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 … R…

Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer I was adding a batch of ham radio newsletters to the Internet Archive's Digital Library of Amateur Radio And Communications, and I noticed the word "Atari" on one of the pages. In the September 2019 issue of Solid Copy, the newsletter of The CW Operators Club, Nick Kennedy had written: "Few hams who are both CW …

Ed Sabo, UltraBASIC Ed Sabo, with the help of his dad, founded UltraBASIC, a company that produced software for Atari 8-bit computers. UltraBASIC's software for the Atari 8-bits, which was all programmed by Ed, were: Tank Math: "a tutored math exercise plus a bonus roman numeral quiz" FunSpeller: "use your own words or the fifteen word-sets include…

Two Interviews about Making Modern Atari Hardware In this interview episode, there are interviews with two people creating today's Atari hardware: the Atari 400 Mini and other modern reboots of retro consoles such as the Atari 7800+. First, an interview with Matthew Burnett, Vice President of Strategic Operations at Atari — the guy in charge of Ata…

ANTIC Episode 110 - Are the Grandkids Listening!? In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Kay makes TI users unhappy, VCFMW recap, we drool over an Atari Home Computer Demonstration Center display, we bid farewell to an Atari podcast, and Randy uses a word he wouldn’t want his grandkids to hear… READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days…

ANTIC Interview 438 - John Carlsen - Atari Summer Employee 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. John Carlsen worked at Atari only briefly, as a summer job for 6 weeks in 1987, between his final years of high school. Later, in 1988-1989, he worked …

ANTIC Episode 109 - Host Wars In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Brad and Randy cover VCFSE, Kay finishes archiving the Famous Computer Cafe and gets some great material from Dan Kramer and Larry Summers, and the hosts trade barbs… READY! Links for Items Mentioned in Show: What we’ve been up to Larry Summers: Excalibur - htt…

ANTIC Episode 108 - Randy’s Eyes Are Bleeding! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Kay visits VCFSW and the National Videogame Museum, tapes from the famous Computer Cafe are found, Atari acquires Intellivision, and Randy’s eyes start bleeding from watching YouTube videos 24x7… READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast Atari…

ANTIC Interview 437 - Dr. Kristina Hooper Woolsey, Atari Research Labs and Apple Multimedia Lab 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. Dr. Kristina Hooper Woolsey is an American scholar and cognitive scientist known as the "mother of multimedia" for…

ANTIC Episode 107 - 4 Times! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we realize there are 4 times as many interview episodes as regular episodes and what that might say, Kay visits the Strong Museum, Randy attends the Indy Classic Expo, and Brad drools over a keyboard for the 400 Mini… READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast At…

ANTIC Episode 106 - Thom, do you ever sleep!? In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we cover all the recent contests involving new Atari software development, bring you all the other Atari news we could find, and marvel at the stamina of Thom Cherryhomes… READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazin…

ANTIC Episode 105 - Secret Club Meeting with Andy Diller In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we pull together our secret club of Atari hackers, including special guest Andy Diller, and talk FujiNet, archiving disks, VCF SoCal, VCF East, listener feedback and more in an extra-long episode. READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Po…

ANTIC Episode 104 - You’re Gonna Label Me a Failure In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Kay plays with Pokey the AI chatbot some more, Kay’s cat tries to smack Randy in the head, we discuss what happens if we don’t meet our interview goals (hint: Randy will be labeled a failure), and we bring you all the Atari 8-bit news from …

Rodrigo Castro, Atari in Chile Rodrigo Castro was one of the organizers of an Atari Expo that took place July 22, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. He told me it was probably the largest Atari show in that country to date, with an estimated 300 attendees. Panelists included Robert Jaeger, creator of Montezuma's Revenge, who attended via videoconference. Rod…

ANTIC Episode 103 - POKEY The Atari Guru In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…results of the ABBUC 2023 Software Contest, upcoming 2024 shows (and an Atari Party yet in 2023), and Kay has a great time testing out POKEY The Atari Guru… READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kay’s Book “Te…

ANTIC Episode 102 - Randy, You Used to be a Nice Guy! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… All the Atari 8-bit news for this month, Kay breaks his Atari mug, Brad impersonates Kay, Kay decides to start up a cable company, and Randy changes in retirement … READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazi…

ANTIC Interview 435 - Cynthia Solomon and Brian Silverman - Logo 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. Cynthia Solomon is an American computer scientist known for her work in artificial intelligence and making popular computer science for students.…

ANTIC Episode 101 - “The Pronunciation Episode” In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…We discuss the antics of the company that calls itself Atari and their purchase of AtariAge and bring you all the other Atari 8-bit news we could find, while mispronouncing names all over the place… READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast At…

ANTIC Episode 100 (Or Episode 4 in Binary) In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We celebrate our 100th (or is it the fourth, for you binary geeks out there?) episode by bringing you the latest news from across the Atari 8-bit computer landscape. READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Ka…

ANTIC Episode 99 - 10-Year ANTICversary! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We bring in some of our Atari friends and talk about the last 10 years of Atari 8-bit happenings in this celebration of the ten-year anniversary of ANTIC! READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “T…

ANTIC Episode 98 - Don’t Toss Those Disks! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We talk about all the feedback we got concerning tossing or copying old non-commercial disks, we discuss the we-hope-it’s-not-vaporware RM800XL 800XL remake, we mention Thom Cherryhomes and FujiNet like 100 times, and all the other news we could fi…

ANTIC Episode 97 - Don’t go to the Commodore Show! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Randy accidentally puts a link to an upcoming Commodore show in the show notes, we tell you how you too can emulate an Atari 1450XLD, and we give you the scoop on the Atari 8-bit entries in the BASIC 10-Liner Contest. READY! Recurring Links …

ANTIC Episode 96 - Atari Dreams In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we talk about development for the Atari 8-bit, discuss a couple of highly-modified 800’s, dream about sleeping on an Atari pillow, and bring you all the other Atari 8-bit news we could find! READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMa…

ANTIC Episode 95 - Party at Brad’s House! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we reluctantly add an “in memoriam” section, discuss other Atari news, and plan a party at Brad’s house during VCFSE. READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd” New Atari books scans a…

(be sure to listen to the special "word from our sponsor!" ANTIC Episode 94 - Are we just a chat bot? In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we discuss the new book “Broken Computer Games” and other Atari news, and raise the question “are we just a chat bot”? READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagaz…

ANTIC Episode 93 - All FujiNet, All the Time! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Andy Diller (atariorbit) joins us to talk all things FujiNet! 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 inter…

ANTIC Episode 92 - I Played 1,000 Hours! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Randy talks about his great barn find and VCFMW, Kay gets a new personality (board), and Brad tries to accumulate 1,000 hours on Miner 2049’er. READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd…

ANTIC Episode 91 - HAM Atari In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…Kay gets a new job, Randy officially retires, and we cover a ton of hardware upgrades 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 Atar…

ANTIC Episode 90 - Lets All Retire! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Atari hits 50 big years, Lego gets into the ballgame, and Randy talks retirement (no, not from the show). READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd” New Atari books scans at archive.org ANT…

ANTIC Episode 89 - Choke on it! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… Brad regales us with his motherload of new Atari stuff, Kay solves the mystery of “Have You Played Atari Today?”, and we discuss lots of other Atari news READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Ne…

ANTIC Episode 88 - We need more Atari shows! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… lots of Atari action and news, loading Atari software from VHS, and a call for more Atari-specific shows READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd” New Atari books scans at archive…

Michael Park: Swan and Fujiboink Demos, MIDI Maze Michael Park created two well-known demos that are familiar to many Atari enthusiasts: the Swan Demo and FujiBoink. In the Swan demo, a bird flies gracefully across the screen, in front of a spinning fuji logo. In FujiBoink, the Atari fuji spins and bounces over a red and white checkerboard, reminis…

Scott Savage: Lefty, the Checkers Playing Robot "Lefty" was the name of the world's first checker-playing robot, which was located at the Omniplex science museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The robot arm would play games of checkers against museum visitors, picking up and moving pieces on a physical checkerboard. Lefty's game logic ran on an Atari …

Anthony Ramos: Parrot, Creepy Caverns Anthony Dandrea is better known to Atari computer enthusiasts as Anthony Ramos. Anthony programmed Creepy Caverns, a type-in BASIC game that was published in Antic magazine's August 1984 issue. Anthony also created the software for Parrot, a $40 4-bit sound sampler and playback package that was marketed by Alph…

ANTIC Episode 87 - Good news, bad news In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we have tons of news, both good and bad, and lots of coverage of new hardware. 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 …

