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ANTIC Episode 116 - AI-Generated Nonsense (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 30 Apr 2025 - Size: 67.6 MByte - Duration: 01:40:30

ANTIC Episode 116

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we talk about all the Atari things we did this month and discuss all the “AI-generated nonsense” going on in the Atari world…READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to


ANTIC Interview 456 - Stanley R. Trost, Electronic Arts Financial Cookbook (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 25 Mar 2025 - Size: 27.1 MByte - Duration: 28:37
Stanley Trost, Electronic Arts Financial Cookbook 
 
Stanley R. Trost wrote several books about early microcomputers, including Atari BASIC Programs in Minutes, Doing Business with VisiCalc, Multiplan on the Commodore 64, Useful Basic Programs the for IBM PC, VisiCalc for Science and Engineering, and others. He was also the creator of Financial Cookbook, which was published by Electronic Arts in 1984 (and one of only two "home management" titles released by EA, the other being Cut and Paste, "the Remarkably Simple Word Processor").
 
Financial Cookbook provided 32 financial calculators and decision-making tools, including understanding your marginal tax rate, living on your savings, how much life insurance you need, variable rate mortgages, and so on. Versions of the program were sold for Atari 8-bit and ST, Apple II, Commodore 64, Macintosh, and perhaps other platforms.
 
This interview took place on March 24, 2025.
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 455 - Bill and David Lappen, Buy-Phone (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 15 Mar 2025 - Size: 38.7 MByte - Duration: 48:17
Bill and David Lappen, Buy-Phone
 
It's a dangerous game in the computer history field to call anything the "first." But Buy-Phone is a very strong contender call itself the first online yellow pages. Years before before Yahoo!, before Craigslist, Buy-Phone was a text-based dial-up service — available at 300 and 1200 bits per second — that provided business listings, movie times, and personal ads, all for free to callers. The service launched in late 1982 and was limited to the West Los Angeles area. Buy-Phone was the brainchild of brothers Bill and David Lappen.
 
Here's what the August 1984 issue of IEEE Computer wrote: 
 
"Buy-Phone's "electronic yellow pages" service for Los Angeles is answering over 3000 consumer requests per day, on any thing trom movies to restaurants to auto repair - and the best part? It's all free.
The philosophy was to provide sponsored information paid for by the advertiser, not the consumer.
The computer organizes over 10,000 listings to respond exactly to the caller's request. According to the company, the system had to be easy for computer novices to operate, yet powerful enough to be of value. Four proficiency levels are used, each introducing additional features. Beginning users see only six different categories of listings (restaurants arranged by price or nationality, movie schedules, plays...). As users advance, they see an expanded list and are shown how to formulate a search. Retrieved listings are arranged by their distance from the user, with the closest shown first. Expert users are able to specify the time and day they want to buy an item and get information only about stores that are open then.
Buy-Phone is now testing expansion to determine how difficult it will be to create similar systems in other cities.
To discover Buy-Phone's service call (213) 474-0270 (300 baud), (213) 470-4679 (1200 baud). Access assistance is available at (213) 474-2220."
 
I interviewed Buy-Phone founders Bill and David Lappen on March 14, 2025.
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 115 - Exhausting Games for your Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 10 Mar 2025 - Size: 121.0 MByte - Duration: 01:28:05

ANTIC Episode 115

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we talk lots of contest news, Mr. Paint, a DIY Atari-themed monitor, and lots of other Atari 8-bit news.  Plus, we find a book on “exhausting” Atari games!

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

Recent Interviews

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

Commercial

Feedback


ANTIC Interview 454 - Steve Kranish, Parker Brothers Frogger (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 06 Mar 2025 - Size: 69.4 MByte - Duration: 01:26:36
Steve Kranish, Parker Brothers Frogger
 
Steve Kranish is the creator of the Atari 8-bit and Atari 5200 versions of Frogger, the versions published by Parker Brothers. Parker Brothers had the rights to publish cartridge versions of Frogger. Sierra On-Line had already published versions of Frogger on floppy disk and cassette, so Parker Brothers bought the rights to use that version as the basis for its cartridge version. But there were a few problems: for one, the 13K cassette game would need to be shrunk to fit on an 8K cartridge. Another: the source code was lost.
 
Steve also worked on an Atari 8-bit version of the board game Risk, and a game called Baker’s Dozen, both of which were unfinished. He also worked on Project Zelda, Parker Brothers investigation into distributing Atari VCS games via cable television. 
 
This interview took place on March 2, 2025. In 2016, I interviewed John Harris, who programmed the Sierra Online version of Frogger (as well as Jawbreaker and Mouskattack). Check the show notes for the link to that.
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 453 - Giann Velasquez, Atariteca (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 18 Feb 2025 - Size: 16.4 MByte - Duration: 31:13

ANTIC Interview 453 - Giann Velasquez, Atariteca

Hello, and welcome to this interview-only episode of ANTIC, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig, your host for this episode.

Giann Velasquez is the owner and curator of the popular, Spanish-language, Atari 8-bit news site, Atariteca.  Giann is a consummate Atari 8-bit fan and lives in Lima, Peru.

This interview took place on June 30, 2024.

Links

Blog about Atari 8-bit computers. News, guides and analysis on emulators, games and programs for Atari XL/XE series computers.

 


ANTIC Episode 114 - Andy Diller Returns! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 28 Jan 2025 - Size: 50.2 MByte - Duration: 01:37:10

ANTIC Episode 114 - Andy Diller Returns!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we have special guest Andy Diller for a FujiNet update and to let us know about all the great things he’s working on…

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

Commercial

Feedback

Closing

 


ANTIC Interview 452 - Dean Garraghty, DGS Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 23 Jan 2025 - Size: 23.4 MByte - Duration: 32:27

ANTIC Interview 452 - Dean Garraghty

Hello, and welcome to this interview-only episode of ANTIC, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig, your host for this episode.

Dean Garraghty is the proprietor of DGS Software, which sold, and continues to sell, software for the Atari 8-bit computers since the 80’s.  This is a very low cost, 191-disk set that includes an entire utility pack, games, issues of a disk-based newsletter, a sound and music package, an interesting programming language called Quick, and more.  Dean has been an Atari enthusiast since the 80’s and has an interesting story to tell concerning his journey with the Atari 8-bit.

This interview took place on April 6, 2024.

Links

 


ANTIC Episode 113 - Feeling Fancy! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 04 Jan 2025 - Size: 47.6 MByte - Duration: 01:05:08

ANTIC Episode 113 - Feeling Fancy!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… The clear case Kickstarter doesn’t make it, lots of FujiNet news, and we end the year 2024 with a bang by bringing you all the rest of the Atari news; all while Kay is feeling fancy…

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

 


ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 30 Dec 2024 - Size: 31.4 MByte - Duration: 39:00
Daniel Serpell (dmsc), Creator of FastBasic
 
Daniel Serpell (dmsc) is the creator of FastBasic, a modern implementation of the BASIC programming language for the Atari 8-bit computers. He released the first version to the public in 2017. Today, the GPL-licensed language is up to version 4.6, and is a favorite of 10-line BASIC game contest entrants and anyone who wants a speedy, modern take on Atari programming. 
 
I'm going to crib from AtariWiki's description of FastBasic: "It is a complete re-implementation of the BASIC system, using a built-in bytecode compiler rather than a tokenizing interpreter. Typical BASICs use an interpreter that examines every line of code as the program runs. ... FastBasic works on an entirely different principle. When a line is parsed in FastBasic, it (essentially) compiles the entire line into tokens and then leaves them in memory. This way the line does not have to be repeatedly parsed, even from the simplified token format, which makes it much faster to run."
 
FastBasic has other enhancements, including new commands for player-missiles and communicating with FujiNet, an option to only use faster integer math instead of floating point, and structured programming instead of line numbers.
 
This interview took place on December 21, 2024.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 450 - Robert Leyland: AtariArtist, KoalaPainter, MicroIllustrator (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Dec 2024 - Size: 51.7 MByte - Duration: 01:04:28
Robert Leyland: AtariArtist, KoalaPainter, MicroIllustrator
 
Robert Leyland programmed AtariArtist, KoalaPainter, and MicroIllustrator (along with Steve Dompier) - the graphics applications that worked with KoalaPad, Atari Touch Tablet, and Chalk Board PowerPad drawing tablets. Prior to that, he programmed The Dragon's Eye (published by Automated Simulations/EPYX), Murder on the Zinderneuf (published by Electronic Arts) and, with Jaron Lanier, the Atari version of Alien Garden for Automated Simulations.
 
This interview took place on January 21, 2023.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 449 - Tim Boehlert, Atari's WCI Labs Division (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 Dec 2024 - Size: 43.9 MByte - Duration: 54:39
Tim Boehlert, Atari's WCI Labs Division
 
Tim Boehlert began at Atari in 1982. He worked at WCI Labs, the New York Atari subsidiary, where he worked on the broadboard of the 600XL, robotics projects, and mass storage devices.
 
This interview took place on June 4, 2022.
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 448 - Frank Foster, Hybrid Arts (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 13 Dec 2024 - Size: 49.0 MByte - Duration: 58:14
Frank Foster, Hybrid Arts
 
Frank Foster was one of the founders of Hybrid Arts, the company that made MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) hardware and software for Atari 8-bit and Atari ST computers. Frank was in charge of marketing for the company. After Hybrid Arts, Frank headed the music division at Atari, where he build marketing partnerships with Tangerine Dream, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Gabriel, and other musicians.
 
I talked with two of the other Hybrid Arts founders, Robert Moore and Paul Rother, in my previous interview.
 
This interview took place on February 20, 2024. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 447 - Robert Moore and Paul Rother, Hybrid Arts MIDIMate (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 11 Dec 2024 - Size: 51.5 MByte - Duration: 01:00:59
Robert Moore and Paul Rother, Hybrid Arts MIDIMate
 
Robert Moore and Paul Rother were two of the founders of Hybrid Arts, along with Frank Foster and Alan Hart. Hybrid Arts created the MIDIMate, hardware that added Musical Instrument Digital Interface capability to the the Atari 8-bit computers; and various software for it including MIDITrack. Hybrid Arts continued on to make a wide variety of MIDI and music software for the Atari ST (which has built-in MIDI) including EZ-Track.
 
Paul was the programmer, Robert the music and sales person, and Frank Foster was the marketing person. Frank couldn't make it to this interview due to scheduling issues, but he'll be in my next interview. 
 
This interview took place on January 18, 2024.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 446 - Mary Eisenhart, MicroTimes magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 30 Nov 2024 - Size: 68.2 MByte - Duration: 01:20:29
Mary Eisenhart, MicroTimes magazine
 
Mary Eisenhart was editor of MicroTimes magazine, a free, advertising-supported magazine that was distributed in California. The first issue was May 1984, and Mary remained at the magazine until 1998, producing more than 180 issues. MicroTimes provided interviews, computer industry news, rumors, and columns, and - of course - advertising. For most of its run, there were two editions of each issue: Northern California and Southern California. 
 
When she left MicroTimes, Mary took with her a copy or two of every issue, which years later were scanned by Internet Archive. The almost-complete collection is now online, full-text searchable, where they can be read online or downloaded.
 
As a young teenager growing up in Southern California, I read MicroTimes whenever I could find it, usually in record stores. It was a great computer magazine, with the huge bonus that it was free. When I graduated college in Northern California, I wrote for MicroTimes as often as possible (Mary was my editor.) The $200 per article paychecks were the start of my freelance writing career. 
 
Mary and I didn't talk too much about Atari in this interview, but rest assured there was plenty of material of interest to Atari lovers in MicroTimes. For instance, issue 1 has Mary's interview with Jon Freeman and Anne Westfall, creators of Archon. A 1985 cover article features "The People Behind 'The Print Shop'" — and there was a long-running Atari ST column written by Helmi Kobler.
 
This interview took place on November 25, 2024.
 
 
[NEEDED for scanning: Volume 2 Number 12, most of Volume 3]
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 112 - Keeping Warm with Sweaters and Hot Sauce (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 26 Nov 2024 - Size: 39.6 MByte - Duration: 01:14:48

ANTIC Episode 112

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we have several Christmas ideas for you, we tell you about projects that would allow creating a new reproduction Atari 800XL, and we wet our appetites for the current Atari’s hot sauce while wearing their ugly Christmas sweater …

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

Recent Interview Shows

News

Upcoming Shows

REMAINING IN 2024

2025

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

A Word From Our Sponsor

New at GitHub

 


ANTIC Interview 445 - Vince Cate, The Critical Connection (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 22 Nov 2024 - Size: 25.1 MByte - Duration: 31:04
Vince Cate, The Critical Connection
 
In my last interview, I talked with the creator of SIO2PC, which let Atari users use a DOS computer as its disk drive and printer. This interview is with the creator a product which - six years earlier - let Atari users use a CP/M computer as its disk drive and printer (and keyboard.)
 
Vince Cate owned a company called USS Enterprises, with just one product: The Critical Connection. Critical Connection was a combination of a specialized cable and software for connecting an Atari 8-bit to a computer running CP/M. The long cable had an SIO plug on one end and a 25-pin serial plug on the other, and some chips in the middle, allowing the Atari and CP/M box to communicate at 19,200 bps.
 
The Critical Connection was released in 1983, six years before SIO2PC. They shared many similar features: with it you could: use an entire CP/M floppy disk as an emulated 600K Atari disk drive, create 92KB CP/M disk files which emulated Atari 90KB disks, and print from the Atari to the CP/M computer's printer. The CP/M machine even acted as a print spooler. You could also use the CP/M machine's keyboard to type on the Atari.
 
Vince needed to create a file format to store virtual floppy disks on the CP/M machine: the filename extension was .ATR. I don't know positively, but I'm pretty sure it's a different file format from the well-known .ATR format that Nick Kennedy created for SIO2PC six years later... just similar functionality given similar names. Nick Kennedy told me that he had never heard of The Critical Connection.
 
Here's what Jerry Pournelle wrote about Critical Connection in the September 1983 issue of Byte magazine:
 
"Vincent Cate continues to improve his Critical Connection. This gadget makes an Atari think a CP/M computer system is a set of disks. The only requirement is that your CP/M system have an RS-232C serial port operating at 19,200 bps. Given that, you needn't buy disks for an Atari; by using The Critical Connection, you can make the Atari believe you have four disks. The really nice part is that you can use 8-inch as well as 5 1/4 -inch disks.
 
Cate's new software package has automatic installation for a number of CP/M systems, including Kaypro, North Star, Sanyo, CCS, Heath/Zenith, and Morrow. ... Cate's documentation is improved, but it's not what I'd call good. Still, you can puzzle it out, and if you don't want to invest a lot in an Atari system but still want to use disks with it, Cate's Critical Connection is the way to go."
 
This interview took place on November 20, 2024.
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 444 - Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and ATR (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 15 Nov 2024 - Size: 43.4 MByte - Duration: 54:04
Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and the ATR File Format
 
Nick Kennedy is the creator of SIO2PC, the hardware and software combination that allowed Atari 8-bit computer users to use a PC as a peripheral. In 1989, this was unprecedented, a new way to connect the little Atari to the bigger world, to the (relatively) massive storage and speed of a computer running PC-DOS. For the first time, Ataris could use a PC as storage, RAM disk, and printer. Nick also created the .ATR file format, which quickly became the standard for using virtual floppy disks on Atari emulators.
 
Nick also created 10502PC, a cable that let you connect an Atari floppy drive directly to a PC; and AtariCOM, a less well-known utility that allowed two Atari 8-Bit computers to communicate using the SIO and joystick ports. And, he created Atari-based amateur radio tools: a terminal program for packet radio, and Morse code keyer software, which he and I talked about in detail in our previous interview.
 
This interview took place on November 1, 2024.
 
 
 
Previous interview with Nick about ham radio:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 443 - Rick Reaser, Current Notes Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 08 Nov 2024 - Size: 40.8 MByte - Duration: 50:50
Rick Reaser, Current Notes Magazine's 8-bit Editor
 
Rick Reaser was the 8-bit Editor of Current Notes Magazine, a popular magazine dedicated to the Atari computers. He began in 1992, and wrote a column called 8-Bit Tidbits. Rick used his Atari 8-bit computer exclusively through his college years and for programming for grad school. He was also president of P3ACE - Pikes Peak Poke Atari Computer Enthusiasts - a user group serving the Colorado Springs area.
 
This interview took place on February 11, 2023.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 442 - Bob Stein, Atari Research (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 01 Nov 2024 - Size: 45.6 MByte - Duration: 56:48
Bob Stein, Atari’s Encyclopedia Project
 
Bob Stein worked at Atari Research for 18 months beginning in 1981. He was hired by Alan Kay. He worked almost exclusively on an encyclopedia project, a potential collaboration between Atari and Encyclopaedia Britannica that never went anywhere.
 
I learned about Bob after he uploaded an item called The Atari Drawings to Internet Archive. It's a collection of nine colorful pencil drawings, drawn in 1982 by Disney animator Glen Keane. The drawings depict futuristic scenarios where people use a computerized encyclopedia to get information: for instance, "An earthquake wakes a couple in the middle of the night. The Intelligent Encyclopedia, connected to an online service, informs them of the severity of the earthquake and makes safety tips readily available." and "A mother and her children looking into a tidepool in Laguna ask the Intelligent Encyclopedia about the plants and animals that they see."
 
Bob described the collection of art in his introduction to the document:
 
"In 1982 executives from Warner, Inc., Atari's parent company, were scheduled to visit the Research Lab where the Encyclopedia Project was located. Brenda Laurel and I came up with these scenarios to give the execs a sense of what we were working toward. The drawings were made by Disney animator, Glen Keane.
 
When you look at these, remember they were made 16 years before Google and 12 years before Yahoo, even 8 years before the earliest web-based search engines.
 
That said, one of the most interesting things about these scenarios as seen today, is that with the exception of the image of the architect and the teacher none of them indicated any inkling that the most important element of the web to come was that it would bring people into contact with each other. What we see here is almost entirely people accessing content from a central server, no sense that we would be communicating with each other or uploading our own contributions to the collective culture. My own explanation for this lapse focuses on the print-era mentality that saw readers purely as consumers of content."
 
Bob saved and scanned a large number of materials from his time at Atari, and uploaded them to Internet Archive. In addition to the scans of Keane's Atari Drawings, the documents include memos about the encyclopedia project and a transcript of a 1982 seminar for Atari Research featuring Charles Van Doren. Check the show notes for those links.
 
After Atari, Bob was co-founder of The Criterion Collection, which restores and distributes important classic films; and co-founder of The Voyager Company, the first commercial multimedia CD-ROM publisher. In 2004, he co-founded The Institute for the Future of the Book, a think tank "investigating the evolution of discourse as it shifts from printed pages to networked screens."
 
This interview took place December 16, 2023.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 111 - Is Kay Really Funny, or is it Just a Courtesy Snicker? (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 27 Oct 2024 - Size: 51.8 MByte - Duration: 56:30

ANTIC Episode 111 - “Is Kay Really Funny, or is it Just a Courtesy Snicker?”

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We go over the ABBUC Software Contest winners, we cover PRGE, Kay accelerates his interview publishing schedule, and we ask the question: Is Kay really funny, or are Randy’s snickers simply courtesy?  You decide …

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

What we’ve been up to

Recent Interviews

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

Github


ANTIC Interview 441 - Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 25 Oct 2024 - Size: 15.2 MByte - Duration: 35:41
Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer
 
I was adding a batch of ham radio newsletters to the Internet Archive's Digital Library of Amateur Radio And Communications, and I noticed the word "Atari" on one of the pages.
 
In the September 2019 issue of Solid Copy, the newsletter of The CW Operators Club, Nick Kennedy had written: "Few hams who are both CW [morse code] enthusiasts and programmers of microcontrollers have been able to resist trying their hand at a keyer or two. I’ve done several in the past 30+ years, starting with one for the 6502 in an Atari 800 and on through PICs, AVRs and now...the Arduino."
 
So I contacted Nick, amateur radio call sign WA5BDU, to find out what his Atari project was all about.
 
First, a tiny bit of ham radio background: Morse code, that language of dots and dashes, can be sent over the radio waves using a Morse code key. Even if you know nothing about ham radio, I bet you picture a basic Morse code key: when tap the little lever, it makes an electrical connection that makes a sound. That's called a straight key. Avid Morse code enthusiasts may prefer a fancier "paddle" key: with two levers, one for short beeps and one for longer ones. A keyer is a device that is connected between the paddle key and the radio: it allows the sender to control timing of the transmitted signals, and other factors.
 
Nick's software, WA5BDU Computer Keyer, turned his Atari computer into a keyer. He wired his Morse code paddle and his ham radio to joystick port 2. As he sent a message using his paddle, the Atari interpreted the signal, adjusted it as necessary, displayed the outgoing message on the screen, and sent the signal to the radio. Or, Nick could simply type on the Atari's keyboard to send Morse code messages, skipping the paddle key altogether.
 
Nick sent me the keyer program and source code — as well as a packet radio terminal program that he wrote, and a tank game written by his brother. Check the show notes for links to all of those.
 
Our interview took place on January 21, 2023.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 440 - Ed Sabo, UltraBASIC (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 18 Oct 2024 - Size: 28.3 MByte - Duration: 35:17
Ed Sabo, UltraBASIC
 
Ed Sabo, with the help of his dad, founded UltraBASIC, a company that produced software for Atari 8-bit computers. UltraBASIC's software for the Atari 8-bits, which was all programmed by Ed, were: 
 
Tank Math: "a tutored math exercise plus a bonus roman numeral quiz"
FunSpeller: "use your own words or the fifteen word-sets included"
SuperFrogs: "the 7 game arcade with over 10,000 variations” … and 
Track Stack: a program launcher, "stack up to 15 machine language programs on the track stack disk"
 
Ed also created some unpublished software, including a bulletin board system and RC Total, a program to track results of radio controlled car races. The company also operated a commercial coin op route, with video games, pinball machines, jukeboxes, and so on.
 
Ed's UltraBASIC company still exists. Today, the company specializes in transmission rebuilds, custom headers, and other repairs for classic and custom cars.
 
This interview took place on August 8, 2023.
 
Video version of this interview (youtube): https://youtu.be/OXcW1Pm4DQ8
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ultrabasic, Inc.: http://ultrabasic.net
 
 
 
Support Kay's interviews on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/savetz

ANTIC Interview 439 - Making Modern Atari Hardware (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 30 Sep 2024 - Size: 39.7 MByte - Duration: 43:02
Two Interviews about Making Modern Atari Hardware
 
In this interview episode, there are interviews with two people creating today's Atari hardware: the Atari 400 Mini and other modern reboots of retro consoles such as the Atari 7800+. 
 
First, an interview with Matthew Burnett, Vice President of Strategic Operations at Atari — the guy in charge of Atari's new hardware. We discuss how the Atari 400 Mini came to market.
 
Then, I interview Ben Jones, Commercial Director for Plaion, a manufacturing and distribution company that was involved with the creation of the 400 Mini and 7800 Plus as well as other retro computing hardware like the C64 Mini and the A500 (Amiga) Mini.
 
These interviews took place on September 27 2024 at Portland Retro Gaming Expo.
 

ANTIC Episode 110 - Are the Grandkids Listening!? (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 23 Sep 2024 - Size: 134.6 MByte - Duration: 01:37:59

ANTIC Episode 110 - Are the Grandkids Listening!?

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Kay makes TI users unhappy, VCFMW recap, we drool over an Atari Home Computer Demonstration Center display, we bid farewell to an Atari podcast, and Randy uses a word he wouldn’t want his grandkids to hear…

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

Recent Interviews

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

Github

 


ANTIC Interview 438 - John Carlsen, Atari Summer Employee (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 18 Sep 2024 - Size: 35.2 MByte - Duration: 57:02

ANTIC Interview 438 - John Carlsen - Atari Summer Employee

Hello, and welcome to this interview-only episode of ANTIC, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig, your host for this episode.

John Carlsen worked at Atari only briefly, as a summer job for 6 weeks in 1987, between his final years of high school. Later, in 1988-1989, he worked for its founding president, Nolan Bushnell when he signed on to Nolan’s latest startup, called Bots, Inc.  They made pizza delivery robots (and a related customer-facing order entry system) for Little Caesars Pizza. John then worked for Axlon, which was created by former Atari employees to manufacture add-on products for the Atari computer, followed by Aapps Corp., which spun out of Nolan's offices.  In 1990-1991, John also worked for Mediagenic (Activision, Infocom, etc.) until a week after its hostile takeover.

This interview took place on March 6, 2024.

Links

 


ANTIC Episode 109 - Host Wars (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 31 Jul 2024 - Size: 36.0 MByte - Duration: 01:11:00

ANTIC Episode 109 - Host Wars

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Brad and Randy cover VCFSE, Kay finishes archiving the Famous Computer Cafe and gets some great material from Dan Kramer and Larry Summers, and the hosts trade barbs…

READY!

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

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ANTIC Episode 108 - Randys Eyes Are Bleeding! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 29 Jun 2024 - Size: 57.7 MByte - Duration: 01:41:37

ANTIC Episode 108 - Randy’s Eyes Are Bleeding! 

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Kay visits VCFSW and the National Videogame Museum, tapes from the famous Computer Cafe are found, Atari acquires Intellivision, and Randy’s eyes start bleeding from watching YouTube videos 24x7…
READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

Recent Interviews

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

Feedback


ANTIC Interview 437 - Kristina Hooper Woolsey, Atari Research Labs and Apple Multimedia Labs (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 29 May 2024 - Size: 37.5 MByte - Duration: 55:40

ANTIC Interview 437 - Dr. Kristina Hooper Woolsey, Atari Research Labs and Apple Multimedia Lab

Hello, and welcome to this interview-only episode of ANTIC, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig, your host for this episode.

Dr. Kristina Hooper Woolsey is an American scholar and cognitive scientist known as the "mother of multimedia" for her pioneering work at the Apple Multimedia Lab and Atari Research Labs, which she directed. Woolsey was a founding member of the Apple Human Interface Group.  She was named a Distinguished Scientist by Apple Computer in acknowledgment of her pioneering work in multimedia in education.  She was the executive producer of a range of multimedia titles in learning --- Life Story, the Visual Almanac, Animal Pathfinders, Disappearing Ducks, Countdown, Planetary Taxi and others --- that were produced when she was Director of the Apple Computer Multimedia Lab. 

There is discussion during the interview about Cynthia Solomon and Brian Silverman, who were interviewed in a previous episode about their time at Atari Research Labs.

This interview took place on Feb. 6, 2024.

Links

 


ANTIC Episode 107 - 4 Times! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 29 Apr 2024 - Size: 34.5 MByte - Duration: 59:46

ANTIC Episode 107 - 4 Times!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we realize there are 4 times as many interview episodes as regular episodes and what that might say, Kay visits the Strong Museum, Randy attends the Indy Classic Expo, and Brad drools over a keyboard for the 400 Mini…

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 


ANTIC Episode 106 - Thom, Do you ever sleep? (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 31 Mar 2024 - Size: 122.1 MByte - Duration: 01:28:54

ANTIC Episode 106 - Thom, do you ever sleep!?

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we cover all the recent contests involving new Atari software development, bring you all the other Atari news we could find, and marvel at the stamina of Thom Cherryhomes…

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

Github

Feedback

 


ANTIC Episode 105 - Secret Club Meeting with Andy Diller (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 29 Feb 2024 - Size: 105.1 MByte - Duration: 02:17:47

ANTIC Episode 105 - Secret Club Meeting with Andy Diller

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we pull together our secret club of Atari hackers, including special guest Andy Diller, and talk FujiNet, archiving disks, VCF SoCal, VCF East, listener feedback and more in an extra-long episode.

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

Feedback

 


ANTIC Episode 104 - You’re Gonna Label Me a Failure (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 08 Jan 2024 - Size: 64.9 MByte - Duration: 01:21:17

ANTIC Episode 104 - You’re Gonna Label Me a Failure

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Kay plays with Pokey the AI chatbot some more, Kay’s cat tries to smack Randy in the head, we discuss what happens if we don’t meet our interview goals (hint: Randy will be labeled a failure), and we bring you all the Atari 8-bit news from the last month of 2023

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

Recent Interviews

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

New at GitHub

Feedback

 


ANTIC Interview 436 - Rodrigo Castro, Atari in Chile (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 18 Dec 2023 - Size: 46.3 MByte - Duration: 33:41
Rodrigo Castro, Atari in Chile
 
Rodrigo Castro was one of the organizers of an Atari Expo that took place July 22, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. He told me it was probably the largest Atari show in that country to date, with an estimated 300 attendees. Panelists included Robert Jaeger, creator of Montezuma's Revenge, who attended via videoconference.
 
Rod and I talked about that event, as well as Atari's popularity in Chile, in this interview that took place on December 15, 2023.
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 103 - POKEY The Atari Guru (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 26 Nov 2023 - Size: 102.6 MByte - Duration: 01:14:44

ANTIC Episode 103 - POKEY The Atari Guru

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…results of the ABBUC 2023 Software Contest, upcoming 2024 shows (and an Atari Party yet in 2023), and Kay has a great time testing out POKEY The Atari Guru…

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

New at Github

Feedback


ANTIC Episode 102 - Randy, You Used to be a Nice Guy! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 30 Oct 2023 - Size: 40.4 MByte - Duration: 01:50:24

ANTIC Episode 102 - Randy, You Used to be a Nice Guy!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… All the Atari 8-bit news for this month, Kay breaks his Atari mug, Brad impersonates Kay, Kay decides to start up a cable company, and Randy changes in retirement …

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

Interviews

News

Upcoming Shows (Remaining in 2023 and first half of 2024)

  • Atari Party 2023! - Saturday, December 2, 2023, 1pm to 4pm - Quakertown Train Station, Quakertown, PA - https://quakertowntrainstation.org 

  • Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 17-18, 2024 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com 

  • Midwest Gaming Classic - April 5-7 - Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/ 

  • VCF East - April 5-7, 2024 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org 

  • Indy Classic Computer & Video Game Expo - April 13-14 - Indianapolis, IN - http://www.indyclassic.org 

  • VCF Southwest - June 14-16, 2024 - Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center at UT Dallas - https://www.vcfsw.org/ 

  • not a show, but an Atari user group meeting - There’s one at the National Videogame History Museum in Frisco, TX (DFW area) every quarter - Texas Atari 8-bit Computer Owners (T. A. C. O.) 

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

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ANTIC Interview 435 - Cynthia Solomon and Brian Silverman - Logo (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 24 Oct 2023 - Size: 39.0 MByte - Duration: 58:30

ANTIC Interview 435 - Cynthia Solomon and Brian Silverman - Logo

Hello, and welcome to this interview-only episode of ANTIC, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig, your host for this episode.

Cynthia Solomon is an American computer scientist known for her work in artificial intelligence and making popular computer science for students. She is a pioneer in the fields of artificial intelligence, computer science, and educational computing.

Together with Seymour Papert and Wally Feurzeig, Cynthia designed the Logo computer programming language in 1967.

Dr. Solomon has attained many accomplishments in her life such as being the vice president of R&D for Logo Computer Systems, Inc., when Apple Logo was developed and was the Director of the Atari Cambridge Research Laboratory.

Brian Silverman is a Canadian computer scientist, the creator of many programming environments for children, and a researcher in cellular automata.

As a student at MIT, Brian had worked with Seymour Papert, one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, and when Papert founded Logo Computer Systems, Inc. in 1980 to commercialize the Logo programming language, Brian became its director of research.  Brian was responsible for the development of Logo for the Atari 8-bit line of computers.

This interview took place on May 27, 2022.

Links


ANTIC Episode 101 - The Pronunciation Episode (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 18 Sep 2023 - Size: 147.2 MByte - Duration: 01:47:13

ANTIC Episode 101 - “The Pronunciation Episode”

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…We discuss the antics of the company that calls itself Atari and their purchase of AtariAge and bring you all the other Atari 8-bit news we could find, while mispronouncing names all over the place…

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

New at Github


ANTIC Episode 100 - 100th Show!!! (or is it 4?) (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 07 Aug 2023 - Size: 30.9 MByte - Duration: 01:25:15

ANTIC Episode 100 (Or Episode 4 in Binary)

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We celebrate our 100th (or is it the fourth, for you binary geeks out there?) episode by bringing you the latest news from across the Atari 8-bit computer landscape.

READY!

Recurring Links 

Floppy Days Podcast 

AtariArchives.org 

AtariMagazines.com 

Kay’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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 


ANTIC Episode 99 - 10-Year ANTICversary! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 21 Jun 2023 - Episode: 99 - Size: 155.8 MByte - Duration: 01:53:28

ANTIC Episode 99 - 10-Year ANTICversary!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We bring in some of our Atari friends and talk about the last 10 years of Atari 8-bit happenings in this celebration of the ten-year anniversary of ANTIC!

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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

 


ANTIC Episode 98 - Don't Toss Those Disks! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 25 May 2023 - Size: 73.0 MByte - Duration: 01:46:01

ANTIC Episode 98 - Don’t Toss Those Disks!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We talk about all the feedback we got concerning tossing or copying old non-commercial disks, we discuss the we-hope-it’s-not-vaporware RM800XL 800XL remake, we mention Thom Cherryhomes and FujiNet like 100 times, and all the other news we could find.

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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

New at Github

Feedback

 


ANTIC Episode 97 - Don't go to the Commodore Show! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 04 Apr 2023 - Episode: 97 - Size: 25.7 MByte - Duration: 01:21:03

ANTIC Episode 97 - Don’t go to the Commodore Show!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Randy accidentally puts a link to an upcoming Commodore show in the show notes, we tell you how you too can emulate an Atari 1450XLD, and we give you the scoop on the Atari 8-bit entries in the BASIC 10-Liner Contest.

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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

New at GitHub

 


ANTIC Episode 96 - Atari Dreams (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 21 Feb 2023 - Episode: 96 - Authors: Randy Kindig, Kay Savetz, Brad Arnold - Size: 71.0 MByte - Duration: 01:43:18

ANTIC Episode 96 - Atari Dreams

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we talk about development for the Atari 8-bit, discuss a couple of highly-modified 800’s, dream about sleeping on an Atari pillow, and bring you all the other Atari 8-bit news we could find!

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 

Next Without For 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

  • VCF East 2023 - Apr 14-16, 2023 - InfoAge Science and History Museums, Wall, NJ - https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-east/ 

  • Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 29 & 30 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/ 

  • KansasFest, the largest and longest running annual Apple II conference - July 18-23, 2023 - Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri - https://www.kansasfest.org/ 

  • Southern Fried Gaming Expo - July 28-30 2023 - Cobb Galleria Atlanta, GA - https://gameatl.com/ Keep an eye on the VCFSE section of the VCFED site for exhibit signups and more details.Use the discount code “INSERTCOIN” to save $5.

  • Portland Retro Gaming Expo - October 13-15, 2023 - Oregon Convention Center - https://retrogamingexpo.com/ 

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

New at Github

 


ANTIC Episode 95 - Party at Brad's House! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Jan 2023 - Episode: 95 - Size: 43.6 MByte - Duration: 01:12:09

ANTIC Episode 95 - Party at Brad’s House!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we reluctantly add an “in memoriam” section, discuss other Atari news, and plan a party at Brad’s house during VCFSE.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org 

Feedback

Personal Mastodon Accounts

  • @savetz@oldbytes.space 
  • @floppydays@oldbytes.space 
  • @Antic_Brad@oldbytes.space 

ANTIC Episode 94 - Are we just a chat bot? (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 17 Dec 2022 - Authors: Randy Kindig, Kay Savetz, Brad Arnold - Size: 43.2 MByte - Duration: 01:02:47

(be sure to listen to the special "word from our sponsor!"

ANTIC Episode 94 - Are we just a chat bot?

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we discuss the new book “Broken Computer Games” and other Atari news, and raise the question “are we just a chat bot”?

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

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New at Archive.org 

 


ANTIC Episode 93 - All FujiNet, All The Time (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 15 Nov 2022 - Episode: 93 - Authors: Randy Kindig, Kay Savetz, Brad Arnold - Size: 64.3 MByte - Duration: 01:53:12

ANTIC Episode 93 - All FujiNet, All the Time!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Andy Diller (atariorbit) joins us to talk all things FujiNet!

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

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New at Archive.org 

New at Github


ANTIC Episode 92 - I Played 1,000 Hours! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 10 Oct 2022 - Size: 39.1 MByte - Duration: 01:25:23

ANTIC Episode 92 - I Played 1,000 Hours!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Randy talks about his great barn find and VCFMW, Kay gets a new personality (board), and Brad tries to accumulate 1,000 hours on Miner 2049’er.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

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New at Archive.org 

Listener Feedback


ANTIC Episode 91 - HAM Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 28 Aug 2022 - Size: 51.9 MByte - Duration: 01:15:32

ANTIC Episode 91 - HAM Atari

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Kay gets a new job, Randy officially retires, and we cover a ton of hardware upgrades

READY!

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Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

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News

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Word from Our Sponsor

New at Archive.org

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ANTIC Episode 90 - Lets All Retire! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 05 Aug 2022 - Size: 25.4 MByte - Duration: 55:28

ANTIC Episode 90 - Lets All Retire!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…
Atari hits 50 big years, Lego gets into the ballgame, and Randy talks retirement (no, not from the show).

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

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New at Archive.org


ANTIC Episode 89 - Choke on It! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 28 Jun 2022 - Size: 49.6 MByte - Duration: 01:12:10

ANTIC Episode 89 - Choke on it!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Brad regales us with his motherload of new Atari stuff, Kay solves the mystery of “Have You Played Atari Today?”, and we discuss lots of other Atari news

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org


ANTIC Episode 88 - We Need More Atari Shows! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 21 May 2022 - Size: 39.0 MByte - Duration: 01:25:16

ANTIC Episode 88 -

We need more Atari shows!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… lots of Atari action and news, loading Atari software from VHS, and a call for more Atari-specific shows

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

Links for Items Mentioned in Show:

What we’ve been up to

Recent Interviews

News

Upcoming Shows

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org

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Listener Feedback


ANTIC Interview 434 - Michael Park: Swan and Fujiboink Demos, MIDI Maze (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 14 May 2022 - Size: 13.4 MByte - Duration: 19:29
Michael Park: Swan and Fujiboink Demos, MIDI Maze
 
Michael Park created two well-known demos that are familiar to many Atari enthusiasts: the Swan Demo and FujiBoink. In the Swan demo, a bird flies gracefully across the screen, in front of a spinning fuji logo. In FujiBoink, the Atari fuji spins and bounces over a red and white checkerboard, reminiscent of the Amiga Boing Ball demo.
 
Michael also helped create MIDI Maze, an early first-person shooter that used the Atari ST's MIDI ports to network up to 16 computers. He also worked on the 8-bit version of MIDI Maze, which was never officially released but became available nonetheless. Michael also created Shiny Bubbles, another demo for the Atari ST.
 
Michael was a friend of the owner of Xanth Computer Systems, an Atari dealer in Seattle, Washington. A 2013 article titled "Computer Dealer Demos: Selling Home Computers with Bouncing Balls and Animated Logos," published in the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, stated:
 
"During the 1985 Winter CES, Atari presented the 130XE... This computer was promoted with a demo that included three animations—Atari Robot, Atari Swan, and Fuji Boink—made by a small software company named Xanth FX. The company’s representative claimed in ANALOG Computing magazine, 'We are a large ST retailer. Our F/X division churns out demos for the betterment of Atari.'  According to the testimonies of Atari users in Seattle, it was actually a 'small computer store in downtown Seattle' and a small software company that employed a few people, among them programmer and graphic designer Michael A. Park."
 
"Xanth Park" (a play on Xerox PARC) and the "F/X division" were deliberate tricks to make the little company and a one or two great coders, seem like a big company.
 
Michael told me that neither he nor "Xanth Park" created the walking robot demo, another popular demo of the era. "I think we did combine robot/spaceship with the bouncing ball so they'd play sequentially, at Atari's request," he told me. He extracted the rotating fuji code from the Robot demo for re-use in his Swan demo. 
 
After the interview, Michael sent an email: "Every now and then I hear from people who have enjoyed the Atari software that I was involved in way back when, and every time, I am reminded of the fun and excitement of those days. To those who have kept the Atari spirit alive all this time, I salute you!"
 
This interview took place on April 6, 2022.
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 433 - Scott Savage: Lefty, the Checkers Playing Robot (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 23 Apr 2022 - Size: 36.8 MByte - Duration: 53:27

Scott Savage: Lefty, the Checkers Playing Robot

"Lefty" was the name of the world's first checker-playing robot, which was located at the Omniplex science museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The robot arm would play games of checkers against museum visitors, picking up and moving pieces on a physical checkerboard. Lefty's game logic ran on an Atari 800 computer, which controlled the robot through the joystick port. Lefty was programmed by Scott Savage, the subject of today's interview.

Before the interview, Scott digitized his Atari cassette tape with the code for Lefty. The tape had some problems, but Atari community member "atarigrub" successfully recovered the data. Scott also provided scans of several newspaper and magazine articles about Lefty. Both the Lefty program and those articles are available at Internet Archive.

Also, be sure to watch the only known video of Lefty in action: Scott and Lefty appeared on the TV show "Dannysday" which aired on KOCO TV in spring 1984.

This interview took place on April 14, 2022.

Scott and Lefty on Dannysday TV show

Lefty BASIC program and media mentions

Paper about Lefty (in Spanish)

Scott Savage Techno Scavenger YouTube channel

Omniplex is now called Science Museum Oklahoma

This interview on YouTube


ANTIC Interview 432 - Anthony Ramos: Parrot, Creepy Caverns (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 16 Apr 2022 - Size: 63.3 MByte - Duration: 01:29:32

Anthony Ramos: Parrot, Creepy Caverns

Anthony Dandrea is better known to Atari computer enthusiasts as Anthony Ramos.

Anthony programmed Creepy Caverns, a type-in BASIC game that was published in Antic magazine's August 1984 issue. Anthony also created the software for Parrot, a $40 4-bit sound sampler and playback package that was marketed by Alpha Systems.

In this interview, we discuss George Morrison of Alpha Systems, and Peter Langston of LucasArts, both of whom I have previously interviewed.

This interview took place on April 8, 2022.

Creepy Caverns in Antic magazine

Discape Atari 8-bit Demo

Discape disk image

"Talk is Cheap" by Ed Stuart in Antic magazine

Parrot manual

Parrot review in Antic magazine

Creepy Caverns with sampled audio

Parrot Christmas demo

Anthony's Conway's Game of Life

Anthony on AtariAge

ANTIC Interview 367 - George Morrison, Alpha Systems

ANTIC Interview 126 - Peter Langston, LucasArts

Ground Kontrol arcade

1984 article in Lorain Journal

This interview on YouTube


ANTIC Episode 87 - Good News, Bad News (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 07 Apr 2022 - Size: 54.0 MByte - Duration: 01:18:39

ANTIC Episode 87 - Good news, bad news

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we have tons of news, both good and bad, and lots of coverage of new hardware.

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ANTIC Interview 431 - Tom Zimmerman, AMY chip (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 12 Mar 2022 - Size: 32.7 MByte - Duration: 47:27

Tom Zimmerman, AMY chip

Tom Zimmerman worked at Atari from 1982-1984 where he was on the digital audio research team in Atari's Corporate Research Lab in Sunnyvale. There he worked on the AMY chip — a next-generation audio chip. Tom, one of four AMY team members, wrote the 8051 code to control the TTL prototype of the chip. The chip was never released.

AMY, which stands for Additive Musical sYnthesis, was originally intended to be part of the Rainbow chipset, which was the core of Atari's next generation of 16-bit microcomputers. Those computers were never finished. Then, the AMY chip was announced to be the centerpiece of the Atari 65XEM, an Atari 8-bit computer with advanced sound capabilities. A prototype of the 65XEM was shown at the 1985 Consumer Electronics Show, but ultimately it was another computer that didn't make it to market.

Also: in 1982 Tom filed a patent for a “Data Glove,” a glove with optical sensors to measure the bend of the wearer's fingers. He turned down a $10,000 offer from Atari to buy the rights to the Data Glove. The product would eventually end up at Nintendo, where it became the Nintendo Power Glove.

This interview took place on March 7, 2022.

65XEM info at AtariMuseum

AMY chip at AtariMuseum

AMY chip info at AtariMax

ANTIC Episode 86 - Tangents (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 05 Mar 2022 - Size: 30.1 MByte - Duration: 01:05:49

ANTIC Episode 86 - Tangents

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… the BASIC 10-liners contest and the AtariAge High Score Club contest are on like Donkey Kong, new software and hardware is available for our favorite machine, K continues his archiving work, and we go off on several tangents

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ANTIC Episode 85 - Surprise Roundtable (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 25 Jan 2022 - Size: 53.0 MByte - Duration: 01:17:07

ANTIC Episode 85 - Surprise Roundtable

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...we have a surprise roundtable with guests Nir Dary, Jason Moore, Corey Koltz, and Bill Kendrick where we discuss numerous Atari 8-bit topics!

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ANTIC Episode 84 - Atari Resolutions for the New Year (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 27 Dec 2021 - Size: 45.6 MByte - Duration: 01:06:22

ANTIC Episode 84 - Atari Resolutions for the New Year

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...we each talk about our top Atari resolution for 2022 (although maybe not the type of resolution you were thinking), and discuss all the Atari news we could find for December, 2021.

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ANTIC Interview 430 - Tim Huntington: Krazy Kopter, Fire Chief, Adventures of Robin Hood (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 26 Dec 2021 - Size: 21.8 MByte - Duration: 30:27
Tim Huntington: Krazy Kopter, Fire Chief, Adventures of Robin Hood

Tim Huntington was an Atari game developer based in the United Kingdom. He programmed Krazy Kopter, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Fire Chief, which were published by English Software; and Despatch Rider, which was published by Mastertronic.

This interview took place on December 23, 2021.

Video version of this interview

Tim's segment on Look North West UK TV

AtariMania's list of Tim's games

Tim on Twitter

ANTIC Episode 83 - The Dog Ate It (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 06 Dec 2021 - Size: 31.2 MByte - Duration: 01:08:10

ANTIC Episode 83 - The Dog Ate It

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...Kay forgets to wear his ANTIC t-shirt, we all have new members of the family (and Brad’s eats everything in sight), Kay goes crazy scanning Atari magazines, and we have lots of listener feedback.

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ANTIC Interview 429 - Jack Verson: Action Quest, Ghost Encounters, Journey to the Planets, Gyruss (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 04 Dec 2021 - Size: 22.7 MByte - Duration: 31:10

Jack Verson was the founder of JV Software, where he programmed and published several games for the Atari 8-bit computers: Action Quest, Ghost Encounters, and Journey to the Planets. Roklan Software repackaged Action Quest and Ghost Encounters into a single game, titled Castle Hassle.

As part of On-Time Software, Jack programmed the Atari versions of Gyruss, James Bond 007, and perhaps other games, published by Parker Brothers. He ported the Atari 8-bit version of Joust to the Commodore 64. As Applied Systems Engineering, he programmed Time Tunnel for Commodore 64.

This interview took place on December 2, 2021.

AtariMania's list of Jack's software
James Bond 007
Gyruss
Journey to the Planets version differences and bugs
Larry Kalpan thanks Jack in the manual for 2600 Activision Bridge
Time Tunnel for Commodore 64
Jack's company, CDOAN 
Mark Benioff review of Action Quest
Popeye "V1" for Commodore discovered
Verson quoted in Compute! "How the Pros Write Computer Games"


ANTIC Episode 82 - FujiNet to Take Over the World! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 29 Oct 2021 - Size: 70.8 MByte - Duration: 01:43:05

ANTIC Episode 82 -  FujiNet to Take Over the World!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...we have special guest Thom Cherryhomes who tells us why FujiNet is aiming to take over the world, we discuss the recent VCF Midwest and VCF East, and of course tell you everything going on in the world of Atari.

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ANTIC Interview 428 - Dave Johnson: Demon Attack, Atlantis; APX Lookahead; Atari Personal Financial Management System (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 23 Oct 2021 - Size: 43.4 MByte - Duration: 01:00:52

Dave Johnson: Demon Attack, Atlantis; APX Lookahead; Personal Financial Management

Dave Johnson programmed software for the little-known Interact Model One computer, and later worked as  a programmer for Atari, where he created the game Lookahead, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. Lookahead is a fun little strategy board game that you can play against the computer or another human.

We think Dave Johnson programmed the Atari Personal Financial Management System, a slick-looking but buggy home finance package that Atari kept delaying, finally released a year late, then quickly discontinued. Read Bill Lange's blog post for the full story about that program.

After Atari, Dave worked at Imagic, where he programmed the Atari 8-bit versions of the games Demon Attack and Atlantis. There, he also created the game Quick Step! for the Atari 2600.

This interview took place on October 12, 2021. A video version is also available.

AtariMania's list of Dave's Atari 8-bit games

Play or download Lookahead

Lookahead in the fall 1981 APX catalog

Bill Lange research on Atari Personal Financial Management System

Personal Financial Management System at AtariWiki

Interact Model One computer

Dave on Twitter

This interview on YouTube


ANTIC Interview 427 - Margaret (Akin) Guilbault, Atari Camper (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 17 Oct 2021 - Size: 14.7 MByte - Duration: 17:11

Margaret (Akin) Guilbault, Atari Camper

Margaret Akin was one of the children who attended Atari's computer camps, and one of the kids who was featured in The Magic Room, Atari's movie about the camps. Her name is now Margaret Guilbault.

Atari ran its summer camps from 1982 through 1984 at several locations around the United States. That first year, Atari commissioned a film about its summer camps, which was filmed at the San Diego location. Margaret attended Atari camp that first year in San Diego, then again in 1983 the Minnesota location.

It turns out Margaret's first year at a computer camp was in 1981, the summer before Atari's first camps. Her first computer camp experience was at Zaca Lake -- near Santa Barbara, California -- hosted by a company called Computer Camp Inc., which used Atari computers.

I talked with Margaret about her experiences at those camps, and taking part in the filming of The Magic Room, on September 12, 2021.

You can watch The Magic room at YouTube and Internet Archive. In previous interviews I've talked with filmmaker Bob Elfstrom; Linda (Gordon) Brownstein, the Atari vice president who oversaw the camp project; and other Atari computer campers.

The Magic Room (18-minute version)

Newspaper article about Computer Camp Inc.'s Zaca Lake camp

ANTIC Interview 419 - Bob Elfstrom, The Magic Room

ANTIC Special Episode - Atari Summer Camp


ANTIC Interview 426 - Eric Podietz, Interactive Picture Systems (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 18 Sep 2021 - Size: 39.5 MByte - Duration: 51:31

Eric Podietz, Interactive Picture Systems

Eric Podietz was co-founder of Interactive Picture Systems, a company that created software for 8-bit computers from 1982 through 1984. The company's first program was PAINT! for the Atari 8-bits, which was developed at the Superboots software development lab located at the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C.. PAINT! was first published by Reston then by Atari.

Their next program was Movie Maker, an animation program. Next came three educational titles published by Spinnaker Software: Trains, a business simulation; Grandma's House, a digital dollhouse; and Aerobics, a fitness program. The company also created Operation Frog, simulated frog dissection software for the Apple II and Commodore 64.

This interview took place on September 9, 2021. In it, we discuss Guy Nouri, Ann Lewin-Benham, and Bill Bowman, whom I have previously interviewed.

After the interview, Eric sent me the source code for his early Apple II program Painter Power, which I scanned and uploaded to Internet Archive.

This interview on YouTube

ANTIC Interview 410 - Ann Lewin-Benham, Director of Capital Children's Museum

ANTIC Interview 407 - Guy Nouri, Interactive Picture Systems

ANTIC Interview 278 - Bill Bowman, CEO of Spinnaker Software

Reston Software's Paint manual

The Designers Behind MovieMaker in Compute! Gazette Issue 15

IPS feature in Starlog Magazine Issue 084

Movie Maker feature in Creative Computing April 1984

Painter Power source code

Emma One Sock fabric


ANTIC Episode 81 - Too Much Commodore (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 05 Sep 2021 - Size: 39.3 MByte - Duration: 01:25:49

ANTIC Episode 81 -  Too Much Commodore

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we wax philosophical about Raspberry Pi upgrades for the Atari, discuss the drama that was the Atari fest of the past, and talk WAY too much Commodore!

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ANTIC Interview 425 - Jeffrey Sarnoff, Atari Research Group (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 04 Sep 2021 - Size: 23.8 MByte - Duration: 34:39
Jeffrey Sarnoff, Atari Research Group
 
Jeffrey Sarnoff started at Atari in the home computer division in 1981 as a software architect, where he worked on a 3-D graphics library. The next year he moved to Atari's Research Group, under Alan Kay, where he worked on a holographic animation system and a 4-dimensional strategy game.

This interview took place on August 25, 2021.

ANTIC Interview 424 - Atari at the Science Fair: Mark Knutsen, Star Cluster (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 28 Aug 2021 - Size: 28.5 MByte - Duration: 41:25
Atari at the Science Fair: Mark Knutsen, Star Cluster
 
This is the third in a series of interviews called "Atari at the Science Fair" where I talk with people who used Atari 8-bit computers to create projects and enter them in science fairs.

Today's interview is with Mark Knutsen, who wrote a star cluster simulation in the Forth programming language for his high school science fair. I found this blurb in the July 1986 edition of the Jersey Atari Computer Group newsletter:

"June meeting highlights ... Mark Knutsen showed us his Star Cluster program in Forth that won a science fair prize for him. Mark’s program demonstrates the interaction of four stars in two planes. Mark also discussed Forth in general."

This interview took place on August 21, 2021. If you'd like to see our talking heads — and the visuals of his program running — a video version of this interview is available at YouTube and Internet Archive. Mark has shared his program and the source code: those links are in the show notes.

This interview at YouTube

Download Mark's Star Cluster program

Star Cluster blurb in JACE newsletter July 1986

ValFORTH Documentation

Computer Recreations - Star Clusters column in Scientific American: At JSTOR and At Internet Archive

ANTIC Interview 423 - Tom Halfhill discusses Charles Brannon and SpeedScript (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 07 Aug 2021 - Size: 44.7 MByte - Duration: 01:05:01

Tom Halfhill discusses Charles Brannon and SpeedScript

Charles Brannon was program editor at Compute! Publications from 1980 until 1986. He wrote and edited articles for Compute! Magazine and Compute!'s Gazette. His Linkedin profile says that his "primary responsibility was crafting BASIC and assembly language software creations. Secondary was managing other young programmers." Charles' wrote and ported many type-in programs for the Atari 8-bit and other computers. His Atari programs included FontMaker, a character set editor and The Atari Wedge, for adding commands To Atari BASIC.

His most popular and well-known program was SpeedScript, an assembly language word processor that was available first for the Commodore 64 in the March 1985 issue. In subsequent issues -- one month after another -- versions were published for VIC-20, then the Atari 8-bits, then the Apple II. Each version was a type-in listing that -- after excruciating hours of careful entry -- would build a powerful, functional word processor. Charles wrote a couple of books about SpeedScript (one specific to Atari and one specific to the Commodore versions) which contained the manual, type-in program code, and commented assembly language source code.

I've been trying to get an interview with Charles Brannon since 2015, to talk about his time at Compute! in general and SpeedScript specifically. This year, I heard back from his wife Margaret, who told me that Charles suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2016 and no longer feels confident in his memory. I won't be able to interview Charles.

But, Tom Halfhill, Charles' old friend and colleague at Compute!, volunteered to talk to me about Charles. Tom was a supervisor at Compute! when Charles wrote SpeedScript, and often discussed which features to include and the problems he encountered. Tom worked at Compute! Publications from 1982 to 1988, starting as the first Features Editor for Compute! Magazine later becoming Editor. He was the launch editor of Compute!'s Gazette for Commodore, Compute!'s Atari ST Disk and Magazine, Compute!'s PCjr Magazine, and Compute!'s PC Magazine.

This is not the first time I've talked with Tom: I interviewed him about his time at Compute back in 2016. This time I talk with him with an emphasis on Charles Brannon and SpeedScript. (To be perfectly honest, we stuck to those topics for about 35 minutes. After that, we found other interesting things to talk about, most of which I left in this episode.)

This interview took place on July 22, 2021.

This interview at Youtube

Compute! articles by Charles Brannon at AtariMagazines.com

SpeedScript book, Atari version, at Internet Archive

SpeedScript book, Atari version, at AtariArchives.org

Download SpeedScript for Atari or try it in your browser

My 2016 interview with Tom

Tom's web site

ANTIC Interview 206 - Richard Mansfield

ANTIC Interview 7 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Bill Wilkinson


ANTIC Interview 422 - Donald Dixon, Robotics R&D at Atari Research (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 31 Jul 2021 - Size: 53.4 MByte - Duration: 01:14:52

Donald Dixon, Robotics R&D at Atari Research

Donald Dixon worked at Atari Research from 1983 through 1984, under Dr, Alan Kay. There, he worked in robotics research and development, working on a robotic wheelchair. After Atari, Donald worked at Axlon, Nolan Bushnell's toys and consumer robotics company; and Worlds of Wonder, the company most famous for the animatronic bear toy, Teddy Ruxpin.

This interview took place on July 27, 2021.

Don's web site

ANTIC Interview 11 - David Small

ANTIC 2013 Chris Crawford interview

ANTIC Interview 420 - Brenda Laurel, Atari Research

ANTIC Interview 421 - Jim Leiterman, Atari Research Group

Video version of this interview 


ANTIC Episode 80 - Atari Dunking Booth (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 25 Jul 2021 - Size: 50.1 MByte - Duration: 01:12:54

ANTIC Episode 80 -  Atari Dunking Booth

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we discuss the exciting progress being made around the 576NUC+ project, all of the great new Atari projects from the mind of Jason Moore, Kay’s awesome series of recent interviews, and we dunk your minds in the deep booth that is Atari news!

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ANTIC Interview 421 - Jim Leiterman, Atari Research Group (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 24 Jul 2021 - Size: 30.3 MByte - Duration: 44:10

Jim Leiterman, Atari Research Group

Jim Leiterman worked at Atari from April 1982 through March 1984 in the research group, under Alan Kay. His various projects included software for Project Puffer, an exercise bike peripheral for the Atari 800; an 8-player Hammurabi game; and an unreleased port of the game Warlords.

He created a symbolic disassembler, which he used to port the game Kangaroo from Atari 5200 to the Atari 800. That version of Kangaroo was released by Atari Program Exchange, in the fall 1983 catalog. Prior to Atari, Jim was a programmer at Horizon Simulations, where he worked on Shadow Hawk One, "a futuristic game of spacefaring piracy."

This interview took place on July 12, 2021. Be sure to check out Jim's web site where he has posted some photos of the hardware and software that we discussed.

This interview at YouTube

Jim's Atari page

Jim's games at AtariMania

"Atari nearly introduced the world to fitness gaming 30 years ago" in Washington Post

AtariProtos on Tumbleweeds

Horizons Simulations article in Softline Magazine Issue 1.4
 

ANTIC Interview 420 - Brenda Laurel, Atari Research (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 17 Jul 2021 - Size: 38.1 MByte - Duration: 55:31

Brenda Laurel, Atari Research

Dr. Brenda Laurel worked at Atari from 1980 through 1984. She began as software specialist for educational applications then soon became manager of software strategy for the home computer division. In mid-1982, she joined Atari Corporate Research at the Sunnyvale research laboratory, where she worked with Alan Kay.

After Atari, she worked at Activision as director of software development. Later she founded Purple Moon, a software company focused on creating games for young girls; and co-founded Telepresence Research, a company focused on first-person media and virtual reality.

This interview took place on July 15, 2021. Check the show notes for links to articles she wrote for Atari Connection magazine; her doctoral dissertation, "Toward the Design of a Computer-Based Interactive Fantasy System"; scans of memos on the subject of interactive fantasy that she wrote while at Atari Research; and more.

Brenda's web site

 
 

ANTIC Episode 79 - Basically MyTek and Nir (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 29 Jun 2021 - Size: 34.9 MByte - Duration: 01:16:12

ANTIC Episode 79 -  Basically MyTek and Nir

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we discuss all the great work that MyTek is doing with Atari hardware (including the 576NUC), Nir Dary surprises all of the hosts with (late/early) Christmas (or birthday) Atari gifts, and Randy gets unmercifully teased about his overuse of the word “basically”.

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End of Show Music -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2klUVHRWtyk
Original Atari 800 POKEY Chiptune by Cobra Commander 


ANTIC Interview 419 - Bob Elfstrom, The Magic Room (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 26 Jun 2021 - Size: 32.5 MByte - Duration: 44:57

Bob Elfstrom, The Magic Room

Interview and research by Kay Savetz.

From 1982 through 1984, Atari ran summer computer camps at several locations around the United States. I covered the Atari camps extensively in a special episode in 2015. Now it's summer 2021, and we're going back to camp!

That first year of the computer camps, in 1982, Atari commissioned a film about its summer camps, about the kids and teachers who were there, about the process of learning about computers, about kids challenging themselves, and about making friends at summer camp. Atari commissioned filmmaker Bob Elfstrom and his partner Lucy Hilmer to make the film. They shot the 26-minute film at the University of California, San Diego campus in 1982. It would be titled The Magic Room and was released the next year.

There are many scenes in the computer lab: we see close-ups of kids concentrating, thinking about the logic of their programming projects. Their faces light up as they solve their problem. There’s an adorable scene with a robotic, computer controlled turtle running across the floor, racing an actual turtle. There's kids riding horses at magic hour, and singing by the campfire, and finally an epic pillow fight, with feathers flying everywhere in the dorm hallways. The end credits were made with an Atari 800, naturally.

This interview is with the filmmaker, Bob Elfstrom. (Lucy Hilmer was unavailable for an interview.) Bob has a long list of film credits to his name. He is known for his work on Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music (1969), and Mysteries of the Sea (1980) -- his IMDB page lists scores of credits.

It's easy to watch The Magic Room (and you should!). It's available at YouTube and Internet Archive.

My interview with Bob took place on June 17 and June 25, 2021.

Watch The Magic Room

The Magic Room Trailer

 
 
 
 
 
 

Magic Room credits:
Robert Elfstrom Productions
Executive Producer: Linda S. Gordon
Executive Consultant: Lauren Dunbar
Produced and Directed by: Robert Elfstrom and Lucy Hilmer
Edited by: Michael Chandler
Associate Producer: Gloria S. Borders
Music by: Sasha Matson
Written by: Lucy Hilmer and Michael Chandler
Production Advisor: Richard Pugh
Sound: Agamemnon Andrianos
Additional Sound: Nelson Stoll
Production Manager: Kathleen Andrianos
Special Assistant Caroline Pugh
Special Thanks: Raymond E. Kassar, Robert A. Kahn, Wayne Harvey, Ted M. Kahn
Head computer instructor: Richard Pugh
Instructor: Karen Okagaki
Computer Campers: Maria Smith, Candace Shockley, Margaret Aiken, Enrique Rios, J. J. Kreideweiss, Vincent Cook, Jim Dillon, Leendert Mulder, Rick Crosby, Brent McDonald, Barry Champagne

ANTIC Interview 418 - Rick Trow, Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 19 Jun 2021 - Size: 41.8 MByte - Duration: 01:00:55
Rick Trow, Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow

This is the second interview episode about Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow.

Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow was a school assembly, sponsored by Atari, that played at hundreds of middle schools and high schools throughout the United States in 1983 and 1984. In the previous interview episode, I interviewed one of the show's presenters and the filmmaker. In this episode, my interview with Rick Trow.

Rick Trow was the president of Rick Trow Productions, the company that created the Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow show -- as well as more than 40 other school assemblies and other productions over the years. Mr. Trow wrote the script for the 40-minute show, which combined two synchronized films with a live actor to teach computer basics to young people.

This interview took place on June 5, 2021.

ANTIC Interview 417 - Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow

The Career Game

Rick Trow Productions Employee Newsletters 1983

"Taking the Show on the Road" in Personal Computing September 1983

Atari Brings Multimedia Computer Show To Schools in AtariAge v2n1

ANTIC Episode 78 - The Extremely Elderly Computer Geeks Club (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 31 May 2021 - Size: 26.7 MByte - Duration: 58:16

ANTIC Episode 78 -  The Extremely Elderly Computer Geeks Club

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We discuss lots of new things you can do with your FujiNet, the differences in FujiNet versions, the Old Computer Geeks Club, and other recent Atari news...

READY!

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ANTIC Interview 417 - Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 29 May 2021 - Size: 85.6 MByte - Duration: 02:04:42

ANTIC Interview 417 - Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow

Interviews and research by Kay Savetz

Imagine this. It's 1983 or 1984. You're drudging through yet another day of middle school or high school. But today, there's a surprise, a break from the monotony. The teacher tells your class to put away their stuff and go to the gym, or the cafeteria, or the auditorium. Today, there will be an assembly.

As you and your class -- and all the other classes -- get settled in the uncomfortable folding chairs, or the bleachers, or even the floor, you take in the scene: two large projection screens. Some speakers and audio equipment you haven't seen before. One of your peers is getting ready to run a spotlight. Then, this enthusiastic person -- older than you but really not by much -- explains why you're here. Today, at this assembly, you're going to learn about computers.

The lights go down, the spotlight comes up on that energetic host, and you realize this is a different sort of school assembly than you've seen before. Two projectors come on, lighting those two big screens -- it's a synchronized wide-screen movie. The presenter -- that not-much-older-than-you person -- talks to the screens, interacting with the movie and talking to the audience too. It's kind of corny, but your peers seem interested so you keep watching.

The show discusses the basics of computer operation, and how computers work differently than the human brain. There's a scene where the computers talk in voices like people. There's a section about robots, and a part where Suzanne Ciani shows how she makes music using computers. It touches on computer art, and the social implications of computers in the world.

40 minutes later, the show is over, and it's back to class. You learned a few things about computers, and talk about the assembly with your friends at lunch. Maybe you'll ask your parents for a computer for your birthday.

This scenario played out more or less exactly that way for more than a million middle school and high school students in 1983 and 1984. The assembly was called "Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow" and it was financed by Atari.

According to a 1983 article in InfoWorld: "Atari has a fleet of ... people traveling around the country giving the Atari multimedia presentation 'Expressway to Tomorrow' to a minimum of 500 people per performance at high-school assemblies."

(Full disclosure, the article claimed "Atari has a fleet of 700 people" putting on the show, but I can't believe that number is accurate. More likely the number was closer to 7.)

The traveling show would visit 2,000 schools in 1983, and was booked a year in advance. With the required minimum attendance of 500 students per show, that's a million kids. More than a million kids saw this assembly. that year.

The September 1983 issue of Personal Computing magazine said: "Since January 1983, nine separate touring units have crisscrossed the United States, presenting the show to nearly 1,400 public and private schools — a total of 1.2 million students to date. Touring begins again this September after the summer break, and will run through December 1984." In reality, I believe the show ended by mid-1984.

