Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Michael Mulhern, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Schmopic

Happy July.

Topic and feedback notes:

• Using the Macintosh IIsi today
• Andy Hertzfeld interview, Tools & Craft series premiere
• Technomoan covers the OMNI Entertainment System
• Ken Shirriff reverse engineers the Sinclair Scientific
• Extreme refurbishing of an Atari 800XL:
  • Extreme Refurbishing of Atari 800XL: Part One
  • Extreme Refurbishing of Atari 800XL: Part Two
• Syd Bolton, founder of the Personal Computer Museum in Brandtford, Ontario, passed away

Retro Computing News:

• BBC Computer Literacy Project Archive
• Evan’s Lego Robotics Virtual Museum
• LEGO Logo, LEGO’s first programmable product
• Computer Museum AR, Android app
• Homebrew Club, iOS AR app
• How Apple’s Advanced Technology Group changed our world:
  • Fastcompany article
  • MacObserver article that mentions it
  • Fastcompany article on archive.org
• Animated retrocomputer gifs
• Papercraft Commodore 64
• Applesauce unit assembly under way, shipping soon

Vintage (Computer) Commercial(s)

• Atari 800XL
• Sinclair calculators

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• TRS-80 Model I Raspberry Pi case

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: A Collector’s Guide to Personal Computers
  • ACGtPC on abebooks
• Michael: LEGO interface card and sealed software
  • LEGO Interface A box, or, well, never mind.
  • IBM FNB 1410 System Scale Model
• Paul: Coleco ADAM disk drive
  • VIC-20 with unusual keyboard
  • Data tracker RS232
  • Perkins Elmer Fox terminal
  • Teletype ASR 35
  • Inside the Personal Computer
  • ItPC on abebooks
  • Great Plains Software pin
  • DEC mug

Topic and feedback notes:

• Silicon Cowboys documentary
• Magnetostrictive delay line unit in a tweet
• Magnetostrictive delay line unit on eBay
• Custom Oregon Trail arcade cabinet at High Scores Arcades in San Francisco




• This Is America video animated using MacPaint and MacroMind Director on vintage Macintosh SE.
• CEC “Basic Skills Software Resource Collection”

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
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Panelists: Michael Current, Paul Hagstrom, and Jack Nutting

Topic: Atari facts and 8-bit FAQs

In an unusual episode, Jack and Paul are joined by Michael Current around the same physical table, talking about things largely related to the early development of Atari and Michael’s Atari timeline and Atari 8-bit FAQ. There was a single microphone in a not particularly well noise-isolated room, so enjoy the party-like atmosphere.

Links:

• The Atari 8-bit FAQ
• Atari history timelines
• St. Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts (SPACE)

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

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

Topic: Where might you have wanted to go today?

Imagine an alternate universe in which Atari, Commodore or even Apple had become the predominant computer architecture, rather than WinTel. How might have computing looked different in the 80s and beyond?

Topic and feedback notes:

• Sinclair micro-drives
• Henry Rollins points to his trusty Mac SE during a tour of his house in 1993.
• Model F Keyboards project

Retro Computing News:

• Restoring a PDP-12 in Duluth, MN
• Ataribox is now VCS
• Fantasy console/computers:
  • List of fantasy console/computers
  • BASIC8
  • Fazic.io
  • PICO-8
• Sword of Sodan game for Apple IIgs:
  • Sword of Sodan game for Apple IIgs found
  • John Keoni Morris’ tweet about imaging the disks
• Virtual ][ adds (then improves) WOZ file compatibility
• Ted Dabney, Co-Founder Of Atari And Video Game Pioneer, Dies At 81:
  • NPR write-up
  • The origins of Atari, and Ted Dabney’s role
• Eudora source code released

Vintage (Computer) Commercial(s)

• Pizza Hut
• Atari VCS

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• RTL-SDR software defined radio

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Mattel 1979 Horse Race Analyzer Computer
  • Milton Bradley OMNI 8-Track Entertainment System
  • See also Techmoan’s detailed video on the OMNI
• Earl: TRS-80 Model III and Hard Drive with Key
• Jack: Telex 12-cassette 8-track player (ad)
  • Video of Telex 12-cassette player
• Paul: Teachatron
  • TI 99/4a joystick adapter
  • SD-card cassettes for ZX Spectrum
  • Interact Model Number 1 set

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting) and Carrington Vanston (not hosting)

Topic: But the menus won’t stay open

Calmer days. Running old Mac OS software in an emulator, a reminder of how much extra whizzbang is distracting us now without necessarily adding much to the quality of the experience or production. Might it actually be useful to try to work in a retro environment?

