Antic The Atari 8-bit Podcast

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  In our 50th episode, Kevin tells us about all his secret tours, we tell you about upcoming contests, review new books, and read lots of feedback from our listeners. READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd” New Atari books scans at archive.org ANTIC feedback at AtariAge Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge Interview index: here ANTIC Facebook Page AHCS Eaten By a Grue   Donate to Ted Nelson project at: https://paypal.me/Savetz TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour - https://tehpodcast.com What We’ve Been Up To Vintage Computer Festival Pacific Northwest - https://archive.org/details/@savetz?and%5B%5D=Vintage+Computer+Festival+Pacific+Northwest Atari 1020 plotter https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=yAetCgnxYbc Replacement X/Y gears: https://www.shapeways.com/product/CMBQ6D2Z4 LCM tour (Dorsett tapes) - http://www.livingcomputers.org/ Internet Archive visit - http://www

William "Ted" Farmer, Eastern Front (1941) Scenarios   Ted Farmer created one product for the Atari 8-bit computers, with an unwieldy name: “Eastern Front (1941) Scenarios For 1942, 1943, 1944". The disk of add-on scenarios for Eastern Front 1941 first appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog, alongside Chris Crawford's Eastern Front (1941) scenario editor, the program that Ted used to create the scenarios.   This interview took place on January 27, 2018.   Teaser quote: "Some time later, I got a message on my telephone answering machine, and it was from Chris [Crawford]. It was very short. He said, 'Stop working on the article, and I can't tell you why.'"   Software and manual   Eastern Front Scenarios in the fall 1983 APX catalog   Eastern Front (1941) Scenarios at AtariMania

Douglas Wilder, Ultimate Renumber Utility   Douglas Wilder published one program though Atari Program Exchange, Ultimate Renumber Utility, which he co-wrote with his father, Justin Wilder. It first appeared in the winter 1981 APX catalog, but was featured in the catalog for less than a year: in the winter 1982 catalog, it was replaced by BASIC/XA, which did renumbering as well as other functions for programmers.   This interview took place on January 26, 2018.   Teaser quote: "So we got enough money off the sales of that through APX that it paid for both my father's computer and mine."   Ultimate Renumber Utility in the winter 1981 APX catalog

Jerry Horanoff, Carina BBS Software   Jerry Horanoff was the creator of the Carina bulletin board system software for the Atari 8-bit computers, and later, Carina II.    The October 1986 issue of ANTIC Magazine wrote: "This expandable, module-based bulletin board software package is written in understandable BASIC and includes XMODEM upload/download transfer protocol, message editor with word processor-like functions and a total of 44 commands, including 17 sysop functions. It operates at 300, 1200 or 2400 baud and works with most DOSs and BASICs."   Jerry also created Ultramon, a disassembler. Later he worked at ICD and Commodore.    This interview took place on January 25, 2018.   Carina 1 Software And Documentation   Carina II Manual   1987 interview with Jerry   Purrfect Sift kickstarter

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  In this first episode of 2018, we talk about the fact that ANTIC has been downloaded over ½ million times,  we get a surprise visit from Thomas Cherryhomes, who talks about PLATO for the Atari, we offer Atari 8-bit gift options for Valentine’s Day, Nir Dary tells us about some things he’s been exploring, plus all the Atari 8-bit news that we could find.  Happy New Year! READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd” New Atari books scans at archive.org ANTIC feedback at AtariAge Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge ANTIC Facebook Page AHCS Eaten By a Grue   Donate to Ted Nelson project at: https://paypal.me/Savetz TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour - https://tehpodcast.com What We’ve Been Up To Laserdisc project - https://archive.org/stream/creativecomputing-1982-01/Creative_Computing_v08_n01_1982_January#page/n92/mode/1up/search/aurora Trans Lux - Trans Lux, Atari 800 art by Hal Glick

Rawson Stovall, The Vid Kid newspaper column   As you no doubt gleaned from the clips of his appearances on CBS Morning News and The Tonight Show, Rawson Stovall was only a child when he started writing a syndicated newspaper column in which he reviewed computer games and home video games. The column, called Vid Kid, appeared in 20 newspapers around the United States. He was in fact the first nationally syndicated reviewer of video games in the country.   He is author of The Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games — a compilation of his reviews — which was published in 1984, when Rawson was 12 years old.    This interview took place on January 23, 2018.   Rawson Stovall on the CBS Morning News Rawson Stovall on Tonight Show Rawson on Wikipedia Rawson on Twitter The Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games

Chris James, Thorn EMI   Chris James worked at Thorn EMI, where he was a programmer and later a project manager. Later he founded James Software, which specialized in game conversions to various computer platforms. His long list of Atari game credits includes Darts, Tank Commander, and several jigsaw puzzle games such as European Scene Jigsaw Puzzles and Hickory Dickory Dock.   He is also the husband of Hanan Samara, whom I interviewed previously, and whom you can hear providing color commentary in the background from time to time.   This interview took place on November 13, 2017.   Teaser quote: "We didn't feel like we were sort of on a frontier as such, but we were, I guess — and breaking ground."   AtariMania's list of Chris games: http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-james-chris_team_650_8_G.html   Hanan Samara interview: http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-325-hanan-samara-jumbo-jet-pilot-and-jinn-genie 

