Kind of dodgy: RIP Sir Clive Sinclair - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2021, 07:28:58 am
content: The pioneer of dodgy electronics and gadgets died on September, 15th aged 81.I guess everyone from Europe with at least some interest in electronics or computers loved and hated him at the same time.He came up with some very clever ideas how to reduce part numbers and production costs, allowing him to offer computers and gadgets way cheaper than everybody else.Went bankrupt several times, always stood up and started over.Quite an interesting inventor, who certainly played a huge role in our modern life - even if you didn't notice.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2021, 08:56:24 am
content: That kind of rinse and repeat bankruptcy is quite the norm in the US, where you aren't judged quite so harshly as you are in europe.If you add up his direct and indirect contributions to the world, it's quite significant imo.

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2021, 09:10:20 am
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on September 17, 2021, 08:56:24 amOnly that he is a UK guy and only UK companies were involved.And his cases of bankruptcy made quite some waves back then.However this didn't stop him to try again and again.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2021, 02:48:40 pm
content: Quote from: Haenk on September 17, 2021, 09:10:20 amI am British, and so I am aware that he was also...I was using "europe" in the old-fashioned geographical sense of the word.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2021, 04:38:13 pm
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on September 17, 2021, 02:48:40 pmThe world is a better place for the existence of Clive Sinclair, who really epitomizes the stereotype eccentric British inventor.Speaking of old fashioned, I read the other day that the UK is about to re-introduce pounds and ounces etc. - lol. Is it an attempt to make every day into April 1, to raise the spirits? - I certainly chuckled!

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2021, 05:37:38 pm
content: QuoteDont read to much into it,its just another one of doris's fanciful idea designed to distract you from finding out about another one of his fuck ups

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2021, 08:40:08 am
content: Being of a certain age I can comfortably switch between metric and imperial measurements without a pause. I'd say the mental maths involved are good for your brain!

author: borjam
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 06, 2021, 01:22:41 pm
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on September 18, 2021, 08:40:08 amBeen an avid reader of "Just William" books when I was a kid, I am ready for the reintroduction of the shilling, crown and guinea as well.

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2021, 02:05:28 pm
content: Derailing this topic a bit further, it's a fun fact, that Sumlock even developed a special Anita-model (Mk 10) capable of handling that odd british currency conversion.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2021, 05:26:53 pm
content: Quote from: borjam on October 06, 2021, 01:22:41 pmOh HELL no. Currency was decimalised here quite a few years before I was born, and when my mother tried to explain it to me once I had to stop her, telling her it sounded ridiculous.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2021, 05:33:35 pm
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on October 06, 2021, 05:26:53 pmIs it better to have no petrol measured in gallons than having no petrol measured in liters?

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2021, 11:14:59 pm
content: Quoteso you've never experienced Lsd

author: JBeale
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2021, 02:08:56 am
content: Over here in a dark corner of southeast Ohio, USA my high school found it was able to afford a set of Sinclair ZX81 computers, to offer their very first computer class. Better home computers certainly existed, but were not in the school budget. I was just a student but being also an electronics hobbyist, I had an unofficial job of trying and sometimes succeeding at fixing the things. Also, learning how unfixable a membrane keypad usually is. I think the OP's take is right; they were amazing and frustrating at the same time.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2021, 04:39:33 am
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on October 06, 2021, 05:33:35 pmI'm quite comfortable working in either gallons or liters. What annoys me is that US gallons and UK gallons are both called "gallons" but they're not the same quantity.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2021, 12:33:43 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on October 07, 2021, 04:39:33 amI like my Buick 3800 V6 engine with a displacement of one gallon!

author: borjam
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 08, 2021, 11:56:43 am
content: Quote from: james_s on October 07, 2021, 04:39:33 amBusiness as usual, you know language is what United Kingdom and USA donothave in common!

author: Just_another_Dave
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2021, 12:48:14 pm
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on September 17, 2021, 08:56:24 amI once read that if you go bankrupt in both, UK and USA, the debt is cancelled by giving the specified bank guarantee in the contract instead of losing it and keeping the debt for the rest of your life. Is that true?At least in my country this is one of the things that keeps people from trying to start their own business (in addition to having to pay 300€ per month just to be allowed to be a freelancer, even if you sell nothing that month), so it could explain that difference

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2021, 07:57:39 pm
content: Having never gone bankrupt myself I do not have direct experience, but I do know that it results in most debs being cancelled however there are some types of debt that bankruptcy does not bail you out of, and also it puts a big red flag on your credit history for a number of years. Good luck getting a loan to buy a house or car or something if you've gone through bankruptcy. I don't blame lenders one bit for not wanting to loan money to someone with a history of not paying it back.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2021, 09:03:11 pm
content: Bankruptcy of your incorporated company and your personal bankruptcy are two different things, arent they.

author: Just_another_Dave
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2021, 09:27:38 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on October 08, 2021, 09:03:11 pmIn Spain they aren’t if you’re a freelancer. In order to separate them you need to constitute an LLC (we call them Sociedades Limitadas) or a public company (Sociedad Anónima), which requires investing a higher amount of money and paying a monthly tax of 350€ (freelancers just pay 300€ and during the first two years of activity they can apply to some reductions)

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2021, 02:21:59 am
content: That is why i said "incorporated" company, or corporation. Corporate liabilities are separate from personal ones.

author: EHT
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2021, 10:41:15 am
content: Aside from his business practices, I was first aware of Sinclair through the ZX81. I think he got the idea of the striking product design before Apple. The ZX80/81 was clearly a product for the future. I think the problem was there wasn't much great use for it beyond a novelty. I borrowed one as a kid and learnt to program on it. I'm not sure it had commercial games, so it wasn't as appealing as the Atari consoles for children. Also, it wasnt serious enough for business, maybe because of not having COBOL(?) or persistent storage.I guess the Spectrum was the breakthrough because had enjoyable games. Still, instead of this I was able to use an Apple II. I couldn't believe you had to actuallly type out they keywords in BASIC!Again, he seemed ahead of his time with his ideas of personal electric transport which is only just now becoming a reality. Its clearly a thing of the future, but local authorities haven't worked out how!

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2021, 11:32:28 am
content: QuoteCertainly did. I recall they were pretty cheap too, until someone figured that charging more implied better quality to the punter, henceforth they nearly all cost a fiver.