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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Kay Savetz

Topic: 1990

1990 saw a decline of various personal computer magazines, as well as the introduction of the Video Toaster. Apple started misting the market with computer variants.

Topic/Feedback links:

• RCR episode 90
• Macintosh LC
• Macintosh Classic
• Macintosh IIfx
• Macintosh IIsi
• Computer mags in 1990 were an interesting mix of modern and dying (Compute’s Gazette, BBC Acorn, Atari Explorer, the last issue of Antic) and MSX which was both.
• MiniDisc (actually 1992)
• MiniDisc.wiki (home of Web MiniDisc Pro)
• MZ-RH1 MiniDisc player/recorder with USB data export support
• Photoshop 1.0
• Video Toaster

Retro Computing News:

• Interim Computer Museum
• Intellivision: How a videogame battled Atari and almost bankrupted Barbie
• Adventures in Videoland
• Adventures in Videoland playthrough
• 2-XL

Vintage Computer/discussion-related commercials:

• MiniDisc system infomercial
• Minute Rice
• Family Computing magazine
• 2-XL by Mego
• Keeping up with the Commodore
• Super Breakout
• Various 1980s ads (The Clapper)
• Lotus 123

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• PBTfans 1984 R2 keycaps
  • See also: Big Mac at CHM

Auction Picks:

• Paul:
  • CORE remote
    • CL 9 (company)
    • Celadon PIC-100 (rebranded CORE, post CL 9)
    • MagicLink PIC-1000 (no relation, but had IR remote capability)
  • Oric-1
    • Oric-1 (Wikipedia)
  • Pravetz 8D (Oric-1 clone)
  • Elizabethan typing
  • Sargon II
  • MC-10
  • Chaos the software
  • Three tiny Apple programs
  • Lisa floppies

Closing notes:

• Kay’s 2025 Wrapped
• Softalk for the IBM PC
• Enter magazine (at time of recording)
• Teaching and Computers

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr290.a2stream
• YouTube episode 290

Feedback/Discussion:

• feedback@rcrpodcast.com
• rcrpodcast@podcast.social on Mastodon
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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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

Topic: 1989

Several things happened during the final year to begin prior to The Simpsons hitting the airwaves. For example, Sim City and PKZIP came out. Tim from CERN proposed an information sharing architecture. Everyone on the bus started playing with Game Boys.

Topic/Feedback links:

• SimCity
• Mac Office (Word 4, Excel 2.2, PowerPoint 2.01, Mail 1.37)
• ZIP format introduced
  • Phil Katz
  • ARC
• Tim Berners-Lee proposed WWW
• Microsoft SQL Server announced
• Nintendo Game Boy
• Macintosh Portable
  • Ejecting a disk in space
• RCR episode 89

Retro Computing News:

• MBASIC-2025: Modern MBASIC 5.21 Interpreter & Compilers
• Microsoft: the Zork source code is open sourced.
• Usagi Electric TI homebrew
• Rebecca Heineman (Burger Becky)

Vintage Computer/discussion-related commercials:

• Wisk
• TRS-80 Model II
• SQL Server

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Max Build More Retro Building Bricks Unboxing Toy

Auction Picks:

• Earl:
  • Atari 600 XL Home Computer Near Mint . Never Used. Was In Storage For 40 Years
• Paul:
  • Myst board game
  • Tandy 16B.
  • TS1500 command cartridge player
    • Timex Computer Corp Winter 1983 catalog
    • Available cartridges included Supermath and Flight Simulator.
    • TS 1500 in case
    • TS 1500 in box
    • TS 1500 description

Closing notes:

• We’re covered in Compute’s Gazette
  • Issue number 5, in Brian Cox’s Podcast Corner

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr289.a2stream
• YouTube episode 289

Feedback/Discussion:

• feedback@rcrpodcast.com
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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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

Topic: 1988

In 1988, NeXT introduced its cube, bundled with Mathematica 1.0. IRC was developed. Sound Blaster changed gaming. Microsoft Office was announced. Lots of software was developed, and hardware incrementally improved.

Topic/Feedback links:

• NeXT cube
• Laser 128EX/2
• Mathematica
  • Celebrating 35 Years of Mathematica (YouTube, first few sections show it in action on an SE/30)
  • The Mathematica Story – A Scrapbook
• Sound Blaster (but 1990? 1989?)
• Microsoft Office (announced 1988, shipped 1990)
• IRC developed – /me likes this
• Apple IIc Plus – last 8-bit computer introduced by Apple?
• IBM PS/2 Model 70
• Lemonamiga games for 1988

Retro Computing News:

• Video of production of new Commodore 64s in the factory
• Ken Shirrif repairs a Commodore PET

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Amstrad Portable PC
• Microsoft Office System: It’s Showtime

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Viking Electronics DLE-200B Two-Way Phone Line Simulator
  • See also: Open House H650 Integrated Voice Networking System

Auction Picks:

• Earl:
  • Altos 580 Computer, Z80 system, supported multi-user MP/M, could accommodate hard drives, 4 RS232 ports
    • See also: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/altos/580_Series_5/
• Paul:
  • NeXT Cube
  • NeXT Video Cable
  • Amstrad PPC 640
  • Adventure International Buckaroo Banzai
  • Akalabeth
  • Contributed Programs
    • See also: Street Life (Apple II disk image)

Closing notes:

• Ivan Loves the 80s
• Steve Jobs Unveils the NeXT Computer

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr288.a2stream
• YouTube episode 288

Feedback/Discussion:

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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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

Topic: 1987

The Acorn Archimedes became the first computer sold based on the ARM chip. Even today, the last does not appear to be in sight. 1987 also bought us Perl, the IBM PS/2, VGA, Hypercard. CompuServe gifted us GIF. Beyond 1987, we talk BBC BASIC, Quantum Link, and more about the Commodore Colt than you ever wanted.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Acorn Archimedes
• IBM PS/2
• VGA
• Larry Wall wrote Perl
• Bill Atkinson designs Hypercard
• CompuServe introduced a proprietary graphics interchange format. Great. Took off like gangbusters. Like a gift to the online world.
• So Far; The First 10 Years of a Vision (Apple turned 10)

Retro Computing News:

• The Commodore acquisition happened
• One line Tetris (Rheolism) (Hackaday)
• Rheolism
• How Rheolism works

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Commodore Colt at Best Buy
• Acorn Electron
• IBM PS/2

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal (Laine Nooney)
  • See also: INIT HELLO wrap-up discussion (YT)
  • See also: RCR episode 266 with Laine Nooney

Auction Picks:

• Paul:
  • Commodore Colt
  • Spectravideo Compumate VCS keyboard
    • CompuMate (Wikipedia)
    • I turned my Atari 2600 into a REAL COMPUTER (YT, 8-Bit Show And Tell)
  • Actual Quantum Link software package
  • Alternate universe (to Apple users) SoftDisk: LoadStar
    • Cf: SoftDisk

Closing notes:

• INIT HELLO

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr287.a2stream
• YouTube episode 287

Feedback/Discussion:

• feedback@rcrpodcast.com
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Jack Nutting, and Blake Patterson

Topic: 1986

IDE, IMAP, IIGS, and even some other things that do not begin with “I” were introduced in 1986.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Apple IIGS
• MacBook Wheel
• SCSI-1
• IDE
• IBM PC XT/286
• IMAP
• ShaderGlass

Retro Computing News:

• The Myst Graph: A New Perspective on Myst (and Part II)
• Postage-stamp-sized Atari 8-bit compatible FPGA hardware device
• Ice-T, a VT100/102/52 terminal emulator for the Atari 8-bit
• Bill Atkinson passed away (Wired)
• Building a dream PC in 1993
• Shufflepuck Cafe for the Apple II
• Retro Recipes is buying Commodore

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Gateway
• Myst board game
• What is the @ (Good Morning America)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Strong Magnetic Field warning stickers
• Also Magnetic-Field-Warning cookie cutters

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • 1980s AMust Corp. Mini Robot-1 Simulator Arm HX-3000 Australia (EARLY ROBOTICS)
• Paul:
  • PowerBook Weight Saving Device
  • The Toy Shop (C64)

Closing notes:

• Alien Beast Inspector
• INIT HELLO

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr286.a2stream
• YouTube episode 286

Feedback/Discussion:

• feedback@rcrpodcast.com
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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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

Topic: 1985

The year of the Amiga arrives, NeXT is founded, the first .com site appears, Quantum Computer Services begins its journey toward becoming AOL.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Commodore Amiga
• Installing FS-UAE on Mac
• Amiga Forever
• Ample
• NeXT
• symbolics.com
• symbolics.com museum
• Symbolics
• Aldus PageMaker
• Apple LaserWriter
• Enterprise
• Super Mario Bros
• Microsoft Windows 1.0
• Quantum Computer Services founded, which became AOL
• GameLine
• GameLine (eBay)
• Atari Compendium: Longevity (mentions Supercharger)
• Arcadia/Starpath Supercharger (eBay)
• A modern news story on AOL

Retro Computing News:

• The First Perfect Computer (upgrading an Amiga 1000)
• INIT HELLO
• Computer Museum at System Source
• National Electronics Museum
• Bloop Museum
• CuriousMarc visits System Source
• Usagi Electric visits System Source
• Usagi Electric gets a Bendix G15 to run the first half of a test program
• DigiBarn
• The SuperFo Harlequin 128
• The Leningrad-1
• Original Soviet key cap kit

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• America Online
• Enterprise 128
• Super Mario 2

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Commodore4ever VertiPort

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Vintage Olympia EX 100 Typewriter Extension CP/M Computer Word Processor Systel
• Paul:
  • The PC-8001 They Didn’t Want You To See. Picture number 6 will shock you.
  • Mario Bros 2 ripped burned floppy disk
    • The 202 Alliance
    • Mario Bros (202) on Internet Archive, hit Esc while “202 Alliance” is being painted
    • Real pirates buy Apple Cats
    • The Curse
  • Apple catalogs (including last one with Apple //e)

Closing notes:

• Rasberry Pi MIDI hat
• Stronghold

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr285.a2stream
• YouTube episode 285

Feedback/Discussion:

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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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

Topic: 1984

Apple introduced the Macintosh and Apple //c in 1984, IBM introduced the PCjr, HP introduced the LaserJet, and FidoNet began distributing mail.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Apple //c
• IBM PCjr
• Christmas 1984: The Great Apple //c vs. PCjr Battle
• Macintosh
  • The 1984 Superbowl ad (YT)
  • The 1984 Superbowl ad
• FidoNet
  • fidonet.org
  • FidoNews
  • Subtext (classic Mac BBS with FidoNet support)
• HP LaserJet
  • LaserJet in HP’s own Virtual museum (warning: QuickTime 5 required)
• CHM discusses Lisa source code with Bill Atkinson

Retro Computing News:

• SyncTerm
• Playing with toy interfaces – Rich Gold, Mattel Toys
• Video Game History Foundation Library opens
• Storing data on cassette with a modem
  • KCS modem

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Apple //c
• IBM PCjr
• Macintosh

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Tiny TV

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Atari SC1224 Vintage Color Monitor (specifically, red)
    • RDKL Inc’s YT video about this collection
• Kay:
  • Vintage The Microperipheral Corporation Computer Speech Synthesizer?
    • No, almost certainly a Sofcast Shuttle Communicator
    • Interview with Michael Darland, Microperipheral Corporation and Sofcasting
• Paul:
  • AnDATAco front panel
    • AnDATAco
  • Speech recognition processor for Hero 1 and Apple II
  • New overpriced belts
  • ITT 2020
  • US ZX-81 (auction long gone)
    • Timexsinclair.com on ZX-81

Closing notes:

• Super Impulse Space Invaders (eBay search)

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr284.a2stream
• YouTube episode 284

Feedback/Discussion:

• feedback@rcrpodcast.com
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Kay Savetz, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: 1983

In 1983, Apple gave us Lisa, the ImageWriter, and the Apple //e. Atari gave us the XL line, Microsoft gave us (Multi-Tool) Word, Lotus gave us 1-2-3, David Lightman gave us wardialing. The era of it being always DNS began.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Apple Lisa
• Apple ImageWriter
• iOMEGA Bernoulli Box
  • Demo of Bernoulli Box A220
  • Bernoulli Box brochure
  • PCMag review of the Bernoulli Box
• MIDI
  • ANTIC interview 447: Robert Moore and Paul Rother (Hybrid Arts MIDIMate)
  • ANTIC interview 448: Frank Foster (Hybrid Arts MIDIMate)
• Microsoft Multi-Tool Word
  • Multi-Tool Word in Infoworld May 30, 1983
  • Microsoft Word in PC World Nov 1983
• Lotus 1-2-3
• TRS-80 Model 100
• Apple //e
• Atari 1200XL
• DNS
• It’s always DNS
• MSX
• WarGames
  • The WarGames IMSAI etc.
  • History Lesson

Retro Computing News:

• Z80-sans
• 50 years of Oregon Trail
• Angry Robots! New puzzle game for 68K Macs
• Bill Atkinson accidentally doxxed Douglas Adams on The Computer Chronicles
• FlatMac (Hackaday)
  • FlatMac build video

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Lotus 1-2-3 rocks
• Atari XL home computer
• TRS-80 Model 100

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Brew Atari

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Portal (different auction)
• Kay:
  • TELEVIDEO 990 Terminal 63 Units (in a field!)
  • TEC Micro-Tec Model 70 X CRT VDT Terminal
• Paul:
  • Keep your vintage computers from looking crappy by using dust covers
  • Symantec Bedrock
    • Bedrock (framework)
  • Inside NeXT 2024 edition
  • This Apple-1 tape does not look authentic to me
  • Bernoulli Box 10+10

Closing notes:

• ANTIC interview: Robert Leyland: AtariArtist, KoalaPainter, Murder on the Zinderneuf, The Dragon’s Eye

Other ways to experience this episode:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr283.a2stream
• YouTube episode

Feedback/Discussion:

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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Michael Mulhern, and Kay Savetz

Topic: 1982

In 1982, Commodore launched the Commodore 64, GCE launched the Vectrex, Brøderbund launched a rescue helicopter. Computers reached TV, and Flynn drove a light cycle.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Commodore 64
• MAX Machine in Japan (Ultimax elsewhere), formerly VICKEY
• Spawned RUN magazine, but people failed to follow this advice in droves
• Tron
  • Apple III
• Choplifter
  • Choplifter: The Complete History (YouTube, Slopes Game Room
• Pitfall!
  • Classic game postmortem GDC 2011
• Vectrex
• The Computer Programme (10 part BBC series) first broadcast in January 1982
  • The Computer Programme BBC archives
  • Bits & Bytes
  • Computer Chronicles IBMS PS/2 (1987)
• Minitel
• NABU
• The Sketch Show, Secretary, series 1 episode 2
  • The Sketch Show

Retro Computing News:

• AltStore
• Mini vMac4ios
• Action Retro installs Mini vMac4ios
• The Commodore Thermostat (Commodore History, YT)
  • Commodore Thermostat on eBay
• A 9958 in your C64
  • The V9958 is a bad design. No, really (Andy Hu, YT)
• http://bsky.app

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Timex/Sinclair 1000
• Tron sweepstakes
• Vectrex

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Atari joystick decanter set
  • Atari 2600+
  • Atari 400 mini
  • Atari 7800+
  • Plaion
  • ANTIC interview 439: Making modern Atari hardware

Auction Picks:

• Michael:
  • Four APC magazines
• Paul:
  • MAX Machine
    • On Mercari via buyee
    • On Mercari via Zenmarket
  • Apple II+ from Pirates of Silicon Valley
  • QX-16 (not QX-10 as labeled) (auction long gone)
  • Epson QX-10
  • Softside 1983, Relaaax issue (auction long gone)
    • Softside 1983 Relaaax on IA

Closing notes:

• ANTIC interview 446 Mary Eisenhart (Microtimes magazine)
  • ANTIC Mary Eisenhart interview, video version
• Homeputerium 10 line programming contest

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr282.a2stream
• YouTube episode

Feedback/Discussion:

• feedback@rcrpodcast.com
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Blake Patterson

Topic: 1981

In 1981, we started communicating with AT commands and Kermit. Timex/Sinclair released the 1000/ZX-81. We got the BBC Micro and the ABC 800. IBM introduced the PC, for business, no fun allowed. And MS-DOS. And more.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Sony 3.5 drive
• Quick, hide in this closet! (folklore.org)
• IBM PC
  • “Atari” design
• MS-DOS
• Osborne 1
• Xerox Star
• IPv4
• Kermit
• kermitproject.org
• C-Kermit 10.0 beta 11 released in early August
• Hayes Smartmodem 300
• Hayes AT command set
• Sinclair ZX81
• Timex/Sinclair 1000
• BBC Micro
• ABC 800
• Donkey Kong
• E-mu Emulator

Retro Computing News:

• Thomas Kurtz obituary (Legacy.com)
• Dartmouth BASIC at 50
• CHM in memoriam Thomas Kurtz
• San Francisco Muni will stop using floppy disks Any Day Now
• Atari ST Notebook (it was real)
• The Pentium as a Navajo weaving (Nat Gallery of Art)
• Ward Christensen passed away
• CBBS for winter contact in the Chicago computer hobbyists’ group. Feb 1978, written up in Byte Nov 1978
• Ward Christensen obituary (NYT)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Magnavox TV with built-in Odyssey
• Super Pong
• HayesStack

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Floppy disk cookie cutters.

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • RARE DCS Industries Slot Box for Tandy EX HX 1000 A SX TX SL TL SL/2 TL/2 RL RLX
• Paul:
  • 3D printed TI cartridge tray.
  • Warez wear.
  • Omnitronix cassette interface
  • NeXT Cube.
  • Programma 101 (sold at $4000, 2 bids)

Closing notes:

• Estate Sale (wound up with Super Pong, not much else).

Streams:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr281.a2stream
• Behind-the-scenes livestream recording of this episode (YouTube)

Feedback/Discussion:

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

Topic: 1980

In 1980, Commodore introduced the VIC-20, Sinclair introduced the ZX80, Tandy introduced the Color Computer, and HP tried to breed a computer out of calculators. Also other things happened. Which we discuss!

Topic/Feedback links:

• VIC-20
• Sinclair ZX80
  • See also: MicroAce (timexsinclair.com)
• HP-85
  • See also: Tandy PC-4
• Tandy Color Computer
• Intel 8087
• Pac-Man
• Epson MX-80

Retro Computing News:

• ​​Apple’s best keyboard reimagined (YouTube)
• Update on the Business IIGS (original auction gone, but: Incider Jan 1989 cover)
• Daily news from a dot matrix printer
• APFram. APFram
• Atari Portfolio
• It was all Boris Vallejo

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Pac-Man Cereal
• VIC-20
• Timex/Sinclair 1000

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Inflatable Pac-Man costume

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • The Usurper, one of the last text adventures
  • The Odyssey, one of the worst named adventure games
• Paul:
  • Apple-Cat II with expansion box
    • Starring the Computer: Vacation (1983)
  • Apple IIGS upgrade (finished at $720, 11 bids)
  • Blank floppies (finished at $111.50, 9 bids)
  • Because we all want to be able to say “And over here, this is my Grundy NewBrain” (bought now at $850)
    • See also: Grundy NewBrain
  • Timex/Sinclair 1000 with box (finished at $15, 1 bid)
  • Because we all want to be able to say “And over here, this is my Jupiter Ace”
    • See also: Jupiter Ace
  • A moment of silence for the keyboards that have been parted out
  • OCC-2 (bought now at $499)
    • See also: OCC-2
  • 16K RAM chips sans RAM

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr280.a2stream

Feedback/Discussion:

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

Topic: 1979

In 1979, VisiCalc’s rampage began, and models 400, 800 (Atari), II (TRS-80), and 4 (TI 99) arrived.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Wordstar
• VisiCalc
• TI 99/4
• Intellivision
• Asteroids
• Atari 400/800
• MUD1
• StarMud review
• TRS-80 Model II
• Motorola 68000
• Compu$erve
  • CB Simulator
• Robert Williams becomes first human killed by a robot

Retro Computing News:

• Unicode 16.0 adds more Symbols for Legacy Computing
• Existing Unicode symbols for Legacy Computing
• Unicode symbols for Legacy Computing working group document
• Unscii font
• Grace Hopper lectures archived and released
• Warhol’s lost Amiga art, found
• Wallops: a modern IRC client for classic Mac OS
• Famous Computer Cafe
• Computerland audio commercials (with gaps for filling in local deals)
• Mol (Baldur’s Gate demake for TRS-80 Model 100 and ZX Spectrum)
• Dungeons & Dragons Systems Reference Document
• RadioShack catalog archive

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Radio Shack
• Intellivision

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Insert Coin keychain
  • See also: iBot G3

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Mockingboard in box (Auction gone, but here’s a similar WorthPoint image)
  • InvisiCalc
    • Scanned at MOCAGH
• Paul:
  • Business IIGS (original auction gone, but: Incider Jan 1989 cover)
  • Amdek Color-I (original auction ended, here is similar one)
  • ZuluSCSI
    • See also: http://zuluscsi.com/
  • TI 99/4a replacement power supply
  • ZX81/TS1000 keyboard replacement
  • SE / SE/30 replacement power supply
    • Video for installing the SE/SE/30 replacement PSU (YouTube)
  • SIO2PC USB-C
    • See also: Set up RespeQT for SIO2PC (Atariprojects.org)

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr279.a2stream

Feedback/Discussion:

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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting) and Carrington Vanston

Topic: 1978

In 1978, we got WordStar and LaserDisc. Not VisiCalc.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Wordstar (Wikipedia)
• VisiCalc (Wikipedia) almost!
• Laserdisc
• Exidy Sorceror lot discussed in episode 182, November 2018
• DEC VAX (Wikipedia) again?

Retro Computing News:

• Grace Hopper lecture found but can’t be released
• Living Computer Museum will start auctioning things
• Gen One (Christie’s)
• Legends of Adventure: The Story of Sierra On-Line
• Unboxing an Apple-1 (YouTube)
• Apple-1 number 18

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Wordstar commercial (Computerland)
• Lotus 123 running alongside your good applications
• Coleco Adam scholarship

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• SC131
  • SC131 (YouTube)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • XPress XChange
  • Apple Bunny key repeater
  • Dancing Baby screensaver
• Paul:
  • Math Sequences
  • Fix your Apple Plotter (auction long gone)
  • FujiNet for Adam (different auction, and also ended)
  • Atari power cube
    • Apple //c power cube (mozzwald)
    • Another Atari power cube (mozzwlad)
  • NABU RomWBW option card (auction long gone, but see below)
    • NABU forums post about the RomWBW option card
  • Newton 2000/20001 internal USB-C connectivity board (auction long gone, but see below)
    • Newtonsales
  • Model 100/102 ROM
    • Model 200 ROM
  • Atari 2600 power adapter
  • Model 100 set
  • July 1978 Disk II notes

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr278.a2stream

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

Topic: 1977

In 1977, XMODEM, VAX, and FAT arrived. And the Atari VCS (2600). And the TRS-80 Model 1, Commodore PET, and Apple II.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Atari 2600 (Wikipedia)
• Atari 2600 Pac-Man (Wikipedia)
• Tod Frye discusses Pac-Man 8K homebrew (YouTube)
• TRS-80 Model 1 (Wikipedia)
• TRS-80 Model 1 (trs-80.org)
• Commodore PET (Wikipedia)
• Commodore PET (commodore.ca)
• Apple II (Wikipedia)
• XMODEM (WIkipedia)
• FAT (Wikipedia)
• DEC VAX (Wikipedia)
• UNIVAC (Wikipedia)

Retro Computing News:

• Electromechanical Lunar Lander
• Tim Hunkin (YouTube channel)
• Apple II emulator on the CoCo3 (GitHub)
• Apple II emulator on the CoCo3 (YouTube)
• Michael Mahon’s Burroughs 220 emulator (KansasFest 2016 presentation)
• Michael Mahon’s Burroughs 220 emulator
• Choplifter reverse engineered
• Using fountain pens with pen plotters
• The Graphics Scientist

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Atari 2600 Pac-Man
• TRS-80
• VIC 20 vs Atari and Intellivision
• The Choplifter
• Pac-Man and other MB board games

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Ben Eater’s World’s Worst Video Card
  • World’s Worst Video Card (YouTube, part 1)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Defender ENTEX
  • Defender MB (auction long gone)
  • Popeye
  • Pooyan
  • Turbo
  • Turtles
  • Board games based on 8-bit arcades (boardgamegeek.com)
• Paul:
  • TRS-80 model 1 set
  • PET 2001
  • Home security sticker (HERO robot)
  • Western Union Telefax receiver
  • Bull Questar 200
    • Bull Questar
    • Groupe Bull
    • List of Groupe Bull products
    • Micral: First personal computer using a microprocessor
    • Micral at MO5
    • “A talk with the father of computing” (Wired)
    • Computer Museum Catalog of Personal Computers

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr277.a2stream

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

Topic: 1976

In 1976, Bill Gates wrote a letter, and the Queen sent an e-mail. Two 1s (Apple- and Cray-) appeared on the scene.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Zilog Z80 (Wikipedia)
• CP/M (Wikipedia)
  • Incidental mention: Kaypro 2000
• An Open Letter to Hobbyists (Wikipedia)
• Apple-1 (WIkipedia)
• Cray-1 (Wikipedia)
• The Queen sent an email
• 5.25″ Floppy Disk (computerhistory)
• Public Key Cryptography

Retro Computing News:

• Riven (Digital Antiquarian)
• RealMyst
• Atari 2600 Myst Demake
• Atari 2600 Myst Demake Longplay (YouTube)
• Atari (not really) acquires Intellivision (not really)
• ICQ is shutting down
• USB-C power for the Apple //c
• JQuickTake

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Space games:Intellivision vs. Atari
• Apple QuickTake

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Core16 Interactive Core Memory Kit

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • NeXT NU I/O Sound box in 3d Printed Case
• Carrington:
  • New ALPS mechanical keyboards for Apple IIe
• Paul:
  • Apple CTW titles (auction long gone)
    • See instead: Compute! magazine review (1983)
  • Lo and Behold & Ringmaster (auction long gone)

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr276.a2stream

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

Topic: 1975

In 1975 we got the Altair 8800, Micro-Soft.

Topic/Feedback links:

• MITS Altair 8800 (Wikipedia)
• History of Microsoft (Wikipedia)
• 6502 (Wikipedia)

Retro Computing News:

• A1222+ “Tabor” Now Available for Purchase
• KansasFest 2024 registration opens
• Z80 EOL announcment
• Z80 EOL (hackster.io)
• Z80 EOL (techspot.com)
• Sega AI
• BASIC turned 60

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Apple IIc
• Netpliance i-opener

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Zilog Z80 (mouser)

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • BackSID
• Paul:
  • Penguin Map Pack
  • Lode Runner board game
    • Magnet for the super-fans
  • MITS Computer Notes v1n1
  • Apple //c patent
  • i-opener

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr275.a2stream

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

Topic: 1974

1974 brought us the SCELBI 8H, SQL, and the Captain Crunch whistle.

Topic/Feedback links:

• SCELBI (Wikipedia)
• The SCELBI-8H, Probably the First Advertised Personal Computer Sold in Kit Form
• The SCELBI Mini-Computer (Mike Willegal)
• Build your own SCELBI 8H (Mike Willegal)
• Mike’s Hobby Blog, category: 8008. (Mike Willegal)
• Mike Willegal introduces the SCELBI 8H at VCF W 2020
• SQL (Wikipedia)
• John Draper (John Draper, Captain Crunch, Wikipedia)

Retro Computing News:

• A][ VGA MINI card
• FLEX64K
• FLEX64K video (YouTube)
• Original GlobalTalk article (Paul Rickards)
• Marchintosh page for GlobalTalk
• FozzTexx GlobalTalk docker image (GitHub)
• GSCats (GitHub)
• Brutal Deluxe: Mr. Sprite

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• The Most Personal Computer (1982 Apple ad)
• SQL Server

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa (Lisa documentary by David Greelish, Vimeo)
• Yes, again.

Auction Picks:

• Carrington
  • OSHA workers building construction game for Apple II
  • Apparently Choplifter was also bought by some people
  • The most personal computer?
• Earl
  • Vintage Commodore PET Model 4016-12 Computer UNTESTED
• Paul:
  • Blue Cray
  • TG Select-a-port
  • Bid or the Apple II collection gets it. You have 3 days.
  • MPF-III/312? 311? 310?
    • See also: Microprofessor III (Wikipedia)
  • Apple IIe dehancement kit

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr274.a2stream

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

Topic: 1973

1973 brought us Ethernet and the TV Typewriter, and more.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Ethernet (Wikipedia)
• TV Typewriter (deramp.com)

Retro Computing News:

• Greaseweazle v4
• Apple II pendulum clock (GitHub)
• Chips to Lode Runner (Eric Badger, YouTube)
• Ben Eater 6502 kits

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Atarisoft radio ad 1983
• TRS-80 Pocket Computer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa (Lisa documentary by David Greelish, Vimeo)

Auction Picks:

• Earl
  • Commodore 1581 3D-printed case (different auction)
• Paul:
  • Terrible mouse (Lisa 1 mouse) (different auction)
  • Atarisoft Track and Field (different auction)
  • Art Department for LisaDraw on Twiggy disks (auction long gone)
  • Coleco Adam replacement power supply
  • Guide to playing The Hobbit
    • See also: RCR Episode 251
  • CARDIAC (auction long gone)
    • See also: CARDIAC (Drexel University)
  • College guide to personal computers book

A2Stream file:

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

Topic: 1972

1972 brought us C (good enough for us), Pong, Magnavox Odyssey, and more.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Dennis Ritchie on the development of C (ACM SIGPLAN Notices, March 1993)
• Pong released (Wikipedia)
• Atari founded (Wikipeda)
• A history of Syzygy/Atari (Michael Current)
• Magnavox Odyssey (Wikipedia)

Retro Computing News:

• Computer science pioneer Niklaus Wirth dies aged 89 (Developer Tech)
• Thinking Back on Turbo Pascal as it Turns 40 (Bytecellar)
• Dave Dunfield source code (including ImageDisk) (Classiccmp announcement)
• Dave Dunfield source code (including ImageDisk)
• Replacement Injection Molded Inner Bezel for Apple iMac G3 (MacEffects Kickstarter)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Super Pong
• Magnavox Odyssey promo video

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Squarepainter painted pixel art

Auction Picks:

• Blake
  • IBM 5561-P Model 40 (auction long gone)
    • See also: IBM JX (Wikipedia)
  • Amiga A1060 sidecar for the Amiga 1000 (different auction)
    • See also: Amiga Sidecar (Wikipedia)
• Carrington:
  • RAMWorks III + VGA extender (different auction)
• Paul:
  • Archives I stickers
    • Archives II stickers (auction long gone)
    • Archives III stickers
    • Definite stickers
    • See also: Archives Inc (Wikipedia)
    • See also: Archives Business Computer, Archives Inc., Davenport, Iowa 1979-1983 (YouTube documentary)
    • See also: Mention in On Computing 1980
  • Apple III in box (auction long gone)
  • Atari PC3 (different auction)
  • Duo 2300c (different auction)
    • DuoDock
  • Apple floppy box
    • See also: Apple gift catalog
  • A+Disk-Disk=A

A2Stream file:

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

Topic: 1971

1971 brought us Computer Space, the Intel 4004, the Kenbak-1, and Email.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Computer Space
• It’s the year 2022, let’s play Computer Space (YouTube)
• Intel 4004
• Kenbak-1 (“arguably the first personal computer”)
• Ray Tomlinson of BBN sent the first email message in 1971

Retro Computing News:

• John Romero and John Carmack reunion live on Twitch, Dec 10, 2023 (Twitch)
• Apple Time Warp podcast – Nasir Gebelli interview (part 1 of 3)
• MECC 6502 Simulator (YouTube)
• MECC 6502 disk simulator working disk image (Brutal Deluxe MECC archive)
• Ayaneo AM01 retro style mini PC
• Ayaneo AM01 retro style mini PC announcement video (YouTube)
• Ayaneo AM01 retro style mini PC (Indiegogo campaign)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Newton commercials
• See some dinosaurs
• Atari XE ad

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Dust covers!
  • VITNO on Etsy (several options)
  • Fabric Atari cover (eBay)
  • Transparent Atari cover (eBay)
  • Retro computer comforter (prior gift idea)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • JLPGA PowerBook 170 (different auction)
• Paul:
  • MacIvory card (auction long gone)
  • Graphics Magician for Mac (auction long gone, program on Macintosh Garden)
  • Pocket computers (different auction)
    • See also: Forever 1500
    • See also: Pockemul
    • See also: Invasion Force
    • See also: Sharp PC-1500 ad from Japan (YouTube)
  • Turn anything into a 6100/60av (auction long gone)
  • Mac OS 8.5 in-store demo (different auction)
  • Newton faxmodem (different auction)
  • Mouse cables
  • SIMON SAYS PRINT “HELLO” (different auction)

A2Stream file:

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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:

• US Robotics (1997)
• US Robotics X2 (with Woz)
• Hayes: Say Yes to the Future

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

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

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Toaster Mac cotton dust cover
  • C64 canvas dust cover
  • Embarrassed by your Amstrad?
• 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:

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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:

• SHRDLU
• SHRDLU in action (YouTube)
• Terry Winograd’s PhD thesis.
• How SHRDLU got its name.
• Douglas Englebart’s Mother of All Demos (YouTube)
• Douglas Englebart’s Mother of All Demos (Wikipedia)
• Edgar Dijkstra: Go To Statement Considered Harmful
• David Tribble: Go To Statement Considered Harmful, a retrospective
• UNIX timeline
• Ritchie: The Evolution of the Unix Time-sharing System

Retro Computing News:

• Open AC-1 kit
• Wizardry modern remake
• Deathlord Relorded
• The Making of Karateka
• World’s longest-running PCjr

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Aquarius
• Doom 2
• Ordimini

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Doom Guy: Life in First Person (John Romero)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Wings out of Shadow
  • Mission on Thunderhead
  • iMac G4 in Toronto
• 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:

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Various podcasters who attended the KansasFest 2024 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
  • Juiced.GS
  • A2Central.com
  • Open Apple

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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:

• Chevy V8 engine replica built using LEGO & Apple II
• Port of Space Taxi to the Atari 8-bit systems (VITNO)
• Space Taxi (Wikipedia)
• Myst demake
• PETSCII BBS Builder
• GEM ported to a Dana word processor

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• C64 between too expensive and too small
• 3M disks
• C64 job interview

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)

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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: Retro Computing News: Vintage … Continue reading RCR Episode 266: The Apple II Age →

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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:

• Moore’s Law (Wikipedia)
• Moore’s Law (NYT)
• PDP-8
• The incredible story of the first PC, from 1965
• Olivetti Programma 101: Memory of the Future
• Olivetti Programma 101 (Wikipedia)
• Project TACT
• A history of Visual BASIC
• The Xerox Alto turns 50

Retro Computing News:

• Jacob Ziv
• Infinite Mac
• A history of Visual BASIC
• Globus analog spaceflight computer
• Technology Connections video on stereo records
• Puyo Puyo
• 1979 video of father watching son program an Apple II
• Followup interview with same father and son today
• A2Central reboot

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Visual BASIC launch
• Triumph of the Nerds part 1
• Olivetti Programma 101: Memory of the Future

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• The UNIX pipe card game

Upcoming (or recent) gatherings:

• VCF East (Apr 14-16, 2023, Wall, NJ)
• CoCoFest (Apr 22-23, 2023, Chicago area, IL)
• Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo (Apr 29-30, 2023, Indianapolis)
• VCF Southwest (June 23-25, 2023, Dallas area, TX)
• KansasFest 2023 (July 18-23, Kansas City, MO; July 29-30, online)
• VCF Southeast (July 28-30, 2023, Atlanta, GA)
• VCF West (Aug 4-5, 2023, Mountain View, CA)
• VCF Midwest (Sep 9-10, 2023, Elmhurst, IL)
• Tandy Assembly (Sep 29-Oct 1, 2023, Springfield, OH)

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Newtech Model 6 Music Card Reproduction (S-100 bus)
• Carrington:
  • Mostek Bytewide button
  • I’ve Got Mnemonic Plague button
  • I Confessed to Cringely button
• Paul:
  • Your Computer
  • Sanyo MBC-550
  • IBM System/360 RPG Programming
  • Sticky mouse
• Quinn:
  • Commodore 1901
  • See also: Commodore monitors by model

A2Stream file:

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

Topic: Double bucky, you’re the one

We look back on a few highlights of 1964, including the double bucky, SABRE, and BASIC.

Topic/Feedback links:

• The term “double bucky” is coined
• The double bucky song
• BASIC is introduced (successor to DARSIMCO and DOPE)
• IBM introduces SABRE
• CDC 6600 supercomputer
• ASR-33
• PicoMite
• ChatGPT on an Apple IIGS
• Retro.directory
• What is retro.directory? (YouTube)

Retro Computing News:

• Tetris: the movie
• NABU: Network adapter from nabu.ca
• NABU: Marduk emulator
• NABU ROMs from nabunetwork.com
• MouSTer
• Hoard of retro fonts

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Adobe Illustrator 88
• Nintendo Tetris
• Sabre

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• M0110 triple-mode keyboard
  • YouTube demo
• VTech LS916 retro handset
  • Physically appears to fit
  • See also RCR episode 41

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Macintosh SE: zero drives is better than one
• Paul:
  • Make your II+ respectful again
  • Aspirational drive badges
  • Sabre flip-zone
  • Lisa 2
    • See also: replacement Lisa motherboards
  • Apple III Plus prototype
  • @World modem for the Pippin

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr264.a2stream

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, Michael Mulhern, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: The year of the gopher

We begin 2023 with a shift to new hosting providers, that require encrypted communication. How/should we access the modern web from old computers?

Topic/Feedback links:

• Building a new C64 (Retro Recipes)
• LinuxJedi’s GoFloppy
• Gameboy Tetris ported to the Apple II

Retro Computing News:

• Chuck E. Cheese still uses floppy disks in 2023
• PC Magazine discontinuing their digital edition
• Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate Maryland Man (cctalk)
• Lisa Source code available (press release, CHM)
• Lisa: Apple’s most influential failure (CHM)
• Happy 40th birthday, Lisa (CHM)
• Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa
• New timepiece for a classic mac – part 1

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• I adore my 64
• PIZZA with mushrooms and a mouse
• Scotch brand electrical tape

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Shargeek 35W GaN retro charger

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Mac86 co-processor for the Macintosh SE
  • Black Macintosh TV that is neither a Macintosh TV nor black
  • Sinclair One Per Desk
  • See also: Tezza’s Telecom Computerphone
• Earl:
  • HP-85 computer, 16K memory module
• Paul:
  • Sharp CE-153 software board
  • Final Cartridge III
  • See also: Final Cartridge III+

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr263.a2stream

Closing notes:

• Dorm, text adventure release candidate and packaging
• PunyJam #3

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), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, and Michael Mulhern

Topic: 60 years between Bell 103 and today" s InterNet

In 1962, the world gained Spacewar! and the Bell 103 modem.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Spacewar at masswerk.at
• Spacewar!
• History of Spacewar!
• Computer Space
• Bell 103
• NCR CRAM
• NCR CRAM product brochure.
• BBC archive, speaking with Douglas Adams about the HHGTTG game
• A few Apple II clones
• Microsci Havac, review, Creative Computer Oct 1984
• A Computer Called LEO (book, Georgina Ferry)
• NitrOS9 Ease of Use project
• 8 bit Shack
• Linus Akesson 15 years of scene spirit
• Going online in the early 90s part 2, Goto10 substack

Retro Computing News:

• Adrian finds a white ceramic 6502 in his digital basement
• Modular display for retro systems
• NABU (York University)
• NABU retroNET
• Leo Binkowski, games programmer for NABU, on the local news in 1984
• NABU auction
• Adrian's Digital Basement's NABU
• DJ Sures' playlist of NABU hacking
• IBM 5150 Christmas ornament that plays DOOM
• IBM 5150 Christmas ornament that plays DOOM (Hackaday)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• "Pack up your troubles (pack up your family)" - Seattle World's Fair 1962
• MS-DOS 5 Upgrade rap
• Bell Data-Phone

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 4X magnifying glass with stand
• See also: One of these on Paul's OCC1

Auction Picks:

• Earl:
  • Amiga 500 Keyboard
• Michael:
  • FORTRAN 5
• Paul:
  • Old Apple II with Disk II number 61
  • A very thin book
  • IBM postcard from 1962 Seattle World's Fair
  • Crayperweight
  • Craysler mug
  • OCC1 for $50 BIN
  • OCC1 glare guard
  • Microsoft muMath 80
  • See also: MuMath 80 in the Microsoft catalog
  • See also: MuMath 80 review in BYTE
  • See also: MuMath 80 review in Creative Computing
  • Suncom Joy Sensor
  • See also: Joy Sensor review in Video and Computer Gaming Illustrated
  • See also: Suncom Aerobic Joystick ad
  • Best keypad layout (Micromodule 85)