Hanan Samara: Jumbo Jet Pilot and Jinn Genie   Hanan Samara was a programmer at Thorn EMI, where her work included programming the game Jumbo Jet Pilot. Later she founded Dalali Software, a company that specialized in converting games to various computer platforms. There she created the Atari computer game Jinn Genie.   This interview took place on November 13, 2017.   Her husband, Chris James, can be heard in the background, and is the subject of my next interview.   Teaser quote: "We just had to really learn fast. I mean really, really learn fast."   Atarimania's list of Hanan's software   Hanan in January 1985 Popular Computing Weekly   Hanan in January 1988 Advanced Computer Entertainment

Geoffrey Card, kid game reviewer   In my interview with Orson Scott Card, he mentioned that his son, Geoffrey, helped him review Atari games — thoroughly playing games, then providing a sort of executive summary for his dad, who then wrote about the games for Compute! magazine. I thought it would be fun to get Geoffrey's perspective about that time.   This interview took place on January 19, 2018.   Teaser quote: "One of the interesting, great things about that era was the fact that somebody could sit there in their garage and they could make something, and it really was indistinguishable from what the professionals were making."   Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/r17r_AzoLrI   Orson Scott Card interview: http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-323-orson-scott-card-compute-books

Orson Scott Card, Compute! Books   Orson Scott Card is a Hugo Award winning, best-selling science fiction author, perhaps best known for his 1985 novel, Ender's Game.    But we're not here to talk about that — because for about nine months, Orson Scott Card was an editor at Compute! Books, where we worked on several books about the Atari 8-bit and other computer platforms. His work appears in Compute!'s Third Book of Atari and Compute!'s Second Book of Atari Graphics.   He also wrote extensively for Compute! magazine, primarily about computer games. His FontByter and ScreenByter graphics utilities for the Atari computers were published in Compute! His short story The Lost Boys features a character that plays games on an Atari computer.   This interview took place on January 5, 2018. A video version of this interview is also available.   Teaser quote: "I really miss programming. I miss those nights, starting after the kids were in bed — 8:30, 9 o'clock — just solving problems ... noticing that there was now li

Maurice Molyneaux, Atari animation guru   Maurice Molyneaux was a game artist, Atari graphics animator, and writer. He wrote articles for Video Games & Computer Entertainment Magazine and A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing Magazine, and wrote "The Animation Stand" column for ST-Log magazine.   He created many animations primarily using MovieMaker, an animation program for the Atari published by Reston Publishing.   This interview took place on November 20, 2017.   Teaser quote: "[Lee Pappas] said 'Oh, we get the reader service cards in, your column is like the most popular thing in the magazine.' And I said, 'Well, then you won't mind paying me the technical rate instead of the standard rate.' ... He said 'Oooh, you got me.' So I ended up making my rent every month writing that damn column.”   Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/4W6NtaEKccI   Maurice's web site: http://mauricemolyneaux.com   Maurice's blog posts about Atari animation: https://mmolyneaux.wordpress.com/category/animation/   Maurice Molyne

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  In this 2017 year-end episode, we get a surprise visit from our international correspondent, Nir Dary, we hear about Kevin’s dream find, and we unwrap our surprise Christmas gifts from Nir Dary.  Nir Dary tells us about his visit to SilliVenture. (It’s a whole lot of Nir Dary!)  Plus all the Atari 8-bit news that we could find. Happy New Year! READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd” New Atari books scans at archive.org ANTIC feedback at AtariAge Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge ANTIC Facebook Page AHCS Eaten By a Grue   Donate to Ted Nelson project at: https://paypal.me/Savetz TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour - https://tehpodcast.com What We’ve Been Up To Revive 1027 - Roller Rubber Replacement for ATARI®1027 Printers - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/271589-revive1027-order-thread/ SIDE2 Cart - http://lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=68 TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour - https://teh

Databar OSCAR   This is a story about the rise and fall of a compter peripheral and the company behind it. The company was Databar, and the product was called OSCAR, which was short for Optical SCAnning Reader.   In 1983, it wasn't easy to get inexpensive software for your home computer. Floppy disks were expensive. Modems were slow and expensive. You could get software in magazines — a variety of computer magazines offered computer program listings that you could type in. You might spend hours laboriously typing in a program, and it might work. Or more likely,  it wouldn't, because of a typo or because of errors in the published listing. It wasn't easy to get inexpensive software for your computer.   One solution that a couple of companies came up with was to distribute software in books and magazines — but instead of printed listings that you'd have to type in, the programs were distributed as bar codes — long collections of black and white dots. You could use a bar code scanner to read the programs into yo

