PROGRAM PITSTOP
Your Sinclair, March 1992

We're very distraught in the shed at the moment. The blonde god they call
JONATHAN DAVIES is about to leave us for ever. We'll get over it, but at
the moment we'd just like to be left alone with our tears. Here's some lists ...

I know this will come as a great shock to many of you (and an enormous
relief to plenty of others), but, after goodness knows how many years
at the helm of the World's Most Interesting Column, I'm finally
packing it in. That's right, I'm hanging up my helmet, choking back
the tears and writing my last ever Program Pitstop intro. The reasons
for this are many and varied, but they mostly centre around the
increasingly embarrassing photos I've had to endure in recent months.

Not being the sort of column to give up without a fight, however,
Pitstop will doubtless be back next month, although at this stage I
can't tell you which hapless (Shurely "lucky"? Ed) blighter will be in
charge.

Until then, however, I can offer the following listings to keep you
amused: a weird Scandinavian program from Svend Jacobsen and Per
Nordqvist, a screen appearer program from Graeme Scott and a
screen-clearer routine from Guy Palmer.

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STEREO STATIC
by Svend Jacobsen and Per Nordqvist

The two above-named Swedish gentlemen are probably best known (to
Pitstop readers at least) for their Efil program which appeared
several months ago. Well now they're back, with something shorter and
altogether stranger.

At first glance, all the program does is fill the screen with static,
like there isn't a Spectrum plugged into it at all. However (and I
quote), "the program also causes a 64 by 64 pixel hole to appear in
the centre of the screen - to see this stereo-effect you will have to
focus your eyes in front of the screen, and it might take some time
for it to appear, especially the first time". Erm, right.

To get the program running, and hopefully experience this miraculous
effect first-hand, first type in the short BASIC listing and save it
with SAVE "Static" LINE 42. Then use the Hexloader from a previous YS
and use it to enter the Hex listing, saving that after the BASIC.
Rewind and load, and check out that "hole". There are some control
keys: P to pause, Space to quit and C for the "cheat mode" - "when you
focus your eyes correctly you'll see only one coloured square in the
middle".

Now, to be perfectly honest, I don't know what the dickens Svend and
Per are on about. I've stared at the screen until my eyes pleaded with
me to stop, and at one point I could swear I heard someone crying
"Mummy! Mummy!", but no hole appeared. I even tried playing the music
tape I was supplied with to get me "into the mood", but eventually I
simply gave up. Of course this could be some elaborate practical joke,
but the Swedes aren't exactly renowned for that sort of thing. (Unless
you count Volvos.) So, erm, the first person to write in etc. etc.

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WIZZLE WINDOWS
by Graeme Scott

The original Wizzle program appeared ages ago in Pitstop, and made
pictures slowly appear as if they were being "poured" onto the screen.
It was blimming good. Wizzle Windows is Graeme Scott's updated
version, which is basically the same apart from the fact that it lets
you specify the area of the screen in which you want the action to
take place, rather than being limited to just whole screens. That
means you could build up screens area by area, or maybe even "pour"
sprites onto the screen (although the resulting game would be pretty
crap).

So, type in the BASIC and save it with SAVE "ww" LINE 9999. Use the
Hexloader to type in the Hex, and save that after it.

When you reload, the program will run, presenting you with three options:
* Alter Settings - specify the area of the screen you want the effect to
  take place in (by default the whole screen).
* Load Screen - load in a previously saved SCREEN$, which will be "poured"
  onto the screen.
* View Screen - kick things off.

You can use the routine within your own programs, of course, but
you'll probably have to include the bulk of Graeme's BASIC, as well as
the machine code.

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IN THE CLEAR
by Guy Palmer

And finally, more as an added bonus than an attempt to revolutionise
the face of programming as we know it, here's a mere slip of a program
from Guy Palmer that clears the screen in an unusual way. Type it in
and run it.

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FAREWELL!
So I guess this is it, then. Er, it's been fun. If you were just about to
send me a fantastic program, and are now wringing your hands in despair,
panic not. Address your program instead to Son of Program Pitstop, Your
Sinclair, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW. I'll be back!

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STOP PRESS!

Old JD was right! Son of Pitstop has arrived! His name is Craig R Broadbent
and he comes from Chippenham. We don't actually know what he looks like, so
tune in next month for a good laugh. Ha! Ha! Only joking, Craig. According
to Maryanne, Craig must look like one of Public Enemy. Y'see, she once went
to Chippenham and saw them strutting their funky stuff in the middle of
town. Yeah, yeah.

We're already completely convinced that this Craig chap is an ace dude cos,
after all, he does come from Chippenham. And Chippenham, as all cool dudes
know, is home to Goldiggers nightclub. It's got palms, it's got neon, it's
completely naff, and we love it.
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