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

Topic: So long, 2021

At the tail end of 2021, we talk about our retrocomputing-based adventures during the year, with a little bit of a look ahead at what might come after.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Drop /// Inches, episode #11 (re: visiting Stanford archives)
• Mac networks game spreadsheet

Retro Computing News:

• The Mac Game of the Year was… Myst
• The RMC Cave soft open
• Overclocking the Tandy 102
• “I made my partner learn DOS in 2021”
• Building a new Commodore 1581 disk drive in 2021

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• BurgerTime (Intellivision)
• Myst (Japanese, Sunsoft)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Piper Computer Kit 3

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Power Macintosh 8200/120 in original box
  • TRS-80 CoCo Videotext
  • Radio Shack tone dialer
• Earl:
  • Heathkit computer (looks like an H89?)
• Paul:
  • Ethernet microdock
  • PET modem
  • Jewelled mouse
  • 1977 British Airways Compute-a-Tour
  • See also: Dick Clark, New Year’s Eve 1977

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

Topic: Computing 24/7

In honor of episode 247, we talk about stuff vaguely related to “all the time.” Mostly we wound up talking about whether we turned our computers off or not.

Topic/Feedback links:

• RetroMagazineWorld #11
• The World of Commodore 2021 event information
• The World of Commodore 2021 video
• Python C64 emulator, sort of

Retro Computing News:

• Reverse-engineering the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer’s sound chip
• TRS-80 PC-1 / Sharp PC-1211 LCD replacement
• Beginner’s Guide to the Amiga – Workbench
• Beginner’s Guide to the Amiga – Amiga OS tutorial
• Crash course to Amiga assembly programming
• Santa’s Workout – new C64 Christmas game, from Vector5games (Indie Retro News)
• The Pudding Strikes Back (2021 Christmas game, Apple II)
• DOLORES double LORES library
• Flapple Bird
• The Register article on the BBC Micro and Elite
• BBC Micro Elite source code deep dive

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Enterprise 128
• DX100 synthesizer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• THINKING cap
• See also: NeitherNet adapter

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Enterprise 128
  • Apple IIgs Computer
• Paul:
  • TK 2000
  • COVOX
  • How to use the C64
  • See also: Blue Commodore 64
  • Echo+

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

Topic: Data hoards and privacy

Retrocomputing collectors often collect retrocomputers, which often have disks or hard drives, which might contain private data. Particularly as computers get recent enough to have hard drives. Particularly particularly in the future when retrocomputers might contain SSD drives.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Retro Collectors are Uncovering Hoards of Old Data

Retro Computing News:

• Tandy Computer Cassette Recorder models
• Fujinet is slowly eating the world. Adaptations for Coleco Adam, C64, and Apple ][ are underway!
• Fujinet on Facebook
• Intel 4004 turns 50
• Intel’s official anniversary page
• 4004.com

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• BASF (1991)
• TRS-80 model 100

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Circuit Board Coaster – from AQuarterPastEight (Etsy)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Factory sealed Apple IIc and peripherals
  • See also: Sold on eBay: New-in-box Apple II, never opened
• Paul:
  • Intel 4004 commemorative clock (turns 25 this year)
  • BASF keychain
  • Joystick with a face

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

Topic: End of line

To the extent that you have physical objects, intellectual properties, accounts that host archives, what kind of plans do you have for when you are (possibly unexpectedly) no longer around? Or, what kind of plans do you plan to have? What kind of considerations are there? Does anyone but you in your local real-life circle know what the stuff is, who to talk to, how to access things?

Topic/Feedback links:

• Open Apple #81: Remembering Tony Diaz
• Atari 8-bit port of Prince of Persia
• Prince of Persia Source Code: Saved (Tony Diaz, KansasFest 2012)

Retro Computing News:

• Call For Yellowstone Beta Testers
• Apple VideoPad 2 prototype sells at auction
• TNMOC, 40th anniversary of the BBC Micro. Nov 30
• 217: THE VERTICAL PLANE PART 1 (Astonishing Legends podcast)
• The 100MHz 6502
• MCLFast : Apple II as a shield
• ’80s software was expensive

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Polaroid Swinger (1965)
• Sinclair calculators at DG Leisure Centre

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Floppy Disk costume

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Dynex Exerciser DE-5020
  • See also: Dynex series 600 disk drive manual
  • CSC Hard Drive Bible 7th edition
  • See also: Hard Drive Bible 8th edition on archive.org
• Carrington:
  • Commodore 64 on MaxSold
  • Big Swinger camera
• Michael:
  • NatGeo on CD
• Paul:
  • Multicolored C64 keyboard
  • See also: Darth Skalmar’s Retro Garage
  • Apple II series WillMaker
  • Sinclair Cambridge calculator kit

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

Topic: Lacking future relevance

Sunk time – times you’ve spent learning (or learning how to do) something that has no future relevance. What did you do, what were you THINKING?

