HPLX.NET CONTESTS August 1998

That's right, these are the winners we picked. I love a good laugh, and these entries reflect that. If you're not the type who can write humor, don't despair-- we'll be having a completely objective "Humor / Creativity Impaired" contest soon, where everybody has a chance to win.

FIRST PLACE: Bill Childers <childers@garlic.com>

5. Stanley Kubrick. Although we don't hear much (ok, anything!) from
this famous film director, rumor has it his input was responsible for
the creation of a special HP Palmtop version of Software Carousel.
Let's be honest... Any Hollywood type who requests a package like
Software Carousel be customized for a small, niche market, has to be
classifed as a power user! Besides, how can you argue with the
director of _2001_, _A Clockwork Orange_, and _Full Metal Jacket_???

4. Jeff Johns. Hey, this guy's a fellow ham!! Actually, he's a
sheriff in Alabama... and he carries the 200LX daily with him. How
cool! A service revolver on one hip, and the 200LX on the other! Jeff
has done some goofy things with his 200, like using it and his Yaesu
FT-50R amateur radio transceiver to have a packet contact with the
space station Mir! I've done this myself... but I used a desktop
computer, and a full-sized radio with an antenna on the roof. Jeff
pulled this off with the 200, his handheld radio, and a makeshift
antenna made from a coat hanger!! (Correct me if I'm wrong, Jeff...)
If that doesn't qualify as a power user, I don't know what is. Hey,
let's see one of those funky WinCE boxes top that!

3. Andreas Garzotto & Mack Baggette. These two guys wind up tied for
third. They've both pulled off some great things with the palmtop
platform. Andreas has whipped up some fantastic software, like
WWW/LX (which I use everyday, hope you appreciate the plug, Avi!).
Mack has expanded the 200LX hardware far beyond the original
specifications of the original designers with the 32 and 64MB upgrades,
and the double-speed modification. However... while these
accomplishments are indeed worthy of power user status on their own,
there is another side to power users, and that's their willingness to
share information. Both of these fellas will go the extra mile to help
out a fellow palmtopper... which is why they're listed here!

2. David Sargeant. Hey, I gotta suck up to the judge, don't I? I'm
sure not gonna win based on the merit of these explanations... Anyway,
Dave has discovered out a lot of what make the palmtop tick, as well as
being gracious enough to take ownership of the FAQ after Rob lost his
LX. Not only that, but Dave's got one heck of a sense of humor... and
while he'll be flattered that he made the list... deep down, he'll want
to know WHO beat him for the coveted title of Power User #1. Which is
the main reason why he's in slot #2. <grin>

and, the winner, this year's holder of power user extraordinare'...
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Aw, c'mon... Aren't you just dying of suspense?

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OK, OK... the #1 Power User is....

1. ME! Yep, you heard me right. Hey... I'm the only person I know
who:
Uses WWW/LX everyday, with ROBOT/LX to check HPHAND on CIS.
Uses the palmtop as a network administration tool.
Uses the palmtop to send/receive amateur radio packet mail.
Uses the palmtop and a Kodak DC20 to write web pages in the field.
Interfaces the palmtop with weird things like routers and KSUs (phone
switch equipment), "Just because I can".
Manages their entire business from the palmtop.
Spends many hours playing in the hammock, surfing the web via cell
phone.
Reads great newsgroups postings from alt.startrek.creative and
alt.tv.x-files.creative with Vertical Reader.
Downloaded the entire works of William Shakespeare to a flash card, so
he wouldn't have to buy the book for a Shakespeare class.
Used the palmtop as a notepad in class, then "squirted" the notes to an
HP48GX via InfraRed for use in class. <what, is that cheating???>
Controls ISP UNIX machines via telnet and an Accton ethernet card (kind
of like the tail wagging the dog!)

Sure, there are people out there who use their palmtops for similar
tasks, and people who may do the same things, but I'm the only one I
know who does those things and more. Of course, I *might* be biased in
that opinion, but so what? This is *MY* contest entry. <grin>

SECOND PLACE: Ian Butler <ianrb@caspers.net>

Well, I couldn't think of only five people that were Just Great(tm).
But I had to. So here they are. :) My apologies for any spelling errors.

