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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 1978)
Talking computer an teach the blind •sity Fall »re) ntly iter. our- hird ■vrit- ' his •ting sta- > for dion a for sec- exas col- ;ame Uni- aper best mg s, a ere iles me! it li the aid day vid list. er- ■ is a ars aid dif J By TIM RAVEN A variety of people and machines ere attracted by Texas A&M Uni- ersity’s second annual mi- rocomputer show Friday through unday. The display. Micro Expo 78, held y the Texas A&M University Mi- ocomputer Club, was divided into hree parts and covered two floors of bidder Tower. The sixtli floor was a marketplace r computer-oriented electronics jompanies from around the nation, ’his part of the exposition was like a mall shopping mall at a peak hour, it times, people crowded around he table-top computers four and five leep to see some wonder of a new [linking machine. An especially popular model was a eal talker. The computer, shown by hilip Van Cleave of a San Antonio ased firm, could actually speak in nglish, Spanish and Latin. Once a ord or phrase was typed into the aachine, the machine would pro- ounce the word or phrase in the inguage chosen. Van Cleave said the machine ould be used to teach the blind to ype, or could be used as an “atten- ion getter" in stores. He said it ould be hooked to a more complex omputer for more elaborate tasks. Most of the computers were pro- rammed to play games. People kept usy at backgammon. Star Trek, oker and other games, while others Ask About Our FREE SUMMER STORAGE Aggie Cleaners 111 College Main We have a vast s of lection n y wedding invitations and accessories. YARBROUGH'S Downtown Bryan 205 N. Main Embrey’s Jewelry We Specialize In Aggie Rings. Diamonds Set — Sizing — Reoxidizing — All types watch/jewelry Repair Aggie Charge Accounts 9-5:30 846-5816 watched a bursting kaleidoscope ef fect of a color video screen. Also on the dealers’ floor was a large collection of books, electronic parts and hardware for sale which made the area resemble a large elec tronics store. The third floor was divided into two lecture halls and a “hobbyist" room. Lectures given Saturday dealt with specialized aspects of the mi crocomputer. Lectures began every half-hour and were filled with tech nical jargon that kept the lay-person in the other rooms playing games or gazing at the various demon strations. Hobbyists on the third floor were quick to point out the newness of their hobby. Some of them com pared the $800-$!,000 machines they were “playing with to commercial-usage.machines made 5 to 10 years ago for around $100,000. They said that technological ad vances in the last few years have brought the price of microcomputers within the range of a hobbyist’s poc- ketbook. * & & & & & # & # * & * * * * * * * * ^MIDNIGHT MADNESS^t All The Buttermilk Pancakes You Can Eat $ “| 49 or THE BATTALION MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1978 Page 3 5 for 99c WED. ONLY 10 P.M.-2 A.M. Intcmat tonal International Lucille’s ^ildal §hoppe TUXEDOS & TUX SHIRTS from Al’s Formal Wear « w international « House of Pancakes. Welcome back to the Restaurant! 103 COLLEGE 1103 Villa Maria 779-8405 and and low h at ;;IS ^ sM'*’ hen* ^ •iml. ^ .. Ki^ . Kaff"*! D.n^ Delibf 1 ! ...b'T >V k Pa'p d j . r . S** |™ Dont .... \ THE CALVERT HOTELtS ^ Dinner Dance tv April 28 & 29 Music and Songs by Cecil Pearson "Music for all ages" BUFFET 6:30 DANCE 8:00 - On $7.50 per person buffet and dance $3.50 per person dance only Call 364-2641 for reservations al Snop Is Having A Sale! on nil Spring Formats and 20% off ‘ I on Special Occasion Dresses - " Just right for Proms and Balls (Alterations Extra) r( % i v' - ’ ' v ' i/ 1 ' .. - ; .j r ' "i 4 : The sharpest, brightest small-screen color TV in RCA history See it now—the new RoomMate featuring RCA’s XtendedLife chassis 3211 S.TE*ASAVE. 3RYAKl/TE/AS,77»?1 * _ TEl&PWodE 022-4912 j'AAonTFri. 10:( . r ' lSat. 10:00-4:(X • RCA’s 100% solid state XtendedLife chassis is designed to outperform and outlast any previous RCA small- screen color TV chassis • Low power consumption—uses less energy than a 75-watt light bulb. • RCA’s new AccuLine black matrix picture tube delivers a sharp, bright, high-contrast picture. • Automatic Fine Tuning pinpoints and holds the correct broadcast signal ONLY *289 00 ELE<STra©M©S SEE US FOR ALL YOUR ELECTRONICS NEEDS. PARTS — STEREO EOF. —T.V.— RADIOS 1921 S. TEXAS COLLEGE STATION AT HOLLEMAN PHONE: 693-8097 IZOD, get the gator at the Gentleman’s Quarter Chemise LaCoste shirts in fancy stripes of all cotton and all colors, $20.00 Solids of cotton/polyester and all cotton in rainbow colors, $18.00 Ask about our Wardrobe Account. Open til 8:00 Tuesday Nights. THE GENTLEMAN’S QUARTER 3705 East 29th Street 7b 1477 & Country Center