Podcast Episode 322: Deceitful Online Authors, Emerging Vintage Computers, and a Web-Bashing Outburst
This week, our podcast returns to Europe as Elliot Williams and Jenny List discuss a range of topics. Among the news, we're remembering the passing of Ed Smylie, the NASA engineer who conceived the improvised carbon dioxide filter made using duct tape, saving the Apollo 13 astronauts during a critical crisis.
Moving closer to home, the call for participation for this year's podcast Supercon has been announced, inviting listeners to share their ideas and projects.
In the realm of intriguing hacks, a new Mac Plus motherboard, Doom running on an Atari ST, and a secure LoRa messenger have captured our attention. We delved into the Mouse programming language, a minimalist stack-based environment from the 1970s, and also examined a semiconductor dopant that can be safely produced at home.
Additionally, our colleague Maya Posch argues for the revival of graceful degradation of web standards, while we explore ChatGPT's ability to mimic our podcast scribe, albeit not perfectly. Rest assured, our podcast remains reassuringly meat-based.
For the podcast's full discussion, listen to the episode below.
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Episode 322 Show Notes:
News:
- 2025 Supercon Call for Participation: We're Looking Forward to Your Innovations
- In Remembrance of Ed Smylie, the Pioneering Engineer Behind the Apollo 13's Lifesaving Hack
What's That Sound:
- Kudos to [calculus] for discovering the uncommon Jerobeam Fenderson mushrooms.
- Your Oscilloscope's Aid: A Misplaced Tool Fetches Attention
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
- European YouTuber's Exodus from US Tech Giants Leads Him to Open Source
- A Freshly Unearthed Mac Plus Motherboard, Devoid of Special Integrated Chips
- The Rediscovered 256 KB Japanese ROM for the Macintosh Plus
- As Global Concerns Mount, Europeans Develop Secure Messaging Solutions
- A High-Speed Open-Source Ethernet Switch Becomes a Reality
- Travel Back to the 1970s with Mouse, a Minimalist Stack-Based Programming Language
- MUSYS. Exploring the Legacy of the United Kingdom's Peter Grogono and 120 Years of Electronic Music
- Atari ST Breathes New Life into the Classic Game Doom
Quick Hacks:
- Elliot's Selections:
- PentaPico: A Raspberry Pi Pico Cluster Aids Image Convolution
- Creating a DIY Semiconductor Dopant for Personal Use
- LACED: Chemical Etching and Laser Technology Expose Internal PCB Layers
- Empower AI with the MCP Blender Addon, Allowing It to Manage Projects and Tools
- Jenny's Picks:
- A 1990s PDA Provides AI Insights
- Boost Arduino Performance with Smart Coding strategies
- 555-Based Stylus Synth: A Retro-Inspired Electronic Music Instrument
- A Portable, M4-Powered Mac Mini
Can't-Miss Articles:
- The Downfall of the World Wide Web and the Lamentable Loss of Graceful Degradation Standards
- ChatGPT & Me. The Interplay Between AI and Our Beloved Podcast Scribe
- The call for participants for this year's podcast Supercon invitation aims to ignite innovative ideas and projects among listeners.
- In recognition of his groundbreaking work, we pay tribute to Ed Smylie, the NASA engineer known for the Apollo 13's lifesaving carbon dioxide filter.
- A new Mac Plus motherboard discovery evokes memories of the past, devoid of special integrated chips.
- The rediscovered 256 KB Japanese ROM for the Macintosh Plus is an exciting find for vintage computer enthusiasts.
- As global concerns mount, Europeans are developing secure messaging solutions to address privacy issues.
- A high-speed open-source Ethernet switch becomes a reality, offering a cost-effective alternative to commercial solutions.
- Delve back into the 1970s with a reexamination of Mouse, a minimalist stack-based programming language.
- MUSYS, the legacy of Peter Grogono from the United Kingdom, is explored in the context of electronic music's history.
- The European YouTuber's departure from U.S. tech giants made him embrace the open-source community.
- The classic game Doom breathes new life on the Atari ST, bringing a retro twist to modern gaming.
- Elliot suggests PentaPico, a Raspberry Pi Pico cluster aiding image convolution, for those looking to experiment with cluster computing.
- Creating a DIY semiconductor dopant for personal use is one of the creative hardware projects Elliot shares this week.
- LACED, a combination of chemical etching and laser technology, makes internal PCB layers more accessible.
- MCP Blender Addon empowers AI to manage projects and tools more efficiently.
- Jenny recommends a 1990s PDA for AI insights, offering a fascinating perspective on the evolution of technology.
- Smart coding strategies boost Arduino performance, a valuable tip for wearables and smart-home device hobbyists.
- Jenny also advocates for a retro-inspired electronic music instrument, the 555-Based Stylus Synth.
- Jenny introduces a portable, M4-powered Mac Mini, perfect for outdoor living and digital nomads.
- In Maya Posch's argument, she advocates for the revival of graceful degradation of web standards.
- ChatGPT's ability to emulate our podcast scribe is explored, albeit not flawlessly.
- Our podcast remains committed to providing meat-based discussions, setting it apart from the online world of artificial intelligence.
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