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Pulp Librarian Profile picture
@PulpLibrarian
May 18, 2021 • 8 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
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Today in pulp I look back at New Zealand's home-grow microcomputer, the 1981 Poly-1!

Press any key to continue...
The Poly-1 was developed in 1980 by two electronics engineering teachers at Wellington Polytechnic, Neil Scott and Paul Bryant, who wanted to create a computer for use in New Zealand schools. Education Minister Merv Wellington liked the idea and gave it the green light.
Backed by government finances, and in partnership with Progeni Computers, Polycorp was formed in 1980 to began work on the prototype for the official Kiwi school computer.

It was an interesting approach...
Having an educational computer designed by an educational establishment was a novel idea: up to 50 engineers and students at Wellington Polytechnic took part in the Poly-1 development programme. The results were impressive.
The Poly-1 was high spec for 1981, with colour graphics and 64k of RAM neatly packaged in an all-in-one fiberglass case with carrying handles and integrated CRT monitor. It even came in different colours. It was the iMac of its day.
However the Government rowed back on its pledge to buy 1,000 units for NZ schools. Lobbying by business interests who wanted a free market in school computers also hamstrung the project. But at least the Australian Defence Force invested in it.
A Poly 2 and a Poly C (for the Chinese market) were later developed, but by then the IBM-PC had become dominant and the Poly was sadly discontinued in 1989.
The Poly Preservation Project proudly keeps the memory of the Poly-1 alive, as well as curating its history. Do take a look: cs.otago.ac.nz/homepages/andr…

So farewell Poly-1: you were indeed the future once...

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More from @PulpLibrarian

Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Dec 22
Today in pulp I look back at a few forgotten '80s sci-fi movies and ask: is it time to reappraise them?

Spoilers: not all of these are available on Betamax... Image
There were a huge number of mid and low budget sci-fi movies released throughout the '80s, many of which went straight to video. Today they lurk in the far corners of your streaming service.

Should you watch them? Well let me take you through a few you might be tempted by. Image
Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) was Roger Corman's retelling of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai in space. James Cameron did an impressive job on the SFX with a small budget and the film certainly has a distinctive look. Image
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Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Dec 21
"A dream to some. A nightmare to others!" As it's Christmas let's look back at a film that I think helped redefine an old genre, captivated the imagination and launched many successful acting careers.

Let's look at John Boorman's Excalibur! Image
For a long time the film industry found the King Arthur story amusing. Camelot (1967) was a musical comedy; Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) was pure comedy. Image
Image
But director John Boorman had been thinking seriously about the Arthurian legend since 1969, particularly Sir Thomas Malory's 1469 telling of the story 'Le Morte d’Arthur'. The mythic theme greatly appealed to him. Image
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Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Dec 19
Today in pulp I'm looking back at some Michael Moorcock books, and having a think about the New Wave of science fiction that started in the 1960s... Image
In Britain the New Wave is often associated with New Worlds magazine, which Moorcock edited from 1964 to 1970. Financial troubles caused the magazine to close in 1970, but it made sporadic comebacks over the subsequent years. Image
However he started as editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1957, where he introduced Sojan the Swordsman - perhaps his first stab at creating an 'eternal champion' character Image
Read 20 tweets
Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Nov 22
Today in pulp I'm looking back at one of the greatest albums of all time.

What are the chances... Image
By 1976 Jeff Wayne was already a successful composer and musician, as well as a producer for David Essex. His next plan was to compose a concept album. Image
War Of The Worlds was already a well known story, notorious due to the Orson Wells radio play production. For Wayne it seemed like a great choice for a rock opera. Image
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Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Nov 17
Shall we take a look at some classic pinball table backglass art?

I think we should... Image
"Do you like gladiator movies?"

Mars: God of War pinball (Gottleib, 1981) Image
Dr. McCoy has been seriously working out!

Star Trek pinball (Bally, 1979). Image
Read 14 tweets
Pulp Librarian Profile picture
Nov 12
Today in pulp I'm looking back at a very popular (and collectable) form of art: Micro Leyendas covers! Image
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The art of Micro Leyendas is bold, macabre and very funny. The books often tell a cautionary tale of revenge or humiliation, much like a modern folk tale. Image
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