The Staff have been busy since the last issue, and we bring you 78 brand new articles in this edition of The Cryptmag. Things like –

Hardware Access Using ARexx – Memory Editing – A Bonus Edition 1.
Image Processing Algorithms Part 5: Contrast Adjustment
Ultimate boot CD for Windows
Hiding a File
Software Restrictions Policies
Desktop Icons program called Fences
Dear Little House Written By Brenda M Hawkins
Colour Me True by Maisie Walker
Game Booster helps play old Amiga Games

These are just a selection of what we have for you in this issue. Don`t forget folks, The Cryptmag is FREE! So pop on over and spend a while reading what we have in ISSUE 56

We have a lively and helpful mail list. So if you want to join click on this page to sign up, and while your there why not make a donation?

If your into programming then this is the issue for you as we have another bumper packed edition of the Cryptmag!

http://www.thecryptmag.com/Online/55/index.html

Articles like:-

Programming C#, Introduction By Dirk Harlaar
Hardware Access Using The AmigaBASIC And ARexx by Barry Walker
Image Processing Algorithms by Francis Loch

These and another 75 gems bring the grand total to 78 articles for this issue.

As Promised, we return to bring you Issue 54 of your favourite online magazine – The Cryptmag.

http://www.thecryptmag.com/Online/54/index.html

With new Staff members, we welcome Julian and Shahbaz into the fold, and we welcome back two old faces in Ray and Chris. This brings the Staff membership up to 11, so we have plenty of different opinions and experience in the Cryptmag these days which helps to bring you a rounded and interesting read. Along with these trusty (Rusty?) people, we also have contributions from readers like Maisie Walker (Thank you Maisie) and an old favourite of ours Carol McGinn.

So with 78 varied and exciting articles to keep you entertained for hours, there’s plenty of reason to sit down at the computer, pour yourself a wee dram (Or a non alcoholic beverage if you prefer) and immerse yourself into the Cryptmag world.

Steve Evans

Are you thinking about choosing a new mobile phone? Then perhaps the post from mobiles.co.uk could help you decide. Have a look at – This blog it could help you decide which type you want.

With rejuvenated Staff members including the welcome return of Ray Hawkins (The Dungeon Master) and several new Staff writers, we have been working feverishly in the background to bring you another fabulous issue of your favourite online magazine, The Cryptmag.

We know it’s been a while since the last issue, but we are now back on track and work has even begun on issue 55. So just a few days to go while we Speel Chuck any errors and I can tell you now that issue 54 will go live on the 28th of Feb, so that’s just over a week to go.

Thanks for your patience, it will be worth while because we are bringing you 78 articles with gems like:

Windows 7 review
Which animal are you?
Keeping a Chinchilla as a Pet
Our Egyptian Holiday
Hardware Access Using AmigaBASIC And ARexx
Puppy – Linux Distro
Phall Curry Recipe
Malwarebytes

With the return of our beloved Ray Hawkins (Dungeon Master) the very first Editor and the creator of the Crypt Disk Magazine, we have decided to publish the early issues of the Amiga floppy disk version and convert them to HTML so everyone can see the fun that Ray and the boys had bringing the Cryptmag to life.

Issue No.1

As you probably know from looking at the older issues on the site, the HTML verions started at issue 16. Well we have decided to show you all the very first issues in all there glory. Please be aware that these versions had VERY STRONG LANGUAGE, Sex and Pictures so are not for anyone under 18.

There are No’s 1 to 15 disk versions, plus a few specials. We hope to give you one a month over the coming year, so pop back soon for the next issue. Better yet, subscribe to the RSS feed at the right side of this page.

Steve Evans

Click HERE to watch the video

I first heard about Celldweller through J.C.Hutchins 7th Son podcast, so watch this great video then pop over to Klaytons website at celldweller.com or his myspace page where you can hear more of his music. Then why not visit Itunes and support him and his band?

B.Walker, G0LCU.

Simplicity,  Aesthetics,  Ergonomics and RSI; here we go, this’ll be fun.

I have been asked many times why I use an ancient AMIGA A1200 for my tool of preference when it is clearly not up to the capabilities of current technology and speeds…

Oh well,  the comments are few and far between,  never mind… (I can handle ALL comments WHEN I know about them.
It HAS been fun though ain’t it eh!

F)  The Keyboard?

This has had more changes in design than I have had in hot dinners… )

I was/am ALWAYS being told, “If if ain’t broke, DON’T FIX IT!”.  Well the best keyboard I ever laid my hands on was on our IBM XT that we had in the mid 1980’s.  This machine boasted CGA graphics WITH CVBS, 10MB HDD, 5.25″ floppy drive, 512KB memory, 300/75 baud modem, IBM KB and IBM ‘digital’ colour monitor.  It cost several thousand quid,  (UKP , and only had an 8088 CPU running at around 4.7MHz.  Epson FX80+ printer also.  What it did though, it did very well at the time.

This KB as far as I was concerned was totally bullet proof, SIMPLE AND comfortable to use.  It was responsive and I used it for years, even on PC replacements, until the fateful day of NEW technology for us, where the NEW bloody PC just would NOT talk to it!!!  WHY???,  WHY MAKE A MOBO THAT WILL NOT ACCEPT AN OLD KB???  To me this is a backwards step!!!

This KB still works in theory but now there is no way of proving it… Goodbye old friend you are now in the landfill…

Anyhow I’m deviating here… Hmmm, maybe ~deviating~ is not the right word, he he…

WHY IS IT THAT MODERN AESTHETICAL KBs GIVE RISE TO:- 1)  RSI, (Repetitive Strain Injury)?
2)  Tennis Elbow?
3)  Wrist Ache?
4)  Others……

It is a fact the 60% of the worlds population will start to suffer OR are suffering arthritis in the hand(s) or around that area by the time they are 60(ish);  assuming they live that long… :/
These are the ’silver surfer’ brigade…

Your fingers will start to seize up or ache, wrists might lock up, shoulders will give constant pain in certain positions and elbows unable to fully open sometimes.

The so called design experts have tried all sorts of odd ideas as ‘cures’ that don’t work on KB design, in fact they have often made matters worse!

(A play on the phrase “All that glitters is NOT gold.”)……

All that looks good does not necessarily work well…

These include gel bags and variable angle and shaped platforms to put your wrists on and take the up the strain of using a few fingers.  The IBM was just about right and no-one at work suffered RSI on that KB at all – IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT!…

WHY ARE WINDOWS LOGOS/ICONS PRINTED ON THE VAST MAJORITY OF MODERN KBs???

Hasn’t anyone ever heard,  shhh careful Barry,  (whispering in case Gates’y hears), of Linux, Amiga OS4, Unix et al… The manufacturers NEVER supply stick on overlays for the special keys so that you can customise your KB to your OS of choice…

WHY NOT???   PLEASE TELL ME WHY NOT???

So by DEFINITION you have NO CHOICE AT ALL as to how you want to use your KB…  SO we all have to bow down to MS and Windows VISTA, (or XP).
VISTA == Vulgar Immitation Scantily Transcribing AMIGAs…

Well NOT me anyhow!

So **** Windows I’ll stick with my out of date, old technology, that is on 24/7 and has been for the last 12+ years WITH ITS’ OWN SPECIAL LOGOS/ICONS PRINTED ON TO ITS OWN KB!!!

This KB is easy to use WITHOUT ANY grunts, farts, whistles and bells signifying NOTHING!!!

My AMIGAs KB has always been MORE than good enough and I have used this old tub, (A1200), see last issue for a photo’, without pain at all.  It is responsive, 14+ years old WITHOUT ANY failure and much like my A500, and A600(HD)  which is also on 24/7!!!

I’d like to see ANY Windows machine on 24/7 for over 12 years;  that would be the period of Windows 3.1x to Windows 95.  Stand by your friggin’ beds!
The odds are that Windows would have crashed without even touching the KB!

And that effing error report found on most PCs… )

Keyboard not found!
Press F1 to continue…

(Or something similar

ROTFL…

G)  Mouse?

Ahh,  that little rodent.

Well much as I have to admit it I find the MS IntelliMouse the best feel of any that I use or have used.  Mine is connected to my P4 tool which I rarely use but is used extensively by my wife and daughter.  I don’t need umpteen buttons and wheels to do what I want just simple usability and reliability and this mouse fulfills this requirement.

I also use an ancient ANUBIS mouse on my P2 tool.  What can I say except UGH!  It is dreadful but I am not upgrading it as the P2 M/C is of 1998 vintage.  This mouse IS ugly, jittery in use and painful to ‘hold’.

My next is my HP dv2036ea Notebook, this has an external Kensington Orbit Elite trackball attached and I remember seeing a trackball being used on the Escort 650 Professional Marine Radar, 1969, (yep that’s right 1969), fitted to the QE II ocean liner, (now sadly de-commissioned), I was impressed with that then and this trackball is easy to use and comfortable to the hand and wrist and apart from the ball falling out reliable.

I’ve just purchased another HP Laptop, dv6285eu with extra memory and have another external trackball that is absolutely useless, ugly and painful to use.  It is dreadful, whoever designed it wants laying to rest!
(Forgotten what type it is, maybe someone can enlighten me.)
See photo’…

Well the amiga mouse is basic, functional and painless and all of mine are the same as in the the above AMIGA A600HD picture.  They don’t rank high in the good looks department but work without fault.  My A600HD one is about 15+ years old and my A1200HD one is about 14+ years old.  None have had a fault in all of that time including my A500 one which was purchased in 1989 and I would like to see any reliability like this from ANY other mouse(s), (mice , on any other platform.

My old, now ‘retired’, ‘386DX40 mouse lasted only 2 years, my P2 lasted about 3 until I replaced it with the ANUBIS one above,  bad move.

That’s all for now folks.  My next rant will be about display devices.

The cryptmag website has joined in the Orange balloon race which starts on the 23rd of June 2008.

Click on the balloon in the bottom left hand corner to register yours.

Click here to visit the video page -

http://thecryptmag.com/video.html

See the beautiful game, played beautifully by a bevvie of beauties in this clip by Burger King.

What could be better than watching players with dazzling football skills? Well imagine if those players were scantily clad, curvaceous, hot babes.

It couldn’t get much better for real footie fans watching this game – it is all their wildest fantasies rolled into one in this clip by Burger King.

Boobs bounce hypnotically in slow motion replays. Skimpy kits accidentally ride up as players take the winning shots.

But can things really be this good?