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

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  

What we’ve been up to

• Tandy Assembly - http://www.tandyassembly.com
• Portland Retro Gaming Expo - http://retrogamingexpo.com/
• Ted Nelson Junk Mail project https://archive.org/details/tednelsonjunkmail
• Donate to Ted Nelson project at: https://paypal.me/Savetz

Interview Discussion

• Stewart Cheifet interview with Atari content on Floppy Days Podcast - http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-78-interview-with-stewart-chefeit-computer-chronicles

News

• Atari 800xl clear case - https://www.facebook.com/groups/181644898539691/permalink/1480954711942030/
• Retro-Housing on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Retro-Geh%C3%A4use-by-Plexilaserde-493569180811023
• The Atari 800Xl Housing can be ordered here -  http://www.plexilaser.de/shop/Acrylgehaeuse-fuer-ATARI-800XL-Teilesatz
• Revive 1027 - Roller Rubber Replacement for ATARI®1027 Printers - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/271589-revive1027-order-thread/
• 1088XEL boards - http://AtariBits.Weebly.com/1088XEL.html
• ABBUC Hardware Contest 2017 - http://www.abbuc.de/atari/hardware-ressort/80-hardware/hardwarewettbewerbe/1835-hardwarewettbewerb-2017
• Issue #4 of Eight Bit magazine highlights our favorite 8-bit home computer - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/8bitmagazine/eight-bit-magazine-4-amstrad-atari-commodore-spect
• Eight Bit Magazine Website - http://www.eightbitmagazine.com/
• Telnet65: Remote telnet connection for Atari computers - http://www.vintageisthenewold.com/telnet65-remote-telnet-connection-for-atari-computers/
• 2018 Calendar with Atari 8-bit Theme - http://www.vintageisthenewold.com/2018-calendar-brought-you-by-atari-800xl/
• Upcoming Shows where you might see Atari computers (or Atari people):
• • SillyVenture 2017, Fri, December 8, 5am – Sun, December 10, 1pm, Gdansk, Poland - http://sillyventure.eu/

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

• • Vintage computer fest Seattle Feb 10-11 2018, Living Computers: Museum + Labs - http://vcfed.org/wp/2017/07/07/vintage-computer-festival-pacific-northwest/
• International Atari Shows (Nir Dary) - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/[email protected]&pli=1

YouTube videos this month

• Demonstration of the SYSCHEK V2.2 Hardware - Nir Dary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hht2tUoBSfc
• ATARI 800 XL XE Classic Edition Games from Poland - Nir Dary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pdnjZzIU4M
• Atari 800XL Numen Demo - Nir Dary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WcfLQX5xnc
• Hebrew ATARI XL Computer - Nir Dary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xYnU0KEFsk
• Demo of MIDI player prototype for the Atari 8-bit - Nir Dary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8IV_fsTP5Y
• • Also, see thread on AtariAge at http://atariage.com/forums/topic/269207-midi-interface/
• ABBUC Atari Club Annual Meeting 2017 - Nir Dary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuVjysr5cgs
• RETRO=RICKY ATARI 130XE COMPILATION HALLOWEEN GAMES PART II 100617 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKkBlZ5-Bqw
• Atari 1088XEL Mini-ITX motherboard unboxing - Jonathan Halliday (FlashJazzCat) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8hiXMQfsWY

New at Archive.org

• Atari PILOT Eliza 2
• Atari Cambridge Research Language Design meeting agenda
• LNBUG 2 Manual
• LNBUG 6.0 Manual

Nir’s Segment - ABBUC 2017 Meeting

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuVjysr5cgs&t=52s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8IV_fsTP5Y

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.

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.'"   S&S Wholesalers ad in July 1986 Antic magazine   S&S Wholesalers ad in June 1987 A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine   Tom Hunt interview

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.

• Book: “Hacking Video Game Consoles: Turn Your Old Video Game Systems Into Awesome New Portables” - https://www.benheck.com/hacking-videogame-consoles/
• https://www.benheck.com/
• https://www.youtube.com/user/thebenheckshow
• https://www.element14.com/community/community/experts/benheck
• Atari 800 XE Laptop - https://www.benheck.com/atari-800-xe-laptop/
• Second Atari 800 Laptop - https://www.benheck.com/atari-800-laptop-2/
• Ben’s Atari 800 Games - https://www.benheck.com/download-my-atari-800-games/

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.   In preparation for this interview, Jim wrote a seven-part article on his blog about DesignWare's pre-history, story, and legacy.    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.    A video version of this interview is also available.    Peter Rosenthal interview   David Seuss interview   Bill Bowman interview   AtariMania's list of Designware software   1982 InfoWorld article about DesignWare   1983 InfoWorld interview with Jim   1984 PC Magazine Profile on Jim   Jim on Twitter   Jim's compositions on SoundCloud

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.'"   AtariMania's list of Dan Pinal software   Atari Graphics and Arcade Game Design at at Atari Archives   Atari Graphics and Arcade Game Design at Internet Archive

