Trixter
oldskool.org
Trixter
@oldskool.org
I'm an oldskool gamer, coder, and demoscener. Co-created mobygames. I make videos about vintage computing at http://youtube.com/TheOldskoolPC . Existential nihilist.
Reposted by Trixter
What does it take for 640k of RAM on a #pcjr with IBM sidecars? Five of them. One for extra power, and 4 128k RAM expansions.
November 24, 2025 at 9:47 PM
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I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Choosing to spend my evening disassembling a rare PCjr cartridge ROM (JrVideo, supposedly speeds up PCjr video routines) while consuming pizza and caffeine.

Reliving my youth, or retrocomputing like a boss? I choose to view it as the latter.
November 23, 2025 at 11:59 PM
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Ah, I'm awake again. Time to open the psychological harm app
November 22, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Writing my own disk drive cleaning program today because I don't like how other programs do it. (Mine uses a butterfly pattern, and only runs for 20 seconds, because that should be long enough to unjam any gunk from the heads.)
November 22, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Userlandia show retrospectives are among my most favorite, and this one does not disappoint. Excellent coverage of a show that is getting hard to cover.
November 22, 2025 at 4:12 PM
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I frequently have to change switch settings on my XT-IDE and 5150/5160(XT) motherboards, and I was sick of constantly having to go look up the tables to decode the switches. So here are a couple web-based tools to help out.

github.com/misterblack1...
November 22, 2025 at 5:15 AM
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Good old Woz. Good for him.
November 21, 2025 at 8:06 PM
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It's official! #PicoIDE, the open source IDE/ATAPI drive emulator I've been working on for the better part of this year, will be launching at Crowd Supply! Go there to sign up for updates and to be notified when the campaign is live: www.crowdsupply.com/polpotronics...
PicoIDE
An open source IDE/ATAPI drive emulator for vintage computers
www.crowdsupply.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:59 AM
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I needed a tile editor for doing our MS-DOS #gamedev.

I decided to make one that could send its data using a #FujiNet attached to my #PCjr, to my dev system.

youtu.be/75i190rgcK8

#retrocomputing #retrogaming
#FujiNet Makes Network Aware Tools!
YouTube video by tschak909
youtu.be
November 18, 2025 at 8:33 PM
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What's up seasoned detectives! There's a new Tex Murphy book from Aaron Conners! 'Tex Murphy and the Steakhouse Stakeout: An Interactive Adventure' is a choose your own adventure book with 70 possible outcomes. Get it on Amazon (links in comments). Available as paperback or ebook.
November 14, 2025 at 12:07 AM
What bothers me the most about ai-generated art is how it reflects the apathy of our current society. Images that are either blatantly wrong or utter nonsense are deemed "ok" for use by a creator -- but then the majority of consumers either don't notice or don't care.
November 13, 2025 at 3:29 PM
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Can't imagine GTA without Vette!, just as I can't imagine anyone could ignore this excellent piece on it: 'Vette!, Silicon Dreams on the Streets of San Francisco'.

Read it here ⇢ retro365.blog/2025/04/29/v...
November 12, 2025 at 7:44 PM
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Med Systems published a catalog of four "adventure blobber" games from 1980 to 1982, made outside the regular arc of adventure game history.

Recently, I found a fifth game. It is not in any catalog or advertisement. It is a ghost from time that shouldn't exist.

bluerenga.blog/2025/11/12/m...
Madhouse (1981?)
We have — or at least had — the early timeline of Med Systems well-understood. They were founded by William Denman out of North Carolina, and they were the ones responsible for Reality …
bluerenga.blog
November 12, 2025 at 5:49 PM
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Did you know that from 1991 to 1995, more than 200 demos were featured on national French TV in the show named "Micro Kid's"?

Here's an anthology!

peertube.fenarinarsa.com/w/24nDZWh5Er...

#demoscene
November 9, 2025 at 12:57 PM
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25 years ago, a simple Half-Life mod changed online gaming forever. 💣

Counter-Strike redefined team play, and tactical shooters — and it’s still shaping the scene today.

What’s your earliest CS memory? LAN party? 56k modem lag?

📂 https://www.mobygames.com/game/2726/half-life-counter-strike
November 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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Interesting assertion in this essay on postjournalism that the switch from an advertiser- to reader-funded model locked the New York Times and other traditional news outlets in ideological filter bubbles that suppress balanced views and amplify extremist ones. andrey4mir.substack.com/p/postjourna...
Postjournalism and news sourcing: supplying opinions instead of news
Postjournalism insulated the media in their ideological filter bubbles, including their bubbles of experts
andrey4mir.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:47 PM
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We preserve games because memory fades faster than media.

Every upload keeps history alive. 💾
November 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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hey y'all! my questionnaire on player experience in historical videogames is now LIVE! if you play videogames about the past, we want to hear from you! edu.nl/7w3yn
November 6, 2025 at 10:35 AM
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I've officially released my real-mode emulator CPU test suite for the Intel 80386.

github.com/singlestepte...

#retrocomputing #emulation
November 4, 2025 at 8:16 PM
One of the advantages of cataloging your software collection is that you can plot distributions like this.

Many people are surprised when they see how early my collection skews. Well, I started collecting early, and find+archive stuff that hasn't been archived yet. And that's mostly early titles.
November 4, 2025 at 5:46 AM
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I think folks often forget about the tools #YouTube gives users to maximize their viewing experience. Keyboard shortcuts, speed watching tools, Watch Later... but most users don't know about them. Check out @oldskool.org's new video on how to get the most out of YT!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1yH...
How to Watch YouTube Smarter and Faster
YouTube video by Jim Leonard
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:18 PM
A somber reminder to not spend 12 hours on a video (2 hours prep, 8 hours recording and editing, 2 hours on thumbnail) when there's no real way to market the content. < 300 views.
I used to watch/research up to 10 hours of video on YouTube every single day -- but I spent less than 10 hours doing it. I just released a video where I document all of my YouTube viewing speedhacks I've figured out over the years: youtu.be/B1yHK_nEKaM
How to Watch YouTube Smarter, Not Harder
YouTube video by Jim Leonard
youtu.be
October 31, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I used to watch/research up to 10 hours of video on YouTube every single day -- but I spent less than 10 hours doing it. I just released a video where I document all of my YouTube viewing speedhacks I've figured out over the years: youtu.be/B1yHK_nEKaM
How to Watch YouTube Smarter, Not Harder
YouTube video by Jim Leonard
youtu.be
October 25, 2025 at 6:06 PM
New video in the works. 8 hours of editing (and counting) for a subject I've been wanting to make a video on for a few years now.

Protip: Learn Premiere shortcuts. It is much faster to cut/insert/overwrite/ripple/etc with the keyboard. You can go minutes at a time without having to touch the mouse.
October 24, 2025 at 3:29 AM