Welcome to Advent of Computing, the show that talks about the shocking, intriguing, and all too often relevant history of computing. A lot of little things we take for granted today have rich stories behind their creation, in each episode we will learn how older tech has lead to our modern world.
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Sean Haas Podcasts
When it comes to choosing guests for this podcast, there's just one simple rule: I have to genuinely want to talk to you. Whether it's having a laid-back chat with friends or exploring a new perspective, I'm all about having engaging conversations that pique peoples interest. So let's connect, share stories, and make this podcast a friendly and relatable experience!
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This episode we continue my series on the PDP-11 by examining how DEC adapted to the advent of the microprocessor. Along the way we will see how the PDP-11 inspired new generations of computers, and the surprising connection to early digital hobbyists.
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The Pain They Don’t See: William King Hollis on Turning Wounds Into Wisdom | Ep. 27
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In Episode 27 of the Sacred Thomas Podcast, I sit down with the unstoppable William King Hollis — a man who went from homelessness and heartbreak to becoming one of the most recognized motivational speakers in the world. This conversation isn’t polished or sugar-coated. It’s raw. It’s about pain, demons, father wounds, addiction, faith, family, and…
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Last weekend I had the chance to talk about the LGP-30 and my emulation project at VCF West in Mountain View, CA. The showrunners will be posting a full video later, but that takes a while to go live. In the meantime, here's the audio I siphoned off the sound board and my slide deck. View my slides here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E9-B3EzxudF…
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The Wounds That Break Men… and the Role Women Play | Ryan Moresby-White | Ep 26
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In this episode of The Sacred Thomas Podcast, I sit down with Ryan Moresby-White, a men’s coach whose mission is to help men heal the boy inside so they can show up as secure, grounded men in love, leadership, and life. We go deep into the wounds men carry, especially from childhood — and how some of the deepest pain the masculine holds actually co…
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The DEC PDP-11 is one of the most influential minicomputers of all time. Some would even call it the most influential computer of all time. But where exactly did it come from? How was it designed? This episode is the start of a 3 part series that will look at how the PDP-11 was created, adapted to changes, and the strange places it ended up.…
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Episode 162 - CSIRAC, Australia's First Computer
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In 1949 CSIRAC sprung to life in a lab in Sydney, Australia. It was a very early stored program computer. All machines of the era were unique. But CSIRAC, well, it was very unique indeed. Selected Sources: https://cis.unimelb.edu.au/about/csirac/music/reconstruction - The Music of CSIRAC https://sci-hub.se/10.1109/MAHC.1984.10014 - Pearcy and Beard…
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The first batch of digital computers emerge directly following WWII. The hallmark of this generation is uniqueness: no two computers are the same. However, there is a machine that bucks that trend. The IAS Machine, built in Princeton in the late 1940s, served as the inspiration for at least a dozen later computers. But how similar were these Prince…
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Episode 160 - What can Lunar Lander tell us about FOCAL?
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Lunar Lander is one of the best loves video games of all time. The game was created in 1969 as an homage to the recent Apollo 11. From there it would only spread. Just about anything that can print text has it's own version of Lunar Lander. The early history of this game is mixed up with something weird: two nearly identical programming languages. …
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Resentment, Love & Growth: How to Heal What Feels Broken | Preston Smiles & Alexi Panos | Ep 25
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Learn more about The Bridge: thebridgemethod.org Use code: "Thomas20" for 20% off What do you do when you’ve outgrown your old self… but the world still expects you to be them?In this deep and wildly honest conversation, I sit down (again) with Preston Smiles and Alexi Panos — two powerhouse voices in transformation, relationships, and conscious le…
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Episode 159 - The Intel 286: A Legacy Trap
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In 1982 Intel released the iAPX 286. It's was the first heir to the smash-hit 8086. But the 286 was developed before the IBM PC put an Intel chip on every desk. It's design isn't influence by the PC. Rather, it reaches further into the past. Today we are looking at the strange melding of old technology, new ideas, and compatibility that lead to the…
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Episode 158 - INTERCAL RIDES AGAIN - Restoring a Lost Compiler
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In 1973 the world caught it's first glimpse of INTERCAL. It's a wild and wacky language, somewhere between comedy and cutting satire. But the compiler was never circulated. There would be later implementations, but that original compiler remained lost to time. That is, until now. This episode covers how the original source code was found, and my at…
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Episode 157 - Only S1 Users Will Survive!
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The S1 operating system can do it all! It can run on any computer, read any disk, and execute any software. It can be UNIX compatible, DOS compatible, and so, so much more! But... can S1 ship? Today we are talking about an operating system that sounds too good to be true. Is it another example of vaporware? Or is S1 really the world's most sophisti…
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Episode 156 - RPG, a Different Paradigm?