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr262.a2stream

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), Quinn Dunki, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Cause the Commodordian Is Keeping Up With You

1961 was all fine and good, but someone has made an accordion out of two Commodore 64s and a bunch of floppy disks.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Neural net on a C64.
• Minus zero at fourmilab
• OS 2200
• Unisys 2200 Series architecture
• BBC archive on Infocom 1985
• Floppy disk supplier says business is booming. Reuters story. Oct 20, 2022.
• Lotus 1-2-3 for Linux. Tavis Ormandy.
• Lotus 1-2-3 for UNIX ported to Linux (video).
• The Commodordion (video).
• The Commodordion (write-up). Linus Akesson.
• the sixtyforgan
• Compiler Explorer
• Compiler Explorer: ZX Spectrum
• Compiler Explorer: Sega
• Upcoming CHM source code releases
• Previous CHM source code releases
• Kathleen Booth obituary. Inventor of assembly language.
• Assembly language
• Laine Nooney: The Apple II Age (forthcoming book)
• Laine Nooney
• Open Apple podcast #49 (talking with Laine Nooney)
• Teletext on a BBC Micro - Matthew North Music
• Interactive Ceefax Viewer

Retro Computing News:

• Mastodon client for MS-DOS
• DOjS
• Neurons in a dish play Pong (allegedly interesting)
• The Skeptic's Guide podcast #901 (on whether the Pong-playing neurons are interesting)
• 2FA on a C64
• Turbo Button for modern PCs
• Angry Birds for the Apple II (8-Bit Shack)
• Angry Birds for the Apple II (video)
• Angry Birds for the Apple II (VITNO)
• ISA emulation

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Lotus 1-2-3 rocks
• Commodordian
• ADAM (legal)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• HDD Clicker
• See also: HD Clicker write-up

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Creative Computing binary dice
  • Macintosh Extended Keyboard carrying case
• Paul:
  • COSMAC Super Elf
  • See also: COSMAC Super Elf
  • Decimal skills
  • Newton apps
  • Ventless Apple II case
  • Badgey the card reader
  • Coleco high speed digital data pack C-250
  • See also: Coleco high speed digital data pack C-250
  • Nobody does cool like Microsoft

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr261.a2stream

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), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, and Blake Patterson

Topic: Recommended Standard 232 and Programmed Data Processor-1

1960 brought us RS-232 and the PDP-1, more COBOL, and curly braces.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Recommended Standard 232
• A proposal for character code compatibility.
• The great curly brace trace
• Demo of the Digirule 2A
• Digirule 2U
• Legacy OS 2200
• Floppy disk assembly line
• Elephant: The Secrets of Perfect Memory

Retro Computing News:

• Mega 65 first look on Retro Recipes
• Mega 65
• A Lisa 1 starting up

Vintage Computer(-related) commercial:

• PS/2 (it)
• Lisa (alone)
• PS/2 (college)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Epson LX-350
• See also: Continuous paper

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Discovery Cartridge from Happy Computers For The Atari ST Computer
• Earl:
  • IBM PS/2 Microchannel 77s (9577-BNB)
  • See also: John C. Dvorak (PC Magazine) bested by the PS/2 (Computer Chronicles)
• Paul:
  • MCT Speed Demon
  • Micro Professor II

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr260.a2stream

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), Quinn Dunki, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Little bit taller, COBOLler

We consider 1959, and mostly come up with COBOL, then spend some time in an engagement-generating excercise, not quite remembering a remarkable number of things.

Topic/Feedback links:

• COBOL at Britannica.com
• COBOL at Smithsonian.
• Grace Hopper on Letterman
• Gorilla Banana, a rebranded Seikosha GP-100 (same as VIC-1525)

Retro Computing News:

• TRS-80 Model I/III diagnostic ROM
• Behind the scenes at Berkeley Softworks
• Open Apple #52
• Hell’s Halls type-in program for TI-99/4A
• Hells' Halls cassette with game and variant
• How Apple I video memory worked

Vintage Computer(-related) commercial:

• Joust and Moon Patrol (Atari)
• Commodore VIC-20

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Joust board game

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Playskool Play and Learn Computer
  • Avalon Hill Class Struggle game
  • See also: The Story of Class Struggle, America's Most Popular Marxist Board Game
• Paul:
  • Bell & Howell II+/-
  • Echo II set
  • Rocketry software
  • Griffin iMate selling for what now?
  • Brand new IBM PC, moldy box

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr259.a2stream

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 Carrington Vanston

Topic: Tron and Perceptron

In 1958, the Perceptron arrived and Lisp was defined. We talk a bit about things we came across that were associated with 1958.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Setting up Genera in Linux
• Bell Labs 101 modem
• Tennis For Two
• Perceptron
• Open Worm
• Deviant Oliam on opening wristbands and removing tamper-proofing stickers
• LEO: The story of the World’s First Business Computer
• Lyons Electronic Office

Retro Computing News:

• The Lost TRON Documents
• CP/M’s open source status clarified
• The CP/M Email
• CP/M is now freer than it was (Hackaday)
• YouTube on a PET
• system.css
• 98.css

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Blip
• Tron home video game

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• MYST vinyl soundtrack

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Remarkable computer auction
  • Steve Jobs’ original Apple 1 prototype
  • Steve Wozniak’s Apple Rainbow Glasses
  • Bill Gates’ Tandy Model 100 with note
  • Atari Video Music (Model C240) still sealed in box
  • Apple IIe prototype with French external keyboard
  • Croix de Apple medal
  • Apple Color Plotter
• Paul:
  • Sirius 1982 retail/dealer price list, displays
  • MacPhone
  • Apple III
  • TRS-80 appliance and light controller
  • E-Z Key 60
  • See also: Different E-Z Key 60
  • See also: E-Z Key 60

Closing notes:

• Where Wizards Stay Up Late
• Proving Ground

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr258.a2stream

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: The dot matrix impact

Spending some time revisiting the calmer, quieter days when our printing was done by forcefully slamming pins through an ink ribbon onto perforated paper, pushed along by rotating spikes.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. Trailer
• Multimedia HyperGuide: A Windows 3.1 Podcast. Episode 11: The History of After Dark. (29 Sep 2020).
• RetroMagazine 15
• Connecting a 1541 drive to a KIM-1 (Commodore History)
• Unboxing the KIM-1 (Dave's Garage)

Retro Computing News:

• Celebrating 50 years of Smalltalk
• TRS-80 programming competition

Vintage Computer(-related) commercial:

• Okidata Business Printer (1985)
• Epson (1984)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 50 Years of Text Games
• See also: 50 Years of Text Games (Kickstarter)
• See also: 50 Years of Text Games (Substack series)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • On-Line Systems Thrilogy
  • Checkers by David Slate
  • Karateka for Apple II or maybe Commodore
  • Wasteland with Survival Guide
  • See also: Wasteland Survival Guide PDF
• Earl:
  • Radio Shack CGP115 graphics printer/plotter
• Paul:
  • IBM 5161
  • Apple mouse pad
  • Timex/Sinclair 2068
  • Numeric keyball

Closing notes:

• In Search of Darkness, and In Search of Tomorrow

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr257.a2stream

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: Keep calm and carry on

Episode 0 has arrived.

Topic/Feedback links:

• The 6502 overflow flag explained
• The 6502 overflow flag explained mathematically
• The 6502 overflow flag explained at the silicon level
• ZX80 8K BASIC ROM upgrade
• Floppy Days 114: Howell Ivy, Exidy
• The Gaming Chronicles (Kickstarter)
• Robert Henke, CBM 8032 AV

Retro Computing News:

• How to use an Apple II as a dumb terminal for a modern Mac
• Reverse-engineered AOL
• International Research Conference on the History of Computing. 1976
• DOOM ported to A/UX
• Encyclopedia Britannica picks an odd Apple
• Apple museum tour by Woz from 1984

Vintage Computer(-related) commercial:

• AOL commercial (1997)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• MOS 6502 poster
• See also: MthreeL (etsy store)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Screenies monitor frame
  • Q3 Monitor Mobile
  • 1965 Shazam System Reference Manual
• Earl:
  • Osborne 1
• Paul:
  • MicroProfessor II
  • Cray catalog
  • Novation modems
  • ELF II
  • ELF II (continued)
  • See also: ELF II
  • ZX microdrive
  • See also: ZX Microdrive (Wikipedia)

Closing notes:

• Dotti

A2Stream file:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr256.a2stream

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), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, and Blake Patterson

Topic: The One With All The Ones

The Retrocomputing Roundtable has reached the end of its 8-bit run.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Byte
• 8-bit computing
• Nibble
• Big boxes history video
• Traveler (Wikipedia)
• Traveler (Imperial Encyclopedia)
• Traveler (Mongoose Publishing)
• Mayday 2022
• Manhunt
• Wonderful Things (story about Manhunt)
• Open Apple 41 (November 2014). Seek to 2:03.
• Identify II v2.01

Retro Computing News:

• Tweeting from the Teletype, April 2020
• Tweeted from the Teletype
• FASTRAND (Powerhouse Collecttion)
• FASTRAND (Univac memories)
• FASTRAND (Computer History Archives Project)
• FASTRAND (Wikipedia)
• Kenbak-1 Emulator
• HP9830a Repair
• The Apple Boogie

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials etc.:

• Elephant Memory Systems mini micro floppy disk (Italian)
• Laser Computer (Katja Schuurman, Dutch)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 8 bit game cartridge cutting board

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Laser 386SX/3
  • Y2K Bug
• Earl:
  • Altair 8800
  • Ventana World Wide Web Kit
  • See also: Ventana (PC Magazine review)
• Paul:
  • Elephant mug
  • Intel inside
  • MPF-1P
  • MPF-Ib
  • See also: MPF-I (Wikipedia)
  • See also: Flite interview (Elektor)
  • Tomy Tutor
  • ZX-80
  • HHC 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

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

Topic: Fortran, for better or for worse

The year 1954 brought us Fortran (not named after the year though) to help us with our math, and development of SAGE to scan the skies for threats.

