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

Topic: Older but better?

What obsolete technology or device do you wish was actually still in use today?

Topic and feedback notes:

• IBM 5150 Papercraft design
• The Amen Break

Retro Computing News:

• A Conversation with my 35-year-old Chatbot
• RetroManCave – Exploring the MiSTer & DE-10 Nano FPGA
• MOnSter 6502
• Writing a Lunar Lander Game For An Actual Lunar Lander
• Atari Computer Camp documentary
• Atari Computer Camp documentary (trailer)
• Easter Egg found in 1977 Channel F game
• An Illustrated History of Easter Eggs

Upcoming Shows/Gatherings:

• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019
• Tandy Assembly 2019. Springfield, OH. Sept 27-29, 2019
• Retrogathering. Västerås, Sweden. Sept 28, 2019

Vintage Computer-adjacent Commercials:

• Tunnel Runner
• Atari camp on Today show, July 1982

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Karateka Enamel Pins

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: dBASE WristWatch
  • Macintosh Performa LC476
  • “Radio Shack Turns Me Off” boycott button
  • See also: Radio Shack 1979 female-lead strike in Barrie, Ontario
• Earl: Motorola Micro Systems CDM 1000
  • Exorset 100
• Paul: Equitrac AlphaCopy
  • See also: Ad for Equitrac AlphaCopy
  • Kevin’s BeBox
  • Crystal Quest had a box
  • NEC PC-8300. Maybe I won’t buy this one

Closing comments:

• History of Computing Timeline
• GopherCon wasn’t about Gopher
• Phlogs are a thing
• Gopher Proxy

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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Panelists: Earl Evans (hosting), Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Ancient languages and modern usage

What “old” programming language will you still be using this year?

Topic and feedback notes:

• What “old” programming language will you still be using this year?

Retro Computing News:

• ][-Vision: streaming video and audio for the Apple II
• NetDisk and the Archive.org Disk Browser
• Total Replay
• The The C64 site
• THEC64 — Coming December 2019 (video promo)
• Turing on the new 50 GBP note
• The underappreciated power of the Apollo Guidance Computer

Upcoming Shows/Gatherings:

• VCF West. Mountain View, CA. Aug 3-4, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019
• Tandy Assembly 2019. Springfield, OH. Sept 27-29, 2019
• Retrogathering. Västerås, Sweden. Sept 28, 2019

Vintage Computer-adjacent Commercial:

• Sony Audio Tapes

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Sony Boombox

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Digital VK-100 GIGI Graphics Terminal
  • Apple IIe in Clear Case
  • Apple Data Language 8.5″ Reel
• Earl: Microsoft FORTRAN Compiler MS DOS Version 3.20 programming software

Closing comments:

• Why rappers love Grey Poupon

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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This is the annual group “megapodcast” recorded at KansasFest, from July 2019. The event draws quite a few podcasters, so we all sit in a room and talk for an hour.

The KansasFest event itself is an annual gathering of Apple II enthusiasts, along with some others, for almost a week of “retrocomputing camp.” It is held at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, where everyone lives in a dorm room, socializes in common areas, goes to presentations held in the basement, participates in various events, works on projects of their own or observes projects others are doing.

We discuss this year’s event itself, then play a game where each podcaster closes their eyes and tries to guess what object has been handed to them. Perfect for podcast listeners, who also can’t see the objects. And we spend more time thinking about being stuck alone on desert islands.

There were three microphones in the middle of a room (though we really only used the audio from one of them), and the audio quality is what you would expect from a microphone in the middle of a room full of talking and laughing people.

