The Official STart mag on PDF DVD

[ThumpNugget]

This is the official list for gathering names for those that want one of the STart magazines PDF sets. This set includes all the Magazines and the catalog inserts from STart magazine as well as all the included discs in MSA format. I'm going to this in a similar fashion as the other sets: take names for a few days (or until I run out of the 17 that I am selling), then send out a mass email for money and details for shipping, then ship them out...

 

Here is what the set looks like:

 

Front:

 

Back:

 

Inside:

 

DVD:

 

 

More pics/information can be found in this topic: STart Magazine on PDF

 

An example of one of the completed magazines can be found here: Start 20 Vol 3-09 1989-04 MIDI Breakthrough

 

 

This price is $8.50 in the U.S and $9.50 outside the U.S and this does include shipping...

 

Add a reply to this topic or send me a PM and I will add you to the list.

 

[ThumpNugget]

Currently I have on the list:

 

1. Remo Williams

2. 8bitguy1

3. telenguard

4. tjb

5. twiliteZoner

6. Stephen

7. poobah

[Albert]

Yes please!!

 

..Al

[zodiacprime]

I'll take a set, thanks.

[tjb]

Can I order an additional set after everyone has had a chance to get a set? I'd like to have another one but I also don't want to keep someone else from owning a set.

 

tjb

[Mirage]

I'm in for one. Love the Analog and Antic sets you did. I hope I didn't miss any other "releases".

[tjlazer]

Ill take one.

[Jet-X]

I'll take 1

[ThumpNugget]

Currently at 15:

 

Remo Williams

8bitguy1

telenguard

tjb

twiliteZoner

Stephen

poobah

Darklord

boog

Marc Oberhäuser

Albert

zodiacprime

mirage

tjlkazer

Jet-x

[atarian1]

I would like a copy.

 

Thanks.

[ThumpNugget]

I'm in for one. Love the Analog and Antic sets you did. I hope I didn't miss any other "releases".

 

 

Na, you haven't missed any.. There should be another one in a week or two though

[Mirage]

I'm in for one. Love the Analog and Antic sets you did. I hope I didn't miss any other "releases".

 

 

Na, you haven't missed any.. There should be another one in a week or two though

 

Tease!!!

[Foster]

TN,

 

I'd love a set if you have any left. The work you do in compiling magazine sets is simply terrific!

 

.. Steve

[ThumpNugget]

That should cover them all then! I'll get a message sent out today. Thanks everyone!

 

Remo Williams

8bitguy1

telenguard

tjb (2 sets)

twiliteZoner

Stephen

poobah

Darklord

boog

Marc Oberhäuser

Albert

zodiacprime

mirage

tjlkazer

Jet-x

atarian1

foster

[ThumpNugget]

I've sent everyone a message that was on the list. If you did not receive a message let me know. Thanks.

 

 

The (now spelling corrected) list:

 

1. Remowilliams

2. 8bitguy1

3. telengard

4. tjb (2 copies)

5. twiliteZoner

6. Stephen

7. poobah

8. DarkLord

9. boog

10. Marc Oberhäuser

11. Albert

12. zodiacprime

13. mirage

14. tjlazer

15. Jet-x

16. Atarian1

17. Foster

[+Stephen]

Payment sent.

 

Stephen Anderson

[ThumpNugget]

These were mailed out today to the following:

 

Albert

8bitguy1

boog

DarkLord

Jet-x

Marc Oberhäuser

Remowilliams

tjb (2)

 

There are a few I did not get to today because I had to get these mailed before closing time due to there being a couple of non-USA addresses that can't be done after hours. There was also one that did not have a mailing address (I've PM'd you). These will go out tomorrow.

[+wood_jl]

Darn!! I always see this too late....busy with holidays/following too many other threads/flamewars to look for developments.

 

Fine work you did with the Antic/Analog stuff.

 

So it's too late to get in on this? Can you add me to the list, or you're done?

I can paypal you if you're doing another batch? Will you authorize someone to put up a torrent for those who missed this?

 

If you can do another, let me know and I'll paypal right away. If you're compiling a list for another batch (surely there are more than 20 people in the world interested in this), please put me down.

 

Thanks.

 

edit: I started "watching" this thead....a little too late, eh?

Edited December 30, 2009 by wood_jl

[ThumpNugget]

I was not able to get to the post office on Tuesday... These were mailed Wednesday morning:

 

Atarian1

Foster

mirage

Stephen

telengard

twiliteZoner

zodiacprime

[ThumpNugget]

Darn!! I always see this too late....busy with holidays/following too many other threads/flamewars to look for developments.

