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 Yost, The Catalog and Cyber Studio   Support Kay's interview on Patreon

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

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

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 1200xl - Atari's 8-bit red-headed stepchild - Power of Vintage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTLTJzZ7-I8 

• Atari XE memory extension (512 KB) in 2 easy ways - RetroKernal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvBkMEnONgs 

• Atari 65 XE vs Commodore 64 | 70s 80s Computer System Competition TV Commercial - VideoGames Replay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMNGMHKZ0w 

• Atari Computers Sales, Marketing Strategy 80's TV Commercial - VideoGames Replay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA7kY9pkFxM 

• Atari 800 Game: Scram (1980 Atari) - Old Classic Retro Gaming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8XRtICfBuQ 

• CHM: Oral History of Nolan Bushnell - https://youtu.be/izYWqhUGBGA?si=M4T43I-tJ2mp2EhA 

New at Archive.org 

• https://archive.org/details/computer-shopper-jan-1989-vol-9-num-1-atari-articles 

• https://archive.org/details/atari-price-list-june-1982-and-letters 

• https://archive.org/details/europa-america-aventuras-com-o-atari 

• https://archive.org/details/computer-83-special-section-the-oregonian-june-16-1983 

• “The Dirty Book”:

• https://archive.org/details/the-dirty-book-v-2-n-2 

• https://archive.org/details/TheDirtyBookV2N1 

• Referenced by - https://bsky.app/profile/lainenooney.bsky.social/post/3lbldh3w2hk2m 

A Word From Our Sponsor

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMNGMHKZ0w 

New at GitHub

• https://github.com/pvbestinfoo/Atari_8-Bit_Rom_Image_File_Explorer 

• https://github.com/sidneycadot/sam 

• https://github.com/dpicken/atari-hw 

• https://github.com/JSJvR/atari-8-bit-utils 

• https://github.com/GRHOnline/Mono8bitmap 

• https://github.com/fredlcore/1K-RainBox 

 

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.   Video version of this interview on YouTube       Vince's web site   Vince in Wikipedia   Critical Connection review in ANALOG magazine 1986-02   CC version 1 in Antic   XL version in Antic   In Byte 1983-09   In Dr. Dobbs Journal 1983-09   Critical Connection at AtariMania   ANTIC Interview 444 - Nick Kennedy, SIO2PC and ATR   Support Kay's interviews on Patreon

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.   Video version of this interview on YouTube   Nick's web site   Nick's SIO2PC page   Previous interview with Nick about ham radio: ANTIC Interview 441 - Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer   ANTIC Interview 144 - Stephen Lawrow, Mac/65 assembler   Bob Woolley's Review of SIO2PC in Atari Interface Magazine 1991-01   1993 Atari Classics article: SIO2PC: Slave An IBM To Your 8-Bit   The .ATR File Format   ANTIC Interview 441 - Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer   AtariCom software   DAK catalogs   Best Electronics   Mapping the Atari by Ian Chadwick   AtariMax APE and ProSystem   Old Hackers Atari User Group newsletter disks   Nick Kennedy on AtariAge   Support Kay's interviews on Patreon

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.   Video version of this interview at YouTube   P3ACE newsletters   Rick's "Atari Revolution" quote   Current Notes at Internet Archive   The Current Notes issue Kay received from Rick   Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth   Rick's letter to Antic Magazine Volume 7 Number 11 "My kids love Talking Toddle"   Support Kay's interviews on Patreon

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.   Video version of this interview at YouTube   The Atari Drawings   ANTIC Interview 420 - Brenda Laurel, Atari Research   Whither The Encyclopedia Project - Atari Encyclopedia Project memos   Back to the Future -- In honor of Encyclopedia Britannica giving up its print edition (Wayback machine)   Stein Kay Atari Memos Pt 1   Stein Kay Atari Memos Pt 2   Exchange With Steve Weyer And J. David Bolter 1983   Hadley Letter 1980-12-01   Atari...Ifugao Question Journal, Michael Naimark   CVD Atari Seminar 20 December 1982   Encyclopedia And The Intellectual Tools Of The Future . . . November 1981   Bob Stein Archives at Stanford   The Digital Antiquarian — Bob Stein and Voyager   Charles Van Doren in Wikipedia   Bob Stein wants to change how people think about the book (2010)

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

• PRGE - https://www.retrogamingexpo.com/ 

• Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolution by David and Theresa Welsh - https://amzn.to/40l4vv1 (sponsored link) 

Recent Interviews

• ANTIC Interview 439 - Making Modern Atari Hardware 

• ANTIC Interview 440 - Ed Sabo, UltraBASIC 

• ANTIC Interview 441 - Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer 

News

• ABBUC 2024 Software Contest:

• https://www.atariteca.net.pe/2024/10/ruff-in-trouble-ganador-del-abbuc-2024.html 

• https://abbuc.de/2024/10/ergebnis-abbuc-softwarewettbewerb-2024-result-abbuc-software-competition-2024/ 

• ABBUC Magazines -  https://abbuc.de 

• 4th ATASCII Compo 2024 - Presentation

• Pre-Launch for Clear Case for 800XL has begun:

• https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seethruit/injection-molded-clear-case-for-atari-800xl-computer/

• https://forums.atariage.com/topic/373926-pre-launch-for-clear-case-for-800xl-has-begun/ 

• Bouncy World Server Available - https://www.atariorbit.org/2024/09/27/bouncy-world-server-available/ 

• Replacement cartridge slot - Screaming at the Radio - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/373896-replacement-cartridge-slot/ 

• Mastertronic Collectors Archive - Atari (8-Bit) Mastertronic Checklist - https://mastertronic.co.uk/atari-mastertronic-checklist/ 

Upcoming Shows

• Retro Computer Festival 2024 - November 9-10 - Centre for Computing History, Cambridge, England - https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/72253/Retro-Computer-Festival-2024-Saturday-9th-November/ 

• Silly Venture WE (Winter Edition) - Dec. 5-8 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-we 

• Event page on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub 

YouTube Videos

• Atari XL/XE -=Go! Tony Go!=- - Saberman RetroNews - Atari XL/XE -=Go! Tony Go!=- 

• LIVE from PRGE 2024 Day 1: AtariAge New Releases & WIP - ZeroPage Homebrew - LIVE from PRGE 2024 Day 1: AtariAge New Releases & WIP (FIXED!) 

• Videos of the ABBUC winners, such as:

• Atari XL/XE -=Eat Me!=- ABBUC Software Contest 2024 - Saberman RetroNews - Atari XL/XE -=Eat Me!=- ABBUC Software Contest 2024 

• 1K Rainbox - Saberman RetroNews - Atari XL/XE -=1K RainBox=- ABBUC Software Contest 2024 

• My Atari 800 prints out the news and weather every morning! - Sascha Segan - My Atari 800 prints out the news and weather every morning!

New at Archive.org 

• https://archive.org/details/horten-computer-welt-11-85-preise/

• https://archive.org/details/brace-bits-vol-3-no-1/BraceBits%20vol1%20no4/

• https://archive.org/details/@allan52?query=portland

Github

• https://github.com/marktmiller/atari-8-bit-forth-projects/tree/main/fig-forth1.1/FP%20library

• https://github.com/ivop/saprtools