The Commodore 64-thousand dollar question
Way back in nineteen-eighty-whenever-it-was, when I was very young, my father would, on occasion, borrow a C64 from work. I have no idea why a ceramic chemistry lab would lend out such machines, but there you go. (He'd also bring home an ambulance from time to time, which - what with the lights, sirens and easy-going parents - was great fun, but another story entirely.)

I was always excited by this - even more excited than when my mother'd borrow the video from her employer (and almost as excited as when the ambulance turned up). This was a COMPUTER. It was probably from the FUTURE, and it had a couple of games you could play, too. There was the snake-eating-stuff game... and there was the dice game.

The dice game involved two simulated dice - well, two randomly-generated numbers between 1 and 6 in square frames. I can't remember what else happened: I think it just generated dice throws. Dad explained, though, that it had something to do with betting - and I was fascinated. Every time he brought the machine home, I'd plead with him... "Dad! Can we play gambling? Pleeeeeeeease?"

I don't think that that set me up for a lifetime of betting. I'm pretty sure of it.

A tenner says it didn't.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Sun 10 May 2009, 13:00, Reply)