Topic and feedback notes:

• Using the old Mac OS is pure Zen
• ET-PEB does MIDI
• Fazic.io
• Database: How to send email (1984)
• Bits & Bytes
• Hilarious House of Frightenstein (ep 1)
• LGR on Avon Beauty Vision Personal Color Computer

Retro Computing News:

• The 76477 sound effects chip reverse engineered
• Rick Dickinson, industrial designer of Sinclair home computers, passed away
• Rick Dickinson prototypes on Flickr
• New games:
  • Timepilot for ATARI XL/XE
  • Helicommander for Atari XL/XE
  • Nixy The Glade Sprite for ZX Spectrum
  • Quahappy for ZX Spectrum
  • Mine Sweep Mini for VIC-20
• Colossal vintage game/computing auction in NJ

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Sir Clive Sinclair’s Quantum Leap
• Fidelity Electronics Chess Challanger

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Knit Heart Floppy Disk

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Fidelity Electronics original 1977 Chess Challenger
  • Mastering The Game: A History of Computer Chess
  • The Overtom Chess Computer Museum
• Paul: IMSAI 8080 with drives
  • IMSAI 8080 owned by Don Kneller
  • IBM PC/AT set
  • IBM 5155
  • White phosphor Monitor III
  • Recreated ZX Spectrum, sort of
  • New Quadra 700 feet
  • Sinclair QL set

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

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

Topic: Shipwrecks

eBay has gotten big enough that collectors with too little space, as well as non-experts, heirs, estate sale pickers, etc. can make rare and interesting vintage computer items available to those of us who are interested in them. Being good at finding things at estate sales is not the same as being good at packing things for shipment. What’s the worst eBay/general shipping experience you’ve had?

Topic and feedback notes:

• Mimeo-1
• Jupiter Ace emulator for iPad
• Wolfenstein 3D, DOS, Apple IIGS
• Nova: The KGB, Computer, and Me (Nova, Clifford Stoll)
• Play retro baseball games in your browser

Retro Computing News:

• NASA dusts off FORTRAN manual, revives 20-year-old data on Ganymede
• Kickstarter for Brian Bagnall’s “Commodore – The Final Years”
• TransWarp GS pre-orders
• Oregon Trail:
  • How I Managed to Design the Most Successful Educational Computer Game of All Time
  • “You Have Died of Dysentery” book
  • Article on original development of Oregon Trail
• New Commodore 128 motherboard
• List of C128 software
• BBSing on an Epson PX-8
• BBSing on an emulated NeXT cube
• WiFi232
• WiModem232
• Kiba of Akiba: Party @ The BBS
• Kiba of Akiba: Oh My Personal Computer is Dead

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Commodore 128

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Atari joystick keychain
• Atari 2600 keychain

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Apple II tape collection barn find
• Earl: Apple 2gs Computer with System Saver
• Paul: Web-It internet computer
  • Apple luggage tag
  • Computer Shopper issue
  • TRS-80 Model I set
  • Norland Speed Term
  • iMac DV/SE

Closing notes:

• Long Long Man

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

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

Topic: Vintage Computer Festivals

Vintage Computer Festivals and the Vintage Computer Federation. See things, talk to people, escape into the past.

Topic and feedback notes:

• Vintage Computer Federation
  • VCF forum
  • VCF Southeast 6.0 (Apr 21-22, 2018)
  • VCF Italia (Apr 28-29, 2018)
  • VCF East XIII (May 18-20, 2018)
  • VCF West XIII (August 4-5, 2018)
  • Don Eyles walks through the LEM source code

Retro Computing News:

• IRATA.ONLINE, a PLATO service for retro computing
• The Friendly Orange Glow book (about PLATO)
• Computer Chronicles (Education, 1986) (PLATO starts around 15:50)
• C64 Mini begins shipping.
  • thec64.com
  • 8-Bit Guy unboxing and review
  • YouTube search for c64 mini
• The Making of Dark Castle
• ViperCard
• SuperCard
• Livecode
• ANTIC special: Bits & Bytes (1983 musical)
• NeXTstation Turbo Color (Part 1) (RetroManCave YouTube)
• RISCy Business – The Acorn RiscPC (RetroManCave YouTube)
• KansasFest (July 17-22, 2018)
• Tandy Assembly (October 13-14, 2018)

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Canadian Tire Commodore Christmas 1985

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Retro Floppy disk cookie cutter

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Trivia Fever Apple II computer board game (sealed!)
  • See also: Contents of Trivia Fever box
• Earl: TOSHIBA HX-10D 64KB MSX Z80
  • See also: MSX.org
  • See also: Setting up an MSX emulator on Raspberry Pi
• Paul: Tax Avoiders for Atari 2600
  • Monorail PC
  • See also: Video of Monorail PC number 16
  • Commodore 65 in Germany
  • Canadian Tire VIC-20 games
  • Canadian Tire VIC-20 cassette in a C2N 1530
  • See also: Photos of cassette insert at Denial forum
  • See also: Canadian Coin News report on Canadian Tire money.
  • PC demo disks

Closing notes:

• Atari VCS not quite displayed at GDC
• Rob Beckett’s Playing for Time
• Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting) and David Greelish (not hosting)

Topic: Load accumulator

This is episode 169, known to hex enthusiasts as 0xA9, known to
6502 opcode enthusiasts as LoaD Accumulator (immediate mode).
So, naturally, we
will riff on the topic of accumulation.

Topic and feedback notes:

• Rescue 1130: Recreation of Forth on an IBM 1130
• Jupiter Ace Micro-emulator
  • Jupiter Ace turned 30, in 2012
  • Jupiter Ace (current home)

Retro Computing News:

• Documentaries!
  • General Magic
  • Love Notes to Newton
  • The Augmentation of Douglas Englebart
  • Steve Jobs’ Choices
  • Grace Hopper (Google project)
• Grace Hopper on Letterman
• An Evening with John Romero
• Apple Time Warp podcast
• Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 6.0 (April 21-22)
• webOS open source edition
• Designing the Windows 95 User Interface
• VCF East XIII (May 18-20, 2018)
• KansasFest (July 17-22, 2018)
• VCF West XIII (August 4-5, 2018)
• Tandy Assembly (October 13-14, 2018)

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Where is Newton?

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Azio Retro classic keyboard
• Also: Engadget review

Auction Picks:

• David: Reproduction Swyft Card kit
  • Batman print prop
  • Sony PIC-2000 Magic Link PDA
• Paul: Apple disk cases
  • See also: Apple gift catalog page featuring those disk cases
  • Epson PX-4
  • ILM PowerMac 7500/100
  • Televideo TS-803
  • See also: TS-803 in Pretty in Pink
  • Historically Brewed volumes
  • See also: Classic Computing: The Complete Historically Brewed
  • Westinghouse Microprocessor I/O Trainer

Closing notes:

• David’s blog (and recent interviews)
• Interview with creator and producer of Douglas Englebart documentary

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting) and Jack Nutting (not hosting)

Topic: Feedback

So much feedback to talk about, we just talk about feedback.

Topic and feedback notes:

• Shopgoodwill
• Tindie
  • RC2014
  • Retroconnector
  • Tynemouth Software
  • GGLabs
• “Totally 80s Rewind” at Living Computers Museum + Labs
  • Geekwire writeup
• Samia Halaby, Amiga programmer (Guru Meditation)
• Oregon Trail handheld teardown
• Work on TI/99 ET-PEB (AtariAge thread)
• TI section of AtariAge forums
• Demo of CC-40 and Hexbus modem
• CC-40 multicart boards
• Banderstv television restoration
• Macrofab features
• Macrofab electronics podcast

Retro Computing News:

• An astonishing old calculator (Numberphile)
• Make BASIC Fast Again
• Retrochallenge
• The story of Tetris
• Modern eSheep

Vintage Computer Commercial

• VIC-20 careers

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• MS Paint enamel pin
• Also: Beach Ball pin

Auction Picks:

• Jack: A well-loved Atari Lynx
• Paul: Apple feet
  • IBM feet
  • TI 58/59 Securities Analysis
  • Casio FX820P
  • Expensive UNIVAC and IBM/360 manuals
  • Radio Shack catalogs
  • New TAM
  • Arduino Altair 8800 clone
  • Tiny Arduino Altair 8800 clone

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Costly Custom Creations

Continuing a discussion from last time, on the iterative process of designing, building, testing; costly custom creations; parts shortages; why it’s generally difficult.

