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CD-ROM-msg - 3/1/00

 

CD-ROMs of interest to SCA folks. Reviews of CD-ROMs.

 

NOTE: See also the files: videos-msg, publications-msg, info-sources-msg,

maps-msg, WS-bib.

 

************************************************************************

NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that

I  have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some

messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium.

These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with

seperate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes

extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were

removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I

make  no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given  by the

individual authors.

 

Please  respect the time  and efforts of  those who have written  these

messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear  at this

time. If  information  is published  from  these  messages, please give

credit to the orignator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  HL Stefan li Rous

    mark.s.harris at motorola.com           stefan at florilegium.org

************************************************************************

 

From: aj at wg.icl.co.uk (Tony Jebson)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: The Anglo Saxons, for PC

Date: 31 Oct 1994 04:25:30 -0600

Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway

 

DDuperault (dduperault at aol.com) wrote:

> 'Morning,

> Thought some of you folks would be interested...I saw this at my

> local CompuSupermarket the other night.

 

> _The Anglo Saxons_ "interactive multimedia", containing the text of

> Beowulf, reconstructed music, maps, illustrations, and images from the

> collection of the British Museum in London. Put out by Cambrix

> Publishing, RM Learning Resources, Oxford. Retail approx. $35 U.S.

 

Below is a review of the CD that was posted to the ANSAXNET earlier this

year:

 

============================== snip ============================================

From owner-ansax-l%WVNVM.WVNET.EDU at WVNVM.WVNET.EDU Mon Apr 18 14:37:14 1994

From: Brian Tatro <brian at TRANS2.B30.INGR.COM>

Subject: Re: Anglo-Saxon Cd-ROM

 

Here is a review I wrote. I am not affiliated with the  company I

purchased it from, just like the product.

 

Hi all,

 

Here are my impressions of the cdrom. Luck was with me as I received it

on Monday and it was a holiday! I started with the cdrom at about 10 am

and finished 2 in the morning. That should give you an idea of the disk.

 

The product runs under windows and features sound, 256-color graphics

and hyper-linked text. The program starts of with a gregorian chant

while the main screen is displayed. From here, you can either explore

various aspects of the Sutton Hoo excavation or go headlong in the

Anglo-Saxon world. Of course, I had to start with the Anglo-Saxon

Chronicles, which are under the grouping of Anglo-Saxon writing. The

chronicles have on the top part of the screen a time line with major

events listed, such as the time of Edward, the Vikings, Normans, etc.

By clicking on the time (900, for example) that part of the chronicles

is diplayed. In the chronicles, various words are surrounded by a box,

such as names and titles. These words are either a hypertext-link to

another area, such as a bio on a king or an explanation of a anglo-saxon

word. I must admit that I did not venture very far into the Beowulf

section, but it probably is very good.

 

Back to the main screen, the other sections are, as far as I remember,

Kings and the Kingdom, church and monastaries, How to make a book,

Fabulous objects, Fantastic animals, and another, which I can not

remember.

 

These areas are again very well done. In the section of kings, in the

bio area of each king, they have a picture of a coin made during the

reign of each king. The fantastic animal section showed the relationship

of the fantastic animals in their religious importance (pagan to

christian), where they were displayed (objects, manuscripts, etc) and

again with wonderful images. Very often, one can take a closer look at

the images. What I was impressed with was that most explanations could

be called up via a sound file instead of having to read the info text,

which is very good for lazy people such as me.

 

The feature I enjoyed most was the ability to highlight text and it can

be copied to a notepad file for inclusion into other documents.

 

 

In short, I can't wait to get back home and work, or should I say play?,

with the program. As for use, maybe it is not for Professors, but I

would highly recommend it for at least a introductory class on

Anglo-Saxon history and culture.

 

I purchased the program for $ 39.00 US and $ $4.00 US  3-day UPS

shipping. Mailing address can be sent if requested.

 

 

I hope this review helps people find out some information about the

product. As the film reviewrs would say, I give it two thumbs up and

five stars.