Robert Jaeger, Montezuma's Revenge   Robert Jaeger is best known in the Atari community as the programmer of the popular game Montezuma's Revenge, which was published by Parker Brothers in 1984. He also programmed Chomper, published by MMG Micro Software; and Pinhead, published by Robert's own company, Utopia Software.   This interview took place on December 2, 2017.   Digital Press interview with Robert   Montezuma's Revenge group on Facebook   AtariMania's list of Robert's games   Gary Walton interview   Wikipedia on Montezuma's Revenge   Google DeepMind AI learns to play Montezuma's Revenge

Tay Vaughan, Atari Connection and Antic magazines   Tay Vaughan used Atari computers in his school for maritime skills and as a marine surveyor. He was featured in that capacity in a 1983 Atari catalog "Atari Home Computers — The Next Generation." Next, he was hired by Atari and was an editor of The Atari Connection magazine, where he wrote the Bits & Pieces column. Later, Tay was senior editor at Antic magazine, and he edited the book The Best of Atari Software, published by Consumer's Guide.   In this interview, we discuss Ted Richards and Jim Capparell, whom I have previously interviewed.    This interview took place on December 4, 2017.   "Those guys came to the school, the Atari marketing people, and said 'we'd like to give you a couple of computers to let your students play with them and so forth. In exchange, we'll come and take some pictures and maybe use you for marketing."   Tay Vaughan in Atari computer catalog   Tay's web site   Bits and Pieces   Tay's articles in Antic magazine    Intervi

Linda Schreiber: T.H.E.S.I.S. Software and author   Linda Watson-Call is better known to Atari users as Linda Schreiber, which was her name at that time. Linda was the founder of T.H.E.S.I.S. Software, an educational software publisher for the Atari 8-bit and Apple II computers. The company was best known for her game, Big Math Attack. She wrote several books about the Atari 8-bit computers: Atari Programming with 55 Programs, Advanced Programming Techniques for your Atari, and Atari Fun & Games: Discover New Heights in Game-Playing Excitement on Any Atari, as well as books about the TI 99/4A and Atari ST computers. She also wrote the Education column in very early editions of Antic magazine.    This interview took place on November 25, 2017.   "Oh my gosh, I was like kicking out a program every other month. That was a lot of coding."   Linda's blog   Atarimania's list of Linda's software   Atarimania's list of THESIS software   Linda's articles in Antic magazine   ATARI Programming with 55 Programs

Richard Taylor, Digital Devices Corporation   Richard Taylor was an employee of Digital Devices Corporation. DDC built a number of adapters for the Atari 8-bit computers — it's most well-known product was probably APE-FACE, an inexpensive ($90) device that connected the Atari's SIO port to standard parallel printers. The company's other products included UPRINT, a printing buffer; and the Ape-Link Serial Peripheral Input/Output Expansion Cable.   Richard's job? He said in an AtariAge message board message "I was the warranty repair department, shipping department, prototype builder, janitor, etc. while I was going to Georgia Tech in 1984/85."   This interview took place on November 14, 2017.   Teaser quote: "The printer buffer was just a huge hit. It blew me away. Wow, look, it'll take it all in 10 or 20 seconds and just sit there and spool it out to the printer!"   Richard on AtariAge   Ape-Face Fact Sheet   AtariAge discussion about Ape-Face

Dave Comstock, part 2   A couple of days after our interview, Dave Comstock (who worked at Atari on E.T. Phone Home, Superman III, and Clock & Dagger) e-mailed me saying he had remembered more stories from his Atari days. So we set up a second interview.    This interview took place on November 14, 2017.   “The project team was actually treated to a meal with Ray Kassar and some other executives in the executive dining room … it was like, one of the fanciest restaurants that you’ve ever been to.”   Video version of this interview

Dave Comstock: E.T. Phone Home!, Superman III, Cloak & Dagger   Dave Comstock worked at Atari from 1980 through 1984, first as a software and hardware tester, then as a programmer. Dave worked on three games for the Atari 8-bit computers: E.T. Phone Home!, Superman III, and Cloak and Dagger.   A video version of this interview is also available.   This interview took place on November 8, 2017.   "He said 'We've got to go out tonight, and it has to be a comedy.' ... He's like, 'I have something to tell you, and if I tell you we could both be fired.'"   AtariMania's list of Dave's games   Antic magazine article on the E.T. game   Programmer Dave Comstock Talks About the Atari 5200 Version of Cloak and Dagger

Sarah Haskell, Computerized Weaving   There's a column in the November 1983 issue of Family Computing magazine, by Jon Zonderman: "Home Business — Compute, Control, and Create. A weaver combines the traditional skills of her craft with a computer and reaps more than one reward."    The article is about Sarah Haskell, a weaver who used an Atari computer to design patterns for weaving, and also to computer-control her loom.    [Excerpts from the article.]   My interview with Sarah took place on November 13, 2017.   Teaser quote: "But with the electronic system, you did not have to get down on the floor and physically re-configure all of the treadles with these little metal hook things. You would basically just change it."   Article in Family Computing magazine   Pictures of Sarah with an Atari 800   Macomber Looms and Me blog   About Sarah   Macomber Looms