Topic/Feedback links:

• Foone Turing explores the updated Twitter image posting/processing rules, for a very good reason
• The reason

Retro Computing News:

• Corecursive: The Original Remove Developer, Paul Lutus
• Mountain Hermit Makes ‘Apples’ Sing In Simple English
• The Ultimate Commodore 1541 Drive Talk (Hackaday)
• The Ultimate Commodore 1541 Drive Talk (YouTube)
• The Ultimate Apollo Guidance Computer Talk
• The 100 MHz 6502
• The 100 MHz 6502 (Hackaday)
• Swatch 1984 Revisited
• The Source (GitHub, historical source)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• IBM 5100 (First Portable Computer) commercial 1977

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Lovelace and Babbage board game

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Apple Super Bowl cushion
  • Memphis Design mouse pad
• Earl:
  • Atari 400 computer keyboard
• Paul:
  • Edison Voicewriter
  • Wax cylinders
  • See also: Edison Voicewriter
  • Mystery House
  • Laser 50
  • Laser 50
  • Spaceball
  • ADAM power supply

Topic/Feedback links:

• A People’s History of Computing in the United States
• The Soul of a New Machine
• ?Next Without For 006 – SNOBOL

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
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Ian Baronofsky, and Earl Evans

Topic: Networking keeps us all connec

We continue to talk about networking in the context of old computers, in the days before everything was TCP/IP, when certain things were case-sensitive.

Retro Computing News:

• A SAM Coupé spotted in the wild
• SAM Coupé on eBay
• RMC – The Cave, building a classic software/games store
• MCE2VGA
• StrangeCart dual core coprocessor for TI-99/4A
• In Depth: Dragon’s Lair for TI-99/4A
• NanoPEB
• Applesauce Floppy Disk Controller updates software and hardware

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Where is Newton?
• Big Trak

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Commodore socks

Auction Picks:

• Earl:
  • Franklin ACE 500 Computer
• Ian:
  • Scooter computer flash cards
  • See also: Photos from prior auction of the flash cards
  • PAL Microsoft Premium Softcard
  • Gravis Advanced Gamepad for Macintosh
• Paul:
  • Newton faxmodem
  • Axlon Andy
  • Farallon AirDock

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
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Ian Baronofsky, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Retro networking, episode 1

We talk about things the word “networking” evokes in the context of old computers. Transferring files between computers, reaching (sort of) the modern internet, networking socially, etc.

Retro Computing News:

• Sir Clive Sinclair (Guardian)
• Arctic Adventure
• Captain 80 Book of BASIC Adventures
• Disk imaging with an oscilloscope (VCF Midwest)
• PAL-1, a KIM-1 clone kit
• Yellowstone: Ready for Takeoff
• Apple drive compatibility chart
• BlueSCSI
• RaSCSI
• Defender for the CoCo 3
• Glen Hewlett’s video of Defender on the CoCo 3

Vintage Computer commercial:

• MCI Mail
• Sinclair QL

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• BackBit chip tester

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Time Bandit for the Sanyo MBC-550/555 by MichTron
  • See also: Bytecellar post about Time Bandit on the MBC 550
  • Tandy 10 Business Computer System
  • See also: Tandy 10 Business Computer System (Wikipedia)
  • See also: Tandy 10 Business Computer System (trs-80.org)
• Carrington:
  • Apple ethernet NB card
  • Vintage computer logo edge-lit signs: Acorn
  • Vintage computer logo edge-lit signs: Apple II
• Ian:
  • 3.5 Floppy Drive Cleaner
  • TRS-80 Model III and IV equipment, including newly designed power supplies
  • SWTP tapes
  • See also: Look Mum No Computer (this particular video features SWTP)
  • San Diego user group zines
• Paul:
  • G4 Cube power supply
  • Copy IIPC Option Board
  • Sidereal Corp. Micronet 12 message terminal
  • See also: Review of Micronet 12 in Data Communications, Dec 1983

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

Topic: Every Septandy is Like the First Septandy

We rediscover the Tandy enthusiasts event, talk about simulators and emulators, wind-up computers, and board games.