 

Fine work you did with the Antic/Analog stuff.

 

So it's too late to get in on this? Can you add me to the list, or you're done?

I can paypal you if you're doing another batch? Will you authorize someone to put up a torrent for those who missed this?

 

If you can do another, let me know and I'll paypal right away. If you're compiling a list for another batch (surely there are more than 20 people in the world interested in this), please put me down.

 

Hey there, if someone wants to put up a torrent more power to them

 

As far as making more sets... and thanks for the opportunity to get on my soapbox I have not done them for the other magazines mainly because it just takes too much time. My goal (motivation) for doing this is to help preserve this stuff forever. I could make larger batches but that also takes time and the last 50% of each batch would be going out over several months time which means much less efficient use of the time devoted to this project... As it is I still have more to scan than when I started.

 

Having said that.. the current format is much easier (labor wise) as one double sided printout is all I need.. I even paid a guy a few bucks to cut them for me so it was a pretty pain free experience. If the feedback is positive for this format (I see no reason why it would not be - the cases are virtually indestructible and do not get scratches and no exposed paper) then I will make larger batches (and go back and redo previous mags in this format) and hopefully sluff off the actual distribution to someone else so it can be done over time.

 

 

...And for today's useless trivia, here is the process of scanning in STart (Antic/Analog did not use this process which is too bad because they would have looked much better, I plan on reprocessing the raw scans to fix them) :

 

1. Deep clean the scanner (once per magazine, includes using Q-tips and isoprop on all the moving wheels)

2. Scan the magazine into an uncompressed PDF

3. Do a quick clean of the scanner (just go over the scanning part with a cloth and cleaner)

4. Rescan bad scanned pages (on average about 10% of the pages are rescanned)

5. Extract the PDF into individual TIFF files (each page runs 20-30 megs)

6. Divide the TIFF files into two directories - one for color pages, one for non-color (this has to be done by hand right now)

7. Run a photoshop script on each directory, one script for fixing color, one for fixing and converting to greyscale

8. Combine the files into one directory

9. Recreate a PDF from the TIFF files

10. Run the OCR to Descew and OCR the PDF

 

To give you an idea of what the reprocessing does, here is one page (there are other much more dramatic examples) from one the Antics in the first set (the current torrent). Compare this to the next picture of the same page after processing. The pictures look very similar (depending on your monitor settings) but if you look closely (put your face at the bottom of the monitor at look up at the top of the page) you will notice that in the first picture you can see some bleed from the reverse page. This is mostly gone in the second page which results in a much nicer picture, a better OCR, and reduces the size by around 30%... and unfortunately it means reprocessing everything done before the Softside magazines

 

Before:

 

 

After:

[tjb]

My 2 sets arrived today! Outstanding work! As with your Analog and Antic sets, these are very professionally done. Thanks for doing this for the community!

 

tjb

[+remowilliams]

...And for today's useless trivia, here is the process of scanning in STart

Well I find it quite interesting but it could be said that I might be a bit obsessed with archival scanning. I don't do much color material (mostly box art and manual sections) so I usually scan directly to 300 DPI greyscale TIF with image enhancement done there which luckily removes 95%+ of the bleedthrough. I try to limit manual post processing work to a minimum, which of course is often difficult being somewhat of a perfectionist... I'll combine the TIFs into a single PDF with Acrobat and then use Distiller to produce the smaller web versions. Different size materials then need to be recombined using Acrobat as Distiller will do a horrible job of that.

[8bitguy1]

When I get mine, I'll be happy to create a torrent, if no one beats me to it.

 

I got the Antic/Analog ones that way...so I'm happy to repay the favour!!!

[Shredder11]

That is very kind of you 8bitguy1 and I will assist in seeding duties for a while. I have a couple of NAS servers and I use one to seed during the night and early morning hours, so seeding is not a problem. I don't know which torrent sites you use but I quite like this retro gaming site called Pleasuredome which I have got some good stuff from, including a load of Amstrad CPC magazine scans.

[telengard]

That is very kind of you 8bitguy1 and I will assist in seeding duties for a while. I have a couple of NAS servers and I use one to seed during the night and early morning hours, so seeding is not a problem. I don't know which torrent sites you use but I quite like this retro gaming site called Pleasuredome which I have got some good stuff from, including a load of Amstrad CPC magazine scans.

 

Got mine today, yet again another great great job Thumpnugget!

 

My wife commented when I opened it that I looked more excited than when I was opening my xmas gifts.

 

Thanks again for your hard work and dedication to preserving this stuff. I'm not going to part with my paper collection but I'm happy they are being preserved in the event I lose it for some reason.

 

~telengard