[X] My Assistant

[crash2029]

That's more like the Silverballers from Hitman.

I just figured the Silverballers were AMT Hardballers with a name change.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMT_Hardballer

[SpasticTeapot]

/ubergeek mode on/

Anyone here remember the Fairlight Excalibur from days of yore?

It's an obvious reference to the Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instruments), one of the first polyphonic sampling synthesizers. Fairlight was known for selling handmade electronics and high-quality hardware for truly stupid prices. In the early 80s, a new CMI would cost you over $25k, enough to buy a nicely equipped BMW. As such, they were bought only by elite musicians - Herbie Hancock and Peter Gabriel both owned them - until their competitors caught up and they went bust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlight_CMI

The Excalibur wasn't the only deck to share something with synthesizers. Aside from the obvious similarity in shape to an early monophonic synth, cyberdecks also followed a similar naming pattern - a noun then a number, such as the Prophet-7 or Juno-106.

Especially interesting, though, is exactly what happened to Fairlight. In order to clear off their unsold merchandise, they repurposed it as word processing machines. Remove the DSP functionality from a CMI and it's just another desktop PC....but what if someone were to make use of it - say, for processing the output of a set of 'trodes?

/ubergeek off/

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

/ubergeek mode on/

Anyone here remember the Fairlight Excalibur from days of yore?

It's an obvious reference to the Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instruments), one of the first polyphonic sampling synthesizers. Fairlight was known for selling handmade electronics and high-quality hardware for truly stupid prices. In the early 80s, a new CMI would cost you over $25k, enough to buy a nicely equipped BMW. As such, they were bought only by elite musicians - Herbie Hancock and Peter Gabriel both owned them - until their competitors caught up and they went bust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlight_CMI

The Excalibur wasn't the only deck to share something with synthesizers. Aside from the obvious similarity in shape to an early monophonic synth, cyberdecks also followed a similar naming pattern - a noun then a number, such as the Prophet-7 or Juno-106.

Especially interesting, though, is exactly what happened to Fairlight. In order to clear off their unsold merchandise, they repurposed it as word processing machines. Remove the DSP functionality from a CMI and it's just another desktop PC....but what if someone were to make use of it - say, for processing the output of a set of 'trodes?

/ubergeek off/

Very Uber (geek that is)... But Interesting

[SpasticTeapot]

Very Uber (geek that is)... But Interesting

I have been told before that geekiness can be measured on a scale of "one" to "me".

I wonder if anyone (Ancient History?) is around to tell me if this is all more than a coincidence?

Also, here's something that pretty much sums up the 80s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZEGHnAxEpo

[Wounded Ronin]

/ubergeek mode on/

Anyone here remember the Fairlight Excalibur from days of yore?

It's an obvious reference to the Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instruments), one of the first polyphonic sampling synthesizers. Fairlight was known for selling handmade electronics and high-quality hardware for truly stupid prices. In the early 80s, a new CMI would cost you over $25k, enough to buy a nicely equipped BMW. As such, they were bought only by elite musicians - Herbie Hancock and Peter Gabriel both owned them - until their competitors caught up and they went bust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlight_CMI

The Excalibur wasn't the only deck to share something with synthesizers. Aside from the obvious similarity in shape to an early monophonic synth, cyberdecks also followed a similar naming pattern - a noun then a number, such as the Prophet-7 or Juno-106.

Especially interesting, though, is exactly what happened to Fairlight. In order to clear off their unsold merchandise, they repurposed it as word processing machines. Remove the DSP functionality from a CMI and it's just another desktop PC....but what if someone were to make use of it - say, for processing the output of a set of 'trodes?

/ubergeek off/

Well, there you go. Proof that cyberdecks look exactly like music synthesizers.

[SpasticTeapot]

Well, there you go. Proof that cyberdecks look exactly like music synthesizers.

The Fairlight was a pretty unusual synthesizer - the cheaper monophonic synths were small, rectangular, and suspiciously similar in size to a cyberdeck. (Of course, the Commodore 64 is also the same size as a cyberdeck, but the title-number naming convention predates it, too.)

To see exactly what I'm getting at, see the video at 1:10.

Youtube Video Featuring Nifty Synths

[Wounded Ronin]

The Fairlight was a pretty unusual synthesizer - the cheaper monophonic synths were small, rectangular, and suspiciously similar in size to a cyberdeck. (Of course, the Commodore 64 is also the same size as a cyberdeck, but the title-number naming convention predates it, too.)

To see exactly what I'm getting at, see the video at 1:10.

Youtube Video Featuring Nifty Synths

So that's what an Alleigance Alpha looks like...

[SpasticTeapot]

So that's what an Alleigance Alpha looks like...

You have a better suggestion on why they named the best 'deck in SR1 after a famous synthesizer?

[crash2029]

You have a better suggestion on why they named the best 'deck in SR1 after a famous synthesizer?

Maybe I'm missing something, but Alleigance Alpha...best deck of SR1? Um, no?

Anywho, I'm pretty sure that one guy in the video stole his hairdo from the SR1 Elven Decker archetype.