Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), and Michael Mulhern

Host’s Topic: A veritable plethora

Continuing to wonder about modern recreations as ever more appear on the scene. Are we cheating? Should we just get over it? Does this mean more people are coming? How do you choose which Apple IIGS RAM card to get?

Retro Computing News:

• Floppy Emu
• The End of Things (DB-19 connector)
• Apollo 11 program alarms
• Neil Armstrong, the 1201 alarm, and greatness personified
• IBM 2321 Data Cell
• Mike Willegal’s LUNAR in SCELBAL
• David H. Ahl’s LUNAR
• StackExchange Retrocomputing site
• “From Mainframes to Smartphones” book
• “Abacus to smartphone” book
• Bill Landreth and the Inner Circle, today
• Tynemouth Software, retro machines as USB keyboards
• TheFutureWas8Bit’s C64 SD2IEC from recycled plastic
• DragonBox Pyra handheld
• The 64 computer and handheld console, Indiegogo campaign
• The 64 on Facebook
• Dick Smith Electronics, closing in 1 week
• Programming the Micro-KIM tutorial
• WOzFest ///

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• Acorn Electron

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Apple /// case for iPhone 6(s)(plus)
  • The original painting on etsy

Auction Picks:

• Michael: Dick Smith VZ200
• Paul: NEC PC-8201A, box and all
  • Acorn Electron, plus 3, plus 1
  • Laffer Utilities

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Panelists: Earl Evans (hosting), Paul Hagstrom, Michael Mulhern, and Jack Nutting

Host’s Topic: Lunar landistry

SpaceX successfully blasted off a rocket, which they’ve done before – but this time, the rocket’s stage one came back down and landed itself safely! In celebration of their accomplishment, we wanted to look back on the game Lunar Lander, and its various incarnations.

• Forty Years of Lunar Lander
• Lunar Lander variants on Mobygames

Retro Computing News:

• Digibarn newsletter reboot
  • Voice of America video re: Apple turns 40
  • Levity Zone 46: Woz at Digibarn
  • Levity Zone 47: Apple 30th panel
  • YouTube portions of Apple 30th panel
• Inside Spacebar! at mass:werk
• Google60
• Connor Krukosky presents at SHARE (“Here’s what happens when an 18 year old buys a mainframe”)
  • Connor’s presentation on YouTube
• 8bit Generation movie
• Retroist interviews National Videogame Museum co-founder Joe Santulli
• 8-bit Weapon interviewed about their creative process
• Art of Atari
  • USA Today Article on Art of Atari
• VIC-20 book kickstarter, 2 weeks and a ways to go
• Britain’s first mass-produced commercial computer
• Bletchley Park podcast
• Ultimem VIC-20 expansion card
  • Retro Innovations store link
• PolyMold Moldable Plastic
• Sugru
• Inc. magazine, January 1982
  • Software Arts wrote the first best-seller (Inc.com)
  • The birth of an industry (Inc.com)

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• The Eagle Has Landed

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Fascinations Apollo Lunar Module 3D Model Kit
  • Fascinations site

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Commodore Amiga 1200
• Jack: Atari 8-bit Lunar Lander
• Michael: When retro computers collide
  • Before you print it, you have to scan it
  • Thunderscan story on folklore.org
• Paul: eProbe set
  • Laser expansion box
  • Byte Cellar article on the Laser expansion box
  • A-MAx II Plus Mac emulator for Amiga 2000
  • A-Max information page
  • HP 85 set
  • Whole Internet Calendar for 1997/2031

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Panelists: Michael Mulhern (hosting), Earl Evans, and Paul Hagstrom

Host’s Topic: Easter Eggs

Hidden developer lists. Slipping it past management. Have you ever added an Easter Egg to a program?