The participants were (clockwise from Kevin):

• Kevin Savetz (ANTIC: The Atari 8-bit Podcast, Eaten By A Grue)
• Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines)
• Charles Mangin (How II)
• Mike Whalen (Retro Reads Podcast)
• Brian Wiser (podcast pending)
• Joe Strosnider (Joe’s Computer Museum)
• Jason Scott (Jason Scott Talks His Way Out of It)
• Ken Gagne (Retrocomputing Roundtable, PolyGamer, Transporter Lock)
• Paul Hagstrom (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Drop III Inches)

The “Chicken Missile” name no longer makes sense this year, since neither of those words appear in any of this year’s participants’ podcast titles. But like it made sense before. Come on.

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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

Topic: Desert island computer

If you had to use a single retro computer exclusively for a full year as your only computer at home, what would you choose?

Topic and feedback notes:

• IBM Semi-Automatic Ground Environment
• Stardot forum for Acorn and BBC Micros
• Graphically Speaking (enhanced edition)
• Procedural planetary exploration across the decades
• ZX-HD

Retro Computing News:

• Restored Apollo Mission Control Center reopens for public viewing
• Restoring the Apollo Mission Control Center (Houston We Have a Podcast, episode 96)
• 50 Years on the Moon: The Evolution of Lunar Lander Games
• Project Egress
• Video about Project Egress, with Adam Savage
• MIT Museum “Moon Shots”.
• Copy protection in the 80s, showcased by classic game Dungeon Master
• Video describing copy protection in Dungeon Master (Modern Vintage Gamer)
• 10 (or more???) Apple 1s to be at VCF West
• 30th anniversary note to Prince of Persia fans
• A Photo History of Frog Design
• Frog Design virtual gallery
• Keep it Simple: The Early Design Years of Apple (Hartmut Esslinger, 2014)

Upcoming Shows/Gatherings:

• KansasFest, Kansas City, MO, Jul 15-21, 2019
• VCF West. Mountain View, CA. Aug 3-4, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019
• Tandy Assembly 2019. Springfield, OH. Sept 27-29, 2019

Vintage Computer Commercial:

• IBM SAGE

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Bletchley Park prints

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Apple Modem 1200
  • CH Products Mach IV+ Mac joystick
  • Apple IIGS for the Servicing Technician
  • Apple IIe and IIc+ for the Servicing Technician
  • SAGE II computer
  • Apple February 1983 logo print on vellum
• Michael: 1982 Dungeons of Daggorath
  • Amiga 500/2000 VXL30 Accelerator 68030
• Paul: Vintage computer dont no if works
  • PET 2001
  • TRS-80 Model 4P
  • NEC PC-8300 that I might have already bought
  • Visual Almanac
  • Apple II accessories box
  • VT100 manual

Closing comments:

• Darkstar Unhinged by Snacking On Software is available for pre-order
• Darkstar Unhinged gameplay video

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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

Topic: Challenges of the more recently obsolete. A bunch of older computers can almost interact with the modern environments, but not quite. For example eMates, old iMacs, etc. have wireless capabilities but require network protocols that are increasingly unsupported. What kinds of things have you tried to work with these more recently obsolete computers, what has worked, what hasn’t?

Topic and feedback notes:

• WiFi connection for Newton 2×00 and eMate 300
• Writing with the Alphasmart Dana
• Netatalk
• A2server
• Memofest Recaps
• Exapunks
• Computing Britain podcast series
• vintagecomputer.ca

Retro Computing News:

• This TRS-80
• CP/Mish, an open-source reimplementation/clone of CP/M 2.2
• Cool demo of coding on a late-model Z80 laptop
• New Hampshire has now installed the BASIC historical marker
• The origin of the blink tag
• Video stream of the 8-bit symphony
• Main site for the 8-bit symphony

Upcoming Shows/Gatherings:

• KansasFest, Kansas City, MO, Jul 15-21, 2019
• VCF West. Mountain View, CA. Aug 3-4, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019
• Tandy Assembly 2019. Springfield, OH. Sept 27-29, 2019

Vintage Computer Commercial:

