"Ever Onward" IBM song

Just a short post.

For those nostalgic about the 1980s and wish to hear the IBM song "Ever Onward" running on BASIC, you can find it on YouTube!

"Ever Onward" - The IBM Song (in GW-BASIC)

And if you are looking for the source code in BASIC, I found it in the archive of a forum post.
The link given is here, which leads to a ZIP file containing many BASIC programs.
http://www.baudband.net/downloads/xt_games.zip
IBMSONG.BAS is under the GAMES directory of the ZIP file.

Enjoy!

 

Update March 31, 2022: I managed to use this program called bascat to extract the BASIC listing.

 

4  WIDTH 80
5  ON ERROR GOTO 9500
6  PLAY ("P64")
10  GOSUB 9000
30  B$=CHR$(2)
40  DIM N$(165)
50  DIM L$(15)
60  DIM B%(253)
70  X% = 165
80  FOR I% = 1 TO X%
90  READ N$(I%)
100  NEXT I%
110  RESTORE 790
120  FOR I% = 1 TO 15
130  READ L$(I%)
140  NEXT I%
150  RESTORE 960
160  FOR I% = 1 TO 253
170  READ B%(I%)
180  NEXT I%
181  PRINT "(Press any key to begin.)";
183  IF INKEY$ = "" THEN 183
190  CLS
200  FOR I% = 1 TO 9
210  PRINT : PRINT L$(I%)
220  NEXT I%
230  R% = 1
240  S% = 1
250  B1% = 0
260  FOR I% = S% TO 165
270  C% = B%(I%+B1%)
280  IF C% > 0 THEN GOTO 310
290  C% = -C%
300  R% = R% + 2
310  LOCATE R%,C%
320  PRINT B$
330  PLAY N$(I%)
340  LOCATE  R%,C%
350  PRINT " "
360  NEXT I%
370  IF B1% = 0 THEN 380
371  LOCATE 21,1
372  PRINT "Transcription of music and lyrics from a copy of a copy... of 'Ever Onward,'"
373  PRINT "and program written by Alden B. Johnson."
374  RUN "MENU"
380  B1% = 88
390  S% = 78
400  CLS
410  COLOR 0,7
420  LOCATE 1,30
430  PRINT "Second Chorus"
440  COLOR 7,0
450  LOCATE 3,1
460  FOR I% = 10 TO 15
470  PRINT L$(I%)
480  PRINT
490  NEXT I%
500  R% = 2
510  GOTO 260
520  END
530  DATA MF T170 L8 MN O3 B4,B8,O4 D4,D8,O3 G4,G8,B4,B8,E4,E8,E4,E8
540  DATA ML E4.E4 MN P64,E8,F#4,E8,D4,E8,F#4,G8,A4,A#8,ML B4.B4.B4. MN P64
550  DATA D4.,B4,B8,O4 D4,D8,O3 G4,G8,B4,B8,E4,E8,E4,E8,ML E4.E4 MN P64
570  DATA F8,F#4,E8,D4,E8,F#4,G8,A4,B8,ML G4.P64,G4.P64,G4.G4 P64 MN,G8
590  DATA F#4,F#8,A4,A8,O4 D4,D8,O3 A4,A8,F#4,F#8,A4,A8,ML O4 D4.D4 P64 MN,D8
610  DATA D4,D8,D4,D8,D4,D8,D4,D8,D4,C8,O3 A4,F#8,D4.
630  DATA O3 D4.,E4.,F#4.,G4.,F#4.,G4.,G#4.,A4.,G4,A8,B4,G8
650  DATA A4,B8,A4,G8,E4.,ML E4.E4 P64 MN,E8,D#4,E8,G4,F#8,F#4,F8
670  DATA F#4.,F4,F#8,A4,G8,G4,F#8,G4.,F#4,G8,B4,A8,A4,G#8
690  DATA A4,E8,F#4,G8,A4.,ML A4.A4 P64 MN,D8,C#4,D8,G4.,G4.
710  DATA ML G4.G4 P64 MN,D8,E4.,F4.,ML G4.G4 P64 MN,G#8,A4,A8,A4,B8
730  DATA O4 C#4,C#8,O3 B4,A8,O4 ML D4.D4.D4 P64 MN,C8,O3 A4,F#8,D4.,E4.,F#4.,G4.
750  DATA F#4,F#8,G4,G8,G#4,G#8,A8,G#8,A8,B4,O4 C8,D4,E8,O3 B4.,A4.
770  DATA ML G4.G4.G4 MN
790  DATA"There's a feel-ing ev'ry where of big-ger things in store. Of new hor-i-zons"
800  DATA"com-ing in-to view. Our aim is clear: To make each year ex-ceed the one be-fore"
810  DATA"Stay-ing in the lead in ev'ry-thing we do. The will to win is built right in."
820  DATA"It will not be de-nied. And we will go a-head we know by work-ing side by side."
830  DATA"Ev-er On-ward, Ev-er On-ward That's the spir-it that has brought us fame."
840  DATA"We're big but big-ger we will be. We can't fail for all can see that to serve"
850  DATA"hu-man-i-ty has been our aim; Our pro-ducts now are known in ev'ry zone."
860  DATA"Our rep-u-ta-tion spark-les like a gem, We've fought our way thru and new"
870  DATA"Fields we're sure to con-quer too for the Ev-er On-ward  I B M"
880  DATA"Ev-er On-ward, Ev-er On-ward We're bound for the top to nev-er fall."
890  DATA"Right here and now we thank-ful-ly pledge sin-cer-est loy-al-ty to the"
900  DATA"cor-por-a-tion that's the best of all. Our lead-ers we re-vere,"
910  DATA"and while we're here, Let's show the world just what we think of them!"
920  DATA"So let us sing men, sing men, once or twice then sing a-gain for the"
930  DATA"                              Ev-er On-ward  I B M"
960  DATA 3,9,12,17,21,23,28,32,36,39,45,50,55,60,64,68,71,74
980  DATA -2,6,9,12,17,22,26,29,34,39,43,48,53,57,61,66,70,73,78
1000  DATA -2,3,7,10,14,18,22,26,28,32,37,40,45,49,53,57,60,65,71,75
1020  DATA -1,6,10,13,16,20,26,29,33,37,40,43,47,51,55,59,64,68,72,77
1040  DATA -1,4,7,11,16,19,22,26,32,38,43,46,50,55,61,66,70,70
1060  DATA -3,8,12,16,20,23,27,31,35,40,45,50,54,58,62,66,70,75
1080  DATA -1,5,8,10,14,18,23,27,27,32,36,40,46,50,55,59,63,65,70
1100  DATA -2,6,9,11,15,21,26,30,34,37,43,49,55,59,63,68,72
1120  DATA -3,10,15,19,23,27,32,36,40,44,46,49,53,58,60,62
1140  DATA 1,4,7,11,16,19,22,26,32,38,43,47,51,54,58,61,66,66
1160  DATA -3,8,13,17,20,25,30,33,38,44,48,52,56,59,62,65,69
1180  DATA -2,6,9,12,18,24,28,32,36,36,41,46,50,53,56,60
1200  DATA -2,7,13,18,24,30,35,40,45,50,54,59,63,68
1220  DATA -1,5,8,12,17,22,27,32,36,41,46,51,55,58,63,67
1240  DATA -31,34,37,41,46,48,50
1250  END
9000  COLOR 7,0
9010  KEY OFF
9020  CLS
9030  DIM H$(9)
9040  H$(1)="In the legend of IBM, there are tales of a ritual frequently performed"
9050  H$(2)="long, long ago in sales meetings, far, far away.  This ritual involved"
9060  H$(3)="young salesmen and centered around a small book of chants, or songs.  It is"
9070  H$(4)="said that these songs were a source of great inspiration to the salesforce"
9080  H$(5)="as it prepared to go out into the world. Although this ritual is no longer"
9090  H$(6)="practiced, one of the songs has nevertheless survived, being copied and"
9100  H$(7)="passed down through generation after generation of IBMers."
9110  H$(8)="The IBM Philharmonic Computer presents:"
9120  FOR I% = 1 TO 8
9130  PRINT H$(I%)
9140  NEXT I%
9150  COLOR 0,7
9160  LOCATE 9,25
9170  PRINT CHR$(201);:FOR I% = 1 TO 30:PRINT CHR$(205);:NEXT I%:PRINT CHR$(187)
9180  L$ = CHR$(186)
9190  L1$ = L$ + SPACE$(30) + L$
9200  LOCATE 10,25:PRINT L$+"       IBM Rally Song         "+L$
9210  LOCATE 11,25:PRINT L1$
9220  LOCATE 12,25:PRINT L$+"         ";
9230  COLOR 15,0:PRINT"EVER ONWARD";:COLOR 0,7
9240  PRINT "          "+L$
9250  FOR I% = 13 TO 20: LOCATE I%,25: PRINT L1$: NEXT I%
9260  LOCATE 21,25:PRINT L$+"    Written especially for    "+L$
9270  LOCATE 22,25:PRINT L$+"       IBM Corporation        "+L$
9280  LOCATE 23,25
9290  PRINT CHR$(200);:FOR I% = 1 TO 30:PRINT CHR$(205);:NEXT I%:PRINT CHR$(188)
9300  COLOR 7,0
9340  RETURN
9500  CLS
9510  PRINT "This program requires ADVANCED BASIC; Please reload, using BASICA"
9520  END

Computers teaching themselves to do something

And so we have come to this.

