20 Goto 10
10101001 Facts about Retro Computers
20 GOTO 10 — a book of numbers for computer nerds & deep technical wizards. Whether you're interested in machines from the mainstream such as Sinclair, Acorn, Atari, Famicom, Sega, Nintendo, Sony, and Commodore, or the lesser known cabal of Dragon, Tandy, Oric, Amstrad, DEC, Jupiter, Vectrex, TI, and NewBrain (or even the virtually unheard of COSMAC Elf) 20 GOTO 10 is a book of numbers that describes the many facets of computing history, focusing on the golden age of old computers and retro games and consoles of the 1980s and 90s.
It covers the hardware, software, and social history of the era showing how they're linked through numbers, such as 48K, C90, and 35899. Each entry starts with a number, and by choosing a related number you'll create a unique adventure through the book and into a web of forgotten geek lore and incredible facts. With luck, you'll find a way to arrive at the number used to grant infinite lives in Jet Set Willy!
Steven Goodwin has been involved in computing, science, and technology from an early age, having learned machine code by his 10th birthday and built his first synthesizer while still in his teens. Since then he's been a developer, CTO, and system architecture for companies large and small. As an industry thought leader he's written 60+ articles, 5 books, and has worked as a start-up consultant, keynote speaker, and mentor.But despite that, he still finds time to study old machines and write new games for old computers, with the Sinclair ZX81 being a particular favourite. He also builds emulators, founded the EMF project, and volunteers at the Museum for Computing History in Cambridge. He was the lead developer of the often maligned “Die Hard: Vendetta,” and the more appreciated “Grand Prix Manager” series, along with games from Microprose, PlayFish, EA, and Glu Mobil.
