Tag: Commodore 64

Hang On Commodore 64 Nostalgia Nerds. Legal Trouble Is Brewing

Jumping the gun?

It seems longer, but it was just a week ago that there was lots of excitement in tech nostalgia circles over an announcement that YouTuber Christian ‘Peri Fractic’ Simpson was taking pre-orders for a “new” Commodore 64. 

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As if we all don’t have enough to keep up with, the news generated quite a bit of buzz. No word on if it generated actual pre-orders.

Well, for those thinking about joining the Commodore 64 nostalgia parade, there might be some legal hurdles on the parade route ahead.

Commodore Industries, S.r.l, is out with a press release claiming they still own what’s own-able regarding the Commodore 64 and offering documents and evidence. After all of the hype surrounding Simpson’s announcement Commodore Industries claims it is now time to “intervene” to set the record straight.

Quoting from the press release:

Mr. Christian Simpson (alias ‘Peri Fractic’) recently made statements on his YouTube channel, at different times, which were picked up by numerous media outlets and various newspapers, aimed at undermining our position, claiming to have ‘bought Commodore’ and describing our use of the trademark as ‘illegitimate’.

None of the initiatives launched in the United States give Mr Simpson the right and/or power to cancel or revoke our legitimate rights to the above trademarks.

Such claims are not only legally unfounded, but also compromise the truth and unjustifiably discredit a business project that has invested time, resources and expertise in relaunching the Commodore brand in a modern and technologically advanced way.

In closing the press release states:

Our goal remains the same: to continue to create real value for the brand and for the entire Commodore ecosystem. For this reason, we are ready to dialogue and collaborate with anyone who demonstrates, through their actions, a constructive spirit and respect for both the rules and the community.

The hashtag and bold typeface concluded the press release.

Sounds like some lawyers are going to make some money. No one ever gets nostalgic over that happening.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Commodore 64 Nostalgia Nerds

Count me as a Commodore 64 nerd back in the day.

The older you get, nostalgic moments can be fun, even if fleeting. If nothing else they jog a few memories to the front of your brain for a bit. When they involve bits and bytes they also help you remember just how much things have changed. One of those fun memories for me is of my first computer, The Commodore 64.

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Recently, news hit that Christian ‘Peri Fractic’ Simpson, who has been trying to revive the Commodore 64 for some time now, has finally put enough of whatever he needs to start taking pre-orders for a “new” Commodore 64.

The announcement stirred a wave of nostalgia from those, like myself, who owned one of these early personal computers. And like many, those waves felt quite pleasant to surf in for a while. It also has churned up some of the rough waves from back in the day when “what computer is best” was a big part of the discussion.

I owned the Commodore 64, later moved to the Commodore 128 and then an Amiga, before eventually surrendering to the IBM PC/Windows world and later Apple. But I do indeed have fond memories of sprites dancing around on the small TV monitor I had connected to the 64, all of the peripherals I accumulated along the way, and some of the games. Archon and Lode Runner were two of my favorites, and the text adventure version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was my first exposure to Douglas Adams. I was also a fan of the GEOS operating system. And yes, I typed in many a computer program from computer magazines of the day, as well as quite a few words into PaperClip.

Drew Sauer has penned a nice  piece on this called The Commodore 64 Made A Difference, continuing the trip down memory lane and also surfacing some of those “what computer is best” feelings, apparently not too deeply buried in some memory banks. Apple bloggers John Gruber and Jason Snell have taken issue with some of Sauer’s comments and recollections.

Frankly, it’s all in good fun, (I hope), I don’t think it matters much for those who hope Simpson can deliver on his promises, and if he does, plop down their money to relive some of those memories. Nostalgia itself also comes in waves.

I’m also sure that memories can falter, become fuzzy, and take on a life of their own. Which is something the Commodore 64 could never do, unlike what so many want their computers to do today.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Sunday Morning Reading

Tough reads for tough times with a nod to the Commodore 64.

The rapid decay of all things continues. I’m not even sure if “decay” is the right word. “Collapse” might be a better choice. Regardless, there’s no “decay” or “collapse” in my sharing articles and writing every week in Sunday Morning Reading. Enjoy.

Russell Shorto tells us that the fracture we’re facing shouldn’t surprise in America’s Fatal Division Is Nothing New: It Was Baked In From The Beginning. He’s right and that’s also nothing new. We just have a propensity for ignoring what we shouldn’t.

Marc Elias says We Can’t Give In To Fear. He’s right. But with those we mistakenly counted on having already done so, it makes it tougher for the rest of us.

Brian Barrett of Wired (which continues to do excellent reporting) gives us a rundown on The United States of Elon Musk. Good piece with good context. I don’t disagree with his premise that it’s unsustainable. The larger concern is what’s left in its wake.

NatashaMH opens up a personal tale of exploring justice, relationships, and personal power in The Price of Guns And Butter.

Things aren’t just decaying on political and social fronts, technology is marching right alongside, if not leading the charge. John Gruber lays out a mea culpa of sorts in discussing Apple’s less than intelligent move into Artificial Intelligence in Something Is Rotten In The State of Cupertino. Om Malik also weighs in with Apple Intelligence, Fud, Dud or Both. I’ll have more to say on this later this week. I wrote a bit about it last week also.

Will Knight, (again in Wired) tells us that Under Trump, AI Scientists Are Told To Remove ‘Ideological Bias’ From Powerful Models. Tell me. Who didn’t see this kind of thing happening?

Cory Doctorow in Pluralistic lays out how Amazon Annihilates Alexa Privacy Settings, Turns On Continuous Nonconsensual Audio Uploading. One way user agreements flow only one way. Again, who didn’t see this coming?

In times of uncertain futures it’s always somewhat uncomfortably comforting to reminisce about simpler times. When it comes to technology there was perhaps no simpler or more innocent time than during the age of the Commodore 64, which was my first home computer. We’ve come a long way. Gareth Edwards takes a look at Jack Tramiel’s success in How Commodore Invented The Mass Market Computer.

(Image from Ashni on Unsplash)

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome.