This is the annual group “megapodcast” recorded at KansasFest, from July 2017. The event draws quite a few podcasters, so we all sit in a room and talk for an hour.

This year’s podcast involves the obligatory 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, and generally have a grand time.

This was one microphone in the middle of a room, so the audio quality is what you would expect from one microphone in the middle of a room. 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)
• Paul Hagstrom (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Drop III Inches)
• John Leake (Retro MacCast)
• Chris Torrence (Assembly Lines)
• Kevin Savetz (ANTIC, Eaten By A Grue)
• Ken Gagne (Retrocomputing Roundtable, PolyGamer)
• Charles Mangin (How II)
• Carrington Vanston (Retrocomputing Roundtable, Eaten By A Grue)
• Michael Mulhern (Retrocomputing Roundtable)

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, Michael Mulhern, Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Host’s Topic: Getting done

Projects – so easy to start, so difficult to complete! What techniques have you found to cross the finish line? What stands in your way? Should we adopt a more businesslike approach to our hobby endeavors – would that take the fun out of it, or add to the fun when the final result appears?

Feedback notes

• RWAP ZX81 keyboard membrane replacements
• Moleman 4 movie
• The Convex C220 arrives at the Vaxbarn

Retro Computing News:

• Radiohead hides vintage computer game in OK Computer reissue
• VCF West
• Ready Player One preview
  • Ready Player One first look photo
• Microsoft Paint is gone
  • No it’s not
  • Impressive MS Paint art
• Magnetic Scrolls source tapes recovered
• Class Apples, the world’s first all Apple II music based album
  • 8 Bit Weapon
  • Apple II DMS Music and DMS Drummer
• The forgotten world of teletype games (Benj Edwards)
• The NASA computer in the basement
• Modern day Gopher history
  • The Rise and Fall of the Gopher protocol
  • See also RCR episode 135
  • OverbiteFF Firefox plugin for Gopher protocol
• Apple II Festival France 2017, Aug 3-6
• VCF Pacific Northwest, Feb 10-11 (2018), Seattle, WA at LCM+L.

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Sperry Computer Ad 1978

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 2038: The Final Countdown shirt

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: 1976 MOS KIM-1 Computer System
• Earl: VINTAGE 1985 MICROSOFT FORTRAN COMPILER W/DISCS, MANUALS, & PLEXIGLASS CASE
• Michael: Clear/Prototype Mouse
  • IBM Card Punch, but not quite what you’d think
• Paul: Silent Service T-shirt
  • Sub Battle hat
  • Datamost T-shirt
  • HP 5036A Microprocessor Lab (8085)
  • TeleType 43 terminal

Closing notes:

• RetroMacCast 444 (MacAttic tour)
• Mpls City Pages story on Oregon Trail origins
• Philip Bouchard (Jan 2016), You Have Died of Dysentery (book)
• See also: How I managed to design the most successful educational computer game of all time

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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Host’s Topic: News news news

So much news since the previous episode, the topic is: more news.

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

Feedback notes

• Modifying Microsoft Flight Simulator 4 to run on three immersive monitors
• 64bites: Commodore 64 BASIC/Assembly video tutorials
• Love Notes to Newton documentary (indiegogo, campaign finished)
  • RetroMacCast interview with Noah Leon about it
• FASTchip //e (beta) reviewed at FinApple
  • a2heaven, where FASTchip //e will be available
• Apple II Colecovision/VDP-1000 card from Ian Kim
  • CP/M Turbo 7, support for VDP-1000 card

Retro Computing News:

• Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k Composite Mod
• Ted Nelson Junk Mail Cartons
  • How to support the scanning of Ted Nelson’s “junk mail”
• DEC records open for research at CHM
• TNMOC 3D virtual tour opens
• The Design of Colossus
• After 2000 declsification of ‘General Report on Tunny’
• Micro Adventure books online
• 100+ emulators written in Javascript
• Emscripten

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Sinclair C5

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Big Enter key

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Microsoft SoftCard for Apple II
• Michael: ZX-81
  • Apple yo-yo
  • Tennis Cup 2 for Amiga
• Paul: 1977 WCCF shirt
  • COSMAC Super Elf (Quest)
  • ZX-81 unbuilt kit
  • Memopak HRG
    • See also: Memopak HRG
  • Memopak Z80 Assembler
    • See also: Memopak Z80 Assembler
  • MAST MiniMegs 1MB expansion for A500
  • Motorola EXORciser big setup
  • See also: Motorola EXORciser

Closing notes:

• Justin Trudeau remembers Dark Castle fondly
  • and Wizardry
  • via the Internet Archive in The Atlantic

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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Host’s Topic: Random Access Memories

RAM limitations. Early on in home/personal computing, we were faced with very real RAM constraints. Not like today’s RAM measured in GBs and added in freely, only really affecting disk reliance. What do you remember about bumping into RAM limits, planning programs around them, finding failures, expanding, etc.

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Michael Mulhern, Kevin Savetz, and Carrington Vanston

Feedback notes

• Real life TRON on an Apple IIGS
• Synths in TV and Film
• OSIweb.org
• Forum discussion of the OSI reproduction boards
• Github with gerber files for OSI boards
• RCR Episode 142
• Musée Bolo

Retro Computing News:

• The Treasure of Lumos by Jaime Grilo
• Radio Shack auction
  • TRS-80 things (catalogs, books, pins, art)
  • Bust of Charles Tandy
  • Older style Radio Shack sign
• RCR Podcast episode 28 (Jun 2, 2012)
• David Greelish interview (MacObserver, “Background Mode”)
• Charles Babbage left a program in Turin
• Atari 800XEL mini-ATX project
• ÉclaireXL Atari 8-bit FPGA project
• Giant giddy giraffes gallop gently; GIF turns 30.
• TurboBASIC XL source code
• RC 2017/04 Results are in
• CoCoBASIC Atom syntax highlighting plugin (writeup)
  • Plugin page

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Compuserve (1987?)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• My First Laptop plush playset

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Thoroughbred Horse Race Analyzer Computer
  • Hints, Maps, and Solutions to Computer Adventure Games
  • Datamost Argos for the Apple II
• Kevin: Pied Piper Communicator One
  • Commodore Plus/4
• Michael: VZ300 setup
  • Galaga 9x32mm pin badges
• Paul: ZX Evolution
  • Fischertechnik robot kit for PC
  • Elektronika BK-0010 including manuals, PSU, and conspiracy theory
  • Softalk for the IBM PC
    • See also: Softalk for the IBM PC on Yesterbits site
  • Softalk 1983
    • See also: Softalk on the Internet Archive

Closing notes:

• Eaten By A Grue podcast
• ANTIC podcast, interviews
• WiFi232
• After Dark 3.2 Flying Toaster song

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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Host’s Topic: Future nostalgists

We’re nostalgic for our formative computing years now, but lots of that old cool stuff got discarded or broken or traded along the way. D’oh! If only we’d been thinking of now then. But the kids of today will be our age at some point. Are we doing any better for their generation? What will they want back? Or, maybe easier: What do we wish our parents or former selves had hung onto?

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

Feedback notes

• Mike Willegal demos his SCELBI-8B reproduction
• A ZX81 Keyboard Adventure
• Scott’s RC2017/4 “Andy Project”
• MIT Flea
• Stockholm nördloppis
• Awesome Space
• Home-built computers web ring
• Mike Harrison’s (mikeselectricstuff) BBC Micro video

Retro Computing News:

• 8-bit workshop, now with more platforms!
  • Making 8-bit Arcade Games in C (book, Steven Hugg)
  • History of the machines in 8-bit workshop
• 55,000 Reasons to love FORTRAN
• WiFi232
• Steve Furber Interview – Centre for Computing History
  • Steve Furber on Wikipedia
• Debugging Applesoft code from Airwolf
• Tandy Assembly. October 7-8 in Chillicothe, OH.

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Hayes marketing from 1984

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Mouse Mats (Rhayader Computers)

Auction Picks:

• Jack: Atari wallet
• Michael: ETI 631 keyboard and 632 VDU
  • LCD Projection Panel
  • Computer Plus Modular 200 (Australian made PDP-11)
• Paul: BYTE Spectrum clone
  • Don Lancaster classics USB v1.03
  • TRS-80 Model III, red
  • ZX80.5
  • OSI Superboard II set
    • See also: Briel Computers Superboard III:

Closing notes:

• Citizens of Tech episode 69 on retrocomputing
• WOzFest recap/galleries

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

Host’s Topic: Is this important?

Is this old stuff objectively important, or is it just nostalgia?

Feedback notes

• Living Computer Musem + Labs’ permanent Apple exhibit
• Break Out: How the Apple II launched the gaming revolution (David Craddock)
• Breakout: How Atari 8-bit computers defined a generation (Jamie Lendino)
• Lambda 8300 (El Museo de los 8 bits)
• Lambda 8300 (Old-Computers.com)
• Symbolics Lisp Machine rendering (reddit thread)
• Instagram video of rendering
• Symbolics Inc. Facebook page

Retro Computing News:

• Armiga
  • Armiga review with giveaway
• Early Mac emulation comes to the Internet Archive
• PDP-10 enthusiasts resurrect ancient MIT operating system
  • ITS on Github
• Lisa2.com served by a Lisa 2?
• Experience Usenet as it was in 1987
  • YouTube demo of olduse.net
• HUMONGOUS CP/M Software Archives
• ZX Spectrum Next (Kickstarter)
  • ZX Spectrum ad (instrumental) (YouTube)
• Shadow of the Beast
• edladdin.com (Atari-compatible arcade controllers). Listen to the end of the episode for a discount code!

Vintage Computer Commercial

• TRS-80 Model I

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Command prompt T-shirt

Auction Picks:

• Earl: TRS-80 Model I system
• Michael: Fractal Design Painter 2.0 Promo Rusty Tin
  • Apple promotional calculator
• Paul: Seagate hard drive platters
  • 6502 trainer
  • Music of PDP 1-X
    • See also: Selection of recordings from PDP-1X record (YouTube)
  • Radio Shack MC-10 in box
  • MC-10 16k expansion
  • IBM Word Proof

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, Michael Mulhern, and Jack Nutting

Host’s Topic: Spring cleaning

Do you remove the accumulated goop? How do you remove the accumulated goop?

Topic/feedback links:

• How II 0x06: Cleaning Vintage Plastic Parts
• Your Computer
• Emulating DOS, for running legacy applications
  • DOSBox
  • vDOS
  • vDosPlus
  • PCem
• Building miniature CP-500 (Brazilian TRS-80 clone), translated at VITNO
• CP-500 miniature project page (in Portuguese)

Retro Computing News:

• Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation (book, by Jamie Lendino)
• RabbitEngineering miniatures on etsy
• Chasing the first arcade easter egg
• Guru Meditation’s Commodore preview for VCF East’
• Sharp80 TRS-80 emulator
• SDLTRS TRS-80 emulator
• Upcoming festival/convention/show roundup, next few:
  • Apr 22-23: 26th annual Last Chicago CoCoFest. Lombard, IL
  • Apr 29-30: VCF Southeast 5.0. Roswell, GA
  • Apr 29-May 1: VCR Europa. Munich, Germany
  • Apr 29: WOzFest PR#6. Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Vintage Computer Commercial

• IBM Personal Computer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Miniature “PeeCee” 5150

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Northstar Horizon
• Jack: Sun SPARCStation 5
• Michael: Atari pin
  • Apple Pin
  • Mixed set
  • Univac Pin
• Paul: Bill Diel vinyl single
  • Heathkit ETW-3400A
  • Heathkit ETA-3400
  • TRS-80 Model 16 128K memory board
  • JLPGA Powerbook and bag
  • IBM Microsoft Adventure
  • SOL-20

Closing notes:

• Vintage Gaming And More, Atari 2600 composite video mod
• RetroChallenge 2017/04 is GO! Late entries are allowed
• KansasFest 2017, limit 100.

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

Host’s Topic: Still Going Strong

Adobe Illustrator recently turned 30 years old. AutoCAD is 34, Microsoft Word and Excel are both over 30, and Mathematica is 28. Even the IBM PC emulator DOSBox is itself now almost 15 years old. What new versions of old applications do you still regularly use today?

Retro Computing News:

• WordStar: A Writer’s Word Processor
• Bytecellar: To Upgrade or not to upgrade?
• Usborne children’s instructional computer books
• Seymore Papert’s “Mindstorms” book, MIT Media Lab
• Wonderful restoration of an Atari 1040st on YouTube from Modern Vintage Gamer:
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
• 8bitworkshop
• “Making Games for the Atari 2600” book
• Harwell-Dekatron WITCH at TNMOC
• WITCH-E update at Hackaday
• WITCH-E main page
• Retrochallenge RC2017/04 open for entrants
• The 2017 edition of the “BASIC 10-liners” contest is open for submissions, deadline is April 15
• Building miniature CP-500 (Brazilian TRS-80 clone), translated at VITNO
• CP-500 miniature project page (in Portuguese)
• CP-500 information page
• Hercules IBM mainframe emulator
• Seth Morabito’s walkthrough of installing Open Genera’
• Symbolics stuff that was on eBay:
  • Symbolics Framegrabber I/O board thing
  • MacIvory Model 2 upgrade
  • MacIvory Model 2 in Quadra 650
  • MacIvory Model 3 in Quadra 700
  • Symbolics full machine?
  • Symbolics NBS FEP I/O board
  • Symbolics processor board
• Upcoming festival/convention/show roundup, additions:
  • Apr 29: WOzFest PR#6. Sydney, NSW< Australia.
  • Aug 31-Sep 3: OzKFest. Bribie Island, QLD, Australia

Vintage Computer “Commercials”

• Symbolics Concordia
• Symbolics Joshua
• Symbolics S-Packages
• Symbolics overview of Genera 7.0

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Tiny Arcade

Auction Picks:

• Earl: DSI DATA SPECIALTIES INC. Tape Reader Punch SRP-3075-01
• Jack: Amstrad PPC 512
  • Korvet SB8010
• Michael: MicroSci Floppy Drive for A2
  • CBM Professional Computer Guide 1982
• Paul: Red Guard
  • TRS-80 Video Display / BASIC worksheets
  • See also: Donut Dilemma
  • JC Penney’s Computer Program Data Recorder
  • 8087 Math CoProcessor in box
  • IBM PC Game Control adapter

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)

Host’s Topic: Venturing down the retro upgrade path

How far should we go down the upgrade path toward modernity? If you have a, say, 68030 Mac, would you want to put a third-party 68040 accelerator in it? You would have in 1993. But what is the point today?

