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Kjer / Confusing Solution,
Super Swap Sweden,
Horizon
Added on December 1st, 2003 (7935 views)
www.c64.com?type=3&id=74
Tell us something about yourself.
My name is Kjell Ericson, born in Huddinge, Stockholm in the year 1970. I nowadays work as a consultant and my interest is still computers.
What handle(s) did you use and how did you come up with it/them?
I took the handle Kjer from my initials around 1982.
What group(s) were you in?
I started with Confusing Solution (Consol) in 1987. In 1988, I joined Super Swap Sweden (SSS) which some months later created a new group with Thundercats called Horizon.
What roles have you fulfilled?
Code, code, code, and people tried to stop me from doing anything near layout. :-)
How long were you active for?
I was active in the demo scene from 1987 to 1992 and with the Amiga until 1996.
Tell us about those years and how you got into the scene in the first place.
Those were great years! I got into the scene after being at a copy party where I met some new friends. Programming had been a hobby for me since 1980, and when I met other people it turned out that I was quite good at it. I wouldn't be in the scene if it wasn't for Bagder. We trigged each other to do better and better stuff all the time.
Describe a typical day for you in front of the computer.
A typical day for me would start with coming home from school (not seldom with Bagder too, which meant that we start with a game of Hat Trick). If I didn't have any demo part to continue working on, I could just start to experiment with some registers ($D011, $D016 etc). If something fun came up, I could continue with that effect. If I had a demo part to work on, it often involved tuning the code so it would go one cycle faster. One cycle more, and I could squeeze in ten more moving pixels.
Did you personally invent any special techniques or tools to make things easier for you?
Oh yes, didn't everybody? The scroller was often based on the same code, and some stuff like that.
When you look at what you did back then, what are you most proud of?
That I was voted the best demo coder in several magazines for a year or so, and that Horizon was voted best demo group for a even longer period.
Who were your heroes on the scene and why?
Heroes for me were those that did things I couldn't do. Like 1001 Crew and their E.S.C.O.S., the Think Twice demos by The Judges, and of course Exilon/Horizon with his astonishing demo Bonanza which with just three parts introduced three totally new capacities on the C64.
What, for you, was the coolest thing ever invented on the C64?
Back to Exilon and his invention of the hires solution scroll. But everything is built on something else, so opening the sideborder, D.Y.S.P., D.Y.C.P., sound sampling etc. are all cool in their own way.
Did you go to any copy-parties, meetings or tradeshows?
I went to many copy parties and meetings. Horizon also arranged some parties in Stockholm.
In your opinion, what was the scene all about?
Having fun, meeting people and creating something.
What were the particular highlights for you?
Uh... So many that I can't think of any right now.
Any cool stories to share with us?
No, not at the moment.
Are you still in contact with any old C64 people today?
I work at the same consultant company as Bagder, Zagor and Boogaloo (all Horizon), but I'm also in contact with other C64 people too. It's a small world after all.
When did you get your C64 and do you still have it lying around somewhere?
My father bought it in 1982. There were no games at the time, so I had to write my own. I still have it around and will never throw it away. Too many memories. But the C64 emulators are so good today, so I will not use it for many years.
Was the C64 really as special as we like to think it was?
Yes it was. It was a tool for many kids learning how to program. The PC was quite lame back in 1982 and most computers were very expensive.
When can we expect to see some new C64 output from you? :)
Uuuuuh, when I get to the retirement home and forget my kids name, and the names of my grandchildren. I will never forget how to code assembler on the C64, that's for sure.
Do you have a message for your old contacts and/or anyone reading this?
Greetings everyone! Send me a mail!
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