This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Laine Nooney, researcher of early computer and software companies. She has been digging into the history of such greats as Brøderbund and Sierra On-Line. In particular, she has done some awesome research on the infamous Soft Porn Adventure, including behind-the-scenes details on the infamous advertising photo. We talk about broken microfilm projectors, we talk about printer stands, and we talk about revisionist small town historians. Trust us, it will all make sense in the end. Laine is going deep into the role of the microcomputer revolution in transforming domestic life (and the very layout of the houses we live in).
Listen and wonder why Quinn thinks it’s 2010, wonder how loud an ASR-33 really is, and why Mike reads local newspapers of small towns in Utah. Explore the lost art of naming computer user groups, witness the first pure hack of Rastan, and see what Woz thinks about… well, everything and everyone.
More information on everything discussed in this episode after the jump.
- KansasFest – You missed it! But still, it was a thing. Go next year!
- The Atlantic – Laine’s excellent article on SoftPorn, including newly discovered photos.
- Laine Nooney – Her fascinating blog posts on Apple II software companies.
- Laine Nooney on Twitter – Keep up to date on her latest activity.
- Rastan Cracking – A live conversation of cracking Rastan while listening to our show.
- Mister Z – An oldie but a goodie? Fun Apple II things lurk on old websites.
- Ruth Dillon – A profile of a key Apple User Group member in Houston at the time.
- 4am Archived – A sample of the (in)famous modern cracker’s archived writeups.
- FloppyEmu – The Mac interloper Big Mess O’ Wires has added SmartPort support.
- Technowarp – A new accelerator for 8-bit folks!
- UltimateMicro – Store now open for all your newfangled accessory needs.
- Tool 221 – NinjaForce’s followup to the old Soundsmith tool, now for NinjaTracker.
- Wade Clark – A text adventure author digs up some of his old work.
- Bard’s Tale Redux – Burger Becky is porting the Bard’s Tale trilogy to modern platforms.
- Ian Kim’s SmartPort – A new solid state storage device from South Korea, coming soon.
- Marina – The cool new 8-bit TCP/IP stack gets Berkeley sockets.
- Jesse Blue Scans – Lots of new user group newsletters getting archived.
- Butterfly – A modern keyboard with Apple II keyboard switches.
- Ewen Wannop Updates – Spectrum, Sam2, and Gazelle get some love.
- Javier’s Conversions – Mr. Rivera shows us how to put LCDs in monitors.
- Halt & Catch Fire – The retro show goes to the dark side.
- Lonnie Mimms – A NY Times profile of the prolific collector.
- Jobs Trailer – Another one. Whooptie do.
- Woz on Jobs – Woz says we have them all wrong.
- Woz on Spock – The time that thing happened with Leonard Nimoy.
- Woz in Wax – Woz explores the Uncanny Valley.
- Woz at Home – The original Woz-o-sphere has been sold.
- Woz on Snowden – Woz speaks up about digital privacy.
- Woz in Melbourne – A few new tidbits in a new interview with our favorite engineer.
- Rev 0 Apple II – Prices for these on eBay are rising rapidly.
- Numerex – An oddball Apple II Plus clone from across the pond.
- NORAD – Mike’s pick for a weird game.
- Windwalker – Quinn’s pick for a weird game.
- Apple II Joysticks – Repairing old joysticks with different modern components.
- Apple II Gamepads – Using those same techniques to make a modern style gamepad.
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Tags: 4am, Al Lowe, Apple-1, Br0derbund, Burger Becky Heineman, Butterfly keyboard, copy protection, cracking, David Finnigan, digital privacy, Edward Snowden, Ewen Wannop, FloppyEmu, gamepads, Halt & Catch Fire, Ian Kim, Javier Rivera, Jesse Blue, joysticks, KansasFest, Laine Nooney, Leonard Nimoy, Lonnie Mimms, Madam Tussauds, Marina, Mister Z, New York Times, NinjaForce, NORAD, Numerex, Rastan, Ruth Dillon, SAM2, Sierra Online, Smartport, Softporn, Spectrum, Steve Jobs movie, Steve Wozniak, Tecnowarp, The Atlantic, The Bard's Tale, Tool 221, Treasure Cave, UltimateMicro, Wade Clark, Windwalker, Woz-o-Sphere
3 Comments to 'Open Apple #49 (July 2015) : Laine Nooney, Technowarp, 4am'
Aug 3, 2015 11:14 AM
“You did it, Peter! … The first real crack of Rastan”, and “Very good, so the back door is now found!”. Antoine didn’t complete either of the challenges.
Aug 15, 2015 1:59 PM
Hi all–Laine here! Let me thank both Mike and Quinn again for such a lovely interview. It was a pleasure to be able to talk at such length with two folks who really know their Apple II lore!
I want to very briefly amend some of my earliest comments in the segment though, when I tell the story of how I came into contact with the unseen Softporn slides. I regret that I jokingly emphasized the “folksy” and “small town” quality of my experiences at the library and with Brian, who gifted me the slides. I especially regret these because I feel quite fond of Oakhurst, and have always been very careful when discussing its history and community in my written work. I spend alot of time, academically, trying to teach people that video game history is more than playing games, which is why I take so much joy in the strangeness of the story–game history involves showing up places, getting your hands dirty, talking with people, and earning their trust.
And out of respect for that trust, I just want to apologize for not emphasizing my appreciation for the resources of the Oakhurst Library and its staff, as well as Brian as a partner in this historical research. What’s amazing about these institutions, and these people, is that they do great work regardless of the circumstances, that they are open and willing to share, and that each encounter changes the work and my perspective and regard for the community. The very human layer at the base of this can’t be over-esteemed.
Aug 18, 2015 12:59 PM
Thanks for reaching out and providing some further perspective, Laine. Our interview with you was easily one of our all-time favorites and the feedback we’ve received has been glowing/outstanding/wonderful/add your favorite superlative here. We’ll be sure to mention your comments on the air in an upcoming episode.
– m