Retro Computing News:

• Vintage computer game code wheels online
• EEVblog teardown of an OCC-1
• Could a neuroscientist understand a microprocessor?
• Future Shocked: reverse engineering the FuturePad controller for the Apple IIgs
• Kickstarter: “The Commodore Story – Changing the World 8 Bits at a Time.”
• Internal Apple memos on SSAFE
• Upcoming festival/convention/show roundup:
  • Mar 31-Apr 2: VCF East XII. Wall, NJ
  • Apr 22-23: 26th annual Last Chicago CoCoFest. Lombard, IL
  • Apr 29-30: VCF Southeast 5.0. Roswell, GA
  • Apr 29-May 1: VCF Europa 18.0. Munich, Germany
  • Jun 10-11: Pacific Commodore Expo Northwest. Seattle, WA, LCM+L
  • Jul 18-23: KansasFest. Kansas City, MO (and golden tickets)
  • Jul 29-30: CommVEx v13. Las Vegas, NV
  • Aug 5-6: VCF West XII. Mountain View, CA
  • Dec?: World of Commodore. Toronto, Canada
• Tony Diaz on Retroblasting
• Affinity Designer
• Silicon Valley Revolution (trailer)

Vintage Computer Commercial

• IBM Quietwriter typewriter

Retro Computing Gift Idea: Rasberry Pi Zero W

• Official page
• Adafruit page
• Micro Center page

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Power Macintosh 8500
  • IBM Quietwriter
  • Apple Studio Display (NOS)
• Earl: Siemens TS100 Teletype Machine
• Paul: Lisa 1 bezel
  • Lisa 1 (“Twiggy”) drives
  • PDP-8/S
  • Expando-vision
  • Epson HX-20
  • Etherwave adapter

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, Michael Mulhern, and Carrington Vanston)

Host’s Topic: Big collections

Big collections — what are the implications? Saving systems from oblivion? Or, perhaps, removing them from the hands of enthusiasts who might happily use them? How to enjoy a large collection — viewing, using, showcasing?

Retro Computing News:

• The Finnish Museum for Games is now open
  • Video tour of the Finnish Museum for Games
• “Under the Radar” documentary
• Imaging 8″ floppy disks for TRS-80 Model II/16
• European Vintage Computer Festival 18.0, April 29-30, 2017, in Munich.
  • VCFe 18.0 Schedule (in German)
• The Making of Apple’s HAL ad
• Adafruit HAL replica instructions
• Forth: The Hacker’s Language
• William Wong: Forth Redesigned
• William Wong on Rising Star
• “A Gathering of Magicians” (from “Man Alive”, CBC 1984)
• Donner 3000 restoration
• Commodore PET restoration
• Inexhibit.com: Holborn 9100
• Inexhibit.com: Commodore PET 2001
• Inexhibit.com: Programma 101
• The Untold Story of Nolan Bushnell’s 1980s Tech Incubator
• C64 8 Bit Civilizations
• Finding the magazine that was in Wargames
• MacWorld UK’s macOS emulator roundup
• Tezza’s Windows emulator roundup
• ZX81stuff.org, ZX-81 archives and emulator
• Burroughs 220 simulator
• ENIAC day in Philadelphia (Feb 15)




• ENIAC article, with link to Java simulator
• SCELBI app for macOS
• TI-99/4a page on oldcomputers.net (featuring the sidecars photo)
• Yale names Grace Hopper College
• (non-gaming) DOS emulator
• Clipper Summer ’87 unboxing video

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Atari ST – How The Computer Industry Works

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Bluetooth Boombox

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: TRS-80 Microcomputer Newsletter Reprints
  • TRS-80 Microcomputer Newsletters 1980
  • TRS-80 Colour Computer 2 case top
• Earl: DEC letterwriter la-100
• Michael: Intel 4004 CPU Print
  • 80386ex uncut wafer
  • 80486DX2 CPU die
• Paul: Intel 486 original CAD layout
  • Sanyo VM-4509
  • Time-Life books, Understanding Computers
  • Etch-a-sketch screenie
  • TI 99/4a 32K RAM sidecar
  • Chicagoland Displaywriters

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