ISBN

In 1990, when the Whirlitzer of Wisdom was released, home Macs did not connect to the internet - they were stand-alone systems, only connected to wall power. New content came in with floppy disks - the CD-ROM drive was not standard, either. I just checked my e-mail, my first e-mail that I have saved I received in 1996. Netscape Navigator came out in early 1995.

Roger Allen was at a big city university, so he did have connectivity that most of the rest of us did not have. He showed that access by including 3 ISBNs as clues in the game, accessed by the jukebox buttons:

ISBN 0-385-12794-4

ISBN 0-87021-157-9

ISBN 0-691-09750-X

ISBNs are the International Standard Book Number, established in 1970 - replaced in 2007 by a 13 digit code. The 10 digit code is: country code, publisher code, title code, check digit (X is 10). I did not try to find this code in a book at a library, but I did go to the desk at the local university branch library, and had the librarian look it up. She did have a connection to a computer resource - it was all text based, no windows desktop look and feel about it.

I was wondering if I should trust Roger Allen - would he have us look up something rude and embarrassing? Right about that time, people were sending Georgia libraries all sorts of gay studies books, in the name of Sam Nunn - because of his stance on "don't ask, don't tell" - so the idea was in the air. The librarian came back with a quizzical look, but the books were fine:

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Shambhala-Edwin-Bernbaum/dp/0385127944/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ISBN+0-385-12794-4&qid=1604270812&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Duttons-Navigation-Piloting-Elbert-Maloney/dp/0870211579/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ISBN+0-87021-157-9&qid=1604270877&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Bollingen-19-Ching-Book-Changes/dp/B000LA1KKI/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=ISBN+0-691-09750-X&qid=1604270983&sr=8-2

All of these books are useful in the upcoming contest with the game - especially the Dutton's Navigation book. Along with the nautical almanac for 1989 - which you can buy really cheap, nowadays ...

The Way to Shambhala has loads of marvelous pictures about Tibetan mysticism, including the popular mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" in Tibetan script. Which is what is on the label of the "Insight" floppy.