The Memory Machine

The Memory Machine

By Nathaniel LockhartSociety & CultureLeisureHobbies
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The Memory Machine episodes

  • Memory Machine #64 - Adventures and Misadventures in Vintage Console Repair

    This month on the Memory Machine, Nate talks with guests Dustin, Jonas and Cyo all about their adventures in vintage console and computing repair. Thrill at the exploits of fault-finding triumph! Recoil in fear over tales of leaky, exploded capacitors! Shake your head at dumb, rookie mistakes! All this and more has been carefully recorded for your listening pleasure!

    Check out Dustin Hubbard's prolific scanning work at the Gaming Alexandria website, follow the Twitter, and join the Discord!

    Find out more about Jonas' work at Hit Save! They have a fun Discord group too!

    And be sure to follow Cyo's work on Twitter, as well as supporting his Patreon!

    You can find the host, Nate Lockhart on Twitter and Instagram.

    1 hr 52 min
  • Memory Machine #63 - The History (and Present!) of Text Adventures

    For this episode of the podcast, Nate has on Jason Dyer to talk about the wide and wonderful world of interactive fiction, from its nascent period with "game books" all the way up to present day interactive fiction competitions. Jason Dyer is a prolific blogger on the topic of interactive fiction, and his blog Renga in Blue is a testament to his passion. Check it out - there's a lot to discover in there!

    You can follow host Nate Lockhart on Twitter with @nate_lockhart and on Instagram with @nathaniel.lockhart.

    Show notes:

    • Consider the Consequences
    • Description of Solo Naughts and Crosses on Twitter
    • Jason's blog post series "Before Adventure"
    • Wander
    • William Crowther's original Adventure (pre-Woods)
    • They Create Worlds episode on Infocom and Adventure International
    • Aisle by Sam Barlow
    • Counterfeit Monkey by Emily Short

    1 hr 37 min
  • Memory Machine #62 - A Beginner's Guide to the Apple II

    For this month's episode, we have on Joe Strostrider from Joe's Computer Museum to help walk us through the far-reaching world of the Apple II. Why is the Apple II such a big deal? If I'm going to grab one, which one should I get? And how the hell does one make a new floppy disk in 2022? These questions and many more are answered in this thorough, yet succinct (well, we hope) podcast!

    Follow Joe on Twitter and Instagram!

    Check out Joe's shop here!

    And if you haven't yet, do check out his YouTube channel. If you like old computers, his channel is a must-watch!

    1 hr 49 min
  • Memory Machine #61 - The Origins of Baseball

    The origins of baseball, America's most cherished pastime, are often seen obscured through a magical fog of legend and myth - and we're sick of it! Alex Smith (writer of They Create Worlds and host of the They Create Worlds podcast) helps Nate separate fact from fiction on this whirlwind tour of the early history of baseball. Did baseball really come from a British game called rounders? When did they decide on three strikes and four balls? And is there a lazier team name than the "Portland Portlanders"? Find your seat in the grandstand, hunker down with your favorite boiled meat snack, and enjoy this sporting episode of the Memory Machine!

    Buy Alex's book here! It's great! And be sure to check out the accompanying podcast They Create Worlds. It's also great!

    You can find host Nate Lockhart on Twitter at @Nate_Lockhart and on Instagram @nathaniel.lockhart.

    Special shoutout to Dutch chiptune composer RoccoW, who graciously allowed me to use his track "FamiFunk Over Breakfast" as the theme for this episode. Check him out on Spotify – Soundcloud – Youtube – Facebook – Twitter .

    2 hr 28 min
  • Memory Machine #60 - Josie and the Pussycats, and Early 2000's Youth Culture

    Well, this is quite a departure from the last several episodes, eh? This week on the show, Nate is joined by Kate Lockhart and Molly Burke to talk about the 2001 cult favorite JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS, what it had to say about the pop culture of the era, and how its satire is viewed a bit differently twenty years on.

    Molly can be found on Instagram at @merly_burke.

