Welcome to the Memory Machine, a podcast all about the pop cultural of the past, from the 1890's to the 1990's, and beyond. Each topic has on a guest or three, going through its history and discussing our personal experiences and views on it. Host Nate Lockhart has been interested in all these old things for as long as he can remember, and is pretty excited to get out all this info out of his brain for a productive purpose.
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Quick Update and Midwest Gaming Classic 2024!
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Hey all - just a quick update on what's been going on with me and why you haven't seen a whole heck of a lot of activity regarding the podcast. Don't worry, it's nothing serious! Ethan Johnson also joins for a brief discussion about the Midwest Gaming Classic, and how it's so much fun!
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Memory Machine #70 - The Heyday of Video Rental
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For about 30 years, video rentals were a part of everyday life for anyone who owned a TV set. It allowed us to watch and re-watch our favorite movies at our leisure, discover new favorites through combing the aisles, and chat up the clerks for recommendations. To talk about these pastimes, Nick Ryan joins the podcast to talk about the history of vi…
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Memory Machine #69 - The History of Screens
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You know, those things that we watch stuff on? Where did they come from? Who invented it? And what do they have to do with fax machines? All these things and more will be answered as guest Ethan Johnson returns to uncover the mystery. There's a lot of fascinating examples of the things we're talking about in this podcast, so make sure to check out …
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Memory Machine #68 - Early Computer Kits w/ Jason Dyer
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There were home computers BEFORE the Altair 8800 and even the Kenbak-1? It's true! Even in the computer's earliest days, attempts (some successful!) were made to bring the concepts of computing to experimenters and hobbyists at home. Large, expensive analog computers could be had for the serious experimenter with cash to burn, and for those just lo…
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Memory Machine #67 - Working at Williams with Connie Joyce
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This month on the Memory Machine, Nate has on guest Connie Joyce to talk about her job in the parts department at Williams Electronics/WMS in the late 80's and early 90's! It's not always fun and games working at a pinball factory, but to hear Connie tell the story, it seems like it almost was. Reminisce about pinball favorites such as Black Knight…
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Memory Machine #66 - Obscure Horror Recommendations
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It's been a bit, but we're back just in time for some Halloween fun! For the first time in years, Nate is welcoming back guests Seth and Trey to talk about some of their favorite horror films that may have been forgotten, overlooked, or underseen. Hopefully there's a few choices here that are new to you that will be good recommendations for your ow…
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Memory Machine #65: The Wide World of Silent Comedy (w/ Steve Massa)
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On this edition of the Memory Machine, host Nathaniel Lockhart has on prolific author, historian, and YouTube host Steve Massa to help teach us about how wide the breadth of humor truly was in the silent era. If all you know is Chaplin, Keaton, and (maybe) Harold Lloyd, prepare to be amazed at how deep this iceberg goes! You'll learn about styles o…
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Memory Machine #64 - Adventures and Misadventures in Vintage Console Repair
1:51:51
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This month on the Memory Machine, Nate talks with guests Dustin, Jonas and Cyo all about their adventures in vintage console and computing repair. Thrill at the exploits of fault-finding triumph! Recoil in fear over tales of leaky, exploded capacitors! Shake your head at dumb, rookie mistakes! All this and more has been carefully recorded for your …
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Memory Machine #63 - The History (and Present!) of Text Adventures
1:36:25
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For this episode of the podcast, Nate has on Jason Dyer to talk about the wide and wonderful world of interactive fiction, from its nascent period with "game books" all the way up to present day interactive fiction competitions. Jason Dyer is a prolific blogger on the topic of interactive fiction, and his blog Renga in Blue is a testament to his pa…
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Memory Machine #62 - A Beginner's Guide to the Apple II
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For this month's episode, we have on Joe Strostrider from Joe's Computer Museum to help walk us through the far-reaching world of the Apple II. Why is the Apple II such a big deal? If I'm going to grab one, which one should I get? And how the hell does one make a new floppy disk in 2022? These questions and many more are answered in this thorough, …
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I'm scheduling some new recordings for January! Finally! But hey, why not enjoy this blast from the past as well?
