ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast

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ANTIC Interview 320 - Robert Jaeger, Montezuma's Revenge Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

Robert Jaeger, Montezuma's Revenge Robert Jaeger is best known in the Atari community as the programmer of the popular game Montezuma's Revenge, which was published by Parker Brothers in 1984. He also programmed Chomper, published by MMG Micro Software; and Pinhead, published by Robert's own company, Utopia Software. This interview took place on December 2, 2017. Digital Press interview with Robert Montezuma's Revenge group on Facebook AtariMania's list of Robert's games Gary Walton interview Wikipedia on Montezuma's Revenge Google DeepMind AI learns to play Montezuma's Revenge

ANTIC Interview 319 - Tay Vaughan, Atari Connection and Antic magazines Dec 10, 2017

Show notes

Tay Vaughan, Atari Connection and Antic magazines Tay Vaughan used Atari computers in his school for maritime skills and as a marine surveyor. He was featured in that capacity in a 1983 Atari catalog "Atari Home Computers — The Next Generation." Next, he was hired by Atari and was an editor of The Atari Connection magazine, where he wrote the Bits & Pieces column. Later, Tay was senior editor at Antic magazine, and he edited the book The Best of Atari Software, published by Consumer's Guide. In this interview, we discuss Ted Richards and Jim Capparell, whom I have previously interviewed. This interview took place on December 4, 2017. "Those guys came to the school, the Atari marketing people, and said 'we'd like to give you a couple of computers to let your students play with them and so forth. In exchange, we'll come and take some pictures and maybe use you for marketing." Tay Vaughan in Atari computer catalog Tay's web site Bits and Pieces Tay's articles in Antic magazine Interview with Ted Richards Interview with Jim Capparell The Best Atari Software book

ANTIC Interview 318 - Linda Schreiber: T.H.E.S.I.S. Software and author Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

Linda Schreiber: T.H.E.S.I.S. Software and author Linda Watson-Call is better known to Atari users as Linda Schreiber, which was her name at that time. Linda was the founder of T.H.E.S.I.S. Software, an educational software publisher for the Atari 8-bit and Apple II computers. The company was best known for her game, Big Math Attack. She wrote several books about the Atari 8-bit computers: Atari Programming with 55 Programs, Advanced Programming Techniques for your Atari, and Atari Fun & Games: Discover New Heights in Game-Playing Excitement on Any Atari, as well as books about the TI 99/4A and Atari ST computers. She also wrote the Education column in very early editions of Antic magazine. This interview took place on November 25, 2017. "Oh my gosh, I was like kicking out a program every other month. That was a lot of coding." Linda's blog Atarimania's list of Linda's software Atarimania's list of THESIS software Linda's articles in Antic magazine ATARI Programming with 55 Programs Advanced Programming Techniques for Your Atari ATARI Fun & Games Antic magazine review of Big Math Attack

ANTIC Interview 317 - Richard Taylor, Digital Devices Corporation Dec 04, 2017

Show notes

Richard Taylor, Digital Devices Corporation Richard Taylor was an employee of Digital Devices Corporation. DDC built a number of adapters for the Atari 8-bit computers — it's most well-known product was probably APE-FACE, an inexpensive ($90) device that connected the Atari's SIO port to standard parallel printers. The company's other products included UPRINT, a printing buffer; and the Ape-Link Serial Peripheral Input/Output Expansion Cable. Richard's job? He said in an AtariAge message board message "I was the warranty repair department, shipping department, prototype builder, janitor, etc. while I was going to Georgia Tech in 1984/85." This interview took place on November 14, 2017. Teaser quote: "The printer buffer was just a huge hit. It blew me away. Wow, look, it'll take it all in 10 or 20 seconds and just sit there and spool it out to the printer!" Richard on AtariAge Ape-Face Fact Sheet AtariAge discussion about Ape-Face

ANTIC Interview 316B - Dave Comstock, part 2 Dec 01, 2017

Show notes

Dave Comstock, part 2 A couple of days after our interview, Dave Comstock (who worked at Atari on E.T. Phone Home, Superman III, and Clock & Dagger) e-mailed me saying he had remembered more stories from his Atari days. So we set up a second interview. This interview took place on November 14, 2017. "The project team was actually treated to a meal with Ray Kassar and some other executives in the executive dining room … it was like, one of the fanciest restaurants that you've ever been to." Video version of this interview

ANTIC Interview 316 - Dave Comstock: E.T. Phone Home!, Superman III, Cloak & Dagger Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

