Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com (02/15/90)
To add to what Howard Chu said about Bob Brodie's coming to Michigan next week... He's arriving on Friday night, and Bill and Pattie Rayl, publishers of the Atari Interface Magazine (and members of the Washtenaw Atari Users' Group, and former officers of the Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiasts) are going to pick him up at the airport... if I can arrange to trade Friday night with someone else where I work, I'll probably go along too.. We're planning on getting him slightly greased and talkative at some of the local hotspots.. er.. that is.. we plan to show him some real Michigan hospitality... if he happens to spill anything on his own, we'll be happy to listen... :) Saturday he's scheduled to appear at a meeting of the MacTehnics Macintosh users' group to demonstrate the Spectre GCR/Stacey combination... then Saturday night will give us another opportunity to pump him.. that is, inquire gently into Atari's plans for the future... Sunday, the Washtenaw Atari Users' Group is hosting a meeting with Bob for local Atari users, at the University of Michigan Student Union... if he's still moving under his own power after that, there are a few nice spots in Ann Arbor that we'll be sure he doesn't miss.. Monday Bob's scheduled to ride to Grand Rapids, Michigan to meet with the users' group there. Since the Atari Interface Magazine goes to press about that time, Leo Sell, president of the CHAOS user group (and local fictional writer) has volunteered to drive Bob across the state. Since that's my day off, I might see about riding along with them... I love fairy tales... Then Tuesday, Bob Brodie is to attend the regular monthly meeting of the Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiasts. MACE is one of the oldest, and at one time, one of the largest Atari users' groups in the world. We expect a recent record turnout to meet Bob, and hear what he has to say about Atari Corp... All in all, this should be a very memorable visit, both for the Atari users of Michigan, and for Bob Brodie himself...! As for what a user group needs to do to insure such a visit is a success, you first need someone who cares enough about both the user group and the Atari representative to make it all work. Pattie Rayl is the sparkplug who almost single-handedly made the MACE Atari Expo of last year a success, even in the face of interference and collusion between ST-World and John Nagy. When she heard Bob Brodie was to visit our area, just for the Macintosh user group meeting, she immediately contacted him about expanding his visit to include the Atari groups in the area, with the eventual result of his spending at least four days here, and contacting several users' groups during his stay. Yes, by all means, meet him at the airport. Take the time to make his stay in your area enjoyable, not because he's from Atari, but because he's a nice guy who's taking his time to visit your group. Try to arrange the maximum possible exposure for him, to make his trip as worthwhile as possible, both for you, and for him. Advertise his visit to your local members, and to other Atari owners in the area. Post flyers in local stores and make special mailings to club members, both current and recently expired. The fact that someone from Atari Corp is willing to visit your area may be enough to bring some former members "back to the fold". It's been a long time since Atari Corp has had anyone like Bob Brodie representing them (long time, hell.. I can't remember anyone EVER), so it's worth the effort for everyone in the local groups to make the most of his visit..! BobR (I'll let you know how Bob's trip to Michigan turns out...)
daveba@hpsad.HP.COM (David Ballo) (02/17/90)
Bob Brodie visited our user group, ST ACE (ST Atari Computer Enthusiasts) of Santa Rosa, California last night (Thursday, Feb. 15). He is a down-to- Earth sort of fellow, and didn't seem likely to let anything "slip out" unintentially, even if "greased up" (sic). He showed a STACY, an STe, and a Lynx. The STACY looks and feels very nice. They have been having problems with the vendor who supplies the internal hard disk drives, which is hampering production. (Note: I work for a large electronics company and this sort of thing happens all of the time. Projects slip, manufacturing is held up for all sorts of reasons. This is not unique to Atari!). Bob clearly stated that initial advertising will be directed at the MIDI market (e.g. musicians), so don't expect widespread, general advertising. The music people have responded very favorably to the product so far. Eventually, Atari hopes to capitalize on the Mac emulation market, with the help of the very cabable Spectre GCR. Initial production will be of the high-end 4 MByte RAM version, with internal 40 MByte hard-drive. There will also be a 2 MByte version of this beast as well. Further along will be the 1 MByte version, with two floppy drives, aimed especially at the educational market (Johnny's first computer for college, etc.) The STe looked and behaved much like a standard ST. Bob demo'd a game that supposedly showed off the improved sounds and graphics, but as a mono [ read serious! :-) ] user, the improvement may have been lost on me. The Lynx (the handheld color game machine) also looked nice, and judging by the reaction of the kids present at the meeting who played with it, it should be a successful product assuming the little beggars can talk Mom or Dad out of $159! The Lynx is supposedly availabe through the Sears mail-order network right now. Bob also showed the commercial that ran in the New York area during the last holiday season - it was a very well-done commercial (This is the "bathroom" commercial, for those who might have heard of it). Bob impressed me as an honest, caring individual who is doing the best he can. Perhaps with his help, Atari's notoriously poor relationships with user groups, programmers, customers, dealers (have I left anyone out?) will improve. Humbly submitted by: Dave Ballo HP - Signal Analysis Division Rohnert Park, California