Topic/Feedback links:

• IBM 650
• Drum memory
• Wurlizter SideMan (not 1954, but related via tangent)
• SAGE (Gizmodo)
• SAGE (Wikipedia)
• Fortran
• Fortran 2018, 202x

Retro Computing News:

• system7.app
• macos8.app
• Tech details for system7.app, macos8.app
• Return to Monkey Island
• ACM opens first-50-years backfile
• Game of pong in a single sprite
• Sprite pong video
• SWTPC 6800 rescue
• SWTPC 6800 fan site
• ADB makes fun of the IIGS manual
• University of Saskatchewan self guided computer history tour
• A2stream, audio server
• A2stream demo
• AppleWin with Uthernet II
• a2stream file for this very episode: http://yesterbits.com/media/a2s/rcr254.a2stream

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials etc.:

• IBM SAGE (1960)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Atari sneakers
• See also: Atari NFT sneakers

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Apple Credit salesperson's kit
  • Apple branded radio lunchbag
• Earl:
  • MMD-1 8080A Trainer
  • See also: MMD-1 (Oldcomputermuseum)
• Paul:
  • Funniest CD of the century
  • The drive of a new generation
  • USB evangelism mouse
  • Companion diskette
  • Astra 1620 dual drive for Atari
  • VM 4209

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, Michael Mulhern, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Prebricked drives

Episode 253 relates to 1953. Core memory begins its long dominance of the RAM space, the IBM 701 is introduced. A year that was kind of between things, so as one might expect the conversation keeps sliding into a discussion of beverages.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Magnetic core memory
• Advent of Computing, episode 77
• The Thinking Machine (1961)
• IBM 701
• Williams tube
• Jeffries tube
• Exploring the Amiga series, assembly language programming
• Brief tour of the PDP-11
• Top 20 C64 games from 2011-2021
• Commodore 64 turns 40

Retro Computing News:

• SystemSix desk calendar
• SWTPC 6800 rescued (Adrian’s Digital Basement)
• Jobs for the boys?
• The ultimate multics project
• A quarter century of Unix. Peter Sallas. 1994 Addison-Wesley
• The evolution of the Unix time sharing system
• Compatible time sharing system
• Incompatible time sharing system
• Easter Egg found in Windows 1.0.
• Mariupol Computer Museum in Ukraine
• Club it8bit
• A Brick for Some Bytes: My First Hard Drive (Byte Cellar)
• One of the Biggest Frauds in Tech History - The Miniscribe Brick Fiasco (Tech Time Traveler)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials etc.:

• Tab

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• The Art of Point and Click Adventure Games

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • MCM/70
  • About the MCM/70
• Earl:
  • IBM Core Memory
  • See also: Core memory shield for Arduino
• Michael:
  • RCA Selectron 256bit
  • See also: Selectron tube
• Paul:
  • QuickLetter
  • Murder Party
  • CA Simply Tax 1993
  • eMate pin

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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

Topic: UNIVAC liked Ike

Episode 252 relates to 1952. The year when UNIVAC correctly called the election early and nobody believed it. The year the paper introducing the Huffman code compression algorithm was published. And the 50th anniversary of all the things that happened in 1902.

Topic/Feedback links:

• UNIVAC predicts the 1952 election
• CBS news election coverage, 1952
• A method for the constructions of minimum-redundancy codes (Sep 1952, Proceedings of the I.R.E.)
• The Huffman algorithm, and family
• Stuffit end of life announcement
• Mac Folklore Radio, Raymond Lau (Stuffit) interviews
• RetroMagazine World, issue 13 (EN)
• David Ahl's magazine auctions, some signed
• The Capacitor Plague
• The Lost Sectors, playthrough of Deathlord

Retro Computing News:

• Monmouth College typewriter class
• TubeTime’s QuadLink repair and reverse engineering project
• Apple patenting the home computer?
• The Amiga Show
• Apple II video to HDMI using Raspberry Pi Zero/Pico
• Teardown of a Minitel terminal

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials etc.:

• Remington Quiet-riter

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• The Colouring Book of Retro Computers
• Highlighters for reproducing yellowing

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Computer Bug
  • 1990s Tech Stock Bubble in a can
• Paul:
  • Woz near Steve Jobs
  • Tim Cook near Steve Jobs
  • Steve Jobs Rare
  • Just Stuffit World Tour shirt
  • AutoDoubler
  • PKZIP 2.70
  • Multiputer

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
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• RCR Podcast on Facebook
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Charles Mangin, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Memories of Whirlwind I

It’s been 71 years since 1951. So, we talk about some things kind of loosely related to 1951, including computer music, the Whirlwind I, and memory technology.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Whirlwind I
• Jim Butterfield C64 training tape
• David Ahl's BASIC Computer Games, ANIMAL
• 3D construction kit (Spectrum, Sam Coupé)

Retro Computing News:

• BASIC Computer Games book programs updated to modern languages
• Laurie Spiegel, Music Mouse
• See also: AlphaSyntauri
• Million Perfect Letters
• Hello World collection
• The Hobbit (IF50)
• The Hobbit (Digital Antiquarian)
• The Hobbit (Internet Archive)
• The Hobbit (eBay)
• The Hobbit (eBay)
• Deathlord Relorded
• Deathlord Relorded (GitHub)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials etc.:

• Pac-Man cereal
• Whirlwind interview
• Corncob

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Floppy disk coasters
• And storage box

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Remington Rand UNIVAC sales brochure
  • Codewriter for Apple II
  • See also: Codewriter in COMPUTE's Gazette, Sept 1985
• Charles:
  • Pac-man rug
  • Pac-Man lunchbox
  • Pac-Teacher pin
  • See also: Museum Character Hall of Fame induction for Pac-Man
• Paul:
  • MEK6800D2
  • See also: MEK6800D2 (Wikipedia)
  • See also: photos of unbuilt MEK6800D2 kit
  • See also: Apple-1 motherboard
  • See also: 6800 running on an Apple-1
  • See also: 74154
  • Tractor feed option kit
  • See also: Hardware Wars
  • Computer Shopper July 1988
  • See also: Computer Shopper on Internet Archive
  • See also: Computer Shopper debut
  • Gigabyte me
  • Softsel product encyclopedia 1985
  • See also: Everything project spreadsheet
  • Commodore 64 reset switch

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
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• 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: Computing Machinery and Intelligence

It’s been 72 years since the year Turing published the paper that outlined the Turing test. So: Let’s talk about interactions we’ve had relating to artificial intelligence in some form or another.

Topic/Feedback links:

• RetroMagazine issue 12, English version
• Total Replay booting from the DigitalOcean cloud on an Apple II with FujiNet
• Commodore Computer Museum Kickstarter (NZ)
• Aroma Disc
• Sounds and Scents of the Holiday season
• Aroma Disc player, unopened
• Aroma Disc player, unpacked

Retro Computing News:

• How The US Census Led to the First Data Processing Company
• Leonard Tramiel recalls Bill Gates at a trade show
• See also: WAIT 6502, 10 and other easter eggs
• Nostalgic Computing Center
• JavaScript version of Prince of Persia runs on Apple Watch
• PrinceJS
• Junk in the PC DOS 1.1 boot sector (Michal Necasek)
• Junk in the PC DOS 1.1 boot sector (The Starman)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Atari 65xe
• Aroma Disc
• DEC laptop

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• MeowToast 1/2AA battery replacements

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • 1988 West Coast Computer Faire program
  • Make friends with: West Coast Computer Faire button
• Earl:
  • Digital Rainbow PC100-B2
• Paul:
  • Versawriter
  • A-1 with or without Bernie’s mods
  • See also: UncleBernie on applefritter
  • QX-10/16 SemiDisk RAM card with battery backup
  • QX-10/16 ComFiler hard drive
  • QX-10/16 hard drive card PCB to build
  • What you call your game when all the good game names are already taken
  • See also: Metal band name generator
  • Roguelike to perhaps the greatest degree
  • Atari 65xe painted black, with two AtariMax cartridges (originally listed at $250)

Closing discussion links:

• Like a DOS podcast
• Meat stylus
• DOS Nostalgia Podcast

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, Michael Mulhern, and Blake Patterson

Topic: 2020 also

We enter the third year of 2020. Yet another New Year's, yet another opportunity to make the New Year's resolution joke.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Mega II project (single chip Apple II)
• Mega II project progress
• Acorn - a world in pixels (extended edition)
• HP 9845 part 2 (Beige-o-Vision)
• See also: HP 9845 part 1 (Beige-o-Vision)
• Nichrome project

Retro Computing News:

• Appreciating the physicality of floppies
• How many Commodore 64s were sold, really?
• The Forgotten History of the Blinking Cursor
• See also: Blinking cursor turns 54, hardly anyone notices
• See also: Retrocomputing forum thread re: blinking cursor
• Yellowstone is a go
• Virtual BBC Micro
• Virtual BBC Micro description
• See also: Zero Page

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Are you keeping up with the Commodore
• Prime Computer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Beagle Bros floppy warnings mug
• See also: Penguin's version
• "ours were better" reddit thread

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  • Philips Videopac G7400 Game Console
  • See also: Philips Videopac G7400
  • See also: Magnavox Odyssey 2
  • See also: Magnavox Odyssey
  • See also: National Museum of American History Exhibit - Places of Invention
  • Matra Alice 8000 PROTOTYPE ULTRA RARE Number 24
  • See also: Matra Alice 8000 (Rare and Old Computers)
  • See also: Matra Alice 8000 (AtariAge thread)
• Earl:
  • 6 Vintage BASIC Coding Form Pads 40 plus pages each
  • Digital DEC STARION 960 Intel Pentium 166MHz 16MB RAM Vintage Computer
• Michael:
  • ADB Black Vintage Rare Macintosh TV M2706 computer
• Paul:
  • PR1ME Computer ashtray
  • Pumpkin spice Silent 700
  • See also: Regular Silent 700
  • ImageWriter II with sheet feeder

Closing discussion links:

• Pits of Death
• ScanTailor Advanced OS X

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: 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

Topic: Commodore 1541GS

We continue yet again a conversation about computers as they arrived in schools, but also spend some time marveling at a Commodore 1541 drive that also produces music and video.

