then we've been treated to some awesome retro books that have hit the market. No point going over old ground, so I thought I'd design something a little different, something I wanted, a book cramed with as much "Atari Stuff" as possible. Sprinkle a little historical reference and some basic Atari facts throughout, and add as many great images as possible, hey presto! The result: We Love Atari (Volumes One and Two).
You can find all the details and keep up to date with the latest news at my website: www.zafinnbooks.com
I've still got a few things to do in the background before I can take orders, but it won't be long. The first (small) print run is complete and I have the books here, I didn't bother with KickStarter! As long as I can cover my costs (printing, packaging etc) and get the book safely to you (International Registered Mail Only), I'll be able to get Volume Two printed as soon as possible. Volume Two is ready to roll, I will put a few sneak peaks of that up soon. I will also get a second print run of Volume One organised for anybody who misses the first run.
You are all wondering how much is it: Price TBC. It will include P&P with Tracking and I'll ensure your book is well packaged. Keep an eye on the website.
No more waffle, thanks for hearing me out, and I hope those of you who do get this book enjoy it. Those who don't want the book, please enjoy the new updated Atari Explorer website which I will re-launch later this year.
best regards,
Karl
P.S. Hello to all the AA members who remember me

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New Atari Book "We Love Atari"
in Atari 8-Bit Computers
Posted
Just in case nobody ventures into the Gaming Publications forums
My book is finally out, you can read the details here http://atariage.com/...ari-volume-one/
Thanks to all AA members for their support so far.
best regards,
Karl
www.atariexplorer.com