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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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 262: 60 years between Bell 103 and today” s InterNet →

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. … Continue reading RCR Episode 252: UNIVAC liked Ike →

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, … Continue reading RCR Episode 251: Memories of Whirlwind I →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 250: Computing Machinery and Intelligence →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 249: 2020 also →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 248: So long, 2021 →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 247: Computing 24/7 →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 246: Data hoards, musician chords →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 245: End of line →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 244: Lacking Future Relevance →

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 – … Continue reading RCR Episode 243: Networking keeps us all connec →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 242: Retro networking, episode 1 →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 241: Every Septandy is Like the First Septandy →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 240: A Flock of Toasters →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 239: The BYTE Shop →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 238: Commodore 1541GS →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 237: 18-bit Space Computers →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 236: Lasers Smoking in the PET Room →

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 … Continue reading RCR Episode 235: Playing in the MUD →