Turn Any Old Mac into a Gameshow Buzzer
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, Apple Displays, MacBooks, iMac's, MacBook Pros, Laptop and iPod accessories and more. Apple A/C Adapters for laptops starting at $25.00 Call 1-800-941-7654 or Click Here.
OWC: Top Quality Memory for Faster Mac Performance 1GB/2GB/4GB Kits from $23.99/$47.99/$94.99 Expert Support, Free Installation Videos & Guides, Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty - www.MacSales.com
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
New iMac 800Mhz Memory 4GB $98, 2GB $50. Click to Maximize your Macs...
- 2006.10.07
Occasionally I have students play games simulating game shows to review for tests. I've played a "Millionaire" game and a "Jeopardy" game.
One problem I always face is determining who gets to answer when "buzzing in" is required. Usually, I just let people raise their hands; but this year, I have unusually large classes (~40 students) who happen to be very chatty and, let us say, overly enthusiastic.
I mean these kids are into the competitive aspect of even a little review game . . . they are on their feet, yelling, laughing, etc. Consequently it was difficult to tell who raised their hands first and accusations of "No, we were first!" were flying.
I figured there had to be a technological way out of this conundrum without buying a video-game style "buzzer" kit from some overpriced vendor, so I tried to think of how I could put one of the several older Mac G3s in my room to use in this respect.
There was an astounding lack of shareware for this purpose, according to a brief Google search, so I decided to grow my own.
Despite the lack of a prefabricated solution, I knew two things that might help me:
- There is a fine, functional version of BASIC for OS X that I know how to use - Chipmunk Basic.
- You can hook up two ADB keyboards to a Power Mac G3 simultaneously, and they will both function. The Blue and White G3 was the last computer Apple manufactured that could use an ADB keyboard, and I happen to have a crate of these in a storeroom just looking for a purpose.
I proceeded to write a short program in Chipmunk Basic (source code follows) that basically captures the first keypress on both keyboards with an old-fashioned INKEY$ command and then displays this response as well as speaking it.
Players wait with one finger above one of the four keys I programmed (A, B, G, and D for alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) and the first one who "buzzes in" wins. Then the BASIC routine reports the winner and awaits a reset. The reset (your have to type the R key) is necessary so that the computer pauses, latching in the winning response before the keyboard is ready to accept another round.
In subsequent tests, the system worked like a charm.
In case you are a teacher and are wondering how I managed the students who weren't playing, I split the class up into four teams of ten students. Every time a student answered a question in the game, they rotated out with other team members, and a different student manned the keyboard. "Chaos," as one student described my earlier attempts, became "organized."
Another said that they had played "Jeopardy" in other classes, but this was the first one that was organized enough that they could enjoy it and get some information for reviewing out of it at the same time.
Here is the source code for my primitive "buzzer" program. Just download Chipmunk BASIC, install it on your older machine, connect two keyboards, and run the program. Just open Chipmunk Basic, copy the text below, and paste it in. Then run it. Don't forget to save it if it works well.
10 rem BUZZER PROGRAM 20 print "WAITING FOR INPUT..." 30 z$ = inkey$ 40 if z$ = "a" or z$ = "A" then team$ = "ALPHA" : flag = 1 50 if z$ = "b" or z$ = "B" then team$ = "BETA" : flag = 1 60 if z$ = "G" or z$ = "g" then team$ = "GAMMA" : flag = 1 70 if z$ = "D" or z$ = "d" then team$ = "DELTA" : flag = 1 80 if z$ = "q" then stop 90 if flag = 1 then goto 110 else goto 30 110 a$ = "Team "+team$+" BUZZED IN FIRST!" 120 say a$ : print a$ : print "Type 'R' to reset for another round." 130 x$ = inkey$ 140 if x$ = "R" or x$ = "r" then flag = 0 : goto 10 150 if x$ = "Q" or x$ = "q" then stop 160 goto 130
One last thing (gentle readers): I have homework for you.
- If you try this out on a 68K Mac, will it work? (Chipmunk Basic is available in versions for System 6, 7, 8, and 9 as well as OS X.)
- Will it work with USB keyboards on a modern Mac? [Editor's note: It works on my Power Mac G4 with a wireless keyboard connected via USB. dk]
- Does the "INKEY$" function have any inherent bias for some keypresses happening before others?
- Is there some way to distinguish between keyboards so we could use four separate keyboards with everyone pressing the space bar to trigger the answer?
That's it for this week. Sorry about my absence for the last
while, I've been pretty busy with a number of projects.
Jeff Adkins is a science teacher who isn't afraid to state his preferences in computing platforms. In his classroom he has everything from a beige All-in-One to a a G4 XServe, and they all work together nicely. He calls himself the "poster child for technology integration" in the classroom. He was the 2006 Outstanding Educator of the Year for the California Computer Using Educators (CUE) organization. He also maintains a site for astronomy teachers at www.AstronomyTeacher.com.
Recent Mac Lab Reports
- Microsoft Word 2004 vs. iWork Pages 1.0 for writing a book, 01.10. Microsoft Word is great for technical writing, powerful yet slow, while Pages lets you concentrate on just writing, making it great for novels.
- iWeb a great tool for quickly creating an attractive website, 09.11. Apple's iWeb software isn't just easy to use, it also integrates nicely with .mac and other programs in the iLife bundle.
- Use your Bluetooth phone to control your Mac? Maybe, 02.27. Salling Clicker software turns many Bluetooth phones into remote controls for Bluetooth-equipped Macs.
- More in the Mac Lab Report index.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- The Macintosh Portable started a notebook revolution, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 07.03. Before Apple introduced the Mac Portable, notebook computers were text-based and ran MS-DOS. Ever since, graphical interfaces have been the norm for laptops.
- Mac of the Day: 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, May 1998 - WallStreet offered 3 screen sizes and CPU speeds from 233 to 292 MHz.
- List of the Day: System 6 is the email list for those who choose System 6.
- Turn your old Mac into a website server with free open source software, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 07.02. By installing Linux without a GUI, your old Mac can dedicate all of its resources to running Apache, MySQL, and PHP.
- Depreciation game a gamble, best OS for 12" PowerBook, Opera 9.5 fast with unique features, and more, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 07.02. The depreciation game requires educated guesses, Tiger the best OS for a 12" PowerBook, why Opera rocks, and a Mac using sci-fi writer who loves the free market.
- Best Intel iMac deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.02. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $699; 20" 2.0, $845; 2.16, $899; refurb 20" 2.0, $949; 2.4, $1,049; 24" 2.16, $1,199; 2.4, $1,399; 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; more.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.02. Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.5 Combo, $650; 1.67 SD, $700; hi-res, $800.
- Best Apple TV deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.02. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $224; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $322.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
