Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Host’s Topic: Retrocomputing TMI

It seems like the retrocomputing hobby is gaining traction. Hooray! Except now it’s so easy to scan things, post things, take videos—information is coming in at a rate that’s too hard to manage. How do you keep up?

Retro Computing News:

• BCS videos posted by CHM
• Memoirs of a Spectrum Addict trailer
• John Calhoun releases source code to his classic Macintosh shareware games
• Continuum 1.04 download and source
• Macross 6502, an assembler for people who hate assembly language
  • Macross on github
• Marvin Minsky obituary
  • Minskytron at masswerk.at
  • Most useless machine at Web of Stories
• Bill Fernandez: Apple employee #4, on Triangulation
• The Ultimate Oldschool PC Font Pack
• VCF East Exhibitor Registration opens
  • VCF East XI, April 15-17, 2016
• 25th annual “Last” Chicago CoCoFest (event April 23-24, 2016)
• PoC||GTFO
• FlippyBit for Atari VCS source
• Quinn Dunki decelerates the IIc Plus on Blondihacks

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• Um.

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Amiga boing beachball
  • Perry Bible Fellowship, Beach Closing

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Back panel cover for Mac Color Classic “Mystic”
  • John Dvorak (then contributing editor with PC magazine) demonstrates how easy the modular IBM PS/2 is to take apart, on Computer Chronicles
• Jack: True Vintage 80s ATARI Puffer Vest Nylon
• Paul: Tandy 6000
  • VIC-Relay

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
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Panelists: Ken Gagne (hosting), Earl Evans, Paul Hagstrom, Michael Mulhern, Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Host’s Topic: Are retrocomputing vendors held to different standards?

Retro Computing News:

• WWIV BBS software is alive and well, and recently updated
  • WWIV BBS
• Emulating a BBC Micro in Javascript
  • BBC Micro emulator
• BASIC Tenliners competition
• KansasFest 2016 keynote announced – Mike Harvey
• Eighty-One
• GeekFest 2015 Berlin audio
• How Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s words were freed from 200 old floppy disks
• What computer did Gene Roddenberry use?
• How Bob McGwier used a Cray-2 to decode ham radio transmission in Star Trek IV
• Retrochallenge 2016 halfway done
  • Global Thermonuclear War, a CoCo 2 / 3 game over the Internet!
  • Maze War – Olivetti M10 versus NEC PC-8201A
  • BASIC programming on the Tandy MC-10
• Atari Game Designer – graphics library for A8 machines
• Video Game Hall of Fame nominations
  • Nina Smith wants dad’s Lode Runner in
• ‘Commodore Free’ Magazine Issue #90
• K&A Plus Issue 3
• Floppy Emu B out, A cheaper
• John Romero releases a new level for Doom
• “Hoodlum scientist” Dr. Christopher Evans and The Mighty Micro
• Deskthority wiki for human interface devices
  • Entries on different Alps switches
• SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch
• 37

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• Ty Roberts later of Gracenote on the built-for-Bowie Verbasizer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Matias Tactile Pro 3 keyboard
  • Plotkin on Tactile Pro 3
  • Unicomp

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Blue Chip D20/10 daisywheel printer
• Earl: Rare Seattle Computer Products CPU Module Model 220A Board
• Jack: Too many copies of Combat, Defender, and Asteroids for Atari 2600
• Ken: Big Tip Book
• Michael: Sharp ElsiMate EL-8048 Best of both worlds
• Paul: PET 2001-8, shiny.
  • Cursor/uncrasher for PET
  • Palm VII
  • Palm VIIx you can unwrap
  • Lab-Volt 6502 trainer
  • Classic Mac cover, handmade

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
Show audio files hosted by CyberEars

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Panelists: Michael Mulhern (hosting), Ken Gagne, Paul Hagstrom, and Jack Nutting

Host’s Topic: Would you make a irreversible upgrade/mod to one of your retro computers?

Anything from adding a 3.5mm audio jack, “dremeling” a hole or slot in the case to feed a cable through. Cutting a trace, or adding a jumper or any other change that although could be “reversed”, but not to original condition . . . . How far would you go upgrading a retro machine?

Retro Computing News:

• Range of new RPN calculators modelled on classic HPs
• RetroChallenge is back with the “Winter Warmup 2016”
• Many VCF East 5, 6, and 9.1 videos up!
• RetroVGS is now a Coleco console
• Put a Vampire in your Amiga 600
  • Kipper2K Amiga Hardware Page
• Vector retrogaming, with an oscilloscope
• Jimmy Maher’s Digital Antiquarian e-book
• Adding composite video to a Sinclair ZX81
• Original web browser on emulated NeXTstep 1.0 (on oldweb.today)

Vintage Computer Commercial:

• Sinclair Calculators
• Sharp ELSI-80

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Orange Pi

Auction Picks:

• Jack: Incredible Musical Keyboard for C64
• Michael: Interestime Computer
• Paul: Beautiful TI CC40 set, with history
  • 3D printed eject gear
  • 3D printed Supercard Pro case

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
Show audio files hosted by CyberEars

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed