Episodes

  • ANTIC Episode 113 - Feeling Fancy!

    ANTIC Episode 113 - Feeling Fancy!
    Jan 4 2025
    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 FASTBASIC on Mac - (https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=EricCarr.fastbasic-debugger) 10-liner option of FASTBASIC - https://github.com/dmsc/fastbasic/blob/master/compiler/USAGE.md#passing-options-to-the-compiler Finished archiving Lee Pappas’ disks!! - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/378256-lee-pappas-analog-disks-treasure-hunt/ Eaten by a Grue is back - https://monsterfeet.com/grue/notes/56 Kay TODO - https://www.atariorbit.org/2024/12/26/altirra-arm-and-sequoia/ https://www.smoliva.blog/post/friend-of-the-blog-006-kay-savetz-antic-hybrid-arts/ Keeping Up With Atari: Neoliberal Expectations in Early Electronics Advertising - https://tmgonline.nl/articles/10.18146/tmg.847 keyboard to replace domes on 130XE - https://amzn.to/4i10QZz News Clearcase Kickstarter update - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seethruit/injection-molded-clear-case-for-atari-800xl-computer SpartaDOS 4.50 update - https://sdx.atari8.info/index.php?show=en_download_release RM800XL update (from Philsan) with images: Philsan post - https://mastodon.world/@Philsan/113627289787765526 RM 800XL site - https://revive-machines.com/index-en.html FujiNet news: FujiNet RAPID 13 (2024 wrap-up) and RAPID 12 by Andy Diller - https://www.atariorbit.org/rapid/ FujiNet news substack by Brian Cox - https://fujinews.substack.com/ Video by The VintNerd and Brian Cox on FujiNet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XcsSznKbTs Atari FujiNet User's and Programmer's Guide (First Draft) - Thomas Cherryhomes - https://fujinet.online/2024/12/31/early-draft-of-fujinet-users-manual-for-atari-users-0-0-2/ Atari Party East 2024 update from Andy Diller (Photos): https://www.flickr.com/photos/vladimirvince/albums/72177720322425117 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/t0qh6ekylnscbq6vbkkh8/APXF0_WBraGyO64fhDhVFIQ?rlkey=iey7dmfhet3ecahy229tzhfsy&e=1&dl=0 Atari 1200XL-1MB, Solder-Less 1088K SRAM-Based Memory Replacement Board by MyTek - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/378131-atari-1200xl-1mb-solder-less-1088k-sram-based-memory-replacement-board/ The Joy of Sticks article in ROMchip Journal https://www.romchip.org/index.php/romchip-journal/article/view/204 Altirra V4.30 - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/378003-altirra-430-released/ ABBUC Magazine 159 - http://www.abbuc.de Bubble-Bobble for the Atari 8-bit released - https://vega.atari.pl/main-page/bubble-bobble/ Via Bill Lange on bluesky: “Playing "Kaiser", a pretty version of "Hammurabi" or "Kingdom" on the Atari 8-bit. I translated most of the German to English here” - https://github.com/billlange1968/Kaiser/wiki “Archer Maclean’s DropZone returns with 40th Anniversary Edition landing this December” - https://www.flickeringmyth.com/archer-macleans-dropzone-returns-with-40th-anniversary-edition-landing-this-december/ Upcoming Shows Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 15-17, 2025 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com Midwest Gaming Classic - April 4-6 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/ VCF East - April 4-6, 2024 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 12-13 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/ SFGE / VCFSE - June 20-22 Atlanta, GA - https://gameatl.com/ Fujiama - August 11-17 - Lengenfeld, Germany - http://atarixle.ddns.net/fuji/2025/ Event page on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub YouTube Videos How Atari 8-Bit Computers Work - The 8-Bit Guy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDAZAgrzNoo Bubble Bobble: Saberman RetroNews - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXo462Es-lg Atari 8-bits Forever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dZcJqTdIlk CCA - Atari 8Bit Demoscene - 48k to 128k - The 400 Mini - Exploring Demos - CoffeeCupArcade - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ury9fxpwOvk Seven Amazing New Atari 8-Bit Games including Bubble Bobble & Time Wizard Deluxe Edition! - ZeroPage Homebrews - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P-6zzDZpHg Silly Trip Demo for the Atari XL/XE PAL, 64kb and single POKEY by Desire - Heaven6502 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic

    ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic
    Dec 30 2024
    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. Video version of this interview FastBasic at github FastBasic at AtariWiki 10-line BASIC Contest Daniel at atariage Viña del Mar, Chile BW-DOS ANTIC Interview 436 - Rodrigo Castro, Atari in Chile FastBasic Debugger Extension for VSCode Support Kay's interview on Patreon
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    39 mins
  • ANTIC Interview 450 - Robert Leyland: AtariArtist, KoalaPainter, MicroIllustrator

    ANTIC Interview 450 - Robert Leyland: AtariArtist, KoalaPainter, MicroIllustrator
    Dec 25 2024
    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. Video version of this interview Robert's utilities at AtariMania Robert's games at AtariMania ANTIC Interview 104 - Aric Wilmunder, Star Raiders II, Temple of Apshai ANTIC Interview 70 - Jon Freeman, Freefall Associates De Re Atari Support Kay's interview on Patreon
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • ANTIC Interview 449 - Tim Boehlert, Atari's WCI Labs Division

    ANTIC Interview 449 - Tim Boehlert, Atari's WCI Labs Division
    Dec 20 2024
    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. Video version of this interview ANTIC Interview 65 - Steve Mayer, 400/800 Designer ANTIC Interview 332 - Mike Matthews, Alien Group Voice Box ANTIC Interview 383 - Gregg Squires, Atari Manager of Hardware Engineering Strong Museum of Play Support Kay's interview on Patreon
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    55 mins
  • ANTIC Interview 448 - Frank Foster, Hybrid Arts

    ANTIC Interview 448 - Frank Foster, Hybrid Arts
    Dec 13 2024
    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. Video version of this interview My interview with Robert Moore and Paul Rother Hotz MIDI Translator: Atari Team Redefines Electronic Instruments Frank Foster Biography Frank's SIGGRAPH documentary on computer graphics Hybrid Arts Timeline, Founders, and Goals document by Robert Moore Midi Maze at AtariMania ANTIC Interview 434 - Michael Park: Swan and Fujiboink Demos, MIDI Maze ANTIC Interview 193 - Gary Yost, The Catalog and Cyber Studio Support Kay's interview on Patreon
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    58 mins
  • ANTIC Interview 447 - Robert Moore and Paul Rother, Hybrid Arts MIDIMate

    ANTIC Interview 447 - Robert Moore and Paul Rother, Hybrid Arts MIDIMate
    Dec 11 2024
    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. Video version of this interview Hybrid Arts Timeline, Founders, and Goals document by Robert Moore Hybrid Arts - Revolutionize the Process of Modern Movie Making Hybrid Arts on Computer Chronicles (starts at 8 minutes) 8-bit Hybrid Arts software at AtariMania Atari ST Hybrid Arts software at AtariMania MIDI Track III Manual Midipatch: DX Editor for Yamaha DX manual mt-32pi Roland MT-32 emulator Support Kay's interviews on Patreon
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • ANTIC Interview 446 - Mary Eisenhart, MicroTimes magazine

    ANTIC Interview 446 - Mary Eisenhart, MicroTimes magazine
    Nov 30 2024
    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. Video version of this interview at YouTube MicroTimes at Internet Archive [NEEDED for scanning: Volume 2 Number 12, most of Volume 3] Mary's web site BAM Magazine in Wikipedia Hedy Lamarr issue Kay's first published article Support Kay's interviews on Patreon
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • ANTIC Episode 112 - Keeping Warm with Sweaters and Hot Sauce

