Category Archives: Atari

33 Year Old Roll of Film Offers a Glimpse of My Vintage Computing Beginnings

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Blake Patterson

I got my first home computer on Christmas morning in 1982. It was a TI-99/4A with 16K of RAM. My parents purchased it from a sewing machine retailer. In the years that followed, I moved on fairly frequently to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Apple II, Atari, Down Memory Lane, Just Rambling, TI-99 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Showing Off the Atari SC1224 for “CRT Week” at r/Retrobattlestations

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Blake Patterson

Earlier this month it was CRT Week at r/Retrobattlestations. There are many CRTs in my vintage computer collection, but for this contest I focused on the one that has the sharpest display of any 15kHz RGB monitor I’ve ever seen, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atari, r/Retrobattlestations | Leave a comment

The Mockingboard Sings a Few New Songs

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Blake Patterson

I remember feeling that one of the coolest things about my Apple IIe setup back in 1986 was the 6-voice sound card with which I outfitted it. The Apple II line (aside from the IIGS with it’s superb Ensoniq DOC … Continue reading →

Posted in Apple II, Atari | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Upgrading the Atari 520ST to 4MB of RAM

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Blake Patterson

This one’s been a long time coming. I purchased an Atari 520ST back in late 1986. It has a particular charm and is one of the systems I most fondly remember. Shortly after I got it I ordered a system organizer / … Continue reading →

Posted in Atari | 6 Comments

The First GIF I Ever Saw

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Blake Patterson

Above, is the first GIF I ever saw. What you are looking at is a scan of a color printout that I made with my Okimate 20 wax transfer printer in 1987. I had an Atari 520ST at the time … Continue reading →

Posted in Atari, Just Rambling | 4 Comments

Christmas Morning, 1979 — A Pivotal Moment Captured on Film

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Blake Patterson

I’ve owned a lot of computers over the years, and I still have quite a few. “Computing” has been my all-encompassing hobby / interest / passion for most of my life. When it was time for college, I got a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atari, Just Rambling | Leave a comment

So Long, and Thanks for All the Games

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Blake Patterson

Last week I sent out a tweet marking a rather sad turn of events concerning one of the most notable game studios of all time. On further reflection, I wanted to say a few words here. On Wednesday, Sony shut … Continue reading →

Posted in Amiga, Atari, Gaming, Multi-Platform | 5 Comments

Liber809 – The Motorola 6809 Gets a New Platform

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Blake Patterson

Regular readers might recall a post a few months back that I revealed my acquisition of a Tandy Color Computer 3 system in order to spend some time with a platform I knew only through fun, long-ago sessions fiddling around … Continue reading →

Posted in Atari, Tandy / TRS-80 | 1 Comment

‘Megaroids’ – My All-Time Favorite ‘Asteroids’ Clone

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Blake Patterson

In my opinion, Asteroids is one of the very best videogames of all time. I guess that’s probably obvious. Lately I’ve been playing a related series of Asteroids-inspired games that are old enough to be considered retro, themselves. They were … Continue reading →

Posted in Atari, Macintosh | 17 Comments

The Soul of a New 16-bit Atari Micro [Updated]

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Blake Patterson

Some of you out there have likely read Tracy Kidder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Soul of a New Machine, an inside look at the experiences of a group of Data General engineers in creating a new minicomputer back in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atari | 4 Comments