iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I feel this is a metaphor for A.I.

RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This guy makes me wish eBay would provide a “block sellers” facility so that my search is not polluted with his listings. There are so many.

Inflated price eBay auction for retro computing items.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Mini-collection from this C&VG advert for U.S.Gold MicroProse games F-15 Strike Eagle, Solo Flight, Spitfire Ace and NATO Commander. Solo Flight was the first Atari game I bought when I finally got the extra RAM for my 600XL.

Games magazine advert from 1984 along with copies of the games featured.

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Reposted by RetroElectroDad

MauS @mausthekat.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I've released the v1,0.0. release candidate of #Oids for PC and also the v0.9.7 #ZXSpectrumNext version. The PC version now has the editor built in. It'll be coming soon to the Next. #retro #atarist #gamedev mausthekat.itch.io/oids/devlog/...

mausthekat.itch.io

Two Oids

Oids ZX Spectrum Next v0.9.7 Oids is FTL's 1987 Atari ST gravity shooter: thrust, shoot, rescue the little android Oids, try not to redecorate a cliff with your ship. Sadly, you don't get points for s...

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Love this new pickup that arrived this morning. Synapse Software always produced quality titles on the Atari and this is a favourite. Drelbs. Not an easy game to describe, mostly you see it described as a maze chase but that really doesn’t cover it. Ported later to C64 and Apple ][.

Drelbs game for Atari 400/800 vintage home microcomputers.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

This morning I had two Archimedes A3010s, one known working and one unknown. Had a couple of hours so finally got around to battery removal and any necessary cleanup. The working machine had some leakage damage, the other was clean and has an IDE drive. I now have two non-working A3010s. Typical.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

A bit of cleaning in the sun on this Spectrum 128. No retrobrighting needed - the benefit of black old computers.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128 vintage home computer.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Just arrived - the Programmer’s Reference Manual for RISC OS 3. Just waiting now for the C/C++ compiler set to go with it. Reading the first chapters on the Archimedes really makes me think the Archies should have trounced the Amiga. Seems to beat it on every metric.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Bioshock Collection reduced on the Nintendo eshop to £7.99. Could not resist.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

I had a strange feeling that I already had a copy of this when it arrived but brushed it off. Turned out that I did already have it. Deja Vu for the Atari ST by Mindscape.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

New arrival - a Mac Performa 400 that came with software and games. Here trying out Another World.

Apple Mac Performa 400 vintage computer.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Lucky enough to find a manual for the Compaq 386/20e I bought a while back, even including the tape drive. #retrocomputing

Operations guide documentation for the Compaq 386/20e computer.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Always good to hear some Atari 8-bit mentions on @thisweekinretro.bsky.social and this week supplied by @savetz.bsky.social. Thoroughly enjoyed the episode.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Completed this issue of C&VG October ‘84 with the flexi-disc that arrived yesterday. Now, if I could find the C64 version that you had to write to them to request it…

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Reposted by RetroElectroDad

Jimmy Maher @digiantiquarian.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

This week on The Digital Antiquarian: "Bullfrog in the Dungeon" www.filfre.net/2025/08/bull...

filfre.net

» Bullfrog in the Dungeon The Digital Antiquarian

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Once I knew this existed I just had to have it.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

I will never again complain that my Atari 800XL took 15 minutes to load Solo Flight from cassette. My PS5 is taking over an hour to set up Assassin’s Creed Shadows from the Blu Ray drive! And they call it progress.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

A Eurogamer article yesterday on Lucasfilm Games told me something I didn’t realise… Star Raiders on the Atari 400/800 directly inspired Rescue on Fractalus! which led to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (that started out as “Return to Fractalus”).

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Choose 20 games that greatly influenced you. One game per day, for 20 days. No particular order. Day 6: Asteroids (Atari) If I could buy one arcade machine this would be the one. #games #gamechallenge

Advertising flyer for the Atari Asteroids arcade machine. From Wikipedia.

Screenshot of the Atari arcade game "Asteroids". From Wikipedia.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Choose 20 games that greatly influenced you. One game per day, for 20 days. No particular order. Day 5: Tetris (Nintendo Game Boy) This must be at or near the top of the list of games most developers wish they had come up with. Perfect for the Game Boy. I lost days to it. #games #gamechallenge

Tetris game for the Nintendo Game Boy box art.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Choose 20 games that greatly influenced you. One game per day, for 20 days. No particular order. Day 4: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (XBox 360) Skyrim may take the plaudits but for me it's Oblivion. That moment you exit the tutorial prison and emerge into the open world... #games #gamechallenge

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion game cover.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion game screenshot.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Choose 20 games that greatly influence you. One game per day, for 20 days. No particular order. Day 3: Star Raiders (Atari 8-bit) This was a system seller. Take the old Star Trek mainframe game, speed it up, make it loud, fast and pseudo 3D. Do it in 8K of ROM. Astounding. #games #gamechallenge

Star Raiders game for the Atari 400/800 package shots.

Star Raiders game for the Atari 400/800 screenshot.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Choose 20 games that greatly influence you. One game per day, for 20 days. No particular order. Day 2: Kick Off 2 (Amiga) The reason I bought an Amiga. Friends had it and I was desperate to be able to play it any time I wanted. Sensible Soccer didn't really do it for me. #games #gamechallenge

A copy of the Kick Off 2 game on top of an Amiga 500 computer.