Topic/Feedback Links:

• Handheld 64 (Gameboy-sized C64, Hackaday)
• PCBs to build your Handheld 64
• Color covers for your Handheld 64
• Mattias' Patreon (creator of Handheld 64, Tube64, etc.)
• Tube64
• Modular64

Retro Computing News:

• Over 40 Years Ago, It Was Possible To Download Video Games Over The Radio
• Freespin: A C64 demo without the C64 (YouTube)
• Freespin project page
• Fresspin video explanation
• Bradley the Parts Seller (Vice)
• Interview: Brad Koda of Best Electronics (ANTIC: The Atari 8-bit Podcast)
• The Wild Spread of Drug Wars
• KansasFest 2021 schedule

Vintage Computer commercial:

• Commodore mouse

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Floppytable

Auction Picks:

• Carrington:
  • Famous red powerbook
  • Beehive B100 terminal
• Earl:
  • Ashton Tate MultiMate Word Processing
• Paul:
  • Happy Forth of July (Handic Forth cartridge, C64)
  • After Dark for Windows
  • Amiga 500 RGB to HDMI adapter
  • General Magic DataRover 840
  • Another General Magic DataRover 840
  • See also: What Magic Cap should have been all along (DataRover 840 review)
  • See also: Data Rover 840 at Buxton connection
  • See also: General Magic (The Movie)
  • Blue SCSI
  • See also: Places to get Blue SCSI
  • See also: Blue SCSI on GitHub
• Quinn:
  • Amiga 3000 prototype
  • Amiga PC XT Sidecar

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), Quinn Dunki, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: 18-bit Space Computers

We continue a conversation about computers in school, but also mention an 18-bit space computer along the way.

Topic/Feedback Links:

• Crosscountry Canada
• Quazar's history of the Sam Coupé
• ICON computer (old-computers.com)
• ICON computer (wikipedia)
• Reddit thread about ICON
• Growin’ Up 80s, talking about ICON (podcast)

Retro Computing News:

• NASA struggles to fix Hubble Space Telescope's 1980s computer
• Multi-platform floppy
• A2IO
• Reactive Micro announces licensed CFFA3000
• ASCIIdent
• Mockingboard 4c+
• List of Mockingboard software
• Vince Weaver’s ZX Spectrum (PT3) tracker for Mockingboard

Vintage Computer commercial:

• IBM PS/2

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Sam Coupé shirt

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Entex MAC from 1980
  • See also: Entex at Electronic Plastic
  • Bungie for charity
  • RIP PCjr button
• Paul: TI 99/4a in box
  • See also: TI 99/4a turns 40
  • Tapuino in case for C64/VIC20/PET
  • Quadram Quadlink
  • IXO telecomputing system TC-102

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, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Lasers Smoking in the PET Room

We start a conversation about computers in school. For many of us, computers were only just becoming available in our school years, so we consider the access this provided (limited though it often was).

Topic/Feedback Links:

• My earliest memories of microcomputing
• Remembering an Atari lab in Hampton, VA
• BBC Archive: Infocom feature (1986)
• P.R.E.S.T.A.B.A. ported to the MC-10
• MC-10 emulator (pick PRESTAVB cassette and type RUN)

Retro Computing News:

• AmigaOS 3.2 for all Classic Amigas released
• Creating Chinese computer fonts
• The Little Book of Sound Chips (Volume 1)
• Hibernated 1. The Director's Cut.

• ponyinformation

• Hibernated 1 (physical, SAM Coupé version)
• SAM Coupé on eBay
• SAM Coupé overview (YouTube, Re:Enthused)
• SD card and Ethernet adapter for the SAM Coupé
• Quazar (home of SAM Revival magazine )
• Review of SAM Revival magazines (YouTube, TJ Ferreira)
• Sim Coupé
• World of SAM
• SAM Coupé Champion Collection
• No Quarter, episode 78: Sorry Charlie.

Vintage Computer commercials:

• Miracle Workers, season 3 trailer
• PRIME Computer

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Radio Shack shirt

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Mac 128K, probably
• Carrington: iCEBOX
  • See also: Hybrid Net Appliance Hits Market
• Michael: Guns of Fort Defiance
• Paul: Prince of Persia for the SAM Coupé

Closing notes:

• Roberta and Ken Williams making first game together in over 20 years
• People’s Republic of Interactive Fiction
• Michael's scans at archive.org
• Scan Tailor Advanced

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: Playing in the MUD

Multi User Dungeons brought a social aspect to computer RPGs, some with opportunities to do creative world building. We talk a bit about our experiences with these, and some about their background.

Topic/Feedback Links:

• LambdaMOO at 50 Years of Text Games
• Out of the MUD: The Origins of the MMORPG
• Text-Based VR: Explore the Pioneering World of MUSHes
• Osborne 3
• Morrow Pivot
• Zenith Z-171
• Osborne Vixen
• Memories of Bob Spencer
• "Computer Games" music video by Mi-Sex
• Rabbit RX83
• NEWPRINT/80
• World Turtle Day

Retro Computing News:

• Past and Future Turtles
• TurtleSpaces
• MITS/Pertec/iCOM FD 3202
• MITS/Pertec/iCOM FD 3712
• MITS/Pertec/iCOM FD 3802
• Teletext preservation by accident

Vintage Computer commercials:

• Austext
• Ceefax demonstration

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Ceefax mug

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: CORE9 universal remote
  • See also: About the CL9 Core controller
• Earl: Osborne 1
• Paul: Jupiter Ace 4000
  • New Micro-Professors I
  • Chatbot
  • Relax
  • See also: Dalek Relaxation Tape
  • Max Machine

Closing notes:

• People’s Republic of Interactive Fiction
• Z80 Playground

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), Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: This sandwich tastes suspiciously like a ZX Spectrum

Another topic-free episode, this one discussing the smuggling of Spectrums, satirical adventure games, BBS simulations, IBM clocks, CoCo paint programs, and various other tangents.

Retro Computing News:

• Full Motion, Double High-Res Video Playback on the Apple IIe
• 1988: P.R.E.S.T.A.V.B.A.
• 50 Years of Text Games
• Gaming the Iron Curtain
• RetroBridgeBBS (GitHub)
• RetroBridgeBBS (Hackaday write-up)

Vintage Computer commercials:

• Hayes modem
• US Robotics 56k modem

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Cryptex USB stick

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Colorware COCO MAX HI-RES PACK input module Tandy TRS-80
  • Capstone Home Alone the Computerized Coloring Book
• Carrington: 600 page 1980s Computer Chip Handbookc
• Paul: Two Sanyo VM 4509s
  • Early IBM real time clock
  • Coleco Adam power supply
  • See also: Making an internal Adam PSU
  • Some Osbornes and some disks you can’t have
  • NEC PC8201a set

Closing notes:

• PunyInform

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 Carrington Vanston

Topic: Retro Development

Writing new software on old computers. How is it different now, would you go back to how it was done then? What did you use then?

Topic/Feedback Links:

• Arcade Machine (Broderbund, Atari & Apple)
• Graphics Magician (Penguin, Apple, C64, Atari)
• Nox Archaist
• SKALD
• PunyInform
• 8bit-Unity
• Amiga Addict magazine
• BBC Micro Live (magnets vs. floppy disks)
• Bits and Bytes
• BBC Computer Literacy Project
• Texture Archaeology
• American Vandal
• Brick

Retro Computing News:

• How to paint a TRS-80 Model III case
• Retro365
• Modern Mac on retro display
• Lost CompuServe, GEnie, and The Source game discovered in Copyright Office
• Castlequest compiles!
• Castlequest source
• Robert Noyce, 60 years ago, granted patent for integrated circuit
• Mockingboard 4c+

Vintage Computer commercial:

• Amstrad 8256 (1985)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Crackers: The Gold Rush (book)

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Apple "Leading The Way" internal cassette
  • See also: Leading the Way (Apple video)
• Paul: Perfect gift for the Mac enthusiast who you don’t like very much (video adapters)
  • Times Two, more disk space via magic
  • ZX80, ZX81, TS1000 lot
  • TS2068 RGB->HDMI
  • Requires: RGB->HDMI
  • Early CAPTCHA ("HUMAN" pin)
  • Amstrad PCW 8256 sort of
  • Amstrad PCW 8512 potentially
  • John Romero's shareware pillows

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: Period Peripherals

When you use retro computers, do you also use retro peripherals? That is, do you stick with appropriately vintage keyboards, monitors, and mice? Does mixing and matching vintage computers with new peripherals ruin the experience or aesthetic? Or do the (supposed) benefits of modern keyboards and displays outweigh the heresy?

Retro Computing News:

• B-Roll footage from inside a 1982 Sears store
• Halt and Catch Fire Syllabus

Vintage Computer commercial:

• Mattel Electronics Baseball

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Throwboy shirts

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: The Chip Shop Basicode tape
  • See also: Example broadcast of The Chip Shop’s "takeaway service"
• Paul: Broken Baseball
  • Mac security brackets
  • Learn WordPerfect VHS tapes
  • New TRS-80 game
  • eMate-inspired RPi case
  • eMate 300

Closing notes:

• TRS-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

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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Jack Nutting, and Blake Patterson

Topic: Something, Something, Retrocompute

No topic this time, really, just various news items and eBay auctions. Accelerators, printers, a new Atari 2600 game, Microsoft history, a strangely familiar host's gift idea.

Retro Computing News:

• A2turbo Card
• Mockingboard-T (Mockingboard clone with tube amp)
• Audacity Games (Circus Convoy, for Atari 2600)
• Circus Convoy trailer
• Plex launches Arcade with Atari games
• Yellowstone 3.5 Inch Drive Support!

