Hacker News with Generative AI: 1980s

In the 1980s we also downloaded software from TV (newslttrs.com)
In the previous newslttr, I wrote about downloading software from radio broadcasts in the 1980s. It sparked some lively conversation on Hacker News which also brought up some other 80s software oddities. One obvious parallel was with software downloads via TV broadcast which is the subject of today's trip down 8k Memory Lane.

Software, History, Retro Computing, 1980s, Television

71 points by spzb 21 days ago | 27 comments

RIP Val Kilmer: Celebrating cult classic Real Genius is now a moral imperative (arstechnica.com)
Back to the Future justly dominated the summer box office in 1985, but it's too bad its massive success overshadowed another nerd-friendly gem, Real Genius, which debuted one month later, on August 9.

Movies, Nostalgia, 1980s, Pop Culture, Film

7 points by LinuxBender 24 days ago | 6 comments

In the 1980s we downloaded games from the radio (newslttrs.com)
So there I was, minding my own business, doom-scrolling my way through Facebook posts when I happened upon one that hit me straight in the nostalgia. A photo of a 1980s home computer, a cassette player and some tapes. The text underneath proclaimed "In the 1980s, people could download video games from radio broadcasts by recording the audio onto cassette tapes. These tapes could then be played on computers to load the games".

Retro Gaming, History, Technology, 1980s

289 points by spzb 28 days ago | 149 comments

The Mad Magazine Basic Computer Program (meatfighter.com)
The cover of MAD magazine No. 258 from October 1985 announces a “special computer section featuring the MAD Computer Program”. Take careful note of the image displayed on the computer monitor.

Retro Computing, Humor, Magazines, 1980s

3 points by mmastrac 49 days ago | 0 comments

Jenny and the FCC (2023) (wordpress.com)
There was a point in the early 1980s when, if I asked you what Jenny’s phone number was and you said “I don’t know,” I would assume you were either a goddam liar or maybe somebody of my grandparent’s generation. You were certainly somebody who didn’t listen to the music on the radio, because Tommy Tutone had made Jenny and her phone number, 867-5309, about as famous as any phone number has or ever will be, with the single 867-5309/Jenny.

Music, Popular Culture, 1980s

26 points by mmoogle 59 days ago | 2 comments

Tales from the Loop RPG (freeleaguepublishing.com)
In this roleplaying game, you play teenagers in the late 1980s, solving Mysteries connected to the Loop.

Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction, 1980s

5 points by doener 63 days ago | 0 comments

What happened when REM went mainstream (yalereview.org)

Music, Culture, 1980s, Rock Music

69 points by johnshades 68 days ago | 86 comments

Shadow of the Beast (1989) Graphics Deep Dive [video] (youtube.com)

Retro Gaming, Video Games, Graphics, History, 1980s

6 points by tie-in 88 days ago | 0 comments

Tech-Noir: How One Scene in 'The Terminator' Changed Science Fiction (2018) (wearethemutants.com)
The Tech-Noir club scene in The Terminator is a masterpiece of action film-making, arguably the most important sequence of the movie, and the club itself—its decor and atmosphere, its customers, its soundtrack, its very name—has had an extraordinary influence on the development of sci-fi and subsequent reimaginings of the 1980s aesthetic.

Science Fiction, Movies, Filmmaking, 1980s

4 points by austinallegro 99 days ago | 0 comments

Who would have won the Simon-Ehrlich bet over different decades? (ourworldindata.org)
In 1980, the biologist Paul Ehrlich agreed to a bet with the economist Julian Simon on how the prices of five materials would change over the next decade.

Economics, Environmentalism, Predictions, History, 1980s

75 points by sien 107 days ago | 74 comments

The Atari STACY was launched in 1989 (archive.org)
The Atari Stacy was launched in 1989. Atari had been talking about a portable ST since 1986, but it was fast tracked for launch when the ST became increasingly more popular with musicians, and feedback was such that it was a viable product to launch for this niche market alone.

Video Games, History, Technology, Atari, 1980s

14 points by Bluestein 110 days ago | 1 comments

About the BBC Micro cassette version of Elite – Elite on the 6502 (bbcelite.com)
The BBC Micro cassette version is the standard, entry-level version of the original Acornsoft Elite. It was released on 20 September 1984, along with the enhanced disc version, at a launch event at Thorpe Park in the UK.

Retro Gaming, Computer History, BBC Micro, Elite (game), 1980s

30 points by rcarmo 124 days ago | 0 comments

Alley Cat Remeow Edition (joflof.com)
Alley Cat is a game created in 1983 by Bill Williams (rest in peace) and published by the company Synapse Software for Atari 8-bit and later IBM PC's and compatible computers.

Retro Gaming, Video Games, History, 1980s

44 points by justsomehnguy 130 days ago | 21 comments

They don't make them like that any more: the Yamaha DX7 keyboard (kevinboone.me)
The sound of the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer defined 1980s popular music.

Music, Technology, 1980s, Yamaha, Synthesizers

336 points by ingve 143 days ago | 217 comments

I gave my kids a summer like mine in the 1980s – every parent should try it (inews.co.uk)

Parenting, Nostalgia, 1980s, Summer Activities

31 points by BerislavLopac 256 days ago | 20 comments

People Behind “The Print Shop” (1985) (theprintshop.club)

Retro Gaming, Software, History, 1980s

89 points by empressplay 273 days ago | 66 comments

NSA Claims It Can't Watch an Important Tape It Recorded in the 1980s (gizmodo.com)