According to that article: "The show is a lively one, with the host on stage for the entire presentation. Several film projectors are going at once, filling two huge screens with fast-moving shots. Music is constant throughout. The host is busy either talking to the audience or interacting with characters on screen.  ...The program aims to give people [a] feeling of comfort about computing. The show focuses on the many applications of computers today, from storing recipes to teaching a language, to tutoring."

What survives of this show today? Not much that I know about so far. We don't have the film or the script. Audio tapes were available to help the presenters learn their lines. Informational packets were produced for teachers to hand out after the assembly. So far, I haven't been able to find anyone who has any of those things. (If you do, contact me!) What I do have is two interviews: memories of that project by one of the performers who went from school to school running the assembly, and the filmmaker.

Before we get to the interviews, I want to give some background about the business of producing school assemblies. It turns out that school assemblies are a big business. Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow was one of many shows put on by Rick Trow Productions of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. These shows were often sponsored by corporations, designed to educate kids, but also to get them excited about whatever it was they wanted to promote: taking pictures with Kodak cameras. Going skiing. Buying new music.

According to an article in the Boston Globe from 1972 -- this is 11 years before the Atari show, but some of the few hard stats I could find -- Rick Trow Productions staged 7,000 assemblies in 1971, maintained 23 touring companies offering 16 different shows to schools. They put on educational assemblies that promoted products and services from companies that wanted to reach the "youth market" -- CBS Radio, Air France, Eastman Kodak, and others. Its multimedia productions also included titles such as "The Black Experience", "Environment: Challenge to Action", and "The History of Rock and Roll". At the time, according to the article, the company charged a school just $80 per assembly. But by the time of the Atari show in 1983, the company seemed to have changed its business model to offer the shows to schools for free; earning their money entirely from the companies whose products its shows promoted. The companies got access to an audience of young people who might become eager to buy their product (or to ask their parents to get it.) The schools got free access to (hopefully) an educationally worthwhile presentation that would broaden their students' horizons.

A classified advertisement by Rick Trow Productions seeking presenters stated that in the early 1980s, presenters could expect to receive a salary of $100 per week during rehearsal period, and $500 per week for salary and expenses while on tour.

My first interview is with Veronica Wiseman, who was one of the presenters who traveled from school to school putting on the Atari show. Her name at the time was Ronnie Anastasio. Veronica did three "tours" of Expressway to Tomorrow, from January 1983 through April 1984.

(interview)

Next, my interview with Dr. Chuck Sterin, the filmmaker.

(interview)

The interview with Veronica Wiseman took place on October 23, 2020. The interview with Chuck Sterin took place on June 5, 2020.

Thanks to Chuck Sterin and Veronica Wiseman, and to Tom Bregatta, Bob Barto, and Frank Darby, who were also presenters who provided background information for this episode.

If you remember seeing Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow at a school assembly, I'd love to hear your recollections. If you happen to have any of the materials, such as the script, practice tapes, or the film, please contact me.

Check the show notes for links to magazine articles about the show, as well as scans of material that Veronica Wiseman saved, including Rick Trow Productions employee newsletters, a large collection of thank-you and feedback letters from many schools where she presented, and her photographs from that time.

Veronica Wiseman's collection of letters from schools

Rick Trow Productions Employee Newsletters 1983

Veronica's photo album

New Educational Film Show Charts Future Computer Careers for Students in Atari Connection v3n1

Atari Brings Multimedia Computer Show To Schools in AtariAge v2n1

Spring CUE Conference article in Infoworld v5n4

"Taking the Show on the Road" in Personal Computing September 1983

ANTIC Interview 416 - Bob Evans, Capital Children's Museum administrator (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 22 May 2021 - Size: 22.2 MByte - Duration: 32:22
Bob Evans, Capital Children's Museum administrator

This is the fourth in our series of interviews about the Atari computers at the Capital Children's Museum.

Bob Evans wore many hats at the museum: he was director of special exhibits, where he worked on the museum's exhibit on the history of human communication, which used several computers, both public-facing and behind the scenes. He was administrator of Superboots, the museum's software publishing lab -- it published the computer art program PAINT! but no other software. Bob was administrator of The Future Center, the museum's public computer lab, and administrator of the museum's summer computer camp for disadvantaged youth.

This interview took place on April 22, 2021.

ANTIC Interview 391 - Tracy Frey, Atari Birthday Girl
 

ANTIC Interview 415 - Peter Hirshberg, Capital Children's Museum (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 15 May 2021 - Size: 52.6 MByte - Duration: 01:12:41
Peter Hirshberg, Capital Children's Museum

Peter Hirshberg was curator of the communications wing of the Capital Children's Museum in the early 1980s, where he helped build The Future Center, the computer lab outfitted with Atari 800 computers; and museum exhibits, some of which were computer controlled.

This interview took place on April 12, 2021. In it, we discuss Ann Lewin-Benham, director of the museum; and Guy Nouri, from the Superboots lab, both of whom I previously interviewed.

Compu-tots and Other Joys of Museum Life by Peter Hirshberg, Instructional Innovator, Sept 1981

ANTIC Interview 410 - Ann Lewin-Benham, Director of Capital Children's Museum

ANTIC Interview 407 - Guy Nouri, Interactive Picture Systems

ANTIC Interview 414 - Bob Puff, Computer Software Services (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 08 May 2021 - Size: 31.8 MByte - Duration: 46:17

Bob Puff, Computer Software Services

Bob Puff is owner of Computer Software Services, a company that began creating hardware and software for the Atari 8-bit computers in 1982. Bob became president of the company in 1991. He designed a bevy of hardware products for the Atari computers, including The Black Box, a hard drive host adapter; The Multiplexer, a networking system; the UltraSpeed Plus operating system upgrade; upgrades for the XF551 floppy drive; the Super-E Burner EPROM burner; and others. He also created a number of popular utility programs, including the BobTerm terminal program; Disk Communicator, to convert boot disks to a single compressed file for transfer over modem; and MYDOS version 4.53; among other software.

This interview took place on April 27, 2021.

Computer Software Services legacy site

1993 Computer Software Services catalog scan

ANTIC Interview 393 - Charles Marslett, MYDOS and FastChip


ANTIC Interview 413 - Valerie (Atkinson) Manfull, Atari Game Research Group (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 01 May 2021 - Size: 16.8 MByte - Duration: 24:08

Valerie (Atkinson) Manfull, Atari Game Research Group

Valerie Atkinson was a member of Atari's Game Research Group. Now named Valerie Manfull, she was on the team that designed and programmed the game Excalibur, along with Chris Crawford and Larry Summers. Excalibur was published by Atari Program Exchange in fall 1983. She is also one of the programmes of Ballsong, along with Douglas Crockford. Ballsong is a music and graphics demo program released by Atari, in which a ball bounces on the screen in response to an improvised tune. She was one of the programmers, with Ann Marion, of TV Fishtank, a demonstration of an artificially intelligent fish. (It's unclear if the fishtank program was released anywhere, though it apparently was shown at the 1984 SIGgraph conference.)

This interview took place on April 22, 2021.

ANTIC Episode 4 - Chris Crawford

ANTIC Interview 240 - Douglas Crockford

TV Fishtank at SIGgraph

Jim Leiterman describes TV Fishtank

Chris Crawford describes the development of Excalibur in The Art of Computer Game Design

Excalibur announced in Atari Program Exchange, fall 1983

Excalibur review in Atari Connection

Excalibur at AtariMania

Video of Ballsong

Added 2024: A videotape of animation from Atari Research including TV FIshtank and other projects


ANTIC Episode 77 - Jason Moore PhD (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 30 Apr 2021 - Size: 33.4 MByte - Duration: 01:12:51

ANTIC Episode 77 - Jason Moore, PhD 

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Jason Moore joins us to discuss his atariprojects.org Web site and we discuss all the news rocking the Atari 8-bit world...

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

New at Archive.org


ANTIC Interview 412 - Linda Brownstein, Atari VP Special Projects (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 24 Apr 2021 - Size: 43.9 MByte - Duration: 01:00:44

Linda Brownstein, Atari VP Special Projects

As I've researched Atari and it's 8-bit computer projects over the years, one name has come up over and over again, attached to the most interesting projects. Linda S. Gordon. Executive Director of Atari Computer Camps. Linda. Executive Producer of The Magic Room, Atari's movie about its camps. Atari's collaboration with Club Med to offer computer labs at vacation destinations — Linda again. Atari Club, the fan group that published Atari Age magazine - Linda launched that. More recently, in my interview with Ann Lewin-Benham of the Capital Children's Museum, Linda's name came up once again -- she was the liaison between Atari and the museum. Linda worked on the most interesting projects.

Today, her name is Linda Brownstein. Linda joined Atari in December 1980 as Vice President of Special Projects, where she worked on most of  the projects that I mentioned before. In October 1983 she became Senior Vice President in Atari's  Education group. She left the company in July 1984 after Jack Tramiel took over the company.

This interview took place on April 21, 2021.

ANTIC Interview 78 - Manny Gerard, The Man Who Fired Nolan

ANTIC Special Episode - Atari Summer Camp

ANTIC Interview 410 - Ann Lewin-Benham, Capital Children's Museum

ANTIC Interview 185 - Ted Kahn

Atari Computer Camps — The Magic Room

Video version of this interview


ANTIC Interview 411 - Mark Simonson, Atari Artist and Font Designer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 17 Apr 2021 - Size: 43.3 MByte - Duration: 01:01:08

Mark Simonson, Atari Artist and Font Designer

Mark Simonson used his Atari computers who create art that was published in magazines in the 1980s, including a portrait of Nolan Bushnell that was commissioned by TWA Ambassador, an inflight magazine; a colorful street scene for the cover of Minnesota Monthly, the magazine of Minnesota Public Radio; and a juggler for the cover of Credit Union Advantage magazine, among others.

Professionally, Mark is a font designer. He created Atari Classic, a free TrueType font family for modern computers that looks like the Atari 8-bit screen font. Today, you'll see Atari Classic used in many Atari emulators, web sites, the WUDSN IDE, and elsewhere.

This interview took place on April 15, 2021.

Mark's Atari reminisce blog post

Mark's Mac/Atari Fusion site

Mark's Nolan Bushnell portrait in Hi-Res Magazine Issue 1

A wild Mark appears on AtariAge

FujiNet

This interview on YouTube


ANTIC Interview 410 - Ann Lewin-Benham, Director of Capital Children's Museum (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 10 Apr 2021 - Size: 64.4 MByte - Duration: 01:32:39

Ann Lewin-Benham, Director of Capital Children's Museum

Ann Lewin-Benham was executive director of the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C. The museum was home to the first public-access computer center in the nation’s capital, and indeed, one of the first in the United States. In 1981, Atari and Apple each donated dozens of computers to the museum. The exact number is unclear, but 30 is the number I've seen most often for Atari's contribution.

The computer lab was called The Future Center. There, the museum offered computer literacy classes for people of all ages, from Compu-Tots for preschoolers, to programming classes for adults, there was even a computer literacy session for members of Congress. It also used the lab for birthday parties. (Last year, I interviewed a woman who had her 8th birthday party at the museum.) The museum used more of its computers in its exhibit on communication. It established a software development laboratory, called Superboots, in which developers created custom softare for the museum, and one product that was released commercially: the graphics program PAINT!

In a 1982 article titled A Day At The Capital Children's Museum, Melanie Graves described the scene:

"My twelve-year-old friend Sarah and I went to the museum to explore the computers. There are several dozen computers scattered throughout the building which are used for exhibits, classroom teaching and the development of educational software...

A machine that calls itself "Wisecracker" is the noisest of the computers that beckon visitors to the Communication exhibit. "My-name- is-Wise-crack-er," it says in a monotone, "Come-type-to-me." This message repeats endlessly until someone types at the keyboard or turns off the computer. "Hello, how are you?" Sarah typed, and pressed the return key. "Hel-lo-how-are-you," the machine’s voice responded. Sarah typed for awhile longer and then proclaimed, "It sure is dumb, but its voice is kind of cute."

The computer next to Wisecracker has a data base program that asked Sarah her name, where she came from, and other questions. It informed her that she was the thirty-seventh person from Virginia to type in data that day... "Fifty-five percent of the people who came here were girls," she told me. Next to the data base, a computer is set up with a music program. Sarah pressed some random keys, causing notes to sound. At the same time, the letter names of the notes appeared on the keys of a piano that was displayed on the screen.

There is also a Teletext terminal that tells inquirers about weather predictions, and news releases, the latest acquisitions at the public library, local cultural events and whatever else has been entered into the data base for that day...

After playing with Teletext, Sarah and I went to the Future Center, a room equipped with twenty Atari 800s. On weekdays, the classroom is available to school groups ranging from prekindergarten to high school. On weekends, families arrive for courses in programming. Classes have also been created for working people, senior citizens, community groups, congressional spouses and other special interest groups. This summer more than sixty students from the Washington, D.C. public schools attended one of two free month-long computer camps at the museum."

This interview took place on April 2, 2021.

Ann's web site

Museum in Atari ConnectionVolume 1 Number 4

A Day At The Capital Children's Museum

 
 

ANTIC Interview 409 - Ed Fries: Romox Ant Eater, Princess and Frog, Sea Chase (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 03 Apr 2021 - Size: 43.4 MByte - Duration: 01:02:40
Ed Fries: Romox Ant Eater, Princess and Frog, Sea Chase

Ed Fries programmed three games for the Atari 8-bit computers, which were published on cartridge by Romox: Sea Chase, Ant Eater, and Princess and Frog. His forth game for Romox, Nitro, was unfinished because the company went out of business before Ed was done coding it.

Years later, Ed became vice president of game publishing at Microsoft where he oversaw the creation of the Xbox. In 2010, Ed released Halo 2600, a demake of the Halo video for the Atari 2600. In 2013, he coded an Atari 2600 version of Rally X.

This interview took place on March 11, 2021.

After the interview, Ed sent me the assembly language source code to five games, which he graciously released as open source. You'll find the code for Sea Chase, Ant Eater, Princess and Frog, the unreleased/finished game Nitro, and a chess game, at GitHub.

AtariMania's list of Ed Fries' games

2015 Atari Compendium Interview

Ed's Blog

Ed on Twitter

This interview at Youtube

ANTIC Interview 76 - Tim McGuinness, founder of Romox

The Paper Computer Unfolded

Sea Chase source code

Ant Eater source code

Princess and Frog source code

Nitro source code

Chess source code

 


ANTIC Episode 76 - The Bill Kendrick Show (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 28 Mar 2021 - Size: 59.0 MByte - Duration: 01:25:55

ANTIC Episode 76 - The Bill Kendrick Show

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Bill Kendrick gets more mentions than when he’s on the show, Kay discovers he owns more Atari disk drives than the rest of the Atari community combined, and we discuss all the news rocking the Atari 8-bit world.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

New at Archive.org

Commercial

New at Github 

Listener Feedback 

Closing


ANTIC Interview 408 - David Maynard, Electronic Arts Worms? (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 27 Mar 2021 - Size: 38.7 MByte - Duration: 56:16

ANTIC Interview 408 - David Maynard, Electronic Arts Worms?

David Maynard created the game/simulation "Worms?" Published by Electronic Arts in 1983, it was a launch title -- one of the five initial releases from the company. David, one of EA's first employees, wrote Worms? for the Atari 8-bit in FORTH. It was later ported to the Commodore 64.

Worms is an interactive version of Paterson's Worms, a family of cellular automata devised in 1971 by Mike Paterson and John Conway. It is an unusual program, in which the player teaches wormlike creatures how to move on a hexagonal grid -- what direction to move in various situations. The worm's goal is to to grow and survive, and to capture more space on the grid than its competitors. Up to four worms could play simultaneously, with any combination of human- and computer-controlled worms.

But the program's manual didn't tell you all that straight off. In fact, here's the first thing you saw after opening the package: "You will find detailed instructions enclosed. Do not read them. Instead, sit down and get started. Don't ask how. Just start. You know how these things work... Resist them. Do not read them for a very long time. In fact, do not read them until you know how the game works... Then never read the instructions. Innocence is bliss."

David also collaborated on Cut & Paste, a word processor published by Electronic Arts in 1984.

After our interview, David sent me a binder of Worms? development documentation and source code for Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64, all of which I have scanned and are available at Internet Archive and GitHub. The originals are going to the Strong Museum of Play, at David's request.

This interview took place on March 4, 2021.

Worms? source code for Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64

Scans of printed Worms? source code

Worms? Development Notes

David's blog

Worms? at AtariMania

Michael Beeler's original Paterson's Worms paper

Martin Gardner's article in Scientific American

Darworms, Javascript version of Worms?

Darworms instructions and explanation

More Paterson's worm math

EA We See Farther poster 

This interview at YouTube 


ANTIC Interview 407 - Guy Nouri, Interactive Picture Systems (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 20 Mar 2021 - Size: 45.2 MByte - Duration: 01:03:40
Guy Nouri, Interactive Picture Systems

Guy Nouri was co-founder of Interactive Picture Systems, a company that created software for 8-bit computers from 1982 through 1984. The company's first program was PAINT! for the Atari 8-bits, which was developed at the Superboots software development lab located at the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C.. Its next program was Movie Maker, an animation program. Next came three educational titles for the Atari: Trains, a business simulation; Grandma's House, a sort of digital dollhouse; and Aerobics, a fitness program. The company also created Operation Frog, virtual dissection software for the Apple II and Commodore 64; and First Draft, an outline processor that helped kids plan their writing.

This interview took place on March 7, 2021.

PAINT! manual

First Annual IPS Computer Film Show

PAINT! in K-Power magazine

ANTIC Interview 406 - Atari at the Science Fair: Michael Fripp, Silent E (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 13 Mar 2021 - Size: 28.8 MByte - Duration: 38:49

Atari at the Science Fair: Michael Fripp: Silent E

An article was published in the Daily Press newspaper of Newport News, Virginia on February 13 1985, titled "Best in Show at Science Fair: Computer program helps young readers conquer the 'silent e' challenge'.

Two years ago Michael Fripp wanted to make sure his younger brother didn't face a hard time learning how to deal with the "silent e" principle in reading lessons. Putting his own Atari computer to work, Michael developed a fun, educational computer program designed to teach then 6-year-old Daniel how to successfully pronounce words like "cap," "tub" and "man" when an "e" is added to each.

"I remember the trouble I had with 'silent e' and didn't want him to have that trouble," says 13-year-old Michael, an eighth grader at Queens Lake Intermediate School. "There are lots of math but few English programs for computers. I hope to bridge that gap."

Michael went on to expand the "silent e" program, complete with more detailed instruction and graphics, through his computer science class at school and entered it as an exhibit in the York County Science Fair. Michael's educational reading program — "Silent E: A Program for K-3" — was judged best in show.

"We were pleased and surprised a computer program was picked because usually the judges pick pure science," says Carolyn Gaertner, who teaches math and computer science at the intermediate school.

Michael's computer program involves a simple story outline about an earthling named Tim and his spaceship landing on the planet EOP which is ruled by the Silent E's. There, Tim learns how the Silent E's simply and quickly turn words such as "pan" into "pane" with the addition of their favorite letter...

He has copyrighted the program and hopes to market it commercially. More than 100 hours of work have gone into the project...

"Computers are like a fever; they grow on you," says the young man. "I try to do a lot of programming at home but homework really limits me."

The large photograph accompanying the article shows young Michael, replete with calculator watch, in front of an Apple II computer, not an Atari.

I talked with Dr. Fripp to hear all about his program.

This interview took place on February 28, 2021.

Intro song: Silent E by Tom Lehrer


ANTIC Interview 405 - Heidi Brumbaugh, Antic Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 06 Mar 2021 - Size: 33.2 MByte - Duration: 48:14

Heidi Brumbaugh, Antic and START Magazines

Heidi Brumbaugh worked at Antic Publishing, where she started off as editorial clerk, then was promoted to editorial assistant, for both Antic magazine and START magazine, then was programs editor for START Magazine. She wrote many articles for Antic and START, including three programs for the 8-bits published in Antic: Red, White and Blue, a board game; Hot and Cold, a Master Mind-type game; and Antic Prompter, a teleprompter application.

She met her husband through Antic publishing, START author and programmer Jim Kent, who also created the Cyber Paint program for Atari ST.

This interview took place on February 28, 2021.

List of Antic articles by Heidi Brumbaugh

List of START articles by Heidi Brumbaugh

Heidi's programs at Atarimania

Heidi's review of Linkword Languages

Cyber Paint by Jim Kent

2013 Interview with Jim Capparell, Founder of Antic Magazine


ANTIC Interview 404 - Atari at the Science Fair: Scott Ryder: Atari-Controlled Robot (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 28 Feb 2021 - Size: 20.2 MByte - Duration: 29:27

Atari at the Science Fair: Scott Ryder: Atari-Controlled Robot

Here's an article from The Fresno Bee (Fresno, California) dated April 15, 1982: "Science proves Fair game to young minds".

"Joseph Paul Ogas, 17, has designed a cheaper way to manipulate material beneath a microscope. Garey Nishimura, 13, has evaluated the relative flammability of several household fabrics. Theirs were the big winners among the 693 projects that filled the Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall for this year’s California Central Valley Science and Engineering Fair.

"There were other interesting projects that didn’t win big [such as]
'The Effects of Birth Control Pills on Plants,' and 'Determining the Correlation Between Canine Howling, Cockroach Activity and Earthquake Prediction'."

And later -- in the article's final paragraph, the reason for this interview: "Runners up [included] Scott Ryder, a sixth-grader at Ayer Elementary School: "Can an Atari 800 Control a Robot With Software?"

Can an Atari 800 control a robot with software? And if so, why did an awesome Atari-controlled robot only earn a runner-up award at the Science and Engineering Fair? I talked with Scott to find out.

This interview took place on February 21, 2021.


ANTIC Episode 75 - Video Wars (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 27 Feb 2021 - Size: 31.4 MByte - Duration: 01:08:31

ANTIC Episode 75 - Video Wars

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast… we discuss the merits of Sophia vs. VBXE for video upgrades, kick off the BASIC 10-liners contest, discuss some new games, and talk about numerous hardware upgrades that are coming.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

Recent Interviews 

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

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ANTIC Special Episode - My Atari by Suzanne Ciani (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 30 Jan 2021 - Size: 20.3 MByte - Duration: 13:54
ANTIC Special Episode: My Atari by Suzanne Ciani
 
Over the years many of the people I've interviewed have generously sent me all different kinds of historical Atari material — including source code, schematics, documentation, books and articles, and design documents — and allowed me to share them. This is the first time someone has sent me a professionally produced song they created for Atari.

After I published my interview with Suzanne Ciani, she sent me an email: she had found an unpublished Atari spot in her archives. It's a tune titled "My Atari". She sent it to me and graciously allowed me to share it with you.

She wrote "I don't think it is a final. There are a bunch of mixes. Maybe you could shed some light on this as to whether it was ever used." Well, I'd certainly never heard it before, and don't think it was ever used. I suppose it might have been used internally by Atari, but it wasn't released to the public. Suzanne later said that she believes it was a demo for a campaign, but as far as she knows it was never used. She hasn't found records indicating what year the song was made. My guess is probably between 1981 and 1984.

Lyrics:
I've been to lots of places
There's more I wanna see
And being young is all that's stopping me

Beyond my time I know there's more
A whole world waiting to explore
But I can't seem to get past my back door

But when I sit
At my Atari
I know the world is mine
And the future is my time

When I sit
At my Atari
There's no mountain I can't climb
No adventure I can't find

I know the world is mine
When I sit behind
My Atari

I know the world is mine
I know the world is mine
My Atari
I know the world is mine
I know the world is mine

It's a rockin' tune with a powerful bassline that propels the song forward, but beyond that, the lyrics tell a poignant story of a person who feels ready to explore and conquer the world — but is still too young. Until their time comes, their Atari video game provides an exciting glimpse into a future of exploring the world for themselves. It strikes me sad, but hopeful.

Suzanne sent me several versions of the song, and there doesn't seem to be a definitive final version. Some have differences in length of a few seconds. My untrained ear can't tell any difference between some variations. One is significantly shorter, leaving out some lyrics. Others abruptly stop, due to technical issues during mixing or perhaps because they were meant as insertion edits.

You've heard one of the complete versions. For completionists and the curious, I'll play the other versions she sent me now. I've uploaded high-quality versions of all of these audio files to Internet Archive.

Thank you to Suzanne Ciani for taking the time to recover these files, and for sharing them with me and the world.

"My Atari" audio at Internet Archive

My interview with Suzanne: audio, YouTube, Internet Archive

ANTIC Interview 403 - Dan Kramer, Atari Trak-Ball Controllers (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 23 Jan 2021 - Size: 33.4 MByte - Duration: 48:29

Dan Kramer, Atari Trak-Ball Controllers

Dan Kramer worked at Atari from 1980 to 1984 in the consumer engineering group where he created products for the home computers and home video games. He championed the creation of the Trak-Ball accessories for the Atari game consoles and computers, and received a patent for his digital-to-analog interface for the Atari 5200 trak-ball. He also worked on the French (SECAM) version of the Atari XL computers, the Atari 2700, and various other projects.

This interview took place on December 18, 2020.

Playing Catch-Up: Dan Kramer (2005 interview): https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/97175/Playing_CatchUp_Dan_Kramer.php

Patent: Digital-analog conversion for shaft encoders: https://patents.justia.com/patent/4496936

Video version of this interview at YouTube: https://youtu.be/l0E6BCrhka0


ANTIC Episode 74 - Name Wars (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 16 Jan 2021 - Size: 59.7 MByte - Duration: 01:26:48

ANTIC Episode 74 - Name Wars

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast… Kevin (er... Kay) and Randy have a name fight and, as usual, we bring you all the Atari 8-bit news that’s fit to print.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

Recent Interviews 

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

New at GitHub

New at Archive.org

Feedback

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender. 


ANTIC Interview 402 - The Famous Computer Cafe (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 19 Dec 2020 - Size: 68.5 MByte - Duration: 01:38:32

The Famous Computer Cafe

This is a podcast episode featuring three interviews with people who created a radio show that did hundreds of interviews.

The Famous Computer Cafe was -- not a restaurant -- but a radio program that aired from 1983 through the first quarter of 1986. The program included computer news, product reviews, and interviews.

The program was created by three people — who were not only the on-air voices, but did all the work around the program: getting advertisers, buying air time, researching each day's computer news, booking interviews -- everything. Those three people were Andrew Velcoff, Michael Walker (now Michael FireWalker), and Ellen Fead Hansen (later Ellen Walker, now Ellen Fields.) For this episode of Antic, I got to talk with all three of The Famous Computer Cafe's proprietors.

There were several versions of the show, which aired on several radio stations, primarily in California. A live, daily half-hour version allowed phone calls from listeners. Taped versions (running a half-hour and up to two hours) also aired daily. The show started in 1983 on two stations in the Los Angeles area: KFOX 93.5 FM and KIEV 870 AM. In 1985 it began airing in the California Bay Area: on KXLR 1260 AM in San Francisco and KCSM 91.1 FM in San Matro, and KSDO 1130 AM in San Diego.

Also in 1985 a nationally syndicated, half-hour non-commercial version of The Famous Computer Cafe was available via satellite to National Public Radio stations around the United States, though it's not clear today which stations ran it.

To me, the most exciting thing about the show was the interviews. The list of people that the show interviewed is a who's-who of tech luminaries of the early 1980s.  But not just computer people: they interviewed anyone whose work was touched by personal computer technology. musicians, professors, publishers, philosophers, journalists, astrologers.

The cafe aired interviews with Philip Estridge, the IBM vice president who was responsible for developing the PC; Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates; Atari Chairman Jack Tramiel; Bill Atkinson, developer of MacPaint; Infocom's Joel Berez; Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek; musician Herbie Hancock; Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts; author Douglas Adams; Stewart Brand, editor of the Whole Earth Catalog; psychologist Timothy Leary; science fiction writer Ray Bradbury; synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog; and pop star Donny Osmond. The list goes on and on and on. By mid-1985, the show had run more than 300 half-hour interviews.

Here's the bad news. Those episodes, those interviews, are lost. Today, a recording of only one Cafe episode is known to exist. That show, which aired January 2, 1986, includes an interview with Rich Gold, creator of the Activision simulation Little Computer People; a call-in from tech journalist John Dvorak; and commercials for Elephant Floppy Disks and Microsoft Word. The entire 29-minute episode is available at Internet Archive, with the gracious permission of the show's creators. It's an amazing time capsule -- which survived because Rich Gold, interviewed on the program, saved a cassette of that show. Perhaps, somewhere, there are hundreds more episodes waiting to be re-discovered — if someone has the recordings. If you do, contact me at antic@ataripodcast.com. 

FOUND IN 2024!: 53 episodes of Famous Computer Cafe 

The good news is that transcripts of six interviews do exist (and are now online): Timothy Leary, Donny Osmond, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky; Frank Herbert, author of the Dune series; Tom Mahon, author of Charged Bodies; and Jack Nilles, head of the University of Southern California Center for Futures Research.

Check this episode's show notes, at AtariPodcast.com, for links to the one episode, the six transcripts, and the cool Famous Computer Cafe logo.

You'll hear the interviews in the order in which I recorded them. First up is Michael FireWalker, then Ellen Fields, then Andrew Velcoff.

The interview with Michael FireWalker took place on May 27, 2020. The interview with Ellen Fields took place on June 1, 2020. The interview with Andrew Velcoff took place on July 3, 2020.

Special thanks to fellow researcher Devin Monnens, and the Department of Special Collections at Stanford University.

This podcast used excerpts from the one The Famous Computer Cafe episode that is known to exist. That episode, now available at Internet Archive, was digitized by Stanford University (the physical tape is in their special collections located in the Stanford Series 9 of the Rich Gold Collection (M1510), Box 2.)

If you have any other recordings of any Famous Computer Cafe episodes, please contact me at antic@ataripodcast.com.

The Famous Computer Cafe 1986-01-02 episode

The Famous Computer Cafe interview transcripts

The Famous Computer Cafe ads, photos, articles


ANTIC Interview 401 - John F. White: Writing Strategy Games On Your Atari Computer & Superquerg (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 12 Dec 2020 - Size: 13.9 MByte - Duration: 20:11
John F. White: Writing Strategy Games On Your Atari Computer & Superquerg

John F. White is author of the book Writing Strategy Games On Your Atari Computer and the creator of Superquerg and Negaquerg, computer chess programs that were distributed in New Atari User magazine.

He was also a contributor to the UK computer magazines Popular Computing Weekly, Personal Computing, Practical Computing, and Computer Weekly, often writing about computer chess and game strategy.

His book Writing Strategy Games On Your Atari Computer, published in 1983, offers “techniques for intelligent games,” with advice and BASIC code for programming tic-tac-toe, checkers, chess, and other board games.

New Atari User’s description of SuperQuerg — it was a “disk bonus,” not a type- in program — was: “SuperQuerg Chess is a third generation program with alpha-beta pruning and iterative deepening. An alpha-beta window is also employed. Uses Shannon A and B strategies, killer heuristic and chopper functions, new methods for searching to deep levels and for other game strategies. ... Querg Chess is unusual among chess programs in that it relies more on the strength of its positional strategy than on its tactical play. Artificial Intelligence methods are used to switch between strategic and tactical searching, as the program considers appropriate.”

John organized the 1982 Chess Computer Symposium, the first major tournament to assign gradings to chess computers by their play against human opponents. He is co-creator of Blitz Latin, Latin-to-English language translation software.

This interview took place via email from July 13 through 16, 2020. You will be hearing John’s words but not his voice. John preferred not to do a voice interview, so for this audio podcast, his emailed responses will be read by Victor Marland.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Writing Strategy Games on Your Atari Computer: UK version, US version 
 
 
Weather Center adventure game articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
 
 

ANTIC Episode 73 - Randys Personality Board (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 09 Dec 2020 - Size: 46.8 MByte - Duration: 01:08:02

ANTIC Episode 73 - Randy’s Personality Board

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast… we have a ton of Christmas gift ideas for that Atari nerd in your life (even if that nerd is you); we find out Randy has a broken personality board; and we bring you the Atari 8-bit news to fill out your life.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

Recent Interviews 

News
 

Shows

Christmas Gift Ideas

YouTube videos this month

New at GitHub

New at Archive.org

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 400 - Suzanne Ciani, pioneer in electronic music (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 05 Dec 2020 - Size: 30.1 MByte - Duration: 43:48

Suzanne Ciani, pioneer in electronic music

Suzanne Ciani is a pioneer in electronic music, Grammy-nominated composer, and recording artist. In the 1980's, she created music for television commercials, corporate tags, and audio logos for Atari as well as many other companies. She also created the soundtrack for the 1980 Bally pinball machine, Xenon. In addition to being an early adopter of electronic music, she educated the world about it, demonstrating sound design techniques on The David Letterman Show, 3-2-1 Contact, and other popular media.

This interview took place on November 5, 2020.

Suzanne Ciani's web site

Suzanne Ciani Creates The Soundtrack For A Pinball Machine

A Life In Waves trailer

Suzanne Ciani interview in ANP Quarterly Vol 2/No 7

2012 Suzanne Ciani interview in LA Times Music Blog

Suzanne Ciani on Letterman

Suzanne Ciani on 3-2-1 Contact

Atari Video Game Summer commercial

This interview at YouTube 

After the interview, Suzanne found an unreleased Atari song 


ANTIC Episode 72 - Pick and Place (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 07 Nov 2020 - Size: 38.5 MByte - Duration: 01:24:05

ANTIC Episode 72 - Pick and Place

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast… we have as a guest Mr. Gavin Haubelt who runs the Vintage Computer Center and who is feverishly producing #FujiNets for the Atari community, Brad as the host of this episode shows why he’s considered the master of segues, and we talk about all the new hardware available or coming (such as the world’s smallest Atari 8-bit).

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

Making the Boxes for collectors of the Atari 800 xl and the Drive 1050 to keep the collections in perfect condition The scheme and prints in:

New at Archive.org

Listener Feedback 

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 399 - Jim Tittsler, Atari 1600 prototype (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 01 Nov 2020 - Size: 27.3 MByte - Duration: 35:40

Jim Tittsler, Atari 1600 prototype

Jim Tittsler got my attention with a tweet, an old photo of a computer in a PC-stil case, connected to Atari joysticks and disk drive. In the tweet, Jim wrote: "A prototype of what we hoped would become the #atari 1600: an Atari 800 grafted on to an IBM PC compatible. A Jekyll/Hyde mashup allowing you to plug in cartridges, SIO drives, and  PC expansion cards. It seemed a good idea at the time."

So I reached out to Jim to learn more about that computer, and his time at Atari.

Jim worked in Atari's Special Projects Group, where he worked on several pie-in-the-sky, unreleased, home computer projects including the Atari 1600. When Atari was sold to Jack Tramiel, he was re-hired, where he worked on the Atari ST, the Atari PC-1 IBM compatible, and other projects. He worked at Atari for more than a decade.

This interview took place on September 9, 2020.

Video version of this interview at YouTube

Jim's Atari 1600 tweet

Atari Museum on the Atari 1600


ANTIC Interview 398 - Dan Noguerol (Farb): Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 24 Oct 2020 - Size: 36.2 MByte - Duration: 52:31

Dan Noguerol (Farb): Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative

Two interviews with the same person, recorded more than four years apart. Dan Noguerol is better known to the Atari community as Farb. He is the mastermind behind the Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative, and years ago created SIO2Arduino, an Arduino-based disk drive emulator.

I interviewed Farb on August 29, 2019, where we talked primarily about the Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative. That interview took place at the Fujiama Atari event in Lengenfeld, Germany. Our friend Roland Wassenberg sat in on the interview. Shortly after doing that interview, I learned that Randy Kindig had also interviewed Farb, on April 20, 2015, but got busy and hadn't published the interview.

So in this episode, two interviews with Farb: my more recent interview first, then we'll go back to 2015 to hear Randy's interview.
...
Since this interview was recorded, I received my SuperCard Pro, and have used it to digitize a couple hundred Atari disks. I've also digitized dozens of Atari cassette tapes. With the Software Preservation Initiative web site, the process has gotten a lot easier. The Kryoflux and SuperCard Pro hardware and software still isn't as foolproof as I'd like, but there's been progress on that front for sure.

Next, Randy's 2015 interview. In it, they discuss the Software Preservation Initiative, which was at a much earlier stage at that point, and SIO2Arduino. SIO2Arduino is an Atari 8-bit device emulator that runs on the Arduino platform. It connects to Atari 8-bit hardware and emulates a single Atari 1050 disk drive. In the years since this interview was recorded, the project has largely been made obsolete by projects like the S-Drive-MAX and FujiNet. But Farb's work on SIO2Arduino, and making it open-source, absolutely laid the groundwork for those newer hardware projects.

Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative

SIO2Arduino web site

SIO2Arduino at GitHub

Farbish.com is offline but archived at Internet Archive


ANTIC Episode 71 - Goodbye, Curt Vendel (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 26 Sep 2020 - Size: 31.0 MByte - Duration: 01:07:40

ANTIC Episode 71 - Goodbye, Curt Vendel

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast...we say goodbye to good friend and Atari legend Curt Vendel and bring you lots of other Atari news.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

Recent Interview Shows

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

New at Github

New at Archive.org

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 397 - Youth Advisory Board: Steve Cohen (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 20 Sep 2020 - Size: 32.2 MByte - Duration: 42:53

Youth Advisory Board: Steve Cohen

This is the eighth in a series of episodes featuring the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. In 1983, Atari formed a Youth Advisory Board, selecting teenagers from around the United States to share their opinions about computers and video games, test software, and promote Atari's computers at events. The group consisted of kids aged 14 through 18, including Steve Cohen.

He attended George Washington High School in Denver Colorado, where his teacher, Dr. Irwin Hoffman, taught. George Washington High School received a grant from the Atari Institute for Education Action Research, Atari's educational support arm, The Atari Institute Newsletter (fall 1982) wrote: "High school students in a model math and computer program will use their grant of ATARI Home Computer systems to develop individual and group research projects in their own fields of interest. Extensible programming languages, such as FORTH, will be used to develop new syntax for use in other high school subjects: electronics, music, art, history, mathematics, and home economics. This project supports a major 'model school' known for its innovations in computer education over the last twenty years."

This interview took place on May 21, 2020.

Enter Magazine—When These Kids Talk, Atari Listens


ANTIC Interview 396 - Kai and George Esbensen, Micro-Ed Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 13 Sep 2020 - Size: 29.4 MByte - Duration: 42:42

Kai and George Esbensen, Micro-Ed Software

I first heard about the Micro-Ed software company when a member of the Atari community sent me a batch of educational cassette tapes to digitize. The tapes had titles like Maps and Globes, Punctuation, and Spelling Level E. Intriguingly, the tape labels said "Micro-Ed, creators of more than 2,500 programs, pre-school through adult." 2,500 programs? Why had I never heard of this company?

I asked 4AM, a software preservationist specializing in the Apple II — and specializing in little-known educational software — if they had heard of the company. The answer was also no. So I started to research.

A two-page advertisement in Compute! magazine issue 4, May 1980, provided my first glimpse into the company: "LOOK at all the MICRO-ED programs for the PET!" The titles listed include Agreement of Subject and Verb; Run on Sentences; Higher, Same, Lower; Word Demons; and (oddly) Usage Boners. Many of the software tapes were sold in packs, for instance $84 for a pack of 12 elementary school programs. $49.95 for a grade's worth of spelling lessons on 7 tapes.

An item in the Washington Apple Pi journal, four years later, January 1984, intrigued me: "$10,000 EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE GIVEAWAY. Micro-Ed Incorporated has announced its willingness to donate up to $10,000 worth of software to any school district, Special Education cooperative, or parent group willing to establish a school-to-home lending library. No limit has been established on the number of grants Micro-Ed will make. The donation is not contingent upon the purchase of any Micro-Ed products. ... Thorward Esbensen, Micro-Ed's president, 'envisions the establishment of a free lending library of educational software for families.'"

Less than a year later, in November 1984, the Commodore magazine The Transactor (v5n3) wrote that Micro-Ed had donated "more than a half million dollars worth of its instructional programs to school systems" for those free software lending libraries.

So. Micro-Ed was established in 1979 by Thorward (Tory) Esbensen. Based in Eden Prairie, MN, the company specialized in low-cost educational software. The software, written in the BASIC programming language, was available for Commodore PET, VIC-20, and Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, Apple II, TRS-80, and Texas Instruments computers. Micro-Ed's best-known title was perhaps "Trail West," an Oregon Trail-like game.

Mr. Esbensen died in 2012. I interviewed two of his sons, both of whom worked with their father at Micro-Ed. First, I talked with Kai Esbensen, the youngest in the family. Kai told me in email: "My siblings had all moved out by the time Micro-Ed was in motion, but I lived it. Helping out with Micro-Ed was my first paid job, in 2nd/3rd grade, and I was still on the payroll helping out through age 22." This interview took place on May 28, 2020.  ...

Next, I talked with Kai's older brother, George Esbensen, who was a salesman for Micro-Ed, and later was president of Cycle Software Services, a software duplication company that spun off from Micro-Ed. This interview took place on June 3, 2020.

Very old Micro-Ed/Thorwald Esbensen web site

AtariMania's partial list of Micro-Ed Software for Atari

Micro-Ed advertisement in Compute! magazine May 1980

Thorwald Esbensen obituary in StarTribune

Thorwald Esbensen obituary in Duluth News Tribune

Washington Apple Pi, January 1984

The Transactor v5n3


ANTIC Interview 395 - Myra Marshall, Computer Applications Tomorrow (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 05 Sep 2020 - Size: 15.0 MByte - Duration: 21:24

Myra Marshall, Computer Applications Tomorrow

Myra Marshall, along with her husband-at-the-time Roger Marshall, was co-founder of Computer Applications Tomorrow, a small software company that specialized in educational software for microcomputers. Most of the company's software was self-published and sold in small computer stores, including titles such as USA States and Capitals, Spelling Exam, and Alphabet Keyboard Primer. One title, Musical Computer: The Music Tutor, was sold by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the spring 1982 APX catalog. It was available on disk and cost $14.95.

This interview took place on August 26, 2020.

Musical Computer in the spring 1982 APX catalog

AtariMania's list of Computer Applications Tomorrow software


ANTIC Interview 394 - Michael Darland, Microperipheral Corporation and Sofcast (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 29 Aug 2020 - Size: 44.7 MByte - Duration: 01:03:04
Michael Darland, Microperipheral Corporation and Sofcast

Michael Darland was co-founder of Microperipheral Corporation, and president of Sofcast, a system that sent computer data over AM and FM radio.
 
Founded in 1979, Microperipheral Corporation produced 300 BPS modems for several brands of microcomputers, including models compatible with the Atari 8-bit computers. Using telecommunications software called TariTerm, the Atari compatible-modems worked with the Atari 850 interface, or by connecting directly to the SIO bus.

Michael was also co-founder of Sofcast. Launched in August 1984, Sofcast was a system that sent computer programs and other data over traditional AM and FM radio stations. Listeners would use a $70 receive-only modem, called a Shuttle Communicator, to receive the programs that were transmitted over radio waves at up to 4800 bits per second.

According to an article in the June 1986 issue of Modern Electronics magazine, "The software itself actually originates at the radio studio as a tape recording of what is essentially a modem’s output. It’s the same as if you fed an ASCII file through a modem, but recorded the modem’s output instead of sending into a telephone line."

An article in PC Magazine, May 28, 1985, provides more detail:

"The show’s format falls under the bailiwick of Robert E. Lee Hardwick, a veteran radio announcer of 25 years. Harwick’s articulate voice serves as the common thread tying together the distinct parts of the weekly 30-minute show. At the microphone, Hardwick interviews guests like Bob Landware, developer of software for synthesizing music on PCs, or he demonstrates computing curios such as the Ghostbusters theme played over a Commodore computer speaker. ...What separates Hardwick's show from its counterparts, though, is the transmission of software, or sofcasts.

Midway through the show, Hardwick advises the listening audience to ready their equipment for sofcasts. He briefly describes the program or data file to be sent and counts down the sofcast like a rocket launch. A 1-second beep follows, after which the actual software is broadcast. This typically lasts 10 to 12 seconds, terminated by another 1-second beep. Then Hardwick’s voice returns.

To transmit or download software across the air, Hardwick cables a device called a Shuttle Encoder to the serial interface port of his PC. With a program written by Microperipheral, he transfers the file to be sofcast to the Encoder, which converts it to analog signals. These signals can be taped or broadcast directly. ... The show is subsequently played on two AM stations in the Seattle/Tacoma area on Sunday nights, KAMT...and KXA.

...On the receiving end, the audience has an AM radio tuned to the show. Prior to the sofcast, listeners attach a Shuttle Communicator to the radio. A cable coming from the Communicator connects to the radio earphone jack. Another cable connects the battery-powered Communicator with the computer through the serial port.

...A special program, also developed by Microperipheral, is executed on the computer... It accepts a stream of data sent by the Shuttle Communicator to the serial interface and writes the data to a disk file.

Since the show first went on the air in August 1984, Hardwick has sofcast a plethora of programs. The list includes spreadsheets, flight simulators, picture files, and games aimed at Commodore, Atari, Macintosh, Radio Shack, and IBM PC computers, among others. The public-domain programs distributed through the sofcast were initially received by only a few computers because of the limited availability of Shuttle Communicators."

Later in the article, it says: "One of the biggest tasks facing Hardwick and his colleagues is to convince radio stations to air the show. ...Sofcast airs Sunday nights, sandwiched, on one station, between two religious broadcasts, a time when there 'is no revenue possibility at all, and hasn’t been for 20 years.' Yet a computing audience is tuning in, and businesses can reach them through advertising without paying exorbitant rates."

Sofcast would grow to broadcast on 30 radio stations in the United States.

Michael Darland's co-founder for both ventures, Donald L. Stoner, was a world-renowned ham radio operator who died in 1999.

This interview took place on May 24 and May 31, 2020.

"Software Takes To The Air" in PC Magazine 1985-05-28

"Free BASIC programs by Radio" in Modern Electronics 1986-06

"Software On The Air" in Computer Shopper 1985-08

Cable Systems Talk to Computers by Donald L. Stoner

Wave of Future in Computer Software May Come Over The Radio
 
Sofcast receive-only modem

Donald L. Stoner obituary

ANTIC Episode 70 - Who Wants a FujiNet Anyway... I do! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 25 Aug 2020 - Size: 43.3 MByte - Duration: 01:02:58

ANTIC Episode 70 - Who Wants a FujiNet Anyway… I do!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast… we discuss the roll-out of the first 50 units of FujiNet, “virtual” shows remaining this year, new software, hardware and all the current Atari news riding the waves.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Been Up To

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

New at Github

Commercial

New at Archive.org

Listener Feedback

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 393 - Charles Marslett, MYDOS and FastChip (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 16 Aug 2020 - Size: 37.3 MByte - Duration: 54:20

Charles Marslett, MYDOS and FastChip

Charles Marslett wrote floppy disk and hard drive drivers for Percom, and was the creator of MYDOS, a disk operating system for the Atari 8-bit computers that offered support for double density sectors, subdirectories, and hard drives. He also created FastChip, a hardware add-on for the Atari, sold by Newell Industries, that claimed to speed up floating point routines by 300%. He also created the A65 Assembler, a macro assembler. He has released the source code for MYDOS and FastChip.

This interview took place on July 13, 2020.

Charles' web site

MyDOS at AtariWiki

MyDOS 3.0 User Guide

A65 Assembler at AtariWiki

ANTIC Interview 212 - Wes Newell, Newell Industries

ANTIC Interview 7 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Bill Wilkinson, OSS

ANTIC Interview 11 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - David Small

ANTIC Interview 22 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Kathleen O'Brien, OSS

Michael Abrash

Zen of Assembly Language by Michael Abrash 

Zen of Assembly Language by Michael Abrash: free eBook version; code at GitHub 


ANTIC Episode 69 - Bill Collector (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 22 Jul 2020 - Size: 50.0 MByte - Duration: 01:49:07

ANTIC #69 Show Notes, July, 2020

Title: Bill Collector

Guests

What We’ve Been Up To

News

Shows

YouTube

Feedback


ANTIC Interview 392 - Dorothy Siegel, Pioneer in Computer Music (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 21 Jul 2020 - Size: 46.5 MByte - Duration: 01:07:37

Dorothy Siegel, Pioneer in Computer Music

I'm Kay Savetz, and this is ANTIC: The Atari 8-bit podcast. This interview, however, is about events that happened before Atari released its first computers.

This interview is with Dorothy Siegel, a pioneer in computer music. The music she created was on an IMSAI 8080 computer and a clarinet.

The First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival was held August 25, 1978 as part of a show called Personal Computing '78 held at the Philadelphia Civic Center. In 1979, Creative Computing Magazine published a record album, also titled First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival. The 12" 33 RPM record was of music performed at the festival: 18 pieces, including Dorthy's.

Dorothy was co-founder of Newtech, along with her husband Michael Abram and business partner Stuart Newfeld, a company that built add-on music cards for two S-100 bus computers: the IMSAI 8080 and the Southwest Technical Products Corporation 6800. The Newtech Music Cards cost $59.95 each. (Newtech was not the same company as NewTek, the company that sold the Video Toaster in the 1990s.)

Dorothy performed Johann Wanhal's Rondo from Sonata in B-flat for Clarinet and Piano. The IMSAI, with three Newtech music boards, performed the piano part, and Dorothy accompanied it on clarinet.

I'm going to play the song now. It's about four minutes long.

Regarding Dorothy's song, the album notes read: "Newtech's music card for the S-100 bus is essentially a digital-to-analog converter controlled by an output port on the computer. The analog output is fed into amplifiers to be heard. This approach to computer music synthesis is extremely flexible since hypothetically any possible sound can be created. In actual practice the performance of the music circuitry is somewhat limited by the speed of the host computer. Each card can produce up to three voices output to one channel.

Newtech's music software consists of a BASIC program which converts music into binary tables, and a machine-language interpreter to play the music with three voices and different envelopes. The piece on this record uses three cards each playing one voice."

Check the show notes for an extensive list of links to people that we talk about and the articles that Dorothy wrote for ROM Magazine and Popular Electronics. You can hear the entire First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival at VintageComputerMusic.com or buy the album on a remastered audio CD directly from Dave Ahl of Creative Computing Magazine.

This interview took place January 7, 2014, when I was doing research for a book about the first personal computer magazines. Although I've decided not to write the book, I am publishing the interviews that I did while doing the research.

Personal Computing '78 flyer

Popular Electronics magazine, January 1975

Edward Miller's Piece for Clarinet & Tape

Stan Viet

Electro-Harmonix

ANTIC Interview 332 - Mike Matthews, founder of Electro-Harmonix

ANTIC Interview 280 - David and Betsy Ahl, Creative Computing Magazine

Samuel Abram, Dorothy's son

ROM Magazine Issue 4: Scott Joplin on Your Sci-Fi Hi-Fi by Dorothy Siegel

ROM Magazine Issue 5: Make Me More Music, Maestro Micro by Dorothy Siegel

Popular Electronics November 1979: CP/M: The Standard Microcomputer Software Interface by Dorothy Siegel

Listen to/download First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival album

Buy the album on a remastered audio CD from Dave Ahl


ANTIC Interview 391 - Tracy Frey, Atari Birthday Girl (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 14 Jul 2020 - Size: 20.6 MByte - Duration: 27:35
Tracy Frey, Atari Birthday Girl

There's an article in the New York Times, dated April 9, 1982: "8-Year-Old's Birthday Party in a Computer Center." The story, written by Barbara Gamareklin, is about the birthday party of Tracey Pizzo — now Tracey Frey — which took place at the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, DC.

Quoting the article:

Tracy Pizzo decided that Chunky’s Cheese Pizza Parlor was not the place for her eighth birthday party after all. She chose the Future Center of the Capital Children’s Museum, where her 13 guests were able to try their hand at the video games on 20 Atari 800 microcomputers.

Without waiting to remove their coats and jackets, the girls, most of them 6 to 8 years old, rushed toward the glowing multicolored screens. In no time they were engrossed in computer games — from Asteroids and Find Hurkle to Lemonade Stand.

"Go, Megan, go!" cried 6-year-old Enid Maran, who was still wearing her black kid gloves. "We have to explode those little stars." Megan Thaler worked her control lever and sent a stream of blue and red simulated antiaircraft fire across the screen in the direction of a small green airplane.

Tracy’s mother, Peggy Pizzo, said that Tracy’s older sister, Cara, had been to the Future Center on a school field trip "and Tracy got so excited when she heard about it that she insisted we have a computer birthday party.” ...

"Tracy said the reason she wanted to come was because her friends liked to push buttons," said 11-year-old Cara, who had baked the white birthday cake with pink frosting that had "Eight" spelled out in strawberries.

"What is your name?" the Birthday Banner computer asked. "And how old are you now? Are you a boy or a girl?" As Tracy typed in the answers and her friends serenaded her with “Happy Birthday,” a five-foot computer tape slowly emerged from the machine, reading in letters six inches tall: "Happy Birthday Tracy."...

Tracy, aided by her friends, Katherine Herz and Annamaria Hibbs, tried out her entrepreneurial skills at Lemonade Stand. ... Tracy played Hangman with her father, Dr. Philip Pizzo. She said, "Make it hard, but not too hard," as she closed her eyes and her father entered the word "Christmas" for her to guess, each incorrect guess slowly forming a hangman’s noose on the screen....

Asteroids is the only noneducational game offered in the computer room...

Computer birthday parties cost $5 a person, with a minimum of eight in a party...

As for Tracy Pizzo, as she and her friends filed down the hall to the balloon-festooned party room for ice cream, cake and presents, she pronounced the day "just perfect."
 
(end quote)

In 1981, Atari donated 30 Atari computer systems to the Capital Children's Museum. The contribution allowed the museum to establish the Future Center "computer learning environment", to put computer programs in exhibits, and to create a software development lab.

By the way, the Capital Children's Museum still exists — it's now called the National Children's Museum, but there probably aren't any Atari computers around to play with anymore.

This interview took place on June 26, 2020.

NYT — 8-Year-Old's Birthday Party in a Computer Center:
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/09/stil/8-year-old-s-birthday-party-in-a-computer-center.html

Picture of Tracey and her friends: https://imgur.com/a/pD7RTF6

National Children's Museum
https://nationalchildrensmuseum.org

ANTIC Interview 390 - David Gedalia, Atari-controlled Telescope (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 06 Jul 2020 - Size: 25.7 MByte - Duration: 22:51

David Gedalia, Atari-controlled Telescope

Listener Paul Somerfeldt sent me a blurb he found in a book titled "The Dobsonian Telescope" by David Kriege and Richard Berry. The book reads: "Computer-controlled Dobsonian telescopes entered amateur astronomy in the late 1980s. An outstanding early example was David Gedalia's 10-inch f/4.5 Dobsonian driven by an Atari 800XL computer, shown at the 1987 Riverside Telescope Makers Conference. With the Atari driving altitude and azimuth stepper-motors, the telescope would move automatically to coordinates entered on the computer’s keyboard. David was a third-year engineering student when he built this telescope."

I sought out David to find out more about his Atari-controlled telescope.

This interview took place on May 29, 2020.

Photos of David with his telescope

The Dobsonian Telescope by David Kriege and Richard Berry

New Horizons in Amateur Astronomy by Grant Fjermedal


ANTIC Interview 389 - Brad Stewart, Covox (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 29 Jun 2020 - Size: 27.5 MByte - Duration: 40:05

Brad Stewart, Covox

Brad Stewart was the co-founder and chief designer of Covox, the company that created Covox VoiceMaster. VoiceMaster was speech digitizer and voice recognition hardware for the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, and Apple II computers. Covox's own demonstration audio tape describes it well, although the demo tape that I found doesn't mention the Atari.

This interview took place on May 21, 2020.

Aerosynth

Brad's blog post about Covox Voice Master

Kay plays with VoiceMaster in 2014

Covox Voicemaster Demo cassette

A Bionic Approach to Speech Processing

Escape from Planet X at AtariMania


ANTIC Interview 388 - Henry and Nancy Taitt, Creative Learning Association (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 22 Jun 2020 - Size: 29.5 MByte - Duration: 42:50
Henry and Nancy Taitt, Creative Learning Association

Henry Taitt was founder of the Creative Learning Association, which created books and classes about how to program computers in BASIC. Henry, along with his wife Nancy Taitt, ran the company from 1982-1988.

The book series, TLC For Growing Minds — TLC means Thinking, Learning, Creating — delivered self-paced lessons about the BASIC programming language. Versions of the series were available for Atari 8-bit, Apple II, IBM PC, TRS-80, and other platforms. Each platform series had seven books with color-coded covers: the red cover was level 1, orange for level 2, yellow for level 3, and so on down the rainbow. Another series offered platform-agnostic microcomputer projects.

The material was used as the bases for in-person classes at computer labs around the United States. Creative Learning Association also published a newsletter and a "national registry of computer programers" highlighting students who had progressed in the book series.

I have been able to find and scan some of Creative Learning Association materials and upload them to The Internet Archive. 

This interview took place on April 14, 2020.

TLC for Growing Minds book scans

Nancy Taitt died in 2022. Her obituary.


ANTIC Interview 387 - Claudia Cohl, Editor-in-Chief of Family Computing and K-Power Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 16 Jun 2020 - Size: 34.1 MByte - Duration: 49:32
Claudia Cohl, Editor-in-Chief of Family Computing and K-Power Magazine

Claudia Cohl was the editor-in-chief of Family Computing Magazine for its entire run. Published by Scholastic, the magazine ran for 49 issues, from September 1983 through September 1987. Then it published 11 more issues, though August 1988, as "Family and Home Office Computing." Finally, it was rebranded "Home Office Computing". Claudia remained editor there until a new division was formed, and she moved to the Professional Publishing department to focus on magazines for teachers.

In a 1983 New York Times article "Children's Magazine for a Computer Age," Claudia is quoted: "Our magazine is primarily for parents. Parents feel confused about computers and software and they feel they have no place to turn. We think parents will be using our magazine themselves or with their kids. Children will be picking up the magazine too."

Claudia was also editor-in-chief of K-Power magazine, a computer magazine for kids. Only eight issues of K-Power were published, running from February 1984 to November/December 1984, after which it was merged with Family Computing.

Our interview took place in two portions, on June 29, 2018 and December 11, 2019.

Read Family Computing at Internet Archive

Read K Power at Internet Archive

ANTIC Episode 68 - What SIDE Are You On? With Jonathan Halliday (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 14 Jun 2020 - Size: 59.6 MByte - Duration: 01:26:43

ANTIC Episode 68

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast… Jonathan Halliday joins as we discuss his amazing work on the SIDE loaders for the Incognito and Ultimate 1MB  and the work going on for the SIDE3 cart.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

  

What We’ve Been Up To

News
 

  •  

Shows

YouTube videos this month

New at Github

New at Archive.org

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 386 - Sherman Rosenfeld, Atari Institute for Education Action Research (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 08 Jun 2020 - Size: 31.3 MByte - Duration: 45:34
Sherman Rosenfeld, Atari Institute for Education Action Research

Dr. Sherman Rosenfeld is an internationally-known leader in informal learning and science education. He was a consultant to the Atari Institute for Education Action Research. Founded in June 1981 and led by Ted Kahn, the Institute provided equipment, advice, and financial support to non-profit educational organizations. It granted more than $1 million in hardware and software to schools, science museums, vocational and special education programs, even a prison.  

Ted Kahn, whom I have previously interviewed, recently dug through his files to uncover several documents about the Institute, including "Informal Learning and Computers," the working paper written by Sherman Rosenfeld for the Atari Institute for Education Action Research in September 1982. Ted also graciously scanned a 1981 Atari Institute brochure, a 1983 progress report, and "Atari in Action," the Institute's newsletter, dated fall 1982.

This interview took place on May 25, 2020. Sherman talked to me from his office in Israel. A video version of the interview is also available.

Informal Learning and Computers

Atari Institute For Educational Action Research Brochure

Atari in Action — Atari Institute Newsletter fall 1982

Atari Institute Report Feb. 1983

Caspi Towards Creative Self Education Synopsis
 

ANTIC Interview 385 - Software Automatic Mouth: Mark Barton (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 01 Jun 2020 - Size: 38.1 MByte - Duration: 55:23
Software Automatic Mouth: Mark Barton

Mark Barton was creator of SAM — Software Automatic Mouth. Released in 1982, SAM was the first software-only speech synthesizer for personal computers. It was available for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit computers. He later developed Macintalk, speech synthesis for the Macintosh computer; and narrator, the speech system for the Commodore Amiga.

This interview took place on May 22, 2020.

SAM Demo Disk

Steve Jobs movie
 

ANTIC Interview 384 - Fandal: Atari programer and archivist (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 27 May 2020 - Size: 30.2 MByte - Duration: 43:54

Fandal: Atari programer and archivist

Frantisek Houra is better known to the Atari community as Fandal. He's an Atari computer programmer and long-time archivist of European Atari software. He has created many original Atari games and conversions from other platforms: including Fruity Pete, Mashed Turtles, Crescent Solitaire, and Diamondz.

This interview took place on August 28, 2019, during the Fujiama Atari conference in Lengenfeld, Germany. Roland Wassenberg sat in to assist with the interview. Shortly after, Fandal and I and several other attendees hooked up a multijoy and played some rounds of Mashed Turtles with six players (up to eight can play), and it was so. much. fun.

Fandal's web site

Mashed Turtles

Xenophobe game for sale at Video61


ANTIC Interview 383 - Gregg Squires, Atari Manager of Hardware Engineering (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 21 May 2020 - Size: 77.6 MByte - Duration: 01:52:59

Gregg Squires, Atari Manager of Hardware Engineering

Gregg Squires was a Manager of Hardware Engineering at Atari from 1982 through 1984, working from their New York office. He was project manager for Val, a cost-reduced version of the Atari 2600; and project manager for the Atari XL computer series. He was co-designer of the 65816 microprocessor architecture.

Greg sent me a scan of an Atari 600XL Product Status Meeting handout dated January 1983. It's an impressive 45 pages and paints a clear picture of the timeline, costs, and issues involved with creating that computer.

This interview took place on February 13, 2019.

Atari VAL photo

Atari 600XL Product Status Meeting Handout

The Working Clock-Timer by Joel Moskowitz

ANTIC Interview 65 - Steve Mayer, 400/800 Designer


ANTIC Interview 382 - Rik Dickinson, Encore Video Productions (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 13 May 2020 - Size: 15.4 MByte - Duration: 22:18

Rik Dickinson, Encore Video Productions

Rik Dickinson is founder of Encore Video Productions, a company that rented Atari 8-bit computers to hotels for use as character generators. The computers would show information about the hotel on channel 2 of guests' televisions. This was part of a service that Encore offered to provide in-room movies that ran off videotapes. The tape machines ran on a timer, and when the movie ended, the video feed switched back to the text information displayed by the Atari.

This interview took place on April 20, 2020.

Forum about Encore Video Productions Display System

Encore Video Productions


ANTIC Episode 67 - Still Socially Distant (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 10 May 2020 - Size: 29.5 MByte - Duration: 01:04:29

ANTIC Episode 67 - Still Socially Distant

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast...Randy forgets to call the artist, formerly known as Kevin, as Kay about 100 times, we continue discussion on AtariFests and World of Atari, we help you with your free time by telling you about papercraft computers and RetroPie, and help you navigate what’s happening with vintage computer shows; plus a whole lot more Atari news!

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

  

What We’ve Been Up To

Recent Interviews

News
 

 

 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

New at Github

New at Archive.org

Feedback

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender. 


ANTIC Interview 381 - Youth Advisory Board: Tracey Cullinan (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 03 May 2020 - Size: 29.4 MByte - Duration: 42:48

Youth Advisory Board: Tracey Cullinan

This is the seventh in a series of episodes featuring the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. In 1983, Atari formed a Youth Advisory Board, selecting teenagers from around the United States to share their opinions about computers and video games, test software, and promote Atari's computers at events. The group consisted of kids aged 14 through 18, including Tracey Cullinan.

Tracey worked as a salesperson at the ComputerLand store in Los Altos, California — starting at the age of 12. He started a software company, Superior Software, which produced custom software for local businesses, as well as a couple of games for the Apple II computer. At 14, Tracey was invited to be a member of the Youth Advisory Board. As part of that job, he went to the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago to demonstrate Atari computers. The next year, as a 15-year-old, Tracey was interviewed on the "Today" show as a young entrepreneur.

There's a chapter about Tracey in the 1984 book "Computer Kids" by George Sullivan. (His picture in on the back cover of the book.) I'm going to read several passages from that book, quotes from Tracey.

...A Computerland store opened
in a mall near my home. I made friends with the people
who worked in the store, and they let me use the computers
there.

The store happened to be within walking distance of
where I live, and I'd go there after school and on week-
ends, or almost anytime I had free time. I often wrote
game programs on the computers, and I bought a disk on
which to store the programs. They let me keep the disk
at the store.

When customers came into the store, I'd sometimes
help out by showing them what a computer could do.
They'd be amazed. "What’s this nine-year-old kid doing
showing me how a computer works?"

I’m now working at the store. I started as an employee
when I was twelve. I was in sales at first but later I shifted
over to computer repair...

I now know five or six computer languages — BASIC,
Pascal, LOGO, plus three machine languages: 6502, the
one that’s used on the Apple and Atari and the one I use
the most, Z-80. I’m starting to learn 8086, the language
for the IBM Personal Computer...

The company that I operate is called Superior Software.
I prepare custom programs for businesses in the
area. One program involves inventorying and invoicing
for a company that sells charcoal fire starters. I’ve got
another program that gathers stock market prices from a
computer, and then correlates them and prints them out
for a local stockbroker.

A third program I wrote for the Los Altos Little
League. It’s a mailing list program. They use it in sending
out notices about tryouts, practices, and things like that.
I became a member of the Atari Youth Advisory Board
because someone at the consulting firm that was getting
the names of kids together for Atari happened to know
my dad. When the consulting firm found out that I was
into computers, they put my name on the list. Then the
people at Atari picked me.

We've been giving Atari advice mostly on their home
computers. Later, I think they're going to ask us for advice
on their video games and arcade games...

I also use the computer to write game programs once
in a while. One that I’ve written is called Glutton [for the
Apple II.] You, the shooter, are armed with little missiles
and positioned on the right side of the screen. You can
move up and down only. You shoot to the left.

The glutton moves back and forth across the screen.
The glutton likes to eat. Different kinds of food fall from
the top of the screen. Some of it is good food, like apples,
carrots, and chicken drumsticks. But some of the food is
junk food, like cupcakes and soda pop. The object of the
game is to keep the glutton well fed, but healthy, You try
to eliminate the pieces of junk food by blasting them with
your missiles.

I've tried to sell Glutton to some of the companies that
market game software to computer owners, to companies
such as Broderbund and Sirius. But I haven’t been successful yet.
...As far as the future is concerned, I plan to go to college.

I'd like to go to a good private university, a technical
one, like MIT, Cal Tech, or Stanford... After that, I
think I'd like to be a game programmer, and maybe work
for Atari, Imagic, or Activision, or some company like
that.


Tracey didn't go to any of those colleges. He died 1986 of brain cancer. He had just turned 18.

I talked with Tracey's mother, Leola Wooldridge; and his younger brother, Cory Cullinan, about their memories of Tracey.

This interview took place on April 17, 2020. In it, we discuss John Dickerson, whom I previously interviewed.

Tracey in Computer Kids book

Demystifying Excellence by Cory Cullinan

John Dickerson interview 

Tracey Cullinan On Today Show on Youtube or Internet Archive 


ANTIC Interview 380 - Atari Speed Reading: Karlyn Kamm and Brad Oltrogge (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 26 Apr 2020 - Size: 38.4 MByte - Duration: 55:51

Atari Speed Reading: Karlyn Kamm and Brad Oltrogge

The Atari Speed Reading software package was released by Atari in 1981. It was a self-paced program, for use with the Atari computer and a cassette drive, that promised to teach you to increase reading speed and comprehension with 30 days of practice. The package contained a workbook and five cassette tapes.

This is an interview with two of the people who created the Atari Speed Reading package. Karlyn Kamm created the speed reading educational material at the University of Wisconsin with Dr. Wayne Otto. In 1975, she and Dr. Otto published a book titled "Speedway, the Action Way to Read." Dr. Otto died in 2017.

Brad Oltrogge is president of Learning Multi-Systems, the software publisher that was contracted by Atari to turn Kamm and Otto's speed reading material into a product for the Atari home computer.

This interview took place on April 16, 2020.

Atari Speed Reading Workbook

Atari Speed Reading at AtariWiki

Dr. Otto obituary

Speedway: The action way to speed read

The Study Skills Component of the Wisconsin Design

Learning Multi-Systems 


ANTIC Interview 379 - Gabriel Baum, Atari Conversational French and Spanish (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 17 Apr 2020 - Size: 27.2 MByte - Duration: 39:32

Gabriel Baum: Atari Conversational French and Spanish

Gabriel Baum worked at Thorn EMI, where he managed the project to create two early language learning programs that were published by Atari: Conversational French and Conversational Spanish. (Atari's language learning series would also include Conversational German — Gabriel started that, but left Thorn EMI before that project was finished — and Conversational Italian.)

After Thorn EMI, Gabriel moved to Mattel where he became one of the "Blue Sky Rangers," creating Intellivision games. If you'd like to hear more about that, Paul Nurminen interviewed him about that time in episode 37 of The Intellivisionaries podcast.

For a deep dive into the Atari Conversational French software, listen to season 5, episode 1 of the Inverse ATASCII podcast. You can download the software and audio for all of the conversational language series from AtariWiki.

This interview took place on March 31, 2020. In it, Gabriel mis-remembers a bit of the technical capabilities of the Atari cassette drive, which was a lot less sophisticated than he recalls. If you'd like to read the technical details of how the Atari 410 and 1010 program recorders worked, check out Appendix C of De Re Atari.

Conversational language series at AtariWiki

Inverse ATASCII podcast covers Atari Conversational French

Gabriel interview on the Intellivisionaries podcast

De Re Atari on the Atari cassette capabilities


ANTIC Episode 66 - Socially Distant (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 08 Apr 2020 - Size: 51.0 MByte - Duration: 01:14:08

ANTIC Episode 66 - Socially Distant

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: We talk about what we’re doing Atari-wise in these socially distant times and we bring you all the Atari news from around the world.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

  

What We’ve Been Up To

News
 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

Commercial

New at Archive.org

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender. 


ANTIC Episode 65 - Cats with umbrellas and dogs! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 20 Feb 2020 - Size: 50.1 MByte - Duration: 01:12:52

ANTIC Episode 65 - Cats with umbrellas and dogs!

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  Kevin’s dogs do their best to be a part of the podcast, we tell you all about a very busy month of personal Atari stuff, all the programming contests going on, and all the other news we could find.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

Interview index:
here
 

 

 

  

Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
https://paypal.me/Savetz
 

TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour -
https://tehpodcast.com
 

What We’ve Been Up To

Recent Interviews

News
 

 

 

AtariAge discussion -
https://atariage.com/forums/topic/301250-2020-basic-10liner-contest/
 

 

 

-
https://atariage.com/forums/topic/300855-kaz-kompo-2019-vote-for-the-best-game-of-2019/#comments
 

 

 

Shows

YouTube videos this month

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 378 - Craig Hickman, Atari Photography Software and Security System (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 01 Feb 2020 - Size: 22.6 MByte - Duration: 32:52

Craig Hickman, Atari Photography Software and Security System

Craig Hickman was featured in the June 1982 edition of Atari Connection magazine for his photography software tools. "Craig has developed two programs written in Atari BASIC for use in his darkroom. One of the programs times the negative’s development, and the other monitors and times enlargements and the making of the positive prints." His Developing program could store up to 30 film processing combinations. "Once the film is developed into a negative, you are ready to use Craig's Enlarger/Timer program to make a positive print." The Atari 400 was connected to the enlarger with relays: the computer would turn the enlarger on and off at precise intervals for making photographic prints.

Craig also rigged up an apartment security system using his Atari 400, which he wrote about in an article on his web site. He wrote: "I designed a home surveillance system for our apartment in Seattle that used little magnetic switches from Radio Shack. It displayed a representation of our apartment on the screen and showed when a door or window was open. It worked so well I expanded the system to include little tilt switches placed on bushes outside the windows. This also worked fine until one windy night when I was away from home and it set off the alarm every few minutes. The next day my wife told me to dismantle it."

Later, Craig created the popular program Kid Pix for the early Macintosh computer.

This interview took place on January 29, 2020. See the show notes for links to Craig's web site and YouTube channel, and the Atari Connection magazine article.

Craig's web site

Craig's darkroom timer in Atari Connection Magazine
 
Craig's YouTube channel


ANTIC Episode 64 - Living in the Future (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 26 Jan 2020 - Size: 33.1 MByte - Duration: 01:12:19

ANTIC Episode 64 - Living in the Future

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: 
We talk about our Atari-related resolutions for the new year, how 2020 sounds like we’re living in the future, and bring you news and feedback from across the Atari 8-bit landscape.

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

 

 

  

Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
https://paypal.me/Savetz
 

TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour -
https://tehpodcast.com
 

What We’ve Been Up To

Interviews

Atari News
 

Upcoming Shows with Atari Computers

YouTube Videos

New at Archive.org

Feedback

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender. 


ANTIC Interview 377 - James Hugard, Neanderthal Computer Things (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 Dec 2019 - Size: 10.8 MByte - Duration: 23:30

James Hugard, Neanderthal Computer Things

James Hugard was co-founder of Neanderthal Computer Things, a company that created just one product. "810 Turbo" was a hardware conversion board for the Atari 810 disk drive that promised true double density storage, and faster data reading and writing. The device, released in 1983, could be installed inside your 810 disk drive with "no jumpers, no soldering, no extra box." It cost $295. James wrote the firmware for the device.

Check the show notes for links to the 810 Turbo Manual and advertisement, photos of the board, and a lively discussion on AtariAge (in which James has answered some questions and added more commentary.)

This interview took place on June 7, 2019.

810 Turbo ad

810 Turbo Manual

810 Photos and software

NCT Letter to Atari users groups

Discussion on AtariAge


ANTIC Episode 63 - SillyVenture and FujiNet! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 15 Dec 2019 - Size: 43.9 MByte - Duration: 01:35:52

SillyVenture and FujiNet

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: In the tradition of bringing you the latest Atari 8-bit news, we have a couple of very special guests in this episode.  First of all, Bart comes to us literally direct from the fabulous SillyVenture show to give us a rundown, and then Thomas Cherryhomes tells us all about the amazing work going on with FujiNet!

READY!

Recurring Links 

 

 

 

  

Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
https://paypal.me/Savetz
 

TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour -
https://tehpodcast.com
 

What We’ve Been Up To

  •  SDrive Max from Vintage Computer Center - 

 

Guests

Interviews

Atari News
 

Upcoming Shows with Atari Computers

New at Archive.org

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender. 


ANTIC Interview 376 - Dennis Zander: Artworx, Hazard Run, Strip Poker (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 30 Nov 2019 - Size: 24.7 MByte - Duration: 53:54
Dennis Zander: Artworx, Hazard Run, Strip Poker
 
Dennis Zander was one of the founding partners of the software publishing company Artworx. He programmed a number of games and educational titles, including Hazard Run, Rings of the Empire, Monkeymath, Giant Slalom, Intruder Alert!, Monkeynews, and others. He collaborated with Roger Harnish on Artworx popular Strip Poker game.

This interview took place on June 13, 2019. In it, we discuss Art Walsh, whom I previously interviewed.

Atarimania's list of Dennis' games

Dennis' software at Archive.org

ANTIC Interview 284 - Art Walsh, Dynacomp and Artworx

Z-Stuff for Trains

ANTIC Interview 375 - Bruce May, Unreleased Magic Castle Game (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 24 Nov 2019 - Size: 13.6 MByte - Duration: 29:33

Bruce May, Unreleased Magic Castle Game

In 1982 Bruce May created Magic Castle, a game for the Atari 800 computer. He finished the game but was unable to find a publisher for it, so hardly anyone played it. In October 2019 he sent me scans of his original documents regarding Magic Castle: his design notes, and even rejection letters from the three companies that he submitted the game to: Catalyst Technologies, Avalon Hill, and Origin Systems. He hasn't been able to find the floppy disks with the game, but he does have printouts of the source code — which he also scanned and sent to me — so it could potentially be resurrected by the Atari community.

This interview took place on October 13, 2019.

Bruce's Magic Castle documents 

Michael Sternberg got Magic Castle running again! 


ANTIC Interview 374 - Wolfgang Burger, President of Atari Bit Byter User Club (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 21 Nov 2019 - Size: 23.5 MByte - Duration: 51:16

Wolfgang Burger, President of Atari Bit Byter User Club

Wolfgang Burger is the president and a founding member of the Atari Bit Byter User Club, the world's largest user group dedicated to the Atari 8-bit computer. The group was founded in 1985 in Herten, Germany. Today, the group has about 500 members from around the world. The group's quarterly magazine — still produced on an Atari computer — is almost certainly the longest continually published computer magazine anywhere.

This interview took place on August 28, 2019, during the Fujiama Atari conference in Lengenfeld, Germany. Wolfgang doesn't speak much English, and I don't speak any German, so Roland Wassenberg provided real-time language translation.

ABBUC web site


ANTIC Interview 373 - Bruce Irvine, Atari VP of Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 14 Nov 2019 - Size: 28.4 MByte - Duration: 01:01:55

Bruce Irvine, Atari VP of Software

Bruce Irvine was Atari's Vice President of Software — heading the company's new computer software division — from September 1980 through approximately July 1982. Among other responsibilities, he oversaw Atari Program Exchange and the opening of Atari "software acquisition centers." After leaving Atari, he co-founded Mindset Corporation with Roger Badertscher.

This interview took place on November 7, 2019. In it, Bruce mentions Steve Gerber, Fred Thorlin, Dale Yocum, and Manny Gerard, all of whom we have previously interviewed.

Infoworld — Atari Opens Second Software-Acquisition Center

ANTIC Interview 268 - Steve Gerber, VP of International New Product Development

ANTIC Fred Thorlin interview

ANTIC Dale Yocum interview

ANTIC Interview 78 - Manny Gerard, The Man Who Fired Nolan


ANTIC Episode 62 - Incognito and 40 Years of Atari 8-Bits (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 09 Nov 2019 - Size: 36.8 MByte - Duration: 01:20:16

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  Kevin hobnobs with Atari celebrities at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, Brad and Randy find out they’re podcast hosts #2 and #3, respectively, and together we cover all the Atari news that’s fit to print. 

READY!

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ANTIC Special Episode — Atari 800 series computers: 40 years (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 27 Oct 2019 - Size: 22.0 MByte - Duration: 48:09

ANTIC Special Episode — Atari 800 series computers: 40 years

This is Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast. I'm Kevin Savetz. On Saturday, October 19, 2019 I had the privilege of taking part in a panel at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. The session was titled "Atari 800 series computers: 40 years." The panelists were Joe Decuir, one of the hardware designers of the Atari 400 and 800; David Crane, who was one of the developers of the Atari's operating system before he famously left Atari to co-found Activision; and myself.

The session was attended by roughly 50 people. There were some difficulties getting Joe's computer to throw its video to the projector, and you can hear some fussing with that in the recording before it gets resolved. I had a great time participating in this panel celebrating the Atari 800's 40th birthday.

Joe Decuir's slide deck for this panel

Joe Decuir 1977 Engineering Notebook

Joe Decuir 1978 Engineering Notebook


ANTIC Episode 61 - Fujiama, Ahl Collection, and Bill Lange (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Sep 2019 - Size: 35.9 MByte - Duration: 01:18:28

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  Kevin comes back from Fujiama with a report and Bill Lange joins us to talk about the David Ahl Collection that he acquired.

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Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 372 - Andrew and John Lenz: Atari Still in Use (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 02 Sep 2019 - Size: 16.7 MByte - Duration: 36:22

Andrew and John Lenz: Atari Still in Productive Use in Store

It’s very difficult these days to find vintage computers still in productive use out in the wild.  Andrew and John Lenz have an Atari 8-bit still in use, at the time of this interview, in the picture framing department at Lenz Arts in Santa Cruz, CA, a store that sells art materials and custom framing services.  The Atari computer has over 200,000 hours of operational time. (That's on and in use!) Running a program written in BASIC by Andrew in the mid-1980s. According to Andrew, it boots from a floppy every morning without fail.

Store Web Site -
http://www.Lenzarts.com


ANTIC Episode 60 - Podificating (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 08 Aug 2019 - Size: 37.9 MByte - Duration: 01:22:51

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  We try to catch up after being on hiatus for 2 months by bringing you all the Atari news we could find and we learn a new word in the process.

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

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Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 371 - John Anderson: Rally Speedway and Arex (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 23 May 2019 - Size: 15.6 MByte - Duration: 34:04

John Anderson: Rally Speedway and Arex

John Anderson worked at Adventure International, where he coded several games: Eliminator, Rear Guard, and Sea Dragon for the Apple II, then Rally Speedway and Arex for the Atari 8-bits.

This interview took place on May 22, 2019. In it, we discuss Scott Adams and Russ Wetmore,  both of whom I have previously interviewed.

List of John's games at Atarimania

 

ANTIC Episode 59 - Atari Computer Roundtable 2.0 (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 19 May 2019 - Size: 44.2 MByte - Duration: 01:36:33

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: We have a special round table episode with Nir Dary, Darren Doyle, Roland Wassenburg, Thomas Cherryhomes joining the usual hosts of ANTIC where we discuss what everyone is up to in the Atari 8-bit world, including the latest shows (VCFSE and VCFE).  It’s an Atari mega-show!

READY!

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Links Mentioned in Show:

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ANTIC Interview 370 - Roy Goldman, Daisy Dot (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 12 May 2019 - Size: 14.7 MByte - Duration: 32:02
Roy Goldman, Daisy-Dot
 
Roy Goldman was the creator of Daisy-Dot, a typesetting program for the Atari 8-bit computers which he published from about 1987-1990. There were three versions of Daisy-Dot, the original plus Daisy-Dot II and Daisy-Dot III. The earliest version was freeware, and later versions asked for payment for access to special features.
 
This interview took place on May 11, 2019. After we talked, Roy sent me scans of memorabilia from that time, see the links below for those.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 58 - Show Fever (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 13 Apr 2019 - Size: 50.9 MByte - Duration: 01:14:10

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: Kevin regales us with his exploits in the 10-Line BASIC Contest, we discuss the renewed efforts to show off Midi-Maze on the Atari 8-bits, and the entire staff prepares to be involved in several great shows this year ...

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  • tweet from Andrew Borman, Digital Games Curator at the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY: “We're underway with our U-Matic digitization project at @museumofplay. Check out this clip from Atari's First Decade celebration! We are dialing in some settings and comparing to some of the previously digitized footage” -
    https://twitter.com/Borman18/status/1100143648476487680

Feedback

End of Show Music

  • The Czech composer Adam J. Sporka published this week "For Ember", album with 18 chiptune songs composed using an Atari 800XL computer.

The album is available on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Deezer, Amazon and SoundCloud. More information on the official page of For Ember -
http://kcdsoundtrack.com/for-ember.html

 

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Episode 57 - Atari Pascal (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 20 Feb 2019 - Size: 36.5 MByte - Duration: 01:19:46

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: Bill Lange joins us as a special guest, and he has lots of Atari Pascal news; we have all the Atari news fit to print, and more shows coming in 2019 than you can shake a stick at ...

READY!

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Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 369 - Philip Bouchard, The Oregon Trail (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 04 Feb 2019 - Size: 19.3 MByte - Duration: 42:08

Philip Bouchard - MECC, The Oregon Trail

Philip Bouchard spent over 30 years designing computer software, 18 of which were focused on educational software. He was the principal designer for the Apple II games The Oregon Trail and Number Munchers.

The Oregon Trail is a computer game originally developed in 1971 and produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) in 1974. The original game was designed to teach school children about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life on the Oregon Trail.   "The Oregon Trail" is the world's longest-running video game franchise.

This interview took place August 26, 2017.

Links:


ANTIC Episode 56 - Where's Randy!? (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 15 Jan 2019 - Size: 55.5 MByte - Duration: 01:20:46

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: late-breaking up-to-the-minute Atari news, Randy disappears mid-episode, and we hear what Atari was like in Chile...

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Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 368 - Stan Gilbert, Tricky Tutorials (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 12 Jan 2019 - Size: 25.7 MByte - Duration: 56:04

Stan Gilbert, Tricky Tutorials

Hello, and welcome to an interview-only episode of Antic, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast. Stan Gilbert worked for Educational Software (previously known as Santa Cruz Educational Software) in the early 80’s and developed several products in the Tricky Tutorial series for the Atari 8-bit computer line.  He later also worked for Apple.

This interview took place July 29, 2017.

Links:


ANTIC Episode 55 - Have an Atari Little Christmas Time (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 13 Dec 2018 - Size: 39.7 MByte - Duration: 01:26:43

In this special Holiday episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:

Nir Dary regales us with stories about SilliVenture 2018.  We share Atari gift ideas for yourself or others for Christmas.  Plus, all the Atari 8-bit news we could find...

READY!

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Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
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What We’ve Been Up To

Atari News

  • BAD APPLE demo by MadTeam won 2nd place in the Silly Venture 2018 Atari Rapidus / VBXE Demo competition -
    BAD APPLE VIDEO.
  • new digital book The A-Z of Atari 8-bit Games: Volume 3 is now available to buy on both Amazon and Kindle Store - Kieren Hawkin

UK Link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Z-Atari-8-bit-Games-Gaming-ebook/…/

US Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Z-Atari-8-bit-Games-Ga…/…/B07KYVVWDM/

YouTube videos since last show

New at Archive.org

Nir Dary - SilliVenture 2018

Atari Christmas Gifts

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ANTIC Episode 54 - News and More News (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 05 Nov 2018 - Size: 34.8 MByte - Duration: 01:16:06

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:

What we’ve been up to in the past month PLUS all the Atari 8-bit news we could find...

READY!

Recurring Links

 

Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
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ANTIC Interview Index -
here

What We’ve Been Up To

Recent Interviews

Atari News

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Commercial

Mini-interviews

New at Archive.org

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 367 - George Morrison: Alpha Systems, Atari Software Protection Techniques books (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 23 Oct 2018 - Size: 42.0 MByte - Duration: 01:31:38
George Morrison: Alpha Systems, Atari Software Protection Techniques books
 
George Morrison was founder of Alpha Systems, a company that produced many hardware and software products for the Atari computers, including The Parrot, and audio digitizer; MagniPrint II, a printing utility; and The Impersonator, hardware for copying cartridge-based programs; and other products. He was author of two books — Atari Software Protection Techniques and Advanced Atari Protection Techniques.
 
This interview took place on October 16, 2018. In it, we discuss Ed Stewart and Richard Leinecker, both of whom I have previously interviewed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 53 - Summer Vacation and Atari Party (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 01 Oct 2018 - Size: 45.2 MByte - Duration: 01:38:41

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:

Bill Lange guest-hosts with us and tells us all about the recent Atari Party East.  We talk about all the traveling and Atari things we did over the summer. Kevin throws in a mini-interview he did.  And, Jeff Fulton reviews Tempest Elite Plus. Plus, all the Atari 8-bit news we could find...

READY!

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Commercial

Mini-interviews

New at Archive.org

Jeff Fulton

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 366 - Bruce Artwick: Flight Simulator II, Night Mission Pinball (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 07 Sep 2018 - Size: 21.0 MByte - Duration: 45:51
Bruce Artwick: Flight Simulator II, Night Mission Pinball
 
Bruce Artwick was co-founder of SubLOGIC, and creator of the best-selling program, Flight Simulator II. FSII was first available for the Apple II, with versions released later for the TRS-80, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, and other platforms. His 1976 master's thesis, A Versatile Computer Generated Dynamic Flight Display, about creating a real-time flight simulator on the PDP-11, provided some of the early research for his flight simulation software. 
 
Bruce was also creator of Night Mission Pinball, a popular pinball game that was available for Apple II, Atari 8-bit, C64, and DOS computers.
 
This interview took place on August 7, 2018.
 
Bruce's article, 3-D Computer Graphics (Kilobaud magazine, October 1977)
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 365 - Jon Williams: Jet Boot Jack, Timeslip (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 03 Sep 2018 - Size: 19.2 MByte - Duration: 41:58
Jon Williams: Jet Boot Jack, Timeslip
 
Jon Williams created several programs for the Atari 8-bit computers, including Jet Boot Jack, Timeslip, Atari Cassette Enhancer, and Linkword German.
 
This interview took place on August 6, 2018.
 
 

ANTIC Interview 364 -Carlos Reyes: Quick Menu, Rent Wars (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 30 Aug 2018 - Size: 18.9 MByte - Duration: 41:11
Carlos Reyes: Quick Menu, Rent Wars
 
Carlos Reyes wrote the game Rent Wars for the Atari 8-bit computers for First Star Software, which was never officially released but found its way onto the Internet years later. He also wrote Quick Menu, a 384-byte program that would display a menu of programs on a floppy disk and let the user choose one to run. The program was designed to fit into a floppy's three boot sectors, so it didn't eat into any of the usable space on the disk. The program was a popular interface to distribute disks of pirated programs, but most people didn't know that Carlos was the author — there was no room for his name in the tiny program. Carlos has found the source code and released it into the public domain. 
 
This interview took place on August 3, 2018. In it, we discuss Jerry White, Fernando Herrera, and Bill Wilkinson, whom I have previously interviewed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 363 - Greg Gibbons, Automated Library II (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 26 Aug 2018 - Size: 19.2 MByte - Duration: 42:01
Greg Gibbons, Automated Library II 
 
Greg Gibbons was the creator of Automated Library II, software for running school libraries, which was available for the Atari 8-bit and Apple II computers.
 
There's an article about the software in the April 1985 issue of American Libraries:
 
“The Automated Library II is a bar-code circulation system that runs on the Atari line of microcomputers. The program, designed for school libraries circulating 30 to 500 items per day, checks books in and out, compiles overdue lists, and prints class records and daily circulation summaries by Dewey Decimal numbers.
 
Software developer Gregory Gibbons studied the day-to-day activities of a junior high school librarian and then designed a system to automate as much of the repetitious work as possible. The program was extensively tested in a Los Angeles school for over a year before its release.
 
All inputs are prompted with simple English. The system is so easy to use that the test library used students to perform most of the operations.
 
The program produces bar codes for the books in the library and student-ID bar codes, which are entered into the computer and attached to books and student IDs. … If the student is authorized to check out books the computer will make a short beep and print ‘OK to check out books’ on the screen. If the student is on the overdue list, the computer makes a different noise to alert the staff.
 
At the end of the day, the librarian instructs the computer to perform a daily update, which incorporates all transactions into the database. The update takes about 15 minutes per 1,000 students, and automatically generates a new overdue list that can be printed at any time.
 
The program works best with 200 to 3,000 students, although a larger number of students will simply cause the program to take a little longer to update each day.
 
The Automated Library II runs on the Atari 800, 800XL, and 1200XL computers…The system costs $700, including the light wand.”
 
This interview took place on May 24, 2018.
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 362 - Tom Snyder, educational software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 23 Aug 2018 - Size: 49.5 MByte - Duration: 01:48:13
Tom Snyder, educational software
 
Tom Snyder was the founder of Computer Learning Connection, which was later renamed to Tom Snyder Productions, a company that created many educational software titles for the school and home computer markets.
 
The company's home software included Agent USA and Bannercatch (published by Scholastic,) Halley Project (published by Mindscape,) Run For the Money (published by Scarborough Systems,) and In Search of the Most Amazing Thing
(published by Spinnaker.) Snooper Troops I and II, both published by Spinnaker, were the first educational software to make the industry's bestseller list. The company made many more software products that it sold directly to schools, including Decisions Decisions and The Other Side.
 
This interview took place on July 2, 2018.
 
"I think my favorite memories of all the programs I designed was sitting in bars with a legal pad writing the design out, you know, long before you write code. It was all on paper ... And the longer you can wait before you start programming, the better off you are."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 361 - Bob Ertl, REWRITE Word Processor (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 20 Aug 2018 - Size: 28.4 MByte - Duration: 01:02:02
Bob Ertl, REWRITE Word Processor
 
In 1987, Bob Ertl’s master's thesis was titled "Narrowing the Gap Between the Word Processing Needs of Teachers and the Capabilities of Word Processors for Atari 8-bit Computers." As part of that project, he created a word processor for the Atari computers, aimed at the needs of math teachers. The word processor is called REWRITE and was never widely available. It was only used by a handful of teachers.
 
Bob has released two versions of the word processor in ATR format, along with the Mac/65 source code and the manual. I scanned his thesis. All of this is available at Internet Archive.
 
This interview took place on July 10, 2018.
 
"My wife would help me with this. The way she would help me is she was patient enough to let me explain what my assembly language code was supposed to do. So I had to say it clearly enough for her to be able to follow it, and in doing so I was often able to find the errors that I was looking for."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 360 - Ed Meyer, physical chemistry experiments with Atari computers (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 17 Aug 2018 - Size: 18.3 MByte - Duration: 39:55
Ed Meyer, physical chemistry experiments with Atari computers
 
In the 1990s, Ed Meyer was a professor at DePaul University in Chicago, where he taught physical chemistry. In August 1990, The Journal of Chemical Education published his article, "An Inexpensive Computer Station for Undergraduate Laboratories Using the Atari 800XL" in which Ed showed how to interface the Atari controller ports with a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter chip to do chemistry experiments. (The article includes schematics and code in assembly language and BASIC.)
 
From the article:
 
"The kind of “interfacing” that has been emphasized in
chemical education thus far in this country has been largely
limited to using the “game paddle inputs” of a home com-
puter, which allows the connection of any device that looks
like a variable resistor to the computer. This approach has
served admirably as an introduction to the power and versa-
tility of inexpensive home computers as data collectors and
handlers but suffers from significant disadvantages. The
most obvious is the limitation to 8 bits of information; one
would like to be able to obtain better precision than this
provides (at half scale we can expect roughly 1% reproduc-
ibility). Another is the requirement that the resistance of the
transducer used be consistent with that of the game paddle it
replaces.
 
It is possible, without spending inordinate sums of money,
to convert one of these home computers into a research-
grade instrument with a resolution of 1 bit in 4096, if one
knows a little about digital electronics. This article describes
an interface for the Atari 800XL computer based on a 12-bit
analogue-to-digital converter (ADC). We have incorporated
six of them into “computer stations” in our upper track
freshman laboratory. In general, the variables in question
(e.g., temperature vs. time for coffee cup calorimeter experi-
ments, pH vs. volume titrant) are plotted in real time on the
monitor screen, and after collection of the data, a hard copy
of the plot is produced on a printer, along with a table of the
data. We use similar stations in our physical chemistry lab-
oratory, where more sophisticated curve-fitting routines are
included."
 
This interview took place on July 9, 2018.
 
"Once the thing is able to read a DC voltage, you have all kinds of opportunities. ... I mean the most obvious one is to use a pH meter to do acid-base titrations."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 359 - John Harris, APX Can’t Quit (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 10 Aug 2018 - Size: 8.8 MByte - Duration: 19:13
John Harris, APX Can’t Quit
 
John Harris published one program for the Atari computer: Can't Quit, a game that was published by Atari Program Exchange. Can't Quit first appeared in the summer 1983 APX catalog. It was the only program published by this John Harris — although he has the same name as the John Harris who created Jawbreaker (whom I previously interviewed.)
 
This interview took place on July 5, 2018.
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 358 - David Young, Omnimon (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 07 Aug 2018 - Size: 20.7 MByte - Duration: 45:12
David Young, Omnimon
 
David Young was the creator of Omnimon, the popular hardware monitor/debugger for the Atari 8-bit computers. His other products included DiskScan, a floppy disk utility; Supermon, the predecessor to Omnimon; Omnicom, a terminal program; and Omniview, an 80 column E: handler. 
 
This interview took place on June 11, 2018. In it, we discuss Wes Newell, whom I previously interviewed. 
 
"The IBM PC came out. I looked at it really hard. ... And I thought, 'You know, I really should develop products for this guy.' But it was just such a ugly beast."
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 357 - Rockie "RJ" Morgan, APX Piano Tuner (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 03 Aug 2018 - Size: 6.0 MByte - Duration: 13:09
Rockie "RJ" Morgan, APX Piano Tuner
 
Rockie “RJ" Morgan published one program through Atari Program Exchange: Piano Tuner, which first appeared in the summer 1983 APX catalog.
 
This interview took place on June 5, 2018.
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 356 - Michael McInerney, physics experiments with Atari computers (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 29 Jul 2018 - Size: 10.1 MByte - Duration: 22:09
Michael McInerney, physics experiments with Atari computers 
 
In the 1980s, Michael McInerney was a professor in the physics department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, when he wrote several journal articles about how to control experiments and gather data using Atari computers. 
 
The articles included Interfacing the Atari Microcomputer in the Science Laboratory, which appeared in the spring 1983 issue of Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching; Game Port Physics - Introductory Experiments in Linear Dynamics, which appeared in the spring 1984 issue; and Computer-Aided Experiments with the Damped Harmonic Oscillator, which appeared in the October 1985 issue of American Journal of Physics.
 
This interview took place on May 21, 2018.
 
"The reviewers refused to believe I could do it which such cheap equipment. ... They said it wasn't possible to do it."
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 355 - Norm Draper, Draper Pascal (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Jul 2018 - Size: 9.0 MByte - Duration: 19:42
Norm Draper, Draper Pascal
 
Norm Draper was the creator of Draper Pascal, a version of the Pascal programming language for the Atari 8-bit computers. Draper Pascal started as a commercial program sold directly though advertisements in computer magazines, then later became shareware.
 
This interview took place on July 3, 2018.
 
"I offered club members to pay them for every bug they would find in my software. I'd pay them $3. ... There were a few. I didn't have to pay out that much money at all, really."
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 354 -Brooke Alderson, Atari TV Commercials (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 Jul 2018 - Size: 7.6 MByte - Duration: 16:36
Brooke Alderson, Atari TV Commercials
 
Brooke Alderson was an actor in the 1980s and 1990s: she appeared in several television shows including Murder, She Wrote and Family Ties; and is perhaps best known for her role as Aunt Corene in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy. She also appeared in many TV commercials. She did a 30-second spot for Atari home computers, and was featured on Atari's in-store point-of-purchase laserdisc.
 
In the commercial, Brooke played the part of a mom who is teased by her teenage daughter for not knowing the states and capitals. By the end of the commercial, having learned from her Atari 400 computer, she can quickly and correctly name the capitals.
 
On the Electronic Retail Information Center (E.R.I.C.) laserdisc, Brooke also played the part of a mom who extolls the virtues of Atari's educational software, with an emphasis on Scram, the nuclear power plant simulation; and My First Alphabet, software for teaching letters and numbers to small children.
 
This interview took place on July 2, 2018.
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 353 - Dennis Koble: APX Avalanche, Imagic (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 17 Jul 2018 - Size: 42.3 MByte - Duration: 01:32:21
Dennis Koble: APX Avalanche, Imagic
 
Dennis Koble was an early Atari employee, where we would become manager of the computer and consumer divisions. He designed Atari's "Touch Me" handheld electronic game. He also wrote three programs that were published by Atari Program Exchange: Avalanche, an adaption of the coin-op game which he also created; and the text adventure games Chinese Puzzle and Sultan's Palace. 
 
He was at Atari for about 4 1/2 years before leaving to co-found the video game publisher Imagic. There, he was perhaps best known for creating "Atlantis" for the Atari 2600 (which we don't actually talk about in this interview.)
 
This interview took place on May 15, 2018. A video version of this interview is available.
 
"We had to show our best stuff. And we wanted to show technological tricks that we figured the Activision guys hadn't seen before. I don't know if they felt that rivalry toward us at that point, but it became a rivalry a little later, it really did." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 352 - Joe Hellesen: Deluxe Invaders, Pac Man, PQ: The Party Quiz Game (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 12 Jul 2018 - Size: 20.5 MByte - Duration: 44:50

Joe Hellesen: Deluxe Invaders, Pac Man, PQ: The Party Quiz Game

Joe Hellesen programmed the Atari 8-bit versions of Deluxe Invaders (published by Roklan), and Pac Man (published by Atari,) Gyruss (published by Parker Brothers), and Mickey in the Great Outdoors (published by Disney.) He also coded PQ: The Party Quiz Game (for SunCom.)
 
This interview took place on April 14, 2018.
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 52 - Atari Computer Roundtable (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 09 Jul 2018 - Size: 63.8 MByte - Duration: 02:19:17

Atari Computer Roundtable

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:

We got some of the biggest names of the current Atari computer community on a live, international conference call to ask: what’s happening in your Atari 8-bit world? Guests Thom Cherryholmes, Ethan Johnson, Joe Decuir, Simon Wells, Curt Vendel, Jeff Fulton, Nir Dary, and Roland Wassenberg. The conversation went in amazing and unexpected directions.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
https://paypal.me/Savetz

TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour -
https://tehpodcast.com

What We’ve Been Up To

Roundtable Discussion

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 351 - Stephen Romejko: APX Melt-Down, Moon Marauder (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 04 Jul 2018 - Size: 13.4 MByte - Duration: 29:22
Stephen Romejko: APX Melt-Down, Moon Marauder
 
Stephen Romejko published two games through Atari Program Exchange: Melt-Down and Moon Marauder. Melt-Down was first available in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog. Moon Marauder was first available in the fall 1983 APX catalog, where it won third prize in the consumer category.
 
This interview took place on April 14, 2018.
 
"Melt-Down was causing some special issues ... Apparently the American Nuclear Society took offense to it. ... 'People would develop harmful misconceptions and phobias about the peaceful use of nuclear power.'"
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 350 - Allan Moose, Atari Assembly Language Programmer's Guide (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 29 Jun 2018 - Size: 27.5 MByte - Duration: 01:00:00
Allan Moose, Atari Assembly Language Programmer's Guide
 
Allan Moose was co-author of the book Atari Assembly Language Programmer's Guide, which was published by Weber Systems in 1986. He wrote the book with his wife and writing partner, Marian Lorenz. She passed away in 1992. The two also wrote many articles for Antic and A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazines.  Their articles included many about display list interrupts and vertical blank interrupts, and pretty mathematical graphics routines. 
 
This interview took place on May 12, 2018.
 
"...pretty much a joint, cooperative effort in writing articles. Sometimes I would have an idea and would sketch something out. Other times Marian would have an idea."
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 51 - 5 Year Anniversary and Windows-Only Dealy-Bob (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 24 Jun 2018 - Size: 57.7 MByte - Duration: 02:06:08

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  In this five-year anniversary episode of ANTIC, we reminisce back to show #1 all those years ago, our friend Nir Dary tells us all about Atari Invasion, Jeff Fulton of the Into the Vertical Blank Podcast gives us a game review of Star Island, plus all the Atari 8-bit news that we could find.  Happy 5-Year Anniversary to us!

READY!

Recurring Links

 

Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
https://paypal.me/Savetz

TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour -
https://tehpodcast.com

What We’ve Been Up To

Interview Discussion

News

YouTube videos this month

New at Archive.Org

Nir’s Segment - Atari Invasion Party Netherlands 2018

Jeff Fulton’s Segment - Star Island Game Review

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 349 - Larry Breakwell, Toronto Atari Programmers Society (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 14 Jun 2018 - Size: 10.9 MByte - Duration: 23:53
Larry Breakwell, Toronto Atari Programmers Society

Larry Breakwell was founder of the Toronto West Atari Computer Support Group, then president of the Toronto Atari Programmers Society, which was the largest Atari user group in Canada.

He adapted the Atari version of the book "Academy on Computers Hands-On Atari 400/800 Beginner's Manual" from a version of the book focused on the Commodore PET. These beginners manuals were part of the Academy on Computers, a self-directed learning activity based on "Bits and Bytes", a television program produced by the TVOntario network.

This interview took place on May 10, 2018.

Academy on Computers Hands-On Atari 400/800 Beginner’s Manual

ANTIC Interview 348 - Mike Sandau, Atari-CB Radio Hacking (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 08 Jun 2018 - Size: 13.6 MByte - Duration: 29:37
Mike Sandau, Atari-CB Radio Hacking
 
In the mid-1980s, Mike Sandau and his friend connected their Atari 8-bit computers to their citizens band radios to create a small radio-telephone computer network. Their "DIALOG" project combined the radio hardware with custom software (first in Atari BASIC, then later in Action!) to allow chatting, broadcasting messages, and binary file transfers over the air.
 
Mike has uploaded the software, source code, and screenshots to the Internet Archive, and placed it in the public domain. 
 
This interview took place on April 26, 2018.
 
DIALOG screenshots, software, and source code: https://archive.org/details/about_201803

ANTIC Interview 347 - Charlie Kulas: Musical Pilot, UpN Down (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 04 Jun 2018 - Size: 26.8 MByte - Duration: 58:37
Charlie Kulas: Musical Pilot, UpN Down
 
Charlie Kulas published Musical Pilot, an educational game, through Atari Program Exchange. Musical Pilot first appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog, where it was awarded third prize in the Learning category. He later worked at McT (AKA Microcomputer Technologies), a company that was contracted to program games by Sega. There he programmed the game UpN Down for the Atari 8-bit computers.
 
This interview took place on April 20, 2018.
 
Musical Pilot in the fall 1983 APX catalog:
 
 
 
 
 
How to Build a Working Digital Computer Out of Paperclips: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2013/paperclip/

ANTIC Interview 346 - Youth Advisory Board: Yoon Park (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 31 May 2018 - Size: 8.3 MByte - Duration: 18:11
Youth Advisory Board: Yoon Park
 
This is the sixth in a series of episodes featuring interviews with the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. This time, I got to talk with Yoon Park.
 
In 1983, Atari formed a Youth Advisory Board, selecting teenagers from around the United States to share their opinions about computers and video games, test software, and promote Atari's computers at events. The group consisted of kids aged 14 through 18, including Yoon.
 
Before these interviews, I like to read from an old newspaper or magazine article that mentioned or quoted the Youth Advisory Board member, to give a sense of who that person was then before we hear from them today. All I can guess about Yoon of 1982 was that he was shy. Of the twenty Youth Advisory Board members, Yoon was never quoted or mentioned in the articles that I could find.
 
This interview took place on May 17, 2018.

ANTIC Interview 345 - Youth Advisory Board: Musa Mustafa (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 29 May 2018 - Size: 18.8 MByte - Duration: 41:08
Youth Advisory Board: Musa Mustafa
 
This is the fifth in a series of episodes featuring interviews with the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. If you're just joining us: In 1983, Atari formed a Youth Advisory Board, selecting 20 kids, aged 14 though 18, from around the U.S. to share their opinions about computers, test software, and promote Atari's computers at events. 
 
This is an interview with Musa Mustafa, who was one of those kids. 
 
A March 25, 1983 article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel by Loretta Noffsinger said:
 
"Computers without keyboards, toys that come to life at the sound of a child's voice and programs that shoulder the chores of thank-you letters — that's what the whiz kids see in the future. They envision a computer disguised within a toy to tell youngsters about the workings of the universe and others 'far beyond man’s imagination.' And Atari is listening to them."
 
Later in the article, Noffsinger wrote: "Musa Mustafa, 15, says he hopes to design an astronomy program to chart the location of stars and planets at specific times ‘so that I can easily track them down in a telescope.' The Walnut sophomore, who will skip his junior year at Rowland High School, also envisions computers designing computers. This year, they're helping him make a movie about the 1984 Olympics. A combination of computer animation and film, the endeavor will 'open a new category' in the Los Angeles International Film Exposition this spring, he says."
 
My interview with Musa took place on April 26, 2018. In it, we discuss Ted Kahn, whom I previously interviewed. 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 344 - Youth Advisory Board: Robert Allbritton (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 26 May 2018 - Size: 14.7 MByte - Duration: 32:00
Youth Advisory Board: Robert Allbritton
 
This is the fourth episode in a series of interviews with the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. Robert Allbritton was one of the 20 kids who, in 1983, were accepted into the Youth Advisory Board, a group of teenagers who were able to take a trip to Atari's headquarters in California, enjoy free 1200XL computers, and he even got to work at Atari's booth at the Consumer Electronics Show.
 
Robert was, and still is, friends with John Dickerson, another Youth Advisory Board member, whom I previously interviewed.
 
 
This interview took place on April 24, 2018.
 

ANTIC Interview 343 - Youth Advisory Board: John Dickerson (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 23 May 2018 - Size: 21.5 MByte - Duration: 46:59
Youth Advisory Board: John Dickerson
 
This is the third episode in a series of interviews with the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. A quick recap: In 1983, Atari formed a Youth Advisory Board, selecting 20 teenagers from around the United States to share their opinions about computers and video games, test software, and promote Atari's computers at events. The group consisted of kids aged 14 through 18, mostly regular kids, some computer geeks, and a couple of celebrities.
 
This interview is with John Dickerson, who was one of the computer geeks.
 
There was an article about the Youth Advisory Board in the March 1984 issue of Enter magazine, with a quote from John:
 
"'We were an added dimension to what they already do,' says 14-year-old John Dickerson. 'Atari's problem is that they don't get close enough to the consumer. We'll bring them a lot closer. But, so far, we haven’t found out which of our decisions they really listened to.'"
 
 
This interview took place on April 16, 2018.
 
If you were a member of the Atari Youth Advisory board, I'd love to hear from you: email antic@ataripodcast.com.
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 342 - Youth Advisory Board: Anneke Wyman (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 20 May 2018 - Size: 12.4 MByte - Duration: 27:02
Youth Advisory Board: Anneke Wyman
 
This is the second episode in a series of interviews with the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. 
 
In 1982-1983, Atari invited 20 kids, aged 14-18, to be on its new Youth Advisory Board. Atari was looking for well-rounded, computer-literate kids, with equal representation of sexes and a mix of ethnic groups. Anneke Wyman (now Anneke Wyman de Boer) was one of those kids.
 
A wire service article about the Youth Advisory Board, by Kathy Holub, ran in several newspapers around March 25, 1983. Here's an excerpt from that story:
 
"The fat world of corporate perks isn't just for executives anymore. On Sunday, 14-year-old Anneke Wyman of New York flew to San Francisco on a prepaid plane ticket to dine out on pizza and attend her first corporate board meeting. ...
 
"As members of Atari Inc.’s new Youth Advisory Board, they got the sort of pampering reserved for top corporate clients, including a private movie screening, a tour of San Francisco and all the food they could eat.
 
"What did they do to deserve all this? They can’t figure it out. 'It's almost a fantasy,' Anneke said, giggling. 'I had a three-minute interview calling from a pay phone at school. The dime ran out and I thought, well, I’ll never hear from them again. A few weeks later, they told me I was in. Now I'm sort of nervous.'
 
"The video game market, once monopolized by Atari, has become as fiercely competitive as the home computer and educational software markets, and Atari hopes the kids can keep the company on the right track on all fronts...The 20 young board members are expected to keep Atari in touch with its market. ...
 
"Anneke has danced in about 60 performances of The Nutcracker Suite with the New York City Ballet and can write computer programs in four languages. Her career? 'I don’t know yet,’ she said. 'But I'm much better in math and science.'"
 
This interview took place on April 5, 2018. A video version of this interview is also available.
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 341 - Youth Advisory Board: Kerrie Holton and Tina Bartschat (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 17 May 2018 - Size: 22.5 MByte - Duration: 49:08
Youth Advisory Board: Kerrie Holton and Tina Bartschat
 
This is the first in a series of episodes featuring interviews with the kids of Atari's Youth Advisory Board. 
 
In 1983, Atari formed a Youth Advisory Board, selecting 20 teenagers from around the United States to share their opinions, test new software, and promote Atari's computers at trade shows.
 
The group consisted primarily of regular kids - some computer geeks, but most well-rounded teenagers. The group also included a couple of celebrities: Todd Bridges, the actor who played Willis in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes; and Matthew Labyorteaux, the actor who played Albert on the show Little House on the Prairie, then Richie Adler on the adventure show Whiz Kids.
 
The first (and I believe only) meeting of the Youth Advisory Board took place in March 1983 at Atari's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Was Atari genuinely doing in-depth market research into the opinions of teenagers? Or was the Youth Advisory Board a publicity stunt? Maybe it was a little of both. Either way, the idea is fascinating, and I wanted to ask the board members to share their memories of that time.
 
In this episode are my first two interviews with Youth Advisory Board kids: Kerrie Holton (now Kerrie Holton-Tainter) and Tina Bartschat (now Tina Volker.)
 
There's an article about Kerrie in the October 1983 issue of Family Computing (the first issue of that magazine) by Bethany Kandel. Titled "When Kerrie Holton Talks, Atari Listens", it features a great photo of Kerrie at her desk, sporting a tie and fedora, with a telephone handset in one hand and a cigar in the other, looking for all the world like a business mogul or 1920's mobster. On her desk there's an Atari 1200XL computer, floppy drive, printer, plus a frilly doll and Snoopy plush toy. Here's an excerpt:
 
"While other seniors were busy bragging about which college they'd been accepted to, Kerrie had something else to show off—she'd been chosen to serve on the Youth Advisory Board of Atari, one of the best-known video game and computer companies in the country.
 
Plenty of high school students have sat in study hall daydreaming about a V.I.P. tour of the inner sanctums of Atari, Inc.; Kerrie is one of the few who've been there. She took a private tour last spring, and was included in meetings with top officials, and discussions of Atari's confidential plans for software and hardware development."
 
..."Atari brought her to the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago earlier this year, and this fall will fly her to a special meeting to 'brainstorm' with the other 19 members of the YAB.""
 
..."Travel isn’t the only benefit of being a YAB member. Kerrie’s received an Atari 1200XL to review software, and a modem, so she can telegraph her latest opinions and recommendations to other YAB members and Atari's elders. 'When we say something, Atari jumps,' says Kerrie.
 
“'It's great fun having someone listen to your opinions for a change, especially when adults are always telling us what to do. Now we get to tell them.'”
 
[Interview with Kerrie]
 
Next, my interview with Tina Vokler.
 
There's an article about Tina in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper, dated June 16 1983, by Jan Ackerman. It features a photo of Tina typing on her Atari 1200XL, with an Atari joystick prominently in the foreground. 
 
"Sixteen-year-old Tina Bartschat of Upper St. Claie is multilingual. The pert, blond-haired teenager learned to speak German while growing up near Hanover, Germany, where she lived until age 10. She knows other languages, too, languages with such strange names as Basic, Pilot and Assembler, all machine languages.
 
"These are the languages of the computer age, languages that are Greek to anyone who doesn’t know a word processor from a printer.
 
...“'Basic is an all-purpose language,' she explains, leading the way to the Atari 1200XL computer in her bedroom. It comes equipped with printer, a taping system, a screen and a word processor.
 
"Atari gave the system to Tina after she was picked to serve on a newly created Atari Youth Advisory Board, a select group of 21 computer-astute teen-agers from across the country, who will advise the computer and video games giant about how to cater to young consumers.
 
Tina is the only teenager from Pennsylvania selected to the elite group, which held its first meeting in Sunnyvale, California March. Besides a free trip to the West Coast, she also was given an Atari system, worth more than $1,500.
 
"She was recommended for the program by Mr. Saunders, a calculus and computer science teacher. She credits Saunders and Dr. John DeBlassio, a math and computer science teacher at her high school, with helping to sharpen her computer skills.
 
[Interview with Tina]
 
The interview with Kerrie Holton-Tainter took place on November 17, 2017. (A video version of that interview is also available.) The interview with Tina Volker took place on January 27, 2018.
 
If you were a member of the Atari Youth Advisory board, I'd love to hear from you: email antic@ataripodcast.com.
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 340 - Hal Segal, Association of Time-Sharing Users (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 14 May 2018 - Size: 17.6 MByte - Duration: 38:25
Hal Segal, Association of Time-Sharing Users
 
Hal Segal was founder and president of the Association of Time-Sharing Users, and the Association of Small Computer Users, and several other groups dedicated to early computer systems. The Association of Time-Sharing Users was formed in 1974: it published a newsletter, which Hal wrote, as well as directories of terminals, applications, database management systems, and so on. Group members held meetings in various cities around the United States.
 
Hal is also author of the books How to Select Your Small Computer Without Frustration and How to Manage Your Small Computer Without Frustration, which were published in 1982 and 1983 by Prentice-Hall.
 
This interview took place January 9, 2018. A video version of this interview is also available.
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 339 - Steve Englehart, Atari Advanced Games Group (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 11 May 2018 - Size: 14.6 MByte - Duration: 31:52
Steve Englehart, Atari Advanced Games Group
 
Steve Englehart worked in the Advanced Games Group of Atari, where he developed ideas for new computer games. He was the designer of E.T. Phone Home!, Final Legacy, and Garfield for the Atari 8-bit machines, and worked on several unfinished games. He wrote the manual for Eastern Front: 1941.
 
This interview took place on November 17, 2017. A video version of this interview is available.
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 338 - Jack Smyth, The Learning Company and Add-On Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 07 May 2018 - Size: 17.2 MByte - Duration: 37:37
Jack Smyth, The Learning Company and Add-On Software
 
Jack Smyth was the first CEO of The Learning Company, the educational software publisher best known for Reader Rabbit and Rocky's Boots. He was also involved with Add-On Software, a company that sold CP/M software for several computer platforms, including the Atari 8-bit line. The company built a hardware card, for use with the Atari 1090XL peripheral expansion box, that would have added CP/M functionality to Atari computers. That device was never sold, or at least was not widely available. 
 
This interview took place on March 8, 2018. After the interview, Jack sent me anl Add-On Software CP/M catalog (primarily focused on the Apple II) which I have scanned and uploaded to Internet Archive. 
 
Teaser quote: "I took my 5-year-old daughter with me to see how my daughter liked the software. ... Well my daughter loved it, and so I bought the company."
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 337 - Bryan Talbot, APX Cartoonist (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 30 Apr 2018 - Size: 32.3 MByte - Duration: 01:10:35
Bryan Talbot, APX Cartoonist
 
Bryan Talbot published one program for the Atari computer: Cartoonist, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog, where it was awarded first prize in the systems/telecommunications category.
 
This interview took place on December 8, 2017.
 
"I was just trying to contemplate what to do, and finally — I'd been going to all the missionary classes and I did the thing that they taught us to do. I just knelt down on the floor and I grabbed my 810 drive, and I prayed that God would fix my drive."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 336 - Dwight Johnson, Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 28 Apr 2018 - Size: 8.8 MByte - Duration: 19:18
Dwight Johnson, Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts
 
Dwight Johnson was founder of Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts, a users group based in Waukegan, IL. He started the group in April 1983. The group still exists today as a general PC computer users group, and is now called Lake County Area Computer Enthusiasts.
 
This interview took place on April 12, 2018.
 

ANTIC Interview 335 - Colin Hume, Computer War (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Apr 2018 - Size: 9.6 MByte - Duration: 20:59
Colin Hume, Computer War
 
Colin Hume worked at Thorn EMI for about a year, where he programmed one game for the Atari 8-bit computers: Computer War. Computer War was based on the 1983 movie War Games.
 
Thomas Cherryhomes joined us to ask Colin some questions of his own.
 
This interview took place on April 12, 2018.
 
"Of course it was so totally different. There was no specification, no one ever checked through your code. There was no documentation. There was no maintenance."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 334 - Matthew McGinley, Elite Personal Accountant (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 22 Apr 2018 - Size: 16.3 MByte - Duration: 35:37
Matthew McGinley, Elite Personal Accountant
 
Matthew McGinley was the creator and publisher of Elite Personal Accountant, financial management software for the Atari computer. He released it in mid-1985 after working on it for several years.
 
The review of Elite Personal Accountant by Stephen Roquemore in Antic magazine said, "This new program from a small company has just about every capability built into it that anyone could dream up. And the manual is one of the finest I have ever encountered. ... Elite Personal Accountant will handle 79 categories divided into income, expense, asset, and liability groups. As many as nine credit cards are handled separately, but counted as liabilities. There are 17 different transaction codes available. The reporting capabilities go well beyond the competition, with an option that allows you (within limits) to design your own reports."
 
I found Matthew through an eBay listing, where he is selling the source code disks, printouts, and development notes.
 
This interview took place on April 10, 2018.
 
"Being stuck on certain routines that would give me an error, and I knew there must have been a simple answer. So I'd be going off to sleep, and I'd wake up two hours later. My mind was — ah, that's it! "
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 333 - Cynde Moya, Collections Manager at Living Computers: Museum + Labs (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 19 Apr 2018 - Size: 21.5 MByte - Duration: 46:57
Cynde Moya, Collections Manager at Living Computers: Museum + Labs
 
Cynde Moya is Collections Manager at Living Computers: Museum + Labs. Located in Seattle, Washington, Living Computers is a computer museum that provides hands-on experiences using computers ranging from micros to mainframes. (Last time I was there, there was a Xerox Alto, an Apple I, and yes, an Atari 400 with a number of game carts, plus big iron like a Control Data 6500 and DEC PDP-10 - all those machines and more usable by visitors.)
 
As Collections Manager, Cynde takes care of the museum's collection, and catalogs it.
 
This interview took place on April 9, 2018.
 
“It's definitely not all glory when you're cleaning dead rats out of an old computer."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 332 - Mike Matthews, Alien Group Voice Box (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 16 Apr 2018 - Size: 9.6 MByte - Duration: 20:58
Mike Matthews, Alien Group Voice Box
 
That voice you just heard in an Alien Group Voice Box II connected to an Atari 800.
 
Voice Box was a external speech synthesizer box for the Atari 400 and 800. Voice Box, and its successor Voice Box II, was marketed by "The Alien Group" starting in July 1982. The device used the Votrax SC-01A speech synthesizer chip to add speech and singing to the Atari. Versions were also available for the Commodore 64 and Apple II computers.
 
The Alien Group was actually an offshoot of Electro-Harmonix. Electro-Harmonix was founded by rhythm and blues keyboard player Mike Matthews in 1968. The company is still is business today, and is well-regarded for its guitar pedals and other musicians' gear.
 
For more background on The Alien Group and Voice Box, I recommend reading Bill Lange's blog post "Atari Says Its First Word."
 
This interview with Mike Matthews took place on November 13, 2017.
 
***
 
One more thing: I talked with Scott Matthews, Mike's son. He told me in email:
 
"My first big software project was for my dad, when I was about 13. What I wrote was an Atari BASIC function that would take a number as input, and would output the phonetic equivalent of that number. The idea was that other people -- who wanted to write applications that would speak a number -- could use the function to convert application-generated numbers to a speakable string."
 
Scott also doesn't remember who, if anyone, won the $5000 contest for best talking software. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 331 - Winchell Chung, Avalon Hill games (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 11 Apr 2018 - Size: 21.8 MByte - Duration: 47:42
Winchell Chung, Avalon Hill games
 
Winchell Chung worked at Avalon Hill computer games, where he was the Atari 8-bit computer programmer. He worked on Nuke War, B-1 Nuclear Bomber, Free Trader, Paris in Danger, and Vorrak. His best known game is probably Gulf Strike.
 
This interview took place on April 10, 2018.
 
"A good game with lousy graphics doesn't sell, but a lousy game with great graphics will."
 
 
 

ANTIC Special Episode Bits and Bytes (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 07 Apr 2018 - Size: 74.1 MByte - Duration: 01:20:57
This is ANTIC, the Atari 8-bit podcast. I’m Kevin Savetz.
 
I love old computers. If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you knew that already. I also love musical theater. So when I found out about Bits & Bytes, a 1983 musical about computers — well, that’s right in my wheelhouse. 
 
Bits & Bytes was an educational touring production, created by South Coast Repertory Theater, a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. It was a 45-minute musical show, aimed at school kids, that was performed at elementary schools across Southern California from January through June of 1983. More than 60,000 children saw the show.
 
The story is about Happy, a naive girl who goes into a computer store for the first time, wondering if a computer can “solve all her problems and make her truly happy.” Morton B. Norton, a pushy, overzealous computer salesman, tries to sell her a computer, with the help of wacky sidekicks, Bits and Bytes. Through speech and song, the team teaches Happy about computers — what they can and can’t do. A computer could help her be more organized, get her homework done, and play games. But Happy learns that a computer cannot really think, and is not a substitute for real, human friends. 
 
***
 
The goal of the play was to “show the realistic capabilities of computers as distinguished from commercial hypes and science fiction fantasy.” Another goal was to emphasize the “talents unique to human beings — what makes us different from computers.” 
 
South Coast Repertory Theater’s educational touring productions took short original plays into area primary schools. The topic of computers was chosen for the 1983 production because surveyed teachers, parents, and principals overwhelmingly chose “computer literacy” as a topic they wanted to see covered. (Previous educational touring shows included Tomato Surprise, about nutrition; The Fitness Game, about physical fitness; and The Energy Show, about conserving energy.)
 
The play was written by Michael Bigelow Dixon and Jerry Patch, with music by Diane King. It was directed by John-David Keller, with set design by Dwight Richard Odle. The assistant director/choreographer was Diane dePriest.
 
An ensemble of five played all the roles, with one doubling as stage manager.  The cast was Robert Crow, Sam Hamann, James Le Gros, Laura Leyva, and Deborah Nisimura. 
 
Bits & Bytes won the 1983 Pioneer Drama Service award for best new play. It ran for 246 performances, breaking the booking record for South Coast Repertory.
 
The January 29, 1983 issue of the Los Angeles Times said:
“...in some respects the current show is the most impressive so far. Now that computer technology has entered the home and workplace—as well as the shopping mall—it’s noteworthy that a play can tell us how much more computers can do than launch missiles and
gobble up space villains. … Diane King composed such a fine score—which includes evocations of different eras in pop music—that it almost has commercial possibilities of its own.
 
“Laura Leyva plays Happy, the girl who, for a very long time, is led to believe—along with the rest of us—that the computer will solve all our problems. That’s a dangerous and depressingly facile notion whose emphasis, early on, far outweighs the authors’ concluding moral that ‘computers can only deal with facts, not feelings.’
 
“But Bits & Bytes humorously shows its audience of kids how advanced and widespread the computer revolution has become and that they stand well ahead of their parents at its ramparts.”
 
***
 
Texas Instruments donated a computer to the production: a TI 99/4A with monitor, peripheral expansion box, speech synthesizer, disk drives, and software. The computer was used as part of the set.
 
I interviewed three people who helped create Bits & Bytes: first, Michael Bigelow Dixon, who is co-author of the play. Next we’ll hear from Diane King, the composer. Finally we’ll hear from Laura Leyva, the actress who played the roll of Happy.
 
The interview with Michael Bigelow Dixon took place on March 9, 2018, with Diane King on March 6, and with Laura Leyva on March 16.
 
Look at the show notes, where you’ll find several photographs of the Bits & Bytes cast, reviews of the play, and articles about it. If you’d like to read the play or the score, that’s trickier. They are not online due to copyright. I borrowed copies via interlibrary loan.
 
If you saw this play, I would love to hear your memories of it. You can always email me at antic@ataripodcast.com.
 
Special thanks to Tania Thompson at South Coast Repertory for providing background information about this production, to Laura Leyva for providing photographs, to Michael Bigelow Dixon for providing articles from his archive, and to Diane King for digitizing her recordings from tape and allowing me to use them for this episode.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 50 - 50 and Counting! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 22 Mar 2018 - Size: 41.5 MByte - Duration: 01:30:34

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.

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Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 330 - William "Ted" Farmer, Eastern Front (1941) Scenarios (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 06 Mar 2018 - Size: 16.5 MByte - Duration: 36:07
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.'"
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 329 -Douglas Wilder, Ultimate Renumber Utility (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 03 Mar 2018 - Size: 12.4 MByte - Duration: 27:09
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."
 

ANTIC Interview 328 - Jerry Horanoff, Carina BBS Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 15 Feb 2018 - Size: 22.9 MByte - Duration: 49:59
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.
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 49 - Thomas Cherryhomes and PLATO (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 10 Feb 2018 - Size: 39.2 MByte - Duration: 01:25:42

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!

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Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 327 - Rawson Stovall, The Vid Kid newspaper column (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 02 Feb 2018 - Size: 26.4 MByte - Duration: 57:44
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.
 

ANTIC Interview 326 - Chris James, Thorn EMI (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 29 Jan 2018 - Size: 9.7 MByte - Duration: 21:08
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."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 325 - Hanan Samara: Jumbo Jet Pilot and Jinn Genie (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 26 Jan 2018 - Size: 10.9 MByte - Duration: 23:47
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."
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 324 - Geoffrey Card, kid game reviewer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 23 Jan 2018 - Size: 15.4 MByte - Duration: 33:44
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
 

ANTIC Interview 323 - Orson Scott Card, Compute! Books (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 18 Jan 2018 - Size: 30.3 MByte - Duration: 01:06:15
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 light coming through the basement windows, and realizing that I had pulled an all-nighter ... just debugging three minutes of a game."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 322 - Maurice Molyneaux, Atari animation guru (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 07 Jan 2018 - Size: 28.7 MByte - Duration: 01:02:38
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 Molyneaux's articles in ST-LOG magazine:
 
YouTube playlist of Atari MoveiMaker animations: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT-oeGyO1WeNvjmDEV3cyCAfOiIRAWysi
 
Colecovision vs. Atari 5200 Hardware Comparison: http://www.atarihq.com/5200/cv52/
 
Maurice's Atari ST game demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrqcawTaWqg

ANTIC Episode 48 - Happy New Year! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 01 Jan 2018 - Size: 33.7 MByte - Duration: 01:13:35

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

 

Donate to Ted Nelson project at:
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TEH: Tech Enthusiast Hour -
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What We’ve Been Up To

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Nir’s Segment - SilliVenture 2017

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ANTIC Interview 321 - Databar OSCAR (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 16 Dec 2017 - Size: 31.7 MByte - Duration: 01:09:08
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 your computer. 
 
The best known solution was, perhaps, Cauzin Softstrip. And although Softstrip may have been the best known, it was by no means a success. I've already published interviews with the people who created Softstrip. 
 
Another contender in this niche — and the one that this episode is about - was the Databar OSCAR. OSCAR was released two years before Softstrip. OSCAR had two parts — the hardware, the Optical SCAnning Reader that would connect to your Atari 8-bit computer, or your Texas Instruments 99/4A, or your Commodore 64. And, the bar code software, which was to be published in a special magazine, called Databar.
 
First, let's talk a little about the hardware. A silver plastic device, a little smaller than a loaf of bread, was the brains of the operation. A hand-held removable wand, connected via a telephone-stil coiled wire, held the optical reader. That's the part that you would roll over the bar code to read the software into your computer. Finally, there was an interface cable that connected the main device to your computer. This is the only bit of hardware that's different in the Atari, Commodore, and Texas Instruments versions of the product. The Commodore version, for instance, connects to the C64's cassette port. The Atari version also emulates a cassete tape drive, and connects to the Atari's SIO port.
 
The hardware alone cost $79.95, but it wouldn't do much good without the bar-code printed software, which was the Databar magazine. A 1-year subscription to the Databar magazine would cost an additional $120.
 
So let's talk about the software: the magazine. "Databar - The Monthly Bar Code Software Magazine" which was published in 1983, and turned out to only have one issue published, so it wasn't very monthly after all.
 
Databar ran some advertisements in the Atari, Commodore, and Texas Instruments computer magazines. I'm going to read a bit from one of them. [ad excerpt]
 
The magazine was published in three versions: one for the Atari 8-bit computer, one for the TI 99/4A, and a version for Commodore 64. The cover and front part of the magazine was the same in all editions, with general-interest articles like "Computer Gaming," "To Your Health - Your Health Is Up To You," and "Climbing the Slippery Financial Hills." The second part of the magzaine was different in each edition. This was the part with the bar codes. Each version has pretty much the same set of programs, but customized to the dialect of BASIC used on that particular computer. The selection of non-confrontational, milquetoast programs includes OSCAR's Match (a memory game), Financial Quiz, Math Challenge, Health Assessment, The Law and You, and Miles Per Gallon Calculator.
 
Only 9 programs were ever published in this format for the Commodore and TI, and they are all in the magazine. 13 Atari programs were ever published in this format, in the Atari version of the magazine. 
 
The OSCAR box claims that the hardware is also compatible with the Timex Sinclair 1000, 1500, 2000, and the TRS-80 Color Computer. But I haven't seen any evidence that versions of the magazine were created for those systems, nor the hardware adapters to connect to them.
 
One of the benefits of the reader was that it was supposed to be faster than typing. My favorite ad for the OSCAR reader says "Programming the Home Computer — Expert Typist with Keyboard vs. Eight-year-old with OSCAR." The task: entering a two-page BASIC program. The expert typist with a 100 word-per-minute speed and a degree in computer programming can do it in 1 hour and 9 minutes. The little girl with bows in her hair and bubble gum in her mouth, with no prior computer experience, can enter the program using OSCAR in 8 minutes.
 
Now that we've set the stage, it's time for the interviews. There are three: first, Don Picard, the Executive Editor of Databar magazine; then Kim Garretson, the publisher of the magazine; and finally Neal Enzenauer, the principal engineer for OSCAR.
 
## interview 1: Don Picard
Don Picard worked for Webb Publishing, a large printing company that owned a number of magazines. Don worked in a division called  Creative Communications, that was a custom publishing house for corporate clients. The division did work such as in-flight magazines for airlines, and custom magazines for Farmer's Insurance and the American Automobile Association. He was the Executive Editor of Databar magazine.
 
Teaser quotes:
"Concept was basically dead before it got born."
"When money's invested there becomes a sort of momentum involved. Nobody wants to say, 'This was a mistake.'"
 
## interview 2: Kim Garretson
The next interview is Kim Garretson, the founding editor and publisher of Databar magazine.
 
Teaser quote:
"Sometimes you had to go across a single line of code three or four or five or seven times to hear the little beep."
 
## interview 3: Neal Enzenauer
Our final interview is with Neal Enzenauer, the principal engineer for OSCAR.
 
Teaser quote:
"We thought we were going to set the world on fire and make magnetic media obsolete — but I guess we didn't."
 
## closing
Thanks to Don Picard, Kim Garretson, and Neal Enzenauer. Thanks to Allan Bushman for scanning the Atari version of the Databar magazine and OSCAR instructions; @doegox on Twitter for writing the python script to decode the barcodes without the scanner, @paulrickards for wrangling the Commodore software, and @travisgoodspeed for the PoC||GTFO 'zine, which was instrumental in bringing the pieces together. Thanks to the Internet Archive for hosting scans of the magazines and all the software. 
 
The interview with Don Picard took place on April 5, 2016. The interview with Kim Garretson took place on June 27, 2016. (A video version of that interview is available, including an extended version where we also discuss CD-ROM publishing and the Prodigy online service.) The interview with Neal Enzenauer took place on April 12, 2016.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 320 - Robert Jaeger, Montezuma's Revenge (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 13 Dec 2017 - Size: 23.0 MByte - Duration: 50:12
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.
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 319 - Tay Vaughan, Atari Connection and Antic magazines (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 10 Dec 2017 - Size: 13.9 MByte - Duration: 30:26
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."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 318 - Linda Schreiber: T.H.E.S.I.S. Software and author (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 07 Dec 2017 - Size: 18.2 MByte - Duration: 39:48
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."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 317 - Richard Taylor, Digital Devices Corporation (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 04 Dec 2017 - Size: 17.0 MByte - Duration: 37:13
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!"
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 316B - Dave Comstock, part 2 (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 01 Dec 2017 - Size: 29.1 MByte - Duration: 01:03:39
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.”
 

ANTIC Interview 316 - Dave Comstock: E.T. Phone Home!, Superman III, Cloak & Dagger (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 30 Nov 2017 - Size: 44.4 MByte - Duration: 01:36:53
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.
 
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.'"
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 315 - Sarah Haskell, Computerized Weaving (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 27 Nov 2017 - Size: 15.3 MByte - Duration: 33:27
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."
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 314 - Randall Lockwood, Choose-A-Pooch (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 24 Nov 2017 - Size: 9.4 MByte - Duration: 20:25
Randall Lockwood, Choose-A-Pooch
 
There's an article in the August 1984 issue of Family Computing magazine, by Bill Camarda — Behind The Screens: Family Dog. It's about Choose-A-Pooch, an Atari computer program created by Dr. Randall Lockwood, to help match people with the breed of dog that will work best in their living situation.
 
I interviewed Dr. Lockwood on November 10, 2017.
 
"Trying to get away from the fact that people were often choosing dogs based more on just appearance, without knowing that much about the breed."
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 313 - Frank Schwartz and Richard Lewis, Virtusonics (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 21 Nov 2017 - Size: 26.0 MByte - Duration: 56:51
Frank Schwartz and Richard Lewis, Virtusonics
 
Last last year, I received a batch of Atari disks. One of the disks was labeled Virtuoso Play Mode Sampler — a music demonstration disk from Virtusonics, a company I had never heard of.
 
Thanks to some old articles in Antic magazine, I learned a bit about the product and the company. In 1985, Nat Friedland first wrote about the Virtuoso software: "Virtuoso is such a unique new approach to musicmaking that it's not easy to describe. ... Virtuoso gives you a user-friendly method of tapping the extremely fast and powerful changes that a computer can control in every aspect of music performance. It bypasses the limits of traditional musical notation and uses an almost self-explanatory color graphic display that delivers mathematical insights into the structure of music. ... In technical terms, Virtuoso is a sound generator that produces four voices from the POKEY chip. You can make instant real-time changes in the voices in any of six parameters. Four computers running Virtuoso can be linked together to have up to 16 independent channels controlled by one Atari."
 
Virtusonics was primarily three people: Frank Schwartz, the programmer; Joseph Lyons, the music guy; and Richard Lewis, the CEO. I have interviewed two of them. First you'll hear my February 15, 2017 interview with the programmer/R&D director Frank Schwartz. Then, you'll hear the February 10, 2017 interview with CEO Richard Lewis. I haven't been able to interview the other partner, Joseph Lyons, who is serving 24 years to life in prison.
 
After our interview, Richard Lewis sent me an envelope of Virtusonics papers and disks. The material includes the preliminary version of Virtuoso Software, and the final release which by then was called Virtuoso Desktop Performance Studio, boxes, manuals, flyers and advertising slicks, and stock prospectuses. I scanned and digitized all of the material, which is now available at the Internet Archive.
 
Teaser quotes: 
Frank Schwartz: "Change the curvature of the sine wave just via software. And that was a concept which was revolutionary in those days."
 
Richard Lewis: "We were criticized by a lot of the top names in computers back in the '80s. As, how that this small company in an apartment in New York City come up with something that we've been working on for years and we cant do?"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 312 - Paul Wehner, APX Saratoga (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 18 Nov 2017 - Size: 9.2 MByte - Duration: 20:12
Paul Wehner, APX Saratoga
 
Paul Wehner created one program for the Atari 8-bit computer, Saratoga, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. The American revolutionary war game first appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the Entertainment category.
 
This interview took place on October 24, 2017.
 
 

ANTIC Interview 311 - Alan Reeve, Reeve Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 15 Nov 2017 - Size: 17.3 MByte - Duration: 37:41
Alan Reeve, Reeve Software
 
Alan Reeve is the founder of Reeve Software, a company that stated in 1984, creating software for the Atari 8-bit computers. Reeve Software published a variety of applications including Diamond GOS, News Station and News Station Companion, Publishing Pro, The Business Manager, and Diamond Write. The company's games included Battle Tank, Bomber, Castle Attack, Space Hunt, and Star Intruder.
 
This interview took place on October 14, 2017.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 47 - Artificially Intelligent? (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 12 Nov 2017 - Size: 27.1 MByte - Duration: 59:16

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  The artificial intelligence that acts as the hosts of the show laments the lack of Atari goodness this month.  Nir Dary avails us of his world travels, this time to the ABBUC meeting.  Plus all the Atari news we could find.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

Interview Discussion

News

Welcome to the official website "Silly Venture 2k17"! One of the biggest international events devoted to the platforms of our favorite brand - Atari - returns.

YouTube videos this month

New at Archive.org

Nir’s Segment - ABBUC 2017 Meeting

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation;

increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 310 - Guy Ferrante, S&S Wholesalers and Star BBS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 09 Nov 2017 - Size: 16.3 MByte - Duration: 35:39
Guy Ferrante, S&S Wholesalers and Star BBS
 
Guy Ferrante worked for S&S Wholesalers, a Miami Florida-based computer mail order company, where he was in charge of creating magazine advertisements and managing the warehouse. He also ran Star BBS, a bulletin board system based in South Florida, for 11 years.
 
This interview took place on August 25, 2017.
 
"There's merchandise all over the place. I can't even walk in there. I'm stepping on the merchandise. ... And I said, 'Sandy, what's going on here?' He says, 'Guy, the advertisement was a success, I need you here full time.'"
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 309 - Ben Heck, Internet celebrity and console modder (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 22 Oct 2017 - Size: 13.4 MByte - Duration: 29:14

Ben Heck - Internet Celebrity and Console Modder

Benjamin J. Heckendorn (aka Ben Heck) is an American console modder and Internet celebrity. He is the star of element14's The Ben Heck Show, a popular online TV program.  It also turns out that he grew up with the Atari 8-bit line of computers and has built a couple of mods involving the Atari line.

This interview took place on April 13, 2017.


ANTIC Interview 308 - Jim Schuyler, Founder of DesignWare (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 15 Oct 2017 - Size: 47.7 MByte - Duration: 01:44:17
Jim Schuyler, Founder of DesignWare
 
Jim Schuyler was Founder of DesignWare. Founded in 1980, Designware created educational software that was published by other companies — including SRA, Xerox, and Spinnaker — as well as software that it published under its own label. Designware's titles included Creature Creator, Grammar Examiner, Mission: Algebra, Spellicopter, and Trap-a-Zoid, among others. Jim programmed Story Machine himself, which was published by Spinnaker Software. Designware was acquired by PeachTree in 1984.
 
 
This interview took place on September 11, 2017. In it, we discuss Peter Rosenthal, David Seuss, and Bill Bowman, all of whom I previously interviewed. 
 
The intro and outro music is Confusion Reigns, composed by Jim Schuyler. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 307 - Dan Pinal: Alternate Reality - The Dungeon, Atari Graphics and Arcade Game Design (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 12 Oct 2017 - Size: 13.8 MByte - Duration: 30:01
Dan Pinal: Alternate Reality - The Dungeon, Atari Graphics and Arcade Game Design
 
Dan Pinal contributed to the book Atari Graphics and Arcade Game Design, with Jeff Stanton, a book published by Arrays in 1984. He was one of the programmers of Alternate Reality - The Dungeon, which was published by Datasoft in 1987. He also created the game Stargate Courier, published by COSMI; and worked on the Atari port of Goonies for Datasoft.
 
This interview took place on September 1, 2017.
 
"They said, 'How long?' and we said '18 months.' And they said ‘We can’t wait that long to put something out.'"
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 46 - Tinkle and Poo (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 01 Oct 2017 - Size: 35.4 MByte - Duration: 01:17:24

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast:  Victor Marland of the Ten Pence Arcade Podcast joins us over Kevin’s pancake breakfast, Bill Kendrick reviews Tempest Elite, and we discuss Tinkle Pit and Uncle Poo.  Plus all the Atari news we could find.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

News

YouTube videos this month

New at Archive.org

Bill’s Modern Segment

Of the Month

Commercial

Feedback

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; 
increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 306 - Dan Reinhart, Yahtman (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 28 Sep 2017 - Size: 17.5 MByte - Duration: 38:13
Dan Reinhart, Yahtman
 
Dan Reinhart published one program for the Atari 8-bit computers: Yahtman, a Yahtzee-stil game that was published by Atari Program Exchange. Yahtman first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog.
 
This interview took place on August 28, 2017. In it, we discuss Paul Cubbage, whom I previously interviewed.
 
"Paul [Cubbage] had said, 'You know, you have good potential at this sort of thing but you really need to choose: are you going to keep building earth movers and equipment? Or do you want to live in programming and doing games?' ... And as it turns out, I chickened out."
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 305 - David Seuss, co-founder of Spinnaker Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 23 Sep 2017 - Size: 25.4 MByte - Duration: 55:29
David Seuss, co-founder of Spinnaker Software
 
This interview is with David Seuss, co-founder of Spinnaker Software. Spinnaker was one of the first companies to focus exclusively on educational software. Spinnaker's software line-up included Snooper Troops, Delta Drawing, FaceMaker, Adventure Creator, In Search of the Most Amazing Thing, KinderComp, and many other titles.
 
This interview took place on September 11, 2017.
 
Teaser quotes:
 
"We invented the educational software market. It really didn't exist until we came along."
 
"We were making out first packaging run, we're just so excited, and all the packages melted! Oh no."
 

ANTIC Interview 304 - Hal Glicksman, Datamost (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 20 Sep 2017 - Size: 27.1 MByte - Duration: 59:14
Hal Glicksman, Datamost
 
Hal Glicksman was head of the book division at Datamost.
 
In two years from 1982 to 1984, Datamost was one of largest publishers of computer books. In 1983 alone, Datamost published over 40 titles and shipped 100,000 books per month. Their Atari books included Atari Roots, Kids and the Atari, ABCs of Atari Computers, and The Elementary Atari. Hal himself wrote The Musical Atari, Games Ataris Play, and The Musical Commodore. 
 
Datamost also published software: the company's Atari software titles included Cohen's Towers, Cosmic Tunnels, Jet Boot Jack, Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory, and The
Tail of Beta Lyrae.
 
This interview took place on April 7, 2017 for me; April 8 for him in France.
 
"It was a second career for me. I was the oldest person there, older than the boss by 10 years, almost. And for me to be able to get in with all these young people and learn — I mean, I wasn't as fast as any of them but, just to hold up my own."
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 303 - Lee Konowe, American Software Club (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 17 Sep 2017 - Size: 23.1 MByte - Duration: 50:33
Lee Konowe, American Software Club
 
Lee Konowe was founder of American Software Club, a mail-order software company. American Software Club sold software for CP/M, Atari 8-bit, TRS-80, Apple II, IBM PC, Commodore 64, and other platforms. It started out with a sort of Columbia House "software of the month" model, where you automatically received a "choice of the month" software package each month — which you could keep and pay for, or return at no cost. Later the company switched to a more traditional mail order catalog model.
 
The company was founded around June 1981. In an article about software clubs in InfoWorld magazine, the company said it had about 2,000 members by the end of its first month. By February 1983 it claimed 10,000 members, and by September of that year had 15,000 members.
 
This interview took place on June 7 2017 for me, and June 8 for Lee in New Zealand.
 
 
"Very quickly it occurred to me that there was a need to put people who were producing software together with people who were consuming it."
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 302 - Patricia Mitchell, Thorn EMI (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 14 Sep 2017 - Size: 13.3 MByte - Duration: 29:05
Patricia Mitchell, Thorn EMI
 
Patricia Mitchell started at Thorn EMI in 1981.  She worked in the home computer software division, evaluating software that had been submitted by programmers. 
 
Thorn EMI published many games for the Atari 8-bit computers, including River Rescue, Carnival Massacre, Orc Attack, Kickback, Submarine Commander, Computer War, and Jumbo Jet Pilot.
 
Later she worked at Virgin Games.
 
This interview took place on April 27, 2017.
 
In it, we talk a little about about Steve Green. Steve bought Patricia's old Atari computer on eBay, which included pre-production versions of five Thorn EMI games. Steve made ROM dumps of those games and uploaded them to Internet Archive. 
 
 
"One of the most embarrassing things for the management at the time was they turned down a game that was submitted that was called Elite ... It was the first 3-D graphics that were rendered in wireframe."
 
Steve Green’s ROM dumps:

ANTIC Interview 301 - James Burton, APX Drawit (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 11 Sep 2017 - Size: 13.9 MByte - Duration: 30:23
James Burton, APX Drawit
 
James Burton published one program for the Atari 8-bit computers: Drawit, a graphics utility that was published by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the summer 1983 APX catalog, where it was awarded first prize in the personal development category.  
 
This interview took place on August 24, 2017.
 
"Many hours. Many, many hours. Late at night, don;t want to go to sleep. Just plugging at the computer."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 300 - Lance Leventhal, Author of Assembly Language Books (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 04 Sep 2017 - Size: 24.1 MByte - Duration: 52:35
Lance Leventhal, Author of Assembly Language Books
 
Lance Leventhal wrote 25 computer books, divning 1978 through 1992. His books include  6502 Assembly Language Programming, 6502 Assembly Language Subroutines, Z80 Assembly Language Programming, Z80 Assembly Language Subroutines, 6800 Assembly Language Programming, 6809 Assembly Language Programming, and Why Do You Need a Personal Computer?
 
This interview took place on August 25, 2017.
 
"Be careful about avoiding sidetracks. Don't go down them. There's always things you'd like to say and things you'd like to talk about. But they're not central to your topic and you've got to be brutal about not saying them."
 

ANTIC Episode 45 - Open Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 31 Aug 2017 - Size: 53.3 MByte - Duration: 01:56:31

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: Mike Maginnis of the Open Apple and Drop III Inches podcasts joins the Antic crew and starts a computer war, Nir Dary tells us about disk drive upgrades, we catch up with Curt Vendel about his projects including the 2nd Atari history book, and more Atari news than you can possibly imagine!

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

Interviews

News

YouTube videos this month

Commercial

End of Show Music

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation;

increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 299 - John Skruch, Atarisoft (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 28 Aug 2017 - Size: 19.4 MByte - Duration: 42:25
John Skruch, Atarisoft
 
John Skruch worked at Atari from 1982, under Warner Communications, all through the Tramiel era, until 1998 when the company was owned by JTS.
 
During that time, he was operations manager for Atarisoft, the arm of Atari that produced software for competing computer systems; software product manager for the 8-bit computer line; and director of licensing. He was involved wth the design and development of the XM301 modem, and the Atari Lynx game system.
 
This interview took place on March 18, 2017.
 
"Atari was bleeding. We used to kid that there was a guy who would go up on the roof every day at noon and toss a million dollars off the roof, and come back inside."

ANTIC Interview 298 - Tom Hunt, Closer to Home BBS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 13 Aug 2017 - Size: 28.4 MByte - Duration: 01:02:06
Tom Hunt, Closer to Home BBS
 
Tom Hunt ran an Atari BBS called Closer to Home for 28 years. He also created a variety of utilities for the Atari 8-bit computers, including M.T.O.S. (Multi-Tasking Operating System), and The Armorizer (a file corruption detector). He created several languages including Atari implementations of the Brainfork and Mouse programming languages, and forks of Atari BASIC and Turbo BASIC with various feature additions. He also built a system for porting Inform 5 and Z-Code text adventures to the Atari platform.
 
This interview took place on August 5, 2017.
 
"Just as soon as one caller would get off another one would come on. We had so much going on, before the Internet we had worldwide networking — we had message bases, emails, and file mail going around the world to Christchurch, New Zealand and everything. It was just great!"
 

ANTIC Interview 297 - Robert Anschuetz, Eric Anschuetz, John Weisgberber, Antic magazine games (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 09 Aug 2017 - Size: 36.6 MByte - Duration: 01:19:58
Robert Anschuetz, Eric Anschuetz, John Weisgberber, Antic magazine games
 
Robert Anschuetz, Eric Anschuetz, and John Weisgberber are childhood friends who published three games in Antic magazine: Kooky's Quest was published in the February 1985 issue; Overflow in July 1985; and Robot Dungeon was the "disk bonus" in the November 1985 issue. They also wrote several other games in Atari BASIC — some of which they submitted to Compute! and A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazines - that went unpublished.
 
Fast forward to August 2017, when the three posted on the AtariAge forum: "We are now releasing all of these games to the Public Domain ...  These are not new games, but they are new to the Atari 8-Bit community. Many of these games really pushed the envelope at the time for what could be done in Atari BASIC, including bi-directional smooth scrolling, assembly language subroutines, parallax scrolling, cut scenes, attract modes, display-list tricks, interleaved-displays, etc."
 
In addition to releasing their games — some for the first time — the group wrote a new article describing how they got together as a team to write these programs, along with game instructions and development notes.
 
I wanted to find out more, so we got together for a four-way interview over Skype.
 
If you want to see our talking heads, there’s a video version of this interview.
 
This interview took place on August 4, 2017. The first voice you'll hear after mine is Robert Anschuetz.
 
Teaser quotes:
"It was just a small little corner of the page that says 'Disk Bonus — Robot Dungeon'. We didn't subscribe to the disk bonus of Antic. So luckily we saw that or else we never would have known it was published."
 
“One thing about this experience of working together on these games, it's very multi-disciplinary, and it's all about collaboration."
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 296 - Stan Osborne, Atari Design Research (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 06 Aug 2017 - Size: 30.2 MByte - Duration: 01:05:58
Stan Osborne, Atari Design Research
 
Stan Osborne was a freelance software engineer in Atari's Design Research department from 1981 through 1984. He also worked on projects for coin-op and home computing departments. He created micro-kernels, proof of concepts, proto-applications and device drivers.
 
There are two versions of this interview: the podcast version is about an hour shorter. The extended version is at the Internet Archive, and includes a lot more of Stan's education, jobs, and history before he was at Atari. 
 
This interview took place on May 16, 2017, with a short additional segment added on August 4.
 
"I was being paid to do whatever I wanted to, if I had time. When you're a freelance independant contractor, you set the clock schedule for when you're going to be there and what you're gonna go. I could visit anybody, anywhere on the Atari campuses." 
 

ANTIC Interview 295 - Harry Stewart, Pilot and WSFN (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 02 Aug 2017 - Size: 28.2 MByte - Duration: 01:01:37
Harry Stewart, Pilot and WSFN
 
Harry Stewart was a contractor for Atari from August 1978 through October 1983. He contributed to the operating system design and the manuals for the Atari 400 and 800; created the Atari implementation of the WSFN language (which was released in the first Atari Program Exchange catalog, summer 1981). He worked on Atari's PILOT programming language and the unreleased sequel, Super PILOT (also known as Summer Camp PILOT.)
 
Harry saved an enormous amount of material: source code, memos, notes, and more. He scanned some of it, I scanned some of it, and it's online at the Internet Archive at the AtariAge forums. 
 
This interview took place on June 29, 2017.
 
"You debugged in your head. It wasn't sitting at the machine single-stepping and doing breakpoints. If you had a problem, you thought it out. Why is this happening? ... Working on the hardware only as necessary."
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 294 - Carol Shaw, Atari and Activision (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 30 Jul 2017 - Size: 18.5 MByte - Duration: 40:20
Carol Shaw, Atari and Activision
 
Carol Shaw was a software engineer at Atari from August 1978 though 1980. She programmed for the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers. She programmed on 3-D Tic Tac Toe for the Atari 800 and 2600; and the math application Calculator. She worked on Video Checkers, Othello, and Super Breakout for the 2600. She also co-wrote the Atari BASIC Reference Manual. Carol joined Activision in 1982, where she created the hit game River Raid, which she programmed for the 2600 then ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, and Happy Trails for the Intellivision.
 
This interview took place on June 29, 2017.
 
"Originally it was going to be a boat going up a river, but my boat was kind of boring looking ... How about an airplane going up a river? We'll have it kind of a canyon or something like that."
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 44 - Hackin' The Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 24 Jul 2017 - Size: 40.4 MByte - Duration: 01:28:17

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast: Kevin hacks the heck out of the Atari 8-bits, we’re back on the interview bandwagon, Josh Renaud tells us about ATASCII animations, and Nir Dary gives us the scoop on the Outline Demo Party.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

Interviews

News

Nir Dary videos this month

YouTube videos this month (not Nir Dary) - 552 using the search term “Atari 800”

New at Archive.org

Nir Dary Segment - Outline Demo Party 2017

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; 
increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 293 - Merl Miller, dilithium Press (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 11 Jul 2017 - Size: 27.7 MByte - Duration: 01:00:29
Merl Miller, dilithium Press
 
Merl Miller was co-founder of dilithium Press, a publisher of computer books that was in business from 1977 through 1986. Merl was co-author of Computers for People (with Jerry Willis), a book that heavily features Atari 8-bit computers; and Things to Do With Your Atari Computer (with Jerry Willis and Nancy Morrice) as well as several other books about other types of personal computers. dilithium Press also published An Atari for Kids, An Atari in the Classroom, 32 BASIC Programs For the Atari Computer, Peanut Butter and Jelly Guide to Computers, and is perhaps best known for Computers for Everybody.
 
This interview took place on June 26, 2017.
 
Teaser quote: "When I worked for Prentice Hall, when I worked for West Publishing, when I started my own company, I never forgot that: a good book is one that sells."
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 292 - Claus Buchholz & Lance Ward, ACE-80 (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 08 Jul 2017 - Size: 24.1 MByte - Duration: 52:34

Claus Buchholz and Lance Ward, ACE-80

Hello.  Welcome to an interview-only episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast.  I am Randy Kindig.  In 1985, Claus Buchholz and Lance Ward released the ACE-80 and ACE-80XL cartridges, which gave 80-column text capability to the Atari 800 and XL computers, respectively.  These were released through their newly-formed company, Amiable Computer Products.  Claus also developed a 256K upgrade for the Atari 800XL and wrote an article on converting Atari computer programs to the 5200.

This interview took place on April 8, 2017.

Links:


ANTIC Interview 291 - Robert Veline, Astro Pyrotechnics (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 04 Jul 2017 - Size: 28.0 MByte - Duration: 01:01:05

Robert Veline, Astro Pyrotechnics

 
The July/August 1987 issue of ST-Log magazine has an article by Matthew Stern called "Atari Sets Off Fireworks!" It features an interview with Robert Veline of Astro Pryrotechnics, a California-based fireworks company. I'll read some snippets from the article. ...
 
I found Robert — who is still in the pyrotechnics industry today — to get more of the story. This interview took place on June 2, 2017.
 
Thanks to Wade at the 1632 Atari ST PodcaST for pointing me to the article in ST-Log magazine.
 
After our interview, Robert sent me pictures of his Atari-based firing box -- as well as all of the software for running it, the assembly language source code, Old Mother Hubbard's GCHIP Cook Book, his fireworks simulation software, and more.
 
Teaser quote: "We did have one or two shows where you plugged the box in and turned it on -- and it was a 10-second show."
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 290 - Gary Koffler, VP at Datasoft and Datamost (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 01 Jul 2017 - Size: 37.3 MByte - Duration: 01:21:30
Gary Koffler, VP at Datasoft and Datamost
 
Gary Koffler was VP at two publishers: Datasoft and Datamost. He was VP Software at Datasoft in 1980–1981. Datasoft published many Atari computer games, including Canyon Climber, Clowns and Balloons, Pacific Coast Highway, Sands of Egypt, and Zaxxon. At Datasoft, Gary managed creation of the AtariWriter word processor under contract for Atari.
 
Next, Gary was VP Software and Talent at Datamost from 1982–1984. Datamost published Atari games including Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory, Tail of Beta Lyrae, Cohen's Towers, and Super Bunny. Datamost also published many books for the Atari computer, including Atari Roots, Kids and the Atari, The Elementary Atari, and Games Ataris Play.
 
This interview took place on April 4, 2017.
 
Teaser quote: "I didn't program ... I basically programmed programmers because I realized early on that if I wanted to have anything that was going to appear on these machines that I wanted to have appear on them, I was going to have to work with artists and programmers and musicians and animators."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 289 - Dan Hale, EasyGrader (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 25 Jun 2017 - Size: 7.5 MByte - Duration: 16:16
Dan Hale, EasyGrader
 
Dan Hale published one program for the Atari 8-bit computers: EasyGrader, which first appeared in the fall 1982 APX catalog. 
 
This interview took place on May 30, 2017.
 
 

ANTIC Interview 288 - David Thornburg, Koalapad inventor (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 22 Jun 2017 - Size: 26.4 MByte - Duration: 57:41
David Thornburg, Koalapad inventor
 
David Thornburg invented the KoalaPad, a touch tablet that was available for the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, Apple II, and the IBM PC. A version for the TRS-80 Color Computer was also available, sold as the TRS-80 Touch Pad. He is also the author of The KoalaPad Book, which was published in 1984.
 
This interview took place on May 22, 2017. In it, we discuss George White, the founder of Koala Technologies, whom I previously interviewed.
 
Teaser quote: "You know how to take things apart. Good for you. But you've never built anything in your entire life. You have no idea what it's like to invent something that has generated livelihood for hundreds of people, and is making a difference in the lives of thousands of people."
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 287 - George White, Founder of Koala Technologies (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 19 Jun 2017 - Size: 18.7 MByte - Duration: 40:51
George White, Founder of Koala Technologies
 
George White was the founder of Koala Technologies, the company that made the KoalaPad. KoalaPad was a touch tablet, versions were available for the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, Apple II, and the IBM PC. A version for the TRS-80 Color Computer was also available, sold as the TRS-80 Touch Pad.
 
This interview took place on May 20, 2017. If you want to see George and my chat, a video version of this interview is available, check the show notes at AtariPodcast.com for that link. I also interviewed KoalaPad inventor David Thornburg, whom we talk about in this interview. David's interview will be published next.
 
"I regret the fact that I wasn't more forceful in staying true to my original reason for starting the company which was to make mice."
 

ANTIC Interview 286 - William Leslie, OmniTrend Universe (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 16 Jun 2017 - Size: 20.2 MByte - Duration: 44:03

William Leslie - OmniTrend Universe

William Bill Leslie was one of the authors of Omnitrend's Universe; a science fiction space trading and combat game.  The first version was programmed in valFORTH on an Atari 800, based on a board game created by Bill. It was Omnitrend's first game and was released in 1983. There were versions of Universe for the Atari 8-bit, Apple II and IBM computers.

Bill was also involved in the development of the sequels Universe 2 and Universe 3, and of Breach, a turn-based tactical squad combat game.

This interview took place on Jan. 7, 2017.

Links:


ANTIC Interview 285 - Jay Balakrishnan, HESWare (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 13 Jun 2017 - Size: 62.5 MByte - Duration: 02:16:27

Jay Balakrishnan, HESWare

Welcome to an interview-only episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig.  Jay Balakrishnan bought his first Commodore PET in 1978, which spurred him to found Human Engineered Software (HES or HESWare) in 1980.  HESWare got its start on the Commodore PET but later moved into many other platforms.  They developed or sold software for C64, Vic-20, Atari 8-bit, Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Dragon, TI-99, DOS and others.  Many Llamasoft games, through an alliance with Jeff Minter, were published in the US by HESWare.  For the Atari 8-bit, they published games like Pastfinder, River Raid, Decathlon, Space Shuttle, Attack of the Mutant Camels, Gridrunner.

By early 1984 InfoWorld estimated that HES was tied with Broderbund as the world's tenth-largest microcomputer-software company and largest entertainment-software company.

In early 1984 they made their biggest splash when they acquired the services of Leonard Nimoy as spokesman.

This interview took place on November 20, 2016.

Links:


ANTIC Interview 284 - Art Walsh, Dynacomp and Artworx (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 10 Jun 2017 - Size: 44.8 MByte - Duration: 01:37:52
Art Walsh, Dynacomp and Artworx
 
Art Walsh was co-founder of Dynacomp, an early software publisher that created software for many platforms, including many educational and game titles for the Atari 8-bit computer. He later founder Artworx, a software publisher that produced titles including Bridge, Cranston Manor Adventure, Gwendolyn, Hazard Run, Hotel Alien, and Strip Poker.
 
This interview took place on May 26, 2017. In it we discuss Jerry White, whom I previously interviewed.
 
Teaser quote: "Why is bridge selling when most card players play poker? ... Doug McFarland ... blurted out ...  'I bet if we had strip poker instead of poker, it would sell. ... We all kind of said 'That's it!'"
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 283 - Kathleen Pitta, De Re Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 07 Jun 2017 - Size: 12.7 MByte - Duration: 27:49
Kathleen Pitta, De Re Atari
 
Kathleen Marinell worked at Atari in 1981 or so -- she was Kathleen Pitta at that time. She is one of the contributors to De Re Atari, A Guide to Effective Programming, which was serialized by Byte Magazine in 1981 through 1982, and published by Atari Program Exchange in 1982. Kathleen is credited with Appendix E, which is about the GTIA chip.
 
This interview took place on May 25, 2017.
 
"I'm very logical, so the logic of computer languages -- I was fascinated by that. But the technology .. it changed to fast."
 
 

ANTIC Interview 282 - Matthew Householder, Atari and EPYX (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 04 Jun 2017 - Size: 38.1 MByte - Duration: 55:33
Matthew Householder, Atari and EPYX
 
Matthew Householder worked at Atari from 1983 through 1985. There he ported Moon Patrol to the ColecoVision for AtariSoft. Later he worked on the Atari 520ST, where he wrote the line-draw/polygon graphics primitives for the ST port of the GEM operating system. Next he worked at EPYX, from 1985 through 1988, where he produced/created/designed many games including: Winter Games, World Games, Championship Wrestling, California Games, and Sub Battle Simulator. 
 
This interview took place on April 25, 2017.
 
"And she said, 'Hey! You guys should do a game with skateboarding in it.' And it was like a light, an epiphany. Oh yeah, skateboarding. Of course."
 

ANTIC Interview 281 - Amy Chen: Touch Typing, Amoeba Debugger, De Re Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 31 May 2017 - Size: 11.4 MByte - Duration: 24:49
Amy Chen: Touch Typing, Amoeba Debugger, De Re Atari
 
Amy Liu was an progammer at Atari. Her name was Amy Chen at the time. She wrote Touch Typing, which was released by Atari on cassette in 1980; an unreleased game called Aligator; and Amoeba, a debugger utility that was used internally at Atari to create assembly language games.
 
This interview took place on May 2, 2017. It in, we talk about Paul Laughton and Lane Winner, and Chris Crawford, whom I previously interviewed. 
 
Teaser quote: "Well actually now I come to think of it, assembly language is easier than C++. ... C++ is a total different concept.”
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 43 - Corporate Wars (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 28 May 2017 - Size: 33.7 MByte - Duration: 01:13:30

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast, Randy and Kevin spar over where the ANTIC corporate headquarters should be, Kevin steps out on the Atari 8 bit and makes us proud in the 10-liner BASIC contest, and Nir Dary brings us the scoop on Wopniak 2017.  Plus all the Atari news we could find this month.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Nir Dary Segment - Wapniak 2017

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation;

increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 280 - David and Betsy Ahl, Creative Computing Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 24 May 2017 - Size: 98.1 MByte - Duration: 03:34:12
David Ahl and Betsy Ahl, Creative Computing Magazine
 
Dave Ahl was the founder and editor-in-chief of Creating Computing Magazine, which was the first personal computer magazine.  Four editors served in the first six years: Dave Ahl, Steve Gray, John Craig, and Ted Nelson. Betsy Staples (now Betsy Ahl) then took over for the rest of its run. Creative Computing was published starting in November 1974, was acquired by Ziff Davis in 1983, and ceased publication in December 1985. 
 
In addition to Creative Computing, Dave and Betsy published a variety of other magazines including Sync (dedicated to the Timex Sinclair computers), Microsystems, Small Business Computers, and Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games Magazine. They also released a record album -- First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival (1979), a board game called Computer Rage, and software for a variety of platforms under the Creative Computing Software label. Dave was author of BASIC Computer Games, the first million-selling computer book; plus its sequel, more BASIC Computer Games, and many other early computer books.
 
After Creative Computing, Dave was publisher and Betsy was editor of Atari Explorer magazine for five years and he started Atarian magazine in 1989. Later, he published Military Vehicles magazine. 
 
This interview took place on April 3 and 4, 2013, when I was doing research for a book about the first personal computer magazines. Although I've decided not to write the book, I am publishing the interviews that I did for them. The other major interview was with Wayne Green: there's a link to that interview in the show notes. 
 
The first part of the interview took place in the bar at the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon. (There's some ambient background noise and music — remember, this recording was meant to be my notes for a book, so a little background noise wasn't an issue.) The second part of the interview was recorded in my dining room, a much quieter atmosphere.
 
The day before this was recorded, Dave and Betsy attended a grand opening get-together of tech luminaries at the Living Computer Museum in Seattle, Washington. This event is mentioned several times during the interview. 
 
A full transcript of this interview is available at ComputingPioneers.com. Also, there are many links to related articles, interviews, and magazine scans in the show notes at AtariPodcast.com.
 
Teaser quote: "When I started Creative Computing, I mean there weren't even personal computers at that point. I was convinced, I guess, that they would come about. I had no idea that it would be three months later that the Altair came about."
 
Outro music: Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag, played on an RCA COSMAC by Joe Welsbecker on the First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival record (1979.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 279 - Tom Eckmann, Kyan Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 21 May 2017 - Size: 17.7 MByte - Duration: 38:35
Tom Eckmann, President of Kyan Software
 
Tom Eckmann was president and co-founder of Kyan Software. Kyan's flagship product was Kyan Pascal, an implementation of the Pascal programming language which was available for the Apple II, Atari 8-bits, and Commodore 64/128 computers.
 
This interview took place on May 19, 2017.
 
Teaser quote: "We sneered at Turbo Pascal because it was non-compliant, there were all of these un-pure features. ... He [Philippe Kahn] just looks looks at me and goes, 'Nobody gives a damn.'"
 
 
 

ANTIC Interview 278 - Bill Bowman, CEO of Spinnaker Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 17 May 2017 - Size: 19.4 MByte - Duration: 42:24
Bill Bowman, CEO of Spinnaker Software
 
Bill Bowman was co-founder and CEO of Spinnaker Software, one of the first software companies that focused exclusively on educational software. He was at the company from its founding in 1982 through 1987. Spinnaker's software line-up included Snooper Troops, Delta Drawing, FaceMaker, Adventure Creator, In Search of the Most Amazing Thing, KinderComp, and many other titles. In early 1984 InfoWorld called Spinnaker the 16th largest software company in the world, with $10 million in 1983 sales.
 
This interview took place on May 16, 2017.
 
"All of a sudden, one Friday at 6:30, she came through the door with beer and soda pop and lots of snacks, and six children ... Of course it shut down the office completely."
 
 
 

ANTIC Episode 42 - No, MAM! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 09 May 2017 - Size: 56.0 MByte - Duration: 01:21:31

In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast, Kevin wows us with his winners in the NOMAM BASIC 10-liners contest, we discuss the preparations for VCFSE, Nir Dary tells us all about disk drives, and we discuss all the Atari news that’s fit to print.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Nir Dary Segment - Disk Drives

End of Show Music

  • “I Love My Atari” by Zygomatik, 2006. Available in itunes.

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; 
increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 277 - Rob Zdybel, Atari, Part 2 (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 19 Apr 2017 - Size: 23.7 MByte - Duration: 51:45

Rob Zdybel, Atari (Part 2)

Hello, Atari fans, and welcome to another interview episode of Antic, The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig.  This interview is a bit different in that it’s the second interview with someone that we’ve interviewed before - Mr. Rob Zdybel.  The reason for this is that Rob worked for Atari so long, and was involved in so many projects, that I felt like some information was left undiscovered in the first interview.  At the request of some listeners, I decided to do a follow-up interview and Rob was kind enough to agree.

Rob Zdybel was a very long-time employee at Atari, having worked there beginning in 1979 all the way to 1996, when the Tramiels left.  Rob has a long line of credits including Pigs in Space, Real Sports Football, Stellar Track and Star Trek for the Atari 400/800, SOS for the Atari 2600, Missile Command for the Atari 5200, and Bug Hunt for the Atari XE.  He also designed the system BIOS for the Atari 5200.

Please note that this interview does have some profanity, although I did beep out the most obvious instances.

This interview took place on July 10, 2016.

Links:


ANTIC Interview 276 - Chris Byrne, Intern at Atari Ireland (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 02 Apr 2017 - Size: 6.2 MByte - Duration: 13:35
Chris Byrne, Intern at Atari Ireland
 
Chris Byrne was an intern at Atari Ireland in 1982, where he programmed a quality lot tracking system on the Atari 800, and on the IBM System/38.
 
This interview took place on March 20, 2017.

ANTIC Episode 41 - Atawi Fowever! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 28 Mar 2017 - Size: 42.3 MByte - Duration: 01:32:20

Atawi Fowever!!!

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast: Nir Dary talks about the Atari Invasion Show, Tom Raida brings back the programming language segment to talk about Kyan Pascal, we tell you about all the Atari shows going on this year around the world, and in order to head off lawsuits we tell you about all the possible side effects of listening to Antic.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Nir Dary Segment

Of-The-Month

Commercial

Programming Languages Segment

Feedback

Possible side effects of listening to the Antic podcast include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; 
increased appetite, weight changes; insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; dry mouth, intense hate of Commodore, and Amiga lust. Certain conditions apply. Offer good for those with approved credit. Member FDIC. An equal housing lender.


ANTIC Interview 275 - Peter Shankman (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 25 Mar 2017 - Size: 10.4 MByte - Duration: 22:40

Peter Shankman, Help A Reporter Out

Peter Shankman is a well-known American entrepreneur and author. He was creator of Help A Reporter Out, and author of several business books. He got his start in technology with an Atari 2600 and an Apple ][.

This interview took place on March 20, 2017.

Teaser quote: "What would you change, if you could go back and talk to your 10-year-old self? I wouldn't change a thing. Because the hell that I went through there has led to, pretty much, the majority of the success I've had today, and I'm very very lucky with that. I can trace that back to the Atari, to the 2600, to those games..."

Peter's web site

Peter on Twiiter

Wikipedia on Peter

Faster than Normal podcast

Video version of this interview: 
https://youtu.be/a2DZoTU9Cw4 


ANTIC Interview 274 - Nadav Caine, Mathematic-Tac-Toe (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 21 Mar 2017 - Size: 15.9 MByte - Duration: 34:50

Nadav Caine, Mathematic-Tac-Toe

Nadav Caine published one program for the Atari computer: Mathematic-Tac-Toe. This educational program first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog.

This interview took place on March 17, 2017.

Teaser quotes:

"Look, my game's lousy. I'm embarrassed even to have a conversation about it."

"All education is self-education. I don't think teachers put knowledge in your head."

Mathematic-Tac-Toe at AtariMania

Mathematic-Tac-Toe in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

Quote Blaster - Nadav’s unpublished educational game 


ANTIC Interview 273 - Bob Woolley, Atari 1200XL hardware hacker (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 17 Mar 2017 - Size: 21.2 MByte - Duration: 46:24

Bob Woolley, Atari 1200XL hardware hacker

Bob Woolley has been upgrading and modifying Atari 8-bit computers — primarily the 1200XL — since it was released. His hardware products include video output improvements, keyboard repairs, built-in CompactFlash cards, a dual-ANTIC computer, and a parallel bus interface for the 1200XL. Bob was editor of Atari Classics magazine from approximately 1994-1997. He is still active in the San Leandro Computer Club and on the AtariAge forums.

This interview took place on March 14, 2017.

"I actually use the Atari as my computer. I couldn't write any code on one of my PCs. Whereas if I'm going to write code, I do it on the Atari."

Bob on AtariAge

San Leandro Computer Club

Atari Classics Magazine

A Parallel Bus Interface for your 1200XL

1200XL Keyboard Tune-up


ANTIC Interview 272 - Joe Grande, Monkey Up A Tree (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 15 Mar 2017 - Size: 5.7 MByte - Duration: 12:22

Joe Grande, Monkey Up A Tree

Joe Grande published one program for the Atari computers: Monkey Up A Tree was published by Atari Program Exchange, and first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog. 

This interview took place on March 14, 2017.

Monkey Up A Tree in the winter 1982 APX catalog


ANTIC Interview 271 - David Lubar, game developer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 05 Mar 2017 - Size: 14.5 MByte - Duration: 31:45

David Lubar, Game Developer (PastFinder)

Welcome to another interview episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.

David Lubar was a prolific games software developer who worked for Sirius Software, Activision and Absolute and freelanced for several other companies, including Broderbund, Origin Systems, and Imagineering.  He developed games for many different systems, including game consoles like the Atari 2600 and the NES and computer systems such as the Apple II, C64, and the Atari 400/800.

His titles for the Atari 8-bits include Hacker, Master of the Lamps, Ogre, Pastfinder and Ultima IV.

David has since taken up writing and has several books to his name.

This interview took place April 23, 2016.

Links:


ANTIC Episode 40 - BBSing (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 25 Feb 2017 - Size: 47.5 MByte - Duration: 01:43:49

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast: Bill Kendrick returns with a segment on the Lantronix and BBSing on your Atari, we cover lots of new hardware upgrades, Nir Dary talks about the RAM-Cart 1M, and we have our usual segments on what’s new at Archive.org and what’s happening in the Atari 8-bit world.

READY!

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Bill’s Modern Segment

Lantronix, Ice-T & BBS'ing

Nir Dary Segment - RAM-Cart 1M


ANTIC Interview 270 - Ed Kelly, Edladdin Controllers (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 05 Feb 2017 - Size: 20.1 MByte - Duration: 43:48

Ed Kelly, Edladdin

Hello, welcome to a special interview-only episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig.  This interview is with Ed Kelly of Edladdin.  Edladdin produces a fantastic family of controllers for the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Flashback, and classic 8-bit computers.  I met Ed at VCF Southeast in 2016 and was so impressed by his controllers that I later bought one and am very happy with it.  They are fully customizable and are very rugged.  This is likely the last controller you’ll need.  I sat down with Ed and we discussed how his company got started, what controllers they produce and what the future looks like.

This interview took place on December 4, 2016.

Links:


ANTIC Interview 269 - Mark Odendahl, Rush Hour (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Jan 2017 - Size: 11.0 MByte - Duration: 23:57

Mark Odendahl, Rush Hour

Mark Odendahl was the creator of Rush Hour, a Frogger-like game that appeared in the winter 1983 Atari Program Exchange catalog, the final APX catalog. He also wrote one program for A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine: Number Editor appeared in the January 1989 issue.

This interview took place on January 24, 2017.

"So I sold one copy of the program, but not through Atari. I sold it directly to one guy in New Jersey."

Rush Hour at AtariMania

Winter 1983 APX catalog


ANTIC Episode 39 - I Need More Memory! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 23 Jan 2017 - Size: 36.1 MByte - Duration: 01:18:48

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast: Nir Dary talks about all the available memory upgrade options (You need more memory!), we discuss what we’ve been up to in the Atari world, give you all the Atari 8-bit news that’s fit to print, and tell you about our “of-the-month” finds.

READY

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Of-the-Month

Nir Dary Segment - Memory Upgrades


ANTIC Interview 268 - Steve Gerber, VP of International New Product Development (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 22 Jan 2017 - Size: 16.4 MByte - Duration: 35:49

Steve Gerber, VP of International New Product Development

Steve Gerber was head of the Atari Software Acquisition Program. In October 1981, Atari opened its first Regional Software Acquisition Center, managed by Steve, in a 4,000 square-foot location that also housed the Atari Program Exchange (APX). Later Steve was Atari's VP of International New Product Development, in charge of software development for non-US markets. 

This interview took place on January 17, 2017.

Teaser quote: "I had these guys that were in a barn that was built in 1100-something that had set it up to be their "office" somewhere in northern England, in the middle of nowhere. They had come up with a  ... baseball cap that you'd put on and you could move the cursor with your eyes."


ANTIC Interview 267 - Mark Pelczarski, Penguin Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 Jan 2017 - Size: 27.9 MByte - Duration: 01:01:00

Mark Pelczarski, Penguin Software

Mark Pelczarski was the founder of Penguin Software — later renamed to Polarware. Penguin published many graphics programs and games for Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and other platforms. The company's programs included Magic Paintbrush, Graphics Magician, Pie Man, Spy's Demise, The Spy Strikes Back, and Transylvania.

Mark was editor of Softside Magazine for a time, and an editor of the book The Creative Apple, published by Creative Computing. 

This interview took place on January 10, 2017.

Teaser quote: "It was not a competitive industry, really ... There wasn't too much as far as trade secrets. It was like, 'Hey, I figured out how to do this.' There was a lot of exchange of ideas and collaboration between the companies."

The Digital Antiquarian on Penguin Software:
http://www.filfre.net/2012/09/the-magnificent-penguin/

Wikipedia on Penguin Software:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguin_Software

Mark's web site:
http://graphicsmagician.com/polarware/

Graphics Magician at AtariMania 

Penguin Software games at AtariMania 

Wikipedia on Mark:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pelczarski

ANTIC interview with Doug Carlston


ANTIC Interview 266 - Sheldon Leemon: Instedit, Circuit Lab, Mapping the Commodore 64 (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 18 Jan 2017 - Size: 71.2 MByte - Duration: 02:35:35

Sheldon Leemon: Instedit, Circuit Lab, Mapping the Commodore 64

Sheldon Leemon was the creator of Instedit, a character set editor; and Circuit Lab, an electronics learning program that he co-created with with Mark Davids. Both programs were published by Atari Program Exchange. He wrote for several computer magazines, including Softside — where he wrote many reviews, and a game called Outer Space Attack; Compute!, and Creative Computing. He also wrote several computer books, including Mapping the Commodore 64, Compute's AmigaDOS Reference Guide, and Inside Amiga Graphics.

This interview took place on January 9, 2017. In it, we discuss Arlan Levitan, Jerry White, and several other people that I've previously interviewed. There are links to those interviews, and Sheldon's programs and articles, in the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
.

Teaser quotes:

"They're having so much fun that they don't want to take time to stop. Having a meal? It could take half an hour or an hour! You could be doing really cool stuff with that half an  hour or an hour."

"We looked at people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as the really bad guys. ... He wants to charge money for something that everybody else is giving away for free."

Video version of this interview:
https://youtu.be/PnaFEyaJm_E

Instedit in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

Circuit Lab in the summer 1983 APX catalog

Outer Space Attack in SoftSide magazine

Some of Sheldon's articles in Compute! magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/index/index.php?author=Sheldon+Leemon

Some of Sheldon's articles in Creative Computing magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/index/index.php?author=Sheldon+Leemon

Arlan Levitan interview

Jerry White interview


ANTIC Interview 265 - Ronald Borta, Roklan Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 16 Jan 2017 - Size: 25.5 MByte - Duration: 55:46

Ronald Borta, Roklan Software

Ronald Borta was co-founder of JACC, which made educational software under contract for Atari, where he programmed Atari States and Capitals and Atlas of Canada, and other software for the the Atari 400 and 800 computers. He moved to Roklan Software, the company that programmed hundreds of titles for the Atari computers and many other platforms of the time. 

Roklan published a number of cartridges for the Atari computers, including Deluxe Invaders and Gorf. The company also produced Pac Man (published by Atari), Gyruss (published by Parker Brothers), Wizard of Wor (published by CBS), Mickey in the Great Outdoors (published by Disney), and myriad other game and educational titles. The company also created software for the Atari 2600 and 5200, Apple //, Commodore 64 and VIC-20, Texas Instruments 99/4A, ColecoVision, Intellivision, and other platforms.

He is known as the first person to have patented software.

This interview took place on December 9, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"$25,000 that I got from Atari doing Pac Man turned out to be the best investment I ever made."

"I only did video games that did not feature violence against people. Then I end up in weapons systems."

Roklan software at AtariMania

1994 interview with Ronald in Atari Explorer Online: 
http://cd.textfiles.com/crawlycrypt2/txtfiles/aeo/aeo_0314/aeo_0314.txt

Roklan listing at GDRI:
http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Roklan

ANTIC interview with Fred Thorlin: 
https://archive.org/details/FredThorlinInterview


ANTIC Interview 264 - Paul Cubbage, Atari Program Exchange (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 14 Jan 2017 - Size: 48.5 MByte - Duration: 01:45:54

Paul Cubbage, Atari Program Exchange

Paul Cubbage was Director of Atari Program Exchange. There, he was head of reviewing software submissions and publishing the APX catalog. He worked at Atari from April 1981 through January 1984.

This interview took place on October 3, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"First catalog, we went around and found every last utility or piece of software that we could put out there, unashamedly."

"People used to complain about our royalty and I'd say 'Go to a flea market and sell [your software] off the back of your station wagon. The royalty is the royalty. I know it's not much."

Fred Thorlin interview:
https://archive.org/details/FredThorlinInterview

John Palevich interview

Art Prag interview

Gray Chang interview:
https://archive.org/details/Atari_Gray_Chang_Interview


ANTIC Interview 263 - Bill Stealey, co-founder of MicroProse Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 10 Jan 2017 - Size: 19.7 MByte - Duration: 42:56

Bill Stealey, co-founder of MicroProse Software

Bill Stealey was co-founder of MicroProse Software, with Sid Meier. They started the company in 1982, and Stealey ran the company until it was sold to Spectrum Holobyte in 1993. MicroProse specialized in flight simulation and war games — the company's games for the Atari 8-bit computers include F-15 Strike Eagle, Hellcat Ace, Kennedy Approach, Silent Service, Solo Flight, Spitfire Ace, Chopper Rescue, Crusade in Europe, and Floyd of the Jungle.

This interview took place on January 3, 2017.

Teaser quote: "He learned a new technique so he made a flight simulator out of it. And Solo Flight beat out Fight Simulator that year at Handleman."

Video version of this interview:
https://youtu.be/VFDKbseZrlY

Bill on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/ZoomieWildBill

Wikipedia On Bill:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Stealey

Wikipedia on MicroProse:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroProse

MicroProse Software at AtariMania 

The Digital Antiquarian on MicroProse 


ANTIC Interview 262 - Dan Corona, Atari Engineering Manager (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 08 Jan 2017 - Size: 25.2 MByte - Duration: 54:57

Dan Corona, Atari Engineering Manager

Dan Corona was Atari employee #9 — staring in 1972, where he remained until the Tramiel takeover in 1984. Dan was Engineering Manager, and worked in many divisions: coin-op, pinball, handheld games, and consumer. 

This interview took place on November 29, 2016.

Teaser quote: "It pretty much killed the company. You know, you can't continue building the same thing over and over again and not create anything new."


ANTIC Interview 261 - Steve Ahlstrom: SynFile+ and PaperClip (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 06 Jan 2017 - Size: 10.3 MByte - Duration: 22:32

Steve Ahlstrom: SynFile+ and PaperClip

Steve Ahlstrom was half of The 4th Works, with Dan Moore. Together they programmed SynFile+, which was published by Synapse; and PaperClip, published by Batteries Included. The team also created BackTalk, a telecommunications program; and Sherlock, a disk sector editor utility.

This interview took place on October 4, 2016.

Teaser quote: "What's weird is, every now and then -- and this is, what, 40 years later -- I still get a random e-mail asking me for support for Sherlock or for SynFile, which is kind of strange."

ANTIC interview with Ron Luks

ANTIC interview Gary Yost

Inverse ATASCII on SynFile+:
https://inverseatascii.info/2014/12/16/s1e6-synapse-synfile/


ANTIC Interview 260 - Ben Smith, Atari sales and service (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 02 Jan 2017 - Size: 18.9 MByte - Duration: 41:18

Ben Smith, Atari sales and service

This interview is part of the set of interviews we’ve done where we talk to many of the people still out there providing hardware, software, and/or support for our favorite computer.  This interview is with Ben Smith, of Bravo Sierra Computers.  As you will hear during the interview, Ben has been in the business of selling, servicing and supporting Atari items for about 32 years as of the recording of this episode.  I hope you find this interview interesting and let Ben know that you appreciate all he has done and continues to do for the Atari community.

This interview took place on March 26, 2016.

Links:

 


ANTIC Interview 259 - Wynn Smith, Mosaic Electronics (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 28 Dec 2016 - Size: 15.2 MByte - Duration: 33:08

Wynn Smith, Mosaic Electronics

Wynn Smith was co-founder of Mosaic Electronics, a company that produced memory upgrade cards for the Atari 400 and 800 computers, as well as the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. He started at Tektronix, where be wrote code for the OEM graphics division at the age of 17. After Mosaic, he worked on memory upgrades for Intel.

This interview took place on December 27, 2016.

"It became obvious to me that if you put the wrong boards in the wrong order, not only do they not work, but there's a danger of blowing out some chips."

Mosaic memory board flyer

AtariMania list of Mosaic Electronics games

VintageTEK Tektronix museum:
http://www.vintagetek.org


ANTIC Episode 38 - Christmas 2016 Buying Guide (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 20 Dec 2016 - Size: 51.6 MByte - Duration: 01:52:37

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast...

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

News

Holiday Gift Guide

New at Archive.org

Nir Dary Segment - SilliVenture 2016

Closing

 


ANTIC Interview 258 - Bruce Frumker: APX Memory Match, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 02 Dec 2016 - Size: 15.8 MByte - Duration: 34:24

Bruce Frumker: APX Memory Match, Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Bruce Frumker is author of Memory Match, a memory game that was published by Atari Program Exchange. It was first available in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog. As part of his job at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Bruce created interactive, laser-disc based exhibits that used Atari 8-bit computers. He wrote an article about that project, "An Atari-based Interactive Laser Videodisc System", which appeared in the March 1989 issue of A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine. Bruce was also co-founder of the Atari Computer Enthusiasts of Cleveland.

This interview took place on September 15, 2016.

"...Sounds really Rube Goldberg, but the thing worked and it produced a series of exhibits that visitors enjoyed ... all controlled by the Atari."

Memory Match in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

Memory Match at AtariMania

Bruce's Laserdisc article in A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing


ANTIC Interview 257 - Steve Panak, Game Reviewer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 29 Nov 2016 - Size: 9.6 MByte - Duration: 20:55

Steve Panak, Game Reviewer

Steve Panak was a prolific writer of Atari computer game reviews. He wrote the Panak Strikes! column in A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine, and also wrote reviews for Antic magazine and ST-Log magazine.

This interview took place on November 28, 2016.

"Companies were just sending me games to review there at the end, so I was just getting buried in games."


ANTIC Interview 256 - Bev and Bryan Wilkinson, Optimized Systems Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 26 Nov 2016 - Size: 18.2 MByte - Duration: 39:43

Bev and Bryan Wilkinson, Optimized Systems Software

Bev and Bryan Wilkinson were part of Optimized Systems Software, the company that brought DOS XL, Mac/65, Action!, BASIC XL, BASIC XE, and other products to Atari computer users. 

Bill Wilkinson was founder of OSS. Bev was his wife, and Bryan his son. I interviewed Bill in December, 2014, and he died in November 2015. As a small family-owned business, Bev and Bryan were involved with the day-to-day running of the company. 

This interview took place on September 25, 2016 in my dining room in Portland, Oregon. 

"And Bill would carry these tomes, books to the bathroom with him, and he'd read these books in the bathroom. I said 'Why are you doing that in the bathroom?' He said, 'It's the only room in the house that has a lock on the door.'"

Photos, brochures, and art from OSS:
https://archive.org/details/OptimizedSystemsSoftware

Complete collection of Bill Wilkinson articles:
https://archive.org/details/BillWilkinsonArticles

Bill Wilkinson interview

Steven Lawrow interview


ANTIC Interview 255 - Dale Lemke, Compu-Cable Systems (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 23 Nov 2016 - Size: 17.2 MByte - Duration: 37:30

Dale Lemke, Compu-Cable Systems

Dale Lemke is founder of Compu-Cable Systems, a company that created the SpectraView and SpectraView II Graphic Generator Cartridge, information display systems for use by television stations and cable companies, which ran on Atari 8-bit computers. 

The company is still in business: today it is called Display Systems International, it specializes in character generators and television program listings.

This interview took place October 18, 2016.

"We had an Atari in Trump's Castle in New Jersey for a while ... We had an Atari in Museum of History in Chicago — they were using it with their ticket kiosks."

YouTube demo of SpectraView II cart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cAlaGUoYNI

AtariAge discussions of SpectraView II:  
1   
2

Display Systems International: http:/
www.displaysystemsintl.com


ANTIC Interview 254 - Paul Berker: Adventure in Time and Birth of the Phoenix (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 19 Nov 2016 - Size: 23.6 MByte - Duration: 51:28

Paul Berker: Adventure in Time and Birth of the Phoenix

Paul Berker was a programmer for Phoenix Software, where he coded Birth of the Phoenix and Adventure In Time, which were both released for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers; and Queen of Phobos, which was released on the Apple II only. 

This interview took place on September 30, 2016. After the interview, Paul sent me several floppy disks with the Apple II and Atari source code for Birth of the Phoenix and Adventure In Time. 

"Got an advance of like $2,000, and spent it all just acquiring an Atari 800 with two floppy drives..."

Source code courtesy of Paul

Video version of this interview:
https://youtu.be/0kXWKV1mpiY

AtariMania's list of Phoenix Software games

Gaming After 40 Walkthough of Birth of The Phoenix

Paul's web site:
http://slasherworld.com


ANTIC Interview 253 - Charles Clinton, Atarilab (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 12 Nov 2016 - Size: 5.9 MByte - Duration: 12:46

Charles Clinton

Charles Clinton was a contractor who worked on AtariLab, which was developed at Swarthmore College. 

This interview took place on August 14, 2016 at Vintage Computer Festival West XI. In it, we discuss Priscilla Laws, whom I previously interviewed.

Priscilla Laws interview


ANTIC Interview 252 - Paula Polley, Copywriter (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 10 Nov 2016 - Size: 5.3 MByte - Duration: 11:34

Paula Polley, Copywriter

Paula Polley started at Atari in 1982, where she worked as a copywriter. She wrote marketing for product boxes and wrote for Atari Connection magazine.

This interview took place on August 14, 2016 at Vintage Computer Festival West XI.


ANTIC Interview 251 - Carl Moser and JR Hall, Eastern House Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 08 Nov 2016 - Size: 25.4 MByte - Duration: 55:28

Carl Moser and JR Hall, Eastern House Software

Carl Moser and JR Hall were founders of Eastern House Software, the company that created several products for Atari 8-bit users, including Monkey Wrench and Monkey Wrench II, and the KISS word processor. They also created the MAE assembler/software development system, which was available for Commodore PET, Apple //, Atari 8-bit, and other computers.

This interview took place on October 17, 2016.

Teaser quote: (Carl) "JR and I would work — we was working at AT&T a regular day, then we'd probably work 'til 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, then get up, go to work the next morning."

Universal 6502 Memory Test in issue 1 of Compute! magazine

Eastern House Software Advertisement

Eastern House Software - product catalog

Eastern House Software - dealer brochure


ANTIC Episode 37 - ABBUC, RetroChallenge, Crownland (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 05 Nov 2016 - Size: 45.7 MByte - Duration: 01:39:48
Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Bill’s Modern Segment

Feedback


ANTIC Interview 250 - Rodnay Zaks, Founder of Sybex Books (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 03 Nov 2016 - Size: 26.5 MByte - Duration: 57:47

Rodnay Zaks, Founder of Sybex Books

Rodnay Zaks was the founder of computer book publisher Sybex Books, and is author of many classic computer programming books, including 6502 Applications (1979), Programming the 6502, Advanced 6502 Programming, and 6502 Games. He also wrote or co-wrote Programming the Z80, Programming the 6809, Your First Apple II Program, Programming the Apple II in Assembly Language, and other books.

This interview took place on October 14, 2016.

Rodnay on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodnay_Zaks

Teaser quotes:

"The first 5,000 books sold out, mail order, within a few days. So it was clear that there was more interest than we anticipated."

"She said, 'There is a computer in this machine?' I said 'Yes.' And she went out screaming and never returned."


ANTIC Interview 249 - Thom Graziano, CompuClub (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 31 Oct 2016 - Size: 9.3 MByte - Duration: 20:23

Thom Graziano, CompuClub 

Thom Graziano was founder of CompuClub, an Atari mail-order company and retail store based in Massachusetts. The company began in 1983 and closed in 1986.

CompuClub ran full-page advertisements in the Atari magazines with the headline "The Greatest Atari of All Time." For a $5 annual membership, you could become a CompuClub member, which got you a subscription to their newsletter and access to their catalog of Atari software at "at least 25% below retail." The company only sold programs for the Atari computers — first, the 8-bits and later, the ST line.

This interview took place on October 13, 2016.

Teaser quote: "The Department of Defense was sending Atari software to schools all over the world ... I tried to be very up-front and very honest with them."

CompuClub newsletters:

http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/compuclub/

CompuClub ad

CompuClub catalogs


ANTIC Interview 248 - Kris Meier, CompuTalk BBS sysop (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 29 Oct 2016 - Size: 32.5 MByte - Duration: 01:11:01

Kris Meier, CompuTalk BBS sysop

Kris Meier was sysop of CompuTalk BBS, a popular six-line BBS based in Texas that ran off off six Atari 800 computers.  In this interview, I read from the article "CompuTalk: Texas-Sized BBS" by Gregg Pearlman, which ran in the August 1987 issue of Antic magazine. 

This interview took place on October 6, 2016. In it, we discuss Tom Hudson, whom I previously interviewed.

"What? An Atari computer did this? Yeah. An Atari computer did this."

CompuTalk: Texas-Sized BBS

CompuTalk gets Antic magazine award:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n1/awards.html

CompuTalk mention in The North Texan, fall 1988:
http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc119047/m1/5/

CompuTalk article in Longview News-Journal, July 7, 1985:
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/209903449/

Tom Hudson on CompuTalk:
http://analog.klanky.com/funstuff.htm

Antic interview with Tom Hudson


ANTIC Interview 247 - Brian Lee, Synapse and Broderbund (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 26 Oct 2016 - Size: 13.1 MByte - Duration: 28:31

Brian Lee, Synapse and Broderbund

Brian Lee started at clothing retailer The Gap, where he used Atari computers for expense control and store operations. He was Vice President of Product Development at Synapse Software from 1982 through 1985, where he managed the Syn line of business software, and programmed SynTrend. Next he was Director of Acquisition at Br0derbund from 1984 to 1985.

This interview took place on September 30, 2016. In it, we discuss Mike Silva, whom I previously interviewed.

"So he sat nervously with $30,000 in stacked, bound $100 bills in his jacket pockets, for the entire flight over from Japan."

Brian's web site:
http://www.brianleeresume.com

Filling the GAP article in Antic magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n3/fillingthegap.html

Mike Silva interview:
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-170-mike-silva-syncalc

Inverse ATASCII podcast on SynTrend: 
https://inverseatascii.info/2016/10/16/s3e02-synapse-syntrend-synstat-syngraph-supplement/


ANTIC Interview 246 - Harry McCracken, Technology Journalist (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 24 Oct 2016 - Size: 12.5 MByte - Duration: 27:23

Harry McCracken, Technology Journalist

Harry McCracken is a technology journalist — he's technology editor at Fast Company magazine. He cut his teeth on the TRS-80 and Atari 400 computers, including writing for Creative Computing magazine, and creating a game that he wanted to publish with Atari Program Exchange, but didn't finish. 

This interview took place on September 27, 2016.

Harry on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/harrymccracken

"...fact about the Atari 400 was that it had maybe the worst keyboard in the history of computing. ... Oddly enough I don't remember having trouble with the keyboard, maybe because when you're programming, it is, generally speaking, not about the speed at which you type."


ANTIC Interview 245 - Bruce Campbell, APX Character Fun (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 22 Oct 2016 - Size: 11.8 MByte - Duration: 25:40

Bruce Campbell, APX Character Fun

Bruce Campbell is the author of Character Fun, an educational game which was published by Atari Program Exchange. It appeared in the winter 1983 APX catalog — the final APX catalog.

This interview took place on September 22, 2016.

Shortly after we did this interview, Bruce sent me scans of the source code printout for Character Fun, it's now online at
archive.org
.

Character Fun source code:
https://archive.org/details/AtariCharacterFunSourceCode

Character Fun the the winter 1983 APX catalog

Character Fun at AtariMania


ANTIC Interview 244 - Ed Stewart and Ray Lyons, APX Letterman (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 20 Oct 2016 - Size: 14.2 MByte - Duration: 31:07

Ed Stewart and Ray Lyons, APX Letterman

Ed Stewart and Ray Lyons co-wrote Letterman, an educational word game that was first available in the winter 1982-1983 Atari Program Exchange catalog. Ed also wrote two articles for Antic magazine: "Hokey Pokey Interrupts" - on using POKEY timers in assembly language - and "Talk Is Cheap", a 1-bit audio digitizer. Ed also had two articles in Compute!'s Second Book of Atari: Memory Test and Back Up Your Machine Language Programs With BASIC.

This interview took place on September 15, 2016. The first voice you'll hear is Ed's.

"They played that thing for days. They would love to try and stump each other by typing in their own word, primarily."

After the interview, Ray emailed me this update: "There's one fact I wished I had included--and I'll tell you just in case you find it useful:  This would have probably been early in the 2nd year of the sale of Letterman via the APX. Atari contacted us and asked us to sign some legal documents giving them permission to port Letterman to a ROM for one of their game platforms. My recall is that it was for the 2600. But I'm wondering if they were announcing a new model. Or maybe it was an updated 2600 with a keyboard added? Sorry for this lapse. Anyway, they said they needed educational software to demo this on the new device at a trade show in New York City that year. The Toy Fair I think it was. We never did hear back from Atari about whether they actually carried through or not. If I run across any paperwork about this, I'll send it to you."

Letterman in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

Letterman at AtariMania

Antic magazine articles by Ed Stewart

Compute!'s Second Book of Atari:
http://www.atariarchives.org/c2ba/

Blog Post by Ray Lyons:
https://libperformance.com/2009/03/05/technology-20/


ANTIC Interview 243 - Russ Walter, Secret Guide to Computers (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 18 Oct 2016 - Size: 17.0 MByte - Duration: 37:09

Russ Walter, Secret Guide to Computers

Russ Walter is the author of Secret Guide to Computers & Tricky Living, a book that he has been publishing and updating since 1972. It is currently in its 32nd edition; he's working on the 33rd now. The book has evolved with technology and time — the current versions cover modern machines like Windows, Android, and iOS. The early editions covered then-modern machines like the Atari 800, TRS-80, Commodore 64, and Apple //. 

In addition to the book, Russ provides a free technical support phone number, which he invites people to call at any time, day or night. (My copy of the book, from 1987, says right on the cover: "Call 24 hours: he's usually in and sleeps only lightly.") Though the phone number has changed, some 30 years later, that is still a feature that he offers.

This interview took place on September 15, 2016.

"The craziest call that I got was a girl, sounded like she was 7th or 8th grade or something ... wanted to know how to attract her boyfriend to her."

Secret Guide web site:
http://SecretFun.com


ANTIC Episode 36 - Do Not Listen While Climbing a Ladder (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 16 Oct 2016 - Size: 42.7 MByte - Duration: 01:33:14

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast, we visit vintage computer festivals and upgrade our systems. We fail to spend thousands of dollars on rare new hardware.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Of the Month

Feedback

End of Show Music


ANTIC Interview 242 - Monty Webb, APX Seven Card Stud (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 13 Oct 2016 - Size: 12.0 MByte - Duration: 26:18

Monty Webb, APX Seven Card Stud

Monty Webb published one program through Atari Program Exchange: Seven Card Stud. The program first appeared in the summer 1982 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the entertainment category. He also self-published the program as Real Poker I, his publishing company was called Real Software.

This interview took place on September 14, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"And then I could call up a certain sector on a track...and then WHAM, I'd knock a hole in the disk."

"There were shortcuts to try to get that to fit in 16K. ... Somebody was really hot because he has a straight flush that's higher than someone else's straight flush, and the pot split. So he goes crazy and writes me a nastygram..."

AtariMania's list of Monty's software

Seven Card Stud in the summer 1982 APX catalog


ANTIC Interview 241 - Elizabeth MacRae, APX Mankala (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 10 Oct 2016 - Size: 8.5 MByte - Duration: 18:31

Elizabeth MacRae, APX Mankala

Elizabeth MacRae published one program for the Atari 8-bit computers: Mankala, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the fall 1982 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the entertainment category. 

This interview took place on September 13, 2016. After the interview, Elizabeth sent me a scan of the Mankala manual, which is now available at the Internet Archive.

"They didn't think personal computers on everyone's desk was the way to go, because everything worked fine the way it was, with the mainframe handling all of the applications, and that was it."

Mankala in fall 1982 APX catalog

Mankala manual:
https://archive.org/details/APXMankala


ANTIC Interview 240 -Douglas Crockford: Galahad And The Holy Grail, Burgers! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 06 Oct 2016 - Size: 14.2 MByte - Duration: 31:05

Douglas Crockford: Galahad And The Holy Grail, Burgers!

Douglas Crockford worked in Atari's Game Research Group under Chris Crawford. There he created a variety of demos -- including Ballsong and Crockford's Trench -- and games. He created Galahad And The Holy Grail, which was published by Atari Program Exchange in summer 1982; and Burgers!, which was published by APX in winter 1983. After Atari, he worked at LucasFilm where he worked on Atari games including Rescue on Fractalus! and Koronis Rift.

This interview took place on July 16, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"For most of what we wanted to accomplish it was not possible to do things correctly. So it was all about cheating."

"If they hired an executive and he wasn't working out, it was too much trouble to fire him, so they would assign him to special projects."

Crockford's web site:
http://crockford.com

Galahad And The Holy Grail in the summer 1982 APX catalog

Burgers! in the winter 1983 APX catalog

Crockford's games at AtariMania

Wikipedia on Crockford:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Crockford


ANTIC Interview 239 - Dewitt Robbeloth, AKA Robert Dewitt, Editor of Antic magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 04 Oct 2016 - Size: 20.8 MByte - Duration: 45:21

Dewitt Robbeloth, AKA Robert Dewitt, Editor of Antic magazine

Dewitt Robbeloth, who went by the pen name Robert Dewitt, was editor of Antic magazine, STart magazine, and the short-lived II Computing magazine. He also freelanced for InfoWorld and other computer magazines. He was the editor the book "The Best of Antic Volume 1," published by Antic Publishing.

This interview took place on July 14 and 15, 2016. In it, we discuss Jim Capparell, whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quotes:

"The bathroom flooded. So someone had the bright idea, since we were giving the paper away ... they decided to take our magazine and put it on the floor of the bathroom so it would sop up the water."

"I had to go up and sit at the big table. I had to keep my back to the wall so that nobody would see that my pants were split open."

Antic articles credited to Robert DeWitt and DeWitt Robbeloth

Best of Antic book at
archive.org

Best of Antic book at
AtariMagazines.com
:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/index/?issue=vbook

Jim Capparell interview


ANTIC Interview 238 - Bob Smith: Video Pinball; Imagic co-founder; Sleazy Adventure (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 02 Oct 2016 - Size: 19.1 MByte - Duration: 41:44

Bob Smith: Video Pinball; Imagic co-founder; Sleazy Adventure

Bob Smith worked at Atari, where he created Video Pinball for the Atari 2600. He also wrote two programs for the Atari 8-bit which were sold by Atari Program Exchange: Sound Editor and Sleazy Adventure, which both appeared in the inaugural APX catalog, fall 1981. He left Atari to co-found the game developer Imagic, where he programmed Riddle of the Sphinx, Dragonfire, Moonsweeper, and other games. Then he went on to work on games at Bally, Electronic Arts, and Accolade.

This interview took place on June 24, 2016.

Teaser quote: "I have two kids, no degree. I walked in to Atari and said, "I've written a game and sold it. ... Wanna hire me?' And Dennis Koble did."

Sleazy Adventure in the fall 1981 APX catalog

Sound Editor in the fall 1981 APX catalog

Gaming After 40 blog Plays Sleazy Adventure

National Videogame Museum:
http://www.nvmusa.org


ANTIC Interview 237 - Bob Graves, Gridiron Glory (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 30 Sep 2016 - Size: 8.7 MByte - Duration: 19:06

Bob Graves, Gridiron Glory

Bob Graves co-wrote Gridiron Glory, a football game which was published by Atari Program Exchange. The game first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog. His co-author was Mike Drury, who was unavailable for an interview. Bob and Mike created two other Atari computer programs: Asteroid Artist and Ramblin Gamblin, which were published by their own company, MicroMate Software.

This interview took place on June 14, 2016.

"We'd go to the state library and look up historial records for the different football teams and how they did under certain circumstances. ... We'd come up with tables that would be cross-referenced when different plays were called."

Gridiron Grit - Computerized football for the ATARI - article in Antic magazine:  
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n7/gridirongrit.html

Gridiron Glory in the winter 1982 APX catalog

Bob's software at AtariMania

Gridiron Glory manual:
https://archive.org/details/APXGridironGloryV3


ANTIC Interview 236 - Dan Rohr, Three R Math software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 28 Sep 2016 - Size: 8.1 MByte - Duration: 17:46

Dan Rohr, Three R Math software

Dan Rohr was the author of three educational programs which were published by Atari Program Exchange. Three R Math System first appeared in the summer 1982 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the education category. The Three R Math Classroom Kit was available in the spring 1983 APX catalog, where it won third prize in the education category. Finally, the Three R Math Home System was first available in the summer 1983 APX catalog.

This interview took place on June 13, 2016.

"Fortunately, the person that rejected it took the time to critique all of his objections that he had to it. And I said, 'Hmm, this person has never been in a classroom.'"

Three R Math System in the summer 1982 APX catalog

Three R Math Classroom Kit in the spring 1983 APX catalog

Three R Math Home System in the summer 1983 APX catalog

Dan's software at AtariMania


ANTIC Interview 235 - Marlin Bates, R-Time 8 Replacement Cartridge (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 26 Sep 2016 - Size: 19.7 MByte - Duration: 42:59

Marlin Bates, R-Time 8 Replacement Cartridge

In 1986, ICD released the R-Time 8, a real-time clock cartridge for the Atari 8-bit computers. One reason this is an interesting cartridge is that it has a pass-through port: you can plug another cartridge into it, then plug the R-Time 8 into the Atari. In 2016, Marlin Bates created the R-Time 8 Replacement Cartridge, a workalike cart. On June 7, 2016, we talked about that project. Marlin is better known to people on the AtariAge forums as MacRorie. During this interview, we talk about Romox — I previously interviewed the CEO of Romox, Tim McGuinness.

Teaser quote: "You don't know enough to not do it, and by the time you're halfway in you go 'Oh, I guess I gotta do it now.'"

Macrorie on AtariAge

Bates motel BBS: telnet://
76.14.174.25:8888

Interview with Romox founder Tim McGuinness

Video of this interview


ANTIC Interview 234 - Steve Robinson: Diggerbonk and Bean Machine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 22 Sep 2016 - Size: 12.2 MByte - Duration: 26:33

Steve Robinson: Diggerbonk and Bean Machine

Steve Robinson is the author of two games that were published by Atari Program Exchange: Diggerbonk and Bean Machine. Diggerbonk was first available in the spring 1983 APX catalog. Bean Machine first appeared in the summer 1983 APX catalog, where it won third prize in the Entertainment category.

This interview took place on June 13, 2016. A video version of this interview is available, check the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
 for the link.

In it, we talk about Jack Palevich whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quote: "When they first published the game, they took the wrong version. I sent them the wrong version, not knowing that it had a bug in it. And — I got third prize anyway."

Video version of this interview: 
https://youtu.be/eNBn40q_BQ4

Diggerbonk in spring 1983 APX catalog 

Bean Machine in summer 1983 APX catalog 

AtariMania's list of Steve's games 

Jack Palevich interview


ANTIC Interview 233 - Alison Woods, Atari Graphic Designer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 20 Sep 2016 - Size: 14.1 MByte - Duration: 30:48

Alison Woods, Atari Graphic Designer

Alison Woods was a graphic designer at Atari from 1982 to 1984. She designed the packaging for the computer versions of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Pole Position, Robotron, Food Fight, and other products. Later, she was Vice President and Creative Director at Kidsoft, a CD-ROM based software magazine for kids.

This interview took place on May 26, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"I wanted to have an exploding robot on the front of the package, and that was deemed too violent."

"One guy said to the other guy, 'See? I told you not to pay 'em!' I'm thinking, 'Oh my god, what am I dealing with here?'"

Alison's web site:
http://www.alisonwoods.com


ANTIC Interview 232 - Mitchell Waite, computer book author and publisher (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 18 Sep 2016 - Size: 46.7 MByte - Duration: 01:42:02

Mitchell Waite, computer book author and publisher

Mitchell Waite is a prolific computer book author and publisher. His first book "Projects in Sight, Sound and Sensation" was published in 1974. He founded the Waite Group in 1977, which published more than 80 titles in the computer programming field. He co-authored Computer Animation Primer (with David Fox) and Your Own Computer (with Michael Pardee), the 8086/8088 Microprocessor Primer with Christopher Morgan, CP/M Bible, and wrote, co-wrote, or published dozens of other computer books. 

This interview took place on June 16, 2016. 

Teaser quote: "'I don't even have an office yet,' you know? And he said 'Well you better get one.' And I said, 'But I don't even have a corporation.' He said, 'You better start one.'"

Video version of this interview:
https://youtu.be/x1dU7b4ZkHA

Mitch's web site:
http://www.mitchwaite.com

Mitch on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Waite

Full text of Computer Graphics Primer:
http://www.atariarchives.org/cgp/

Full text of Computer Animation Primer:
http://www.atariarchives.org/cap/

Mitch on Triangulation:
https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation/episodes/252

Apple ad featuring ibird:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0zhotBPx1E

Antic podcast interview with David Fox


ANTIC Interview 231 - David Duberman, Antic magazine editor (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 16 Sep 2016 - Size: 18.7 MByte - Duration: 40:48

David Duberman, Antic magazine editor

David Duberman was an editor at Antic magazine (one of the two major Atari magazines in the United States). Later he was in customer support at Synapse software, then user group coordinator at Atari during the Tramiel era.

This interview took place on June 17, 2016. In it, we discuss Jim Capparell, whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quotes:

"We were now in the computer age, so we had to print these weird [ATASCII] characters that were probably never printed in a magazine before."

"They [the Tramiels] would not spend a single penny that didn't absolutely have to be spent."

David's articles in Antic

Jim Capparell interview


ANTIC Interview 230 - Michael Boucher, MECC (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 14 Sep 2016 - Size: 14.1 MByte - Duration: 30:50

 

Michael Boucher, MECC

Michael Boucher was a programmer at MECC — Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium — from September 1980 through August 1984, where he worked on educational software for the Apple // and Atari 8-bit computers. His projects included Oregon Trail and Odell Lake.

This interview took place on June 14, 2016.

Video of this interview: 
https://youtu.be/heuR8_eFFJI

Teaser quotes:

"I had the honor of working with the finest group of dropouts I have ever had the pleasure of associating with."

"...Fairly sophisticated bit of code. And happily, nobody told us that it was hard, and being high school students, we didn't have the experience to know it was difficult. So we just did it."


ANTIC Interview 229 - Hung Pham, APX Game Show (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 12 Sep 2016 - Size: 12.7 MByte - Duration: 27:43

Hung Pham, APX Game Show

Hung Pham wrote one program for Atari Program Exchange: Game Show, a game based on the Family Feud TV program (although the catalog never says that explicitly.) Game Show was first available in the Winter 1982-1983 APX catalog.

This interview took place on June 10, 2016.

"The reviewer was playing, and pretty soon he turned around -- a crowd of people was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder, trying to play. So, hey! This might have some potential."

Game Show in the Winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

Game show at Atarimania


ANTIC Interview 228 - Steve Stone, POKEY and ANTIC layout design (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 12 Sep 2016 - Size: 19.8 MByte - Duration: 43:13

Steve Stone, POKEY and ANTIC layout design

Steve Stone worked at Atari from 1977 through 1980, where he was a chip layout designer and engineer. He worked on the layout design for the POKEY and ANTIC chips. After Atari, he founded Macro Dienamics, Inc., a chip design firm that worked on custom chips for the Amiga computer.

This interview took place on August 29, 2016.

Video of this interview:
https://youtu.be/JhGPasK_RmE

"The concept of someone flying in from Manhattan for the week, wearing thousand-dollar suits, being chauffeured around the valley and then flying out on the weekends -- was quite a contrast..."

Steve sent me a follow-up email after our interview:

"It was a pleasure speaking with you yesterday. The conversation jarred my memory. There is a few more comments, and some clarification that I would like to add.

I believe I stated that the disk capacity we used for the chip layout was 25-80KB. While it was literally as big as a washing machine, it was 25-80MB.

Also, I may have left out Warren questioning me about what I would put in that secret room. I told him that it should announce that the player had won a prize, and give them a phone number to call to collect.

I gave you a brief overview of the chip layout procedure used at that time. Our workload was driven by the schedule of displaying products at the CES. Our work-load had peaks and valleys. In the off-time (the valleys), I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, or do nothing at all. With some tutoring from Warren, and an APL programing book borrowed from Jim Huether, I spent my off-time writing programs to simplify the layout task. My code eliminated the drawing and digitizing phase, as the group became "on-line designers." My programs, then called "gate generators," were close to what is commonly used in chip design today, now called pcells. This is probably more information than you ever wanted to know about chip layout, but I thought it worthy of mentioning. The bottom-line is that, with these programs, we had a distinct edge over most companies that designed chips.

I'm really glad that we used Skype for our conversation rather than a phone call. Although, one could argue that if ever there was a FACE best-suited for a phone conversation, I may be it. But watching your expression, at the moment of epiphany, connecting the very old Star Trek game to Star Raiders, was enjoyable to see. I’m pretty sure Doug Neubauer would have got a kick out of that as well."


ANTIC Interview 227 - Gary Furr, AtariWriter Product Manager, Printer Drivers (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 08 Sep 2016 - Size: 21.8 MByte - Duration: 47:41

Gary Furr, AtariWriter Product Manager, Printer Drivers

Gary Furr was Product Manager for productivity software for the Atari home computer division, where his claim to fame was being the manager for the AtariWriter word processor. He also published a set of AtariWriter printer drivers, which were first published through Atari Program Exchange — the product first appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog, with support for 10 printers — then was sold directly by Gary, and eventually grew to support about 150 printers. After Atari, he worked at Datasoft.

This interview took place on August 29, 2016.

"I left the meeting, went directly back to my cubicle, called the programmer, and said 'There's been a little hiccup.'"

AtariWriter Designer Sells All (1997)

AtariWriter Printer Drivers in the fall 1983 APX catalog

AtariWriter Printer Drivers at AtariMania

Inverse ATASCII on AtariWriter


ANTIC Interview 226 - Bob Frankston, co-developer of Visicalc (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 05 Sep 2016 - Size: 10.5 MByte - Duration: 22:52

Bob Frankston, co-developer of Visicalc

Bob Frankston was co-developer of Visicalc, with Dan Bricklin, and co-founder of Software Arts, the company that first published Visicalc. Bob was also involved with the Atari 800 port of the program.

If you're like to see our talking heads, a video version of this interview is available at the Internet Archive and YouTube, at the links below.

This interview took place on August 22, 2016.

"So we were really lucky there. But the important thing is to appreciate the luck factor ... A lot of people, especially in the .com boom days and everything, thought they were geniuses because the first thing they did worked. Well, no. They were lucky."

Video of this interview at YouTube:
https://youtu.be/X2ksQXoump4

Bob and Dan wrote about the history of Visicalc for Creative Computing magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n11/122_Visicalc79.php
 

Bob's web site:
http://bob.ma/public/?name=ImplementingVisiCalc

InfoWorld magazine article

Inverse ATASCII podcast on VisiCalc:
https://inverseatascii.info/2015/01/13/s1e8-visicalc/

Wikipedia on VisiCalc:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc

Wikipedia on Bob Frankston:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Frankston


ANTIC Interview 225 - Brian Johnston: Manager, Atari Home Computer System Software Group (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 03 Sep 2016 - Size: 20.9 MByte - Duration: 45:44

Brian Johnston: Manager, Atari Home Computer System Software Group

Brian Johnston was Manager of Atari's Home Computer System Software Group, where he worked on projects including DOS 3. He worked at Atari from 1978 through 1982, then moved to Fox Video Games where he programmed Atari 2600 games. 

This interview took place on August 4, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"But Atari was poisoned by money, 

And in death throes was free-falling up, 

Lining pockets of sycophant beggars

Whose main talent, the art of the cup!"

Poem by Brian Johnston:  Remembering Atari: Part 1

Video version of this interview:
https://youtu.be/WT5MRiQN9Z0


ANTIC Interview 224 - Bard Ermentrout, RAMbrandt (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 01 Sep 2016 - Size: 21.0 MByte - Duration: 45:55

Bard Ermentrout, RAMbrandt

Bard Ermentrout was the creator of the popular Atari graphics program RAMbrandt. Subtitled "The Atari Design Studio," RAMbrandt was released in 1985 by Antic software. Written in ValForth, it supported joystick, keyboard, Koala Pad, and Atari Touch Tablet for input. He also created an add-on Solid Object Module which allowed users to combine mode 9 geometric primitives to make what appeared to be 3D-shaded objects.  The predecessor to RAMbrandt was a drawing program called "Paint 10" which was unreleased.

This interview took place on July 25, 2016.

After the interview, Bard sent me a box of floppy disks — which appears to contain the source code for RAMbrandt, some picture disks, and the object module — but so far I have not been able to read any of the disks. It doesn't look good, but I haven't given up hope yet.

If you would like to see this interview as well as hear it, a video from this Skype conversation is available on YouTube and Internet Archive.

"I had some crazy ideas with the Atari 800 to get more colors, one of them which worked but gave you a really bad headache."

Video of this interview at Internet Archive:
http://archive.org/details/BardErmentroutRAMbrandt

Video of this interview at YouTube:
https://youtu.be/YFU4LaVUrXA

AtariMania's list of Bard's software

Bard's page at University of Pittsburgh:
http://www.mathematics.pitt.edu/person/g-bard-ermentrout

Caramel Knowledge film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VgU6vgi8dQ

Antic magazine review of Rambrandt:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n7/ProductReviews.html

Bard’s disks, archived


ANTIC Episode 35 - Atari Parties (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 30 Aug 2016 - Size: 53.4 MByte - Duration: 01:56:38

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast, we reminisce about Atari Party and KansasFest, we bemoan the fate of the Atari 1200XL, and talk about Nir Dary’s one-man traveling Atari show.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

News

Deadline: Oct 22, 2016 (Portland Retro Gaming expo!)

New at Archive.org

Of the Month (Atari 1064 Memory Module for the 600XL)

 


ANTIC Interview 223 - Gigi Bisson, Antic Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 28 Aug 2016 - Size: 27.5 MByte - Duration: 01:00:08

Gigi Bisson, Antic Magazine

Gigi Bisson was an editor at Antic Magazine, one of the two major U.S. magazines devoted to Atari 8-bit computers. She was also editor of Antic Online, the magazine's forum on the CompuServe Information Service.

This interview took place on August 4, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"This indecipherable stuff written by these techie guys would come in and then I would have to massage the copy and make it seem like a story."

"They used to force me to play games. Again, I wasn't really a gamer; I was a writer. I remember, 'Oh, I've got to play a game. Ugh!'"

Gigi's articles in Antic

Gigi's articles in STart


ANTIC Interview 222 - Richard Watts, Macrotronics (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 26 Aug 2016 - Size: 11.9 MByte - Duration: 26:05

Richard Watts, Macrotronics

Richard Watts was a programmer at Macrotronics, a company that was primarily focused on the RM-1000 radio modem, hardware that connected amateur radio receivers to personal computers. The company also created Morse Code Tutor, programmed by Richard, which was published by Atari Program Exchange and first appeared in winter 1982-1983 APX catalog.  Morse Code Tutor cost $22.95 and was APX catalog number 20092. Macrotronics did contract work for APX as well, including fixes to Caverns of Mars prior to its release. The company also released a parallel print interface, which allowed a parallel printer to be connected to the Atari 400 and 800 through joystick ports 3 and 4, eliminating the need for an Atari 850 interface.

This interview took place on July 28, 2016.

"You couldn't afford any of the inefficiencies of a higher-level language. Basically what you're writing is a software UART, so that you're taking the signal, and you're detecting a dit from a dah, you're looking at the spacing of all of that and you're trying to ignore noise."

Morse Code Tutor in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

California Historial Radio Society:
http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com


ANTIC Interview 221 - Gregg Pearlman, ANTIC and STart Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 24 Aug 2016 - Size: 26.2 MByte - Duration: 57:11

Gregg Pearlman, ANTIC and STart Magazine

Gregg Pearlman was an editor at Antic Magazine and STart Magazine from 1986 through 1989. 

Antic magazine was devoted primarily to 8-bit Atari computers, with some emphasis on Atari ST computers. It was published from 1982 to 1990. STart magazine was dedicated primarily to Atari ST computers, with some emphasis on Atari 8-bit computers in later issues. It was published from 1986 to 1991.

This interview took place on July 12, 2016. It in, we discuss Jim Capparell, whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quotes:

"I said something like, 'Well, geez, I couldn't do this for less than 6 bucks an hour.' And I knew, immediately, that I had made a huge mistake."

"Not exactly threatening, but he's like, 'Why don't you just fire me again?!' You know, it was desperately embarrassing."

Gregg's articles in Antic magazine

Gregg's articles in STart magazine

Jim Capparell interview


ANTIC Interview 220 - Scott Scheiman, 850 Interface, Telelink I (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 22 Aug 2016 - Size: 30.3 MByte - Duration: 01:06:07

Scott Scheiman: SIO, 850 interface, Telelink I

Scott Scheiman worked at Atari for about seven years, where he was part of the 400/800 design team. He worked on the computers' SIO interface, the Atari 850 interface, and the Telelink I communications cartridge. He also wrote the Educational System Master Cartridge software, for use with the Talk & Teach cassette tapes.

This interview took place on July 12, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"I think what happened was that all the parts were mounted on the top of the board in the computer but the board was mounted inside the console upside down, with all the parts facing down."

"User of the educational system was being punished for having the wrong answer as opposed to being told 'No, try again.'"


ANTIC Interview 219 - Kathy Forte, Atari's early applications group (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 20 Aug 2016 - Size: 12.5 MByte - Duration: 27:22

Kathy Forte, Atari's early applications group

Kathy Forte worked at Atari in the applications group for about a year beginning late 1979. She worked on an unreleased relational database application, and for a while spent half of her work time as Atari's puppeteer.

This interview took place on April 27, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"And it said 'What is the Atari 800?' And I saw ... 'It's game machine! It's a personal computer! It's a salami sandwich!'"

"Kind of a sarcastic game. ... The helicopter would spray malathion and people would become deformed. It was really sick!"


ANTIC Interview 218 - Lee Actor, Advanced Musicsystem (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 18 Aug 2016 - Size: 15.9 MByte - Duration: 34:45

Lee Actor, Advanced Musicsystem

Lee Actor created Advanced Musicsystem, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the spring 1982 APX catalog, where it won first prize in the Personal Interest and Development category. He also published Jukebox #1, which first appeared in the summer 1982 APX catalog. (There was no followup Jukebox #2.)

He was also involved with the MIDI Music System by Hybrid Arts, a product that connected the Atari 8-bit computers to MIDI instruments. He worked at Videa, where he wrote the game Lasercade for the Atari VCS; and Sente Technologies, where he created the coin-op titles Snake Pit and Hat Trick.

This interview took place on May 23, 2016. In it, we discuss Ed Rotberg, whom I previously interviewed.

Advanced Musicsystem in the spring 1982 APX catalog

Jukebox #1 in the summer 1982 catalog

2013 San Jose Mercury News article about Lee

Digital Press interview with Lee

Lee's web site:
http://www.leeactor.com

Ed Rotberg interview


ANTIC Interview 217 - Stacy Goff, Founder of Atari Computer Enthusiasts (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 16 Aug 2016 - Size: 16.4 MByte - Duration: 35:53

Stacy Goff, Founder of Atari Computer Enthusiasts

Stacy Goff was founder of ACE, the Atari Computer Enthusiasts. The group was based in Eugene, Oregon, but grew to more than 50,000 members in 250 chapters in 15 countries.

This interview took place on May 6, 2016. In it, we discuss an Atari videotape about users groups, called Keeping In Touch, which is available in the link below.

Atari - Keeping In Touch video

"My vision was constant in the early '80s: that microcomputers were the human interface because you could make the information user-friendly as opposed to a bunch of green lines on a terminal, which is the way that most people saw computers in that era."


ANTIC Interview 216 - David Troy, Toad Computers (Atari Dealer) (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 14 Aug 2016 - Size: 22.7 MByte - Duration: 49:35

David Troy, Toad Computers

In this episode, I sit down with a long-time Atari dealer back in the 80’s and 90’s, Mr. David Troy.

David ran the Toad BBS from 1984-1988 starting at the age of 12 and then in 1986 as a sophomore in high school, he and partner Ray Mitchell founded a small computer mail order firm specializing in the Atari line of computers.  They shortly moved into a storefront in Severna Park, Maryland and the company grew into a million dollar plus business until they closed shop in 1997.

This interview took place February 27, 2016.

Teaser Quotes

  • “Commodore 1702 color monitors, that we sold to a company in Baltimore, that we later figured out was using them to install the monitors inside of peep show booths”
  • “I remember one time we got some kind of a call from Minnesota where they needed, I think it was a battery pack for a Stacy portable, and they needed it like pronto because Prince was going to be pissed”
  • “Jack Tramiel’s son just called me up and blasted me out, you know this is the guy who designed the Commodore 64; he thought it was worth his time to call me up and bother me about this”

Links


ANTIC Interview 215 - Bill Lapham, Atari Continuation Engineering (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 12 Aug 2016 - Size: 19.7 MByte - Duration: 43:07

Bill Lapham, Atari Continuation Engineering

Bill Lapham was Manager of Continuation Engineering in Atari's consumer division. He worked at Atari from 1980 through 1984.

This interview took place on April 25, 2016.

"They had an entire booth set up for us. Nobody had ever seen this device. But Atari just went ahead and said, 'OK, we're going to do this.'"

"Look, these people are going to die from that! You need to change your ways."


ANTIC Interview 214 - Ron Hartman, K-Byte Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 10 Aug 2016 - Size: 12.5 MByte - Duration: 27:19

Ron Hartman, K-Byte Software

Ron Hartman was systems coordinator at K-Byte Software, a company that produced four games for the Atari 8-bit computers: Krazy Shootout, Krazy Kriters, Krazy Antics, and K-Star Patrol, as well as K-DOS, an alternative disk operating system. The company also programmed games for CBS Software.

K-Byte Software was a division of Koltanbar Engineering, an engineering company that did CAD/CAM, engineering, and design work. It was founded in 1960 to supply the auto industry with electronic test equipment.

This interview took place on April 12, 2016. There's some slight glitchiness at the start of this interview, but it clears up quickly.

After the interview, Ron sent me his KDOS cartridge, which I dumped as is now available on the Internet Archive. He also send a few photos of K-Byte ephemera - check the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
 to see those.

"And the production of the cartridges was not one of these enormous production lines that you might see sometimes. It was three or four high school students putting parts in a cartridge."

KDOS discussion:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/252299-k-dos-cart-help/

KDOS cartridge dump: https://archive.org/details/Kbyte_KDOS

Photos from Ron:
http://imgur.com/gallery/78ZAS


ANTIC Interview 213 - Mitch Balsam: NY Atari Research Lab (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 08 Aug 2016 - Size: 25.3 MByte - Duration: 55:20

Mitch Balsam: NY Atari Research Lab

Mitch Balsam was hired at Atari to work as a game programmer for the Atari 2600, and worked on an unreleased game called Electric Yoyo. Later, at Atari Research in New York, he worked on more unreleased products including The Graduate, an add-on computer keyboard component for the Atari 2600; and a buildable robot toy. At Scholastic, he developed educational software titles for the Apple ][ computer.

This interview took place on April 3, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"Each game developer had a room, and the more successful ones had checks on their door, which were their royalty checks. ... So there were checks there for $200,000, $300,000."

"Yeah, it was rough. I'd still say that programming for the 2600 was probably the hardest thing I've ever done."

"We'd call California, 'Hey, are you our boss?' No. 'Are YOU our boss?' No."

The Graduate Computer:

http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600/a3000.html

Mitch on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/mbalsam

Scholastic Success with Reading for the Apple ][


ANTIC Interview 212 - Wes Newell, Newell Industries (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 06 Aug 2016 - Size: 13.7 MByte - Duration: 29:58

Wes Newell, Newell Industries

Wes Newell was founder of Newell Industries, a company that produced a number of popular hardware upgrades for the Atari 8-bit computers. Products included Fastchip, which sped up floating point routines by 300%; Omniview, which provided 80-column text output; and RAMrod, which provided memory upgrades and enhanced ROMs; and Omnimon, a hardware monitor. Wes was also author of Pro Bowling, which was published by Atari Program Exchange.

This interview took place on June 9, 2016.

After our interview, Wes sent me his collection of Newell Industries paper: documentation for every product that they released, and a large collection of printed source code for Atari 8-bit and ST products. He generously placed all of the Newell Industries material in the public domain. I've digitized all of it: you can now find it at the Internet Archive (see the links in the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
.)

Teaser quote:

"Well I sold 'em pretty cheap... that's probably why I went out of business... it was more or less just a hobby for me. I wasn't out to get rich."

AtariMania's list of Wes' software

Extended Directory article in ANTIC:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v1n6/assemblylanguage.html

Pro Bowling in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog

Collection of scanned material from Wes:
https://archive.org/details/@savetz?and%5B%5D=newell

Discussion about Newell scans


ANTIC Interview 211 - John Reese, Tronix CEO (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 04 Aug 2016 - Size: 16.7 MByte - Duration: 36:28

John Reese, Tronix CEO

John Reese was the founder and CEO of Tronix, the software company that produced two games for the Atari 8-bit computers: Kid Grid (in 1982) Juice! (in 1983.) The company also produced other games for Commodore computers, including Sidewinder, Deadly Skies, and Gold Fever! for the VIC-20; and Suicide Strike for the Commodore 64.

John was simultaneously founder and CEO of Monogram, the software company that produced Dollars and Sense, home financial management software that was available for the Atari ST and IBM PC. Both companies were subsidiaries of Softsel, an early software distributor. 

This interview took place on March 12, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"...told them that the right thing for them to do was to push out game software ... they didn't tell me that it's supposed to take six to nine months to go get that done."

"Piracy was there but it wasn't something that we had a handle on. It was sort of viewed at the time, by me at least, as the cost of doing business."

1982 InfoWorld article about John Reese and Tronix

Atarimania's list of Tronix software


ANTIC Interview 210 - Gregor Novak, Math*UFO and Ringmaster (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 02 Aug 2016 - Size: 11.1 MByte - Duration: 24:10

Gregor Novak, Math*UFO and Ringmaster

Gregor Novak is the author of two educational games which were published by Atari Program Exchange: Math*UFO and Ringmaster. Math*UFO first appeared in the fall 1982 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the education category. ("A mysterious spaceship floats to the top of the screen. Is it a Martian? No, it's MATH*UFO flashing you number drills! MATH*UFO is a very competitive , one- or two-player educational game that turns math drills into a fast-moving, arcade-stil challenge.")

Ringmaster first appeared in the fall 1983 catalog, where it won second prize in the education category. ("Step right up to the circus! Watch the elephants and the camels on parade as the music plays. Everyone's in a carnival spirit, especially one rambunctious monkey. ... Using your joystick controller, you're the ringmaster ... you make sure he jumps successfully. He'll make it if he leaps onto the back of an elephant or camel numbered with a multiple of the number he started from at the bottom of the screen.") Ringmaster was also released as Under the Big Top by Main Street Publishing. 

This interview took place on February 7, 2016.

Teaser quote: "I would have gone even without the money. In fact, I was shocked when Math*UFO made a couple thousand dollars. I didn't think it would do that."

Math*UFO in the fall 1982 catalog

Ringmaster in the fall 1983 catalog

Gregor's games at Atarimania


ANTIC Interview 209 - Volker Multhopp, DSEMBLER (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 31 Jul 2016 - Size: 4.9 MByte - Duration: 10:37

Volker Multhopp, DSEMBLER

Volker Multhopp wrote DSEMBLER, which was sold by Atari Program Exchange and was first available in the winter 1981 APX catalog. 

This interview took place on March 21, 2016.

DSEMBLER in the winter 1981 APX catalog


ANTIC Interview 208 - Duane Bolster, Midas Touch and Advanced Fingerspelling (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 29 Jul 2016 - Size: 18.2 MByte - Duration: 39:42

Duane Bolster, Midas Touch and Advanced Fingerspelling

Duane Bolster published two programs with Atari Program Exchange: Midas Touch and Advanced Fingerspelling. Midas Touch, a word game, was first available in the summer 1982 APX catalog. Advanced Fingerspelling, a program for teaching letters in sign language, was first available in the fall 1983 catalog. He also created an add-on for the Atari 810 disk drive that circumvented disk copy protection.

This interview took place on March 21, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"That's one thing I gained from my working with the Atari, is that when you work outside the box, you can do incredible things. But you stick to the book, and you're stuck doing what somebody else did."

"Huh. If I market this, I'll be known as the father of software piracy."

Midas Touch in the summer 1982 APX catalog

Advanced Fingerspelling in the fall 1983 APX catalog


ANTIC Interview 207 - Tom Halfhill, Compute! Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 27 Jul 2016 - Size: 22.8 MByte - Duration: 49:49

Tom Halfhill, Compute! Magazine

Tom R. Halfhill was features editor of Compute! Magazine, and was later launch editor of several other magazines from that publisher, including Compute!'s Gazette, Compute's Atari ST, and Compute!'s PC Magazine. He co-wrote the book Advanced Amiga Basic and was later editor of Game Players magazine.

This interview took place on March 29, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"SpeedScript was written in a couple of months by our 18-year-old, untrained programmer. ... You've got a whole staff of professional programmers, and frankly, if you can't do better than him, then you don't deserve to be in business."

"There was a full page ad for ... I think it was a strip poker program. ... He got a complaint letter, Robert [Locke] did, from a school principal at an elementary school somewhere in the U.S., saying, 'We've got this magazine in our school library, we can't have strip poker in there. This is unacceptable!'"

Tom's web site:
http://www.halfhill.com

Some of Tom's articles in Compute!

Nessie game

The Basics Of Atari Graphics in Compute!'s First Book of Atari Graphics:
http://www.atariarchives.org/c1bag/page003.php


ANTIC Interview 206 - Richard Mansfield: Compute! Magazine, 6502 Machine Language Books (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 25 Jul 2016 - Size: 24.3 MByte - Duration: 53:06

Richard Mansfield: Compute! Magazine, 6502 Machine Language Books

Richard Mansfield is author of the best-selling book Machine Language For Beginners, and its sequel, Compute!'s Second Book Of Machine Language, both published by Compute! books. He also wrote Apple Machine Language for Beginners, Commodore 128 Machine Language for Beginners, and a bevy of other computer books continuing right up through today. Richard was also a long-time editor of Compute! magazine.

This interview took place on March 17 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"It was kind of a lucky thing for me, the timing was right. I had the writing skill and I also had an intense curiosity and interest about computers and programming."

"Unfortunately, the amateur computer programmer is a memory, really. If some kid gets into computing now he basically has a lot of algebra, a lot of other hurdles that are meaningless, but they're there."

Full text of Machine Language For Beginners:
http://www.atariarchives.org/mlb/

Machine Language For Beginners at archive.org

Full text of Second Book Of Machine Language:
http://www.atariarchives.org/2bml/

Second Book Of Machine Language at archive.org

Compute! magazine issues at
Archive.org
:
https://archive.org/details/compute-magazine

Richard's articles in Compute!:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/index/index.php?author=Richard+Mansfield


ANTIC Interview 205 - Richard Wiitala, Number Blast (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 23 Jul 2016 - Size: 11.4 MByte - Duration: 24:52

 

Richard Wiitala, Number Blast

Richard Wiitala was the author of Number Blast, an arithmetic teaching program that was published by Atari Program Exchange. Number Blast first appeared in the winter 1981 APX catalog, where it won third prize in the education category. 

This interview took place on February 1, 2016. After we talked, Richard send me 23 pages of scans of his correspondance with Atari Program Exchange, including the letters that included his royalty statements, and info about BASIC language upgrades and software compatibility with the Atari 1200XL computer. Those are now available for your perusal at the Internet Archive.

Teaser quote: "When I applied for a copyright on this, there weren't really a lot of guidelines about copyrighting computer programs back then."

Number Blast in the Winter 1981 APX catalog

Wiitala's APX correspondence:
https://archive.org/details/APX_Programmer_Correspondence


ANTIC Interview 204 - Ray Citak, music education software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 21 Jul 2016 - Size: 7.8 MByte - Duration: 16:58

Ray Citak, music education software

Ray Citak wrote Name the Notes, a music education program that was accepted

by Atari Program Exchange, and won an APX award, but never appeared in the

APX catalog. (The program is, as far as we know, lost to the sands of

time.)  He also wrote the program Keyed Up, "a music education program

disguised as a goofy game," which appeared in Antic magazine, and Lightning

Renumber, an automatic line numbering program that was published in

Compute! magazine.

 

This interview took place on January 30, 2016.

 

Teaser quote: "The trick to learning, of course, was knowing the computer.

Of course, I just devoured books on what the computer could do and what its

capabilities were when you plugged in different values in different places."

 

Links:

Keyed Up in ANTIC magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n4/keyedup.html

Ray's articles in Compute!:

http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/index/index.php?author=Raymond+Citak


ANTIC Interview 203 - Ted Toal, Cyan Engineering (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 19 Jul 2016 - Size: 13.4 MByte - Duration: 29:13

Ted Toal, Cyan Engineering

Ted Toal was a software developer at Cyan Engineering, an Atari research group. He worked on Atari's unreleased picture telephone as well as other projects. This interview took place January 24, 2016.

Teaser quote: "He wanted to have toys that would be able to listen to sounds in a room and figure out where the sounds were coming from, and like maybe be able to turn towards the sound."


ANTIC Interview 202 - Peter Donoso, Atari Explorer magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 17 Jul 2016 - Size: 15.0 MByte - Duration: 32:43

Peter Donoso, Atari Explorer magazine

Peter Donoso was managing editor of Atari Explorer magazine from September 1991 through February 1993, primarily covering Atari during the ST era.

This interview took place on November 23, 2015.

Teaser quote: "[Jack Tramiel's] vision and his ability to find technology that was ahead of the market ... was just remarkable. I mean, he continually had these visionary ideas which he was able to actually implement.”


ANTIC Interview 201 - Bob Brodie: User Group Manager for Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 15 Jul 2016 - Size: 35.3 MByte - Duration: 01:17:05

Bob Brodie: User Group Manager for Atari

Hi and welcome to another special interview edition of Antic the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig and I'll be providing the interview questions for this episode.  I'm extremely pleased to provide this interview with a name well-known in the Atari community: Mr. Bob Brodie.  Bob worked for Atari as User Group Manager and later Director of Communications from 1989 to 1994.  Bob was directly involved in many of the Atarifests in that timeframe and I recall personally meeting him at an Atarifest in Indianapolis.  I think you'll find that he has many interesting stories and perspectives concerning his time working for the Tramiels and even a story involving an Atari 1450XLD.  I personally want to thank Bob for the time he spent talking with me, even calling me back when he remembered additional information or stories he thought might interest everyone.  Bob is a classy guy and I enjoyed talking with him immensely.

This interview took place on February 17, 2016.

Quote

“Oh, about 6 ½ feet up in the air, I see a 1450XLD, unboxed, just sitting there!”

Links


ANTIC Interview 200 - John Harris: Jawbreaker, Frogger, Mouskattack (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 13 Jul 2016 - Size: 31.6 MByte - Duration: 01:09:00

John Harris: Jawbreaker, Frogger, Mouskattack

John Harris created the games Jawbreaker, Frogger, and Mouskattack for the Atari 8-bit computers. He worked at Sierra On-Line and later Synapse Software. He later created video character generator systems based on the Atari machines.

This interview took place June 10, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"Literally — I mean, a day or two difference could have made — gosh, my goodness, what a huge difference in my life if I had gone into that store a couple of days earlier."

"He just said, you know, 'I'll give you $1,500 a month to live on for two months, and if you haven't finished a game in two months, you won't make it in this industry anyway.'"

"The general public opinion was, 'Oh, this is just more Jawbreaker.' ... But I still kind of have a fondness for it."

AtariMania's list of John's software

John in Halcyon Days:
http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/HARRIS.HTM

Jawbreaker in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawbreaker_(video_game)

John Harris in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harris_(software_developer)


ANTIC Interview 199 - Bob Alkire and Steve Saunders, Rainbow GPU (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 11 Jul 2016 - Size: 24.8 MByte - Duration: 54:11

Bob Alkire and Steve Saunders, Rainbow GPU

Bob Alkire and Steve Saunders worked in Atari's Corporate Research lab under Alan Kay, where they worked on the Rainbow GPU. Rainbow was a next-generation graphics chip (after ANTIC) which was never released.

This interview took place on June 10, 2016. The first voice you hear is that of Bob Alkire.

Teaser quotes:

Steve: "And they basically went around the table and said, 'This computer project has software in it, therefore it belongs in my division.' — 'No, this project has hardware in it, therefore it belongs in MY division.'"

Bob: "But he has a Kermit The Frog tie tack. I say, 'Nice tie tack.' He says, 'This is a close personal friend of mine.' I look up, and it was Jim Henson."

Steve: "A trunk of the research lab had a completely fictional manager named Arthur T. Fishel."

Wikipedia on Sierra and RAINBOW:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Sierra


ANTIC Interview 198 - Eric Freeman: Bootleg and Weakon (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 09 Jul 2016 - Size: 9.7 MByte - Duration: 21:09

Eric Freeman: Bootleg and Weakon

Eric Freeman published two programs through Atari Program Exchange: Bootleg and Weakon.

Bootleg first appeared in the summer 1983 APX catalog: the catalog called it "a search-for-booty maze game submitted from New Zealand," and it received a rare full-page description in that catalog. Weakon was only available in the final APX catalog, winter 1983. That game was later published by Antic software.

This interview took place on May 26, 2016 — for me — May 27 for Eric in New Zealand.

Teaser quote: "I actually took both of the games on an overseas holiday with me and knocked on the door at Atari. This would have been in March of 1983. And someone from the Atari Program Exchange came out to meet me."

Bootleg in the summer 1983 APX catalog

Weakon in the winter 1983 APX catalog

Eric's games at AtariMania

Wikipedia on W and Z bosons:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W_and_Z_bosons


ANTIC Interview 197 - Max Manowski, Wizard’s Revenge (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 07 Jul 2016 - Size: 11.3 MByte - Duration: 24:46

Max Manowski, Wizard’s Revenge

Max Manowski wrote Adventure, a text adventure game that he released into the public domain to Atari users groups. Later, he modified Adventure and called it Wizard's Revenge, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. Wizard's Revenge was available in the fall 1981 APX catalog, the very first APX catalog.

This interview took place May 27, 2016.

Teaser quote: "In this adventure, each node that you went to was a separate file. And if you went to a node that didn't exist, then you could write the node as you were playing. You could write the node and say what happened."

AtariMania's list of Max's games

Wizard's Revenge in the fall 1981 APX catalog

Gaming After 40 playthrough of Wizard's Revenge

Wizard's Revenge re-typed by the author


ANTIC Interview 196 - Frank Paris, Mathlib for Deep Blue C (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 05 Jul 2016 - Size: 11.1 MByte - Duration: 24:14

Frank Paris, Mathlib for Deep Blue C

Frank Paris wrote Mathlib for Deep Blue C, a library of floating-point functions for use with the Deep Blue C programming language. Mathlib first appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the systems/telecommunications category. The Deep Blue C compiler was written by John Palevich, whom I previously interviewed.

You can contact Frank at: frankparis at comcast dot net.

This interview took place on May 27, 2016.

Teaser quote: "6502 assembly language, it was just a dream come true for me. I mean, it was just so simple compared to the languages I was used to."

Mathlib entry in the fall 1983 catalog

Frank's book, The Embrace of Celestia:
http://online.flipbuilder.com/lasm/tqas/

Interview with John Palevich


ANTIC Episode 34 - 3 Years! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 03 Jul 2016 - Size: 44.7 MByte - Duration: 01:37:39

In this three-year anniversary episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast — we uncover an abundance of Atari source code, documentation, and engineering notes; Bill explores Five Dots, a new game; and we debate the fate of the 1200XL.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

Interview Discussion

News

New at Archive.org

Bill’s Modern Segment

 


ANTIC Interview 195 - Kathy and Phil Bergh, I'm Different! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 01 Jul 2016 - Size: 26.1 MByte - Duration: 57:00

Kathy and Phil Bergh, I'm Different!

Kathy and Phil Bergh published one program through Atari Program Exchange: I'm Different!, which first appeared in the inaugural APX catalog, winter 1982-1983. The program won third prize in the Education category in that catalog. It was one of the few commercial programs developed in the PILOT language. Kathy and Phil also wrote three articles — also about PILOT — for ANTIC magazine.

This interview took place on May 24, 2016.

Kathy and Phil's articles in ANTIC

I'm Different in the winter 1982 APX catalog

I'm Different at AtariMania

I'm Different on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCaFpm9LHcE

Teaser quotes:

"'Consumer Reports Tests Educational Software' and so he made a big production of 'Let's see if our game is in it.' ... and it turns out, Consumer Reports did indeed review our game."

"They must have sold a few because I remember getting a check for $12."


ANTIC Interview 194 - David Thiel, musician and interactive audio (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 29 Jun 2016 - Size: 41.5 MByte - Duration: 01:30:40

David Thiel, musician and interactive audio

David Thiel is a musician and interactive audio designer. At Gottlieb, he did the sound for arcade games including Reactor, Q*Bert, and Mach 3. At Action Graphics, David created the sound for Artillery Duel for the Atari 2600, and Beamrider and Pitstop for the Atari computers. And at Free Radical Software/Incredible Technologies, he worked on Winter Games for the Amiga and Atari ST. He has created the sound and music for dozens of other computer games and pinball games.

This interview took place on May 17, 2016.

GDRI's list of David's games:
http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/David_Thiel

2013 interview with David:
http://www.c64.com/gt_display_interview.php?interview=31

Teaser quotes:

"In coin op, I had a sound board. I had a processor. It's my sandbox, I can do anything I want. But the minute you're doing console work, you're now seen by the programmer as a parasitic element that eats CPU and storage, and poops out sound."

"I think, ultimately, doing the Q*Bert voice was the finest destiny of that technology."


ANTIC Interview 193 - Gary Yost, The Catalog and Cyber Studio (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 27 Jun 2016 - Size: 25.0 MByte - Duration: 54:38

Gary Yost, The Catalog and Cyber Studio

Gary Yost worked at Antic magazine, in product development. He was the man behind The Catalog, Antic's catalog of third-party software. When Atari Program Exchange was shut down, he contacted programmers from APX to re-publish their works in's Antic's Catalog.

Gary was instrumental in creating CAD 3-D (written by Tom Hudson), Cybermate, and the Cyber Studio graphics suite — which were all published by Antic — and in commercializing the StereoTek 3D Glasses, which provided a 3-D view of the Atari ST’s screen.

After Antic, he went on to form The Yost Group which created and licensed a number of products to Autodesk, including Autodesk Animator, Autodesk 3D Studio, and Autodesk 3DS MAX.

This interview took place on May 16, 2016. In it, we discuss Ted Kahn, Jim Capparell, and Tom Hudson, all of whom I have previously interviewed.

Gary's web site:
http://GaryYost.com

Martin Doudoroff's history of the Antic Cyber graphics software:
http://doudoroff.com/atari/history1.html

Antic articles by Gary

An issue of The Catalog


ANTIC Interview 192 - Fred Parr, MACE newsletter (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 25 Jun 2016 - Size: 7.6 MByte - Duration: 16:30

Fred Parr, MACE newsletter

Fred Parr was a member of MACE — the Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiasts group, and the man who printed the club newsletter. You can find scans of the newsletter at
archive.org
.

This interview took place on April 22, 2016. It in, we discuss Arlan Levitan, whom I previously interviewed.

"And I just marvel that something that crude, in today's perspective, could have actually given is so much enjoyment and hope about the future."


ANTIC Interview 191 - Roland Gustafsson, Print Shop Companion (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 23 Jun 2016 - Size: 15.8 MByte - Duration: 34:27

Roland Gustafsson, Print Shop Companion

Roland Gustafsson wrote The Print Shop Companion, an add-on package for Brøderbund's popular Print Shop software, which added a printable calendar, font and page border editors, and other features. He first developed the program for the Apple ][, then ported the software to the Atari 800 and Commodore 64.

In the retro-computing community, however, Roland is best known for his work on the Apple ][, where he specialized in designing copy protection as well as the RWTS18 disk format, which squeezed extra data onto the Apple's floppy disk.

This interview took place on May 17, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"There was a guy in Switzerland who would hack into a telephone booth ... He would phone me and talk to me and tell me, 'Oh, your copy protection is great. I enjoy breaking your copy protection more than the games.'"

"The same concepts, where you make a good decision on the design work, the framework of what you're working on, the foundation — still applies today for modern software."

Roland on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/rolandgust


ANTIC Interview 190 - Chuck Gibke, Air Raid! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 21 Jun 2016 - Size: 9.6 MByte - Duration: 20:57

Chuck Gibke, Air Raid!

Chuck Gibke, published one piece of software for the Atari computer: Air Raid!. The game first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the entertainment category.

This interview took place on April 22, 2016.

"Winning the contest generated a little bit of prizes you could pick from Atari stuff, which was pretty amazing. There was like $2,000 worth of stuff. ... Several boxes of stuff showing up at the house one day and I thought that was just the greatest thing."

Download Air Raid!
http://www.atariarchives.org/APX/showinfo.php?cat=20187

Air Raid! in the Winter 1982 APX catalog


ANTIC Interview 189 - Steve Cavin: Minotaur, Juggles' House, Juggles' Rainbow (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 19 Jun 2016 - Size: 14.7 MByte - Duration: 32:04

Steve Cavin: Minotaur, Juggles' House, Juggles' Rainbow 

Steve Cavin started at Cromenco where he built computer kits and tested hardware. Later he wrote several programs for the Atari 8-bit computers: Minotaur, which was published by Atari Program Exchange — it first appeared in the fall 1981 APX catalog; and the Atari versions of Juggles' House and Juggles' Rainbow, educational games published by The Learning Company. He also wrote “The Five Letters", a hangman-stil game that - so far - I haven't been able to find online.

This interview took place April 22, 2016.

"He looked at the screens and said, "Those don't look like the test programs that we normally use," and I said 'Well, they're not. I wrote my own. ... They're better than the other ones.'"

Steve's book, "To Find Out":
http://amzn.to/1SBbRCJ

Minotaur in the fall 1981 APX catalog

Steve's games list on AtariMania


ANTIC Interview 188 - Neil Harris: Commodore, Atari, GEnie (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 17 Jun 2016 - Size: 35.1 MByte - Duration: 01:16:41

Neil Harris: Commodore, Atari, GEnie

Neil Harris started at Commodore as a member of the VIC-20 launch team, then continued to be a writer, programmer, and product manager there. He moved to Atari, where he was from 1984 to 1988. There he was hardware products manager, director of communications, and director of publications. He worked on Atari Explorer magazine, and wrote a bit for other publications including Compute!'s First Book of Atari and STart magazine. He later moved on to the GEnie online service.

This interview took place on March 31, 2016. In it, we discuss Bill Louden, whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quotes:

"The Ataris were really good computers. ... The view inside of Commodore was that the Ataris, especially the 800, was over-engineered."

"Every person in Silicon Valley either had a close family member or a close friend who had been laid off by Jack [Tramiel]. ... You know, we were not the golden children. We were not Apple."

Color Wheel for the Atari:
http://www.atariarchives.org/c1ba/page085.php

Atari Base BBS article:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v5n10/ataribulletinboard.html

ST:1999 article in STart magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/startv3n7/st1999.html


ANTIC Interview 187 - Jay Jaeger, APX Space War (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 15 Jun 2016 - Size: 12.7 MByte - Duration: 27:45

Jay Jaeger, APX Space War

Jay Jaeger released one program for the Atari computers: Space War, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. It appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog.

This interview took place on March 16, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"It took a couple revisions back and forth. The program was fine; getting the documentation right, and yet have them be happy with it, was a little frustrating. But managed to get it done."

Space War in the fall 1983 APX catalog

Space War at AtariMania 

Space War source code 

Creative Computing — the Origin of Space War:
http://www.wheels.org/spacewar/creative/SpacewarOrigin.html

Jay's web site:
http://webpages.charter.net/thecomputercollection/collect.htm


ANTIC Interview 186 - Joel Gluck: Babel, Attank!, Pushover, Fun-FORTH (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 13 Jun 2016 - Size: 20.9 MByte - Duration: 45:43

Joel Gluck: Babel, Attank!, Pushover, Fun-FORTH

Joel Gluck published four programs through Atari Program Exchange: Babel, Attank!, Pushover, and Fun-FORTH. The first, Babel, was published when he was just 16 years old. He later worked at Atari's corporate research under Alan Kay. He also wrote a few articles for A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine.

Babel was available in the first APX catalog, fall 1981, where it won second prize in the Entertainment category. Pushover first appeared in the summer 1982 catalog. Attank! first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 catalog. fun-FORTH was first available in fall 1982, which won third prize in the System Software category.

This interview took place on November 20, 2015. In it, we discuss Jack Palevich, whose interview is already published.

Teaser quotes:

"I wasn't so aware of the royalty checks because, I think, my mom was intercepting them. She told me later that I earned enough from APX royalties to put me through a year at M.I.T."

"I came out wearing a white robe and wearing a very tall plastic garbage bag on my head ... But the kids loved it!"

Links:

Email Joel: joelgluck at
yahoo.com

AtariMania's list of Joel's games

Joel in Atari Connection magazine

Babel in APX catalog

Pushover in APX catalog

Attank in APX catalog

fun-FORTH in APX catalog


ANTIC Interview 185 - Ted Kahn, Atari Institute for Educational Action Research (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 11 Jun 2016 - Size: 33.4 MByte - Duration: 01:13:02

Ted Kahn, Atari Institute for Educational Action Research

Ted Kahn was creator of the Atari Institute for Educational Action Research, which  awarded major grants of Atari home computer products, and consulting services to individuals, schools, and non-profit organizations. The group granted more than $1.25 million in products and services to about 100 innovative people and projects around the US and overseas.

He also co-wrote the books Atari Games and Recreations, and Atari PILOT Activities and Games. This interview took place on October 9, 2015. In it, we discuss Ted's bother, Bob Kahn; and Tandy Trower, both of whom I have previously interviewed.

Teaser quotes:

"Its purpose is not just to give stuff away, but it's purpose is to really make sure that if it's given away, it's going to be given to people and organizations who can make some impact with it."

"A thing, behind closed doors, in Washington, in which we had an entire group of Senators and Congressmen, for a period of about a day, to learn about all this stuff..."

Antic magazine article about the Atari Institute for Educational Action Research:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n6/insideatari.html


ANTIC Interview 184 - Rob Zdybel, Star Trek, Missile Command, Bug Hunt (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 09 Jun 2016 - Size: 36.8 MByte - Duration: 01:20:29

 

Rob Zdybel, Star Trek, Missile Command, Bug Hunt

Rob Zdybel was a long-time employee at Atari, having worked there from 1979 to 1996, when the Tramiels left.  Rob has a long line of credits including Pigs in Space, Real Sports Football, Stellar Track and Star Trek for the Atari 400/800, SOS for the Atari 2600, Missile Command for the Atari 5200, and Bug Hunt for the Atari XE.  He also designed the system BIOS for the Atari 5200.

Rob mentions the SYLVIA game system in the interview, although he couldn’t remember the name of the system at the time.  It was the machine that was supposed to come between the 2600 and the 5200 and which Doug Neubauer worked on.

Niles Strohl and Doug Neubauer are both mentioned in the interview, both of which I’m working to get interviews.

Please note that this interview does have some profanity.

This interview took place on January 17, 2016.

Teaser Quotes:

  • “I said Good Lord, Man, I don’t know if I can stand the idea of using computers to kill people more accurately.”
  • “They were going to give us a free Atari 800 computer.  That’s one of things you got for signing on with the Atari crew.”
  • “I signed on to the Atari 2600 program at the time.  I was not actually interested in writing 2600 programs, but where my heart was really at was the Atari 800 computer because it was so much more powerful.”
  • “The lights had come on: you CAN’T win at Marketing Adventure.”
  • “You’re talking to the man who’s responsible for Chris Crawford being in the game industry.  It’s my fault.”

Links:

list of Rob’s games at AtariMania

PRGE 2013 - Bob Smith, Rob Zdybel, Joe Decuir - Portland Retro Gaming Expo -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmqzybUe9m4

“Once Upon Atari” -
http://www.onceuponatari.com/


ANTIC Interview 183 - Lane Winner: Graph-It, XEP-80, De Re Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 07 Jun 2016 - Size: 22.8 MByte - Duration: 49:48

Lane Winner: Graph-It, XEP-80, De Re Atari

Lane Winner was an Atari employee for about a decade: he worked in the software development support group, as a programmer, and as an engineer. He is the author of Atari's Graph-It, contributor to De Re Atari, and designer of the XEP-80 80-column peripheral. Lane wrote several early releases for Atari Program Exchange: BASIC Cross-Reference Utility, BASIC Renumber Utility, and Variable Changer.

This interview took place April 20, 2016. 

"OK, Lane. When you get your ... head and your heart together, you can be useful, and help the company out and help other people out."

Inverse ATASCII podcast explores Graph-It

AtariMania's list of Lane's software


ANTIC Interview 182 - Dave Menconi, Atari Customer Service and User Group Support (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 05 Jun 2016 - Size: 18.2 MByte - Duration: 39:45

Dave Menconi, Atari Customer Service and User Group Support

Dave Menconi started at Atari in 1982 doing customer support for the Atari computers. Later he moved to the marketing group, where he helped support the Atari users groups. Dave wrote the program "Dancin' Man" for Antic magazine, and wrote several articles for Atari Connection magazine.

In this interview, we discuss Chris Crawford, Ted Richards, and Mike Albaugh, whom I previously interviewed. This interview took place on April 19, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"...A light bulb went on above my head. That, it's one thing to know how to program but it's a much harder thing to know what to do with the skills that you have."

"He identified what the problem was and proposed a fix, and they fixed the product. And then afterwards, I remember him saying, 'And don't ever come back.'"

Dave featured in "User Group Support" article in Antic:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v1n2/insideatari.html

Dancin' Man:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n3/startingline.html

Database 2000 in Atari Connection


ANTIC Interview 181 - Stan Ockers, public domain game programmer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 03 Jun 2016 - Size: 9.2 MByte - Duration: 20:04

Stan Ockers, public domain game programmer

Stan Ockers started on the KIM-1 single board computer, where was was co-author of The First Book of KIM with Jim Butterfield. He later got an Atari 400, and became a prolific author of public domain programs which were distributed by users groups and in Antic magazine. His game credits include Chicken, Frog, and Bats, all of which were published in early issues of Antic magazines. Some of his programs were also published in Page 6 magazine. 

This interview took place on March 10, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"I put in like, I figured, something like about 40 hours to write a program before I was satisfied to get rid of it. Or, got sick of it."

Stan's articles in Antic magazine

AtariMania's list of Stan's games


ANTIC Interview 180 - Harry Guiremand, SynChron (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 01 Jun 2016 - Size: 6.7 MByte - Duration: 14:39

Harry Guiremand, SynChron

Harry Guiremand wrote SynChron, a calendar application, which was published by Synapse Software in 1983. 

This interview took place on April 15, 2016.

Thanks to Wade at the Inverse ASASCII podcast for his research and suggestions. You can hear Wade's thorough review and walkthrough of SynChron at the Inverse ATASCII podcast.

Teaser quote:

"I had a password system where if you didn't guess the password correctly, you had to wait a little bit longer each time you missed it. Somebody who was trying to break the password with brute force method would end up having to wait days and days for the next chance to make a guess."

Inverse ATASCII review of SynChron


ANTIC Interview 179 - Greg Thrush and Marian Dillashaw: Stock Management and WordGo (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 30 May 2016 - Size: 10.5 MByte - Duration: 22:54

Greg Thrush and Marian Dillashaw: Stock Management and WordGo

Greg Thrush published two programs through Atari Program Exchange: Stock Management and — with his wife Marian Dillashaw — Wordgo. Stock Management first appeared in the fall 1982 APX catalog, where it won first prize in the business and financial applications category. Wordgo first appeared in the summer 1983 catalog. 

This interview took place on March 4, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"If nothing else, it got them a little excited about technology. They could see that they could actually make some things happen."

Stock Management in the fall 1982 APX catalog

Wordgo in the summer 1983 catalog


ANTIC Episode 33 - Jump, Man! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 28 May 2016 - Size: 49.1 MByte - Duration: 01:47:20

In this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast, we are joined by Rob McMullen to discuss hacking on Jumpman, we explore several new hardware projects and new games. And we jump in the time machine to visit computer clubs in the 1980s.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

Interview Discussion

News

New at Archive.org

Bill’s Modern Segment


ANTIC Interview 178 - Wes Horlacher, Magic Melody Box (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 26 May 2016 - Size: 12.4 MByte - Duration: 27:00

Wes Horlacher, Magic Melody Box

Wes Horlacher published one program in Atari Program Exchange: Magic Melody Box. Magic Melody Box first appeared in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog, where it was awarded second prize in the education category. It was also published as Boîte à Musique by Atari France.

Teaser quotes:

"These machines aren't just for accounting and computation and mathematics. We can do creative things. Let's see what we can do with these machines to actually inspire the least thing you would expect from a deterministic machine like this: how can it inspire a human being to create?"

This interview took place on February 15, 2016.

Magic Melody Box in APX catalog

Article in Softside Magazine

Review in Antic magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue42/gamesgrowup.php


ANTIC Interview 177 - Steve Smith, ANTIC chip (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 24 May 2016 - Size: 22.8 MByte - Duration: 49:47

Steve Smith, ANTIC chip

Steve Smith was an engineering technician at Atari from 1977 until 1979, where he worked on the development of the Atari 400 and 800 computers. He was one of the technicians who designed the ANTIC and CTIA chips.

In this interview, we discuss Liza Loop, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on February 9, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"...Huge roomful of 1 MhZ but not 1.1 MhZ devices. So that's what they put in the peripherals, was 6507 that they had surplus lying around."

"The first chips came into the lab, and I was plugging in the CTIA, the first one. Completely untested. And I dropped it and it broke in half."


