Computing, Retro Systems and Digital Culture

This computing journal gathers my notes on retro computers, early personal systems, analogue logic, software culture, electronic learning kits, workstations, peripherals and the strange promises once attached to the digital age. It is less a catalogue of old machines than a map of how people imagined computers would change work, play, learning and everyday life.

Use this page as an orientation point for the wider computing cluster. The sections below group recent articles, long-running journals, retro-computing features, GENIAC material and connected story threads.

Latest Additions and Updates

New and recently revised computing articles appear here first, including current work on GENIAC, analogue computing, arcade hardware and forgotten computing projects.

GENIAC Kit Parts List and Modern Rebuild Guide

GENIAC Parts List
Modern Rebuild Guide

GENIAC Project List: Building Thinking Machines and Circuits

GENIAC Project List
Thinking Machines

GENIAC analogue computer kit with switches, wires, and glowing bulbs demonstrating electric brain logic

GENIAC and the
Electric Brain Revolution

How the GENIAC Analogue Computer Kit Was Marketed to Learners

GENIAC Marketing
Learning and Logic

The GENIAC Approach: Learning with Analogue Circuits

GENIAC Approach
Learning with Circuits

GENIAC Journal: Hands-On Analogue Computer Kit (1950s)

GENIAC Journal
Analogue Computer Kit

Empire Strikes Back: Atari’s Star Wars Conversion Kit (1984)

Atari Star Wars
Arcade Conversion Kit

Silhouetted archaeologist uncovering buried floppy disks

Lost Amiga Projects
Worth Revisiting

Books and Publications

These are the larger journals and publication-style pages, where individual machines, systems and collections are treated as ongoing reference points rather than one-off posts.

Commodore C64
retro journal

Commodore C128
retro journal

Commodore C65
retro journal

Commodore Amiga
retro journal

RetroGames A500
Mini journal

Bally Astrocade
8-bit journal

Adventure Vision
game console

Fred Fish collection
complete list

Retro-Computing

This section collects older computers, unusual machines, operating environments, development tools and commercial experiments that still explain something useful about computing culture.

Apple's Secret
Scorpius CPU

Microsoft Word v1.0
DOS Word Processor

Scorpion Game Enginer for the Commodore Amiga

Scorpion Amiga
Game Engine

IBM 5100
the first portable

Texas Instruments TI-92 retro-computer calculator

Amazing TI-92 has
officially gone retro

Microsoft
Windows 1.0

Windows 10
Journal

Amiga Public Domain
Fred Fish Disks

Sharp X68000
Computer

Cray Supercomputer
Quirky Furniture

Honeywell 200
Public Utility Computer

Honeywell 312
Kitchen Computer

Pixar Image Computer
graphics workstation

Burroughs B-280
ACT!ON computer

Hitachi 505
analogue computer

Can you think faster
than this machine?

GENIAC Analogue Computer Kit (1950s)

GENIAC Computer Kit - Topic Journal

Storyboard

These connected pieces extend the computing cluster into adjacent ideas: public domain software, workstation habits, demo culture, robotics, operating systems and the media worlds that shaped computer enthusiasm.