• Atari Space Invaders 1980 TV commercial

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Vintage Tech Stickers

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Franklin Ace 500
  • SD DuoDisk Floppy Disk Drive Emulator
• Earl: Vintage Intel C8702A (1702) EPROM Gold Ceramic Case
• Paul: Most recent Apple Workstation card sold on eBay that I could find, none currently listed
  • Alphasmart Dana Wireless
  • Very nice PX-8 set with a lot of stuff including the disk drive
  • PX-8 software set
  • 3D printed PX-8/PX-4 ROM cradles
  • Rockwell AIM-65 in an EMP-proof case

Closing comments:

• Mechanical Binary Counter
• The Base.cs Podcast
• TinyFPGA

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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

Topic: Uncollecting

If you have to cut down (for whatever reason), how would you do it? Where would you start? Narrow focus on brands, models? Give away, sell?

Topic and feedback notes:

• The Mysterious and Strange Origin of the Floppy Disk




• The countdown clock on the WOPR was run by an Apple II

Retro Computing News:

• HelloEdit
• Checkpoint: An unreleased game from Infocom
• Checkpoint source
• SDrive-Max for Atari 8bits.
  • SDrive-Max project page
  • SDrive-Max project page on GitHub
  • A place to buy a built SDrive-Max
  • SDrive-Max video demo
• Wear gloves when repairing old synthesizers
• Hackaday link about the synthesizer repair
• Apple IIslice keyboard by John Leake
• Unijoysticle II – Adapter to use Bluetooth controls / joystick in Commodore, Amiga and Atari
  • See also: video demo of the Unijoystickle II
  • See also: AP40 Bluetooth controller

Upcoming Shows/Gatherings:

• KansasFest, Kansas City, MO, Jul 15-21, 2019
• VCF West. Mountain View, CA. Aug 3-4, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019
• Tandy Assembly 2019. Springfield, OH. Sept 27-29, 2019

Vintage Computer Commercial:

• Color Computer 3
• Apple PowerBook Duo

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Retro Computer Comforter

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: 25 ZX Spectrum game cassettes
  • New Old Computer
  • 2008 MacBook Air
• Earl: Vintage Working IBM Model M 1393464 Clicky Mechanical Keyboard 1989 Made in USA
• Paul: Mountain of Thunder Mountains. One title. MasterType’s Figures + Formulas (Apple II)
  • These aren’t old enough to be interesting yet are they? Clamshell iBook SE
  • IBM multiple-card layout form pad
  • CDC mini computer
  • Ethernet microdock
  • Large Sord lot (SORD M223 Mark II) for pick up only near KCMO
  • See also: SORD
  • An Amdek Color-II looking out of place atop an IBM 5150
  • Novation 300 coupler

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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

Topic: Clearly, capacitors capacitate

It’s episode 0xC0. We talk about feedback.

Topic and feedback notes:

• Sundog Resurrection Project




• One of Blake’s capacitors failed
• Exidy Sorcerer II
• Fixing a TRS-80 Model 100 LCD issue
• Newly manufactured PC-1 LCDs are in
• Video of the installation of a new PC-1 LCD
• The Chiptune story
• Hoover LINX

Retro Computing News:

• Jason Scott uploads Infocom game source code to GitHub
• Infocom game source code on GitHub
• Learning ZIL by Steve Meretzky
• Game On: Kevin Savetz interviews Steve Meretzky
• Eaten By A Grue, the Infocom Podcast
• Chris Torrence reviews the VidHD
• More info on the VidHD
• Kickstarter: Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa
• Kickstarter: Nox Archaist
• Did a vigilante ROM leaker go too far to “preserve” a lost Atari ROM?
• Looking at old classified ads

Upcoming Shows/Gatherings:

• WOzFest 12:00, Sydney, May 25, 2019
• QFest 12, Brisbane, May 25, 2019
• KansasFest, Kansas City, MO, Jul 15-21, 2019
• VCF West. Mountain View, CA. Aug 3-4, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019

Vintage Computer Commercial:

• ComputerLand Commercial – 1/29/1981

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Drink Different ice cube mold