Vintage Computer commercial:

• IBM AS/400

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Atari 130XE spiral notebook

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Practical Peripherals SwitchPort //c
  • iMac Timex alarm clock
  • Video: iMac Timex alarm clock
• Paul: GTE XT300 (link now dead)
  • See also: Computerworld Ad for GTE XT300
  • See also: Retro scan of the week, Feb 25 2007
  • See also: The DAK Catalog
  • Forethought PowerPoint manual
  • See also: Version Museum
  • See also: GUIdebook Gallery

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 Blake Patterson

Topic: Video Out, Volume One: A-Ap

Techniques for getting video out of an old computer. Particularly, it turns out, if it is an Amiga. Part one of several, no doubt.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Testing, cleaning and tuning up a small IBM VGA monitor
• CoCoVGA
• RetroTINK
• ZX-HD
• PLAdvanced+ PLA replacement
• JCM III encoder
• LEGO NES
• Retro Rewind
• 99% Invisible episode on the last moments of The Sims Online
• Atari monitor with a disk drive in it
• The Amiga Show

Retro Computing News:

• Amiga A1100
• Build A Brand New ZX Spectrum From New Parts
• Building a new C64 in 2020
• Altair 8800 Built from New Equipment in 2018
• BMC64 and family, VICE on bare metal RasPi

Vintage Computer commercial:

• Commodore 128 1985 commercial

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Retrocomputing masks

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Old Apple Macintosh Lot And IBM
  • TI Hexbus PCM Prototype Card
• Earl: California Computer Systems (CCS) S-100 Computer
• Paul: SuperPET
  • Apple II circuit board making kit
  • Brøderbund Arcade Machine
  • Homemade IIe Card cable
  • Flip N File

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), Quinn Dunki, Jack Nutting, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Catching Up

It's 2021! There are many of us this time, so we just talk about some stuff.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Micro Phobia (Martin Honeysett)
• Apricot F1
• Thomas Cherryhomes and Kay Savetz bounce a ball across the internet using FujiNet
• Reviewing the Omega Home Computer, homebrew MSX2
• Sergey Kiselev's projects (including the Omega Home Computer)

Retro Computing News:

• Amiga Parceiro
• Blake's Parceiro
• MISE
• M3SE
• Cricket!
• Once Upon Atari (book by Howard Scott Warshaw)
• Nibble-magazine dot com
• Classic AmigaOS Programming: An Introduction (E. Th. van den Oosterkamp) (Amazon)
• Action Amiga : Computer Graphics Animation and Video Production Manual (John Warren Oakes) (AbeBooks)
• AmigaDOS (Mark Burgess) (AbeBooks)
• Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual (AbeBooks)
• Atari VCS (The Younger)
• So the Atari VCS is Finally Here (Spawn Wave, YouTube)
• You can sideload an OS, does that make the Atari VCS worth buying? (Spawn Wave, YouTube)
• Activision, Atari, Absolute: How Video Game Companies Once Gamed the Alphabet for Publicity
• NYTimes “Impractical rise” article

"Upcoming" shows

• WozFest 18. Sat Mar 20. Noon, Sydney.

Vintage Computer commercial:

• Atari 1200XL "The Convincer""

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Hyperkin Ranger gamepad for Atari 2600 etc.

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Macintosh II RISC 88000 Processor board
  • Exatron Stringy Floppy Disk Drive Wafer - Lot of 40
  • DIMENSION 68000 disks
• Carrington: Keycap remover
  • MJI Hobbi-Stick Joystick
• Paul: Apple II keyboard repeaterrr
  • Apple //c with C-Vue and LaserWriter
  • Seiko UC-2200
  • See also: Seiko UC-2000 The Dawn of Wearable Computers
  • Apple II reference manual (red book)
  • IBM 5161 Expansion Unit
• Quinn: Commodore Amiga Book for Beginners
  • Compute!'s Beginner Guide to the Amiga

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, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Preserving the Fleeting Now

Things people post, preserving the past, themselves vanish. eBay images, images in blogs that eventually go offline. Respositories like Pinterest morph into something less useful for preservation and searching. Are the things we find and post now going to be there in the future? (And, since no, they're not, what should we be doing?)

Topic/Feedback links:

• Pinry, locally hosted Pinterest-alike

Retro Computing News:

• The Digital Antiquarian: Lode Runner
• Working From Home At 25MHz
• DeRamp.com vintage computing
• Altair 8800 clone
• WorldWideWeb web app
• Love Notes To Newton
• Nox Archaist
• Sprite Castle plays Karateka
• MacFolklore Radio
• Have a Helping of 8-bit Holiday Cheer! (2020 Edition)
• ZX Spectrum NEXT demo
• IEEE article on computer dealer demos
• Apple 1984 Christmas Demo

Vintage Computer-related commercials:

• Macintosh Quadra
• HesWare

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Intel Outside sticker

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Atari 1200XL set
  • HxC Floppy Emulator in enclosure
• Carrington: Mimio Digital Whiteboard
  • See also: Hands on: Mimio for the Macintosh
• Earl: HesWare Microsoft Multiplan For Commodore 64
• Paul: Apple beige touch-up paint
  • Excalibur Savvy The Robot Programmer
  • See also: Savvy ad in Byte
  • See also: Investigative thread (Nate Cull, Mastodon, Jan 2018)
  • Quicktake 150, cheap?

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, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Not cassettes, not floppies

Software distributed in some way other than on cassette or floppy.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Database 1984 (BBC Micro broadcast software)
• 4 Computer Buffs 1985 (Soldering an optical sensor)
• An example of the annoying blob (4 Computer Buffs)
• Author of the decoding software for optical TV transmitter
• Epson PX-8 Geneva’s software-on-a-chip, carrier
• The Lucksmiths “The Cassingle Revival”
• Techmoan on vinyl video
• The History of BASICODE
• Secret C64 program hidden on Christian rock album
• Pete Shelly "ZX Spectrum Code"
• The Thompson Twins Adventure Game
• Information Society "300bps N, 8, 1"

Retro Computing News:

• Booting a 5150 from a vinyl record
• ReStuff
• Alkemstone
• VidHD and “Total Replay”: Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together!

Upcoming shows

• World of Commodore. Sat Dec 5. Virtual.

Vintage Computer-related commercials:

• TIMEX DataLink watch
• Amiga 500 commercial

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Susan Kare prints

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Workstation cards
  • See also: ivanx.com
  • Mac/Lisa Wizardry
• Carrington: Hellcats Over The Pacific
  • Star Fighter by 3DO
  • Sinistaar for Color Computer III
• Paul: Lisa 2
  • Sankyo computer music
  • Interface Age 1978
  • Timex Data Link 150. Fixer-upper
  • See also: Download software from Timex
  • A different Timex Data Link 150, working
  • Metal Univac ad sign
  • Univac ad poster
  • Cauzin Apple sampler library
  • See also: ANTIC 115 (Jan 11, 2016), Bob Brass and Peter D’Amato (Cauzin Softstrip)
  • See also: Reverse Engineering the Cauzin Softstrip
  • See also: Cauzin Softstrip media kit
• Quinn: Amiga 500 in box, it go boom?
  • Amiga 500, tastefully upgraded
  • Amiga 1200 complete, but so spendy
  • Amiga 1200 US, aggressively retrobrited
  • See also: The Future Was Here (Jimmy Maher)

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: RCR Episode 2

Episode 2 of the Retro[ ]computing Roundtable is a decade old.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Episode 2
• Windows 1 Turns 25
• Target Haunted Computer (eBay)
• Target Haunted Computer (YouTube)

Retro Computing News:

• Atari announces list of games included with upcoming Atari VCS
• Official site not working, naturally
• List can also be found here
• The C64
• Procedurally generated retrocomputer emulators (Hackaday)
• Procedurally generated emulators, list
• CocoTalk 185 discussion of the procedurally generated emulators
• 8-bit Unity new release
• 8-bit Hub
• Joeylib

Upcoming shows

• World of Commodore. Sat Dec 5. Virtual.

Vintage Computer-related commercials:

• Commodore MAX machine (Japanese)
• Pioneer PL-518 turntable commercial 1979

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Floppy shaped battery

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Vintage Atari 410 Cassette Program Recorder
  • Heart of China for Mac by Dynamix
  • Serpentine for Apple II, sealed
• Michael: PDP 11/45 front panel
• Paul: Apple II+ jigsaw puzzle (missing a piece)
  • Apple IIe set (A cautionary tale about buying things for collectors)
  • Apple II Workstation card
  • Apple II Sprite Logo card
  • See also: LCSI Sprite Card (Peter Neubauer's blog)
  • Bunker-Ramo Telequote III terminal
  • See also: Discussion of a Telequote on VCFed forum
  • See also: Bunker-Ramo ad
  • DEC H-500 logic trainer

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

Topic: Decade

It's been just days over 10 years since the first episode of this podcast, so we reflect a bit on the podcast, the community, our starts.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Episode 1
• Episode 30, live at KansasFest 2012
• Live streaming video from Mac Plus
• ScuzzyGraph
• Mini-MPI
• NitrOS-9 Ease of Use (EOU) Project

Retro Computing News:

• Usenet archive UTZOO Online
• Tapes to PostgreSQL using Python 3.8
• Volley for Two (new Commodore 128 game)
• Inside stacked RAM modules
• Looking Back on 35 Years as an Amiga User

Vintage Computer-related commercial:

• 1984 BBC Micro Acorn Electron Home PC Advert

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Commodore 64 Patent Print

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Three Cray Research Posters: MPGS, Y-MP EL, Y-MP C90
  • VTech Laser 110
  • VTech Laser 310
  • See also: VTech Laser 200 (Wikipedia)
• Earl: COMPU GLO Neon Dot Matrix Computer Paper
• Paul: Apple Interactive TV Box
  • See also: AITB (Higher Intellect wiki)
  • Better Working (Spinnaker) Power C for C64
  • Sony Magic Link development system
  • Apple III disk drive
  • Mac OS X Snow Leopard install DVD
  • HP 2647A terminal
  • See also: HP 2640A (HP Computer Museum)
  • See also: HP 264x terminals (CuriousMarc)

Closing notes:

• Wind-up Gramophones (Techmoan)

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: Repurposed Tech

This time we talk about existing technology repurposed for use with computers. Cassette tapes, CDs, TVs. Though it wound up being kind of more tangent than topic this time.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Think-a-Tron review
• Precursor (FPGA phone)
• TEDuino, a Commodore cassette unit replacement

Retro Computing News:

• Sacrifice Zone: IBM’s abandoned country club
• Bill Herd visits former MOS Technologies factory
• VCF East
• VCF East on YouTube
• VCF East schedule
• Crazy Blaster: new Amstrad CPC game
• Joshua Stein live-coding IMAP client on Mac 512Ke in Think C

Vintage Computer-related commercial:

• Clue, Clue II, and Let's Go To The Races VCR games

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• 10 Print Coffee mug
• COFFEE mug

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Robocom Bitstick for Apple II CAD
  • See also: Bitstick write-up
  • See also: Original Robocom CAD-1 setup
  • MacHandwriter pen gestures for classic Macs
  • Hyper Electronics 91 Function Apple Mouse
  • Apple Resource Directory floppy disks
  • Apple Video News #1 VHS tape
  • Apple lunch bag with AM/FM radio
• Paul: PC Transporter
  • Make your own murder party on the Zinderneuf
  • Sealed Apple brochures
  • Portable 128D
  • iMac DV/SE
  • QuickLink cable organizer
  • Mac DeveloperEd box
  • Old Mac/Lisa disks

Closing notes:

• Algarve Portugal escape rooms
• Galavant

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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