 

Brian

============================== snip ============================================

 

I haven't got it myself (I don't have a PC---who needs one, I've got a

very nice SPARCstation 5 with 128M of RAM and 500M swap: boast, boast ;) ;),

but it sounds pretty good to me!

 

--- Tony Jebson

 

 

From: DDuperault at aol.com (11/2/94)

To: markh at sphinx

Mail*LinkĀ® SMTP               RE>The Anglo Saxons, for PC

 

Greetings,

         I was out last night and double checked. There WAS an address

printed on the box after all. Cambrix Publishing, 6269 Variel Ave Suite B,

Woodland Hills, CA 91367. (818) 992-8484.

         The product is a CD ROM for the IBM PC and compatibles, and runs

under Windows.

 

                                       Avwye

 

 

From: Rick Gaigneur <rgaigneu at unb.ca>

Newsgroups: alt.sewing,rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: costume patterns

Date: Thu, 16 Feb 1995 10:52:44 -0400

Organization: University of New Brunswick

 

On Wed, 15 Feb 1995, Mark Harris wrote:

> Is this CD-ROM something you just use at work or school? Or is it

> available at reasonable(?) price for home systems? I've never seen

> it advertised, but it could be quite useful...

 

I use Global Books in Print at work (I work at the Bookstore at the

University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB, Canada).  I'm not sure

how much it costs these days, but I expect the price is pretty hefty.  

Basically, it's a CD-ROM which lists every book currently in print in the

US, England, Australia, and New Zealand, with all of the information

needed to order it (ISBN number, publisher, distributers in various

countries, etc.).  It also has a directory listing the addresses, phone

numbers, etc. of most every book publisher and distributer. And it's

updated once or twice every month.  If you want to check on the price,

the publisher is:

Bowker/Reed Reference Electronic Publishing

121 Chanlon Road, New Providence, NJ, 07974-1154

E-Mail: techsupport at bowker.com

Compuserve:  GO BOWKER

 

On the other hand, if anybody out there wants to know if a book is still

in print, or needs a publishers address, drop me an e-mail.  It only

takes a minute or two for me to find out... and certainly don't mind

doing it, especially not for other SCA folk...

 

>AETHERIC LINDEBERENDE<               >Rick Gaigneur<

>Shire of Lyndhaven, East Kingdom<    rgaigneu at unb.ca

 

 

From: priest at vaxsar.vassar.edu

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: knitting/commentary wanted

Date: 19 Apr 95 07:24:10 +1000

Organization: Vassar College

 

Greeting from Thora Sharptooth!

 

Avenel (kellogg at ucssun1.sdsu.edu) wrote:

 

> In purusing _The World of the Vikings_ cd rom yesterday, several garments are

> shown trimed with material that the notes say is knitted.  As this seems to

> be a very scholarly work (put out jointly by the York Archeaological trust

> and the National Museum of Denmark),  this may be a good source.  The text

> seems capable of differentiating between card-woven, woven, and knitted

> material.  

 

I haven't bought my copy yet. ;>  Can you describe the trimming?  Or name the

garments?  Maybe I can make a guess.  There are a few nalebinding pieces extant

from the Viking Age; I wonder if this is what is meant.

 

When I received the mailing from Europe about this CD, I checked out the

lengthy list of resources used.  I noticed that there were almost no names of

textile specialists included, nor the outfits most logically suited to an

undertaking of this magnitude (the textile unit at YAT, for example).  (I have

decided to buy the CD despite this glaring omission.)  It would be useful to

know who has done the descriptions of the textiles.

 

***************************************************************************

Carolyn Priest-Dorman                    Thora Sharptooth

Poughkeepsie, NY                  Frosted Hills ("where's that?")

priest at vassar.edu                 East Kingdom

            Gules, three square weaver's tablets in bend Or

***************************************************************************

 

 

From: celtic at sover.net (Stuart Joseph)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Req: Viking info

Date: 16 May 1995 18:17:49 GMT

Organization: Celtic Cultures

 

In article <3ov11o$ocd at giga.bga.com>, rferrell at bga.com says...

>In article <Pine.BSI.3.91.950505154211.1419A-100000 at pentagon.io.com>,

>wjohnson at io.com says...

>> 

>>I come helmet (non-horned) in hand seeking sources for info on the

>viking

>>settlements in Scotland/Ireland.

>> 

>>Any sugestions or leads would be greatly appreciated.

>> 

>>wrj

>        Try [Cultural Atlas of the Viking World], James Graham-Campbell,

>ed.,Facts On File, 1994, or the venerable [A History of the Vikings], by

>Gwyn Jones (Oxford University Press, 1968).  There are countless other

>sources, but these will give you a good foundation.

>Cynric of Bedwyn, OL

Or check out our new acquisition, "The World of the Viking" CD-ROM< Mac or

Windows.

E-mail for more information.

Stuidhart

Celtic Cultures

 

 

From: celtic at sover.net (Stuart Joseph)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Viking CD-ROM

Date: 12 Jun 1995 14:57:36 GMT

Organization: Celtic Cultures

 

In article <3r123q$2psk at usenetp1.news.prodigy.com>, LYZJ80A at prodigy.com says...

>Can anyone tell me how to obtain a copy of the Viking CD-ROM?

We have the distribution rights for the US and Canada.

Price is $99.95 plus $10 shipping and handling.

Available in Windows or Mac.

 

We do accept Visa/ Mastercard.

Stuidhart

Celtic Cultures

celtic at sover.net

 

 

From: corun at access4.digex.net (Corun MacAnndra)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Anglo Saxon CD-ROM

Date: 6 Apr 1996 08:54:28 -0500

Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA

 

In article <4k3a93$mv5 at dfw-ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>,

Steven Currie <StCurrie at ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>There was a CD ROM on the Anglo Saxons available in an MEI/Micro

>Center Catalog.  They have sold out.  I would like to purchase this if

>anyone knows where one might be available.

 

The CD you are looking for was put out by the British Museum. You can write

to the following American distributor for more information;

 

        Cambrix Publishing

        6269 Variel Ave. Suite B

        Woodland Hills, CA 91367

        818-992-8484

 

Or, the British manufacturer at:

 

        Research Machines plc

        New Mill House

        183 Milton Park

        Abingdon, Oxford

        OX14 4SE

        England

 

This CDROM is truly wonderful. I ran across it one time I was in San

Francisco and visiting the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts.

It's got some lovely sound tracks, from Gregorian chant to lectures

and even some spoken examples of the Anglo-Saxon language. It is

highly recommended for anyone interested in Anglo-Saxon culture and

history. Very good for children too.

 

In service,

Corun

===============================================================================

   Corun MacAnndra   |

Dark Horde by birth |             Gort, Klaatu mirabile dictu

   Moritu by choice  |                     from The Day The Earth Spoke Latin

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 12:49:28 -0500

From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>

To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu

Subject: Re: Butter churn viking

 

Melanie Wilson wrote:

> >I just happened across a photo of a Viking Age dasher from a butter churn

> >on the World of the Vikings CD-ROM,

 

> Sounds pretty much like the medieval ones and the same as the ones seen up

> to 19th C, unfortunatly the pic didn't come out except as letters etc

> Mel

 

There is a problem with the Quick Time of this particular CD Rom and

to use it requires a fix disc from PastForward Ltd.. Could be that

is what happened. Found out the hard way when Celtic Cultures sold

me one and wouldn't respond when there was a problem with it. After

two weeks we finally tracked it down to Past Forward and got the

fix over the net.

 

Magnus

 

 

From: Paul Halsall <phalsall at unf.edu>

To: byzans-l at lists.missouri.edu <byzans-l at lists.missouri.edu>;

mediev-l at ukans.edu <mediev-l at ukans.edu>

Date: Monday, November 08, 1999 5:04 PM

Subject: Chilander on CD

 

Chilander is a monastery on Mount Athos which in 1198 was refounded by

St. Sava as a the Serbian monastery on Athos.

 

At the Byzantine Studies Conference this past weekend Dr. Taylor

Hostetter [hilandercd at hotmail.com] presented one of the most fascinating

CD-Roms I have ever seen.

 

Called, _In the Heart of Hilander_ ($32) it is a complete three

dimensional presentation of the monastery church of the foundation. The

work presents a complete photographic record of the inside and outside

of the Church (think of a sort of Byzantine version of Myst or Doom), in

which every image of the Church is viewable, many in different sizes

(although the pictures are not scalable.) Moving the cursor over each

image calls up the identity of the figure in question, feast days of the

figure, and a great deal of additional information.

 

The work allows much more than this. It also allows sectional views,

views of the monastery church at different periods of its construction,

examination of the use of space, and an ability to see the frescos

without the current monastic furniture (iconstands and so forth.)

 

Other modules allow you to play Serbian church music in the background,

to explore the architectural forms of a Byzantine church, to trace the

history of Mt Athos, and even to follow Bible stories through the

paintings. There are even a series of inbuilt databases on the images

which users can access.

 

In all the disk claims to contain nearly 5000 images on over 3000 pages,

with the ability to see every one of the 950 wall paintings individually

and in context.

 

In other words, this is a stunning achievement -- a CD which does things

that no book can do, and in a depth that will satisfy almost anyone. The

promise that it might be a model for further presentations of

architectural monuments is only icing on the cake.

 

Supposedly a website on the project will be set up soon -- with the URL

http://www.digitalbyzantium.com

 

or

 

http://digitalbyzantium.com

 

In the meantime, I really would encourage any one who wants to enthuse

students about Byzantium, the medieval Balkans, or the middle ages in

general, to get hold of the disk. Students I have been showing it to in

my office all day long have left with their eyes popping.

 

Paul Halsall

 

 

Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 14:16:51 -0500

From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>

Organization: Windmaster's Hill, Atlantia, and the GDH

To: "- Stephan's Florilegium" <stefan at texas.net>

 

I was noticing that you had Celtic Cultures listed as a source for

the World of the Vikings CD in the Florilegium.

 

This CD in the Windows form I bought it from Celtic Cultures requires

a QuikTime fix from PastForward attached to the Jorvik Viking Center

in York, England. You can obtain it from Past Forward directly over

the net.

 

I strongly discourage anyone from doing business with Celtic Cultures.

At the time I bought the CD he did not inform me of the problem with

it. He'd been selling it for a long time at that point.

 

He didn't reply to our emails and was apparently monitoring his phone

answering machine which he did not respond to either. After spending

quite some time (14 days actually) we came to the conclusion that there

was a problem with the CD and not the new computer. The person helping

us figure out what was wrong also wrote him and got no replies. He was

a debugger for IBM's mainframe computers for 17 years at that time.

 

A merchant friend of mine confirmed that Celtic Cultures admittedly

does monitor the phone and only picks up on profitable calls, not

problems. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone I liked. Nor would I

ever do business with them again. I would hate to see any other

SCAdians go through that.

 

Buy it direct from:

Jorvik Viking Centre, Coppergate, York, YO1 9WT, England. United

Kingdom.

Tel: +44 (0) 1904 643211. Fax: +44 (0) 1904 627097.

E-Mail: jorvik at jvcyork.demon.co.uk

http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/

 

or the originators:

 

http://www.pastforward.co.uk/vikings/index.html

http://www.pastforward.co.uk/vikings/

webmaster at pastforward.co.uk.

Merchant Chambers, 44-46 Fossgate, York, YO1 9TF, ENGLAND.

Tel; +44 (0)1904 670707

 

Master Magnus Malleus, OL

 

<the end>



Formatting copyright © Mark S. Harris (THLord Stefan li Rous).
All other copyrights are property of the original article and message authors.

Comments to the Editor: stefan at florilegium.org