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Radio Shack Mathmile rotating computer
  • Tower Mechanical Pocket Calculator
  • See also: We Are Legion (We are Bob)
• Earl: IBM 5120 / 5110-3 Computer with 5103 Printer
• Paul: Pursuit of the Graf Spee
  • See also: The Digital Antiquarian, on SSI
  • See also: 0.1% of all the copies there ever were
  • LCD clock
  • 68000 card for Apple II

Closing comments:

• Epson still makes dot matrix printers

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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

Topic: Re: recapping

How dangerous is it to keep our heads in the sand about failing capacitors on our vintage computers? How hard is it to fix them? Do we all need to learn how to do this?

Topic and feedback notes:

• Let’s talk about capacitor failure (ByteCellar)




• Experiences with capacitor failure (Hackaday)
• ReativeMicro universal PSU kit for Apple II/III
• MacCaps
• Building the System/360 nearly destroyed IBM.
• TekGear’s Twiddler
• Remembrance agent
• Wearable computing, remembrance agent and privacy
• Hashtag Softg
• July 1984 issue of A+ magazine (article about Douglas Englebart and the mouse)

Retro Computing News:

• Teardown of a 50 Year Old Modem
• Neon816 MiniTX Retro System
• Retroshield for Arduino Mega
• Emulating an Altair 8800 on an Apple II
• Building a homebrew video game console
• BASIC 10Liners 2019 results
• IMSAI 8080 papercraft

Upcoming Shows/Gatherings:

• Computer Conservation Society lecture series, Manchester and London
• VCF Southeast, Roswell, GA, April 27-28
• VCF East, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ, May 3-5, 2019
• GORF (The Great Oz-stralian Retro-technology Festival), Melbourne, Apr 24-28, 2019
• CoCoFest, Lombard, IL, May 4-5, 2019
• WOzFest 12:00, Sydney, May 25, 2019
• QFest 12, Brisbane, May 25, 2019
• KansasFest, Kansas City, MO, Jul 15-21, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019

Vintage Computer-related Commercials:

• Apple II (1979)
• Windows 95 Crowd Control (Macintosh)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Apple IIGS Cap

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Trio of vintage Apples: SE, LC475, and IIc
  • BENQ BL702A Monitor for Apple IIgs
• Earl: PDP-8/S, serial number 0
• Paul: Magic floppy endensificator
  • General Magic DataRover 840
  • Tulip System 1
  • HX-20 with ribbons, BASIC, case
  • Softgraf
  • JR 01 computer kit
  • Thunder Mountain software collection
  • ZX-80 kit
  • Compaticard I
  • Windows 95 Sucks Less

Paul: Kaypro II showed up on Miracle Workers. Oh I saw Kevin too at the People’s Republic of Interactive Fiction meeting.

Closing comments:

• Miracle Workers show
• People’s Republic of Interactive Fiction

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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

Topic: Most innovative / forward-looking technology in the 60s/70s/80s

Mostly, an excuse to talk about Douglas Englebart’s “mother of all demos.” But other topics are welcome too.

Topic and feedback notes:

• The Mother of All Demos, Douglas Englebart (1968)
• Retrobits Podcast episode reviewing What the Dormouse Said (covering events of the era)
• Lisa slideshow
• Merlin in a browser (and links to other IXO things)
• Byte 1982 article on IXO telecomputer
• Paul’s Retrochallenge 2014 WW on IXO
• AmigaOS 3.1.4
• Kano (Raspberry Pi-based programming kits for kids)
• Ad for the Portbubble terminal
• X-keys XK-16 Stick
• Pac-Man: The untold story of how we really played the game
• HN discussion on arcade cabinet restoration

Retro Computing News:

• Kickstarter: Transparent toaster Mac case
• Beto O’Rourke’s history with Cult of the Dead Cow
  • Twitter thread from author with further details
• Creating new LCD displays for repairs
• 8-bit symphony
• Anti-M (pre-boot for protected Apple II disks)

