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^CBy Daniel Tobias

   This is issue number 13 of BIG BLUE DISK.  Many people regard 13 as an 
unlucky number; buildings normally skip the thirteenth floor and go straight 
from 12 to 14.  Friday the thirteenth, which comes up this November (the cover 
date of this issue) is regarded as particularly unlucky.  But not for me; I've 
never placed much stock in such superstitions.  Once when I was a kid, I 
attended a charity bazaar on the thirteenth day of the month, placed a quarter 
on the number 13 on their wheel of fortune, and immediately won.  So you could 
say that 13 is kind of a lucky number for me.  As for Friday the 13th, it's 
like any other Friday, for which I say "T. G. I. F."! 

   Anyway, issue 13 of BIG BLUE DISK means that we're entering into the second 
year of publication.  I don't see anything unlucky about that.  Many new 
publications never survive their first year, particularly in a market as 
competitive as the computer field.  We've maintained a monthly schedule since 
we started, shipping all issues on time.  And every issue since #3 has had two 
disks full of programs.  We can honestly say that BIG BLUE DISK is the best 
value in software for the IBM PC, Tandy, and compatibles.  And that isn't 
luck; that's how we planned it. 

   The focus of this issue is graphics.  Our special program, the shareware 
package ^1PC-Draft^0, lets you do professional-quality drawing in high-resolution 
mode.  Other programs include a drawing program for medium-resolution mode 
(lower resolution than hi-res, but with more colors), a program that draws 
interesting fractal landscapes, a demo and review of the ^1P-11^0 animation 
package, and more.  For those of you who are not interested in graphics, 
there's also a ^1Personal Econometric Forecaster^0 program to let you plan your 
finances, and some utilities, hints, and tips in the Happy Hacker section.  
There's also another installment of Joel Rea's ^1Video Primer^0, a ^1Blue Notes^0
letter column, and the ^1Words of Fortune^0 game.  (Can you figure out which 
popular TV game show inspired this last one?)  Check it out! 