Inteview Index (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 22 May 2016 - Size: 0.0 MByte

Click here to see the index of ANTIC interviews


ANTIC Interview 176 - Clyde Spencer: Stereo 3-D Graphics and Isopleth Map Making (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 22 May 2016 - Size: 27.5 MByte - Duration: 01:00:01

Clyde Spencer: Stereo 3-D Graphics and Isopleth Map Making

Clyde Spencer published two programs through Atari Program Exchange: Stereo 3-D Graphics Package and Isopleth Map-Making Package. Stereo 3-D Graphics Package was first available in the winter 1982 APX catalog, and Map-Making in the Spring 1982 catalog. Clyde was also co-founder of the Bay Area Atari Users Group, and wrote some reviews for Antic magazine.

This interview took place on March 1, 2016. In it, we discuss Liza Loop and John Crane, both of whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quote:

"I actually withdrew my teacher's retirement money out to help fund the startup on that. ... About a year or two into that project, Atari went bankrupt. ... I was left with an orphan then at that point in time."

Stereo 3-D Graphics Package: Winter 1982 APX catalog

Isopleth Map-Making Package: Spring 1982 APX catalog

Clyde's articles in Antic magazine


ANTIC Interview 175 - Robert Waldman, Financial Asset Managment System (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 May 2016 - Size: 12.7 MByte - Duration: 27:47

Robert Waldman, Financial Asset Managment System

Robert Waldman wrote Financial Asset Managment System, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the Fall 1981 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the personal finance and record keeping category.

As explained in my interview, Robert submitted a program called Atari 800 Olympic Gamebook System to Atari Program Exchange but it was not accepted or released. Robert sent me his only copy of the never-before-published Olympic Game Book System software, which was lost in the mail. He scanned the manual and a small part of the program listing, which I've uploaded to
archive.org
 (you'll find a link in the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
). But it appears that the complete program is gone forever.

This interview took place on February 8, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"I remember writing long BASIC programs. I would come home from work and then stay up all night coding."

Atari 800 Olympic Gamebook System manual

Financial Asset Managment System catalog entry


ANTIC Interview 174 - Tod Frye, Asteroids (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 18 May 2016 - Size: 21.2 MByte - Duration: 46:18

Tod Frye, Asteroids

Hi, there!  Welcome to the next in the series of Atari-related interviews being produced by Antic, the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig and I’ll be leading this interview.  Most notably, while working at Atari, Tod Frye developed the 400/800 version of Asteroids and the 2600 version of Pac-Man, converting them from the coin-op version.  He has many other games to his credit.  He later worked for Axlon, Nolan Bushnell’s company.

This interview was conducted on January 3, 2016.

Teaser Quotes

  • “While I was at Atari, it went from a pretty big company, to a huge company, to a complete flop.”
  • “I didn’t work at Atari; I LIVED at Atari; and I loved it.”
  • “Because of the CTIA and GTIA and Antic, the sprite hardware was WAY better than the sprite hardware on the Commodore.”
  • “The hard parts were: writing code that was fast enough, writing code that was small enough to fit in the cartridge, and writing code that would fit in the RAM.  Basically everything was hard.”

Links


ANTIC Interview 173 - Ursula Wolz, early computing and education (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 16 May 2016 - Size: 10.8 MByte - Duration: 23:39

Ursula Wolz, early computing and education

Ursula Wolz was thinking about computers and education in the early days of personal computing. She worked on Apple ][ games for Children's Television Workshop, consulted for Atari Research on their endeavors in educational software, and taught Logo to some of the first students who learned it.

This interview took place on February 12, 2016

Teaser quote:

"It was one of the first games that was completely graphical ... Because the kids using it might not be able to read the text, we did everything through gestures."

Ursula's site:
https://sites.google.com/site/theimpatientcoder/


ANTIC Interview 172 - Owen Rubin: Major Havoc, Space Duel (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 14 May 2016 - Size: 43.1 MByte - Duration: 01:34:06

Owen Rubin: Major Havoc, Space Duel

Owen Rubin worked in Atari's coin-op division from 1976 to 1984 — he is best known for his programming work there on Major Havoc, Space Duel, and Battlezone. He also served as a go-between between the arcade division and the consumer division, where the Atari home computers were created. After that, he was a game designer at Nolan Bushnell's Bally Sente. 

In this interview, we discuss Ed Rotberg, whom I previously interviewed. This interview contains some coarse language. 

It took place on February 12, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"And I lost it. I just completely lost it with him ... and I slammed the listings down on his desk, basically clearing his desk of just about everything else, and I said, 'Do it yourself, I quit.'"

"I find MAME both very cool that you can see it, and very sad that you don't get the right feel."

"We really wanted coin-op games to be about a 90-second experience. Up to a couple minutes if you got good at it."

Owen's web site:
http://www.orubin.com

Owen on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/orubin

Ed Rotberg interview: 
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-72-ed-rotberg-rotberg-synthesizer


ANTIC Interview 171 - Randy Glover, Jumpman (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 12 May 2016 - Size: 38.9 MByte - Duration: 01:24:52

Randy Glover, Jumpman

Randy Glover is the creator of one of the best games for the Atari computers, Jumpman, which was published by EPYX. He also created the sequel, Jumpman Junior, and programmed the swimming competition portion of Summer Games. Randy ported Jumpman to the Commodore 64 and created another C64 game, Lunar Outpost.

This interview took place on May 7, 2016. I am joined on this interview by Rob McMullen, host of the Player/Missile Podcast, who has been working to reverse engineer Jumpman using the Omnivore binary editor that he created.

For more background on EPYX, you might enjoy Antic’s interviews with Jon Freeman, co-founder of EPYX; and Michael Katz, the CEO of EPYX — he oversaw the development of Jumpman, Pitstop, and Summer Games.

Teaser quote:

"My guy ran around in this environment purely based on his collision with the environment. I like to think that made him more interesting, more spontaneous. He wasn't pretty -- he was just a little stick man -- but he ran around with a certain flair and he reacted to the environment."

The Digital Antiquarian - From Automated Simulations to Epyx:
http://www.filfre.net/2013/08/from-automated-simulations-to-epyx/

Jon Freeman interview:
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-70-jon-freeman-freefall-associates

Michael Katz interview:
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-24-the-atari-8-bit-podcast-michael-katz

Player/Missile podcast:
http://www.playermissile.com

Omnivore, the Atari 8-bit Binary Editor:
http://playermissile.com/omnivore/

AtariMania's list of Randy's games:
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-glover-randy_team_472_8_G.html

Jumpman hacking thread on AtariAge:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/252267-jumpman-hacking/


ANTIC Interview 170 - Mike Silva, Syncalc (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 10 May 2016 - Size: 22.2 MByte - Duration: 48:27

Mike Silva, Syncalc

Mike Silva worked at Synapse, where he wrote the Syncalc spreadsheet application.

In this interview we talk about Ihor Woloseko, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on February 11, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"If I had put out a game ... it would have sold a few thousand copies and that would been it. So I just got dumb lucky by being talked into writing a spreadsheet instead."

"These guys, a lot of them, they were in the world - some of them - before they were ready for it. I remember a couple of young programmers, they were just freaked out about having to make decisions, and having to pay taxes. It was almost too much success too early for some of them."

Atari Synapse Commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkpbIbFHDQU

SynCalc at AtariMania:
http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-syncalc_s12808.html

Ihor Woloseko interview:
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-13-the-atari-8-bit-podcast-ihor-wolosenko 

Inverse ATASCII reviews SynCalc: 
https://inverseatascii.info/2016/02/23/s2e08-synapse-software-syncalc/


ANTIC Interview 169 - Richard Lindgren, APX financial software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 07 May 2016 - Size: 8.5 MByte - Duration: 18:37

Richard Lindgren, APX financial software

Richard Lindgren published two programs in Atari Program Exchange. Real Estate Cash Flow Analysis first appeared in the winter 1983 APX catalog, where it won first prize in the business and professional applications category. Strategic Financial Ratio Analysis was first available in the summer 1983 catalog, where it took second prize in the home management category.

Richard also wrote the program Banjo Picker, "Program your Atari to make sounds like an automated five-string banjo," which appeared in the October 1985 issue of Antic magazine, and which provides intro tune for this episode.

This interview took place on February 8, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"You know, the APX experience was an intersting experience ... I think it was a really interesting precursor of the models that we're seeing today."

Richard's software at AtariMania

Real Estate Cash Flow Analysis entry in APX catalog

Strategic Financial Ratio Analysis entry in APX catalog

Banjo Picker:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v4n6/banjo.html


ANTIC Interview 168 - Marcin Sochacki, SIO2BT (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 04 May 2016 - Size: 32.1 MByte - Duration: 01:10:04

Marcin Sochacki, SIO2BT

Marcin Sochacki, also known as Montezuma on AtariAge, is originally from Poland and currently lives in Germany.   In recent years he developed theSIO2BT, or SIO to Bluetooth for the Atari computer line.  This hardware allows you to connect your Atari to your modern computer,tablet, or smartphone to share files.  Mar-TEEN also developed the NVC (Next Valid Character) software, a tool for organizing files on SD cards for SIO2SD.  And, if that weren’t enough, he also developed the Megacart Studio PC software, a tool for the 512k and 4MB Flash MegaCart Module.  The Megacart Studio generates a ROM and bootable ATR files that are used to flash the MegaCart modules.

This interview was conducted onNovember 22, 2015.

Links

1) "SIO2BT" project (1st place in the ABBUC Hardware Contest 2014)

Ordering Thread on AtariAge

This project is still being developed (and got recently new TCP/IP networking functionality).

Not spread out that much, but really usefully for all RETRO freaks (not only ATARI).

In a few episodes you mentionedRaspberry Pi and you wondered how could it be married with the8-bit ATARI:

SIO2PI

It was one of my small projects to use a Raspberry Pi as a floppy emulator (with AspeQt).

The idea to use a RPI as anATARI emulator is nice, as well. Especially if you build your own(mini) Arcade Cabinet for it

This is a nice manual about connecting a real joystick to the RPI

And if do not have time, but have some free money, some guys are selling a ready RPI Arcadekit

 


ANTIC Interview 167 - Al Casper: Counter, My Spelling Easel, Equestrian (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 02 May 2016 - Size: 17.3 MByte - Duration: 37:44

Al Casper: Counter, My Spelling Easel, Equestrian

Al Casper published three programs with Atari Program Exchange. His first, Counter, was first available in the fall 1982 APX catalog. It won first prize in the learning category in that catalog. Counter was also released in a French language version by Atari France.

Next was My Spelling Easel, which was first available in the spring 1983 catalog, and won second prize in the learning category. His third program was Equestrian, which appeared in the winter 1983-1984 APX catalog (the very last APX catalog) and was the "APX Olympic contest winner."

Al also wrote an article called Purge, a quicker and simpler method of housecleaning diskettes, for Compute! magazine, which was re-published in Compute!'s Third Book of Atari.

This interview took place on February 7, 2016

Teaser quote:

"I remember, we got a quarterly... royalty check. It seems to me the first one I got... several hundred dollars, I think. One of the next ones, it was like $10,000. ... I couldn't believe it, because this was basically just a hobby."

Al's programs at AtariMania

Counter in the fall 1982 APX catalog

My Spelling Easel in the spring 1983 catalog

Equestrian in the winter 1984 catalog

Purge utility


ANTIC Interview 166 - Michael Crick, Frogmaster (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 30 Apr 2016 - Size: 15.7 MByte - Duration: 34:12

Michael Crick, Frogmaster

Michael Crick created the game Frogmaster, which was published for the Atari computers by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the summer 1982 APX catalog, where it won first prize in the entertainment category. Michael later made a version of Frogmaster for the Commodore 64. He created two other C64 games: Break Street (a break dancing game), and Go For the Gold (an Olympics stil game) as well as TERSE, a programming language for the C64.

Frogmaster cost $22.95 and was APX catalog number 20131. A Spanish version of Frogmaster was also released by APX, Amansarranas - APX catalog number 20252.

This interview took place on February 3, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"The truth was, it wasn't really a very fun game. I mean, it was an interesting scientific exercise."

Michael's web site:
http://crick.com/gamemaster.html


ANTIC Episode 32 - Into the Big Scary World (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 28 Apr 2016 - Size: 44.5 MByte - Duration: 01:37:14

On this episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast, we venture out into the big scary world — both Randy and I went to VCF SouthEast, and Kevin went to the museum. The winners of the 2016 10-line BASIC programming contest are announced, and Bill Kendrick drops knowledge about the demo scene.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

Interview Discussion

News

New at Archive.org

Bill’s Modern Segment

Of the Month

 


ANTIC Interview 165 - Yakov Epelboim: Pushky and Devilator (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 26 Apr 2016 - Size: 17.3 MByte - Duration: 37:42

Yakov Epelboim: Pushky and Devilator

Yakov Epelboim is a Russian immigrant who published two programs for the Atari 8-bit computers. Pushky (which I learned is the Russian word for "cannons") was published by Atari Program Exchange, and first appeared in the Winter 1982-1983 APX catalog for $22.95. He also wrote Devilator, which he self-published as Zebra Company. Both programs were written in machine language, and both are unusual games, a little off the beaten track from other games of the era. The APX catalog said: "Pushky is in a class by itself in terms of game format. At least, we have nothing else like it at APX."

Yakov is joined in this interview by his wife Olga, who added color commentary and translation help. 

This interview took place February 5, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"Then I did couple more programs, games, and send them to Atari. And they wrote me, 'Everything fine. We will take them, but you should change this and this, add music.' I did everything, send them, but in this time they were bankrupt."

AtariMania


ANTIC Interview 164 - John Palevich: Dandy and Deep Blue C Compiler (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 24 Apr 2016 - Size: 33.8 MByte - Duration: 01:13:46

John Palevich: Dandy and Deep Blue C Compiler

John Palevich wrote several programs which were published by Atari Program Exchange: the Chameleon CRT Terminal Emulator; Mantis Boot Tape Development System; Deep Blue C Compiler and its source code on a product called Deep Blue Secrets; and Dandy, a graphical dungeon crawl game that is famously the inspiration for the arcade classic, Gauntlet.

He later worked in the advanced projects division at Atari, working on Atari's unfinished Eva computer project, as well as the unfinished AMY music chip and RAINBOW graphics chip.

In this interview we discuss Joel Gluck, whose interview is forthcoming.

This interview took place on November 20, 2015.

"It was a situation where whether you made a good business decision or a bad business decision, more money came in the next quarter."

"Any time a dignitary, any time a rock star came by to tour Atari, they would come and try out the AMY chip."

AtariMania's list of John's software


ANTIC Interview 163 - Ron Luks, Compuserve Atari Forum Founder (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 22 Apr 2016 - Size: 19.9 MByte - Duration: 43:21

Ron Luks, Founder and manager of the Atari Forums on CompuServe

Welcome to this interview-only episode of Antic, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig.  In this show, I’ll be talking with Mr. Ron Luks, a name that you’re probably familiar with if you used your Atari to access the Compuserve Information Service.   Ron was founder and manager of the Atari Forums on CompuServe (SIG*Atari, 8-bit Forum, 16-bit Forum (ST), Atari Developers, Atari Vendors, and others.)  He also wrote articles for some of the Atari magazines (like ANTIC).  I hope you enjoy this interesting glimpse into the online world of Atari back in the 80’s.

I also want to mention that Ron was kind enough to donate an Atari 130XE and a set of cartridges to the show.

This interview was conducted November 18, 2015

Teaser Quotes:

  • “And the owner of the store steered me over to the Atari 800 and it was running Star Raiders, ok, and that was all it took”
  • “So that’s when I decided I’m going to give Compuserve a try and see what it’s like.  I was instantly hooked with the whole online service idea.”
  • “At one time the Atari 8-bit forum was the biggest money-making forum on CompuServe.”

Links:

 


ANTIC Interview 162 - John Powers, Atari Director of Software Development (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 20 Apr 2016 - Size: 24.0 MByte - Duration: 52:24

John Powers, Atari Director of Software Development

John Powers was co-founder of The Authorship Resource, the company that created all of the software for the CyberVision 2000 computer. From 1980 to 1982 he worked at Atari as Director of Software Development for personal computers. While he was there, he wrote three pieces of software for Atari Program Exchange: Newspaper Route Management Program, Computerized Card File, and Cosmatic Atari Development Package. He was later VP of Research and Development at educational software publisher The Learning Company.

This interview took place on February 2, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"Because of the Warner connection, coming from the movie business, I think they were under the impression that with a lot of money, we just hire a lot pf people, we can make this work. And it never quite happened."

"My son had a newspaper route. So I said 'You know, there's a lot better way we can do this. I think we can use the Atari 800 to simplify some of this.'"


ANTIC Interview 161 - Edward Lehmann, Recipe Search 'N Save (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 18 Apr 2016 - Size: 4.8 MByte - Duration: 10:34

Edward Lehmann, Recipe Search 'N Save

Edward Lehmann published one Atari program through Atari Program Exchange: Recipe Search 'N Save, which first appeared in the summer 1982 APX catalog. It won third prize in the Personal Finance & Record Keeping category in that catalog. 

It was APX catalog number 20114, available on diskette, required 32K, and cot $22.95

This interview took place on February 2, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"The thing is, it didn't work all the time, that's what bugged me. I was selling a defective product."


ANTIC Interview 160 - Chuck Mullally, Mastermatch (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 16 Apr 2016 - Size: 9.0 MByte - Duration: 19:43

Chuck Mullally, Mastermatch

Chuck Mullally published one game through Atari Program Exchange: Mastermatch, game similar to the Mastermind board game. Mastermatch was one of the last APX programs to be released: it was first available in the Winter 1983-1984 APX catalog — the final APX catalog. Chuck told me that the game won a $1000 prize from APX, but the catalog — a sparse 8 pages and much smaller than the previous APX catalogs — doesn’t even mention that.

This interview took place on January 31, 2016.

LINKS

Chuck’s old web page about Mastermatch

Mastermatch in the Winter 1983-1984 APX catalog:
https://archive.org/details/APXCatalogWinter1983

Download Mastermatch from
AtariArchives.org
:
http://www.atariarchives.org/APX/showinfo.php?cat=20259


ANTIC Interview 159 - Bryon Wilcox, Wilcox Company (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 14 Apr 2016 - Size: 7.4 MByte - Duration: 16:04

Bryon Wilcox, Wilcox Company

On December 12, 2015, I bought an unusual Atari computer on ebay: it appeared to be a typical 800XL, but where the Atari name would have been, there was a sticker that said "GRAPHICS 1 - The Wilcox Company." Another sticker on the bottom of the computer indicated that the company was based in Washougal, Washington.

When I received the computer, I found that it included a hand-made cartridge that contains a message display program. You can enter a few lines of text, plus the time and date, which are then displayed in large letters on the screen. 

I wanted to know more about this computer and the company that created it, so I hunted down Bryon Wilcox. This interview took place on January 27, 2016.

Pictures of the computer and binary dump of the cart:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/248826-dump-of-wilcox-message-display-cart/


ANTIC Interview 158 - John Crane, RPN Calculator Simulator (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 12 Apr 2016 - Size: 21.3 MByte - Duration: 46:35

John Crane, RPN Calculator Simulator

John Crane published one Atari program, through Atari Program Exchange: RPN Calculator Simulator. The program first appeared in the Spring 1982 APX catalog, where it was awarded second prize in the business and professional applications category. 

John was also one of the founders of the Bay Area Atari Users Group, and did some software evaluation for Atari Program Exchange.

This interview took place on January 31, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"He [Steve Wozniak] introduced all of us to his demonstration about his Apple -- what would become the Apple I. I saw his demonstration and I go, 'Oh, that is very cool.'"

"I had what I used to call the bash and bang test. I'd load up the program on an Atari 800 or 1200 or whatever I happend to have at the time, and as the program was running I would just start pounding on the keys at random, just taking my fists and just banging on the keyboard."


ANTIC Interview 157 - Alan Newman: Domination, Tutti Frutti, Hotel Alien (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 09 Apr 2016 - Size: 14.6 MByte - Duration: 31:54

Alan Newman: Domination, Tutti Frutti, Hotel Alien

Alan Newman published several programs for the Atari 8-bit computers: Domination, a Hamurabi-stil management game, was published by Atari Program Exchange. It first appeared in the Fall 1981 catalog, where it won first prize in the entertainment category. Next he created Tutti Frutti, an arcade-stil game that was published by Adventure International. And Hotel Alien, a graphical adventure game published by Artworx. He also wrote Spy Vs. Spy
—
not the Mad Magazine game published by First Star Software; a word game that was to be published by PDI but didn't get wide release. Alan has sent me that program to archive, so it's now available online for the first time.

This interview took place on February 2, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"I wanted to move to California. I wanted to do this full time. But when I realized how much copying was out there, it became a bad idea."

Spy vs. Spy scans and downloads: 
https://archive.org/details/SpyVsSpyWordGameAtari

AtariMania's list of Alan's games:
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-newman-alan-m_team_969_8_G.html


ANTIC Interview 156 - Darren Schebek, Envision character set editor (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 07 Apr 2016 - Size: 25.8 MByte - Duration: 56:22

Darren Schebek, Envision character set editor

Darren Schebek wrote Envision, a character set editor for the Atari 8-bit computers. It was published in Antic magazine’s software catalog in 1986. Envision cost $19.95: “Create giant, multi-screen, 8-way scrolling pictures. Build effortless animations (up to 128 frames at 10 speeds). ENVISION has over 50 commands giving you total control over the Atari’s 6 incredible text modes. On the 130XE, Envision supports 16 simultaneous fonts.” After we conducted this interview, Darren sent me the Envision source code, which is now available at the Internet Archive.

Darren later wrote two more games for the Atari: Death By Solitaire and Yahtzee.

He worked for Canadian software publisher Distinctive Software, where he wrote the Commodore 64 port of Road Raider (porting it from the Atari ST version), and later worked at Minddiv Technologies where he created the Commodore 64 version of Mondu's Fight Palace.

This interview took place on January 30, 2016. 

Teaser quote:

“My dad would come back from work, and he’d visit computer shops and stuff. He’d bring home flyers for different computers. He brought home an Apple // flyer one day, and one day he brought home this Atari 800 flyer. And I’m looking at these two flyers, and I’m comparing these things, like, ‘I don’t get it. There’s no decision to be made here.’” 

Links

Envision source code:
https://archive.org/details/AtariEnvisionSourceCode

Darren’s web site:
http://www.user.dccnet.com/dschebek/envision.htm

Darren on AtariAge
http://atariage.com/forums/user/37813-darren-schebek/


ANTIC Interview 155 - Jerome Domurat, artist and interface designer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 05 Apr 2016 - Size: 34.2 MByte - Duration: 01:14:42

Jerome Domurat, artist and interface designer

Jerome Domurat worked at Atari from November 1981 through July 1986 as an artist and interface designer. He started creating art for the home game systems, including E.T., Krull, and Raiders of the Lost Ark for the Atari 2600; and Jungle Hunt, Pengo, and Baseball for the 5200. He made the transition when Jack Tramiel bought the company: he worked on user interface design for the Atari ST. He also helped design the NEOchrome paint program, and adapted the graphics and animation for the ST version of Star Raiders.

Picture of Jerome with Jim Eisenstein and Dave Staugas, March 1985 -
http://i.imgur.com/hBIja3X.jpg

This interview took place on February 1, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"User testing with people — like I would just get random people to sit down and go through the system and have them think aloud. I would ask them what they thought this symbol meant or that symbol meant. I mean, you show people a trash can [icon] now and they immediately know that that's 'delete'. But at that point, they thought, 'Oh, it's a can for storing things for later.'"


ANTIC Interview 154 - Alan Henricks, Controller (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 03 Apr 2016 - Size: 17.6 MByte - Duration: 38:32

Alan Henricks, Controller

Alan Henricks was Controller at Atari during the Warner Communications era. He was there from 1978 through 1983.

This interview took place on November 17, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

"Had the next generation of technology - the personal computer - succeeded, Atari would be where Apple is today."

"The first thing he said to me, looking me in the eyes ... he said, 'I speak to you on fear of my life.' My response was, 'I so don't want to be here.'"


ANTIC Episode 31 - Hardware Gadgets (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 01 Apr 2016 - Size: 37.2 MByte - Duration: 01:21:19

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast: we find a lot of new hardware gadgets for our Atari 8-bit machines, and learn all about Atari-branded printers.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

Interview Discussion

News

  • Upcoming Shows:

New at Archive.org


ANTIC Interview 153 - Richard Leinecker, Your Atari Comes Alive (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 31 Mar 2016 - Size: 12.2 MByte - Duration: 26:35

Richard Leinecker, Your Atari Comes Alive

Richard Leinecker is author of the book Your Atari Comes Alive, which was published by Alpha Systems. The book provides instructions for building hardware projects that work with the Atari 8-bit computers, such as event detectors, motion sensors, a light pen, Christmas lights, and networking computers together. The book has been scanned as is available at the Internet Archive. He wrote a followup book called Your Atari ST Comes Alive. He also wrote for Compute!, A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing and ST-Log magazines.

This interview took place November 8, 2015.

Teaser Quotes

"That was my first attempt at any writing of any kind. I didn't necessarily really know a whole lot. ... It was a lot of stumbling around trying to figure out what to do."

Links

Rick's web site -
http://www.rickleinecker.com

Your Atari Comes Alive -
https://archive.org/details/Your_Atari_Comes_Alive

Your Atari 8-Bit Comes Alive -
https://archive.org/details/Your_Atari_8_Bit_Comes_Alive

Richard's articles in Compute! Magazine -
http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/index/index.php?author=Richard+C.+Leinecker


ANTIC Interview 152 - Art Prag: Mapware, Starware, and Astrology (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 29 Mar 2016 - Size: 6.3 MByte - Duration: 13:48

Art Prag: Mapware, Starware, and Astrology

 

Art Prag, along with Harry Koons, published three programs with Atari

Program Exchange: Mapware, Starware, and Astrology. Harry Koons died

in 2005.

 

Mapware first appeared in the fall 1981 APX catalog, where it won

second place in the personal interest and development category. “With

the MAPWARE programs you can create a wide variety of high-resolution

world maps. MAPWARE already contains 9,000 pairs of geographic

coordinates for locating main land masses and islands on Earth. These

maps are useful for such applications as games and simulations,

tracking satellites, pointing amateur radio antennas, and teaching

geography and cartography.” The program came on two disks and cost

$20.95.

 

Starware first appeared in the spring 1982 APX catalog, on disk for

$17.95. “With STARWARE you can explore the heavens by way of your

Atari home computer. STARWARE displays the stars on your TV screen ...

Its 900 star coordinates accurately locate all the constellations in

both hemispheres.”

 

Astrology first appeared in the summer 1982 catalog, a program for

creating astrological charts. “With ASTROLOGY, the mysteries of the

zodiac, planetary positioning, natal charts, and rising signs will

unfold in your very own living room.” It cost $22.95.

 

This interview took place on January 30, 2016.


ANTIC Interview 151 - Jeff Johannigman (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 27 Mar 2016 - Size: 27.1 MByte - Duration: 59:12

Jeff Johannigman

Jeff Johannigman published his first two computer programs through Atari Program Exchange: Rabbotz and Snark Hunt. He went on to program the Atari ports of Mask of the Sun and Serpent's Star for Br0derbund, then worked on Relax for Synapse, GI Joe for EPYX, copy protection for Electronic Arts, and was producer of Master of Orion, published by MicroProse. Jeff is also one of the co-founders of the Game Developers Conference.

This interview took place on January 30, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"So the next day, an email goes out to everybody in the company. 'No more Atari ST software, period.' So, somebody has no realization that he totally sabotaged the Electronic Arts support for Atari ST with one phone call."

“[Dan Bunten] also gave me one of the best pieces of advice about game design back then. He said that what's important in making a good game is not what you put in; its what you keep out."

Links:

AtariMania's list of Jeff's Atari games -
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-johannigman-jeff_team_659_8_G.html


ANTIC Interview 150 - Leigh Zeitz, Epson Connection book (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 25 Mar 2016 - Size: 9.3 MByte - Duration: 20:16

Leigh Zeitz, Epson Connection book

Leigh Zeitz wrote the book The Epson Connection: Atari Edition, about using your Atari 8-bit computer with Epson printers; as well as a version of the book for the Commodore 64.

This interview took place on November 8, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

"IBM came out and said: 'Well guess what? As of next month we're not going to be creating any more IBM PCjrs.'"

"'Uh, Leigh, I probably don't even need to make this phone call, but we don’t need your book.'"

Links:

Epson Connection at
Archive.org
-
https://archive.org/details/The_Epson_Connection_Atari_Edition

Epson Connection at
AtariArchives.org
-
http://www.atariarchives.org/epson/

Lee's blog -
http://drzreflects.com


ANTIC Interview 149 - David Johnson, Popeye (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 23 Mar 2016 - Size: 7.0 MByte - Duration: 15:11

David Johnson, Popeye

David Johnson co-created the Atari 400/800/5200 version of Popeye, which was released by Parker Brothers.

This interview took place on November 9, 2015.

Teaser quote

"That was my first work experience. I really enjoyed it.  We were doing like 60, 70 hours a week."


ANTIC Interview 148 - Steve Baker: Defender, Stargate (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 20 Mar 2016 - Size: 23.2 MByte - Duration: 50:40

Steve Baker: Defender, Stargate

Steve Baker is well-known in the Atari world as having done the 400/800 and 5200 conversions of Defender.  He also did ports of Stargate for the 5200 and the 400/800.  Additionally, he developed Miniature Golf and Microgammon SB for the 400/800 and 5200, and Reversi and Gomuku for the 400/800.   He worked for Apple from 1980 to 1982, then for Atari from 82 to 84.  Steve also wrote games for the Apple II, the Atari 2600, the Intellivision, and the Commodore 64.

This interview took place on November 1, 2015.

Links:

Interview with 2600 Connection -
http://www.2600connection.com/interviews/steve_baker/interview_steve_baker.html

Defender video at YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiB_DttmN3Y

Defender at AtariMania -
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-defender_1561.html

Stargate for the 400/800 Video (YouTube) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI1iILhB9Dg


ANTIC Interview 147 -Mike Potter: Protector II, Shadow World, Nautilus, Chicken (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 18 Mar 2016 - Size: 18.3 MByte - Duration: 39:56

Mike Potter: Protector II, Shadow World, Nautilus, Chicken

Mike Potter ported several Apple II games to the Atari 8-bit computers

for Crystalware, including Protector. He later developed five programs

for Synapse Software: Protector, Protector II, Chicken, Nautilus and

Shadow World — in a one year period, with the combined sales of 93,000

copies.

 

In this interview we discuss Steve Hales and Ihor Wolosenko, both of

whom I previously interviewed. This interview took place October 22,

2015.

 

Teaser quote:

"Let's see, I got married in '84, and my brother-in-law had every

single one of my games pirated. And I was like, 'What? You have all my

games!'"

 

AtariMania's list of Mike's games -
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-potter-mike_team_1073_8_G.html

Mike’s web site, includes history and videos of people playing the Atari titles -
http://mikepotterhere.com


ANTIC Interview 146 - Arthur Leyenberger, Atari columnist (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 16 Mar 2016 - Size: 19.4 MByte - Duration: 42:27

Arthur Leyenberger, Atari columnist

Arthur Leyenberger wrote the "Outpost: Atari" column in Creative Computing magazine, the End User column in A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing, and the ST User column in ST-Log magazine. He was also editor of the Jersey Atari Computer Group newsletter.

This interview took place on November 10, 2015. 

Teaser quote:

"If I think about one thing that really captures that era, is that it was exciting. It was exciting, it was fun, it was something new, it was something you could share - you could join a user group, there were all these magazines. ... A lot of information out there, a lot of stuff to learn, a lot of stuff to have fun with and share."

Outpost: Atari in Creative Computing beginning Nov 1983

http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/index/index.php?author=Arthur+Leyenberger

The End User column in A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing

http://www.atarimagazines.com/analog/index/index.php?author=Arthur+Leyenberger

The ST User column in ST-LOG

http://www.atarimagazines.com/st-log/index/index.php?author=Arthur+Leyenberger


ANTIC Interview 145 - Jeff Bell, Atari coin-op (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 14 Mar 2016 - Size: 20.9 MByte - Duration: 45:45

Jeff Bell, Atari coin-op

Jeff Bell worked for Atari Games for 31 years. He stated in 1973 as a Pong inspector, then moved to the engineering department, specifying requirements for parts. He worked in IT and system administration, and did other jobs in his more than three decades with the company. He also ran the Itsy Bitsy Bulletin Board System.

This interview took place on November 7, 2015. In it, we discuss Bob Stahl, whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quote:

"People say Atari died in — what? — 1983? Didn't happen. Didn't happen. We were in Milpitas making video games. We made great video games."


ANTIC Interview 144 - Stephen Lawrow, Mac/65 assembler (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 12 Mar 2016 - Size: 22.8 MByte - Duration: 49:45

Stephen Lawrow, Mac/65 assembler

Stephen Lawrow created the Mac/65 assembler, which was published by Optimized Systems Software. Stephen became an employee of OSS, where he also worked on the company’s enhanced BASIC products, BASIC XL and BASIC XE.

This interview took place on November 1, 2015. In this interview we discuss Bill Wilkinson of OSS, whom I previously interviewed. 

Teaser quotes:

“I got so frustrated, I couldn’t wait till I got Mac/65 mature enough where it could start assembling itself. So that’s why it has a lot of compatibilities syntactically with the Atari Assembler/Editor.”

“A lot of us were not formally educated in software development. Because it just didn’t exist in the colleges at the time ... Algorithms, searching, and things like that — all that stuff happened after that.”


ANTIC Interview 143 - Bob Stahl, Atari receiving inspection and software quality (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 10 Mar 2016 - Size: 21.8 MByte - Duration: 47:37

Bob Stahl, Atari receiving inspection and software quality

Bob Stahl worked in the Atari home computer division, where he was the senior technician in the receiving inspection department, doing first article inspection. (He explains what that means in the interview.) He then moved to software quality engineering, testing produced software to make sure it looked right and worked correctly. Later, he was hired by Atari's coin-op division to do receiving inspection for that company. He also ran an Atari BBS called Modem Magazine.

In this interview we discuss Cassie Maas, whom I previously interviewed. This interview took place on November 1, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

"Biggest problem we had, of course, was the cassette tapes in the early days losing data ... Huge dropouts in the data stream, looking at the status signal through an oscilloscope. But we never found out exactly why, and you know that technology went away really quick."

"I took a 300 baud acoustic modem and a Mr. Microphone on one computer, and a stereo and a 300 baud acoustic modem on another, and we would send files from one corner of the garage to the other using FM frequencies over the airwaves."

InfoWorld article featuring Bob and Cassie

Modem Magazine BBS in Antic magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v3n5/communications.html


ANTIC Interview 142 - Clayton Walnum, A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing and ST-Log (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 08 Mar 2016 - Size: 13.9 MByte - Duration: 30:19

Clayton Walnum, A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing and ST-Log

Clayton Walnum was writer and editor at A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing and ST-Log magazines. He started out as technical editor at A.N.A.L.O.G., and was eventually executive editor of both magazines. Clayton wrote the C-manship column - an ongoing tutorial on the C programming language - as well as many, many other articles.

This interview took place on November 8, 2015. In the interview we talk about Lee Pappas, whom I previously interviewed.

Teaser quotes:

“The first day, he pointed out my desk and it was like a foot deep in submissions that they hadn’t gotten to yet. So my first job was to go through all of those submissions and find the stuff that looked interesting, and see what we might want to buy for the magazine.”

“At that point on the masthead I was listed as executive editor. I was pretty much single-handedly producing both A.N.A.L.O.G. and ST-Log.”

Clayton’s articles in A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/analog/index/index.php?author=Clayton+Walnum

Clayton’s articles in Start magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/st-log/index/index.php?author=Clayton+Walnum

AtariMania’s list of Clayton’s games:
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-walnum-clayton_team_1376_8_G.html


ANTIC Interview 141 - Bob Polin, Blue Max (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 06 Mar 2016 - Size: 10.5 MByte - Duration: 22:56

Bob Polin, Blue Max

Bob Polin was the programmer of Blue Max and Blue Max 2001 — both published by Synapse Software, and co-creator of Puzzle Panic with Ken Uston. He also wrote the game "Maxter Mind" which was published by Antic magazine.

This interview took place on February 15, 2016. In it, we discuss Ihor Wolosenko, whom I previously interviewed.

After we did this interview, Bob sent me the floppy disks containing the source code for Blue Max, which I was able to recover. There's a link to the source code in the show notes.

Teaser quote:

"I literally — when I do a game it's very, very intense where I day in and day out do it. I just burnt out, did nothing for a few years."

Blue Max source code:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/249933-blue-max-source-code-for-you/

AtariMania's list of Bob's games:
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-polin-bob_team_1070_8_G.html

Maxter Mind:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n7/MaxterMind.html

InfoWorld review of Blue Max:
https://books.google.com/books?id=uy8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA71#v=onepage


ANTIC Interview 140 - Steve Hales: Slime, Dimension X, Fort Apocalypse (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 04 Mar 2016 - Size: 36.1 MByte - Duration: 01:18:57

Steve Hales: Slime, Dimension X, Fort Apocalypse

Steve Hales published several games with Synapse Software: Slime, Dimension X, Fort Apocalypse, and Mindwheel. His first job was reverse engineering the Atari 2600 to create the Starpath Supercharger. His game for that platform was Suicide Mission, an Asteroids clone.

This interview took place on October 21, 2015. In it we discuss Ihor Wolosenko and Cathryn Mataga, whom I previously interviewed; and Mike Potter and Bob Polin, whose interviews are forthcoming. 

Steve has released the source code for Fort Apocalypse. He and I talked about the possibility of also releasing the code for his other games. In March 2016 he emailed me, "I did a deep look into my archives, and didn’t find anything useful. I have one more place to look, but its not near me at all, so it will take a few months to look." However, he does have Mindwheel running on a web site at
http://mindwheelgame.com
 and his more modern game, Squirrel Warz for iOS, is available at
http://www.squirrelwarz.com
. Check the show notes for those links as well as links to Steve's other projects.

Our interview starts with us talking about the recovery and scanning of the Star Raiders source code. Although he didn't create Star Raiders, Steve is the person who found the source code printout for Star Raiders in his files, and lent it to me to scan. 

Teaser quote:

"[Dimension X] didn't really come out that well. It was actually my first lesson in a failure of something that was fun."

"Solo developers of the time, their games were sometimes pretty great but sometimes mostly not. Electronic Arts brought, because of what Trip Hawkins learned, he brought the Hollywood studio system to the games industry."

Links:

Steve's web site:
http://www.igorlabs.com

Steve's SquirrelWarz game for iOS:
http://www.squirrelwarz.com

Steve on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/heyigor

AtariMania's list of Steve's games:
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-hales-steve_team_530_8_G.html

Halcyon Days interview with Steve:
http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/HALES.HTM

Fort Apocalypse Source Code:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/239792-fort-apocalypse-source-code-is-out/

Star Raiders source code:
https://archive.org/details/AtariStarRaidersSourceCode


ANTIC Interview 139 - Glenn Faden, Microsailing (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 02 Mar 2016 - Size: 5.7 MByte - Duration: 12:27

Glenn Faden, Microsailing

Glenn Faden published one program for the Atari 8-bit computers: Microsailing, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. Microsailing first appeared in the Spring 1983 APX catalog.

This interview took place on January 27, 2016.

Teaser quote:

“I got a lot of interesting feedback. One of the comments that I got back from people was that it was too difficult.”


ANTIC Interview 138 - Surfer Bob, Warez Sysop (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 29 Feb 2016 - Size: 19.4 MByte - Duration: 42:27

Surfer Bob, Warez Sysop

"Surfer Bob", real first name Carlos, ran The Pipeline BBS, an Atari bulletin board system that offered warez for download -- pirated software.

This interview took place on January 28, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"He didn't have anybody to back him up but he had a stun gun ... he had that in his pocket, and he walked up to Shlomo and grabbed him ... took out the stun gun and just, like, sparked it in his face."


ANTIC Interview 137 - David Stoutemyer, The Soft Warehouse (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 27 Feb 2016 - Size: 9.7 MByte - Duration: 21:13

David Stoutemyer, The Soft Warehouse

David Stoutemyer was co-founder of The Soft Warehouse, a company that specialized in mathematics software for several computer platforms. The company published three programs through Atari Program Exchange. Algicalc and Polycalc first appeared in the summer 1982 APX catalog for $22.95 each. Algicalc was described as a "valuable tool for students and teachers of algebra and calculus and for professionals who want a quick way to perform operations in symbolic algebra and calculus." It won third price in the education category in that catalog.

Polycalc was described as "a computational tool for performing symbolic algebra and calculus operations. It differs from ALGICALC in that POLYCALC supports polynomials that are generalized to permit fractional and negative powers of variables, and the program can use many unassigned variables, whereas ALGICALC can use only one. However, POLYCALC is essentially a polynomial system rather than a rational expression system."

Their third Atari program was Calculus Demon, which was first available in the fall 1982 catalog. It also cost $22.95, and was described as "a comprehensive tool for automatically deriving symbolic partial derivatives and indefinite integrals of expressions."

This interview took place on January 29, 2016.

Links:

Ways to implement computer algebra compactly by David Stoutemyer:
http://www.sigsam.org/bulletin/articles/178/stoutemyer.pdf

International Derive User Group:
http://www.austromath.at/dug/


ANTIC Interview 136 - David Crane, Pitfall!, Atari 400/800 OS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 25 Feb 2016 - Size: 21.9 MByte - Duration: 47:49

David Crane, Pitfall! and Atari 400/800 OS

David Crane started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600. He also worked on the operating system for the Atari 800 computer, as well as the games Outlaw and Howitzer, which were sold through APX.  David left Atari in 1979 and co-founded Activision, along with Alan Miller, Jim Levy, Bob Whitehead, and Larry Kaplan. While at Activision, he was best known as the designer of
Pitfall!

This interview took place October 23, 2015

Links

“Meet David Crane: Video Games Guru”, HI-RES Vol. 1, No. 2 / January 1984 / page 46 -
http://www.atarimagazines.com/hi-res/v1n2/davidcrane.php

David Crane Interview at Good Deal Games -
http://www.gooddealgames.com/interviews/int_David_Crane.html

PRGE 2015 - David Crane (Activision) - Portland Retro Gaming Expo -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbinkHyWde8


ANTIC Interview 135 - Bill Rice, HYSYS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 23 Feb 2016 - Size: 10.5 MByte - Duration: 22:58

Bill Rice, HYSYS

Bill Rice published one program in the Atari Program Exchange catalog: HYSYS, or Hydraulic Program. It was a tool that did calculations for sizing hydraulic systems and components. HYSYS first appeared winter 1982 APX catalog.

This interview took place on January 27, 2016

Teaser quote:

"So you can imagine with something like a hydraulic program, they're like 'No we've got our scientific calculators and we look really cool punching in these numbers. We're not going to get a home computer and do that.'"


ANTIC Episode 30 - Robots Have Taken Over! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 21 Feb 2016 - Size: 32.3 MByte - Duration: 01:10:29

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast: I cause a robot invasion in Portland, Bill Kendrick goes ultra-mega-retro gaming with Game ‘N Watch inspired games for the Atari, Randy wraps up the retrochallenge, and we still manage to keep the podcast under 3h 21m.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

Interview Discussion

News

New at Archive.org

Bill’s Modern Segment

Feedback

  • Reverse-engineered, extensively documented assembly language source code of STAR RAIDERS directly from the binary file of the ROM cartridge by Lorenz Wiest -
    http://github.com/lwiest/StarRaiders

 


ANTIC Interview 134 - Jerry Falkenhan, Finance Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 20 Feb 2016 - Size: 23.1 MByte - Duration: 50:27

Jerry Falkenhan, Finance Software

Jerry Falkenhan had three programs published by Atari Program Exchange: Family Cash Flow, Family Budget, and Family Vehicle Expense. Atari bought Family Cash Flow and Family Budget and packaged them as an Atari-branded product, Family Finances.

This interview took place on January 26, 2016.

Teaser quote:

"I get my first royalty check. I'll never forget: $35,000. I go down to Wells Fargo and they wouldn't cash the darn thing."

Picture of Jerry during our Skype session:
http://i.imgur.com/5y2yFMc.png

Inverse ATASCII podcast on Atari Family Finances:

http://inverseatascii.info/2015/01/27/s1e9-atari-family-finances/

Inverse ATASCII podcast on Family Vehicle Expense: 

http://inverseatascii.info/2015/10/13/s2e02-apx-family-vehicle-expense/


ANTIC Interview 133 - Bill Louden, CompuServe and GEnie (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 18 Feb 2016 - Size: 26.1 MByte - Duration: 57:05

Bill Louden, CompuServe and GEnie

Bill Louden was part of the team that built CompuServe, the first consumer online service, where he was director of the computing, games, entertainment, e-mail, chat, and forum products. He went on to be the founder of the GEnie online service (General Electric Network for Information Exchange.)

This interview took place October 15, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

"You know, we expected at CompuServe customers to spend $10 to $15 a month. ... We never expected people to come online and spend $1,200, $2,000 a month playing MegaWars."

"We're there to serve the customer so I want [a name] that sort of embodies a service configuration, and it's magical. It's something new. And the best name they came up with was Albert, for Albert Einstein. This cost me $50,000. I literally came home from that meeting crying."


ANTIC Interview 132 - Jerry Jewell, co-founder of Sirius Software (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 16 Feb 2016 - Size: 23.6 MByte - Duration: 51:33

Jerry Jewell, co-founder of Sirius Software

Jerry Jewell was co-founder of Sirius Software. Sirius published many Atari titles including Alpha Shield, Capture the Flag, Fast Eddie, Gruds in Space, Sneakers, Wavy Navy, and Wayout. The company was probably best known in the Apple ][ world, but also published software for the Commodore and other platforms - more than 160 titles in all.

This interview took place October 15, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

"In the latter days it got down to where a game would sell for two weeks, three weeks, and then it would die."

"It was like the boys hadn't discovered girls yet and my job was to keep them from doing that ... Whatever it took to keep these guys off the streets and away from alcohol and women, it would keep them busy, you know? Keep them programming."

On-Line and Sirius Finalize Merge Plans:
https://books.google.com/books?id=Hj0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6

AtariMania's list of Sirius software for Atari:
http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-sirius-software_publisher_1418_8_G.html


ANTIC Interview 131 - Bob Polaro, Atari Programmer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 14 Feb 2016 - Size: 10.9 MByte - Duration: 23:44

Bob Polaro

Bob Polaro was an Atari employee from 1978 through 1984, where he wrote several programs for Atari Program Exchange — very early programs in the APX catalog: Lemonade, Mugwump, Preschool Games, Reversi, Space Trek, and Dice Poker.  He also wrote the States & Capitals and European Countries & Capitals educational programs for the Atari computers, both published by Atari.  He programmed several games for the Atari 2600, including Defender and RealSports Volleyball.

This interview took place on January 22, 2016.

Teaser quote:

“At that time they were starting to request that we put in easter eggs, which kind of took the whole idea away. It was supposed to be hidden, and yet, it ended up being part of the design at some point.”

Links:

Bob’s web site:
http://www.polaro.com

Lemonade in Antic magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v4n6/lemonade.html


ANTIC Interview 130 - Dave Pratt, founder of Digital Vision (ComputerEyes) (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 12 Feb 2016 - Size: 20.5 MByte - Duration: 44:40

Dave Pratt, founder of Digital Vision (ComputerEyes)

Dave Pratt was founder of Digital Vision, the company that made ComputerEyes for the Apple //, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit computers. ComputerEyes was a slow-scan video digitizer that plugged into the joystick port (on the Atari version). You'd connect a video camera or VCR into the ComputerEyes box, and software on your computer would create a black-and-white or greyscale version of the image on the computer screen.

This interview took place October 12, 2015. After we did this interview, Dave set up a nice web site with a history of Digital Vision and photographs of the early products, at
www.Digital-Vision-Inc.com
.

Teaser quotes:

"Even just running tight machine language loops, it barely could keep up with that kind of rate pulling samples from the scan lines."

"That same signature from the very first scan -- literally the very first scan that was done by the prototype initial product -- literally, that same image was used to sign the company's checks for half a dozen years."

Digital Vision History site:
http://www.Digital-Vision-Inc.com

Dave’s personal web site:
http://www.dvpratt.com

Antic magazine review of ComputerEyes:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v4n8/VideoStar.html

ComputerEyes in Creative Computing magazine:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v11n7/70_Choosing_an_image_process.php


ANTIC Interview 129 - Thomas Hudson, Atari sales trainer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 10 Feb 2016 - Size: 27.8 MByte - Duration: 01:00:39

Thomas Hudson, Atari sales trainer

Thomas Hudson was a trainer for Atari, where he taught computer store owners and others about the Atari 8-bit computer line, and attended trade shows to show off Atari's computer products. Later he became a product manager for three products: light pen, touch tablet, and mouse. 

In this interview we discuss Andrew Soderberg, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on January 21, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"And one was this little device that you plugged into the thing, and you moved it around to control the cursor. And he said "I don't know what this mouse thing is, but nobody is ever going to use a mouse on a computer.'"

"He called me up at work, and in the unmistakable voice said, 'Tom, this is Alan Alda. I've run into a little problem, and I think you're the only person that can help me. ... I've got a bunch of friends coming over tonight, I wanted to show this program off to them...'"

Links

Tom's web site:
http://thehudsons.com/tom-and-patty/

Tom Swift fan fiction:
http://tomswiftfanfiction.thehudsons.com/TS-Yahoo/author-TH.html


ANTIC Interview 128 - Roger Hector, Atari’s Advanced Products Group (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 08 Feb 2016 - Size: 20.4 MByte - Duration: 44:29

Roger Hector, Atari’s Advanced Products Group

Roger Hector started at Atari back in 1976.  As a creative designer, he was originally hired by Pete Takaishi (Industrial Design Manager), before working in the Art Department, and then finally for Al Alcorn.  He managed Atari's Advanced Products Group and helped create the Cosmos system before leaving to co-found Videa with Howard Delman and Ed Rotberg.

This interview took place September 17, 2015.

Teaser Quotes:

  • “There’s a LOT of interesting stories!”
  • “There was an old saying around there, somewhat cynical, but they said ‘hey, we could make money faster than we can piss it away’”
  • “I think Atari was a place that deserved your fandom.”

Links:


ANTIC Interview 127 - Bob C., Software Pirate (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 06 Feb 2016 - Size: 21.2 MByte - Duration: 46:19

Bob C., Software Pirate

Bob C. was an Atari software pirate in New York who went by the moniker The Missing Link.

This interview took place on January 19, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"It's all I wanted to do. I skipped going on vacation with my parents because I wouldn't be able to dial into these bulletin boards and see what was going on and leave messages to my friends. It just got, got like a drug."

"Sometimes I say, 'Jesus, that ate up a lost of my life, what the hell was I thinking?' But, they were such fun times."


ANTIC Interview 126 - Peter Langston, LucasArts (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 04 Feb 2016 - Size: 29.9 MByte - Duration: 01:05:19

Peter Langston, LucasArts

Peter Langston was a founding employee at the game development company LucasArts, part of the team that created the Atari 8-bit games Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus. Peter composed Song Of The Grid, the memorable theme to Ballblazer. He also created the classic mainframe game Empire, and Oracle, the precursor to the Usenet Oracle (now called Internet Oracle.) Check his web site at
langston.com
 for an interesting collection of papers, scans of LucasArts articles, and related material.

This interview took place on January 16, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"I remember at one point, some magazine said that LucasFilm has the ... best computer graphics in the game industry. And Alvy Ray Smith said that the games industry had the worst computer graphics that LucasFilm had ever done."

Links

Peter's Web site:
http://langston.com/LFGames/

Internet Oracle:
http://internetoracle.org

Empire on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Classic

Peter Langston on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Langston

David Fox interview:
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-37-david-fox-lucas-artsrescue-on-fractalus


ANTIC Interview 125 - Tom Harker, ICD (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 02 Feb 2016 - Size: 21.8 MByte - Duration: 47:41

Tom Harker, ICD

Tom Harker was co-founder of ICD, a company that created many popular add-ons for the Atari 8-bit computers including P:R: Connection, U.S. Doubler, and SpartaDOS. Later, they created several upgrades for the Atari ST and Amiga computers, and the CatBox networking hardware for the Atari Jaguar.

According to a 1987 article in Antic magazine, "Tom Harker started ICD in his basement in Rockford, Illinois, with Mike Gustafson, who then lived in Minneapolis. The company was incorporated in 1984, with Harker as president and Gustafson as vice president in charge of development."

This interview took place on January 19, 2016.

Teaser quote:

“It started out, when we did the U.S. Doublers, I was assembling all of those myself and we were baking them in our oven. We potted them in epoxy so people wouldn’t copy it. ... I remember baking them to cure the epoxy in my oven. My wife loved it.”

Links

Tom’s ICD memorial site:
http://www.icd.com

Antic Magazine article about ICD:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v5n12/ICD.html


ANTIC Interview 124 - Jerry White, Atari author and programmer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 31 Jan 2016 - Size: 23.1 MByte - Duration: 50:24

Jerry White, Atari author and programmer

Jerry White was a prolific Atari software developer and writer. He published Player Piano, Bowler's Database, and other software for Atari Program Exchange. He wrote Poker S.A.M. and Chaterbee, two talking programs distributed by Don't Ask Software. He was co-author of the book The Atari User’s Encyclopedia, and wrote dozens of articles for Antic, A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing, Compute! and other magazines. He wrote two lessons in the Tricky Tutorial series, and was the founder of the Professional Atari Programmers Information Exchange (PAPIE).

This interview took place on January 1, 2016.

Teaser quotes:

"Believe it or not, I think I got to like 30 things on the market at one time. I was really hellbelt on quantity rather than shoot-em-up games, because I didn't want to really spend my time trying to develop another game."

"My income from the Atari stuff was more than I was making [at my day job.] So I retired from the job I was doing so I could develop software 24 hours a day, and yeah - I was an addict."

Links

List of Jerry White software

Jerry's articles in Antic magazine


ANTIC Interview 123 - Steve DeFrisco, Wing War, H.E.R.O. (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 30 Jan 2016 - Size: 18.9 MByte - Duration: 41:16

Steve Defrisco, H.E.R.O., Wing War

Hello and welcome to Antic, The Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig.  This is another in the continuing series of Atari 8-bit related interviews.  This time, we talk to a former game developer for the Atari 8-bits, Mr. Steve DeFrisco.  Steve worked for Imagic and Activision, working on porting such titles as H.E.R.O. (Helicopter Emergency Rescue Operation) and Wing War as well as developing software for the Intellivision and Atari 2600.  He also is the man doing the juggling in an Imagic video from 1983; link provided in the show notes.

Teaser Quote

“The next Spring, when my first game Tropical Trouble was done, was when Atari announced their big loss.  So, I put kind of a kibosh on the whole being a millionaire before I was 20.”

Links

Steve in Imagic Video (he’s the one doing the juggling for a few seconds beginning about 1:17 in) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3x6Idp8oT0

Steve’s Web Site -
http://www.stevedefrisco.com


ANTIC Interview 122 - Thomas Newton, Basic/XA and Keypad Controller (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 29 Jan 2016 - Size: 5.2 MByte - Duration: 11:17

Thomas Newton, Basic/XA and Keypad Controller

Thomas Newton, published two programs with Atari Program Exchange: Keypad Controller, software for reading the keypad game controllers from BASIC; and BASIC/XA, a set of add-ons for Atari BASIC programmers.

This interview took place December 11, 2015.


ANTIC Interview 121 - Arlan Levitan, writer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 27 Jan 2016 - Size: 31.7 MByte - Duration: 01:09:18

Arlan Levitan, writer

Arlan Levitan wrote for many computer magazines including Creative Computing and Compute!, where he wrote the Telecomputing Today and Levitations columns. He helped design the menu system and feature set of the AMIS bulletin board system, and hosted the first AMIS BBS at his house. He was heavily involved with MACE, the Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiast user group, and wrote the book The User's Guide to Atari 400, 800, 1200XL Computers, Software & Peripherals.

This interview took place on December 10, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

"They [Atari] were either, depending on how you want to look at it, very generous or very foolish with their money."

"It's not so much about the hardware, I think, as the people." 

Link:

Arlan's articles in Compute!:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/index/index.php?author=Arlan+R.+Levitan


ANTIC Interview 120 - Sandy Dwiggins, AtariLab manuals (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 24 Jan 2016 - Size: 14.2 MByte - Duration: 30:59

Sandy Dwiggins, AtariLab manuals

Sandy Dwiggins wrote the manuals for AtariLab - both the light and temperature modules - while she was an adjunct professor at Dickinson College, teaching Film Studies. She worked closely with Priscilla Laws, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on October 14, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“She [Priscilla Laws] found these two programmers who only came out at night and were barefoot all the time ... they didn’t take showers, they didn’t take baths, they didn’t do anything except sit in their nest.”

Links

AtariLab starter set/temperature module manual:
http://www.atarimania.com/documents/AtariLab_Starter_Set.pdf

AtariLab light module manual:
http://www.atarimania.com/documents/AtariLab_Light_Module.pdf


ANTIC Interview 119 - Andrew Soderberg, Atari Product Manager (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 22 Jan 2016 - Size: 20.4 MByte - Duration: 44:39

Andrew Soderberg, Atari Product Manager

Andrew Soderberg was a product manager at Atari from 1980 through August 1983. He oversaw projects including the XL line of computers, and De Re Atari. He was also production manager for several of Atari's TV commercials, one of which won a Clio award. He was a member of the team that build the first computer/laserdisc interactive kiosks for use in retail.

In this interview we discuss Tandy Trower, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on November 18, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“So here I am, 21 years of age, in New York City, being put up in the junior suite of the Plaza, for a week. It’s all been downhill ever since!”

Links:

Andrew’s web site:
https://about.me/AndrewSoderberg

Conversational French commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXZN9o7qlWU


ANTIC Interview 118 - Mike West, Pirate (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 20 Jan 2016 - Size: 13.8 MByte - Duration: 30:11

Mike West, Pirate

Mike West was an east coast software pirate who went by the handle “Jolly Roger.” He was — and still is — friends with Gary Walton, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on October 9, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“The whole thing was kind of bizarre. It’s like, on one side of their moth they would scream about piracy. On the other side of their mouth they would kind of — I don’t know, promote it in some way. It was very weird.”

“Piracy did not kill Atari. Atari killed Atari.”


ANTIC Episode 29 - Turtle-y Goodness (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 17 Jan 2016 - Size: 43.1 MByte - Duration: 01:34:09

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast: We explore the possibilities of new Atari software and hardware mods (yea faster Star Raiders explosions); and Randy delves into the turtle-y goodness of Atari Logo. Trigger warning: there may be some Amiga lust and gentle Apple // bashing in this episode.

Recurring Links

What we’ve been up to

News

  • Upcoming Shows:

New at Archive.org

Of the Month

Programming Languages Segment (Atari Logo)

Closing

 


ANTIC Interview 117 - Landon Dyer, Donkey Kong and Super Pac Man (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 15 Jan 2016 - Size: 28.9 MByte - Duration: 01:03:01

Landon Dyer, Donkey Kong and Super Pac Man

Landon Dyer started as a software engineer in the Atari home computer division in 1982, where he specialized in converting arcade games to the Atari 8-bits. There, he programmed the Atari 400/800 versions of Donkey Kong, and Super Pac Man — which was never officially released by Atari (but has been widely available for many years.) After the Tramiels bought Atari, he worked on the Atari ST, including BIOS boot code and the floppy disk driver. Landon’s blog, at
DadHacker.com
, has many interesting posts about his Atari days.

This interview took place December 9, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“In many ways, Atari marketing was completely divorced from the process of making games. They didn’t understand what programmers did, they didn’t understand what manufacturing cycles were.”

“To get ROMs made inside of Atari you had to go through a mastering lab. So basically you’d hand a couple of guys disks. They would disappear into their lab, smoke some dope, and come out with ROMs. And often, keep the disks.”

Link

Landon's web site:
http://www.dadhacker.com/blog/?p=987


ANTIC Interview 116 - Tom Briscoe, APX Software Evaluator (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 13 Jan 2016 - Size: 8.4 MByte - Duration: 18:23

Tom Briscoe, APX Software Evaluator

Tom Briscoe worked at Atari as an intern in the summer of 1981, where he evaluated the user-written software that had been submitted to Atari Program Exchange.

This interview took place on September 26, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“Hangman was sort of the obvious game for people to submit, and if I recall the obvious business application was the personal finance and record keeping ... budget programs.”


ANTIC Interview 115 - Bob Brass and Peter D’Amato, Cauzin Softstrip (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 11 Jan 2016 - Size: 22.8 MByte - Duration: 49:42

Bob Brass and Peter D’Amato, Cauzin Softstrip

If you read certain computer magazines from the early days of microcomputers — magazines like Byte, Family Computing, II Computing and InCider — you might see long, black-and-white strips of bar codes. Those are computer programs encoded for use with the Cauzin Softstrip reader.

Introduced in 1985, the Cauzin Softstrip was a hardware peripheral that attached to your Apple //, Macintosh, or IBM computer (there was no Atari version.) It optically read the printed two-dimensional bar codes, which were published in those magazines and in books - allowing you to quickly input data - for instance, inputting programs without having to laboriously type them in.

This interview is with two of the people at that company: Bob Brass was co-founder of Cauzin (along with Dr. Jack Goldman, who has passed away), and Peter D’Amato, who was Manager of OEM and VAR Support at Cauzin from 1984 through 1988.  

This interview took place on October 5, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“I remember being stumped. How are we going to get something with gears to move 1/100 of a degree? It just won’t happen because the slop in a gear would exceed that. ... I said, ‘That’s it. We’re going to have a spiral gear, and we’ll have the equivalent of a phonograph arm and it will track to a hundredth of a degree without a problem.’”

Links:

Softstrip information: https://web.archive.org/web/20180322081142/http://softstrip.info/

Scans and documentation at
Apple2Scans.net
http://www.apple2scans.net/2015/12/20/cauzin-softstrip-reader-manuals-software-etc/

1985 NY Times article about Cauzin:
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/15/science/personal-computers-supermarket-bar-codes-are-applied-to-software.html

Reverse Engineering The Cauzin Softstrip (thesis published October 2018, two years after this interview)


ANTIC Interview 114 - Jim Inscore, Atari Documentation Manager (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 09 Jan 2016 - Size: 9.5 MByte - Duration: 20:44

Jim Inscore, Documentation Manager

Jim Inscore was hired at Atari in 1981 as a writer in the marketing department, then became documentation manager, where he managed writers and production staff to produce technical and consumer documentation for Atari computer hardware and software.

This interview took place on December 9, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“A process where ... 12 different design firms came in and did 12 different versions of the packaging. Those of us who had been around for a while were just kinda sitting back and going ‘What is going on here? I don’t understand any of this.’”


ANTIC Interview 113 - Russ Wetmore, Preppie!, Sea Dragon, Homepak (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 05 Jan 2016 - Size: 26.6 MByte - Duration: 58:08

Russ Wetmore: Preppie!, Sea Dragon, Homepak

Russ Wetmore started at Adventure International, where he worked with Scott Adams on Savage Island Part II. He then went on to program Preppie!, Preppie! II, and Sea Dragon - all of which were published by Adventure International - and Homepak business software, which was published by Batteries Included.

This interview took place on September 24, 2015, and then a little bit more on January 4, 2016. 

After the main interview took place, Russ sent me the source code for Preppie!, Preppie! II, and Sea Dragon, plus an demonstration disk of an unfinished Atari game called Lulu. I successfully archived all of those disks and have posted them to
archive.org
. I also made a YouTube video of the Lulu demo. Links are below.

Links

Game source code

Video of Lulu

Lulu discussion and ATR download

AtariMania list of Russ Wetmore software

JavaScript version of Preppie

AtariAge discussion about the source code

Teaser quote:

“I actually only spent about 18 months writing those three games, and I probably would have done them in much sooner time, but I was 23 and lazy.”


ANTIC Interview 112 - Paul Lewandowski, APX Puzzler (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 02 Jan 2016 - Size: 8.2 MByte - Duration: 17:51

Paul Lewandowski, APX Puzzler

Paul Lewandowski was in high school when he wrote Puzzler, which was published by Atari Program Exchange and won the Atari Star Award in fall 1983: first prize in the learning category.

Puzzler is a game that shows you a picture on the screen, chops it into equally sized squares, and scrambles them. Then, the player uses the joystick to try to put the picture back together - like one of those plastic puzzles where you slide numbers around to put them in order. Puzzler had three difficulty levels: 4x4 was easy, 8x8 was hard, and 10x10 was “insane”.

This interview took place on December 9, 2015

Teaser quote:

“The whole thing was such a great idea ... having users write programs. It was so ahead of its time.” 

Links

APX catalog featuring Puzzler

Puzzler download at
AtariArchives.org

Paul on Twitter


ANTIC Interview 111 - Clinton Parker, Action! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 31 Dec 2015 - Size: 26.5 MByte - Duration: 57:53

Clinton Parker, Action!

Welcome to this special interview edition of Antic, the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  All of our interviews are special in some way and we appreciate the time that the interviewees donate to the Atari 8-bit community at large.  This interview is a much-anticipated one due to the beloved nature of the software provided by the interviewee and due to the fact that the he has been away from the Atari 8-bit community for some time.  The software I’m talking about is the Action! programming language and the author is Clinton Parker.  Action! was released in 1983 by Optimized Systems Software (better known as OSS).  It quickly became one of the favorite programming languages ever produced for the Atari 8-bits and was used in the development of some commercial products.  The 6502 source code for Action! was made available under the GNU General Public License by the author in 2015.

This interview took place on September 6, 2015 via Skype.

Teaser Quotes

“It was an opportunity for me having a platform, which is what the Atari was to me.  It provided a platform where I could sit down and literally design a language that I liked and that had the features I liked.”

“It was selling well enough that I was able to for several years to pretty much make a living off the royalties of the sales of it.”

Links

Action! Review in ANALOG -
http://www.cyberroach.com/analog/an16/action.htm

HI-RES VOL. 1, NO. 4 / MAY/JUNE 1984 / PAGE 72 -
http://www.atarimagazines.com/hi-res/v1n4/action.php
 

Action! at SourceForge -
http://sourceforge.net/projects/atari-action/
 

Action! Source at Archive.org -
https://archive.org/details/ActionVersion36_SourceCode


ANTIC Interview 110 - Peter Meyer, Tempest, Venture, Delta Space Arena (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 29 Dec 2015 - Size: 15.1 MByte - Duration: 32:55

Peter J. Meyer - Tempest Xtreem, Venture, Delta Space Arena

The intro music to this episode is the tune “Mind’s Eye” from the Atari XL/XE version of Tempest Xtreem; composed by Sal KJMANN Esquivel.  Our guest for this interview is the author of Tempest Xtreem, as well as Delta Space Arena and Venture for the Atari 8-bits, Mr. Peter J. Meyer.  Peter has done a great job of developing game software for the Atari in the modern era and continues to develop additional software.  His software is available at Video 61 and Atari Sales, run by Lance Ringquist.  Please enjoy the interview and let Peter know you appreciate the work he continues to do for the Atari 8-bits.