• First EE?
• WAIT 6502 on a PET
• Other MS fingerprints/Easter Eggs
• Search Google for “do a barrel roll” using Chrome or Firefox
• Excel 97: Flight Simulator
• Commodore 128: SYS 32800,123,45,6 dev team, peace message
• Micro pictures in the silicon
• Mac SE “stolen from Apple Computer” (G 4188a4) and dev team slideshow (G41d89a)
• 65816 WDM opcode
• Karateka (Apple II) back side of floppy plays upside-down

Retro Computing News:

• Margaret Hamilton and coding the Apollo Guidance Computer
• A Canadianized ZX Spectrum
• Web8201 website is back
  • Club 100
  • LaddieAlpha TPDD emulator
  • DLPlus TPDD emulator
• ConnectTo, integrating older Macs to modern networks
• MacIPgw – MacIP server VirtualBox machine
• SIDFX, 2 SIDs in every C64
• RetroStyle – Spacewar Fleet Action
  • See also: Eliza
• FPGA co-processor for the BBC Micro
• Ken and Roberta Williams interview from 1994
  • Softline 1982 interviews Alick Diabczenko of Sierra Software
  • Photo of Retro-Ball hardware from eBay
  • Ken Williams on Apple II hi-res graphics in the same issue
  • On-Line ad, in the same issue
  • A less rosy overview of the company’s history from Jimmy Maher
  • Laine Nooney’s research blog, Broderbund and Sierra On-Line

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• BBC Micro “Daphne”

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Computer Chocolate

Auction Picks:

• Earl: XT-CF-Lite v4 for Vintage PCs
• Michael: If you’re going to listen to your retro computer, give your ears some retro style:
  • 1960s – PIONEER STEREO HEADPHONES MODEL SE-2P
  • 1970s – Hosiden DH-150Z-S headphones
  • 1980s – Realistic NOVA 14 Headphones
• Paul: Color Computer 2 kits
  • IBM 101 Monochrome Mazes
  • 101 Monochrome Mazes – why not color?
  • ITT Xtra
  • Bondi Blue iMac with box etc
  • Freeze Frame for C64

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

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

Host’s Topic: Y2K

Thoughts on the anticipation leading to the turn of the century.

Retro Computing News:

• The Games, “Millennium Bug” episode
• Y2K survival guide with foreword by Leonard Nimoy
• iOS 1970s nostalgia
• Charles’ Metaphor Computer ML5-1200 photos
  • Metaphor Computer Systems on Wikipedia
• DrKhumalo on lemon64 forums, Civilization-like game for C64
  • Video
• VCF Southeast, April 2-3
  • RetroMacCast 399, VCF SE 4.0 Preview with Earl Baugh
  • Floppy Days 55, VCFSE 4 Preview with Earl Baugh
• Touring the memory technologies of old
• Atari Swordquest competition covered, Atlas Obscura
• Halt and Catch Fire, season 2 on Netflix
• PC Games with ASCII graphics
  • Nyet (Tetris clone)

Items of Interest / News:

• Coleco Chameleon/Retro VGS is dead (again)
• Google’s AlphaGo beat Korean grandmaster Lee Sedol
  • 4 hour video with commentary of match one
  • British GO Association reports computer vs computer game in 1984
  • Playing Go on a KIM in 1981
  • Quintic (Nibble) Feb 1986, in Stavros Collection, on NIB27B.DSK
• Jason Scott, on 500th title preserved for the first time by 4am, at archive.org
• Amiga600 with Vampire600v2
• OS/A65 and GeckOS/A65. Multitasking OSes for 6502
  • GeckOS/A65
• Many podcast interviews.
  • ANTIC 141, Bob Polin, Blue Max
  • ANTIC 136, David Crane, Activision
  • ANTIC 133, Bill Lounden, Compuserve/GEnie
  • ANTIC 132, Jerry Jewell, Sirius Software
  • ANTIC 130, Dave Pratt, Digital Vision/Computereyes
  • Open Apple 57, Bill Budge
  • Drop /// Inches 16, Taylor Pohlman
  • TRS-80 Trash Talk 2

Vintage Computer Commercial

• UNIVAC

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Tetris 3D cushions

Auction Picks:

• Jack: Pocket Pokey custom midi synth
  • Audio demo of Pocket Pokey Midi Synth
  • Chipmusic forum post
• Michael: Commodores downunder
  • C64
  • VIC-20
• Paul: DEC Rainbow 100 in pieces:
  • Rainbow 100 machine
  • Rainbow 100 keyboard
  • Rainbow 100 monitor
  • Playskool Play and Learn Computer
  • Coleco ADAM set
  • Big CoCo 3 bundle
  • Timex-Sinclair bonanza

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

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

Host’s Topic: Making money

What’s the first program you got paid to write?