    Katie can be found on Twitter at @lock_kate_hart, and you can look up the work she's doing for the Western New York Law Center here.

    You can find host Nate Lockhart on Twitter at @Nate_Lockhart and on Instagram @nathaniel.lockhart.

    Special shoutout to Dutch chiptune composer RoccoW, who graciously allowed me to use his track "FamiFunk Over Breakfast" as the theme for this episode. Check him out on Spotify – Soundcloud – Youtube – Facebook – Twitter .

    1 hr 39 min
  • Memory Machine #59 - The Birth of Pinball

    This week, Ethan Johnson returns as we talk about the next great chapter in arcade game history: the birth of Pinball (or Pigeonhole, if you must). It's a big topic with an appropriately long runtime, so get ready to fill your ears with a lot of ballyhoo! (pun is ABSOLUTELY intended.)

    Ethan excellent blog is The History of How We Play.

    You can follow Ethan on Twitter at @GameResearch_E.

    And here's a trailer for the documentary series Ethan is working on, Arcade Dreams:

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/a-s7thpmdIA?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

    And be sure to join the fun with the two of us on the Gaming Alexandria Discord!

    You can follow Nate on Twitter @Nate_Lockhart and on Instagram @nathaniel.lockhart.

    Special shoutout to Dutch chiptune composer RoccoW, who graciously allowed me to use his track "FamiFunk Over Breakfast" as the theme for this episode. Check him out on Spotify – Soundcloud – Youtube – Facebook – Twitter .

    2 hr 22 min
  • Memory Machine #58 - Gaming Alexandria (w/Dustin Hubbard)

    This week on the Memory Machine, Nate has on the stalwart archiver par excellence and grand potentate of the Gaming Alexandria website, Dustin Hubbard to talk about adventures in scanning magazine, dumping ROMs for obscure computers, and even grumble a little bit about copyright law.

    Please check out the Gaming Alexandria website to check out some of the fascinating things mentioned on this week's episode, not to mention a host of other, equally fascinating material!

    You can follow the goings on of Dustin and Gaming Alexandria by following them on Twitter at @GamingAlexandri (sic)! Also, join the Discord and yak our ears off about old video games, which you can find a link to on the Gaming Alexandria website.

    You can follow host Nate on Twitter at @Nate_Lockhart, or on Instagram at @nathaniel.lockhart.

    58 min
  • Memory Machine #57 - 70's Video Arcade Game Preservation Society

    The Memory Machine becomes a roundtable this week as four luminaries join Nate on the podcast to discuss the underappreciated world of 70's arcade video games, and the trials and travails in having them properly preserved. Guests include such authors and creators as Ethan Johnson (The History of How We Play, Arcade Dreams), Kate Willaert (A Critical Hit!), Dale Geddis (QuarterPast on Twitter), and Kevin Bunch (Atari Archive).

    And if you have any materials related to the topic that you'd like to have preserved and/or archived, be sure to visit Gaming Alexandria, the Video Game History Foundation, or the Strong Museum!

    Be sure to follow these fine folks on Twitter! Ethan - @GameResearch_E, Kate - @katewillaert, Dale - @QuarterPast83, Kevin - @ubersaurus, and Nate - @Nate_Lockhart (@nathaniel.lockhart on Instagram).

    1 hr 51 min
  • Memory Machine #56 - Coin-Op Carnival

    This week on the Memory Machine, two very special guests, Ryan Claytor and Nick Baldridge of the Coin-Op Carnival comic magazine, talk all about their joint publication, amazing pinball (and non-pinball) related projects, and their shared love of electro mechanical amusements. You'll learn about bingo pinball! You'll find out how pinball can be really fun even without flippers! You'll buy a copy of Coin-Op Carnival!

    Complete show notes at memorymachinepod.com!

    1 hr 14 min

About The Memory Machine

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to the Memory Machine, a podcast all about the pop cultural of the past, from the 1890's to the 1990's, and beyond. Each topic has on a guest or three, going through its history and discussing our personal experiences and views on it.