SC ON TOUR: Alchemist Research HQ
With Amanda only being here every other weekend, I have to find ways to amuse myself for the other 280 hours. So on your behalf I decided to visit the biggest Speccy library in the UK for a spot of snooping, investigation and program scrounging. With the Fountain +D system just installed, I filled my pockets with blank discs and boarded the coach to Sheffield. Just over an hour later and I'm met at the bus station by the self styled guru of PD, Mr.Davis. Ah Sheffield, once mighty industrial city of steel. The Human League live here (Cabaret Voltaire, ABC and Pulp probably still do). I was whisked through the fine city in the Alch-mobile, a sturdy little mini that gripped the road around corners like only a mini can. Thanks to a very stupid shop assistant, I was awarded 4 cans of monster strong lager for just 1.19. I'm coming back here...
For some reason the Alchemist dog took a very strong disliking to my trousers. A hasty retreat upstairs and at last I was in the inner sanctum of Alchemist Research. It was much tidier than I imagined; no teetering piles of cassettes and the floor was not awash with bits of paper (like mine). Beers were opened and Spectrums powered up. Andy will score no points in an organised disc competition but he seems to know where anything and everything is!
Several huge boxes of discs were unearthed and my scrounging started in earnest. His set-up is quite impressive; Amstrad monitor, twin drives, leads hanging out everywhere and a nice poster of a cat on the wall. His trusty +2 is battered to fuck in fine workhorse tradition and software was archived onto my willing discs in a trice. When my discs were full he started to use his own blanks literally shovelling programs at me! When they were archived he shovelled some more, then we both fell exhausted to the floor and had a cigarette. It was certainly good for me. It's always interesting to meet someone at last after all the letters sent and software received. Andy is certainly a very nice geezer and his dedication to the Spectrum scene is certainly a very important focus for the rest of us, be it with our consuming or programming hats on. Apart from that fucking dog I'd say it was an excellent day out.
SC ON TOUR: Datel Electronics
Now look, I'm crap with money. If I try to save up then I just end up wasting it down the pub. So, pocketfuls of cash acquired from various dubious avenues, I decided to buy a +D system there and then! I leapt on the train to Stoke (and then leapt off again at Derby as it was going to fucking Cardiff). One correct train later and I was on my way to the builders of the ultimate Spectrum add-on.
I took a taxi from the station as the Datel HQ is in the middle of a sprawling industrial estate. You'll be interested to know that with your +D money, Datel have built themselves a very large premises. All construction of their products is done on-site, right from the programming of chips to building the cases and interfaces. One of their last projects was a 'Multiface' style add-on for PC's! Thanks to a phone call the previous day, the taxi was not kept waiting too long as my +D was ready to pick up from reception. I decided against asking for a guided tour as twenty pence a minute waiting time is a bit steep for a poor man like me. The receptionist was a bit of alright if you ask me and it's well worth a trip to Stoke just to try and look down her top. There is no valid reason why it has taken me six years to acquire this essential disc drive system (I've plenty of excuses though). If you would like one then don't be an asshole like myself, GET ONE! They really are as good as everyone keeps telling you they are... Coming up in 1998, Dave gets a Lightpen.
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