Teaser Quote:

“I was on my Atari and my friends brought over this Nintendo system and they said ‘Oh, your Atari will never be able to do anything like this!’”

Links:

Video 61 and Atari Sales -
http://members.tcq.net/video61/main.html

Delta Space Arena at YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW_9myJ2Cu0

Tempest Xtreem Music (Mind’s Eye) by Sal Esquivel -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq3XaGBPc60

Tempest Xtreem at YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbpN4cMnQrw

Download of Tempest Xtreem -
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-tempest-xtreem_23225.html

Venture at YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hpmD5LQcoE

Antic Episode 26 with Bill’s Modern Segment on Tempest, Venture, Delta Space Arena -
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-episode-26-100-episodes-and-counting

 


ANTIC Interview 109 - Larry Reed, Childware (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 27 Dec 2015 - Size: 14.2 MByte - Duration: 30:54

Larry Reed, Childware

Larry Reed was a programmer for Childware, where he worked on two educational games for the Atari 8-bit computers: Word Flyer and D-Bug, both of which were published by Electronic Arts.

This interview took place December 6, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

"I'll tell you, working with FORTH on the Atari was great until we exceeded the memory capability of the Atari, and then it was a royal pain in the ass."

"'Anybody who thinks there is a distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either.'"

LINK

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-childware-inc_developer_298_8_G.html


ANTIC Interview 108 - Tony Nicholson & John Babinchak II, Hi-Res Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 25 Dec 2015 - Size: 14.3 MByte - Duration: 31:18

Tony Nicholson and John Babinchak II, Hi-Res Magazine

In this episode, two interviews for the price of one: two people who helped create Hi-Res Magazine — the computer magazine that only published four issues. First, we’ll hear from Tony Nicholson, the publisher of Hi-Res magazine; then John Babinchak, the editor of the  magazine.

Hi-Res was a short-lived magazine dedicated to Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 computers. It was published from late 1983 to early 1984. Although they didn’t publish months on the cover, I believe the first issue would have have a cover date of November 1983. Subsequent issues would have been January 1984, March 1984, and the final issue was May 1984. Hi-Res came to the Atari magazine party late in the game, fighting against magazines with established advertiser and subscriber bases. A.N.A.L.O.G. magazine started in January 1981, and ANTIC magazine’s first issue was April 1982. Creative Computing was starting its tenth year around that time. 

You can read all four issues of Hi-Res at
www.atarimagazines.com/hi-res/
.

The interview with Tony took place September 24, 2015, the interview with John on September 29.

LINKS

Hi-Res at
AtariMagazines.com
:
www.atarimagazines.com/hi-res/
.

Hi-Res at
archive.org
:
https://archive.org/details/@savetz?and[]=hi-res%20magazine


ANTIC Interview 107 - Kevin Hayes, Atari Games Ireland (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 22 Dec 2015 - Size: 26.3 MByte - Duration: 32:50

Kevin Hayes, Atari Games Ireland

On this interview episode, we take a trip to Ireland, and to the coin-op side of Atari. Kevin Hayes was Controller for Atari Irerland Ltd. in 1978, then became manufacturing director. Later he moved to California where he was VP of Manufacturing for Atari Games, then vice president of Operations.

This interview was recorded December 7, 2015.

Teaser quote:

"They had goats grazing on our property, and ... he killed one of their goats, he slaughtered it. ... the owner of the goat came on the property and wanted to be compensated for it."


ANTIC Episode 28 - Holiday Gift Guide, Archive.org Telethon (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 18 Dec 2015 - Size: 98.0 MByte - Duration: 01:47:02

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast: our annual holiday buying guide for Atari 8-bit lovers, we announce the winner of the interview transcription contest, I test all of the BBUC game contest entries, and we outright start bribing people to donate to archive.org.

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

What we’ve been up to

News

New at Archive.org

Holiday Recommendations

Of the Month

Programming Languages Segment

Closing


ANTIC Interview 106 - Alan Ackerman, MPP (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 14 Dec 2015 - Size: 49.0 MByte - Duration: 01:01:13

Alan Ackerman, MPP

Alan Ackerman co-founded Microbits Peripheral Products (MPP) with John Wiley. MPP made modems and printer interfaces for the Atari 8-bit computers. MPP also published software: Microfiler and Assault Force 3-D. The company would re-structure to become Supra, a giant in modems which became the largest hardware manufacturer for Commodore Amiga computers.

This interview took place on October 2, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“The volumes got to be insane. ... You know, at that point if we had a product we were selling 5,000 units a month, we thought that was pretty damn good.”


ANTIC Interview 105 - Alan Stratton, plant controller (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 12 Dec 2015 - Size: 28.0 MByte - Duration: 34:58

Alan Stratton, plant controller

Alan Stratton was Atari’s plant controller, managing the financial functions in the El Paso, Texas manufacturing facility. He was also involved with the infamous dumping of game cartridges in the Alamogordo, New Mexico dump.

This interview took place on October 2, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“A rumor got out that we were going to search people as thy left the floor, as they left shift. Later that evening as we went into the lavatories, the floors were littered with cartridges and PC boards that were fully functional.”

“This was all planned in advance, until the landfill opened up a brand new cut - a brand new area - so that we could be on the very, very bottom.”

“If I had an auditor come in, I’d sit him down at an Atari game console or my computer, and have him play some games. Boy that audit went sweet after that.”


ANTIC Interview 104 - Aric Wilmunder, Star Raiders II, Temple of Apshai (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 10 Dec 2015 - Size: 63.9 MByte - Duration: 01:19:48

Aric Wilmunder: Star Raiders II, Temple of Apshai

Here’s how Aric Wilmunder introduced himself to me: “When The Last Starfighter didn’t do well in the theaters and marketing re-branded the Atari 800 Last Starfighter game as Star Raiders II, they didn’t take into account that there was already an actual sequel to Star Raiders that was just a few months away from completion.  I was the designer and solo engineer who worked for about a year on the project as a member of an R&D team inside Atari Coin-Op.  A friend helped me copy the disk image a few years back and when I saw Steve Hales post your tweet about the source code [for Star Raiders] I thought there might be some interest.

“The game was close to being finished, but there were still parts that needed polishing like the enemy AI, so I’ve been hesitant to release it since it might be judged as a finished work. I’d hate to wait 30 years to release the game just to get a bad review.”

Aric Wilmunder started writing programs on the Exidy Sorcerer computer, then worked at Automated Simulations, writing the Atari 8-bit conversions of Star Warrior; Crush, Crumble, and Chomp; and Temple of Apshai. Next he worked at Atari’s corporate research department, where he worked on Chris Crawford’s Gossip game. Then, in the R&D department at Atari coin-op, he created Star Raiders II for the Atari 8-bit computers — a game that was never finished nor released. Later he worked at LucasFilm games, where his work included the XEGS version of Ballblazer.

This interview took place December 5, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“A music video on the Atari 800. So it was video and art being displayed on the Atari 800 that was in sync with music that was playing off of a CD.”

“[In Star Raiders] Because you’re targeting the Xylons, you’re putting them in your crosshairs, you’re actually their A.I. ... All they had to do was this very simple A.I. to move around, and the closer you track them, the more accurate they become. ... [Doug Neubauer] let the player fight themselves.”

LINKS

Download Star Raiders II ATR file and documentation (click Show All):
https://archive.org/details/StarRaidersII_Wilmunder 

Video of unreleased, unfinished Star Raiders II:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb03mSdMaYc 

Aric’s web site:
http://www.wilmunder.com/Arics_World/1980s.html 

Custom PC Magazine article about SCUMM and interview with Aric (see page 86):
http://issuu.com/duongkim/docs/custom_pc_-_2015.10 

AtariAge discussion about Star Raiders II:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/246591-wilmunders-star-raiders-ii-released/ 


ANTIC Interview 103 - Courtney Goodin, Compu=Prompt Teleprompter (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 08 Dec 2015 - Size: 79.7 MByte - Duration: 01:27:01

Courtney Goodin, Compu=Prompt teleprompter

Compu=Prompt was the first electronic, personal computer based teleprompter, which ran off of an Atari 800XL computer. It was created by Courtney Goodin, who won an Emmy award for it, for “Pioneering Development in Electronic Prompting.”

He also created the Atari graphics programs Color Print and Graphic Master, both of which were distributed by Datasoft.

This interview took place on December 4, 2015.

Teaser Quotes:

“This software is probably one of the most expensive pieces of software sold that ran on the Atari.”

“We sold systems to companies like IBM, we sold to JC Penney, we sold them to the Defense Intelligence Agency - the government.”

LINKS

Photos of the device from the eBay listing:
http://imgur.com/a/oc6S6

Device on eBay

Proprompt:
http://proprompt.com

1984 InfoWorld article mentioning Compu=Prompt

Antic magazine article about Color Print and Graphic Master:
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n10/ComputerArt.html


ANTIC Interview 102 - Anthony Jones, Atari UK (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 06 Dec 2015 - Size: 36.4 MByte - Duration: 39:48

Anthony Jones, Atari UK

Anthony Jones was general manager of Atari’s headquarters in the United Kingdom. Later he moved to the United States, where he was group product manager in the marketing arm. There he worked on the Mindlink controller, a controller for the Atari that strapped to your forehead with a headband. Later, he worked at Nolan Bushnell’s Catalyst Technologies incubator.

This interview took place on September 22, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“As opposed to a video game where it gets faster and faster as you go on the game (in the older games at least) this one was kind of the opposite: the more you relaxed, the higher your score cranked. It was quite a surreal experience.”


ANTIC Interview 101 - Forrest Mozer, Pioneer in Digitized Speech (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 02 Dec 2015 - Size: 43.6 MByte - Duration: 47:34

Forrest Mozer, Pioneer in Digitized Speech

Forrest Mozer invented and patented the first integrated circuit speech synthesizer in 1974. He licensed this technology to TeleSensory Systems, which used it in the Speech+ talking calculator. Later, National Semiconductor also licensed the technology, used for its "DigiTalker" speech synthesizer.

In 1984, Mozer founded Electronic Speech Systems to develop and market speech synthesis products. In 1994, Mozer and his son Todd, founded Sensory Circuits, Inc., now Sensory, Inc., where they developed the RSC-164 speech recognition integrated circuit.  Mozer has 17 US patents in the areas of speech synthesis and speech recognition.

Electronic Speech Systems did the work to add digitized speech to several games for the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 computers. You can hear digitized speech created by ESS in the Atari versions of Kennedy Approach by MicroProse, 221B Baker Street by Datasoft, and Ghostbusters by Activision.

The Atari versions often had fewer spoken phrases than the Commodore 64 ports of the same games — probably due to the Atari’s smaller amount of RAM and floppy disk capacity vs. the C64. For instance, The Atari version of Ghostbusters says the title, but leaves out “He slimed me!” Commodore talking games - thanks to ESS - also included — among others — Talking Teacher by Imagic, Solo Flight by MicroProse, Friday the 13th by Domark, Desert Fox by Accolade, and Impossible Mission by Epyx.

Thanks to Mark Keates for extensive background information for this interview. Keates has created a pair of demos for the Atari, in which he ported the Commodore 64 digitized speech from Ghostbusters and Impossible Mission to play on the Atari computers.

This interview took place on September 14, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“You spent a long time. You spent — to produce a minute of speech, you would spend ... it would be many hours of work.”

LINKS

Wikipedia on Mozer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_S._Mozer

Article about Access Software, speech in Beach-Head:
http://www.filfre.net/2014/08/access-software/

Interview with Dennis Caswell of Impossible Mission:
http://www.mayhem64.co.uk/interview/caswell.htm

Aiming High - A Biography of Masayoshi Son:
http://amazon.com/dp/B00F77T9A8/?tag=ataripodcast-20

Ghostbusters audio clips:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/32274-ghostbusters/#entry3339309

Impossible Mission audio clips

 


ANTIC Interview 100 - Bryan Edewaard, Castle Crisis (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 30 Nov 2015 - Size: 32.6 MByte - Duration: 40:42

Bryan Edewaard

Bryan Edewaard briefly worked with Atari and with ICD.  In 2004, 20 years after the 5200 was cancelled, he wrote the homebrew game "Castle Crisis" and released it on Atari Age for the 5200 and for the 400/800. Castle Crisis is a clone of the arcade game "Warlords".

Bryan lives on a 300 acre farm in Costa Rica with full lodging facilities. He's planning to host classic gaming retreats in the future and welcomes inquiries from people who would like to visit the area. His user name is Bryan on AtariAge or he can be contacted at
bryede@yahoo.com
.

I want to apologize for a couple of quality issues that I ran into with this interview.  First of all, I had a cold at the time of the interview and this affected my voice.  Secondly, a Costa Rican rain storm came up during the interview and while I attempted to remove the noise of the rain on the metal roof, it did affect the quality of portions of Bryan’s speech.

This interview was conducted on July 11, 2015.

Links

Atari 5200 Super System review of the video game "Castle Crisis" -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOiE9LXu7Qw

Interview with Bryan on The Atari Times -
http://www.ataritimes.com/index.php?ArticleIDX=432

Castle Crisis (5200) on AtariAge Store -
https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=262

Castle Crisis (400/800) on AtariAge Store -
https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=274

Castle Crisis (8-bit)  on YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsGkNe8xcQs

Castle Crisis at AtariMania -
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-castle-crisis_19788.html

 


ANTIC Interview 99 - Jeff Osorio, Atari Manager of Financial Planning and Cost Accounting (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 27 Nov 2015 - Size: 36.4 MByte - Duration: 39:45

Jeff Osorio, Atari Manager of Financial Planning and Cost Accounting

Jeff Osorio was Manager of Financial Planning and Cost Accounting at Atari from 1981 through 1984. He was responsible for establishing cost accounting and financial planning functions with a staff of 11 and an annual department budget of more than $1 million.

This interview took place September 22, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“The one that everybody is always interested in is E.T. And I actually have the distinction of having signed the scrap ticket to write them all off and run them through the crusher.”

“He calls me on Monday morning in a panic, and he goes, ‘Jeffrey, where’s all my stuff? ... I’m at the warehouse and it’s empty. All the stuff is gone.’ ... A 100,000 square foot warehouse that was packed to the gunnels with manufacturing equipment on Friday, and on Monday morning it was empty.”


ANTIC Interview 98 - Gary Walton, Atari Store Owner and Pirate (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 23 Nov 2015 - Size: 66.1 MByte - Duration: 01:12:12

Gary Walton, Atari Store Owner and Pirate

Gary Walton owned Discount Video And Computers, a large Atari dealership in Fort Pierce, Florida, and was involved in the Atari software piracy scene. Gary is one of the people who helped me find Glenn the 5200 Man, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on September 12, 2015. The New York Yankees lost both games in its double-header with the Toronto Blue Jays that day.

This interview contains adult language and content.

Teaser quotes:

“One day I call up there and I don’t get ahold of him, instead I get ahold of his mother. And I was like, ‘Yes ma’am, may I please speak with Robert [Jaeger]?’ And she’s like ‘Who are you?!’ ‘I’m a friend of Robert’s.’ ... ‘Are you one of those computer pirates?! You know, these computer pirates are getting Robert in trouble and he’s only 16 years old. He doesn’t need this type of trouble!’ screaming at me.”

“They were accusing him of having robbed more than $150,000 worth of phone services.”

“‘Tell you what we’re going to do. I want you to put your disk collection in one big box. And it better be everything!’ He goes, ‘And I’m going to be by your house in 15 minutes to pick up that box.’”


ANTIC Interview 97 - Brad Fuller, Composer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 Nov 2015 - Size: 30.8 MByte - Duration: 33:38

Brad Fuller, Composer

Brad Fuller started at Atari as audio engineer in the home computer division, where he composed music and sounds for Superman, Donkey Kong, E.T., Robotron, and other games. Then, in the coin-op division he composed music and sounds for Marble Madness, Klax, S.T.U.N. Runner, Rolling Thunder, Paperboy, Xybots, Blasteroids, 720°, and many other arcade games.

This interview took place September 2, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“You know, you’d map out: OK, we’re going to start developing in September ... then maybe we can play test and beta. And over here, two years from now, it’ll be fun. This is when it’ll be fun. Well, you can’t plan that.”

Links: 

Brad’s web site:
http://www.bradfuller.com/about.html


ANTIC Interview 96 - Bill Mensch, 6502 Chip (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 18 Nov 2015 - Size: 63.5 MByte - Duration: 01:09:19

Bill Mensch, 6502 chip

Bill Mensch is co-creator of the 6502 chip, the microprocessor that’s the heart of the Atari 8-bit computers, the Apple ][, Commodore 64, and many other classic computers. 

This interview occurred August 6, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“These guys at Motorola aren’t going to do the microprocessor that we need to do: that is a low-end microprocessor to complete with the Intel 4040 which sold for about $29.”

“I had a bet with Rod Orgle, and Rod Orgle said the 6501 would outsell the 6502.”

“I’m in empowerment technology. I want to empower people to do their idea. That’s what I did for Chuck [Peddle], that’s why he came to me.”

“Now, you’d think that I was a big fan of Apple, and I’m not. The reason why I’m not is they killed off the Apple II to make room for the Macintosh.”

“All of those old brands — Apple II, Commodore, Atari, and the old Nintendo — could all come back to life, with the right relationships. And we have the technology.”

Links:

Bill and Dianne Mensch Foundation:
http://themenschfoundation.org

Western Design Center:
http://www.westerndesigncenter.com

My interview with David Cramer, Western Design Center:
http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-29-david-cramer-western-design-center


ANTIC Interview 95 - Keithen Hayenga, 5200 Tempest (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 12 Nov 2015 - Size: 44.3 MByte - Duration: 01:04:32

Keithen Hayenga, 5200 Tempest

Keithen Hayenga worked for both Apple and Atari and was an Apple II and Atari software programmer. While at Atari, Keithen worked on RealSports Baseball and several other unpublished projects such as Tempest for the Atari 5200, which he later completed and is currently available on AtariAge.

Teaser Quote

“Their answer was of course ‘well we had Keithen, the best in the business’.  So, it’s like, I was ALMOST in a movie!”

Links

5200 Tempest at AtariAge

Information on the Unfinished 5200 Tempest Prototype at AtariProtos.com

Keithen Interview at Good Deal Games


ANTIC Episode 27 - Contest!, PRGE (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 04 Nov 2015 - Size: 87.9 MByte - Duration: 02:08:03

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast: we talk about the release of the Star Raiders source code, how to set up an Atari club of your own, and lust over the 1400XL and 815 dual floppy drive.

Don’t forget, we have a contest going this month!  Whoever transcribes the most ANTIC interviews from 11/1/15 to 11/30/15 will win a Defender cartridge for the Atari 400/800/XL/XE computers signed by none other than Steve Baker, the person who converted the game from the arcade version!  Check with Kevin (
kevin@savetz.com
) to see what interviews need to be transcribed.

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevins Book “Terrible Nerd”

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge

Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge

ANTIC Facebook Page

 

What we’ve been up to

Tricky Tutorials -
http://www.atarimania.com/documents/Tricky-Tutorials-1-6.pdf

Atlanta Maker Faire -
http://makerfaireatl.com/
 

Star Raiders Source Code -
https://archive.org/details/AtariStarRaidersSourceCode

Portland Retro Gaming Expo -
http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/

 

News

AtariNet released by Slor (James Wilkinson) -
http://www.atarinet.com/
,
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/243627-atarinet-binaries-available-for-download/

MULE Board game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/182619/mule-board-game

Rose City Atari Club, Portland, OR, Nov. 19, 2015 -
http://calagator.org/events/1250469257

Popeye Arcade 8-bit conversion, courtesy of Homesoft, posted by miker -
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/242051-popeye-arcade-8-bit-conversion/

Atari 8-bit emulator for the original Xbox -
http://atariteca.blogspot.com/2015/08/atarixlbox-emulador-de-computadora.html

new game Quarrion -
http://matosimi.websupport.sk/atari/2015/10/quarrion/

New Podcast - The Wizards of Odyssey 2 -
https://www.facebook.com/TheWizardsOfOdyssey2Podcast

How to transfer files from PC to Atari with Turgen System -
http://atariteca.blogspot.com/2015/03/como-transferir-archivos-de-pc-atari.html
,
http://turgen.sourceforge.net/

Pro(c) Issue #7 -
http://proc-atari.de/

1400XL for sale on ebay by bob1200xl on AtariAge -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-8-bit-1400XL-computer-tested-400-800-1200XL-600XL-800XL-/262103742364?hash=item3d0699b79c:g:PPUAAOSw5ZBWJn3c
,
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/244786-1400xl-on-ebay/

ABBUC Software Contest Update -
http://www.abbuc.de/atari/software-ressort/81-software/softwarewettbewerbe/1764-software-wettbewerb-2015

SIO2PC-USB v1.0 Atari XL XE (KIT) + 2' USB Cable + Software DVD -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281710881072

ProGamer Magazine (7800) -  
http://www.retroriginals.co.uk/

Update on the company that calls itself Atari -
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/atari-boss-promises-to-fix-its-video-game-mistakes/0157801

 

New at Archive.org

 

 

A+ Programming in Atari BASIC by John M. Reisinger -
https://archive.org/details/APlusProgrammingInAtariBasic

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

Callisto

 

HAR'em

X:8

 

ABBUC contests

Zybex

 

Life Force (Nintendo)

 

Of the Month

Website: Benj Edwards Inside The Atari 800 on PCWorld -  
http://www.pcworld.com/article/181421/inside_atari_800.html#slide1

Software:F-15 Strike Eagle by Sid Meier & MicroProse -
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-f-15-strike-eagle_1916.html

Hardware: The Atari 815 disk drive -
http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8bits/400800/815/815.html

 

Closing

Album “Have You Played Atari Today” by Tony Longworth -
www.tonylongworth.com
,
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tonylongworth10


ANTIC Interview 94 - Bill Hogue, Miner 2049er (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 29 Oct 2015 - Size: 24.5 MByte - Duration: 26:46

Bill Hogue, Miner 2049er

Bill Hogue was founder of Big Five Software. He was programmer of the hit 1982 game Miner 2049er, and its sequel Bounty Bob Strikes Back!.

This interview took place on August 31, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“I tried to cram as much color in there as I possibly could, because it was all fresh and new to me.”

“I’d forgotten how all the bank selecting and anti-piracy stuff worked that I put into it. . . so I had to spend hours, if not days, breaking my own code.”

LINKS

AtariMania’s list of Bill’s games

Interview with Bill at trs-80.org

Electronic Games Magazine 1983 interview with Bill

Creative Computing's review of 2049er

 


ANTIC Interview 93 - Gerri Brioso: Halftime Battlin' Bands, Coco-Notes, Movie Musical Madness (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 22 Oct 2015 - Size: 67.9 MByte - Duration: 01:24:43

Gerri Brioso: Halftime Battlin' Bands, Coco-Notes, Movie Musical Madness

Gerri Brioso is part of The Dovetail Group, a company that created three children’s games for the Atari 400/800 and Commodore 64 computers. All three games were released in 1984: they were Halftime Battlin' Bands, Coco-Notes, and Movie Musical Madness, all of which were released by CBS software.

Wikipedia says "These games are notable as they represent some of the earliest examples of the music management subgenre of music video games." The games were also notable because each of those games included a plastic record album, playable on a phonograph, which served as the games’ instruction manuals. The characters in the games and records — Swivel Hips, Wahoo, and Mr. Bass Man — made up a fictional band called The Jazz Scats.

This interview occurred on July 30 and 31, 2015.

Teaser quotes

“They made it doubly hard for us because they suddenly wanted us to not just create for the Atari platform, but to also create for the Commodore platform. So the work became double ... and suddenly deadlines were not being met.”

“Rich had to hold me back because my hands were going around the computer programmer’s throat. I thought I would kill him. ... Where’s the backup? He said, ‘I was just getting ready to back it up.’ I was like, “You didn’t back it up in stages? What, are you crazy?!”  

Links:

Brioso’s web site

Jazz Scats record albums

Photo of the Jazz Scats

 


ANTIC Interview 92 - Alan Murphy, Atari Animator (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 20 Oct 2015 - Size: 34.0 MByte - Duration: 37:09

Alan Murphy, Atari Animator

Alan Murphy was Senior Animator at Atari, where we worked from 1980 through 1987. Alan created the graphics for the Atari 8-bit versions of Defender, Xevious, Galaxian, Countermeasure, Pac Man for the Atari 5200, Demons to Diamonds for the 2600, and many other games. He also worked with engineers at Atari Research on research projects and prototyping, and designed specs for game art and animation systems.

This interview took place June 15, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“So I did these animations of Mr. and Mrs. Pac Man going across the screen and then they came back the other way and there were little babies. Namco came along and said 'uh-uh...that's a little too suggestive.'”

“As far as I know, I think that was the first easter egg by an artist.”

Links:

Countermeasure Easter Egg

Animated Gauntlet Commercial

 


ANTIC Interview 91 - Adam Billyard, Chop Suey/ElektraGlide (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 18 Oct 2015 - Size: 26.6 MByte - Duration: 38:45

Adam Billyard, Chop Suey/ElektraGlide

Adam Billyard's first three games for the Atari 8-bit computers were "Bellum", "Henri", and "Chop Suey,".  Bellum was published through the Atari Program Exchange, although Adam never received any royalty from Atari for it.  "Chop Suey" was one of the first modern-stil fighting games for the Atari 800. He followed this up with a pair of three-dimensional games: "ElektraGlide," a racing game for the Atari 8-bit; and "Q-Ball” for the Atari ST.

If you’re not familiar with any of these games, it's probably because you live in the U.S. Three of his five games were originally released by the U.K.-based English Software and received more publicity in Europe than the versions distributed by Mindscape in the States.

This interview took place May 15, 2015.

Teaser Quote:

“Years later they said ‘did you not get the check for $30?’ which I thought was just completely bizarre.”

Links:

Adam’s Polystream, the next generation of fully streamed interactive entertainment

Adam’s Interview at Halcyon Days


ANTIC Interview 90 - Glenn the 5200 Man (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 16 Oct 2015 - Size: 41.5 MByte - Duration: 51:51

Glenn The 5200 Man

Glenn Botts is better known to Atari 8-bit users as "Glenn The 5200 Man.” Glenn was perhaps the most widely-known Atari software cracker, because he had a unique specialty. Most pirates removed copy protection from software, making it so it was copyable and able to be shared for free. Glenn’s skill was in taking games that were developed for the Atari 5200 game system, and converting them so they would run on the Atari 8-bit computers.

Many of the games created for the Atari 5200 were not released for the computers, so Glenn’s system conversion cracking had the unique effect of creating games for the Atari computers that otherwise would not have existed.

The Atari 5200 was very similar in architecture to the Atari computers, but not 100% compatible — for one thing, the 5200 carts physically didn’t fit into the Atari computers. Also, the joysticks were very different, with the 5200 using analog joysticks and the computers using digital joysticks.

This is the first time that Glenn’s identity has been revealed to the general public.

This interview took place September 11, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“It was so easy that it actually was very annoying that Atari themselves never would release these games on the 800.”

Links:

Glenn on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Amiga_4000

Glenn on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Amiga4000


ANTIC Interview 89 - Bruce Poehlman, The Last Starfighter/Star Raiders II (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 14 Oct 2015 - Size: 32.0 MByte - Duration: 34:56

Bruce Poehlman, The Last Starfighter/Star Raiders II

Bruce Poehlman only worked at Atari for a year — from June 1983 until July 1984 — but he told me “it was an interesting year.” Bruce coded the game The Last Starfighter for the Atari 5200 and 8-bit computers — a game that was never released. Two years later, he was contracted to re-brand the game as Star Raiders II.

Teaser quotes:

“We have this contract with a movie, and we think you game with little tweaks might be able to fit the theme of that movie. And that movie was The Last Starfighter.”

“That bonus, within six months of my starting there, went from $40,000 to $20,000. Then in another three months it went to $12,000 then it went to $8,000.”


ANTIC Interview 88 - Dan Horn, Infocom (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 12 Oct 2015 - Size: 35.3 MByte - Duration: 38:31

Dan Horn, Infocom

Dan Horn stated as a programmer at Scott Adams’ Adventure International, where he programmed the Atari version of Treasure Quest. Then he moved to Infocom where he was technical director, then became head of the microcomputing group.

This interview took place on May 21, 2015.

Teaser quotes:

“The feelies were really the copy protection. If you had a feelie, you were compelled — not really for copy protection purposes — but you were compelled to have it because it was cool.”

“With the Atari we had thousands of colors. We had the rippling, shimmering effect, and we had all this other stuff. Now, most of it never got to an Infocom game. But it was cool!”


ANTIC Interview 87 - Leslie Wolf, Product Manager for Atari Logo and AtariLab (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 09 Oct 2015 - Size: 15.6 MByte - Duration: 22:44

Leslie Wolf, Product Manager for Atari Logo and AtariLab

 

Leslie Wolf was a product manager at Atari from 1981 through 1984. She managed the design and development of educational hardware and software products such as Atari Logo software and AtariLab. In this interview, we talk about Pricilla Laws, whom I previously interviewed.

This interview took place on May 15, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“I had gone over to my guys in the manufacturing operation and I said, ‘You know what? They don’t know you’re here. Keep working until you don’t get a paycheck anymore.’”

LINKS

Antic magazine article about AtariLab


ANTIC Interview 86 - Dr. Priscilla Laws, AtariLab (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 07 Oct 2015 - Size: 26.8 MByte - Duration: 33:29

Dr. Priscilla Laws, AtariLab

AtariLab was a hardware and software package for the Atari 400 and 800 computers. The AtariLab Starter Set with Temperature Module was released in 1983. The Light Module add-on was released in February 1984.

AtariLab was developed at Dickinson College under the direction of physics professor, Dr. Priscilla Laws. Dr. Laws joined the faculty at Dickinson in 1965. She has dedicated herself to the development of activity-based curricular materials and computer software to enhance student learning in introductory physics courses — which started with AtariLab.

This interview took place May 14, 2015

Teaser quotes:

“I saw somebody dip a thermistor into cold water — ice water — and a real-time cooling curve was appearing on the screen. And it blew me away.”

“So, Ron said: ‘I watched Ray Kassar open the safe, and he pulled $200,000 in bills out of the safe. He handed it to the woman and he said “Please say no more.”’”

LINKS

Priscilla Laws’ bio

1984 Atari Connection article about AtariLab

Promoting the Diffusion of Undergraduate Science Curriculum Reform: The Activity-Based Physics Suite as an Example by Priscilla Laws


ANTIC Episode 26 - 100+ Episodes and Counting (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 04 Oct 2015 - Size: 67.4 MByte - Duration: 01:38:13

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast: we learn about new software and hardware for the Atari. We learn about marketing. We learn that we’re . . .

 

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevins Book “Terrible Nerd”

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge

Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge

 

What we’ve been up to

Eight Bit Fix - Paul Westphal

Northwest Retro Computing and Video Game Club

“Interesting Times” Podcast with Joe Streckert

VCF Midwest

Suburban Chicago ATarians (SCAT)

“Atari Inc: Business is Fun" at Amazon

Atari Book site

Dungeon Hunt

 

News

New version of Atari++ and new BASIC++ by thorfdbg on AtariAge

Sprint 1 Ported to the Atari 800XL by Norbert Kehrer

New game called AtariNet from slor (James Wilkinson)

Episodes 5 and 6 of XE-Lent Arcade Games by Kieran Hawkin, arcade conversions for the 8-bits:

Part 5 (Q-Bert, Millipede, Donkey Kong)

Part 6 (Super Breakout, Lode Runner)

Chicken Lips Radio Commodore Podcast with Earl Evans and Todd George

Atari Lynx Game by Game Podcast

Electric Dreams BBS Podcast

PROC Atari Shop

Ultimate Cart pre-orders - electrotrains

The Atari GUI OS Brings Point And Click Goodness To An Old Platform (TechCrunch)

link to interview (Episode 15) with Jonathan Halliday

This Atari-Themed Music Video Is An 8-Bit Adventure We Can Get Behind (YouTube Video)

IMA turns car into giant ‘Pole Position’ video game:

article at Indy Star

article at Mashable

Retrochallenge 2015/07

ABBUC 2015 Update!

SIO2BT now ready for pre-order

Portland Retro Gaming Expo October 17-18 in Portland OR

AtariXLBox allows emulating the Atari 800 and 800XL computers and 5200 console on Xbox (Microsoft) systems

Kevin on Atari Wiki for his contributions to preserving Atari 8-bit history

 

New at Archive.org

Magatari Magazine V1N9

Gray Chang's Claim Jumper Development Notebook

Atari Employee Headcount Report Program

Stuff kevin uploaded

ANTIC Podcast Collection at Archive.org

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

Tempest Xtreem Homepage

Purchase Tempest Xtreem from Video61

Tempest Xtreem demoware version (including download) at AtariMania

Video of Tempest Xtreem demoware version at YouTube

ANTIC Interview Episode 17: Sal Esquivel

ANTIC Interview Episode 9: Lance Ringquist (Video61)

"An ox looks at Tempest" video at YouTube (Tempest Xtreem review begins at 34:45)

Tempest 2000 at Wikipedia

Tempest at Wikipedia

Delta Space Arena (2015) at Video61

Venture (2012) at Video61

 

Of the Month

5200-daptor

Contiki

AtariAge thread on Contiki - user ol.sc

video of configuring Contiki, bringing up the web browser, searching on Google for 'atari' and finally surfing to the Dragon Cart website

 

Closing

RETROKOMP Demo Party

Load Error Party Invitation by LAMERS (end of show music)


ANTIC Interview 85 - Harold Lee, Home Pong Designer and Man Who Hired Jay Miner (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 02 Oct 2015 - Size: 22.6 MByte - Duration: 32:57

Harold Lee, Home Pong Designer and the Man Who Hired Jay Miner


In 1974 an engineer by the name of Harold Lee had become burnt out from his work designing arcade game boards and he quit and left Atari.  No sooner had he left then he would receive a call from Allan Alcorn.   Al asked Harold a question - "Could Pong be put on a chip?"  Harold said it could be done and suddenly he found himself now hired back at Atari as an outside consultant.  Harold and Al worked on the design and
the chip was finished in the latter half of 1974.  It was, at the time, the highest performing chip used in a consumer product.  Harold was kind enough to talk about his experiences working for and with Atari and the fact that he was the one who hired the legendary Jay Miner into Atari.

This interview took place on April 25, 2015.

Links

The Pong Story


ANTIC Interview 84 - John Schulte and Feridoon Moinian, Dorsett Educational Systems (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 28 Sep 2015 - Size: 80.4 MByte - Duration: 01:27:50

John Schulte and Feridoon Moinian, Dorsett Educational Systems

John Schulte and Feridoon Moinian were both employees at Dorsett Educational Systems, the company that created the Talk And Teach educational cassette tapes which were sold by Atari. Dorsett also sold many more cassette-based classes directly via mail order, for the Atari, TRS-80 Color Computer, and other platforms. Feridoon worked primarily as a programmer, and John was primarily an editor.

As my co-interviewer for this discussion, I invited Thomas Cherryhomes, an expert in the technical aspects of the Talk and Teach system. I interviewed Thomas previously on this podcast, in ANTIC interview 57.

Nearly every educational cassette tape that Dorsett released for the Atari has been digitized, they’ll all available at
Archive.org
, there’s a link in the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com.

This interview took place on June 25, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“He [Loyd Dorsett] would tell them, “Shall we go have lunch now?’ Yes. ‘OK, let’s go downstairs and we’ll have some lunch.’ He’d take them downstairs, and on top of the little five-foot refrigerator was a Styrofoam cup that had 10 Cents written on it. That was 10 cents that you’d do on the honor system to buy a packet of Cup of Soup. ... This is the way he would entertain people because you were stuck out in the middle of nowhere, it was 20 minutes to get to a restaurant. But he would actually pull coins out of his pocket and say ‘My treat.’”

LINKS

Interview with Thomas Cherryhomes

Dorsett Educational Cassette Tape Archive

 


ANTIC Interview 83 - Peter Rosenthal, Marketing and Strategic Planning (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 22 Sep 2015 - Size: 35.7 MByte - Duration: 44:32

Peter Rosenthal, Marketing and Strategic Planning

Peter Rosenthal worked at Atari from March 1979 thru the middle of 1983. He joined Atari as a marketing research associate in the consumer division, and served as Vice President of Business Development in the Home Computer Division, then Vice President of Strategic Planning.

After Atari, he moved to marketing and sales at Designware, an educational software startup that published software for the Atari 8-bits and other platforms.

This interview took place on May 18, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“That tension between marketing and engineering is not unique to Atari. I’ve been around now long enough to see lots of other companies and very often when a company’s sales goals aren’t achieved or product reviews are less favorable than one would like, I think generally marketing is the butt of the argument as to why it wasn’t successful.”

Links

Designware software list at AtariMania


ANTIC Interview 82 - Cathryn Mataga, Shamus, Zeppelin, Mindwheel (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 18 Sep 2015 - Size: 47.7 MByte - Duration: 52:08

Cathryn Mataga: Shamus, Zeppelin, Mindwheel

 

Cathryn Mataga wrote several games that were published by Synapse software: Shamus, Shamus Case II, and Zeppelin, then three electronic novels: Brimstone, Essex, and Mindwheel.

 

In this interview we discuss Ihor Wolosenko, whom I previously interviewed for this podcast.

 

This interview took place on May 17, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“These games were pretty hard. It was quite a bit of work, actually, to make a game by yourself. And it was all assembly language. And I was doing all the art and all the stuff. They were pretty involved projects for me, personally.”

 

“There was a tragic bug in the music driver in all of the Synapse 8-bit titles ... When they went to the new Atari XLs, when they upgraded the operating system, all these games crashed. And they all came back.”

 

Link:


ANTIC Interview 81 - David Burling, Atari In-house Counsel (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 16 Sep 2015 - Size: 31.7 MByte - Duration: 39:31

David Burling, Atari in-house counsel

 

I like interviewing the lawyers, they always know what’s really going on. David Burling was in-house counsel for Atari from 1980 through 1984. His job included distribution contracts, licensing, and manufacturing. He supervised the customs department, intellectual property, and international business transactions. His stint included being general council of the international division, and council for the AtariTel telecommunications products.

 

This interview took place on May 22, 2015.

 

Teaser quote:

 

“Try and dress like I was in the coin-op industry. I wore sort of an open-throated shirt with two buttons undone at the top and an old, wide lapel jacket and jeans, trying to look sort of hip slick, and cool ... and went down to Los Angeles. They sent me to a major coin-operated games retail ... outlet to see if I could buy one of the Asteroids copies that was coming from Japan.”


ANTIC Interview 80 - Marty Payson, Office of the President, Warner (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 14 Sep 2015 - Size: 26.0 MByte - Duration: 37:52

Marty Payson, Warner, Office of the President

 

Hi, everyone, and welcome to another in the long-standing series of interviews being published for Antic, the Atari 8-bit Computer Podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig and this interview is a follow-up to the recent interview that we published with Manny Gerard of Warner Communications, the company that bought Atari in 1976.  This time the interview is with Marty Payson, also of Warner Communications.  
Marty began with Warner in 1970, became
executive vice president and general counsel in 1982, and in 1987 became a
member of the Office of the President for Warner.  He was with Warner during the Atari days, up to 1984 when it was sold to the Tramiels, and was still involved with Atari for some time after that, as you will hear.  Marty was not as intimately involved with Atari as was Manny Gerard, but nonetheless I hope you find his perspective from the Warner side interesting.

 

This interview was conducted on August 17, 2015.

 

Teaser Quotes

 

“The problem with it was, it was uncontrolled growth.  And, I’m not pointing a finger at either Atari or Warner.  I think it was a combination of both.”

 

“It began a point that Warner was going to have to take control of Atari.  It was out of control.”

 

Links

 

 


ANTIC Interview 79 - John Constantine, General Accounting Manager (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 11 Sep 2015 - Size: 13.8 MByte - Duration: 17:13

John Constantine, General Accounting Manager

 

John Constantine was General Accounting Manager in Atari's Consumer Division from 1978-1981, then became Executive Director until he left the company in 1984.

 

This interview took place May 14, 2015.

 

Teaser quote:

 

"One of your clerks sent a package Federal Express — across the street — in the headquarters in Sunnyvale"


ANTIC Interview 78 - Manny Gerard, The Man Who Fired Nolan (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 08 Sep 2015 - Size: 31.7 MByte - Duration: 46:05

Manny Gerard, The Man Who Fired Nolan

 

For this interview, we’re getting a different perspective of the Atari/Warner relationship, this time from the Warner side.  (Emanual) Manny Gerard was a member of the Office of the President for Warner during the Atari days from 1976, when they acquired Atari, to 1984 when it was sold to the Tramiels.  He in fact was the key person in the decision for Warner to acquire Atari.  As you will hear in the interview, he was also the man who ousted Nolan Bushnell from Atari.  We get Manny’s perspective on Atari from Warner’s view, on the decision to bring out the computer line, and much more.  I think you’ll appreciate Manny’s honesty and his sense of humor.

 

This interview took place on August 9, 2015.

 

Teaser Quotes

 

“I can remember saying this to Nolan, over and over again: You cannot run the company by divine right of kings, Nolan”

 

It feels to me like the computer’s problem at Atari was that it was; it lived in the shadow of the game systems, because they were so bloody successful.”

 

“I mean I think the early Apples were good computers but I don’t think they were better than the Atari computers by any considerable margin and they may not even been as good, but we sure got out-marketed.”

 

“Manny Gerard, the guy who fired me at Atari!  Everybody looks up; who is this guy?  And I said, yeah, Nolan, and the guy who made you a millionaire.”

 

Links

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 77 - Tandy Trower, Atari Product Manager (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 05 Sep 2015 - Size: 49.9 MByte - Duration: 54:29

Tandy Trower, Atari product manager

 

Tandy Trower started at Atari evaluating software titles, then moved on to the position of product manager, managing new titles including Missile Command, Asteroids, and the port of Microsoft BASIC for the Atari. Then, he left Atari for Microsoft, where — once again, he managed Microsoft BASIC for the Atari. Tandy also wrote the Character Set Editor program which was sold by Atari Program Exchange.

 

This interview took place May 13, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“The Atari executives were so impressed with Bill [Gates] at the time that they flew up in their corporate jet to Seattle and offered to try to acquire Microsoft. But Bill and Paul [Allen] were not interested in selling at all at that time.”

 

“If you had a title, you had to make sure there was an engineer who was available and interested in doing it. So if you couldn’t talk an engineer into writing it — unless you were going to write it yourself. Except for me, there were very few people in the marketing department that could write their own code.”


ANTIC Interview 76 - Tim McGuinness, (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 02 Sep 2015 - Size: 62.3 MByte - Duration: 01:17:42

Tim McGuinness, Atari Senior Research Engineer and Founder of ROMOX

 

Tim McGuinness was a Hardware Design Engineer in Atari’s Personal Computer Division in 1980 and 1981, then moved to become Senior Research Engineer/Assistant Director of Corporate Research Engineering through 1982. Tim was co-developer of 400, 800, and 1200XL computers and peripherals. He was also the initial architect and designer of the first version of the Amiga computer. He left Atari in 1982 to co-found Romox, a software publisher that had a unique software distribution system where you could load new software onto cartridges using an in-store kiosk.

 

This interview took place on May 23, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

“Personal computer division was a toxic environment ... I had a taken a prototype that we had been working on over to the research division, because I was going to show Alan Kay. And I come back with the unit and I’m being threatened with arrest.”

 

“Michael Jackson spent a couple of days at our facility in Campbell to help us with the digitization of things like Beat It.”

 

“Talking to the Tramiels. Sam was pretty rational, his brother was insane, and the old man was just an asshole.”


ANTIC Interview 75 - Steve Davis, Director of Advanced Research (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 28 Aug 2015 - Size: 22.0 MByte - Duration: 27:28

Steve Davis, Director of Advanced Research

 

Steve Davis worked in Atari’s advanced research lab under Alan Kay, for 5 or 6 years, where he worked on several skunkworks projects including a laserdisc player controlled by an Atari 800,

an Atari 800-based local area network, and artificial intelligence projects.

 

This interview occurred May 11, 2015.

 

Teaser quote:

 

“I winded around the building, there was nobody there. ... I opened up this one door and there was, like, hundreds of people partying. With party hats on. I called the guy in New York and said ‘This doesn’t look good.’”


ANTIC Interview 74 - Ron Milner, Atari Engineer at Cyan Engineering (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 24 Aug 2015 - Size: 28.0 MByte - Duration: 40:45

This is an interview episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig and in this interview I sat down with one of the members of the core design team at Cyan Engineering for such projects as the Atari 2600 and the 8-bit computers, Mr. Ron Milner.

Ron is currently President of Applied Design Laboratories, but from 1973-1984, as an employee of Atari Inc, he worked at the Grass Valley Think Tank (also known as Cyan Engineering) where they did some amazing stuff, as you’ll hear in this interview.  Ron was involved in many pivotal technologies in video games and home computers and was co-inventor of the Atari 2600 video game system.

 

This interview took place on May 16, 2015.

 

Teaser Quotes

 

“Our group worked on just a lot of other projects relating to the home computer line.”

 

“You know, it didn’t have to work, but if it looked like it might we looked into it.”

 

“This is Ron Milner and I was one of the early Atari engineers at Atari’s secret think tank in the mountains pioneering many of the projects with my associates and you’re listening to the Antic podcast.”

 

Links

 

 


ANTIC Interview 73 - Joe Villalobos, Materials Planner for Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 21 Aug 2015 - Size: 10.7 MByte - Duration: 13:22

Joe Villalobos, Materials Planner for Atari

 

Boxes! Your Atari computers and game cartridges came in boxes! Someone was responsible for producing those boxes. Joe was the guy.

 

Joe Villalobos was materials planner at Atari in El Paso, Texas from 1980 – 1982. He was responsible for the planning and expediting of materials used in the production of video game cartridges.

 

This interview took place on May 6, 2015.


ANTIC Interview 72 - Ed Rotberg, Rotberg Synthesizer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 19 Aug 2015 - Size: 32.9 MByte - Duration: 35:59

Ed Rotberg, Rotberg Synthesizer

 

Ed Rotberg worked programmer in Atari’s coin-op division, where he worked on Atari Baseball, Battlezone, Blasteroids, Hard Drivin’, and other coin-op games. He consulted for the Atari consumer side, where he created demos for the Atari 800 — including working on the music for the in-store demo — and the Rotberg Synthesizer music software.

 

Check the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
for downloads of the Rotberg Synthesizer and Rotberg Scrolling Marquee software (which I acquired and uploaded to
archive.org
after this interview took place.)

 

This interview took place April 28, 2015.

 

Teaser quote:

 

“My good friend Dan Pliskin wrote a tune called Disco Dirge that we programmed into the earliest version of the Rotberg Synthesizer to play at the bachelor party, as kind of a joke. Because Chris who was getting married was a disco fan, he was a disco buff and we all *hated* disco.”

 

Links:

 

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Episode 25 - Altirra BASIC, New Podcasts - 100,000 and Counting! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 17 Aug 2015 - Size: 53.8 MByte - Duration: 01:18:20

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast: Randy delves into Altirra BASIC, there’s another podcast to dilute our listenership, Kevin reports back from KansasFest, and there’s lots of new Atari stuff to download at Archive.org.

 

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

 

Interview Discussion

 

News

XE-Lent Arcade Games videos on YouTube by Kieren Hawken

 

New at Archive.org

 

Programming Languages - Altirra BASIC

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

 

Feedback

 


ANTIC Interview 71 - Nolan Bushnell, The Man (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 12 Aug 2015 - Size: 18.4 MByte - Duration: 40:12

Hello, and welcome to a very special interview-only episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  I am Randy Kindig, one of your hosts for this podcast.  I say “special” because it’s not often that you get a chance to talk with an icon like the one we talk with today.  Kevin Savetz and myself were given the chance to sit down, so to speak, with “Mr. Atari” Nolan Bushnell and spend a few minutes shooting the breeze.  If you need any more introduction for this guest, then you’re probably listening to the wrong podcast.  In fact, he’s one of those guys that can go by a single name “Nolan” and everyone in the Atari community knows who you’re talking about.

 

Before we get to the interview, I want to thank the Atari community on the AtariAge forums for suggesting questions for Nolan.  When we put out a request for questions, who knew we would get such a large and varied response.  Regrettably, we only had time for some of them.  Many of you will recognize the questions that you submitted and we are very grateful for your help.  I also want to thank Marty Goldberg for his suggestions and guidance as someone who has talked with Nolan in the past.

 

This interview was conducted on July 30, 2015.

 

Teaser Quotes:

 

“wouldn't it have been fun if Atari had owned the Internet?”

 

“Did you regret selling it?  Every day of my life!”

 

“Ray Kassar? Oh, he was a disaster.”

 

“Warner didn't want to have anything to do with me.  They felt that if I was back in and made a success of it it would make them look stupid.”


ANTIC Interview 70 - Jon Freeman, Freefall Associates (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 10 Aug 2015 - Size: 84.4 MByte - Duration: 01:45:19

Jon Freeman

 

Jon Freeman was co-founder of the computer game publisher Automated Simulations, which became EPYX. At Automated Simulations, he co-created Starfleet Orion and Gateway to Apshai. Then he and his wife Anne Westfall started the game development company FreeFall Associates, where they created Tax Dodge, Archon, Archon II, and Murder on the Zinderneuf.

 

This interview took place April 21, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“That six months, I read two books in six months, and we went to one movie. The rest of the time we we just working on the game. That’s all we did. It was very, you know, intense.”

 

“You know, I could just basically flip that switch every VBI and have the computer play itself. That turned out to be one of the absolutely huge selling points of [Archon]. Stores could put it in the window, get it started, and let it run.”

 

Links:

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Special Episode - Atari Summer Camp (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 06 Aug 2015 - Size: 107.5 MByte - Duration: 01:57:26

ANTIC Special Episode - Atari Summer Camp

 

Let's go to Atari Summer Camp! A special episode.

 

Links

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 69, Lloyd Speyer, Batteries Included (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 03 Aug 2015 - Size: 20.7 MByte - Duration: 22:38

Lloyd Speyer, Batteries Included

Lloyd Speyer worked for Batteries Included from 1983 to 1987, where he worked with Commodore PETs, 64, Apple ][, Macintosh, as well as the Atari 800. He built hardware dongles, demonstrated products in the retail store, and worked in quality assurance, where he beta tested PaperClip and HomePak.

This interview was conducted April 27, 2015.

Teaser quote:

“The Atari version and the Commodore 64 version [of PaperClip] were completely different, even though we said ‘These are the commands we want. This is what we need.’ Steve [Ahlstrom] and Dan [Mppre] decided that they wanted to take the product in a different direction because the Atari could do a little bit more. . . It actually came out to be a really, really nice product.”


ANTIC Interview 68 - Thomas Renbarger, Dorsett Educational Systems (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 31 Jul 2015 - Size: 14.4 MByte - Duration: 17:59

Thomas Renbarger, Dorsett Educational Systems


Thomas Renbarger worked at Dorsett Educational Systems from 1978 through 1980, where he converted audio and filmstrip based educational programs to computer graphics and text for the TRS-80 and Atari 400 and 800 computers.


This interview took place April 21, 2015.


Teaser quote:


“Smart, nerdy people might be interested in something just because it says it’s educational, but most of the programs and stuff that was written was pretty — not totally remedial — but it was pretty introductory educational stuff.”


ANTIC Interview 67 - Ted Richards, Atari Connection Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 30 Jul 2015 - Size: 51.9 MByte - Duration: 56:39

Ted Richards, Atari Connection Magazine

 

Ted Richards was Editor In Chief of Atari Connection magazine, Atari’s in-house computer magazine; and was Marketing Communications Manager for Atari Home Computers, where he worked on print and package design, from 1981 to 1984.

 

This interview took place on April 19, 2015.

 

Links:

 

 

 

 

Teaser Quotes:

 

“Antic was a competing magazine, so to speak, at the time. I forget the editor’s name, he was quite a guy. . . [Jim] Capparell. He was always meeting with Atari executives, trying to persuade them to shut down our magazine.”


“So when the Tramiels came in, they confronted him and they asked him ‘Who are you?’ And Arnold says ‘Who are you?!’ And they said ‘Him we like. He stays.’”


ANTIC Interview 66 - Peter Liepa, Boulder Dash (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 26 Jul 2015 - Size: 29.4 MByte - Duration: 32:05

Peter Liepa, Boulder Dash

 

Peter Liepa was co-creator and programmer of Boulder Dash and Boulder Dash 2 for the Atari computers. Boulder Dash was published by First Star Software in 1984 and is regarded as a seminal game for the Atari 8-bit machines.

 

This interview took place on June 16, 2015

 

Teaser quotes:

“I sat there playing these games and the idea of ‘I can do this’ or ‘I can build one of these’ welled up in my head.”

 

“All of the pleasure of this project was in developing the game. I got very little pleasure out of the business aspect of it.”

 

LINKS


ANTIC Interview 65 - Steve Mayer, 400/800 Designer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 23 Jul 2015 - Size: 38.4 MByte - Duration: 55:52

Steve Mayer, Atari 400/800 Designer

 

Hello and welcome to an interview-only episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit computer podcast. Today I’m honored to be interviewing someone who was involved in the original design of the Atari 400 & 800 computers, Mr. Steve Mayer.  Steve worked with Joe Decuir (whom I interviewed in an earlier episode), Jay Miner, and others on the Candy & Colleen project and that’s our main focus for this interview.  However, Steve also was involved in much more, including involvement in the creation of Cyan Engineering, later known as the Grass Valley Think Tank and was involved in the creation and design of the 2600.

 

This was recorded on April 18, 2015.


ANTIC Episode 24 - Book Club, Turbo BASIC XL, Competitions (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 21 Jul 2015 - Size: 97.1 MByte - Duration: 01:46:02

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast:

  • We offer a library’s worth of geeky reading material, and - -  did we just start a book club?

  • Randy delves into another programming language

  • We talk about a couple of competitions that will give you something to do through these summer months

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

 

Interview Discussion

 

News

 

New at Archive.org

 

Feature - Turbo BASIC XL

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

 

Hardware of the Month

 

Website of the Month

 

End of Show Music


ANTIC Interview 64 - Rebecca Heineman, Racing Destruction Set and Mindshadow (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 19 Jul 2015 - Size: 28.8 MByte - Duration: 31:29

Rebecca Heineman, Racing Destruction Set and Mindshadow

 

Rebecca Heineman was the keynote speaker at Kansasfest 2015, where she told all sorts of amazing stories about her Apple II development work. She developed Tass Times in Tonetown, Bard's Tale III, Borrowed Time, Battle Chess, Crystal Quest, and many other games for many platforms. She ported Racing Destruction Set and Mindshadow to the Atari 8-bit machines. She won the National Space Invaders Championship, sponsored by Atari, in November, 1980.

 

I also recommend listening to her KansasFest 2015 keynote, link below.

 

This interview was recorded July 17, 2015 at KansasFest.

 

Links

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 63 - Bill Bartlett, Product Support Manager (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 16 Jul 2015 - Size: 36.5 MByte - Duration: 39:51

Bill Bartlett, Product Support Manager

 

Bill Bartlett worked at Atari from 1981 through 1984, where he was a product support manager for the Atari home computer division, also did user group support. He also wrote the Diskette Mailing List program which was sold by Atari Program Exchange.

 

This interview took place on April 16 2015, in person at a supermarket deli in the Portland Oregon area. I apologize for the background noise; recording in this situation is not a mistake I will make again.

 

Links:

 

 

 

 

Teaser quote:

 

“Alan Alda became the spokesman for Atari, and was doing all the TV commercials. He was actually interested in the product set. They sent him all the products. So I was his contact for tech support, me personally. I never talked to him but I talked to his assistants. . . ‘Mr. Alda is on line one!’"


ANTIC Interview 62 - Bill Crooks, Atari Video Production Lab (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 13 Jul 2015 - Size: 27.7 MByte - Duration: 34:36

Bill Crooks, Atari Video Production Lab

 

Bill Crooks worked in the coin-op division of Atari, where he facilitated the production of Atari games’ multi-million dollar television production facility, and worked on the FireFox laserdisc arcade game.

 

In this interview we talk briefly about Cassie Maas whom I have previously interviewed.

 

This interview took place on April 17 2015.

 

“We had Clint Eastwood’s Lear jet standing by to get us there at the last minute, and we just kept telling them, ‘It will be ready for the show.’ And meanwhile we’re thinking ‘How will this ever be ready for the show? It doesn’t even work in the shop.”


ANTIC Interview 61 - Ron and Lynn Marcuse, Productivity Applications (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 09 Jul 2015 - Size: 30.7 MByte - Duration: 38:21

Ron and Lynn Marcuse, productivity applications

 

Ron and Lynn Marcuse, also known as RLM Microsystems, are the husband-and-wife team who created many applications for the Atari 8-bit computers, including Weekly Planner, Home Inventory, Data Management System, Diskette Librarian, and Utility Diskette II, which were all released by Atari Program Exchange. Weekly Planner was later reworked and became Timewise, which was released as an Atari product. They also created medical and dental office software for MMG Micro Software.

 

Thanks to Wade of Inverse ATASCII for his help in research and writing questions for this interview. Wade has reviewed several of the Marcuse applications on his podcast - visit
www.inverseATASII.info
for those.

 

This interview took place on May 14, 2015.

 

LINKS

 

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“When what’s his name, the guy who started Atari [Nolan Bushnell] it was more open. In other words, the people there were friendly, it was fun working with them, it was fun writing stuff for them. It was fun flying out there, you know? It was fun. But eventually, it became a business, I think. And then the fun stops.”

 

“Hey, the damn thing paid for a Porsche and a BMW.”


ANTIC Interview 60 - Albert Yarusso, Owner AtariAge (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 03 Jul 2015 - Size: 41.5 MByte - Duration: 01:00:26

Albert Yarusso, Owner AtariAge

 

This is Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast, and I’m Randy Kindig.  This interview-only episode features someone that many current Atari, vintage gaming, and vintage computer enthusiasts are probably familiar with by the service that he provides to the community, the AtariAge Website.  Albert (or Al) Yarusso is one of the founders and is the current owner of AtariAge.  The Atari 8-bit forum on AtariAge is probably the largest and busiest such forum in existence today, and forums for other Atari machines and for other platforms are popular and continually growing.  Al was kind enough to sit down and give me an hour of his time to discuss a little about himself, how AtariAge came about, his love for Atari computers, and various other topics.  Enjoy!

 

AtariAge is a website devoted to all things Atari. It was founded in 1998 by Alex Bilstein and Albert Yarusso and is well known for selling homebrew software for Atari video game systems, some of which have been included in official video game compilations such as
Activision Anthology
. The site also houses a discussion forum and a comprehensive, searchable database of Atari video games, including manuals, packaging art, estimated rarity, screenshots, reviews, and other details, as well as an Atari Age magazine archive.

 

Links

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 59 - Jon Greer, Business Reporter (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 28 Jun 2015 - Size: 27.2 MByte - Duration: 29:42

Jon Greer, Business Reporter

 

In this interview, we’ll hear the perspective of an Atari outsider — a newspaper reporter who covered Atari. Jon Greer was a business reporter for the San Jose Mercury News newspaper from 1981 to 1986, and business reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1986 to 1988. As part of his beat, he covered Atari; Chuck E. Cheese; and Catalyst Technologies, Nolan Bushnell’s incubator.

 

This interview took place April 17, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“Atari was transforming the valley from Dull Engineer Valley to exciting consumer electronics valley.”

 

“I think Jack [Tramiel] had...a very undeserved bad reputation...He was one of the few guys — if anybody, maybe the only one - who knew how to take over this business.”


ANTIC Interview 58 - Jess Jessop (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 26 Jun 2015 - Size: 37.0 MByte - Duration: 40:24

Jess Jessop

 

Jess Jessop was a software engineer at Commodore, writing diagnostics for the Commodore 64. Then at Atari, he started in the test and repair group for the Atari 400 and 800 SALT diagnostic cartridge, then moved to corporate research, Atari's R&D department under Alan Kay, where he was hardware team leader for the Sierra Project, Atari's unfinished laptop product.

 

This interview occurred April 15, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"We brought up an APRANET node there in my cubicle. We played with e-mail at a time when you could send it and it would maybe get there today, maybe weeks from now."

 

"I spec'd out, for two guys, a 600 line a minute band printer with a quietized cover that cost $30,000 in 1980. It went right through. It was delivered next week."


ANTIC Episode 23 - Dorsett, Veronica, BASIC XL (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 24 Jun 2015 - Size: 84.6 MByte - Duration: 02:03:10

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast:

  • We discuss new atari archive sites.

  • Randy tells us all about BASIC XL

  • Kevin delves into the sordid history of DorsETT Educational Systems

  • Bill Kendrick fills us in on  a panoply of stuff, including a brain transplant for your 8-bit.

     

Recurring Links

 

What we’ve been up to

 

Interview Discussion

 

News

 

New at Archive.org

 

Feature [K] Dorsett Educational Systems and Lloyd Dorsett

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

 

Hardware of the Month - IDE Plus 2, Rev.D HDD Interface for Atari XL/XE computers

 

Software/Website of the Month - SpartaDOS X

 

Programming Languages - BASIC A+, BASIC XL & BASIC XE

 

Feedback

 


ANTIC Interview 57 - Thomas Cherryhomes (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 24 Jun 2015 - Size: 30.6 MByte - Duration: 33:27

Thomas Cherryhomes

 

Thomas Cherryhomes recently deciphered the Educational System Master Cartridge and decoded the “talk and teach” system used by Dorsett Educational Systems. He has created a C library called eduendcode which allows people to create new lessons using that format. Thomas and I are currently working to digitize and archive 46 sets of Dorsett courses.

 

To hear some background about Dorsett Educational Systems and their educational cassettes, listen to my feature about that topic in episode 23 of ANTIC.

 

This interview occurred on June 2, 2015.

 

Links

 

 

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“I decided on a whim to approach Joe Decuir. Joe wrote me back about five minutes later. ‘Hello Tom. I am very impressed with your research and your findings.’”

 

“If you want to make your own tape formats on the Atari, go right ahead. You can bit-bang the POKEY to do whatever the hell you want.”


ANTIC Interview 56 - Pab Sungenis, Developer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 18 Jun 2015 - Size: 37.7 MByte - Duration: 54:58

Pab Sungenis, developer

 

Hi, I’m Randy Kindig and this is an interview-only episode of Antic, The Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  Our guest for this show is Pab Sungenis, a long-time (and current) developer for the Atari 8-bits.  A long time ago, Pab wrote a popular piece of bulletin board software called AtariLink BBS.  He also developed an off-line mail reader.  He was also more recently involved briefly with enhancements to the SpartaDOS alternative DOS, arguably one of the best DOS’s ever developed for the Atari 8-bit.  His current project is an exciting one where he is working to develop a new programming language to target the Atari 8-bits.  I hope you enjoy this.

 

Teaser Quotes:

“I kinda got into the habit of: if you need it, write it.”

 

“It surprised me when my hacks of Keith's (Ledbetter) programs started finding their way onto Compuserve.”

 

“What if you took Action! and you added object-oriented programming?”

 

Links:

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 55 - John-Michael Battaglia (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 15 Jun 2015 - Size: 18.1 MByte - Duration: 26:19

John-Michael Battaglia

 

John-Michael Battaglia worked as a copywriter at Atari for about a year from 1981 through 1982, writing manuals and box copy for Atari 2600 and 5200 video games. He wrote the manuals for Atari 5200 Football, Space Dungeon, WaterWorld, Phoenix, and Adventure. He later worked at Catalyst, Nolan Bushnell’s incubator for technology startups.

 

This interview took place March 2, 2015.

 

LINKS

 

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“Debacle, yes. Debacle is quite the right word. That was probably my proudest moment.”

 

“I think of my first day I probably sent e-mails to my friends saying: you’ll never believe where I am now. I’m playing video games and getting paid for it.”

 

“It was another one of those instances where a writer could actually have input into the game design, provided the game designer was open to that kind of feedback.”


ANTIC Interview 54 - Steve Molyneux, German Software Development Manager (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 12 Jun 2015 - Size: 49.2 MByte - Duration: 53:41

Steve Molyneux, German Software Development Manager

 

Steve Molyneux was Atari’s Software Development Manager in Hamburg, Germany from 1981 through 1984. He was responsible for the European side of Atari Program Exchange, and launching games at European trade shows.

 

Parts of this interview discuss adult situations, and are not appropriate for children.

 

This interview occurred on April 13, 2015

 

LINK

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“...In sort of private helicopters up to this chalet. I mean the amount of money that they spent when we had Warner money. . .”

 

“Castle Wolfenstein? That was definitely a no-no in Germany. I mean, that was just something you couldn’t talk about, you just couldn’t sell.”


ANTIC Interview 53 - Fred D'Ignazio, prolific writer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 09 Jun 2015 - Size: 65.1 MByte - Duration: 01:21:19

Fred D'Ignazio, prolific writer

 

Fred D'Ignazio wrote more than 20 computer books, including Atari in Wonderland and The Atari Playground. He hosted four television shows about computers and robots, and was the "gadget guru" on Good Morning America. He was an associate editor and columnist for Compute! magazine, where he wrote the columns World Inside The Computer and On The Road With Fred D'Ignazio.

 

This interview was conducted April 10, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"Katie and the Computer, my advance was $300. And I had to split it with my illustrator."

 

"You know Nolan Bushnell, right? ... He'd put his arm around me and say, 'Fred, How's it goin' in the world of the ankle biters and the little people?'"

 

"You could hear a pin drop after my speech. There was just this embarrassed silence, like

'Who the freaking heck is this joker they hired to speak at our convention?'"

 

LINKS

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Fred:
fred.dignazio@gmail.com


ANTIC Interview 52 - Cassie Maas, Atari Marketing & Tech Support (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 05 Jun 2015 - Size: 74.4 MByte - Duration: 01:48:21

Cassie Maas, Atari Marketing and Tech Support

 

Cassie Maas started at Atari as a sales order processing clerk; then as a member of the marketing team, she evaluated new product ideas; then she worked in technical support, where she was the high-end technical support for word processing, and managed a BBS for user groups. She contributed to the 1984 book "InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari" and wrote for Antic magazine and Infoworld.

 

This interview occurred on April 6 and April 14 2015. Check the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
to see the letter to Spencer Villwock that we discuss, plus links to her Atari writing.

 

Links

 

 

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“I was really excited about the computer and I said, ‘Do you think I could get a job there?’ He laughed and snorted... Within a year I not only had a job at Atari, I had his job.”

