Toni Baker
Toni Baker
I've asked this before, in another time, in another place, but let's see if this more ... refined crowd can answer something that's been puzzling me for years
Do we all remember Toni Baker, author of the seminal Mastering Machine Code on your ZX Spectrum, byline on many articles in YS, ZX Computing and all round machine code expert. They disappeared off the face of the earth (hopefully not literally) in the mid-80's, unlike many Speccy authors who would pop up on the Amiga/ST and later the internet.
So: prolific author, great writing style, obviously knew the Sinclair line inside out.
The big question is: bird or bloke? Seriously, I've never seen any photos, or anything in any articles he/she wrote to give away his/her gender. Was this a rare example of the Spectrum Sisterhood, or just a guy who's parents fancied drawing attention to themselves? Or, was it just a pen name (a la Lloyd Mangram) for some staff writers somewhere?
Do we all remember Toni Baker, author of the seminal Mastering Machine Code on your ZX Spectrum, byline on many articles in YS, ZX Computing and all round machine code expert. They disappeared off the face of the earth (hopefully not literally) in the mid-80's, unlike many Speccy authors who would pop up on the Amiga/ST and later the internet.
So: prolific author, great writing style, obviously knew the Sinclair line inside out.
The big question is: bird or bloke? Seriously, I've never seen any photos, or anything in any articles he/she wrote to give away his/her gender. Was this a rare example of the Spectrum Sisterhood, or just a guy who's parents fancied drawing attention to themselves? Or, was it just a pen name (a la Lloyd Mangram) for some staff writers somewhere?
Re: Toni Baker
Hi Ken,
That's a great question!
I believe Toni is a lady.
http://www.verycomputer.com/57_e9bbb22ce8174cef_1.htm
Peter
That's a great question!
I believe Toni is a lady.
http://www.verycomputer.com/57_e9bbb22ce8174cef_1.htm
Peter
Re: Toni Baker
Very mysterious person from early years of Spectrum. That's all I know for sure
A similar case is William Tang - man who wrote Horace games and later disappeared.
A similar case is William Tang - man who wrote Horace games and later disappeared.
Re: Toni Baker
Mysterious person, just by accident I was browsing a book (Machine Code Sprites and Graphics for the ZX Spectrum by John Durst (1984) and came across a plug for a user group and magazine. (at the start of the book the page before chapter 1)
MicroArts - MIA but check out the details.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11893
What is interesting is that the postal address he gives you is for a Miss Toni Baker. As the user group was for Machine code programming I think its safe to assume it has to be her.
MicroArts - MIA but check out the details.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11893
What is interesting is that the postal address he gives you is for a Miss Toni Baker. As the user group was for Machine code programming I think its safe to assume it has to be her.
Re: Toni Baker
Following up on William Tang, the Wikipedia page said he had a serious medical incident during 1985 and ceased developing games after that. Can't imagine what kind of work environment would have triggered that in the poor bloke.
From the Crash article that Wikipedia is talking about...
From the Crash article that Wikipedia is talking about...
http://www.crashonline.org.uk/39/taylor.htm...Steve joined Melbourne House full-time. His first project will bring a murmur of recognition from Spectrum veterans — it was Horace to the Rescue. Unluckily this missing episode from the life of the small, blue hero was never completed because the project leader suffered a collapsed lung.
Re: Toni Baker
I have an acquaintance who apparently knew Toni Baker in the 80s, and I can offer the following nuggets of information (with the disclaimer that I have no evidence to back any of this up, so take them how you will)...
* Yes, Toni is a woman, and contrary to certain rumours, not transgender.
* Toni Baker was a pseudonym, specifically chosen to avoid standing out as female in professional circles - for much the same reason that JK Rowling is known by her initials, you might say.
* She's a very private individual, and wouldn't welcome her real identity being 'outed', however keen we are to know what she's up to these days
* Yes, Toni is a woman, and contrary to certain rumours, not transgender.
* Toni Baker was a pseudonym, specifically chosen to avoid standing out as female in professional circles - for much the same reason that JK Rowling is known by her initials, you might say.
* She's a very private individual, and wouldn't welcome her real identity being 'outed', however keen we are to know what she's up to these days
- 1024MAK
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3123
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:52 pm
- Location: Sunny Somerset in the U.K. in Europe
Re: Toni Baker
The speculation about transgender almost certainly comes about due to some early print runs of Mastering Machine Code on Your ZX81 with the author as "Tony Baker". In later editions, the author was "Toni Baker".
But if the author wishes to remain private, let's let this subject rest.
Mark
Standby alert
“There are four lights!”
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
“There are four lights!”
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
- Ast A. Moore
- Rick Dangerous
- Posts: 2641
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:16 pm
Re: Toni Baker
Oh, come on. Surely she wouldn’t mind if a few dozen strange men appeared on her front porch one day with a bottle of champaign just to express their appreciation of her work.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.
Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
Re: Toni Baker
Well, use the code to make a fantastic game would be more alike, i supose.Ast A. Moore wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:12 pmOh, come on. Surely she wouldn’t mind if a few dozen strange men appeared on her front porch one day with a bottle of champaign just to express their appreciation of her work.
We COULD link all the code written by TB and make "The TB Library of Everything"
who ever used the RAMDISC ???
thats the last chapter of "streams&channels"
Re: Toni Baker
Sorry guys, but surely these should be the last words in this thread?
- Ast A. Moore
- Rick Dangerous
- Posts: 2641
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:16 pm
Re: Toni Baker
No, they shouldn’t. And don’t call me Shirley.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.
Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
- photonstorm
- Drutt
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:13 am
- Contact:
Re: Toni Baker
Sorry for posting in an old thread, but I thought some of you may be interested to know that I've found an issue 2 of Micro Arts magazine. Honestly, it's a thing of complete wonder. The hand-drawn cover, the Elven writing through-out it, the really strange game listings (all in machine code, of course), such as Space Invaders the Final Testament (shoot the early books of the bible!) and so on. I've never seen anything like it
Here's the front cover:
If it hasn't been done so already, I'd be happy to scan the rest of it and upload it somewhere?
Cheers,
Rich
Here's the front cover:
If it hasn't been done so already, I'd be happy to scan the rest of it and upload it somewhere?
Cheers,
Rich
Join the Retro Gaming Magazines FB Group
Re: Toni Baker
Yes please [mention]photonstorm[/mention]
Thanks very much.
Thanks very much.
Re: Toni Baker
That's great!! Maybe somebody will be able to type up those asm listings!
Re: Toni Baker
Incredibly pretty for such a homemade zine
I'd love to read it.
I'd love to read it.
- photonstorm
- Drutt
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:13 am
- Contact:
Re: Toni Baker
Hi all,
My scanner is in my office and I can't get to it because of lock-down, but here are some photos of every page I took with my iPhone. The resolution is high enough to read quite clearly - some of the pages are fascinating! and I love the page numbers
https://www.dropbox.com/transfer/AAAAAH ... Ts2iqR16xw
This link will expire in 1 years time (because, Dropbox)
Cheers,
Rich
My scanner is in my office and I can't get to it because of lock-down, but here are some photos of every page I took with my iPhone. The resolution is high enough to read quite clearly - some of the pages are fascinating! and I love the page numbers
https://www.dropbox.com/transfer/AAAAAH ... Ts2iqR16xw
This link will expire in 1 years time (because, Dropbox)
Cheers,
Rich
Join the Retro Gaming Magazines FB Group