You Don't Know Flack (New Site/RSS Feed)

[Flack]

You Don't Know Flack (http://podcast.robohara.com) is my new podcast, in which I tell stories related to retro computers, videogames, arcade games, and technology. If you enjoy my stories and/or my blogs, you'll enjoy this podcast. Episodes are released (irregularly), and will be approximately 30-60 minutes in length. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think, and what you want to hear!

Link: http://podcast.robohara.com
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com

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Episode 101: Firsts
Episode 102: Dungeons and Dragons
Episode 103: Arcades
Episode 104: Console Copiers
Episode 105: Boss BBS
Episode 106: How to Write a Book
Episode 107: The Kindle and the Acer
Episode 108: Multitrack Recording
Episode 109: The 1541 Ultimate
Episode 110: Floppy Disks
Episode 111: The Gas Chamber
Episode 112: Photon
Episode 113: Apple Computers
Episode 114: Arcade Auctions
Episode 115: Text Adventures

[Berserker]

The Floating Knife story had me laughing out loud.

I'm actually not a big listener of podcasts but I definitely think I'm going to catch the next episode of this when you put it up. Awesome stuff man, I dig the old stories.

[vespertillio]

Downloading it now. Believe it or not this will be the first time I have ever listened to a 'podcast' lol. It better be good Rob!!

[Flack]

Thanks for checking it out, guys! So far I have a couple of votes for "more arcade stories" and one vote for "D&D stories" so it sounds like I have material lined up for at least two more episodes!

[Coldguy]

Not that bad, good quality and funny stories, I approve. Added to Sage feed...

[Flack]

Not that bad, good quality and funny stories, I approve. Added to Sage feed...

Thanks, man. If you have any instructions or anything related to adding this to a feed of any kind, let me know and I will post them to make it easier for other listeners. I am kind of new to the RSS feed/podcast game.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I'm giving it a listen right now and it's excellent stuff. Everyone ought to give this a listen.

[Dreamcast]

Good and all, But ALL podcasts I listen to have at least 2 people on the podcast. Get some friends and ask them to come on your show, Then you discuss topics about games. This is a good podcast. But ad some guest and then it will be awesome. But good podcast. Keep it up!

[Trevelyan]

Dreamcast has a good point, I think it would make an excellent addition if there were two of you of a similar computing ilk who could feed off one another. Thinking of how people approached computers back in the day, I'll look into cloning another you using Vista, :cheers:

[OldSchoolGamer]

LOVED it Flack! I have no problem with the one man show format, some of my personal favs use that format, I enjoy the Retrobits podcast as well as Retro Gaming Radio. One thing, you have a good sounding voice, I mean that seriously and believe me that IS important. For example on another Podcast that will remain nameless they have a group of speakers, one in particular, well let's just say if you cast a movie about geeks in the 80's and someone was intentionally attempting to "sound" geeky, well THAT is what the guy sounds like, when he is excited it's 100X worse, turns me right off and if it were not for the rest of the cast I would never listen!

I definitely like your format of stories regarding retro systems/games, it's fun to hear another person who felt the same about early gaming and computing platforms, the reactions you and friends and family members had, it brings back lot's of great memories, for me the description of those experiences is great fun, the more details the better please!

Good pilot show I think, looking forward to adding this to my lists of shows and hoping many more are to come, THANKS!

[RJ]

Just d/l'ed it to listen to at work tonight. I need quality podcasts to hold me over between Retronauts & RetroForce GO!

Cant wait to hear it Flack!

[boatofcar]

Great work Flack! I like the one person format just fine. Like OldSchoolGamer said, you have a great voice, and that goes a long way in the world of podcasting. I liked hearing about the Dancing Demon--I looked it up on youtube right after I finished listening!

[RJ]

I didnt wait until work to listen, & I like the one-man format just fine- that way there's no time wasted arguing w/ soemone, or people talking over each other like they do on Retronauts.

BTW- I listened to the 1st part of their latest pcast (FFVII), & I get the idea one of the guys (Jeremy Parrish?) is sick of doing them. Whovever it was said he gets tired/worn out after an hr or so.

[Nophix]

Got ya on RSS feed now! esides, another Rob is always good.

Btw, vocals are a bit quiet compared to sound effects.

[Flack]

Thanks for all the comments so far! Episode 102 has been posted, and the original post has been updated.

EDIT: Based on a suggestion, I added a flash-based embedded player to the posts. You can either use that player or simply download the mp3s.

[Flack]

Updated with Episode 103! As always, I appreciate any feedback!

[Coldguy]

Not a bad episode, love the stories but I guess you hear that all the time. Too bad you never treked out to Funspot before, ah the glory days preserved to its potential...

[Flack]

Not a bad episode, love the stories but I guess you hear that all the time. Too bad you never treked out to Funspot before, ah the glory days preserved to its potential...

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=112529

Just ran out of time. I am thinking of a follow-up episode later about current-retro arcades.