Upcoming Shows:

• Computer Conservation Society lecture series, Manchester and London
• VCF Pacific Northwest, Living Computers: Museum+Labs, Seattle, WA, Mar 23-24, 2019
• VCF East, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ, May 3-5, 2019
• GORF (The Great Oz-stralian Retro-technology Festival), Melbourne, Apr 24-28, 2019
• CoCoFest, Lombard, IL, May 4-5, 2019
• WOzFest 12:00, Sydney, May 25, 2019
• QFest 12, Brisbane, May 25, 2019
• KansasFest, Kansas City, MO, Jul 15-21, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019

Vintage Computer-related Commercial:

• IBM 5100 (1977)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 1977 Pillow

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Vintage Burroughs B 9974-5 Disk Pack
• Jack: eMate 300 with all its stuff
• Paul: IBM Microsoft Adventure
  • New Old Computer
  • See also: Electronika KR-03
  • See also: @Foone discussing one on Twitter
  • ORA RedGuard Data Protection
  • Osborne car adapter
  • Maxell 10-minute cassette
  • Quazon Quik-Link 300
  • CP+ Telecoupler

Closing comments:

• Scooping the Soviets

Feedback/Discussion:

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

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

Topic: Revoking end of life status

There have been a few modern updates to operating systems that were long done with development, e.g., ProDOS, GS/OS, DOS 4.1 in the Apple world. And new plugins and things made for old systems. Um. Thoughts?

Topic and feedback notes:

• Sheep who love Car Talk
• DOS 4.1 for the Apple II
• DOS 4.1 announcement
• ProDOS 8. Covers updates to ProDOS 8. for the Apple II
• GS/OS System 6.0.4
• SpartaDOS X
• NitrOS-9
• FreeDOS
• Fixing the IIc Plus Beep
• Apple IIc Plus accelerator control
• Book: ZX Spectrum Games Code Club
• Why 80’s BASIC still matters
• Altair-duino
• Commodore PET mini
• A look at the short-lived 3” compact floppy disk.

Retro Computing News:

• Jim Henson technology films
  • Paperwork Explosion, 1963 film about MT/ST word processor
  • Robot
  • Charlie Magnetico
  • Rowlf the dog meets an IBM typewriter
  • Cookie Monster for IBM
  • AT&T Archives
• RetroChallenge 2019/03 is underway
• TimeOut Edit BASIC
  • Call-A.P.P.L.E. announcement of TimeOut Edit BASIC
• The Atari Accountant
• Spectrum Addict 2.5 documentary kickstarter
• The Sparkstone: Tales of Florb
• Sinclair ZX Spectrum prototype donated to Centre for Computing History
• Javascript: the good parts

Upcoming Shows:

• Computer Conservation Society lecture series, Manchester and London
• VCF Pacific Northwest, Living Computers: Museum+Labs, Seattle, WA, Mar 23-24, 2019
• VCF East, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ, May 3-5, 2019
• GORF (The Great Oz-stralian Retro-technology Festival), Melbourne, Apr 24-28, 2019
• WOzFest 12:00, Sydney, Apr 27, 2019
• QFest 12, Brisbane, Apr 27, 2019
• CoCoFest, Lombard, IL, May 4-5, 2019
• KansasFest, Kansas City, MO, Jul 15-21, 2019
• Fujiama 2019, Lengenfeld, Germany, Aug 26-Sep 4, 2019

Vintage Computer-related Commercial:

• My Talking Computer
• Lemon Pledge (1966)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Lemon clock kit

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: New ImageWriter colour ribbons
• Earl: IBM Model 5150 Collection
• Paul: My Talking Computer
  • BacPac 100 HD
  • Teleram Portabubble™/81
  • DASCO Word Processing catalog
  • Commodore 264
  • TI 9900 book

Closing comments:

• Nybbles & Bytes

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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