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April 10, 2024AnnouncementsThe RCR Crew

If you can add a feed to your podcatcher manually, here is our main feed: https://rcrpodcast.com/feed/podcast/

If you are searching in a catalog, search for “Retro Computing Roundtable” (“RCR” will likely not find it, even if that’s how we refer to it ourselves).

After episode 262, we switched hosting providers, and for technical reasons we archived episodes 1-262 in a static archive feed here:
https://rcrpodcast.com/rcrpodcast-archive.xml

So if you want to listen to older episodes, subscribe to the archive feed.

Both feeds should be accessible from the Apple Podcasts catalog, and we will explore whether there are other catalogs we should add ourselves to (but if you have suggestions, let us know via the Contact tab).

RCR Episode 270: Time Zero

April 7, 2024PodcastsThe RCR Crew

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: 1970

In 1970, (Unix) time and Life began. Also, Pascal was “published,” Forth was first used by other programmers, Shakey the robot shook, DRAM appeared.

Topic/Feedback links:

Recollections about the development of Pascal (Niklaus Wirth)
The evolution of Forth (forth.com)
Shakey the Robot (YouTube)
75 years of innovation: Shakey the Robot (SRI)
conways game of life (Google search)
Martin Gardner’s Scientific American article (Scientific American, Oct 1970)
DRAM (Wikipedia)
Aquarius+ (GitHub)
Aquarius+ (AtariAge)
The current state of the Aquarius computer (YouTube, VCF West 2023)

Retro Computing News:

UTM
Adrian Black becomes a full-time retro content creator
WiFi Retromodem V3
ThinkPad 701C
Restoring the 701C butterfly laptop (YouTube)
IBM ThinkPad 701C “butterfly” keyboard (YouTube)
Tezza Stewart is back! (YouTube)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

EOR #$FF (David Youd)
- EOR #$FF on archive.org

Auction Picks:

Carrington:
Earl:
- C64/V20 keyboard cover
Paul:
- Tandy 200 with a black screen
- Apple Interactive Television Box (original auction gone now, different one)
- iMac VGA-revealing cover
  - See also: iMac G3 description (mac27.net)
- Computer Napoleonics (SSI)
  - See also: Computer Napoleonics (Paul’s, on archive.org)
- BBC Micro, US version, sort of
  - See also: BBC Micro B US (Chris’ Acorns, Computing History)
- AC-3 in its box (Radio Shack acoustic coupler)
- The Controller in its box

A2Stream file:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr270.a2stream

Feedback/Discussion:

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

RCR Episode 269: Considered harmful

January 7, 2024PodcastsThe RCR Crew

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: 1968-1969

In 1968 and 1969, we had SHRDLU, the Mother of All Demos, Go To being considered harmful, and Unix.

Topic/Feedback links:

Retro Computing News:

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

Doom Guy: Life in First Person (John Romero)

Auction Picks:

Carrington:
Paul:
- Apple IIGS ADB keyboard
- Sealed Knight of Diamonds folder
- Amnesia
  - See also: Amnesia Remembered (John Aycock)
  - See also: Amnesia manuscript
- Canon X-07
  - See also: Canon X-07 (oldmachinery)
- Ordinathan
  - See also: Ordinathan (YouTube)
- Mouse nest
- Aquarius
- Digi-Comp I
- Mindset
  - See also: Mindset

A2Stream file:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr269.a2stream

Feedback/Discussion:

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

RCR Episode 268: KansasFest/A24eVR megapodcast

January 7, 2024PodcastsThe RCR Crew

Various podcasters who attended the KansasFest 2023 or virtual A24eVR event relate their experiences and thoughts, in the annual “megapodcast” tradition.

Participants:

Paul Hagstrom
- Retrocomputing Roundtable
- Drop /// Inches
Ron
- Ron’s Computer Videos
Kat (LadyAiluros)
- Retro Metal
Javier Rivera
- Retro Repair Roundtable
Chris Torrence
- Assembly Lines
Josh
- 48KRAM on Twitch
Ken Gagne

A2Stream file:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr268.a2stream

Feedback/Discussion:

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

RCR Episode 267: Turtles all the way down

December 4, 2023PodcastsThe RCR Crew

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, and Blake Patterson

Topic: 1967

1967 gave us Logo and the floppy disk, so we talk about that, and then many other things.

Topic/Feedback links:

Logo (Wikipedia)
LogoWriter tape 1 (The Daily Papert)
LogoWriter tape 1 (Vimeo)
Logo Week (ByteCellar)
TurtleSpaces
JSLogo
History of the Floppy Disk (Wikipedia)
Ejecting a floppy in space

Retro Computing News:

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

Turtle USB mouse

Auction Picks:

Blake:
- IBM 7362149 83 Key Beamspring Keyboard For 5251 Display Station
  - See also: Beam spring (Deskthority)
Earl:
- Commodore IEEE-488 Interface Cartridge for Commodore 64
Paul:
- Memotech ZX81 keyboard
- IIGS and Lego TC Logo setup
- How to build a working digital computer out of paper clips
  - See also: How to build a working digital computer out of paper clips (archive.org)
- Vintage tech that looks like Homer Simpson:
  - Exhibit A (Commodore 1541 drive)
  - Exhibit B (Power Mac 7100/80)
  - Exhibit B2 (Quadra 650)
- The Controller
- Pairs well with VisiCalc (Your Blood Pressure cassette)
- Pie-Man from Bearware
  - See also: QVision Apple II Review 1983 video
  - See also: Bearware (MOCAGH)

A2Stream file:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr267.a2stream

Feedback/Discussion:

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

RCR Episode 266: The Apple II Age

August 11, 2023PodcastsThe RCR Crew

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Blake Patterson, with guest Laine Nooney

Topics: 1966, and The Apple II Age

Two topics this time: First, some things from 1966, and then, a discussion with Laine Nooney on their newly published book The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal.

Topic/Feedback links:

The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal (University of Chicago Press, 2023, Laine Nooney)
Laine Nooney
Don’t Copy That Floppy: The untold history of Apple II software piracy (Excerpt from the book)
Carterfone
Hush-a-Phone (1921) (eBay)
ELIZA—A Computer Program For the Study of Natural Language Communication Between Man and Machine, Joseph Weizenbaum, Communications of the ACL, 1966.
Apollo Guidance Computer (Wikipedia)
BIT-C-128 Video DAC

Retro Computing News:

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

Opis 192 Cable C Candlestick phone

Upcoming (or recent) gatherings:

VCF Midwest (Sep 9-10, 2023, Elmhurst, IL)
Tandy Assembly (Sep 29-Oct 1, 2023, Springfield, OH)

Auction Picks:

Blake:
- Timex/Sinclair 1500
- Another Timex/Sinclair 1500
Paul:
- Seiko SmartPad
- See also: Seiko SmartPad2
- See also: SmartPad2 in action
- MacroMind-Paracomp MacRecorder Sound Studio Pro
- Breakout II

A2Stream file:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr266.a2stream

Feedback/Discussion:

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

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

RCR Episode 265: Poolside computing arrives

May 19, 2023PodcastsThe RCR Crew

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Poolside computing arrives

We look back on a few highlights of 1965, including the Programma 101, the PDP-8, Moore’s Law. We talk analog computers, Visual BASIC, sticky mice, and more.

Topic/Feedback links: