Break Into Chat

Josh Renaud’s blog about BBS history, retro computing and technology reminiscences.

  • Talking BBSes on the Electric Dreams podcast

    Earlier this year, a new BBS-related podcast debuted: Electric Dreams. Host Mike Whalen emailed me to invite me onto the show, and of course I said yes. He interviewed me in March, and I understand he also interviewed other folks like Ken Gagne. The podcast series debuted later that month, and it sounded great! Unfortunately,…

  • ANSI tile map

    ANSI tile map

    Earlier this year I described how we used Synchronet’s Javascript support plus its Frame and Sprite libraries to produce some pretty cool ANSI animation effects, including a sprite walking in front of a parallax-scrolling background. Recently I’ve been experimenting with how to make maps.

  • Parallax-scrolling effect … in ANSI

    Parallax-scrolling effect … in ANSI

    Every so often I’ve been experimenting with Synchronet BBS’s Javascript capabilities, as I try to figure out how to make a BBS door game with my daughter.

  • Merry Christmas … Atari STyle

    Merry Christmas … Atari STyle

    One of the Atari ST’s unique features was its MIDI interface. I never learned to play any instruments as a kid, but I have a feeling that if I had had an electronic keyboard to hook up to the Atari, things might have turned out differently.

  • Hatari, Lantronix, and CosmosEx: My quixotic quest to play “Thieves Guild”

    Hatari, Lantronix, and CosmosEx: My quixotic quest to play “Thieves Guild”

    Allow me introduce you to the “Thieves Guild Emulator,” a graphical front-end client for the Atari ST BBS game “Thieves Guild.” (Update: I have replaced the original video I posted with a new version that includes the game’s sound effects, as well as some gory combat) It took me a long time to reach the…

  • A Star Trek font for the new Star Wars movie?

    A Star Trek font for the new Star Wars movie?

    So, Star Wars episode VII has a title: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” And while fans everywhere are eagerly discussing the title, I was more interested in the font they used for the title. Nerdy, I know, but I’m a designer by trade. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has completed principal photography. #StarWarsVII #TheForceAwakens pic.twitter.com/mFTP9YbKNN…



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