Skip to content
This day’s portion

Spectrums

Picture of a ZX Spectrum – black plastic box with rubber keys and a bright rainbow stripe across the bottom.

The ZX spectrum cost about £130 back in the early 80s

You’re no doubt swimming in nostalgia pieces from (mostly) men of a certain age eulogising the ZX Spectrum, after Clive Sinclair died yesterday. (Side note: Sinclair was a Mensa chair for many years, but he also refused to use the internet).

I could mention that the Spectrum is what I learned to program on – one dimensional arrays, single letter variables only, CLS to start every program, “load dot dot” etc. – but I thought I’d mention the branding, and how much I like that shiny black plastic, the colour around the keys, absurd futuristic SINCLAIR font, helvetica ZX Spectrum and that contrasting rainbow stripe. Got to be ripe for ripping off?