Antic The Atari 8-bit Podcast

ANTIC Episode 120 - AI Non Grata In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Kay discusses a big Atari haul, we get an Atari report from VCF West, we discuss a new Atari 8-bit emulator, and Kay bans AI-generated content from the podcast … 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 Spring/Summer 1992 Toad Computers Catalog - https://archive.org/details/toad-computers-spring-summer-1992-catalog  Sector Copy program - https://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-scopy-810_44379.html  News Report from Rob McMullen about Ataris at VCF West [4:37] - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5qq0k7y5d25ymq87mlx3s/rob-vcf-west-review-1450-antic-podcast.wav?rlkey=30oilrbgfstazfrk4t6wh7cqm&dl=0  Shadow

ANTIC Episode 119 - Special Guest Joe Decuir In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Joe Decuir, one of the fathers of the Atari 400/800, joins us for a super-interesting discussion of what he’s working on and the current Atari news… 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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_C._Decuir  Fluxxing Robert Moore Hybrid Arts disks, getting them to https://www.a8preservation.com  Best Electronics - https://www.best-electronics-ca.com/  Scan of JACG Newsletter Volume 5, No. 12 (Aug. 1986) - https://archive.org/details/jacg-newsletter-1986-aug-vol-5-no-12  Scan of JACG Newsletter Volume 6, No. 1 (Sep. 1986) - https://archive.org/details/jacg-newsletter-1986-sep-vol-

ANTIC Episode 118 - Trigger Warning In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we have lots of user feedback and user projects to report on, we talk about a postage stamp-sized Atari computer, and (trigger warning!) there are a couple of Commodore references…  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 Photos from the Capital Children's Museum Communications Exhibit which opened November 1981 - https://archive.org/details/ccm-communications  Narrascope 2025 - https://narrascope.org/  Learning about print shop font and border formats with Michael Sternberg - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/324752-print-shop-atari-related-graphics/#findComment-5667327  “Unofficial

ANTIC Episode 117 In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… lots of scanning talk, more new games for the Atari than you can shake a stick at, and how to win a kiss on the forehead… 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 New scans for documents sent by Aaron Spurlock: https://archive.org/details/Mad_Scientist_Software_Hospital_ACLS_Teaching_Series_manual  https://archive.org/details/Mad_Scientist_Software_Cardiac_Arrest_ACLS_Teaching_Series_manual/  New scan - https://archive.org/details/donnie-iris-do-you-compute  New scan -  https://archive.org/details/analog-computing-poster  Wade Ripkowski’s site - https://unfinishedbitness.info/  In-progress quick reference book by Randy, with At

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 https://github.com/savetz/critical-connection  Fujinet update: Brian Cox - https://www.FVResearch.com  Mozzwald (Joe) https://mozzwald.com/product-category/fujinet/  Problem was https://github.com/FujiNetWIFI/fujinet-hardware/tree/master/ATARI/Old-Versions/FN32ROV-1.3-Q24#important-bugfixes  https://www.eightbitfix.com/  Archived 2 JACG Newsletters - March & April, 1986: https://archive.org/details/jacg-newsletter-1986-ma

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.   Atari BASIC Programs in Minutes    Doing Business with VisiCalc    Financial Cookbook at A

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. A

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 Scanned stuff from Timothy Onders https://archive.org/details/stx_Atari_400_800_Personal_Computer_System_Operating_System_Listing_1981-02_CO16579 https://archive.org/details/stx_Atari_400_800_Personal_Computer_System_Hardware_Manual_CO16555_1980-10 https://archive.org/details/APX_Isopleth_Map-Making_Package_manual_APX-20103_1982-06 Pilot book - “Atari 400/800 Student Pilot Reference Guide” by Atari - ht

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 fo

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 Atariteca - https://www.atariteca.net.pe/  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! 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 ANTIC Interview 450 - Robert Leyland: AtariArtist, KoalaPainter, MicroIllustrator  Kay’s 2024 wrapped - https://www.patreon.com/posts/kays-2024-119233408  Lee Pappas ANALOG disks treasure hunt: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/378256-lee-pappas-analog-disks-treasure-hunt/  https://github.com/scttgs0/titan-prototype-atari8  S.T.A.R. newsletter - https://www.atariorbit.org/star/  Rogul game: https://www.atariorb

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 DGS Website - http://www.dgs.clara.net/  DGS post on AtariAge - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/268373-dgs-pd-library-the-whole-lot-to-download/  YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLn2nyiuk_OaW1Is4cZtvtQ   

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 Gru

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

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

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

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

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 S

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

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/