Topic and feedback notes:

• Florida Retrocomputing Club (Facebook group)
• Keep the Bombe on the Bletchley Park Estate
• Poorly packed TeleType
• Call-A.P.P.L.E. 40th anniversary issue
• Interactive adaptation of WarGames
• Work on TI CC-40 peripherals (AtariAge thread)
• Atari Lynx HandyCast
• Ultima Codex: Favourite Fan Projects of 2017

Retro Computing News:

• Grand Digital computer race at NMOC
• Stunt Car Racer ported to Atari 8-bits
• ZXbaremulator (ZX Spectrum on a Raspberry Pi)
• Navy targeting computer on HaD
• Steve Jobs job application
• A.I. beats Q-Bert
• Q-Bert infinite points
• Benj Edwards’ tweet about his collection

Upcoming events:

• Florida Retrocomputing Club (Facebook group, meetup March 10)
• Home Computer Museum (opens March 16, in Helmond, The Netherlands)
• Vintage Computer Federation
  • VCF Southeast 6.0: April 21-22, Roswell, GA. Speakers: Bill Dromgoole, Don Eyles, Dave Walden
  • VCF East XIII: May 18-20, Wall, NJ.
  • VCF West XIII: August 4-5, Mountain View, CA.
• Tandy Assembly (Oct 13-14, Springfield, OH)

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Q*bert 1983 Commercial

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Handheld Oregon Trail game

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Heathkit H-89
  • Society of Eight-Bit Heathkit Computerists
• Paul: Osborne car adapter
  • Toshiba HX-10D 64K MSX
  • Jumpman for the IBM PC
  • Atari Portfolio with Colman Network 8000 interface
  • Bag only

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

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

Topic: Retrocomputing Replicators

Part of the fun of retrocomputing in the modern age is seeing what we can do with new technology to help our old hardware do things that were never before possible, or difficult, etc. With relatively easy availability of PCB design tools and fabrication shops, people set off to make their own projects, and share them. And maybe make a few and sell them. And people want them, and then they run out of time, interest, materials. Could things be better?

Topic and feedback notes:

• CFFA3000 Run 5 coming soon
• Centre for Computing History is running a “build-your-own-Z80-computer” workshop
• 10 PRINT official
• Qodem (Qmodem simulator)
• Cool-Retro-Term
• Video review of Qodem, using Cool-Retro-Term
• WinAmp in a browser
• Panic’s Audion story
• Radio Shack 1980s Cell Phone Review video

Retro Computing News:

• Cheap solution for what to do when the monitor finally breaks: Retro Man Cave on YouTube: Amiga to VGA | GBS-8220 Review (CGA/EGA/YUV to VGA)
• Atari is jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon
  • Bloomberg
  • Bitcoin
  • Fortune
• Kickstarter for the DSKY kit




• #plottertwitter
• Nolan Bushnell was offered an award at GDC, an offer that was rescinded
  • Polygon
  • Kotaku
• Game Master Cartridge. CoCo enhancer. Write-up on VITNO by John Linville




• Stewart Cheifet is considering producing a play about his friend and Computer Chronicles co-host Gary Kildall

Vintage Computer Commercial

• ORIC Atmos 48k

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Centipede Board Game (Atari 2600 edition)

Auction Picks:

• Earl: RARE Commodore 8296 Computer – A Real Beauty
• Jack: Oric Nova 64
• Paul: TI/994a Editor/Assembler
  • Kaypro 4 on Australian eBay
  • AT&T Septre
  • IIGS with buggy ROMs
  • Weird old Univac documents
  • Cheap computer tapes

Closing notes:

• Windfall magazine on archive.org

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

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

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