First, DeepMind managed to get a computer to learn how to walk.
Producing flexible behaviours in simulated environments

Now, it has gotten a computer to learn to play Go from scratch, and gotten so good at it, it beats everyone and everything else in the world.
AlphaGo Zero: Learning from scratch

It begs the question: What is intelligence?
Is intelligence the ability to learn something on one's own? If so, monkeys learning to use a stick as a tool for digging out ants from an anthill would qualify as intelligence, right? A shark learning to hunt for fish is intelligence too, right? But if intelligence is something that equates to being human, then we need to better define intelligence. And then see how it applies to AI.

And the other question: What is life?
Is life defined by the ability to replicate itself? If so, computer viruses, so good at replicating themselves, are alive.

At the end of the day, what does it mean to be human? Will there be a day when computers ponder about the meaning of their existence?

Popular ≠ Good

A good leader is effective and popular.
A popular leader, however, may not necessarily be good or effective.

A good show will have good ratings.
But a show with good ratings may not necessarily be a good show.

I just hope people making decisions remember this.

Will it snow?

The weather, so cold.
It is raining, behold.
Will it snow?
I don't know.

* It is really cold today, for mid October (which is supposed to be autumn here in Japan). The temperature is closer to winter, and it is drizzling with a breeze.

MAGA by going back to 2008

I think Trump's idea of a great United States is 2008.

Because he is getting rid of everything Obama has done from 2009 to 2016. Resetting the U.S. back to 2008.

"Making America Great Again" should be appended with "Going Back to 2008."

Can someone please hit the reset button and put us back to 2016...

1980s Usborne computer books made free for download!

Wow! I actually missed out on this story, but Usborne has made their 1980s computer books for kids free. You can download them here.

The books were written at a time when computers came loaded with BASIC, with each computer having their flavor of BASIC. A good bet if you want to run the programs in these books would be to find something that can run BBC BASIC, or a BBC Micro emulator. Or if you own one of these machines like the Apple II or Commodore 64, you can dig it out from the storeroom and see if it boots.

If you want to run BBS BASIC on a modern day machine, try BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 or BBC BASIC for Windows.
If you want to run these programs on a BBC Micro emulator, give JSBeeb a try. You can find its code at GitHub which includes instructions on how to run a local copy.

Try searching the Internet for emulators of other machines such as the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 64, the Apple II, and the TRS-80.

Ignore childish remarks

The best way to deal with childish behavior is to ignore it.

If the media keeps publicizing it, he will only enjoy the media attention, and keep on doing it. But if the media ignores it, he will sooner or later realize that throwing childish remarks will not get him the media attention that he craves.

So please, ignore the childish remarks. Focus on the real issues. Show what is happening in Puerto Rico. Talk about the tax reform plan. Look at the details of healthcare proposals. Talk about gun control laws. Don't get sidetracked by childish remarks meant to divert attention away from the real issues.

Don't lose the forest for the trees. Don't lose the war just to win a battle.

Trump and North Korea

At this point in time, I seriously believe Trump is going to lead the U.S. into a war with North Korea.

Why?

Trump has made remarks about North Korea and its leader. He has made known his belief that past diplomatic efforts were "failures," and that he "will not fail." His remarks and tweets only help to reaffirm my belief that he is serious about his thoughts.

Couple this with the recent issues with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Trump has openly gone against Tillerson's diplomatic efforts (through Twitter, for that matter). And the report that Tillerson called Trump a "moron." Trump was reported to be very mad about this. And he is likely to want to prove that he is not a moron. He will need to show that he is better than Tillerson. He needs to show that he is right, and Tillerson is wrong. And one way to show that is to attack North Korea, to show that his talk about tough measures is the right way, while Tillerson's diplomatic method is wrong.

This is a slippery road. Here, war is being used not as an extension of policy by other means. It is being used in place of policy, when there are other methods available. It is being used for personal egoistic purposes.

I just hope Secretary of Defense Mattis and COS Kelly can find tactful ways to prevent rash action. I hope they are not blinded by military loyalty and can see beyond the immediate.

I guess the best we can all do, in the meantime, is pray.

Advanced Tactical Fighters and ATF: NATO Fighters

"Get down to Waypoint Bravo, descend to angels six."

Back in the 90s, the Jane's name meant realistic military simulations. Following U.S. Navy Fighters and Marine Fighters, Jane's Combat Simulations: Advanced Tactical Fighters was added to the series. This was followed by an expansion, ATF: NATO Fighters.

Like the predecessors, this game and its expansion featured fictitious campaigns in different parts of the world, allowing the player to fly some of the most advanced military aircraft (including the B-2 Spirit). You may be flying combat air patrols, escort missions, ground attacks against tanks, etc. You can also create your own quick missions if you just want a quick dogfight, or design more complex pro missions. The in-game library also features extensive information about the various aircraft and other military assets in the game.

Although the graphics may not look anything as impressive as modern games, this old game has good graphics and gameplay for its time. The models are realistic enough that the game is still enjoyable for combat flight simulation fans today. If you are looking to just fly the F-22, FlightGear may be a better bet. But if you want to fly the F-22 and shoot down Sukhois, ATF is still a good choice today.