Retro Computing News:

• Septandy
• Virtual Data Center, IBM 1401
• Tiny load card assembler in Virtual IBM 1401
• Upgrade Board Adds GPIO Pins To Your Replica PDP-11
• CRISS CP/M Provides Modern Hardware For A Classic OS
• RMC MiSTer Multisystem
• Spacewar-1 and the beginnings of video game aesthetics
• Motorola 68000 SBC Runs Again With A Raspberry Pi On Top
• Baking old magenetic scrolls
• VCF East. Fri-Sun Oct 8-10. Wall, NJ.
• RetroChallenge 2021/10

Vintage Computer commercial:

• Radio Shack Model 100 1984 TV commercial

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 1600X USB Digital Microscope

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • King Chip 1986 computer trivia game
  • Computer Rage 1977 board game by Creative Computing
• Earl:
  • Intel C1702A memory chips
• Paul:
  • Telecompaq
  • See also: Mention of Telecompaq in InfoWorld, Apr 8, 1985
  • Switched power
  • Computer Cars, Weinermobile edition
  • See also: LGR reviews Computer Cars
  • Catch-a-call
  • Barbie Wind-up PC

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

Topic: Screensavers

Avoid burn-in, and sometimes end relationships, with the help of flying toasters, fireworks, and 3D pipes.

Topic/Feedback Links:

• MiniPET 40/80 kit build and review
• MiniPET 40/80 kit
• Strange Commodore replacement keyboard?
• Emulating IBM PC on an ESP32

Retro Computing News:

• Applecorn: run Acorn BBC language ROMs on Apple IIe
• 576NUC+ – AtariProjects
• 576NUC+ – new computer compatible with Atari 800/XL/XE (Brewing Academy)
• 576NUC+ – reference guide thread
• Atari64
• 8-bit Show and Tell showing Atari64 going on Atari 1200XL
• Tech Interactive Museum
• Tech Interactive Museum doesn’t feature old tech, isn’t a museum

Vintage Computer commercial:

• iOMEGA Zip drive
• INPUT magazine

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Back into the Storm: A Design Engineer’s Story of Commodore Computers in the 1980s

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • MSI Source 2001 portable data terminal with Source 2300 telephone interface
  • See also: Apple II Manual for $787,484
  • See also: MSI Source in The Tennessean article, Nov 1971
  • See also: Computerworld, Feb 1976, mentions MSI Source 2001 and 2300 used by Holiday Drugs for Electronic Ordering System
• Earl:
  • DEC F-11 USSR Soviet Russian Clone 46-pin MCM MultyChip Module Family 1811 SET
• Paul:
  • PDP-12, take 1
  • PDP-12, take 2
  • Voice Chess
  • Twister/Spectrum for 2068
  • Timex-Sinclair 2068
  • iOMEGA rearview mirror
  • Vic Forth
  • Asante Ethernet to localtalk bridge
  • TOP SECRET CIA document. Multi-Function Switching Matrix Operator’s Manual Volume 1

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
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Tim Colegrove, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: The BYTE Shop

We chat with Tim Colegrove, who has just opened The BYTE Shop, a computer history museum and electronics repair shop in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. We discuss his collection, his journey, plans, and hopes for bringing history and inspiration to those who visit.

Topic/Feedback Links:

• The BYTE Shop Jamaica Plain [Boston], MA
• The original Defender source code (Eugene Jarvis) (GitHub)

Retro Computing News:

• BuGS v2.0.1 (Apple IIgs game) Released
• Use the Print Shop online
• Alternative History: what if Apple had partnered with Xerox in the 1980s

Vintage Computer commercial:

• Defender (Atari)
• Atari 1040ST: Myth

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Classic Apple Hardware calendar

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • COMMODORE 64 / 128 Wifi Modem
  • NEC PC M580 teletex terminal
  • See also: @foone’s discussion of the NEC PC M580
• Carrington:
  • Fortran board game
  • See also: Fortran board game at Computer History Museum
  • See also: Fortran board game at Board Game Geek
• Paul:
  • Maccessories swivel
  • Apple DuoDisk
  • Taxan TV tuner

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
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