December 1984 — Vol 6 No 12

Overview

David Morganstein continues as President (last full month before the next president takes over — Tom Warrick takes Presidency for 1985 per backlog notes from later issues). Year-end roundup. "WAP Finishes the Marine Marathon" (Robert C. Platt, p54) — Pi-runner team finishes the Marine Corps Marathon, a Pi-fitness story. "Best of WAP BBS" by =Alexander= (p13) — new column distilling the ABBS posting highlights; recurring franchise debuts. "Bringing Back GamesSIG" (Ronald Wartow, p49) — Wartow restarts GamesSIG after a dormant period. "LISA SIGNews" (John F. Day, p49) — LISA-specific SIG column. "Sundog: Frozen Legacy - A Review" (Ronald Wartow, p50) — landmark Apple II RPG by Wayne Holder + FTL Games. "Apple Disk III: A Cautionary Note" (Jay M. Thal, p50) — Pi user advisory. "Transmitting with Remember ][" (Thomas S. Warrick, p38) — Warrick continues Mac-side telecomms. "MouseMaint" (Jim Graham, p54). "Apples Abroad" (John F. Day, p15). "Modification to 'Morse Key'" (Boris Levine, p8) — Levine still active. John A. Love III publishes a four-part "Oh, By the Way" run (p16, 18, 22, 23). "Best of WAP BBS" captures the social texture of the ABBS as a year-end summary. "Telecomm SIG News" (Dave Harvey, p40). "SigMac News" (Ellen L. Bouwkamp & Steve Hunt, p42) — the Mac-coverage column now co-bylined. "Mac Q & A" (Ellen L. Bouwkamp & Steve Hunt, p44). "Perspectives of a New Mac User" (Bouwkamp & Hunt, p45) — first-person Mac-onboarding piece. "The Mac Upgrade" (p46) — the new 512K "Fat Mac" upgrade (Apple announced fall 1984). "The AW Hotline Calls Back: Part II" (Dianne Lorenz, p47).

Table of contents (selected)

Highlights

Marine Corps Marathon — Robert C. Platt

Pi-runner team finishes the Marine Marathon. Pi's culture wasn't only about computing — the Marathon team is a recurring fall fixture.

Best of WAP BBS — =Alexander= (debut)

A digest of the ABBS's best posts, lightly editorial. Pi's online culture distilled into print — a year-end reflection on what members were arguing about on the bulletin board.

Mac 512K (Fat Mac) launches

Apple's mid-1984 announcement of the upgraded 512K Mac ("Fat Mac") gets full Pi coverage in this issue, with a how-to-upgrade piece.

GamesSIG revival — Ronald Wartow

Wartow brings back GamesSIG, dormant since the earlier 1980s. His "Sundog: Frozen Legacy" review in the same issue signals an ambition to take Apple II games seriously again.

Entities

People: David Morganstein, Robert C. Platt, Tom Warrick, Ronald Wartow, John F. Day, Boris Levine, Walton Francis, Jay Thal, Bruce F. Field, John A. Love III, Chester H. Page, Thomas S. Warrick, Dave Harvey, Ellen L. Bouwkamp, Steve Hunt, Dianne Lorenz, Merle Block, Marvin Hass, Jim Graham, Peter Combes Topics: Pi Marathon Team, Best of WAP BBS, Mac 512K Fat Mac, GamesSIG, LISA SIG, Sundog References: Macintosh 512K, Sundog Frozen Legacy, Apple Lisa, Apple Disk III, [[Remember ][]]

Connections to other issues

• Closes Vol 6 (1984) — Year-of-the-Mac concludes with Fat Mac upgrade coverage
• "Best of WAP BBS" franchise continues through 1985-1986
• Tom Warrick takes the Presidency for 1985 (confirmed retrospectively in 1989-01 — V11 N01 10th Anniversary Issue)
• Ronald Wartow's GamesSIG revival sets up extensive Apple II game coverage through later 1980s
• John F. Day's LISA SIG column continues through Lisa's gradual sunset (Apple announced Lisa's discontinuation Aug 1985)