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How do you make a computer act less like a computer? It sounds like some kind of riddle, but in the early 1960s it was an actual problem. As IBM customers transitioned from tabulators to computers they ran into all sorts of practical issues. Programmers became a hot commodity. But how do you find a programmer in 1959? And how can you even afford su…
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In the early 1960s a neat little machine came out of MIT. Well, kind of MIT. The machine was called LINC. It was small, flexible, and designed to live in laboratories. Some have called it the first personal computer. But, is that true? Does it have some secret that will unseat my beloved LGP-30? And how does DEC fit into the picture?…
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The LGP-30 is one of my favorite computers. It's small, scrappy, strange, and wonderous. Among its many wonders are two obscure languages: ACT-I and ACT-III. In this episode we are exploring the ACTS, how the LGP-30 was programmed in practice, and why I've been losing sleep for the last few weeks.
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When I was down at VCF SoCal I ran into a strange machine: the Keypact Micro-VIP. It's a terminal without a keyboard, covered in dials, with a speaker and a switch labeled "voice". This chance encounter with the unknown sent me down a wild path. It involved the creeping spread of computing, chicken feed, door to door life insurance salesmen, and at…
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Episode 152 - LIVE at VCF - Reviving Retro Panel
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A special treat from VCF SoCal. While visiting I had the chance to host a panel on restoration and preservation. I was joined by: David from Usagi Electric (https://www.youtube.com/@UsagiElectric) Rob from Souther Amis (https://www.southernamis.com/) Jim, Former Executive Director Computer Museum of America (https://computerhalloffame.org/home/abou…
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Episode 151 - The Friden Flexowriter
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Have you ever looked at an old computer and seen a weird typewriter thing tacked on? In most cases that's a device called a Flexowriter. It's half electric typewriter, half teleprinter, half tape reader, and all business! This episode we are chronicling the rise, fall, and weird business dealings of the Flexowriter.…
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In the modern day Windows is a power house, but that wasn't always the case. In this episode we are looking at the fraught development of Windows 1.0. During development it was called vaporware, it was panned in the press, roasted at at least one trade show, and even called... "eclectic". Through it all a vision in lime green would take form.…
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This episode we are taking a trip back to UNIX world. We're looking at IDRIS, the first clone of UNIX. It was supposed to be highly compatible, but use no code from Bell Labs. IDRIS ran on everything from the Intel 8080 up to the IBM System/370. There was even a version that could run MS-DOS programs. Sound too good to be true? Well, that may be th…
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In 1970 a little language called BLISS emerged from Carnegie Mellon University. It was a systems language, meant for operating systems and compilers. It was designed, in part, as a response to Dijkstra's famous Go To Considered Harmful paper. It had no data types. It used the most bizzare form of the pointer I've ever seen. And it was a direct comp…
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He Lost 100+ Pounds After Gaining It Back 5 Times | EP 24
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Nick Geoppo’s weight loss journey is anything but ordinary. In this deeply personal and inspiring podcast episode, Nick shares his struggles with gaining and losing 50+ pounds every year for five years before finally breaking the cycle. From hitting rock bottom to becoming a coach who helps others achieve sustainable weight loss, Nick’s story is on…
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Episode 147 - Molecular Electronic Computer
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In 1961 Texas Instruments unveiled the Molecular Electronic Computer, aka: Mol-E-Com. It was a machine that fit in the palm of your hand, but had all the power of a much larger computer. This was in an age of hefty machines, which made the achievement all the more marvelous. How was this even possible? It was all thanks to the wonders of molecular …
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The Z4, completed by Konrad Zuse in 1945, is a computer with a wild story. It was made from scrounged parts, survived years of bombing raids, moved all around Berlin, and eventually took refuge in basements and stables. In this episode we will follow the Z4's early days, and look at how it fits into the larger picture of Zuse's work. Along the way …
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Episode 145 - Zuse's Mysterious Machines
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In 1933 Konrad Zuse, a German civil engineer, caught the computing bug. It would consume the rest of his life. According Zuse he invented the world's first digital computer during WWII, working in near total isolation within the Third Reich. How true is this claim? Today we are looking at Zuse's early machines, the Z1, Z2, and Z3. Selected Sources:…
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Finding Purpose After Heartbreak | Adam Roa | Ep 23
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In this episode of the Sacred Thomas Podcast, I sit down with poet, speaker, and coach Adam Roa to explore the journey of finding purpose after heartbreak. Adam shares deeply personal insights on overcoming loss, building self-love, and rediscovering meaning in life. Known for his viral poem, “You Are Who You’ve Been Looking For,” Adam opens up abo…
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Surviving Outlast Season 2: The Emotional Rollercoaster | Drew Haas| Ep 22
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Winning $1 million sounds like a dream, but surviving ‘Outlast’ was about far more than just the cash. In this episode of The Sacred Thomas Podcast, I sit down with Drew Haas to uncover the truth behind what it really took to win. From the mental battles in the wilderness to the emotional toll that pushed him to the edge, Drew shares the untold sto…
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