WACCI 138 Index - Home Page www.wacci.org.uk

Fair Comment

with Brian 'Loonybins' Watson

Oh no, not him again...

Why is that Brian Watson bloke editing Fair Comment?
  Mr A Reader
  Birkenhare

Because no-one else is. Philip DiRichleau is the Fair Comment Editor, but he's either otherwise occupied or the Great WACCI Readership has not sent him anything to Edit. I believe a combination of the two is the most likely reason. [He's been ill - Richard]

A matter of convention

What are the plans for a WACCI convention in 2002?
  Mr E Party-Animal
  Welwyn, Herts (where? - Richard)

As yet, none, but it's a perfect topic on which to write to WACCI to express your opinion. Letters received now, before decisions are taken, will carry more weight than the usual round of "I can't afford ten quid for a WACCI get-together as I've I've just bought a thousand quid's worth of PC equipment", "why not hold it five minutes from me here in Orkney?", "have you any idea what rail travel costs these days?" letters that generally arrive once a venue has been announced.
  What is happening is a comp.sys.amstrad.8bit newsgroup get-together in a pub in London (at the latest estimate) quite soon. If you fancy the idea of something less highly-organised than the grand conventions that Angie has arranged in past years (either instead of, or as well as, something along the lines of previous years) feel free to express your preferences in the afore-mentioned letters. Philip would love to hear from you.

...and again, and again

Why does Brian Watson seem to be the only one doing anything towards running WACCI? Has he bought a controlling interest in WACCI Holdings shares? He is the Treasurer, Publicity Officer, he writes a lot of the articles (eventually - Richard) and now he's got his mitts on Fair Comment? Is their no end to this megalomaniac's hold on the CPC community, and WACCI in particular?
  Mr Angry
  Barrettholme, W Yorkshire

I'm not the only one doing anything. Richard's editing the magazine (and he's the best Editor WACCI's ever had, in my opinion). Angie Hardwick keeps the subscription lists up to date (a fiddly job that I'm glad I don't do) and is a "first-line receiver" - like our PD librarian Ray Powell, to whom I urgently owe a letter and some blank discs - of WACCI monies from the membership and they act as a check that I (as the WACCI Treasurer) am not embezzling it.
  As a member of the Committee, Angie is sent periodic statements of the WACCI cashflow with photocopies of our bank statements to confirm the figures I record in our accounts books. Frank Neatherway is our Chairman, through which all organisational suggestions are implemented and he's no pushover, I can assure you! He has a casting vote in the event of a split vote between the other Committee members on any matters of WACCI business.
  As far as the Publicity hat is concerned, I do it because I'm good at it, I'm passionate about WACCI and the CPC, and I am well-connected, in both a CPC and an electronic sense. Publicity is not really a one-person job though, and anyone who would like to share the load is welcome to volunteer.
  As to writing a lot of the articles in WACCI, I think I'm good at that too. If that sounds like arrogance I suggest, Mr Angry, that you set fingers to keyboard too, because in every issue there are acres of white space waiting to be filled, just like this one, and every issue includes an appeal for written contributions that is largely ignored.
  That's no big deal as far as I'm concerned because I understand that in any club without paid officers, 2% of the membership always do 98% of the work, but I'm not then going to apologise for getting stuck in when other people feel that they cannot.
  As to what I write, I have to write from the ordinary CPC user's point of view because I have no idea what happens "under the bonnet" of my computer. If that is your point of view as well, it is as valid here as the more technical articles that are received from those able to write them.

An accountant writes

How much has WACCI got in the bank?
  Little Miss Nosey
  Sennor

As of 31st December 2001, �1325.57. What that is in Euros, I have no idea.
  What I do know is that it is enough money to fully repay any/all WACCI subscribers - plus a small surplus - should they all demand a refund on the same day.

Return of the slo-bot

I have just heard that geezer Brian Watson will be Editing Fair Comment in this issue of WACCI. It gives me possibly my only chance to ask him in print and in public this question, "Why do you take so long to answer letters, copy discs, handle phone enquiries, etc, Mr I-do-everything Watson?"
  Mr JRR Tolkien (No, not that one)
  Hobbiton-Under-Hill, The Shire
  (Damn! What a giveaway!)

In short, because I have a life.
  In long (if there is such an expression), like all the other people who do their bit to ensure you get this magazine hitting your mat from time to time, I do my best for WACCI and the wider 8-bit community within the time that is available to me. It has to compete with time for work, for family life (such as that is) and whatever other mad passion I may be following at the moment. Sorry, but that's the way it is.

[And now for a real letter - Richard]

Goodbyeeee...

Dear All and Members of WACCI,
  I am at a turning point right now. I feel a waste to WACCI, as there is nothing doing or a foot. I wish to resign from the committee and leave this worthless post to someone else.
  I for one have found nothing new in the magazine. I have said for a long while now The Club should be closed down.
  Angie our original idea was to rescue the Club and make it solvent so all could be paid back.
  I feel that has been achieved, therefore I see no Purpose in delaying the inevitable.
  I wish to each and everyone of you, all the best and thanks for all the help and companionship through all the years I've been a member. The Club has given me some great friendships over the years and they will remain with me always.
  Please Print this in the Magazine as written.
  Christine Raisin
  Nottingham

First of all, Christine, an apology if this isn't 'as written'. Since you didn't send it to Philip (Fair Comment ed) or myself (Richard), we have no way of telling - we only received it as a second-hand e-mail with someone else's comments interpolated, and potentially some of your bits snipped out.
  Secondly, a genuine thank you for all your work for WACCI over the years. (I remember the first time I came into contact with you, when you asked me to debug a Mastertronic game that had never quite worked - Mindtrap, I think? - and subsequently meeting you at one of those wonderful Bescot conventions. Debugging the game was good fun, too.)
  Thirdly, I am sorry to see the tiresome question of dissolving WACCI come up again. In my experience, it's only ever committee members who have moved on from the CPC who suggest this.
  WACCI is, and always has been, a CPC magazine. Its existence as a 'club' derives solely from the community of CPC users who know each other through the magazine. Therefore as long as there's someone to edit the magazine, WACCI will continue.
  You can't just send 150 people's subscriptions back, Christine, simply because you're no longer interested in CPCs. 150 people are interested enough to pay their subscriptions. As Brian has pointed out, if they're not, all they have to do is write to him and ask for their money back. - Richard

...and thank you

Someone has kindly sent me a sample copy of WACCI issue 137 and I must congratulate everybody involved with this new-look CPC magazine. Up until now, PCW Today has taken the plaudits for the best ever non news-stand 8-bit publication but I would say it now has a serious rival in terms of quality (and content) although of course it caters for a different market. Additionally, WACCI is published bimonthly which is a schedule PCW Today readers can only dream about. [...]
  Steve Denson
  SD Microsystems/LocoScript Software

This is an excerpt from a posting to the comp.sys.amstrad.8bit Internet newsgroup rather than a real letter - hope you don't mind it being reproduced, Steve - and perhaps it balances the last letter out a bit. It might even embarrass me into getting WACCI 139 out on time. :-) , as they say on the Internet. - Richard

Send your letters to Philip diRichleau, 32 Arboretum Avenue, Lincoln LN2 5JE, or e-mail [email protected].

WACCI 138 Index - Home Page www.wacci.org.uk