September 30, 2018. Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Earl Evans, Michael Mulhern, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Having no topic didn’t help

In an attempt to keep the time under control, we skipped the host topic. Spoiler: It didn’t work.

Topic and feedback notes:

• EEVblog visits the Australian Computer Museum site, part 1
• EEVblog visits the Australian Computer Museum site, part 2
• ob. Omnivore link
• Halfway to telecommuting
• Restoring a ThinkPad 701 using CF media
• Jason Scott will come help image big Apple II disk collections
• S-80 Retro

Retro Computing News:

• Playing today’s games in a thousand years
• Federico Faggin: The Real Silicon Man
• TRS80 images online by Peter Cetinski
• Retrobrite with blue LED bulbs?
• The history of a security hole
• C64 emulation joins the Internet Archive
• Emulate ZX Spectrum on emulated Commodore 64 on emulated DOS on emulated Windows on Linux
• Two-bit history on where VIM came from
• Two-bit history on what Ada Lovelace’s program actually did

Vintage Computer-related Commercials

• Colossus – The Forbin Project trailer
• Epson HX-20
• WarGames trailer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Trifecta of computer nuke movies:
  • Colossus – The Forbin Project
  • WarGames
  • Terminator
  • See also: Apple II Bits blog on the Terminator’s 6502 code

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: “Vintage” “Antique” “Intel CPU” Display
  • Apple “Notebook” Floppy Disks
• Earl: Vintage IBM Model 5140 Convertible Laptop Computer with Printer WORKING!
• Michael: Computer Peripherals That You Can Build
  • “Hirigana” (really, Katakana) Mac 128/512 Keyboard
• Paul: Two Xerox 820-IIs
  • Victor 9000 (probably needs new keyboard pads)
  • Letter quality GE printer (with Commodore/Atari adapter)
  • MT-Mac Apple II clone
  • COSMAC Elf
  • Analog Joystick adapter
  • CoCo 1

Closing discussion notes:

• Melaleuca deanei

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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This is the annual group “megapodcast” recorded at KansasFest, from July 2018. The event draws quite a few podcasters, so we all sit in a room and talk for an hour.

This year’s podcast involves surprisingly little discussion of the KansasFest event itself (which 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 the event itself, play a version of “Celebrity” with figures from geek culture or computing history, hear stories about kidnapping and comedians, and generally have a grand time.

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. Also, this same audio appeared on the Open Apple podcast feed, so if you heard it there already, you are excused from listening to it again (unless you want to).

The participants were (clockwise from Quinn):

• Quinn Dunki (Open Apple)
• Carrington Vanston (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Eaten By A Grue)
• Paul Hagstrom (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Drop III Inches)
• Ken Gagne (Retrocomputing Roundtable, PolyGamer, Transporter Lock)
• Steven Weyhrich (Retrocomputing Roundtable)
• Charles Mangin (How II)
• Kevin Savetz (ANTIC, Eaten By A Grue, Tech Enthusiasts Hour)
• Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines)
• Jason Scott (Jason Scott Talks His Way Out of It)

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

Topic: Museum, private collector, or hoarder?

So, are you a museum, a private collector, or a hoarder? Really?

Topic and feedback notes:

• Australian Computer Museum Society collections faces bulldozers
• Australian Computer Museum Society – Last days of the Villawood Storage facility
• Atari Store: Breakin’ the Borders, Beyond the Borders books

Retro Computing News:

• Making DOS and CP/M 5.25″ Boot Disks with Commodore 128 and 1571 Floppy Drive
• Omnivore 2
  • Omnivore: rewind
  • Omnivore: memory accesses
• Retrochallenge 2018/09
• Graffidisk
• Applesauce
• Retro-uC, your favorite instruction sets on custom silicon
• The Prehistory of PowerPoint
• Andromeda Yeldon tweets a tour of a computer museum in Bozeman, MT
• American Computer and Robotics Museum on Twitter

Vintage Computer Commercials

• Compaq Portable II
• Epson computer
• Compaq Deskpro

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 64GB Pentode radio tube flash drive

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Epson MX-80
• Michael: 20MB HDD
• Paul: Canon X-07
  • Lexis Nexis terminal
  • Unitech Data Phone
  • Seiko RC-1000
  • See also: Seiko RC-1000 information
  • See also: Seiko UC-2000 at in exhibit.com
  • dBase II keychain

Closing discussion notes:

• Mastodon

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), Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: What we’ve done on our summer vacations

This time we talk a bit about what we saw on our various recent excursions, primarily KansasFest, also a little bit more from the college reunion that was the backdrop for episode 174.

Topic and feedback notes:

• KansasFest YouTube channel

Retro Computing News:

• 51nb motherboards for ThinkPad notebooks
• ThinkPad 25th anniversary model
• MITS Altair in-browser simulator
• Two histories of Myst
• General Magic documentary (article, FastCompany)
• General Magic documentary (official movie site)
• A developer’s introduction to General Magic and Magic Cap

Vintage Computer Commercial

• IBM ThinkPad

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Retro AirPods

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Applesoft source printout
  • Mac OS 10.2 Jaguar magnets
• Jack: Atari trucker cap with a difference
• Paul: DOS New Complete Reference book, searchable
  • Apple III Plus
  • TRS-80 IQ Builder cassettes
  • SGI Indy Case
  • Commodore phone
  • TRS-80 Model 16

Closing discussion notes:

• Apple ][ and early PC in Lego

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), 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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