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Memory Machine #61 - The Origins of Baseball
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The origins of baseball, America's most cherished pastime, are often seen obscured through a magical fog of legend and myth - and we're sick of it! Alex Smith (writer of They Create Worlds and host of the They Create Worlds podcast) helps Nate separate fact from fiction on this whirlwind tour of the early history of baseball. Did baseball really co…
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Memory Machine #60 - Josie and the Pussycats, and Early 2000's Youth Culture
1:38:54
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Well, this is quite a departure from the last several episodes, eh? This week on the show, Nate is joined by Kate Lockhart and Molly Burke to talk about the 2001 cult favorite JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS, what it had to say about the pop culture of the era, and how its satire is viewed a bit differently twenty years on. Molly can be found on Instagram …
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Memory Machine #59 - The Birth of Pinball
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This week, Ethan Johnson returns as we talk about the next great chapter in arcade game history: the birth of Pinball (or Pigeonhole, if you must). It's a big topic with an appropriately long runtime, so get ready to fill your ears with a lot of ballyhoo! (pun is ABSOLUTELY intended.) Ethan excellent blog is The History of How We Play. You can foll…
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Memory Machine #58 - Gaming Alexandria (w/Dustin Hubbard)
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This week on the Memory Machine, Nate has on the stalwart archiver par excellence and grand potentate of the Gaming Alexandria website, Dustin Hubbard to talk about adventures in scanning magazine, dumping ROMs for obscure computers, and even grumble a little bit about copyright law. Please check out the Gaming Alexandria website to check out some …
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Memory Machine #57 - 70's Video Arcade Game Preservation Society
1:50:53
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The Memory Machine becomes a roundtable this week as four luminaries join Nate on the podcast to discuss the underappreciated world of 70's arcade video games, and the trials and travails in having them properly preserved. Guests include such authors and creators as Ethan Johnson (The History of How We Play, Arcade Dreams), Kate Willaert (A Critica…
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Memory Machine #56 - Coin-Op Carnival
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This week on the Memory Machine, two very special guests, Ryan Claytor and Nick Baldridge of the Coin-Op Carnival comic magazine, talk all about their joint publication, amazing pinball (and non-pinball) related projects, and their shared love of electro mechanical amusements. You'll learn about bingo pinball! You'll find out how pinball can be rea…
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Memory Machine #55 - So You Wanna Buy a Pinball Machine? (w/Caitlyn Pascal)
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This week on the podcast, Nate is joined by pinball enthusiast and owner Caitlyn Pascal to discuss the ins and outs of buying and owning pinball machines. What should you look for in buying a pinball machine? What should you be wary of? What is the process of maintaining and troubleshooting these things when something goes wrong? All these things a…
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Memory Machine #54 - Megan Hahin and the Herschel Carrousel Factory Museum
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This week on the Memory Machine, host Nate Lockhart chats with (former) Herschel Carrousel Factory Museum Director Megan Hahin! That's right, it took so long to get the Memory Machine back up to running that since the time of this recording, that Megan Hahin has since taken a position with the nearby Buffalo History Museum, and Ian K. Seppala has s…
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Memory Machine #53 - The Atari 7800: An Appreciation
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This week on the Memory Machine podcast, Nate is joined by Jim and Sean of the Pie Factory Podcast to heap praise upon the near-forgotten yet much beloved console, the Atari 7800. We talk about the highs! (Food Fight! homebrews!) We talk about the lows! (Hat Trick! Bad business decisions!) And the in-between! (Ninja Golf?) It's all here on the newe…
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The Memory Machine #52 - The Era of the Penny Arcade with Ethan Johnson
1:26:48
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Arcade and video game historian Ethan Johnson joins Nate on this episode of the podcast to talk all about the penny arcades of the 1890's to the 1920's. That's right, even before pinball! In the era of gaslight, vaudeville and the cylinder phonograph, automation came to public entertainment in the penny arcade. These establishments offered all mann…
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The Memory Machine #51 - A Conversation With Kevin Bunch (Atari Archive)
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On this week's grand relaunch of the Memory Machine podcast, Nate has on video game historian Kevin Bunch to talk about his work with the Atari Archive video series on YouTube, along with his other research projects involving the RCA Studio II and the Bally Professional Arcade (aka Astrocade). Check out memorymachinepod.com for more!…
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