Retro Computing News:

• Retrocomputing site on StackExchange
• Bonami Spelcomputermuseum
• Dick Smith Electronics to close
  • Dick Smith Super-80
• TRS-80 Trash Talk podcast
  • FreHD
  • M3SE
  • MISE
• The Conversation with Alex Malley – Nolan Bushnell
  • news.com.au report on interview
  • BrainRush
• FCC documents show Raspberry Pi 3 containing WiFi and Bluetooth
• Bugbook Museum to move to Computer Museum of America
  • Apple-1 arrives
  • Selling an Apple-1 in 1996
  • VCF SE 4.0 April 2-3, 2016
• Vintage Computer Forum, new home

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• Radio Shack Tandy 102

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• NeXT Raspberry Pi 2 case

Auction Picks:

• Jack: Amiga/AtariST PS2 mouse adaptor
• Michael: More than just a clackity click keyboard
  • Trackball
  • See also: Typewriter conversion kit
• Paul: Another TI 99/4
  • Sidecar disk controller
  • Disk drive
  • See also: Marvelous photo of TI 99/4 setup

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Panelists: Earl Evans (hosting), Ken Gagne, Paul Hagstrom, and Michael Mulhern

Host’s Topic: We Heart Retrocomputing

It’s Valentine’s Day! So, we heart retrocomputing? First love, current love, secret love? As a side note, does Carrington secretly long for a Commodore 64?
Retro Computing News:

• CHM, 60th anniversary of the birth of Silicon Valley
• KansasFest 2016 registration is now open
• Babbage Difference Engine moving from CHM to Seattle
• Carston Tonn-Petersen’s AIM-65+++ with Forth
• Sinclair might-have-beens: Loki, LC3, Pandora
• Secret Weapons of Commodore
• Amstrad cross-development on Windows or Linux using Docker container
  • CPC Wiki forums
  • docker-amstrad-crossdev on github
• Free books from Usborne
• OS/2 Blue Lion – modern upgrade for OS/2
  • Blue Lion
• The Malware Museum on archive.org
  • Malware Museum write-up at ars technica
  • Malware Museum write-up at BBC news
• Retrochallenge Winter Warmup Winners
• Woz gets mad
• Win95 in web browser (Andrea Faulds)
  • Write-up at PCWorld
  • Write-up on TheNextWeb
• Internet Archive does Windows 3.1
  • IA blog post introducing Win 3.x collection

Vintage Computer Commercial:

• Amstrad 464 Computer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Retro Computer Code Scarf

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Terminal w/ keyboard – Direct 831
• Michael: Creepy Programming book
• Paul: Commodore S-video cable for SX-64 etc.
  • DK’Tronics keyboard for Sinclair ZX Spectrum
  • info about DK’Tronics keyboard at WorldOfSpectrum
  • TI 99/4 (sold immediately)
  • SYM-1 in box

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: 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
Show audio files hosted by CyberEars

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

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

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Earl Evans, and Michael Mulhern

Host’s Topic: 2016, Here We Come

What are your big retro plans for 2016? Writing something, building something, fixing something, selling something?

Retro Computing News:

• MIST FPGA
• Pictures from World of Commodore 2015
  • Pictures from World of Commodore 2015
• EDSAC Update – Two new videos
  • BBC News article on the EDSAC Project
• (Largely complete) Star Raiders II released
  • Star Raiders source code
• S100 Z80-based single board computer
• The Internet Archive Telethon
  • Internet Archive donations
• Teensy-based 6502 Logic analyzer
  • Teensy logic analyzer highlighted on Hackaday
• Jingle Disk comparison

Vintage Computer Commercial:

• IBM PCjr

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Tesla Watch

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Z80 Microprocessor Kit
  • PDP 8/I
• Michael: C64 Diagnostic Dead Test Cartridge
• Paul: BASIS 108
  • Something
  • Mac Color Classic, ready for Mystic Upgrade
  • Dark Forces (Mac)

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