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

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  

What we’ve been up to

• VCFMW - http://vcfmw.org/
• Ted Nelson’s junk mail archiving - https://archive.org/details/tednelsonjunkmail

News

• In-store Demonstration Program - blog post by Bill Lange - http://atari8bitads.blogspot.com/2017/09/in-store-demonstration-program.html
• user TCH successfully closed a 1050 troubleshooting thread that he started in early 2008 - http://forums.atari.org/read.php3?num=4&id=2411&thread=2098
• Atari-themed Sunnyvale apartments purchased for $15.7 million - http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/07/atari-themed-sunnyvale-apartments-purchased-for-15-7-million/
• “How many mods will fit into a 600XL” thread on AtariAge - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/252797-how-many-mods-will-fit-in-a-600xl/
• Atari’s Awesome – And Weird – History Of Video Game Consoles - http://comicbook.com/gaming/2017/08/29/atari-s-awesome-and-weird-history-of-video-game-consoles/#4
• Pro(c) Atari Magazine on hiatus - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/269959-is-proc-atari-still-around-at-all/
• Games for Atari: 1977 to 1995 is the subject of an intellectual property dispute and is currently unavailable - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/993169463/games-for-atari-1977-to-1995
• Atari Co news this month - https://www.gamereactor.eu/news/587993/Atari+reveals+handheld+and+plug-and-play+Atari+Retro/
• Altirra under Wine for Mac OSX Sierra - Fletch - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/256928-altirra-28-wine-port-for-macos-sierra/
• Atari Party East took place 9/9/17 by Bill Lange - https://www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com/atari-party-east-2017/
• Upcoming Shows where you might see Atari computers (or Atari people):
• • Vintage Computing Festival Berlin, German Technical Museum, Berlin, Oct 7 & 8 - https://vcfb.de/2017/
  • ByteFest 2017 Oct 13-15, 2017 - http://www.bytefest.org/english-info2/ (Prague, Czech Republic)
  • PRGE http://www.retrogamingexpo.com Oct 20-22
  • SillyVenture 2017, Fri, December 8, 5am – Sun, December 10, 1pm, Gdansk, Poland - http://sillyventure.eu/
  • Vintage computer fest Seattle Feb 10-11 2018, Living Computers: Museum + Labs - http://vcfed.org/wp/2017/07/07/vintage-computer-festival-pacific-northwest/
• International Atari Shows (Nir Dary) - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/[email protected]&pli=1

YouTube videos this month

• Time lapse of the Retro Computer Festival (http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/de...) held on the 16th and 17th of September 2017 at the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge (UK) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-58ibSWyF4s
• Installing an AtariMax SIO2PC in an Atari 800XL - flashjazzcat (2 parts) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1UKE0lz-Aw
• Citron 3kg coding timelapse - Atari XL/XE - Martin Šimeček - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAwzqeiHz-U

New at Archive.org

• Pack007 - https://archive.org/details/CrutchfieldSpring1982
• Atari 130XE, 800XL and 520ST technical details ad sheets in Finnish - https://archive.org/details/AtariComputersTechnicalDetails
• Different Atari-related hard/software pricelists 1985 - https://archive.org/details/AtariHardAndSoftwarePricelistsFromFinland
• The Atari 800 Home Computer Owner's Guide INTERNATIONAL - https://archive.org/details/TheAtari800HomeComputerOwnersGuideInternational
• APX Source Code For Eastern Front 1941 Rev. 2 manual
• https://archive.org/details/QualitySoftwaresSpringSummer1982Catalog
• No Openings Postcard

Bill’s Modern Segment

• Tempest Elite - http://members.tcq.net/video61/tempestelite.html

Of the Month

• http://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/

Commercial

• Atari Adventure Center - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mByRu19y9oY&feature=share

Feedback

• San Leandro Computer Club - http://slcc.bdgeorge.com/
• They Create Worlds Podcast
• “Never Mind the Laptops: Kids, Computers, and the Transformation of Learning” by Bob Johnstone - https://www.amazon.com/Never-Mind-Laptops-Computers-Transformation/dp/0595288421/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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.

Dan Reinhart, Yahtman   Dan Reinhart published one program for the Atari 8-bit computers: Yahtman, a Yahtzee-style 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."   Download Yahtman from Atarimania   Yahtman in the winter 1982-1983 APX catalog   Paul Cubbage interview

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."   Interview with Bill Bowman, Spinnaker CEO

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."   A video version of this interview is available.   Otis Art Institute   Interview with Gary Koffler, VP at Datasoft and Datamost

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.   A video version of this interview is also available.   "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."   American Software Club ad in H&E Computrpnics magazine, 1982 (page 11)   American Software Club ad in A.N.A.L.O.G. Computing magazine, 1983   American Software Club ad in PC Magazine, 1983   1981 InfoWorld article about software clubs