Gadgety News

I know that if I was foolish enough to buy one of these that I’d wake up dead and the last thing that I would see was my girlfriend force-feeding me this gadget; not necessarily via my mouth either!

But I risk all to share with you the joy of this RC Black Widow Spider.

Be warned that this may be the shortest lived RC device to come into the house as it’s life may be prematurely ended by a well-placed slipper to the head.

But just think of the shrill screams of delight fear as you make this little arachnid scurry around the family room on its eight little legs.

All it requires is six AA batteries, one 9-volt battery, £14.99 and perhaps some really good running shoes and you will surly get minutes of enjoyment from it

Play.com

1972 - I was one year old, still in Calgary and did not yet have a brother.

At the same time Pong, the world’s first successful video game, hit the market.  Nobody could even begin to guess how big video gaming would become.

But it has become huge; both financially and culturally. 

So much so that people are taking steps to ensure the preservation of the medium’s history.

On September 19th, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) announced the creation of the UK’s first official National Videogame Archive (NVA), a joint venture between Nottingham Trent University and the National Media Museum in Bradford, which will catalogue gaming’s history “from the humble beginnings of 1972’s ‘Pong,’ to the blockbusters of the 21st Century.”

The aim of the NVA is to “preserve, analyse and display the products of the global videogame industry by placing games in their historical, social, political and cultural contexts.”

So we’re not just talking about a collection of consoles and cartridges here!

October also saw the announcement of the Archive’s related initiative, Save the Videogame, where game developers have already begun making their cases for games they believe are worth preserving.

Check out: National Video Game Archive and Save The Video Game.

Thanks to Kareny Karen for the email!! 

A reunion of the creators of the BBC Micro (fondly named the Beeb) has been organised by the Computer Conservation Society.

The meeting will take place at the Science Museum in London to discuss the legacy of the computer.

Hermann Hauser and Steve Furber, who worked at Acorn, will be joined by former BBC staff John Radcliffe and David Allen.

More at the BBC News Site