1. Mack Baggette
   What can I say about Mack? He has singlehandedly pulled the 200LX from
   its grave. With the speed upgrade (of which I am a proud owner) that
   makes it possible to run a much wider variety of applications, to the
   enormous memory upgrades that do the same, he has added hundreds (even
   thousands) of software titles to the 200LX's repitoire. Thanks, Mack.

2 & 3. D&A Software
   A team of two that has successfully brought the world to the fingertips
   of any palmtoppers willing to shell out for the popular and
   high-quality WWW/LX Plus and its accompanying suite of Internet
   utilities. This flagship product, along with their other roadworthy
   titles (such as ABC, Timetracker, PAL Edit, etc.) are valuable assets
   to people whose business life depends on instant, ultraportable
   hardware and software. In case you've been living under a rock, D&A
   is Andreas Garzotto (programming) and Avi Meshar (stateside sales and
   distribution.)

4. Stefan Piechl
   Stefan has demonstrated to us that good things come in small packages.
   Sure, we all knew the palmtop was little and useful. But the software?
   Heck, practically everyone these days has 2M of RAM drive space to
   burn. Program size isn't a problem. But small is still good. I'm
   thinking here of LXPIC, which fits into 13K and can be dynamically
   loaded by any program that needs picture viewing capability. From GPS
   map viewers to street finders to practically every other graphics
   viewing need, Stefan's program does it all. This, along with his other
   *tiny* utility programs, make his work a cornerstone in the New 200LX
   World Order, soon to be publicized internationally. ;)

5. Mitch Hamm
   Well. Enough gushing. Mitch has orchestrated the single most
   important part of the 200LX community. A clearinghouse for popular
   programs that have come down the pike for the 200 is just what we need
   to keep it from fading into non-advertised, unsupported, oblivion.
   SUPER is turning into an only-slightly-scaled-down Simtel. Mitch,
   keep up the good work!

And what could one say about what life with the 200LX would be like
without these fine people? Without Mack, we'd all be lockstepped into
8MHz and a maximum of 4M of internal RAM. (And I'd be without a palmtop
entirely. He pulled me out of the grave, too.) Without Andreas and Avi,
we'd be stuck with a stopwatch to measure how long it took us to, for
example, clean horse stalls. (Somehow I don't think that's a typical use
for TimeTracker. But what is a 200LX, if not versatile?) Without Stefan,
we wouldn't be able to view that pornog... I MEAN, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO
USE LXMAP. And of course, without Mitch, we wouldn't be able to get any
of the said software titles without long, [probably] fruitless Internet
searches.

The short of the long of it (is that right?) is that these are the movers
and the shakers of the 200LX community. Have a beer.

THIRD PLACE: Darren Frick <dfrick@snip.net>

Well, I have to admit, it was difficult choosing the top 5 HP 200 lx (to be
referred to as "lx" from this point forward) users (i.e. "lxers") from the
millions of lxers out there (i.e. on the earth) but my staff and I have done
it, and will list them from in reverse-ascending order from 5 to 1.

5: Uri Geller. Having the power of TK has allowed this lxer do do some
amazing things with his lx.
He can open it without putting ANY stress on the hinge. He has
demonstrated this ability on several TV shows including That's Incredible,
Real People, and Beyond Bizarre. Rumor has it that his lx has been opened
and shut over 1 trillion times! He has been of great help to our team
personally by plugging in our AC adapters into very dangerous high-voltage
outlets, and by being able to type very very fast. We employ him to prevent
our lxes from hitting the ground when dropped. Without him, well, our new lx
line item would be much larger.

4: Santa. For sheer size of database, there are few that can touch this
lxer. His custom database form with the Naughty/Nice option buttons gives
him at-a-glance decision making ability while hurtling over the rooftops.
The full page notes screen for each kid gives plenty of room for those
lists. He has no need for any sort of backlighting, as the glow from
Rudolphs nose is sufficient, even on foggy nights. He has found the lx to
hold up well while being kicked around the floor of the sled when dropped.
One time it flew over the side at 30,000 feet over Yemen. Fortunately Uri
was aware and saved the day for millions of kids and they didn't have to get
the default gift of a copy of Netscape. One time it dropped into the
Pacific while he was on vacation in Hawaii. Lucky thing he's Santa. He just
gave himself a new one. Personally, I have benifitted from his having such a
reliable machine, and enjoy my gifts very much.