Tom Zimmerman, AMY chip Tom Zimmerman worked at Atari from 1982-1984 where he was on the digital audio research team in Atari's Corporate Research Lab in Sunnyvale. There he worked on the AMY chip — a next-generation audio chip. Tom, one of four AMY team members, wrote the 8051 code to control the TTL prototype of the chip. The chip was never relea…

ANTIC Episode 86 - Tangents In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… the BASIC 10-liners contest and the AtariAge High Score Club contest are on like Donkey Kong, new software and hardware is available for our favorite machine, K continues his archiving work, and we go off on several tangents READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Pod…

ANTIC Episode 85 - Surprise Roundtable In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...we have a surprise roundtable with guests Nir Dary, Jason Moore, Corey Koltz, and Bill Kendrick where we discuss numerous Atari 8-bit topics! READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terrible Nerd” …

ANTIC Episode 84 - Atari Resolutions for the New Year In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...we each talk about our top Atari resolution for 2022 (although maybe not the type of resolution you were thinking), and discuss all the Atari news we could find for December, 2021. READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchive…

Tim Huntington: Krazy Kopter, Fire Chief, Adventures of Robin Hood Tim Huntington was an Atari game developer based in the United Kingdom. He programmed Krazy Kopter, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Fire Chief, which were published by English Software; and Despatch Rider, which was published by Mastertronic. This interview took place on December …

ANTIC Episode 83 - The Dog Ate It In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...Kay forgets to wear his ANTIC t-shirt, we all have new members of the family (and Brad’s eats everything in sight), Kay goes crazy scanning Atari magazines, and we have lots of listener feedback. READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org…

Jack Verson was the founder of JV Software, where he programmed and published several games for the Atari 8-bit computers: Action Quest, Ghost Encounters, and Journey to the Planets. Roklan Software repackaged Action Quest and Ghost Encounters into a single game, titled Castle Hassle. As part of On-Time Software, Jack programmed the Atari versions …

ANTIC Episode 82 - FujiNet to Take Over the World! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast...we have special guest Thom Cherryhomes who tells us why FujiNet is aiming to take over the world, we discuss the recent VCF Midwest and VCF East, and of course tell you everything going on in the world of Atari. READY! Recurring Links Flop…

Dave Johnson: Demon Attack, Atlantis; APX Lookahead; Personal Financial Management Dave Johnson programmed software for the little-known Interact Model One computer, and later worked as a programmer for Atari, where he created the game Lookahead, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. Lookahead is a fun little strategy board game that you c…

Margaret (Akin) Guilbault, Atari Camper Margaret Akin was one of the children who attended Atari's computer camps, and one of the kids who was featured in The Magic Room, Atari's movie about the camps. Her name is now Margaret Guilbault. Atari ran its summer camps from 1982 through 1984 at several locations around the United States. That first year…

Eric Podietz, Interactive Picture Systems Eric Podietz was co-founder of Interactive Picture Systems, a company that created software for 8-bit computers from 1982 through 1984. The company's first program was PAINT! for the Atari 8-bits, which was developed at the Superboots software development lab located at the Capital Children's Museum in Wash…

ANTIC Episode 81 - Too Much Commodore In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… we wax philosophical about Raspberry Pi upgrades for the Atari, discuss the drama that was the Atari fest of the past, and talk WAY too much Commodore! READY! Recurring Links Floppy Days Podcast AtariArchives.org AtariMagazines.com Kevin’s Book “Terribl…

Jeffrey Sarnoff, Atari Research Group Jeffrey Sarnoff started at Atari in the home computer division in 1981 as a software architect, where he worked on a 3-D graphics library. The next year he moved to Atari's Research Group, under Alan Kay, where he worked on a holographic animation system and a 4-dimensional strategy game. This interview took pl…

Atari at the Science Fair: Mark Knutsen, Star Cluster This is the third in a series of interviews called "Atari at the Science Fair" where I talk with people who used Atari 8-bit computers to create projects and enter them in science fairs. Today's interview is with Mark Knutsen, who wrote a star cluster simulation in the Forth programming language…

Tom Halfhill discusses Charles Brannon and SpeedScript Charles Brannon was program editor at Compute! Publications from 1980 until 1986. He wrote and edited articles for Compute! Magazine and Compute!'s Gazette. His Linkedin profile says that his "primary responsibility was crafting BASIC and assembly language software creations. Secondary was mana…