 

“I’m not accepting your resignation. You’re going to be laid off like everybody else, on Friday, with a severance package!”

 

“That place was a fiasco. That place was just - woah! Money was being spent willy-nilly on all kinds of crazy things. People were sleeping with each other. People were cheating on their spouses. I mean, just crazy, crazy stuff went on.”

“So inside I’m totally freaking out, I’m this young kid, I don’t know, am I in really serious trouble? Am I breaking the law?”


ANTIC Interview 51 - Ken Balthaser, Atari Manager of Software Development (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 02 Jun 2015 - Size: 36.3 MByte - Duration: 52:51

Ken Balthaser, Atari Manager of Software Development

 

Ken Balthaser stated at Atari as part of a skunkworks group where he wrote software for speech hardware, then became manager of application software development. He oversaw the creation of the SWEAT system software, which were development tools for non-programmers to make graphics and sound assets; and the creation of arcade conversions such as Centipede and Defender to the 8-bit platform.  Prior to Atari, he was part of the team that created all of the software for the CyberVision 2000, an early personal computer that was sold by Montgomery Ward.

 

Ken is the father of Eunice Wlcek, an Atari employee whom I previously interviewed.

 

This interview was conducted April 9, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"Those were really hectic, crazy days. I mean, at that point, Atari was the fastest growing company in the world. No company had ever grown that fast that quickly. ... And just as quickly, it flamed out."

 

"There were a lot of people involved in the creation of the personal computer and video game industry. We tend to think that it was all Steve Jobs and Apple, and Bill Gates and Microsoft, but it wasn't. It was hundreds and thousands of other people who were participating and who were scrambling, and who were creating, and inventing along the way as well."

 

"It was wild there in the engineering building. If you walked past a restroom you might get high just from smoke coming out of it, you know?"


(No links)


ANTIC Interview 50 - Eunice Wlcek, Atari Quality Assurance (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 29 May 2015 - Size: 12.6 MByte - Duration: 18:21

Eunice Wlcek, Atari Quality Assurance

 

Eunice Wlcek started at Atari as a secretary in the sales and marketing department, then moved to quality assurance where she did software testing. Later, she worked as a QA tester at Mindset, the graphics workstation company which was founded by several former Atari employees.

 

This interview was conducted March 19, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“‘You’d be a great Ms. Pac Man.’ They made me Ms. Pac Man and I always had to dress up for these events with this big Pac Man costume on.”

 

“Mike’s company car was a Porsche. Whenever he wanted something done I got to take it and drive that around. And go do errands with the Porsche.”


ANTIC Interview 49 - Curt Vendel & Marty Goldberg, Atari Historians (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 27 May 2015 - Size: 63.1 MByte - Duration: 01:31:52

Curt Vendel & Marty Goldberg, Atari Historians

 

Welcome to Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig, one of the hosts of the podcast, and your host for this episode.  To give you a little background on this interview and where it came from, I also host another podcast on retrocomputing called Floppy Days, where I cover various vintage computers in the order that they were introduced.  I recently covered the Atari 400 & 800 computers and had asked Curt Vendel and Marty Goldberg, Atari historians, to help cover the history portion of the podcast.  I used excerpts from that interview on the podcast, but only used a small portion of the interview for that.  So, I thought I would air the entire interview, since it covers Atari computers, on Antic.

 

In this interview we discuss the history of the 400 & 800 in-depth, as well as discussing the passing of Steve Bristow, an Atari icon, the status of the Atari history books by Curt & Marty, and much more.

 

This interview was conducted February 25, 2015 via Skype.

 

Teaser Quotes:

 

“the whole idea was to make a more advanced Atari VCS, Atari 2600”

 

“when you bring a microprocessor in there, a 6507, and then you're trying to make them as intelligent a peripheral as possible, it can add to the expense”

 

“When Atari designed the 400/800, it really was designed as a consumer computer”

 

“there's an ad going around now, it's popular on Twitter, to make fun of how Atari says the computer will never become obsolete”

 

“they only viewed Atari as an entertainment asset”

 

Links:

 

 

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 48 - Tom Hudson, A.N.A.L.O.G. (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 25 May 2015 - Size: 42.1 MByte - Duration: 45:57

Tom Hudson is a name familiar to readers of A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine. He worked at A.N.A.L.O.G., where we wrote articles, games, maintained the A.N.A.L.O.G. TCS bulletin board system. His game credits include LiveWire, fire Bug, and Planetary Defense. He also wrote the popular DEGAS paint program for the Atari ST; and CAD-3D, a 3D graphics package, in conjunction with Gary Yost.

 

This interview was conducted April 17 2015.

 

LINKS

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“Oh boy, probably one of the worst cases of vaporware I’ve ever seen.”

 

“We were dealing with stuff like cassette duplication. . . and none of us were crazy about that. I said, ‘Hey, why don’t we do a bulletin board? Have it’s so it’s subscription. Anybody who’s on the bulletin board won’t need to get cassettes anymore, because they can just download the stuff.”


ANTIC Interview 47 - David Kano, Hex-A-Bug (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 23 May 2015 - Size: 23.8 MByte - Duration: 25:58

David Kano, Hex-A-Bug

 

David Kano wrote the Hex-A-Bug debugger which was published by Atari Program Exchange. He also wrote two educational software titles for the Atari: Monkey See Monkey Spell, and Don’t Shoot That Word, which were both published by Hayden Software.

 

This interview was conducted March 24 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“I remember when I showed them the finished product they said ‘That’s great, except the monkey is too realistic. It’s too scary. Kids will be scared of that monkey.’”

 

“It was back in the day, when they were so desperate for programmers, they were taking anybody that seemed like they might be smart enough to learn how to do it. And then you learned on the job.”

 

LINKS

 

 


ANTIC Interview 46 - Nicholas Lefevre, Attorney for Commodore & Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 21 May 2015 - Size: 59.1 MByte - Duration: 01:04:32

Nicholas Lefevre, Attorney for Commodore and Atari

 

Nicholas Lefevre was in-house counsel for Commodore under Jack Tramiel during the time of the Commodore 64, then in-house counsel for Atari after Jack Tramiel bought it.

 

This interview took place April 10, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"Particularly with Jack Tramiel, he was willing to give you enough rope to hang yourself. He was not a micromanager."

 

"At one point I think we had 160 or so collection lawsuits against us in the initial Atari years."

 

"I think really happily back on my Commodore times, less so on the Atari ones."

 

"When you made a computer, made it cheap, shipped it out, and sold it, that was perfect for Jack."

 

Nicholas Lefevre listened to his interview and send along these corrections to his statements:

 

"I did notice a couple errors in what I said which could be in an errata but they are probably not significant enough. At the beginning of my discussion of the Microsoft Multiplan story I introduced it by saying these things happened in 1984. Most of it was in 1983. Only the meeting at Softcon with John Shirley and Bill Gates was in 1984, after Jack's departure from Commodore. I also said that our claim was for $24M x 3. I think it was actually for $8M x 3 (total $24M)."


ANTIC Interview 45 - Jason Scott, Internet Archive (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 19 May 2015 - Size: 37.9 MByte - Duration: 41:21

Jason Scott, Internet Archive

 

Jason Scott is a digital historian and documentary filmmaker who for several years has worked for the Internet Archive, a nonprofit that has worked to save as much online - and offline - culture as possible. He is also known to attend the occasional vintage computer festival, so as luck would have it, ANTIC and Jason were in the same festival at the same time, and we interviewed him on May 2, 2015 on stage at Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 3.0.

 

LINKS

 


ANTIC Interview 44 - Joe Decuir, Atari 400/800 Designer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 17 May 2015 - Size: 33.0 MByte - Duration: 48:00

Hello, and welcome to another interview edition of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast.  I am Randy Kindig.  I am extremely honored to bring to you today an interview with one of the true pioneers of the personal computer, one of the primary designers of the Atari 400 & 800, Mr. Joe Decuir.  Joe worked closely with Jay Miner, Steve Mayer and others to design a computer in the days when personal computers were just in their infancy.  Joe shares with us the thoughts and reasoning that went into the design of the 400 & 800 and thus brings all of us a little closer to being a part of an amazing time in computer history.  Please enjoy!

 

Teaser Quotes:

 

“we wanted to build the next great game system and we wanted to build a computer”

 

“we were designing for home users not office people”

 

“We don't get to have slots; that drove us crazy”

 

“In retrospect, I wish we had built an 800-series machine with one built-in disk drive that was right on the bus”

 

Links:

 


ANTIC Interview 43 - David Heller (Dr. C. Wacko) (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 15 May 2015 - Size: 16.2 MByte - Duration: 17:42

David Heller, Dr. C. Wacko

 

David Heller may be better known to Atari users by his pen name - Dr. C. Wacko. As Dr. Wacko, David wrote the books "Dr. C. Wacko's Miracle Guide to Designing and Programing Your Own Atari Computer Arcade Games" and "Dr. C. Wacko Presents Atari BASIC" as well as similar books for other platforms. He also wrote the book "Free Software For Your Atari" (and similar books for other platforms) and Space Knights, a unique product that was a novella that included related Atari games on disk. He also wrote for The Atari Connection magazine.

 

This interview took place April 20, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"I think they sold well over 100,000 copies of that book. And they were very successful."

 

"A young engineer came up to me... and he says, 'You know, I am a professional software engineer now because I got so excited about writing software from your Dr. Wacko books.'"


ANTIC Interview 42 - Steve Carden, RealDOS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 13 May 2015 - Size: 24.5 MByte - Duration: 35:40

Steve Carden, RealDOS

 

Steve Carden maintains RealDOS, a free, command-line DOS that's multiplexer capable, and still being actively maintained to work with modern hardware.  He also works on a variety of hardware products, some of which are available to Atari hobbyists, and some of which aren't. Steve also helped take over maintenance of BBS Express from Keith Ledbetter.

 

This interview took place February 27, 2015.

 

LINK

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"Just the fact that we have an Atari, that was never designed to be on the Internet, OK? -- NEVER designed to be on the Internet -- on the Internet."

 

"Anybody who has an XE keyboard, sooner or later is going to have a keyboard failure. At least that's been my run-in with them."


ANTIC Episode 22 - Live from VCFSE 2015, with Inverse ATASCII (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 11 May 2015 - Size: 34.2 MByte - Duration: 37:20

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast, AND Inverse ATASCII, the Atari 8-bit productivity podcast, we record live from Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 3.0!!

 

On this show we interview attendees with Atari stories, find out who's going to win the grand prize for our game show (hint: It's someone you may know!), and answer questions from the audience.  Come join us for the most fun-packed show we've had yet this month!  

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

 

Show

 

Boisy Pitre Interview

 

Wade - Atari Portfolio

 

Sources for game show

 

Links to Inverse ATASCII


ANTIC Interview 41 - Ron Bieber, SmartDOS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 09 May 2015 - Size: 14.3 MByte - Duration: 20:51

Ron Bieber, SmartDOS

 

Ron Bieber was involved with the creation and marketing of SmartDOS, an alternative DOS that was bundled with disk drives from Rana and Astra, and also sold by Sears stores. SmartDOS'swas the first disk operating system to be "Density Smart" — automatically changing between the disk drive's density modes depending on the disk used.

 

This interview took place on March 4 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"So I decided that instead of trying to sell the program, I want to be paid for every single floppy disk drive that a manufacturer makes."

 

"It was designed for sort of a moment in time, and the goal was not to keep evolving it as new hardware became available. It was to fulfill the need at that time."


ANTIC Interview 40 - Doug Carlston, Br0derbund (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 06 May 2015 - Size: 24.7 MByte - Duration: 35:58

Doug Carlston, Broderbund CEO

 

Doug Carlston was co-founder and CEO of the software publisher Broderbund.

 

Broderbund published many hits across several platforms, including Bank Street Writer, Print Shop, A.E., Choplifter, Lode Runner, Karateka, Spelunker, David's Midnight Magic, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.

 

This interview occurred March 5, 2015.

 

LINKS

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"So we thought it'd be funny to call it Br0derbund and put a slash through the O. Caused all kinds of grief."

 

"There was a competition between us and a number of other companies like Sierra Online and Sirius Software to see how many [products] we could get on the best seller list at the same time. I think maybe the best we ever did was something like 6 products out of 30."

 

"It was kind of a game: we had very talented engineers in-house who loved to try to put copy protection on, and sometimes carried it to unfortunate lengths."

 

"I drove across the country and back over 5 weeks and sold about $15,000 worth of software, and often ended up staying at the homes of the people who owned the little computer stores. I would just look up a name of a computer store in every town I went through and zigzag across the country."


ANTIC Interview 39 - Victor Cross, Atari copywriter (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 29 Apr 2015 - Size: 10.7 MByte - Duration: 15:37

Victor Cross, Atari copywriter

 

Victor Cross was a freelance copywriter for Atari from 1982 through 1984. He wrote many press releases and product announcements for Atari 2600 and 5200 games. He also wrote the documentation for the Atari 5200 Baseball game; plus various catalog copy for Atari.  He also wrote game manuals for LucasArts, Spectrum Holobyte, Br0derbund, and other software companies.

 

Victor lent me his collection of Atari news releases that he wrote, which I scanned and uploaded to
archive.org
. You'll find a link to that in our show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
.

 

This interview was conducted March 5, 2015.

 

LINK

 

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"For me, this was kind of like my big break... it was a huge blessing for me, really."

 

"I did play the game, and I kept killing E.T.. ... He kept dying on me. He'd literally have little crosses over his eyes. And I was going my god, nobody's going to like this."


ANTIC Interview 38 - Liza Loop, Technical Writer (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 27 Apr 2015 - Size: 48.0 MByte - Duration: 01:09:57

Liza Loop,Technical Writer

 

Liza Loop wrote the first users manuals for the Atari 400 and 800 computers. She was a Consultant/Technical Writer for Atari from June 1979 through April 1980, sometimes writing documentation for interfaces that had not been designed yet -- so her description became the de facto interface specification.  Liza also worked for Personal Software, where she wrote the reference manual for the original VisiCalc program.  And in an interesting Atari-related note, she and her husband Steve Smith were married by Atari 400/800 designer Jay Miner -- she talks about that in the interview, too.

 

This interview was conducted January 28, 2015. As of the day I'm recording this in April 2015, Liza hasn't been able to find the manuals and newsletters that we discuss to scan them -- but she says she's still on the lookout. When she finds them and we get them scanned, they'll be added to the show notes at
AtariPodcast.com
.

 

LINK

 

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"There was no way that this machine [the Atari 800] would be accepted by a touch typist if you had to shift to get lower case."

 

"I met Steve Wozniak...I was the first person that he had ever met who was taking computers into schools so he gave me the first Apple... So we have Apple I number 1 and Apple II number 10."

 

"One of the things very few people know about Jay [Miner] is that he was interested in nudism. The local nudist group used to have their parties at his house."

 

"So I would have to go and stand in the accounting office...and say 'It's a week after my pay date and I have not received my check... write me a hand check, and put it in the system later ... And I'm going to stand here until you do it."

 

"The guys who started Activision were at Atari. ... Somebody asked me how much I was being paid. I told them ... And they said, '$40 an hour! We're in the wrong business.' And they all quit, and they said 'If you want us to work for you, hire us back at consultants for $40 an hour.'"


ANTIC Interview 37 - David Fox, Lucas Arts/Rescue on Fractalus (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 25 Apr 2015 - Size: 56.8 MByte - Duration: 01:02:05

Hello, you are listening to Antic, the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I am Randy Kindig, one of the co-hosts, and I’m bringing to you today an interview episode with the author of one of the best games ever released for the Atari 8-bit computer line.  That would be David Fox, one of the authors of Rescue on Fractalus.  David shares his memories of developing that iconic game, working for LucasFilm (later LucasArts), publishing a book about Atari graphics and much more.  Please enjoy.

 

This interview was conducted March 18, 2015 via Skype.

 

Teaser Quotes:

 

“Every time someone does a LucasArts or LucasIflm retrospective, they find me and they ask me to do stuff.  Happy to talk to them because it's fun!”

 

"The original 2 games that we did, which were Rescue and Ballblazer, were intended to be kind of throw-away games."

 

"Thank you George (Lucas).  He knew about story telling in a way that I didn't and it was really great to have his feedback on that."

 

"And I think Star Raiders also kind of inspired me to do Rescue, to do Rescue on Fractalus"

 

Links


ANTIC Interview 36 - Charles Ratcliff, son of MAT*RAT (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 23 Apr 2015 - Size: 26.1 MByte - Duration: 28:32

Charles Ratcliff, son of MAT*RAT

 

Charles Ratcliff is the son of Matthew Ratcliff, the prolific writer for the Atari magazines. Matthew Ratcliff -- or MAT*RAT -- died in 1999.

 

Matthew wrote for Antic, STart, Compute!, A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing, and ST-LOG. In 1986 won Antic magazine's award for Outstanding Contributor. Here's what they wrote about him:

 

"In 1985, Missouri programmer Matthew Ratcliff was really on a roll--publishing four major Antic programs on a remarkable variety of subjects. In March, he delivered the powerful printing utility Custom Print. Following in August was Atari 'Toons, an ambitious animation program that we featured in a popular contest. In September, it was the innovative Revision C Converter that debugged a longstanding problem for many users of Atari BASIC Revision B. Then in December, BBS Crashbuster was a valuable safeguard for bulletin board sysops needing protection against destructive system-crashers."

 

Charles dug around in his dad's filing cabinets and found a lot of interesting Atari-related material that he lent me to scan. In it, you'll find: Matthew's a record book listing expenses and income related to his writing (which is fascinating look at the financials of an early technology writer), writing contracts for A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing, Antic Magazine, and ST-LOG Magazine, and a version of Matthew's resume.

 

This is a different sort of conversation, in which I interviewed Charles about his dad, then he sort of interviews me about his dad, then we end with some technical troubleshooting on his Atari, which I've left in the recording because, why not.

 

This conversation occurred December 12 2014.

 

LINKS

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 35 - Michael Phillips, Atari Bench Tech (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 21 Apr 2015 - Size: 25.2 MByte - Duration: 27:31

Michael Phillips, Atari Bench Tech

 

Michael Phillips worked as a bench technician at Atari from February 1981 to June 1984, doing component level repair of Atari video game systems, personal computers, and peripherals.

 

Because Michael is a lifelong stutterer, he didn’t want to do a voice interview — but he was willing to be interviewed by email. Because this is an audio podcast, I’ve enlisted Randy Kindig to read Michael’s responses. You can also read the original written version of this interview via the link below.

 

The interview was conducted via email, February 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“Beating the device in question...was part of being a good tech. The key is knowing how hard and where to hit.”

 

“Misspellings, bad English and odd terminology were par for the day. One guy once referred to the I/O cable as a ‘hose’.”

 

“One I vividly remember was an 810 [disk drive] that came back 3 times. The guy claimed it would randomly erase disks, but we could never find a culprit...”

 

LINK

 


ANTIC Interview 34 - Ian Chadwick, Mapping the Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 19 Apr 2015 - Size: 33.3 MByte - Duration: 48:28

Ian Chadwick

 

Ian Chadwick is the author of Mapping The Atari, which was -- and remains -- the ultimate

memory map for the Atari 8-bit computers. Mapping was published in two editions: the

original was for the 400/800 computers, then an updated version was later released for

the XL and XE machines. Ian also did a lot of documentation writing behind the scenes,

including many of Antic's software manuals, and several manuals for Batteries Included and other companies.

 

This interview was conducted on March 3, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"So I would write these little BASIC programs that would go along, and they'd POKE a bunch of memory locations, and at the same time they'd be PEEKing into other memory locations to see what would happen. And it was so much fun!"

 

"It wasn't intentionally started out as a book, it really intentionally started out as a database of information for my own use."

 

"They'd say 'You're the guy who wrote Mapping The Atari! You know, that turned my life around when I was 18!' or something."

 

"It took about two or three minutes to get the platter warmed up. Spinning up to speed it

sounded like a Lear jet taking off. Wooooosh! And it held six megabytes."

 

LINKS

 

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 33 - Louis Massucci, Atari Bench Tech (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 17 Apr 2015 - Size: 44.4 MByte - Duration: 48:29

Louis Massucci, Atari Bench Tech

 

Lou Massucci was a bench technician for the Atari 800 line, repairing 8-bit computers and peripherals in Somerset, New Jersey. Later, he was was promoted to field service representative for the southwest territory.

 

This interview was conducted on March 2, 2015.

 

Teaser Quotes

"Actually, that's what was causing some of the failure modes because the debris left behind by the cockroaches is very acidic and would actually eat through the PC board traces."

 

"And it kind of came out of nowhere. I mean, we were repairing these things for a year, and really never had a problem with the keyboard. Then all of a sudden we're starting to get this rash of defective 800s with spacebar problems."

 

"I think it was a Friday afternoon. We got a call from Atari California, and my manager came in saying, 'You need to get the modem going and they're going to download this file.' We complete the download and it was basically a beta copy of the Pac Man cartridge. So for the next two hours, I think, four or five of us were sitting around our computers playing a beta copy of the Pac Man cartridge."

 

"I was actually a support engineer for a commercial -- an Atari 8-bit computer commercial."

 

LINKS

 

 

 


ANTIC Episode 21 - Microsoft BASIC, Yoomp! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 14 Apr 2015 - Size: 107.9 MByte - Duration: 01:57:48

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast:

  • a plethora of news about new atari software and podcasts

  • Randy tells us all about the “other” official  basic, Microsoft BASIC for the Atari

  • and we de-brief about all of the recent interviews.

Yoomp will have a great time listening!

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links


What We’ve Been Up To

provided by VIctor Cross

 

Interviews Discussion

 

News


Compilation Disk of Atari Entries at Forever Party 2015

April 11 & 12, 2015, Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel

April 17-19, 2015, Wall, New Jersey

Saturday, May 2 & Sunday, May 3, 2015 Kings Market Shopping Center, Roswell, Georgia

Sat May 2 2015 at the Davis, CA Public Library

August 29-30, 2015, Elk Grove Village, IL

 

New at Archive.org

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

Type: Action

Name: Yoomp!

Credits:

 Idea / main code: Marcin "Eru" Żukowski

 Music / sfx: Łukasz "X-Ray" Sychowicz

 Graphics: Bartek "BeWu" Wąsiel

 Decompression / Music routines: Piotr "0xF" aka "Fox" Fusik

Awards: ABBUC 2007, 1st Place

Links:

*
http://yoomp.atari.pl/

 

Of the Month (Brad)

 

Programming Language Segment - Microsoft BASIC (Randy)


ANTIC Interview 32 - Al Alcorn, Atari Employee #3 (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 12 Apr 2015 - Size: 35.1 MByte - Duration: 51:03

Al Alcorn, Atari Employee #3

 

Welcome to Antic, the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig and this is an interview-only episode of Antic.  My guest for this interview was employee #3 at Atari where he created the world's first commercially successful video game: Pong, Mr. Al Alcorn.  Al was a very influential figure in the early Atari and has a lot of great stories to share about those early days.  He tells us about Steve Jobs stealing employees from Atari, his opportunity to buy into Apple, why Atari got into the home computer business, a special meeting with IBM concerning Atari computers, and his thoughts about why Atari failed.  Al has a terrific sense of humor and I very much enjoyed talking with him.  I hope you enjoy it too.

 

Links

 

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 31 - William Volk, Avalon Hill/Activision (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 11 Apr 2015 - Size: 45.4 MByte - Duration: 49:34

William Volk

 

William Volk wrote three Atari games for Avalon Hill: Conflict 2500, Voyager 1, and Controller. He also wrote Forth Turtle Graphics Plus, a 3-D graphics library for the Forth language that was released by Atari Program Exchange; ValGraphics for Valpar International; and Super Smart Terminal, an 80-column terminal application which -- may have been released by APX? He later went on to work on Return To Zork for Activision.

 

This interview was conducted March 25 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

“True story, when we did Conflict 2500, we had no documentation, so we literally started poking addresses to find out how to do things. Literally.”

 

“It sounded like a good deal but I was still in grad school so I said, ‘I would only do that if you paid me X,’ where X was for the time was some ridiculous amount of money. And they said ‘Sure, we’ll pay you that much.’”

 

“It looked terrible. It looked annoying as hell but it was funny because it made you think you were in a radar room, you know?”

 

“Voyager 1 was in inspired by Alien. In fact I remember taking my future wife to the premiere of Alien in Philadelphia, thinking that it was going to be like Star Wars: pretty light-hearted. I was kind of shocked. As was she! Our first movie date.”

 

LINKS

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 30 - Jerry Jessop, Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 08 Apr 2015 - Size: 91.1 MByte - Duration: 01:39:30

Jerry Jessop

 

Jerry Jessop worked at Atari from 1977 through 1985 where he did many jobs - including lead of production repair, customer service supervisor for the Atari 400/800, and he worked with the secret skunkworks group that was creating the Amiga, when it still could have been an Atari product. In this interview he shares great stories, including how he hand-assembled Atari 800s on the production floor, and fired up the very first 800XL prototype the very first time.

 

This interview was conducted on March 28, 2015.

 

Teaser quotes:

 

"I worked on the 1400XL. I could tell from day one, nobody had their heart into it."

 

"It was good stuff cutting up Atari 2600s on a Sunday afternoon."

 

"I shoved 72 Atari 810s in a 1979 Dodge Colt one day. I took the seats out so that I could load up as many 810s as I could possibly get in there."

 

"We had this big inflatable frog that we grabbed from the party, and we're walking down the street in Chicago and we ran into a very drunk on-the-street Muhammad Ali."


ANTIC Interview 29 - David Cramer - Western Design Center (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 05 Apr 2015 - Size: 32.5 MByte - Duration: 35:32

David Cramer - Western Design Center

 

David Cramer is the VP of Business Development at Western Design Center, the company that still, today, manufacturers and sells the 6502 chip, the CPU that's at the heart of the Atari 800, Apple ][, Commodore 64, and many other classic computers. In fact, the 6502 is used in many modern applications like pacemakers, and it's also available in development kits for hobbyists, as David explains.

 

This interview occurred on March 27, 2015.

 

LINKS

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 28 - Rich Pasco, Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 03 Apr 2015 - Size: 35.5 MByte - Duration: 51:38

Rich Pasco

 

Rich Pasco was Manager of VLSI Development where he worked on the FREDDIE memory management chip used in the Atari XL and XE series computers. He worked at Atari from November 1982 through May 1983. He lobbied management to create some products for the Atari 8-bit line -- including a mouse and an 80+ column display system -- which were not developed. Prior to his time at Atari, he was a member of the research staff at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).

 

This interview took place on March 27, 2015.


ANTIC Episode 20 - Visicalc, Choplifter (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 01 Apr 2015 - Size: 2.1 MByte - Duration: 02:16

ANTIC Episode 20 - Visicalc, Choplifter

 

LINKS:

 


ANTIC Interview 27 - Peter Dell, WUDSN, The!Cart Studio (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 29 Mar 2015 - Size: 47.1 MByte - Duration: 51:29

Peter Dell, WUDSN and THE!CART Studio

 

Hello, welcome to another interview-only episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig and today I’ll be talking with Peter Dell, also known as JAC! on AtariAge.  Peter is the developer of the outstanding WUDSN product for developing Atari 8-bit software and also is the developer of another product called THE!CART Studio, which is used to put software onto the flash cartridge product known as THE!CART.  Peter is doing some amazing work for the Atari 8-bits and I hope you enjoy this interview.

 

This interview was recorded via Skype on December 21, 2014.

 

Links


ANTIC Interview 26 - W. Sean Hennessy, Atari, The Software Machine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 27 Mar 2015 - Size: 35.5 MByte - Duration: 51:45

W. Sean Hennessy

 

W. Sean Hennessy worked in the Consumer Electronics Division at Atari from April 1982 through March 1984 where he developed Realsports Tennis for the Atari 800 and 5200, and created the version of Centipede for the Atari 5200, and Pengo for the Atari 800 and 5200. He also worked at The Software Machine, a company that was working to create edutainment software for the Atari and other platforms.

 

This interview took place March 1 2015.


ANTIC Interview 25 - Scott Adams, Adventure International (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Mar 2015 - Size: 34.4 MByte - Duration: 50:03

Scott Adams - Adventure International

 

Scott Adams is probably best known for his line of text adventures for early personal computers -- including AdventureLand, Pirate Adventure, Mystery Fun House, and many others. He was also the founder of Adventure International, the company that brought Atari users myraid programs, including Preppie!, Rally Speedway, Whomper Stomper, and lots of others. The company also released countless programs for TRS-80, Commodore, Apple ][, and other platforms.

 

This interview took place March 16 2015.

 

LINKS


ANTIC Interview 24 - Michael Katz, Mattel/Coleco/Epyx/Atari/Sega (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 Mar 2015 - Size: 28.8 MByte - Duration: 41:56

Michael Katz is a video games industry pioneer. Katz was Marketing Director for New Product Categories at Mattel Toys, where he helped create the portable, hand-held games category with the Auto Race and Mattel Football handheld toys. And he was Vice President of Marketing at Coleco, where he worked on ColecoVision and the Coleco tabletop arcade game line. Then he was president at Epyx, where he oversaw the release of three hits for the Atari 8-bit computers — Pitstop, Jumpman, and Summer Games. He left Epyx for Atari, where he was head of the short-lived entertainment electronics division.(What's electronic entertainment? Think hardware toys like Teddy Ruxpin and Laser Tag.) Later, he was president of Sega Entertainment, where he oversaw the launch of the Sega Genesis.

 

LINK

 

 


ANTIC Interview 23 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Alan Watson, Ozark (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 16 Mar 2015 - Size: 45.3 MByte - Duration: 01:06:02

Alan Watson was one of the four founding owners of Ozark Softscape, the company that created M.U.L.E. and Seven Cities of Gold for the Atari, both published by Electronic Arts. Ozark also created Cytron Masters which was published by SSI. The company created more games for other platforms, including Heart of Africa, Modem Wars, and Robot Rascals. Alan specialized in interface and graphics code, and he contributed to both M.U.L.E. and Seven Cities.

 

LINKS


 


ANTIC Interview 22 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Kathleen O'Brien, OSS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 13 Mar 2015 - Size: 8.1 MByte - Duration: 11:47

Kathleen O'Brien worked at Shepardson Microsystems, where she wrote the Atari Assembler Editor cartridge, and wrote the floating point routines in Atari BASIC. (Her husband Paul Laughton wrote the rest of Atari BASIC.) She, along with Bill Wilkinson and Paul Laughton, co-founded Optimized Systems Software, where she wrote much of the book “Atari BASIC Source Book”.

 

LINKS

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 21 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Dan Winslow & Mark Dusko, Atari 8-bit Ethernet Project (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 11 Mar 2015 - Size: 53.5 MByte - Duration: 58:26

Hi, everyone, and welcome to another interview-only edition of Antic, the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  I am Randy Kindig and I will be your host for this interview.  This interview is one that I’ve hinted at on earlier Antic shows and one that I’m very excited to bring to you as it covers a modern upgrade to the Atari 8-bit line.  Dan Winslow and Mark Dusko have been involved in the Atari 8-bit Ethernet Project to bring networking to the 8-bits.  They even produced a cartridge some time back called the Dragon Cart and are considering producing another run of them.  We discuss why they got involved with this project, where it’s going, and how the Atari community can help.  I hope you enjoy it and please let Dan and Mark know if you have an interest in this project and the Dragon Cart.

 

Links/Info:

 

Dan is danwinslow on AtariAge

Mark is puppetmark on AtariAge


ANTIC Interview 20 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Larry Liberty, 5200 Tester (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 06 Mar 2015 - Size: 18.2 MByte - Duration: 19:55

Larry Liberty - Atari 5200 Focus Tester

 

Larry Liberty had what many kids in the '80s would have considered a dream job: focus tester for Atari 5200 games. He tested Space Dungeon and Vanguard when he was around 12 years old. Larry tells Kevin all about it in this short interview.

 

LINKS

 


ANTIC Episode 19 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Atari Hardware (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 05 Mar 2015 - Size: 116.0 MByte - Duration: 02:06:39

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast:

  • Brad gets mad about Kevin’s swap meet finds

  • We discuss the release of source code for Action!, BASIC XL, and Star Raiders

  • ROB (Player/Missile Podcast) fills us in about Atari emulation on the Android

  • Brad gives a technical overview of the Atari 400 and 800 machines

  • Randy tells you everything you ever wanted to know about Atari BASIC but was afraid to ask

  • and we discuss the release of thousands of Atari program screenshots

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links


What We’ve Been Up To

 

 

News

 

New at Archive.org

(Wade at Inverse ATASCII)

 

Feature Topic - Atari Hardware “In-Depth” (Brad)

 

Atari Emulation on Android (Rob at Player/Missile)

 

Programming Language Segment - Atari BASIC (Randy)

 

Feedback


ANTIC Interview 19 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Lee Pappas, ANALOG (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 27 Feb 2015 - Size: 61.1 MByte - Duration: 01:06:46

Lee Pappas was co-founder of A.N.A.L.O.G Magazine, which was the first magazine about Atari computers, and (along with Antic) one of the big two Atari magazines in the United States.


LINKS
















 


ANTIC Interview 18 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Gardner Pomper, Games Computers Play (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 25 Feb 2015 - Size: 34.2 MByte - Duration: 37:23

Gardner Pomper was president and co-founder of Games Computers Play. Games Computers Play was almost certainly the first graphical online service (except for maybe PLATO, depending on how you're counting). It was devoted exclusively to interactive, multi-player games, and it was only for Atari computers. You probably didn't get a chance to use Games Computers Play -- it only managed to get about 1,000 subscribers at its peak. But you may have seen the colorful, enticing advertisement that they ran in the Atari magazines, or read the article about the service in Antic magazine.


A word about the source code mentioned in the interview: they haven’t found it yet, but they believe they have it and are still looking. we’ll let you know here if and when they uncover it.


This interview took place January 28, 2015 over Skype.


LINKS


Antic Magazine article about GCP


Games Computers Play Magazine ad


AtariAge discussion about GCP

 


ANTIC Interview 17 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Sal Esquivel (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 22 Feb 2015 - Size: 47.4 MByte - Duration: 51:45

Hello, welcome to this interview-only episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  I am Randy Kindig, one of the hosts of the podcast, and this interview is with Sal Esquivel, also known as KJMANN on AtariAge.  Sal has been very involved in the Atari community and owns a company by the name of Atlantis Games Group out of Portland, Oregon that produces software for the 8-bits.  That software includes games like Outrun, Venture, Tempest Xtreem and others, which are sold through Video 61 & Atari Sales by Lance Ringquist.  Sal also sells some 8-bit hardware upgrades and used to run a store called KJMANN’s Atari Sales & Service.

 

I hope you enjoy it and please write in to
antic@ataripodcast.com
and let us know what you think.

 


ANTIC Interview 16 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Wittmann & Derhak (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 20 Feb 2015 - Size: 74.1 MByte - Duration: 01:20:53

This is a different sort of interview. Kevin talked to three old friends reminiscing about their Atari days. Those friends are Dean Wittmann, Max Derhak and Dean Derhak (Max and Dean are brothers.)

 

These guys were best friends, Atari pals living in Salt Lake City, Utah area going to Atari computer club meetings, cracking programs, and running a BBS.

 

This interview was conducted on September 27, 2014 over Skype.

 

Links:

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Interview 15 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Kent Smith (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 11 Feb 2015 - Size: 30.1 MByte - Duration: 32:51

Sometimes fun to talk to CEOs, and sometimes fun to talk to the people in the
trenches. This is an interview from the trenches. Kent Smith was an Atari customer 
service/technical support rep for the Atari 400/800 from 1982-1984. I interviewed
him on September 19, 2014 via Skype.

 

The videotape that he mentions at the end of the interview -- you'll want to watch
that too, for a look at life in some of the Atari offices around Christmas 1981, which has never been on the Internet until now. Kent sent it to me, and I posted it to Archive.org.

 

Link:



ANTIC Interview 14 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Chuck Peavey (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 05 Feb 2015 - Size: 68.1 MByte - Duration: 01:14:24

Hello and welcome to Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig and this is a special interview-only episode of Antic.  This interview is with Chuck Peavey, who worked on games for the Atari 8-bit computer like Blue Max, Lode Runner, Fight Night, One on One Basketball, Panther, Ace of Aces, and Dark Chamber.  We had a great conversation about his days programming the Atari and I hope you enjoy it.

 

This interview was recorded via Skype on October 4, 2014.

 

links:


ANTIC Interview 13 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Ihor Wolosenko (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 27 Jan 2015 - Size: 62.2 MByte - Duration: 01:07:56

Ihor Wolosenko was co-founder of Synapse software, the company that brought us SynFile and SynCalc, and an amazing list of games including Blue Max, Zeppelin, Fort Apocalypse, Alley Cat and Shamus. And Nautilus, and Rainbow Walker, and Protector II, and others. Kevin interviewed Ihor on December 23, 2014.

 

LINKS


ANTIC Episode 18 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Atari Magazines (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 20 Jan 2015 - Size: 98.9 MByte - Duration: 01:48:02

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast:

  • We debrief on the current state of atari retail

  • Kevin delves into the best and worst Atari 8-bit magazines

  • We learn how to stuff a raspberry pi into a miniature, 3-D printed 800XL

  • We try -- and fail to -- avoid becoming bird food

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links


What We’ve Been Up To

 

News

 

 

New at archive.org

 

Software of the Month - Midi Maze

 

Hardware of the Month - Quintopus

 

Website of the Month - Google Alerts



Feedback

 

Feature Topic - Atari Magazines

 

 

Closing


ANTIC Interview 12 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Paul Westphal (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 17 Jan 2015 - Size: 27.2 MByte - Duration: 29:45

Hello, and welcome to this interview-only episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit computer podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig and I’ll be conducting the interview for this show.  The interview is with Paul Westphal, a much more recent Atari vendor than Brad Koda, Bruce Carso, or Lance Rinquist that I’ve recently interviewed. Paul not only offers some hardware and software but also offers service, which is hard to come by these days.  Paul is located in Portland, Oregon and the interview was conducted on November 8, 2014.

 

Links:

 


ANTIC Interview 11 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - David Small (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 11 Jan 2015 - Size: 149.2 MByte - Duration: 02:42:57

Kevin’s interview with Dave Small. Dave was half of the prolific writing and software team Dave and Sandy Small. He wrote the Outpost: Atari column in Creative Computing magazine, and the book Creative Atari. He also wrote for ANALOG, Antic, and Current Notes magazines. He was co-founder of LE Systems, a company that made disk duplicating hardware and the Integrator hard drive interface; and Gadgets By Small. He created Magic Sac and Spectre GCR, emulators that let you run Mac software on the Atari ST. He and Sandy developed a pair of Atari computer games for Boeing to be shown at trade shows, which they described in the Nightmare Mission series in Antic magazine.

 

LINKS

 

Nightmare mission articles:


ANTIC Interview 10 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Mark Rustad (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 07 Jan 2015 - Size: 51.7 MByte - Duration: 56:29

Kevin interviews Mark Rustad, Mark worked at Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) where he developed "Classroom Star", classroom networking hardware for the Atari 8-bits -- a product that was not released by Atari. Then he worked at Atari 1983-1984 as Systems Project Leader, where he troubleshooted the DTMF dialing on the Atari 1030 modem. We also talk about Mark’s work with the PLATO educational computer system.

 

LINKS

 


ANTIC Interview 9 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Lance Ringquist, Atari Sales (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 31 Dec 2014 - Size: 45.0 MByte - Duration: 49:11

Hello, welcome to Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  My name is Randy Kindig and this is a special interview-only episode.  This is the third in an ongoing series of interviews with the people behind the companies that still provide hardware, software, or service today for our Atari 8-bit computers.  The interview is with Lance Ringquist, owner of the Video 61 and Atari Sales Website.  Lance has been in business selling Atari items and services for over 30 years and has a lot of great stories to share about his time in this business.  I hope you enjoy this interview as much I enjoyed talking with Lance.  Please let Lance know you appreciate everything he has done and continues to do for the Atari community.

 

Enjoy!

 

Links:

 


ANTIC Interview 8 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Bruce Carso, B&C ComputerVisions (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 29 Dec 2014 - Size: 50.2 MByte - Duration: 54:49

Hello, welcome to a special interview-only episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast.  This interview is part of the ongoing set of interviews for the holiday season where I talk to many of the people still out there providing hardware, software, and/or support for our favorite computer.  This interview is with Bruce Carso, of B&C ComputerVisions.  As you will hear during the interview, Bruce has been in the Atari business for 34 years as of the recording of this episode and has many amazing stories to share.  Bruce not only has a website where he sells hardware, software and service, but he also has a store on ebay.  I hope you find this interview interesting and let Bruce know that you appreciate all he has done and continues to do for the Atari community.

 

Links:

 


ANTIC Interview 7 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Bill Wilkinson, OSS (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 22 Dec 2014 - Size: 74.7 MByte - Duration: 01:21:36

Kevin interviews Bill Wilkinson, of Optimized Systems Software fame!

 

Links:

 

 

 


ANTIC Episode 17 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Holiday Special (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 19 Dec 2014 - Size: 109.2 MByte - Duration: 01:59:19

On this episode of ANTIC the atari 8-bit podcast:

-Our Atari Holiday Gift Picks - which is apparently now a tradition on our show

-Randy’s definitive roundup of virtual drive options

-Bill plays three new, award-winning games

-and lots of listener feedback about the Atari 850 interface


Links mentioned in this episode:


Recurring Links



What We’ve Been Up To



News


Christmas Gift Ideas

Under $25


$25-$50


Over $50


Technical Topic (Virtual Drive Replacements)


CF/SD/SIO2PC/SIO2USB Options Comparison


Bill’s Modern Segment


Dimo's Quest (Amiga)


RGB (AtariAge)


Nemezyro Blog (English)

Nemezyro (AtariAge)


Listener Feedback


Closing


ANTIC Interview 6 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Diane Gaw, Editor ANALOG (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 18 Dec 2014 - Size: 36.5 MByte - Duration: 39:55

Diane Gaw, Managing editor of A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing


Links:


A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine at AtariMagazines.com


A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine at archive.org

 


ANTIC Interview 5 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Brad Koda of Best Electronics (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 14 Dec 2014 - Size: 55.0 MByte - Duration: 01:00:04

Welcome to this special, interview-only episode of Antic the Atari 8-bit podcast.  This is the first of a few interviews we’re planning to air in the month of December, 2014, leading up to the traditional US holidays of Christmas and New Years.  As December tends to be a month where lots of purchases are made, I thought it might be a good idea to talk to each of the remaining Atari dealers in the US and to get their stories.  This interview is with Brad Koda, proprietor of Best Electronics, certainly one of THE most popular Atari 8-bit outlets still in existence.  Best Electronics is celebrating it’s 30TH year of business this year, which is absolutely amazing!  Brad has a lot of stories about what it’s been like over those 30 years, from working closely with Atari in the 80’s & 90’s to what it’s like now.

 

Please enjoy and let Brad know you appreciate what he provides for the Atari community.

 

Links:

 


ANTIC Interview 4 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Chris Olson (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 27 Nov 2014 - Size: 59.0 MByte - Duration: 01:04:26

Randy interviews a long-time friend of the show, Chris Olson.  Chris is an Atari enthusiast from a very early age, as he discusses in this interview.  His father taught in the computer camps that Atari used to run in the 80’s.  Chris is known as CGOApps in the forums.

 

I hope you enjoy this interview with a general Atari 8-bit fan.

 

Links:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris’ Twitter: @CGOApps

 


ANTIC Episode 16 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - The Right Cartridge Slot (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 05 Nov 2014 - Size: 115.5 MByte - Duration: 02:06:06

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit PODCAST: We look at the Atari 850 interface, the SIO2SD device, and the right cartridge slot --- we strike out with Alan Alda --- and our friend Gray Chang sends us a care package of amazing previously-unreleased books and software.

Also with a great segment by our good friend Bill Kendrick about games converted from the Atari 2600 to the computers.  And, a special segment by Chris Olson about Atari 8-bit emulation on IOS.  It’s an information-packed episode you won’t want to miss!

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

 

What We’ve Been Up To

 

News

 

Review Segment - SIO2SD

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

 

Atari 8-bit Emulation on IOS by Chris Olson

 

Hardware/Software/Website of the Month

 

Listener Feedback

 

Feature Topic - Atari 850 Interface Module

 

Closing


IOS Atari Emulation Guide (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sat 01 Nov 2014 - Size: 0.0 MByte

ANTIC - Atari Podcast

Guide for Atari Emulation on iOS Devices

Written by C. Olson, October 2014

 

Greetings, all.  Emulation on iOS devices is a subject that has always proven difficult, given the constraints of the App Store and overall Apple philosophy.  Anything that executes non-native code is frowned upon at the App Store level, and often rejected outright.

 

What does this mean?  Simply put, you need a jailbroken iOS device.  This is a deal breaker for a great many people, and it's understandable.  I'll leave the fierce debate on the merits and dangers of jailbroken devices out of this guide -- many opinions on both sides.  Moving forward though, I'll assume basic to moderate knowledge of Cydia (the non-Apple 'App Store') and working within the jailbroken file system.  If the ability to emulate the Atari encourages you to take the plunge and jailbreak, plenty of tutorials and information exist - please read them carefully.  The process has evolved quite a bit over the years but it still carries some risk.  Proceed with caution!

 

All set?  Here's a brief outline of what we'll be doing, with detailed steps to follow:

 

* Download the Atari Emulator "XFormer" (MS-DOS version), preferably on your iOS device.

 

* Locate the Atari Disk images and file you would like to use - then transfer them to your iOS device or download directory.

 

* Run Cydia

 

* Add a Source in Cydia

- This source is a repository for DOSPad, a port of DOSBox, cross platform MS-DOS emulator for iOS.

 

* Install DOSPad

 

* Use on-device file management software to move and unzip/unarchive XFormer

 

* Run DOSPad

 

* Launch XFormer from the DOSPad C:\> prompt 

 

* Enjoy some Fuji color cycling goodness!

 

Detailed Instructions:

 

All of the file downloading and transferring can be done on your iOS device, or, you may download files to your computer and transfer them over.  I use a file management app called "iFile" which is a paid application on Cydia, and well worth it.  For downloading, I use the "Safari Download Plug-in" which is also on Cydia and free - clicking on a download link in Safari will bring up a prompt for you to save the file in a specified location, and, using iFile, you can move, unzip, etc.  If you want a little more control over how Safari handles downloads, another paid Cydia app called Safari D+ comes highly recommended.  Cydia, like the regular App Store, receives a huge influx of new content daily, so it's quite possible there might be different and more compelling options out there by the time you read this.  I don't know if there's a free file management app available, but it's worth a look.  

 

If you have a large library of Atari stuff on your computer that you want to transfer to your iOS device, rest assured that it is possible and not too difficult.  You will need to install and configure SSH on your iOS device, and install a file management program on your actual computer.  Two programs that I used in the past to do this were iPhone Explorer and I-FunBox.  Both of them worked quite well, on both Windows and Macintosh platforms.  These are drag and drop, Finder/Windows Explorer-like programs for movement of files, folders and directories.

 

** CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION **

 

Be -EXTREMELY- careful when you are moving folders and files on your iOS device!  If you mistakenly delete a system directory, there's no going back!  Same warning applies when viewing/accessing the iOS file system on your computer.  Enable the "Trash" option, if available, in both places.  File management programs are excellent utilities, but they do not distinguish between system folders and regular folders!

 

Guides and information for configuring and installing SSH, using iFile/other file management apps, Safari Downloads, and computer/iOS file transfer are fairly easy to find via search engine, and, frankly, beyond the scope of this guide.  There's some very helpful information regarding SSH and device security on the front page of Cydia itself -- a good place to start if you're unfamiliar.

 

Let's get started.

 

 

1)  Download XFormer.  The version we want is called "XFormer Classic" - here's the link:

 

  
http://emulators.com/freefile/pcxf380.zip

 

  Note the path where the download was saved on your iOS device for later steps.

 

2) If you will be transferring Atari data from your computer, I'd suggest creating an easily            accessible Atari-specific directory on your iOS device.  Mine is located at /var/mobile/Atari.  The underlying iOS file system has Unix roots, which allows for long filenames and lower case, but in the case of both MS-DOS and Atari, filenames must conform to the eight character name and three character extension (8.3) specification (e.g. ATARI.BAS is okay - AtariTenLineProgram-txt.bas is not.)  If you want to try things out first, the XFormer emulator ships with Atari DOS and .ATR disk images that contain a few demos and games.

 

3) Initiate the data transfer, launch your on-device file management app, and verify that your files/folder are, in fact, present.

 

4) Close the file management program on your computer, if applicable.

 

5) Run Cydia on your iOS device.

 

6) Select the "Sources" tab on the bottom of the screen.

 

7) Tap the "Edit" button in the top right hand corner of the screen.

 

8) Tap the "Add" button in top left hand corner of the screen.

 

9) You are presented with a prompt that reads "Enter Cydia/APT URL"

  The "http://" should be filled in automatically.

  Type the following:

 

  
www.litchie.net/cydia/

 

  Then tap the "Add Source" button.

 

10) Cydia should populate with the DOSPad files, plus a few others by this developer.

 

11) Select the "Changes" tab from the bottom of the screen.

 

12) The entries from

litchie.net
should appear near the top of the screen.  Select "DOSPad - DOSBox for iOS" and install the package.  If you don't see this on screen, select the "Search" tab from the bottom of the screen and type "Dospad" to find it.

 

13) Make sure you have the location of the XFormer Classic emulator from Step 1.  I suggest moving that file into your newly created "Atari" directory to keep everything in one place.

 

14) Using iFile or a separate unzip/unarchive utility, unzip the XFormer file (pcxf380.zip).  This can be done in iFile by simply tapping the file itself and selecting "Unarchiver."

 

15) At this point, the hard work is done.  You should now have an Atari directory that's easily accessible with the requisite Atari data from your computer (if applicable.)  DOSPad is installed, and, for the sake of simplicity, the XFormer emulator is unzipped within that same Atari directory.  Let's run it!

 

16) Quit iFile and locate the DOSPad icon on your iOS device.  Run DOSPad.

 

17) If all goes well, you should see the C:\> prompt at the top of the screen.  Welcome back to MS-DOS 5.0 and the early 1990's!  I'm an MS-DOS enthusiast too, but we're looking to go a little farther back in time.  If you're familiar with the MS-DOS command line, most of the 

old commands will work, go ahead and try them out, if you like.  When finished, type the directory command "DIR" and press Return.

 

18) If you are running DOSPad on an iPad, you'll be treated to a slick user interface that really takes advantage of the larger screen.  In Portrait mode, the keyboard overlay mimics the chiclet-stil IBM PS/2 keyboard.  In Landscape mode, the display goes full screen - and you can access the keyboard by tapping the top of the screen and selecting the keyboard icon.  On the iPhone, Landscape mode shows a full screen display, but in Portrait, the bottom half of the screen toggles between keyboard and gamepad view.

 

19) Your Atari directory should be visible on the screen somewhere.  Assuming your directory is named "ATARI", type "CD ATARI" and press Return.

 

20) We need to make sure we can find the appropriate disk image file to use with XFormer - type the "DIR" command if you're unsure.  If you transferred a large number of files, use "DIR /P" to pause the directory listing or a wildcard -- "DIR *.ATR" will list only .ATR image files.

 

21) Time to launch XFormer, finally!  Type the following and press Return when done:

 

XFORMER -J ANALOG51.XFD 

 

22) Almost there!  You should see an XFormer splash screen, with some very helpful keystrokes listed.  Take a screenshot on your iOS device (press the home button and power button simultaneously) so you can refer back when needed.  The "-J" switch enables the joystick in XFormer - which can be utilized in Dospad by selecting the gamepad/joystick UI on the screen.  Feel free to omit the -J switch if you won't be using the joystick.  "ANALOG51.XFD" is one of the Atari disk images that ships with XFormer.  I'd suggest trying this out first, and if it works, substitute the name of your intended disk image in its place.

 

23) "Press Any Key To Begin..." <- Sounds about right!

 

24) Your iOS device should say "Analog Computing" at the top of the screen, and the rest should look all too familiar.  Congratulations!  You are now emulating the Atari 130XE.  

 

25) If you would like to try one of the programs included on the Analog disk, use and

Kevin interviews John Henson - The New Aladdin Magazine

 

 


ANTIC Interview 2 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Marty Goldberg (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 06 Oct 2014 - Size: 60.1 MByte - Duration: 01:05:40

 

Randy interviews Marty Goldberg, co-author of “Atari Inc.: Business is Fun” and Atari historian.

 

 


ANTIC Interview 1 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Paul Laughton (audio/mpeg)
Published: Wed 01 Oct 2014 - Size: 32.4 MByte - Duration: 35:25

Kevin interviews Paul Laughton.

 

Paul Laughton is the author of Apple DOS 3.1, Atari BASIC, the Atari DOS filesystem, and co-founder of Optimized Systems Software.

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Episode 15 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Gray Chang & Jonathan Halliday (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 26 Sep 2014 - Size: 172.5 MByte - Duration: 03:08:27

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit PODCAST: We delve into the SIDE2 compact flash interface, look at arcade games ported to the 8-bits, discuss another  new atari podcast,  and interviews with Gray Chang -- author of Claim Jumper -- and Jonathan Halliday, creator of the new Atari GUI.

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

 

What We’ve Been Up To

 

News

 

Bill’s Modern Segment

 

Software of the Month

 

Hardware of the Month

 

 

Website of the Month

 

Feedback

 

Interview - Gray Chang

 

Interview - Jonathan Halliday

 

Closing

 


ANTIC Episode 14 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Kieren Hawken & Dale Yocum (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 29 Aug 2014 - Size: 146.1 MByte - Duration: 02:39:37

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit codpast: interviews with atari author and enthusiast Kieren Hawken; and Dale Yocum, the guy who thought up Atari Program Exchange. And Bill kendrick complains and ends up with his own segment, reviewing Space harrier. . . And we don’t talk about the Atari Dump Dig.

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

 

What We’ve Been Up To

-Euro 5,00 / World incl. postage. Payment by PayPal to 8bit@proc-atari.de

 

News

 

Bill Kendrick’s Modern Segment

AtariMania entry

 

Software of the Month

 

Hardware of the Month

 

Website of the Month

 

Listener Feedback

 

Interview - Kieren Hawken

 

Interview - Dale Yocum

 

Closing

 


ANTIC Episode 13 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - One Year Birthday & Fernando Herrara (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 20 Jul 2014 - Size: 207.9 MByte - Duration: 03:01:42

On this one-year anniversary episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast: we serve up a steaming pile of Hashteroids, Kevin reminisces about his first modem (it was blue and 300 baud!) , and we wax hopeful about a new Atari podcast, book, and magazine. Happy birthday to us.

 

Recurring Links

 

Intro

 

What We’ve Been Up To

 

News

 

Software of the Month - LeBreak

 

Hardware of the Month - MPP Modems

 

Website of the Month - AtariLeaks

 

Listener Feedback

 

Feature Topic (Atari 8-bit File Extensions)

 

Interview - Fernando Herrera

 


ANTIC Episode 12 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Bill Kendrick, Fred Thorlin, & William Culver (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 23 Jun 2014 - Size: 184.3 MByte - Duration: 03:21:16

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast: interviews with Fred Thorlin, former director of Atari Program Exchange; Bill Kendrick, father of Atari Party; and William Culver, co-host of the Colecovisions podcast . . . plus . . . will Atari be a hardware giant again?

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

 

What We’ve Been Up To

 

News

 

Software of the Month - Star Raiders

 

Hardware of the Month - AtariMax MyIDEII

 

Website of the Month - The Atari Times

 

Feedback

 

Interview - Bill Kendrick

 

Interview - Fred Thorlin

 

Interview - William Culver

 


ANTIC Episode 11 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Live from VCFSE 2.0! (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 09 May 2014 - Size: 37.6 MByte - Duration: 41:06

 

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit podcast, we broadcast live from Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 2.0, interview attendees with Atari stories, find out who's going to win the grand prize for the quiz show (hint: It's someone you may know!), and answer questions from the audience.  Come join us for the most fun-packed show we've had yet!  READY

Links mentioned in this episode:

Recurring Links



Show


ANTIC Episode 10 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Darren Doyle & Michael Current (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 24 Apr 2014 - Size: 120.6 MByte - Duration: 02:55:39

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast: Randy does a horrible impersonation of Rod Serling, we talk with Darren Doyle of Atari Gamer Magazine, have a discussion with Michael Current of the Atari 8-bit FAQ AND give you the scoop on Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 2.0. Also Kevin gives excuses about why his alien voice box isn’t working...still.

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

 

What We’ve Been Up To

 

News

 

Website of the Month

 

Software of the Month (Software Automatic Mouth, SAM)

 

Hardware of the Month (VoiceBox Speech Synthesizer by The Alien Group)

 

Listener Feedback

 

Interview - Darren Doyle

 

Interview - Michael Current


ANTIC Episode 9 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - JD Casten & Steve Wilds (audio/mpeg)
Published: Thu 03 Apr 2014 - Size: 118.9 MByte - Duration: 02:09:50

 

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast: an interview with JD Casten, Antic magazine’s prolific game author, an interview with Steve Wilds, editor of Atari User Magazine … and lots of retrogaming news and reviews.

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevins Book “Terrible Nerd”

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge

 

What We’ve Been Up To

Turbo-BASIC XL

Turbo-BASIC XL at Page6.org

Turbo-BASIC XL Expanded Documentation

More Turbo-BASIC XL Information

ShopGoodWill.com

Retro Gamer Magazine

Vintage Computer Festival Southeast (VCFSE) 2.0

 

News

VCF East 9.1

Seattle Retro Gaming Expo

Classic Gaming Expo

Portland Retro Gaming Expo

Retro Gamer Magazine picks top 10 Atari 8-bit games

Floppy Bird Article

Floppy Bird Download

Stampede Article

Stampede Download

Perplexity Article

Perplexity Download

Retro Gaming Magazine

Nolan Bushnell Article on using Games to Teach

Atari Dump Dig Update

Tablet-Friendly Revamp for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

“Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time” by Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton

TitanFall Arcade

Discussion on AtariAge about Buying Atari

Archive.org BusinessCase

 

Software of the Month

Synapse Software Syn Business Application Series

 

Hardware of the Month

Atari XE Game System (XEGS)

 

Website of the Month

Atari Museum

Facebook Page for Atari Museum

 

Interview - JD Casten

JD Casten Website

 

Interview - Steve Wilds

Atari User Magazine

 


ANTIC Episode 8 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Curt Vendel & Dennis Harkins (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 28 Feb 2014 - Size: 137.9 MByte - Duration: 02:30:37

 

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast: an interview with Curt Vendel, Atari historian and co-author of “Atari, Inc: Business Is Fun” … and  an interview with Dennis Harkins, author of the APX program Message Display Program … and how a pack of bubble gum led to life with an Atari and a career in computers.

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevins Book “Terrible Nerd”

 

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge

 

What We’ve Been Up To

"Compute's Atari Collection Volume 1"

"CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer" by Boisy G Pitre and Bill Loguidice

“Sophistication and Simplicity, The Life and Times of the Apple II Computer” by Steven Weyhrich

KansasFest

Kampfgruppe

Vintage Computer Festival Southeast (VCFSE) 2.0

Intellivisionaries Podcast

Movie Musical Madness

Kevin's black metal 850 interface

"A Mind Forever Voyaging - a history of storytelling in video games"

Atari User Magazine

Kevin's Atari 400/800 Posters

 

News

VCF East 9.1

Atari Gamer Magazine

Atari Gamer Promotion on YouTube

30th Anniversary Edition of Boulder Dash

TapStar Interactive

Terry Stewart (Tez) HD remake  of Atari 400 Video on YouTube

Band Of Outsiders Atari Clothing Article

Band of Outsiders Website

Atari 800 mentioned on Colbert Report Video

Atari 800 on Colbert Report Discussion on AtariAge

Google and YouTube Atari Easter Eggs

Learning Curve programming articles

Learning Curve Discussion on AtariAge

Nolan Bushnell interview

NOMAM 2014 programming contest for 10 line games

Bill Kendrick - Paddleship Entry for NOMAM

Archive.org Computer Magazines

Archive.org Computer Newsletters

Archive.org Game Magazines

Archive.org Manuals

Archive.org The Business Case: Applications and Programs for the Home Office

 

Tips

KDOS

Atari Encyclopedia

History of Atari Computers from CIO Magazine

Bits of the Past store

 

Interview - Curt Vendel

Atari Museum

Atari History Book Website

“Atari Inc.: Business is Fun (Volume I)” by Curt Vendel, Marty Goldberg at Amazon

 

Interview - Dennis Harkins

Unedited Dennis Harkins Interview

 

Closing

Taste My Beeper 1-bit GTIA Music

Mash-up of the Beastie Boys and the music from Ballblazer

 


ANTIC Episode 7 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Disks & Paul Nurminen (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 27 Jan 2014 - Size: 103.1 MByte - Duration: 01:52:36

On this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast: we delve into the mystery of floppy drives, talk with Paul Nurminen about his love of Atari, and rescue adventure games off of cassette tape.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Recurring Links

Floppy Days Podcast

AtariArchives.org

AtariMagazines.com

Kevins Book “Terrible Nerd”

New Atari books scans at archive.org

ANTIC feedback at AtariAge


Intro

A8CAS

atari.org Tape Preservation Project

cassette discussion on atariage

Altirra emulator

Atari800Win-Plus emulator

Adventure Creator

War Games magazine research

"CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer" by Boisy G Pitre and Bill Loguidice

"Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time" by Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton

"Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time" by Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton

Audio on a Record

Atari800MacX emulator

Vintage Computer Festival Southeast (VCFSE) 2.0

Vintage Computer Festivals

ATR8000

Atlanta Science Festival

SpartaDOS

“Atari Roots” by Mark Andrews

“Atari BASIC Source Book” by Bill Wilkinson

“Sophistication and Simplicity, The Life and Times of the Apple II Computer” by Steven Weyhrich

Atari Pool disks

Intellivisionaries Podcast

Paul Nurminen's Website with Atari programs

B&C ComputerVisions


News

Atari Dump Hunt on hold

More Atari Dump

Atari Chapter 11 News

VI for SpartaDOS

Revival Mini

Revival Survival! Kickstarter

Homebrew Heroes Magazine

New Fandal Site

Atari Blast! update

Incognito Board

Incognito Board Third Run

“30 Years Later, One Man Is Still Trying To Fix Video Games” article on Chris Crawford

The!Cart

New 7800 Stuff at archive.org

Vintage Volts Podcast

Atari Gamer Magazine


Tips

Running the Atari800 emulator on the Raspberry Pi

 

Atari BBS’s via telnet


ANTIC Episode 6 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Xmas & Mike Albaugh (audio/mpeg)
Published: Sun 15 Dec 2013 - Size: 90.0 MByte - Duration: 01:38:17

 

In this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast, our Holiday Gift guide (for that Atari lover in your life, even if it’s you), an interview with the man who created the Atari in-store demonstration cartridge, and reboots of two classic Atari games.

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Recurring Links:

 

Intro:

 

News:

 

Special Topic – Christmas Recommendations:

 

Feedback:

 

Special Topic – Interview with Mike Albaugh:

 

 


ANTIC Episode 5 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Connect Your Atari to a PC (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 12 Nov 2013 - Size: 67.5 MByte - Duration: 01:13:46

 

In this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast, Kevin plays with an Atari gadget that he pre-ordered three years ago -- and forgot about . . . Randy tells everything you wanted to know about connecting your PC to your Atari . . . poor Brad ends up with more Texas Instruments 99/4A computers than he knows what to do with. Also. an interview with the president of one of the oldest Atari users groups.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Atari vintage commercial at YouTube

Historical Software Archive

Altirra Atari Emulator

Atari Jazz

Ready: Atari 800XL

AtariMania

Best Electronics

Apple Time Warp Podcast

Atari 800 In-Store Demo (Disco Dirge)

 

Suburban Chicago Atarians (SCAT)


ANTIC Episode 4 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Chris Crawford (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 04 Oct 2013 - Size: 45.0 MByte - Duration: 01:11:18

 

In this episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast, an interview with Chris Crawford, author of Eastern Front 1941; we rescue Atari hardware and TI 99/4a hardware; we find a new source for reliable Atari power supplies; and we take a look at an Atari emulator that works in your web browser.

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

 

 

 

 


ANTIC Episode 3 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - Jim Capparell, Antic Magazine (audio/mpeg)
Published: Fri 23 Aug 2013 - Size: 44.6 MByte - Duration: 01:04:59

On this third episode of Antic, the Atari 8-bit Podcast, we shop for Atari goodies at the world’s loooooongest yard sale, hob-nob with Woz at KansasFest, and interview the founder and publisher of Antic Magazine.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Lotharek F7 Turbo Card

 


ANTIC Episode 2 - The Atari 8-bit Podcast - De Re Atari (audio/mpeg)
Published: Mon 22 Jul 2013 - Size: 44.1 MByte - Duration: 48:12

On this second episode of ANTIC: The Atari 8-bit Podcast --  we talk about our favorite books about the Atari, two exciting new hardware projects, the atari party, and why the worlds biggest department store is also the worlds worst.

Links mentioned in the show:

Floppy Days Podcast

Atlanta Historical Computer Society

Atari Magazine Archive

Atari Book Archive

Kevin's Book “Terrible Nerd”

KansasFest

Atari Vintage Commercial

Liber809 at Cloud 9

Liber809 Write-up at Byte Cellar Blog

Kickstarter for Seriously?!

Seriously?! Write-up at VentureBeat.com

Atari 8-bit FPGA

FPGA at Wikipedia

Atari Party 2013

GTIABlast Preview at YouTube

GTIABlast Web Site

“Terrible Nerd” Book by Kevin Savetz at Amazon

“Atari Inc.: Business is Fun (Volume I)” by Curt Vendel, Marty Goldberg at Amazon

Atari Books at archive.org

Atari Books at AtariMania.com

 


ANTIC Episode 1 - The Atari 8-Bit Podcast - Intro (audio/mpeg)
Published: Tue 18 Jun 2013 - Size: 30.3 MByte - Duration: 47:14

On this first episode of ANTIC: The Atari 8-bit Podcast -- we talk about the first Atari to be installed on a Navy submarine, two recent books about the Atari computers --- are there really millions of ET carts buried in a landfill in New Mexico?, and which Atari computer is the prettiest? All that and more!

Links mentioned in the show:

Floppy Days Podcast

Atari Magazines

Atari Archives

Terrible Nerd

Atari Dump

More Atari Dump

Atari Dump Interview

Rapidus Accelerator Board

Book - Atari Inc.: Business is Fun

Electronic Games Magazine

Book - Atari 40th Anniversary Special

Wikipedia

 

 


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