Podcasting 101 at MIT

At KansasFest 2011, Open Apple took you behind the scenes to show you how sausage podcasts get made. The audio and video of that session was published shortly thereafter, but we’ve learned plenty more since then. Both Mike and Ken have applied those lessons to the launch of new podcasts: Challenge Talk, No Quarter, and The Pubcast.

Ken recently had the opportunity to share those experiences with MIT’s Social Media Working Group. Despite the academic audience, the session was aimed at anyone who wants to do podcasting: what your topic should be (niche and target), what you need (hardware, software, time, and a co-host!), where to get royalty-free intro music, and more.

Although the presentation was not specifically about Open Apple, much of the material was derived from and is applicable to the Apple II community’s only monthly podcast. Ken’s key points were succinctly outlined by Robyn Fizz, MIT Information Services & Technology News Coordinator, in the article “Podcasting 101: A guide to getting started“. If you want to hear the entire show, the audio (with follow-up Q&A), set to Keynote slides, in this 38-minute TechTV video.

Thanks to Rob Walch and Mike Maginnis for the advice and assets that went into this presentation!

Open Apple #28 (June 2013): Lon Seidman, BBSs, Steve Wozniak, and documentaries

Lon Seidman

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Lon Seidman, sysop of the Matrix Returns BBS and co-host of Behind the Video. The dial-up bulletin board is making a comeback, thanks to Warp Six and the Raspberry Pi! It’s so easy, anyone can do it — unlike buying an Apple-1, the going rate for which has skyrocketed to $668,000 USD. But even that is a pittance compared to what Steve Wozniak’s former house is selling for. How long before he sells his current house and moves to Australia? Jordan Mechner’s Karateka reboot has paved the way for Karateka Classic on iOS, just the way we remember it. Charles Mangin also blends new and old with his USB interfaces for the Apple II — get yours next month at KansasFest! Finally, if you want a GET LAMP coin or any of Jason Scott’s documentaries shipped overseas, you’re outta luck — but he has four new films coming, with a colleague’s pinball film en route as well.

Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode.

Introduction (0:08 – 5:39)

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Open Apple #27 (May 2013): Daniel Kruszyna, demoparties, iSteve, and clones

Resistance - Apple IIgsThis month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with famed demo programmer Daniel Kruszyna, aka krüe. We chat about @party, the upcoming fourth annual demoparty to be held in recently beleaguered Boston, and how even non-programmers will find plenty to like. The first of three movies based on the life of Steve Jobs is now available for free online streaming — what’s the popular verdict on iSteve? There’s still more CFFAs coming from Rich Dreher, and they’ll work on even an original Apple-1, of which Mike Willegal is making yet more replicas. Speaking of clones, we found a “Redstone” Apple IIe clone in Australia that looks like a PC XT and is certainly no Tiger Learning Computer.

Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode.

Introduction (0:13 – 4:56)

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Open Apple #26 (Apr 2013): Earl Evans, Z80, Zephyr, and LucasArts

Earl Evans

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Earl Evans, Retrobits podcast host and Commodore 64 enthusiast — but we don’t hold that against him. Registration for KansasFest 2013 is open, and we all want to go, but Earl has another destination in mind. Tech history is being unearthed before our eyes, with schematics for operating systems and circuit boards appearing in museums (where the price is right) and art galleries (where it’s not). Brutal Deluxe is on a tear, releasing retroprogramming utilities for Windows and commercial games for the Apple II; we’re big fans! But not all news is happy news: the Steve Jobs film has been delayed, and LucasArts has closed its doors — will we ever get another Maniac Mansion game for the Apple II? Maybe not, but Richard Garriott’s successful Kickstarter gave fans a chance to pick up an original copy of Akalabeth. Better late than never!

Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode.

Introduction (0:00 – 9:20)

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Correction to episode #25

Open Apple is not a live show, giving its hosts the opportunity to edit the audio extensively prior to publication. We remove “ums” and “ers”, correct factual mistakes, and reorder sound bites to improve the flow of conversation. We’ve never made a secret of this fact, having conducted behind-the-scenes presentations that reveal our workflow.

But just as mistakes can happen in a live recording, so can they occur in editing. In the March 2013 episode, guest Egan Ford spoke at length on which CPU was faster, the 6502 or the 8088. During post-production, we were informed that he had reversed the comparison at one point. Due to a miscommunication, the editors thought this reversal had occurred consistently throughout the original audio. The result: we swapped Egan’s audio throughout the show to state that he had proven the 6502 to be faster, which is not the case.

Mr. Ford never stated, argued, or proved such a thing; on the contrary, his extensive research into the subject (the results of which are pending publication) demonstrates the higher speed of the 8088 compared to the 6502. Though these edits were made in good faith, we did not intend to modify the intention of Mr. Ford’s words. We therefore humbly apologize for misrepresenting this esteemed member of the Apple II community.

This correction will be restated in the April 2013 episode of Open Apple, which we hope this error will not deter our listeners from staying tuned for.

Open Apple #25 (Mar 2013): Egan Ford, 8088, Voyager, and abandonware

Egan Ford

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Egan Ford, aka the datajerk, the Apple-1 and II programmer extraordinaire responsible for the Apple II Game Server Online! Egan expertly demonstrates which CPU is faster, the 6502 or 8088, running circles around everyone listening. Laurie Spiegel is an Apple II user you may not have heard of, but extraterrestrials have, thanks to her contributions to Voyager’s Golden Record; we have some of her music for you to listen to. Courtesy Facebook and scanners, we save Don Worth’s magazines from the trash and Softalk from extinction, but we can’t save derelict hardware from abandoned buildings. Will Steve Wozniak be as good a commencement speaker as the late Steve Jobs? Having heard Woz at KansasFest, we weigh in.

(Please also note a correction to this episode.)

Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode.

Introduction (0:00 – 5:37)

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Show #24 (Feb 2013) eBay auction results

In the February 2013 episode of the Open Apple podcast, Mike and Ken reviewed several eBay lots. The results of those auctions are below.

TitleStarting bidEnd date# BidsSold
Pravetz 8C Bulgarian clone of Apple IIe$290 (Buy It Now)Still available
Apple IIc prototype$3,700 OBODec 06, 2012 21:11:36 PSTBest offer accepted

Open Apple #24 (Feb 2013): Jimmy Maher, book publishing, jOBS, and C64

Jimmy Maher

This month on Open Apple, Mike and Ken chat with Jimmy Maher, the historian behind the renowned blog The Digital Antiquarian. A published author, Jimmy provides us with his perspective on the pros and cons of going with a publishing house over the recent trend in retrocomputing toward self-publishing. We gripe about the Steve Jobs film sacrificing historical accuracy for mass appeal and recommend some alternative movies that get it right. We’re still loving iOS as a platform for classic gaming ports, from the adventure game Transylvania to the recently released Lode Runner Classic. Speaking of platforms, which is better: the Apple II or the Commodore 64? The answer may not be as obvious as you think! Finally, we offer a cautionary tale to vintage computer collectors whose inventory may be at the mercy of an avaricious landlord.

Click past the jump for links mentioned in this episode.

Introduction (0:00 – 13:45)

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