Podcast Episodes

Road to Transistors: Part I

Episode 31

The transistor changed the world. It made small, complex, and cheap computing possible. But it wasn't the first attempt to crack the case. There is a long and strange lineage of similar devices leadi…

Published on 5 years, 6 months ago

Coherent Is Not UNIX!

Episode 30

In the current day Linux is the most widely used UNIX-like operating system. It's rise to prominence has been an amazing success story. From it's humble beginnings Linux has grown to power everything…

Published on 5 years, 7 months ago

A Guided Tour of the Macintosh

In this byte sized episode I take a look at a pack in that came with the first Macintosh. Along side Apple stickers, manuals, and the computer itself there was a single cassette tape labeled "A Guide…

Published on 5 years, 7 months ago

PCM, Origins of Digital Audio

Episode 29

Every day we are inundated with digital audio: phone calls, music, even this podcast. Digitized sound has become so ubiquitous that it often fades into the background. What makes this all possible is…

Published on 5 years, 7 months ago

Applesoft BASIC, Microsoft and Apple's First Collaboration

Episode 28

It's easy to think of Apple and Microsoft as bitter rivals, but that's not always the case. The two companies have a very complicated relationship, and a very long history. This connection goes all t…

Published on 5 years, 8 months ago

Vectrex, Playing With Vectors

Episode 27

The 1980s were a turbulent and fast-moving decade for the video game industry. There were huge success stories, rapid advancements in technology, and the North American Video Game Crash. Caught up in…

Published on 5 years, 8 months ago

Memex and Hyperlinks

Episode 26

The widespread use of the internet has shaped our world, it's hard do imagine the modern day without it. One of the biggest featured would have to be the hyperlink. But despite the modern net feeling…

Published on 5 years, 9 months ago

Making Disks Flexible, Part 2

Episode 25

The floppy disk is one of the most iconic pieces of technology. While not in use in the modern day there was a period of 40 years where the floppy disk was synonymous with data storage. Today we pick…

Published on 5 years, 9 months ago

Making Disks Flexible, Part 1

Episode 24

The floppy disk was a ubiquitous technology for nearly 40 years. From mainframes to home computers, the plastic disk was everywhere. And in the decades it was around there were very few changes made …

Published on 5 years, 10 months ago

FORTRAN, Compilers, and Early Programming

Episode 23

Our modern world is full of software, it's what makes everything tick. The sheer amount of code that goes into something like keeping the internet running is staggering. Programming isn't the easiest…

Published on 5 years, 10 months ago