Dave Comstock: E.T. Phone Home!, Superman III, Cloak & Dagger Dave Comstock worked at Atari from 1980 through 1984, first as a software and hardware tester, then as a programmer. Dave worked on three games for the Atari 8-bit computers: E.T. Phone Home!, Superman III, and Cloak and Dagger. A video version of this interview is also available. This interview took place on November 8, 2017. "He said 'We've got to go out tonight, and it has to be a comedy.' ... He's like, 'I have something to tell you, and if I tell you we could both be fired.'" AtariMania's list of Dave's games Antic magazine article on the E.T. game Programmer Dave Comstock Talks About the Atari 5200 Version of Cloak and Dagger

ANTIC Interview 315 - Sarah Haskell, Computerized Weaving Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

Sarah Haskell, Computerized Weaving There's a column in the November 1983 issue of Family Computing magazine, by Jon Zonderman: "Home Business — Compute, Control, and Create. A weaver combines the traditional skills of her craft with a computer and reaps more than one reward." The article is about Sarah Haskell, a weaver who used an Atari computer to design patterns for weaving, and also to computer-control her loom. [Excerpts from the article.] My interview with Sarah took place on November 13, 2017. Teaser quote: "But with the electronic system, you did not have to get down on the floor and physically re-configure all of the treadles with these little metal hook things. You would basically just change it." Article in Family Computing magazine Pictures of Sarah with an Atari 800 Macomber Looms and Me blog About Sarah Macomber Looms

ANTIC Interview 314 - Randall Lockwood, Choose-A-Pooch Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

Randall Lockwood, Choose-A-Pooch There's an article in the August 1984 issue of Family Computing magazine, by Bill Camarda — Behind The Screens: Family Dog. It's about Choose-A-Pooch, an Atari computer program created by Dr. Randall Lockwood, to help match people with the breed of dog that will work best in their living situation. I interviewed Dr. Lockwood on November 10, 2017. "Trying to get away from the fact that people were often choosing dogs based more on just appearance, without knowing that much about the breed." Family Dog article in Family Computing magazine Randall Lockwood bio Bid-A-Wee Animal Shelter

ANTIC Interview 313 - Frank Schwartz and Richard Lewis, Virtusonics Nov 21, 2017

Show notes

Frank Schwartz and Richard Lewis, Virtusonics Last last year, I received a batch of Atari disks. One of the disks was labeled Virtuoso Play Mode Sampler — a music demonstration disk from Virtusonics, a company I had never heard of. Thanks to some old articles in Antic magazine, I learned a bit about the product and the company. In 1985, Nat Friedland first wrote about the Virtuoso software: "Virtuoso is such a unique new approach to musicmaking that it's not easy to describe. ... Virtuoso gives you a user-friendly method of tapping the extremely fast and powerful changes that a computer can control in every aspect of music performance. It bypasses the limits of traditional musical notation and uses an almost self-explanatory color graphic display that delivers mathematical insights into the structure of music. ... In technical terms, Virtuoso is a sound generator that produces four voices from the POKEY chip. You can make instant real-time changes in the voices in any of six parameters. Four computers running Virtuoso can be linked together to have up to 16 independent channels controlled by one Atari." Virtusonics was primarily three people: Frank Schwartz, the programmer; Joseph Lyons, the music guy; and Richard Lewis, the CEO. I have interviewed two of them. First you'll hear my February 15, 2017 interview with the programmer/R&D director Frank Schwartz. Then, you'll hear the February 10, 2017 interview with CEO Richard Lewis. I haven't been able to interview the other partner, Joseph Lyons, who is serving 24 years to life in prison. After our interview, Richard Lewis sent me an envelope of Virtusonics papers and disks. The material includes the preliminary version of Virtuoso Software, and the final release which by then was called Virtuoso Desktop Performance Studio, boxes, manuals, flyers and advertising slicks, and stock prospectuses. I scanned and digitized all of the material, which is now available at the Internet Archive. Teaser quotes: Frank Schwartz: "Change the curvature of the sine wave just via software. And that was a concept which was revolutionary in those days." Richard Lewis: "We were criticized by a lot of the top names in computers back in the '80s. As, how that this small company in an apartment in New York City come up with something that we've been working on for years and we cant do?" Virtuoso Desktop Performance Studio software and scans Virtuoso Software Preliminary Version Virtuoso Play Mode Sampler demo video Virtusonics advertising slicks Virtusonics Stock Prospectuses Desktop Performace Studio unboxing Play it Again, Atari, Antic magazine The Story Behind Virtuoso, Antic magazine Desktop Video for Atari XL/XE, Antic magazine Joseph Lyons news (2000) Frank Schwartz, DJ Feral

ANTIC Interview 312 - Paul Wehner, APX Saratoga Nov 18, 2017

Show notes

Paul Wehner, APX Saratoga Paul Wehner created one program for the Atari 8-bit computer, Saratoga, which was published by Atari Program Exchange. The American revolutionary war game first appeared in the fall 1983 APX catalog, where it won second prize in the Entertainment category. This interview took place on October 24, 2017. Paul's game list at AtariMania Saratoga in the fall 1983 APX catalog

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