Kick Off 2 screenshot (Commodore Amiga).

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Choose 20 games that greatly influence you. One game per day, for 20 days. No particular order. Day 1: Lunar Rescue I loved this early arcade game so much. The first game I ever wrote was a version of this in Ext. BASIC on my TI-99/4a computer and played surprisingly well. #games #gamechallenge

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Reposted by RetroElectroDad

Retro Computers @retrocomps.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Jack Tramiel wanted a new 64-kilobyte home computer in time for CES in January '82. He notified his engineers of this in late November, 1981. In their own words, the developers talk about the design sprint that followed created the world's best selling home computer.

spectrum.ieee.org

Creating the Commodore 64: The Engineers’ Story

IEEE.ORG

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Old Macs..... When trying to connect an old Mac to WiFi, in my case running 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, if you get a prompt asking for a username and password try turning off the router's "fast roaming" 802.11r support. It took me ages to find a solution for this in an obscure forum post from 2013.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

Just collected a new arrival that I’ve wanted a good while now. Finally found a Roland MT-32 MIDI sound module for a decent price as it has a replacement volume knob.

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Reposted by RetroElectroDad

Jimmy Maher @digiantiquarian.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

This week on The Digital Antiquarian: Half-Life This week on The Digital Antiquarian: Half-Life www.filfre.net/2024/12/half...

filfre.net

» Half-Life The Digital Antiquarian

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

New arrivals today for a bit of bedtime reading. Your Computer magazine was one of my absolute favourites in the mid 80s.

Issues of Your Computer magazine from 1984/85.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Budget cassette releases were a lifeline for Atari 400/800/XL/XE owners at the time. Many were high quality releases given a new lease of life like these Spy vs Spy games I have.

Spy vs Spy games from the 1980s on cassette for Atari 8-bit home computers.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

I bought a Switch game for a Christmas gift. Whenever I get my hands on a new game these days, it always reminds me how much more you used to get for your money.. Big box, lots of disks, thick manual, data sheets. This is my copy of Wing Commander for the Amiga. Many happy hours spent at this.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Well, the ZX Spectrum gets a mention in the Christmas Radio Times! You have to look hard though. Not sure that makes it worth the price.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

Normally, we oldies tend to remember things being more intense when we were young. Snow fell deeper, summers hotter. Lightning more impressive. However I don’t remember there being major storms a couple of times a year seemingly every year with this intensity. And some still question climate change.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Going to finally get around to fixing a minor issue with my Oric Atmos’ keyboard in advance of the Loci interface arriving. Can you spot the problem?

Oric Atmos 1980s vintage home micro-computer.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

It seems the expected delivery from Amazon for my 7800+ changed from “by 10pm tonight” to “estimated 21st December”.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Apparently Pong was released on this day in 1972.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

When you get an Intellivision out to play the room just turns golden. Got to love that 1970s styling. Mine here has the Intellivoice attached and is playing Space Spartans.

Mattel Intellivision games console with voice adapter.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I wanted a Sony Hit-Bit MSX for a good while before I managed to get one at a reasonable price. The build quality really didn’t disappoint.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

So this was the OutRun of its day. That day being around 100 years ago.

Vintage mechanical driving fairground amusement machine.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Recently I have been mostly playing Wizardry - Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. Not this original Apple ][ version though… the rather good modern remake for the Nintendo Switch by Digital Eclipse. Lovely touch that you can see the original Apple display overlayed if you wish.

Wizardry game packaging for the Apple 2 computer.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

A little Captain Blood seemed a decent choice to test out this Atari 1040 STe and matching SC1435 monitor when I picked it up.

Atari 1040 STe computer with matching colour monitor playing the game Captain Blood.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

After enjoying my import Mega Drive for a while I just had to get a U.S. SNES (right) for similar 60Hz speed reasons. So glad that isn’t the case these days. Later got the U.K. (left) one as the cartridge adapters never seemed to be fully compatible so I had the best of both worlds.

U.K. and USA models of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with games.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Though I had my Amiga for games, I was encouraged back into the realms of console gaming when SEGA released the Mega Drive. Being back in the days when U.K. consoles ran slower at 50Hz video and sound, I bought an import model for full speed 60Hz Sonic. Then found Flicky to be so, so addictive.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

This game is a stone cold classic and I was astounded by it when I got the cartridge for my Atari 600XL. Doug Neubauer performed a miracle to do this in an 8K ROM and it became a system seller for the Atari 400/800. The package artwork even lives up to the game. Star Raiders.

Star Raiders game packaging artwork from Atari.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Onward with my “owned from new” platform posts. The day this Amiga 500 arrived, my Atari 800XL died. I don’t suspect foul play but it may have died of a broken heart. Or perhaps CPU. I didn’t really program the Amiga and it became a game machine for me. Programming became an MS-DOS thing at work.

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RetroElectroDad @retroelectrodad.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

The Atari Falcon was such a good machine. Fast, bags of memory, DSP and a cool name. Unfortunately it had a short lifetime on sale, very little Falcon specific software and the case looked too much like an ordinary ST computer to make buyers aware that it was superior. Atari’s last computer.

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