3: Spock. On the original 5 year mission, it was critical for Mr. Spock to
have a device which he could flip open rapidly with a flick of the wrist.
The Starfleet issue tri-corders could not withstand his abuse, so he found
the 200lx of late 20th century earth to be up to par. Also, on it he could
keep his poetry and musical compositions, plasma energy analysis, and
various interplanetary monetary conversions - along with the Palmtop
Periodic Table, and Yahtzee. His biggest annoyance about the lx is that
Captain Kirk kept borrowing it to enter phone numbers of alien chicks. But
what could Spock say? - Kirk was the Captian.
Spocks dedicated loyalty to the lx inspired me to get prosthetic ear
tips. -- Don't ask how I obtained information about a secret space mission
500 years in the future. I'd have to travel back in time and do something
bad to your ancestors.

2: Martin Greenspan. You should see some of the solver equations he's got on
that thing! Uses Dave's currency conversion stuff all the time. The power
this man wields is chilling. And all because of the 200lx. Why, once he
dropped his lx in the toilet and (as the saying goes "as goes Marty's LX, so
goes the economy) real bad stuff happened - blamed it on Carter. He directly
influences the buing power I have to get new goodies for my own lx.

1: David Sargeant. His power is fantastic. His good looks and charm are
unparalleled. His Cic application is the fanciest bit of coding I've ever
seen. I have blow-ups of the pictures of the internals of the lx on my
walls. Without his useful HPLX page, I would have switched to a Psion 5. All
hail the King of the HP200 LX, Dave Sargeant.....

FOURTH PLACE: Tim Shephard <tim.shephard@bigfoot.com>

[Editor's note: I like the first and third ideas best. We may see a contest utilizing these ideas sometime soon.]

Contest ideas:

1. Write a complete history of the HPLX Dos line, starting with the 95lx all the way through the 200lx doublespeed 64Mb. Include date of events (when announced, released, discontinued), aftermarket software and hardware advancements.

2. Write a your story on how your life has changed since owning a HP palmtop. What do you use it for on a daily basis? What software is most important to you and why? What hardware do you use with it? etc...

3. Write a song praising the HP dos line, and denouncing wince. Include at least three verses and a chorus. Pick a popular tune to model after.

4. Write a formal letter, persuading HP to continue the DOS line. Explain that they may coexist with wince, but the DOS line needs to continue. Have a convincing argument. (Then after the contest, forward entries to HP ;-)

5. Most interesting Topcard. Submit personalized topcards. Include, humor, graphics, practicality.

FIFTH PLACE: Andy Zarick <andymd@mci2000.com>

Bill Clinton- uses one database to keep track of what story he told and to whom and another to keep a list of definition of "sexual relationship."

Ken Starr- uses appointments to keep track of who's testifying when.

Hilary- uses calculator to estimate what kind of alimony she could get.

Monica- uses a modified Phonebook to note which of her friends tape record her conversations.

Al Gore- uses Memo to write his Inauguration speech for Jan 2001.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and keep watch for new contests!

Entry Page

August 1998 Contest

Welcome to the grand opening contest for HPLX.NET!

The prizes this time are as follows:

First Place: An 8MB memory upgrade, a speed upgrade, a copy of WWW/LX Plus 2.0, and a $40 credit at Thaddeus Computing.

Second Place: An 8MB memory upgrade, a copy of TimeTracker/LX, and a $20 credit at Thaddeus Computing.

Third Place: A speed upgrade, a copy of TimeTracker/LX, and a $15 credit at Thaddeus Computing.

Fourth Place: A copy of ABC/LX.

Fifth Place: A copy of Volt/LX.

HERE IS WHAT YOU MUST DO TO ENTER:

Write up a list of who you believe to be the top five 200LX "power users" and an explanation of why you believe each one to be so. How have they contributed to the 200LX community? How have they helped you personally? What would palmtopping be like without them?

The entries will be judged not on who you list, but on the reasons you give. Humor is definitely a plus. Entries which insult or degrade people will be thrown out, unless it's really funny. <g>

Winning entries and runners-up will be posted on this site. Entrants agree that their entries may be used for promotional purposes. The deadline for entries (subject to change) is Friday, August 21, 1998, at 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. Winners will be announced by Monday, August 24. Public notice will be given of any changes in the timeline or contest requirements. Multiple entries per person are allowed; however, no person will win more than one prize.