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 …

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…

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 Com…

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 (Mi…

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 ema…

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 Fort…

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) D…

Various podcasters who attended the KansasFest 2023 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 Jo…

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 …

Kay has created a 50,000 word choose your own adventure novel for NaNoGenMo, and Carrington has nothing in his home to sit on. One of the hosts has their life much more together than the other, but who's to say which one. Okay, it's Kay. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by MC Frontalot Find links, notes, and m…

Procrastination is the name of the game when Kay and Carrington play Violet. Okay, technically Violet is the name of the game when Kay and Carrington play Violet, but you know what I mean. Note to self: write a better summary for this podcast episode. I'm sure I'll get around to it before we record. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tu…

The Grue Gang tackles one of modern IF's most intricate and interesting games, in which letters can be added or deleted from words at any time and anything can be rearranged. Grue can become gruel, games can become gams, and podcasters can become really cool dudes (okay, that one is hypothetical). Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune…

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: The Apple II Age: How the Co…

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…

It's time to dim the lights and break out the legally binding waivers, as Kay and Carrington get busy with an interactive fiction dating sim. They'll also get down to some music inspired by Infocom games. Remember when they used to just play Zork? This podcast just keeps getting weirder. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is P…

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 CD…

The Grue Crew discuss Carrington's own new text adventure game which he foisted upon an unsuspecting Kay. This is a deep dive into the creation of both the game and Feelies. Can the podcast, and more the point Carrington's ego, survive such a review? As the game itself says, what's the worst that can happen? Only one way to find out. Hosts: Kay Sav…

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 GoF…

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, spea…

What do you get when you mix difficult puzzles with intricate storytelling? A pair of defeated gamers, that's what. Kay and Carrington throw in the towel and admit they were bested by Andrew Plotkin's Hadean Lands. Then they replay Emily Short's recently remastered Bee, and tackle Jason Shiga's twisted tale of tentacles and truth. Bonus: Kay may or…

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 BB…

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 Digir…

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 …

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 o…

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. T…

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, E…

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 20…

The guys from Grue tackle another pair of modern Interactive Fiction games, or at least try to. First up is Everybody Dies, by Jim Munroe, in which ... well, everybody dies. Until they don't. And maybe there are ghosts. Next is Bee, by Emily Short, about going to a spelling bee. Except the only version of the game available doesn't include the spel…

Kay and Carrington get a double dose of IF when they play and discuss Twine games for the first time. First up is Their Angelical Understanding, by Porpentine, which comes with both music and warnings. Next is 16 Ways to Kill a Vampire at McDonalds, by Abigail Corfman, a game about french fries and undeath. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston …

It's time for pointin' and clicking' and piratin', oh my, as Kay and Carrington play one of LucasFilm's famously funny forays into adventure gaming. Will they become terrors of the high seas, or be stuffed into Davy Jones' locker? All we know for sure is, there will be grog. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by…

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 rel…

The Grue Crew delves into a world of noisy elephants and silent Rs, as they discuss Graham Nelson's game The Meteor, The Stone and a Long Glass of Sherbet. Just when they think they're out, Zork pulls them back in. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by MC Frontalot Find links, notes, and more episodes of Eaten B…

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.…

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…

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 BASI…

Kay and Carrington leave behind the world of Infocom and venture into the future! (By which we mean the 1990s.) In this episode they tackle the two winners of the First Annual IF Competition: A Change in the Weather by Andrew Plotkin, and Uncle Zebulon's Will by Magnus Olsson. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" …

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 is…

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 editi…

It's another game with a colon in the title, as Kay and Carrington tackle the ninth game in the increasingly inaccurately named Zork Trilogy. This one wraps up the entire Zork series, and (maybe) (kinda) explains everything. It all started long ago west of a white house, but how will it end? And what comes next? Eaten By A Grue: Zork Zero: The Reve…

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 spre…

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 o…

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 retroco…

Kay and Carrington take a midnight train going anywhere into a land of magic, but too few resources to play it any way they want it (that's the way they need it). Will the Grue Crew and this game go their separate ways, or will they embrace this capital-J Journey with open arms? Journey: The Quest Begins Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston The…

Kay and Carrington set sail on the virtual high seas to give a talk at this year's JoCo Cruise, an annual oceangoing event for technophiles, tabletop gamers, and creative-minded people. In other words, a bunch of nerds. It's the perfect venue to discuss all things Infocom. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by M…

Can Kay and Carrington defeat the usurper king and restore peace to a fabled land? And more importantly, can they do it while turning into badgers and turtles and eels, oh my. Some claim there is more to being a knight than just eating ham and jam and Spam a lot. Surely you joust. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Da…

You'll need swords, seamanship, political guile, but most of all inline hints to tackle Infocom's ill-conceived first foray into graphical adventures. Kay and Carrington find their patience tested in a game where, ironically, the most frequently used command is 'wait'. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by MC Fr…

Kay and Carrington take a victory lap after finishing all of the Infocom text-only adventures. Turn on verbose mode and light the brass lantern, it's time to take a look back at what they liked best, and least, from these classic games. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by MC Frontalot Find links, notes, and mo…

A bone chilling blizzard at the window, a reanimated hand on your shoulder, and worst of all a term paper deadline. All the ingredients for a deliciously dreadful day at Boston's creepiest college, where Kay and Carrington delve deep into the tunnels and tombs of The Lurking Horror. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch …

In Wishbringer, a search for a lost cat leads Kay and Carrington into a dark fantasy land where their greatest concern isn't the witches, the eldritch tendrils, or even the grue. It's delivering the mail. Be careful what you wish for. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by MC Frontalot Find links, notes, and more…

What do you get when you combine a plucky little robot, an abandoned space station, and Cousin Oliver? To find out, complete form JZ-59-G then listen in as Kay and Carrington discuss Stationfall, Infocom's comedy horror space adventure mystery. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by MC Frontalot Find links, notes…