    ANTIC Episode 112 - Keeping Warm with Sweaters and Hot Sauce
    Nov 26 2024
    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 Vox ex Machina: A Cultural History of Talking Machines by Sarah A. Bell - https://archive.org/details/mit_press_book_9780262375870/page/169/mode/2up?q=savetz Intellivision: How a Videogame System Battled Atari and Almost Bankrupted Barbie by Tom Boellstorff and Braxton Soderman - https://archive.org/details/mit_press_book_9780262380553/ MIT Press: Open Access Materials - https://archive.org/details/mit_press_open_access A Treasure Chest of Ampex Tapes Saves Early Computer History - https://www.ampex.com/a-treasure-chest-of-ampex-tapes-saves-early-computer-history/ Atari 400/800 Reference Card (Atari BASIC and Microsoft BASIC) by Nanos Systems Corp. - https://archive.org/details/1984-03-anticmagazine/page/102/mode/2up Best of Creative Computing (Volumes I & III): https://archive.org/details/Best_of_Creative_Computing_Vol_1_1978_Creative_Computing_Press https://archive.org/details/bestofcreativeco0003unse Cassette repair - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCGJ7GQF Stray Pointers podcast with the ANTIC crew - Jim Lawless - https://straypointers.com/e/s2e19.htm Recent Interview Shows ANTIC Interview 442 - Bob Stein, Atari Research ANTIC Interview 443 - Rick Reaser, Current Notes Magazine ANTIC Interview 444 - Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and ATR ANTIC Interview 445 - Vince Cate, The Critical Connection News Ugly Christmas sweaters - https://atari.com/collections/holiday-collection?filter.p.product_type=Sweatshirts&sort_by=manual Atari Hot Sauce - https://atarisauce.com/ Christmas Critters: https://www.atariteca.net.pe/2024/11/anuncian-demo-de-christmas-critters.html And at AtariAge - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/375904-christmas-critters-wip-game-demo/ he just released an “engine prototype demo” - https://tigerskunk.itch.io/atari-xmasdemo And Saberman has already done a quick video on it - https://youtu.be/efP2WOLnxvY Revive Machines is working on the injection molds of RM 800XL, the modern FPGA recreation of the Atari 800XL - Philsan69: https://x.com/philsan69/status/1856461217792999494?s=58 https://revive-machines.com/index-en.html Clear Case Kickstarter for 800XL has begun (Nov. 1) - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seethruit/injection-molded-clear-case-for-atari-800xl-computer/ Brian Reifsnyder Designs an "Advanced Remake" of Atari's 800XL Mainboard - https://www.hackster.io/news/brian-reifsnyder-designs-an-advanced-remake-of-atari-s-800xl-mainboard-95cbc0823bb3.amp AtariBASICs November newsletter - John Zielke - https://ataribasics.com/ Atari Addict Collector’s Magazine - https://www.pixel.addict.media/shop/atari-addict-magazine Atari Programmers Society Newsletter: https://archive.org/details/wire-taps-atari-programmers-society-newsletter-april-1986-vol-4-num-4 v1n6 1983 - https://archive.org/details/wiretaps-v1n6 Cartridge extender card for the Atari 1200XL - ReifsnyderB - https://www.tindie.com/products/5cfab/cartridge-extender-card-for-the-atari-1200xl/ Improved Keyboard on an XE - https://amzn.to/4i10QZz Vintage Computer Center starting back up (Gavin Haubelt) - http://www.vintagecomputercenter.com FastBASIC install/debugger - Eric Carr https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=EricCarr.fastbasic-debugger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fOm8Mq4qFA 400 mini it is available from Amazon Germany for $54 plus shipping. - https://www.amazon.de/-/en/RETROGAMES-THE400MINI/dp/B0CRYXTL82 Upcoming Shows REMAINING IN 2024 Silly Venture WE (Winter Edition) - Dec. 5-8 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-we Atari Party 2024 - Dec. 7 (noon - 4p.m.) - Quakertown Train Station, Quakertown, PA - http://atariparty.org/ 2025 Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 15-17, 2025 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com Midwest Gaming Classic - April 4-6 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/ VCF East - April 4-6, 2024 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 12-13 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/ Fujiama - August 11-17 - Lengenfeld, Germany - http://atarixle.ddns.net/fuji/2025/ YouTube Videos The Atari ...
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    1 hr and 15 mins