Although I think this really is an interesting category, I initially decided in all my modesty not to put my story online here as well. But many sheep have already crossed the causeway (okay, don't know if this proverb exists in English, but hey) so let me write something about myself as well. But please, do post a reaction, I'm afraid of looking too impopular when this thread ends up not being a thread but only this message .

Well, my full name is Rieks Warendorp Torringa and I have actively been using the MSX from about 1991 to 1999. I started like many others playing games (especially Japanese RPG's like Xak, Ys and SD-Snatcher) and in about 1993 I joined my first MSX club: MSX-Code. I was only thirteen years old back then. I left the club in 1995, having made several new productions, e.g. The Vampires and She Vampires, Quinch 2 and the MSX Code Newsdisc. Shortly after I left the club, I released my second and final GameBuilder game, The ATP, to some people a notorious product I can say .

After I left MSX-Code I continued doing things for MSX together with two assembly programmers under the name of Pigeonsoft. This changed into Sargon when two musicians and a graphic designer joined the team. Sargon is responsible for the Defender diskmagazine, the Guide through Gameworlds and Twisted Reality.

In the mean time I did much 'free-lance' work for various magazines (I joined the editorial of MSX User, for example, and wrote an article for XSW and MSX Info Blad every now and then, but I also submitted articles to diskmagazines like FutureDisk, DISK, MGF Magazine, Track, etc.) and I had my own MSX BBS: Warlock BBS.

I started my study of Japanese Language and Culture at the University of Leiden in 1997 and graduated in 2003 (yeah, I am a Master of Arts now, or drs. if you like ). I have lived in Japan for over two years during my studies. One of the (many) results of my studies, is a small Japanese language service I started together with a friend of mine: Moshi Moshi.

MSX lost my interest almost completely for about four years. In 2003, I launched my first website (Samanet), featuring a Sargon/MSX part. This website motivated me to start doing things with MSX again, such as translating Japanese games to English. Shortly thereafter, I was contacted by the MRC crew, who wanted to take the Japanese MSX Revival over the Japanese borders. Eventually, this became a separate project which resulted in Bazix. In cooperation with experienced Z80 reverse engineers, I became able to make professional game translations (see WOOMB). For WOOMB, I also translated everything that came with the original games, such as their manuals. Apart from these things, there's a lot more that I do at Bazix, but it wouldn't be relevant nor interesting to elaborate on that here.

In the mean time, I had also become an admin here at the MSX Resource Center. I took the Sargon/MSX part of Samanet offline for several reasons (Bazix, for example).

Due to a combination of personal circumstances and the rivalry (or more generally spoken: the atmosphere created on MSX websites) that started in the MSX scene around 2003, I had almost lost my motivation to do anything MSX related again in 2006 and the first part of 2007. However, it has grown a little bit again lately, so currently there are plans to set up a new Sargon site somewhere in the near future. Two or three Sargon productions are even likely to follow. And apart from that, of course Bazix and WOOMB are to continue, as is MRC.

In 2004, I started my second studies at Leiden University: Law. I just finished my bachelor (cum laude, for those who want to know) and if all goes well, I'll have my master's degree (civil law) next year.

Well, that's about it for now.

Pffffff, as if we're interested in this

Apparently you are, otherwise you wouldn't have taken the effort of reading and replying to it . Thanks anyway, I feel a lot better now

Latok's just pissed his Japanese isn't as good as yours

We're all pissed at that

Rieks W. Torringa...

I still have some faint memories about reading the story of your life on some FutureDisk edition. It was split in three parts and knowing that each part contained around 16K of text and still wonder how you could write such a large document about.... what was it about?

But, nice to have you on the bandwagon again!

Haha, yes, that's true... The infamous MSX history of a - how old were I? - sixteen year old MSX user. I doubt if there's anyone who actually took the effort to read the text .

Yeeeeaaaaah, the man with the hyperactive type-fingers... Those texts were always too big to keep me attracted

Nice stuff you did though, mr. what was your name? didn't we call you something like Watertorringa? Watertorenga? Damn, will overread Disk someday to find out

Good to see all those familiar people around here!

Hehe, as I see, the Frisians are almost complete now. Haven't heard from Haiko yet on the MRC, but as it is now, Near Dark can start making new products again!

Seen haiko today... Still as weird as you remember him...

And still very much into cannabis?

He refused a suck of Tristan's 'ziggy-special'

yez, it surprised me that the king of blowers dit NOT take a shot from tristans 'stokje'!!

Yes, I remember Rieks. It was years ago (even before his first nervous breakdown) when I met Rieks at the MSX fair in Almelo (yes, it was YEARS ago). We immediately hit it off because we had the same MSX hobby: collection original Japanese MSX software. I first met him at the station in Almelo where I stepped out of the train and went to the bus to go to the fair. At the busstop were two silly looking persons waiting. I immediately recognized the somewhat "death" look in their eyes, and so I assumed they had to be MSX'ers. I asked them if they were going to the fair also. They replied with a big yes. In the bus we talked for hours (at least it seemed hours) and when we finally got to the fair we were already fairly acquainted. In those days I was an active member of the MSX group DTC. We had a stand in a small room and these two weird looking boys had their stand in the same room. There was an old tradition at MSX fairs in the past. The tradition was to turn the music very loud, and your neighbour would put his music even louder. As an answer you would put your music louder again. This ritual was repeated until one of the participants wrecked their audio equipment. This day Pigeonsoft (the strange name of the two boys) won the contest because they sabotaged our equipment. Fortunately I could play my music and the two strange looking boys were forced to listen to it the whole day. When the fair was almost over we exchanged adresses and the first "date" was set.

On an early saturday morning I went with the train to Groningen. When I was in Groningen I took the "boemeltrein" to Winsum where one of the strange people, Rieks, was waiting for me. It was a great weekend. And now, several years, 5 diskmagazines, a music disc, a bunch of other productions and about 500 gallons of beer later, I write this text in his room behind his computer. I am 27 years old now and our friendship is still growing. So... to all you people who would like to meet Rieks I want to say one thing "Don't do it, HE IS A BASTARD!!!!"

Signing of

YUM

Thanks for all your flattering words, Robert. You really are a friend. This story reminds me of the speech you gave on my 18th birthday party, which was almost as flattering as this one.

But hey, from your somewhat odd perspective, we might have looked strange, but it actually was you who was somewhat 'different'. We might as well talk about the period you were taking Prozac since we didn't immediately asked you to become a Sargon-member. This was the time you describe I had a 'nervous breakdown', but fortunately we all know better.

But hey, what does it matter. It's still very much fun drinking beers with you and doing nerdy things and the like. Although I'm still somewhat fuzzy from last weekend. It really had been a long time since I had had such a weekend. But when will you mail me the scans I was asking for? And of course, the main character of Risks don't Matter?!

Big hug to you, too, anyway