Each of these three metal globes floats on 33 ball bearings."He spun one with his finger and it made a distinct whirr. "On most surfaces the mouse moves a bit smoother," he explained, "although noisier. On the special board that's packed with the Gypsy program it really glides along." He handed the mouse back to the priestess.
"Hey, what happened to my mouse?" the High Priestess asked, turning her Mac's rodent upside down and frowning at the strange attachment she found there.
"It's OK, My lady," one of the members quickly assured her, "it's called the Mouse Mover. With your permission, I'll show you," and so saying he took the mouse from the priestess and turned it so all could see. "
But she was interrupted by gasps of astonishment as Gypsys title screen appeared. A crystal ball flashed images of a moon, a lady, symbols from Solomon's time and more. But when the man who had explained the mouse reached forward to, hit the space bar and the screen cleared again the people crowded about began talking all at once. Only a Quick gesture from the High Priestess restored enough order that she could speak to question the adept who had brought the program.
"A Ouija!" she exclaimed, "but the stars- they move and dance. It is ~ beautiful sight"
"Yes, my lady,' the man said, "but this is just one of many board designs possible." So saying, he moused to the menu bar and with a few quick clicks cleared the onscreen representation of a standard Ouija style board to one of a different design. Instead of numbers and letters arrayed circularly on a textured surface, the new board was a moonscape with the letters and numbers hanging above the cratered surface.
"Ummmm," the High Priestess reached over and slowly moved the mouse back and forth on the pressboard. The onscreen cursor echoed the
movement. As the cursor touched a letter, a soft beep was heard and the letter was added to a line of text at the bottom of the screen. "I prefer the first board:' she said.
"No problem," the man said, and the first board was Quickly restored. "In fact," he added, "you can design your own boards from scratch with MacPaint. Or you can take any of the boards designs included. Then you can place the letters and numbers where you want them, visibly or invisibly. lndeed you can design your own pointer - it comes with moon-shaped pointers, a star of Solomon and more. You can even change the pattern of the dancing stars."
"Yes, yes," the High Priestess seemed entranced. She took the mouse from the man and motioned to a few of the other people clustered about. One by one their fingertips joined their priestess' on the modified mouse. Slowly, with only the faintest of whirrs, the mouse began to move about the board and the on screen cursor began to pick out letter after letter.
"It also,' the man said, "does automatic writing and..." but the outraged whispers to be quiet cut him off. "Have you a question?" the High Priestess asked. The light from the Mac shimmered, illuminating her high boned face. An eerie cold gripped the room. The curtains moved slowly, although there was no breeze.
"Well, uh:' the man stammered, "do you think you could ask how a new Macintosh magazine will do. . . ?" -NLS
Articles
about Gypsy:
1) Macuser 86
2) Macazine 87
3) A+ 85
4) Macuser 85
5) LAMAC 85
GYPSY
list Price: $39.95 (Includes Mouse Mover). Pub. listed by Magnum Software,
21115 Devonshire St., Suite 337, Chatsworth, CA 91311. (818) 700.0510.
THE SHADOWS FLICKERED DIMLY ON THE WALL AS RED AND black candles first flamed and then dimmed in response to the movements of the 'circled dancers. The light glinted from upraised ceremonial daggers as the High Priestess saluted the Old Gods and the candles were put out one after the other.
But even as the last candle died away, a dim, blue light suffused the room, prefaced by a supernatural beeping noise.
Moving to the Macintosh, the High Priestess placed the Gypsy disk into the drive and, while waiting for the program to boot, moved the mouse atop a pressboard surface. A eldritch whirring noise was heard.
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