The British have a very totemistic self image. We define ourselves by red buses, black taxis, cups of tea and the Sunday roast. Add to that list the iconic Sinclair ZX Spectrum, a pioneering home computer that managed to showcase the best of British innovation as well as our more eccentric nature.
That small, flat, black electronic beermat, with its colourful corner flash and bizarre rubber keyboard, may not be as world famous as a London cab but it seems to attract a similar swell of patriotic and nostalgic longing, at least if the current popularity of the humble Speccy is anything to go by.
Following the machine's 30th anniversary in 2012, which saw mainstream media outlets reminding the nation of our coding roots, there has been a surge in interest that has taken Sinclair's creation from fondly remembered obscurity to pop culture touchstone once again. Often at the forefront of that coverage has been a Kickstarted Bluetooth replica Spectrum, produced by veteran Britsoft publisher Elite Systems.
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