 April 21, 2002
HELLO INTELLIFANS! In this issue of our newsletter, we have some Wireless news, the story of the 47s on Intellivision boxes, a special T-shirt offer, a reminder about the Intellivision Lives! upgrade, and another trivia contest! I A recent CNET story opened with footage of a kid playing an Intellivision console, pointing out that the pioneering games of the 1980s are now the pioneering games of Wireless! More info and a link to the CNET video story >
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We also offered a great deal to everyone who purchased the original Intellivision Lives! Version 1.0: upgrade to Version 1.1 for only $9.99 - and we throw in FREE shipping and handling! The upgrade is the Version 1.1 CD-ROM with jewel case - same as if you paid full price! The offer is still available, but hurry - it expires June 30! Upgrade details & conditions > (We apologize to those of you who have tried to order the upgrade, only to be told that your name isn't in our database. 99% of the time, the problem is that you entered your name slightly differently than how it's listed in the database. For instance, you used "Edward" when you ordered Version 1.0, and used "Ed" when you tried to order the upgrade. If you have trouble ordering the upgrade, please call us at 877-INTLVSN (310-379-4109) or email us. We'll look you up and tell you exactly how your name is entered.) I In 1964, so the story goes, Pomona College Math Professor Donald Bentley "proved" that all numbers equal 47. After that, Pomona students started noticing the recurrence of the number 47 everywhere - on campus and off (there were 47 students enrolled in the year of the college’s first graduating class; Exit 47 of the San Bernardino Freeway leads to Pomona College; Jesus performs 47 miracles in the New Testament; The Declaration of Independence contains 47 sentences). Over the years, the list grew.
In 1986, Dave was hired by INTV Corp. to produce new Intellivision cartridges. Keith Robinson, who developed TRON Solar Sailer at Mattel, was hired to design the INTV packaging. The first game was Super Pro Football. Knowing Dave's affinity for the Dave was delighted ("I remember laughing my ass off," he says) and a new tradition was born: all future INTV Corp. game boxes would include a 47 on the front or back, often as part of the score in a game screen. A year after Super Pro Football came out, Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered. At some point, Dave and Keith started noticing a lot of 47s popping up in the episodes. At first, they chalked it up to their heightened awareness of the number, but as the occurrences became more frequent and more blatant, they suspected a Pomona College alum was responsible. Dave did some research and sure enough: Joe Menosky, Pomona Class of ’79, was on the Star Trek writing staff. The last INTV Corp. boxes came out in late 1989, but thanks to Joe Menosky and Star Trek, the Cult of 47 continued to grow…. THE INTELLIVISION TRIVIA CONTEST! From the 78 correct answers, the random number generator at http://www.random.org/ selected Sebastian Fuhrer as the winner of an Intellivision Game Themes T-shirt. Congratulations, Sebastian! And thanks to all of you for playing! Now try this question:
We'll pick a random winner from all complete, correct entries received before NOON PDT, THURSDAY, APRIL 25. The winner will receive an official Intellivision Coffee Mug - just like we use here in the office for serving up steamin' hot java! GOOD LUCK! THE BLUE SKY RANGERS
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NTELLIVISION LORE FROM THE FILES OF THE BLUE SKY RANGERS:
In the early eighties, Pomona College graduate David Warhol wound up at Mattel Electronics, along with fellow alums Don Daglow and Eddie Dombrower. In 1983, Dave tipped his hat to Pomona alumni everywhere in his Intellivision game Mind Strike: game board 47 spells out "DAVE."
number 47, Keith surprised him by sticking a nice big 47 right on the cover.
What Intellivision cartridge includes a character named for Star Trek writer/producer Joe Menosky, and what three-letter nickname does he have in the game?