[Flack]

NEW! Episode 104 (http://www.robohara.com/?p=1026)
Episode 104 (which is late) is about console copiers. In this episode I talk about where saw my first console copiers and some of the copiers I've picked up over the years. I also briefly touch on a couple of my favorite topics, "security through obscurity" and "security through minority."

[OldSchoolGamer]

Awesome bud! Been waiting on it, thanks!

[Coldguy]

Wow...no wonder my parents would not let me go to conventions when I was a kid, I be one heckofa different person.

[pookninja]

good stuff flack.i especially enjoyed the d&d episode.reminded me of my old d&d days!!

[Flack]

I've had good and bad comments about the D&D episode. A few people commented that it didn't really fit the "theme" of the show. The good news is, when it's your show, you can bend the theme occasionally. :)

At some point within the next two weeks I'm going to roll up tech.robohara.com back into my regular blog at robohara.com. It's too much of a hassle to split posts between the two, and to be honest, most of the things that I posted at "tech" I posted on my regular blog as well.

[Flack]

"At some point" pretty much became last night. I exported all the posts from tech.robohara.com and imported them into robohara.com, saving the categories. I've updated all the links in this thread to point to the new posts.

I'll have to redo the RSS feed ... I need to add two, one for the blog itself and one for just the podcast. I'll try and get that done today.

[Flack]

NEW! Episode 105 (http://www.robohara.com/?p=1088)
Episode 105 tells the story of Boss BBS, a board that I used to call back in the Commodore 64 modem days -- until the day it mysteriously disappeared, and I heard the sysop's name on the 10pm news ...

[Flack]

Corrected an error in the RSS feed.

Let me know what you would like to hear in episode 106!

[Berserker]

I think it'd be cool if you could get Jeff on for an episode at some point, as he seems to make his way into a lot of these stories to one degree or another.

Also I really dug the D&D episode. Regardless of the few bad comments you apparently received, I say don't be afraid to go off-theme again if it means good stories. The way I look at it, even though things like D&D and old-school technology may not be directly related, they kind of lend themselves to one another naturally, as for kids growing up around that time that's what made up our "world" -- computers, video games, D&D, retro toy/cartoon series, whatever.

Good stuff, keep it coming!

[scooterb23]

Always love hearing C64 related stuff...will put this into my podcast playlist for driving music.

I did want to mention (although I doubt there's anything you can do about it...I'm probably the cause of the problem), but I can't seem to get iTunes to DL any shows. I used a link I found on the site, and added it properly, but it just gives me an exclamation point when it looks for episodes...any ideas?

I probably should change podcast aggregators, but since I listen to everything on my iPod in my car, I'd like to try and keep it all in the family so to speak...

[Coldguy]

You deserved it Flack, I reviewed your podbast here

http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/blogs/Random-Review-You-dont-know-Flack.html

[Hwj_Chim]

Good podcast. Growing up in the 90's with windows, I find the older stories fascinating. Keep up the good work

[Ed Oscuro]

You deserved it Flack, I reviewed your podbast here
Cool review, although I wonder...was there really a time when hackers weren't considered outlaws? In the early days (70s right) you had Captain Crunch the phreaker; before that, lots of guys on college campuses fighting their administrators for control over limited computer storage space and program time...a small point really, but one that (obviously) interests me.

How about it, Flack? Were you folks considered "hackers," and if so, was it negative or positive? (I realize this is all about the time of the WarGames movie.)

Also, gotta give the podcast a listen. Maybe that's obvious. :)

[retrogarden]

Subscribed to it to listen to tonight :)

[Flack]

Cool review, although I wonder...was there really a time when hackers weren't considered outlaws? In the early days (70s right) you had Captain Crunch the phreaker; before that, lots of guys on college campuses fighting their administrators for control over limited computer storage space and program time...a small point really, but one that (obviously) interests me.

How about it, Flack? Were you folks considered "hackers," and if so, was it negative or positive? (I realize this is all about the time of the WarGames movie.)

Also, gotta give the podcast a listen. Maybe that's obvious. :)

It turns out I have a lot to say on this topic and not a lot of time for this response. I'll hit the high points as quickly as possible.

Hackers have always been interested in knowledge and power. In the 70s and 80s, obvious targets were universities and the phone company, two universal targets that had resources of interest to hackers. I don't think hackers were any better or worse back then, but I don't think that they affected the average person like they do today. Today my grandma has to run a firewall so hackers don't infect her machine; in the 80s she didn't have a computer.

When hackers compromised something at the phone company, it didn't generally affect end users/customers -- and if it did, rarely did it affect them financially. I mean yeah, people were getting calling card numbers and using them, but they weren't getting people's ATM cards, PayPal accounts, eBay accounts, etc. That kind of gets back to the idea that people fear bad hackers these days because they can affect them personally (and possibly financially), when back in the day it was generally larger corporations having to deal with them. And again, nobody was hacking into universities to try and get money -- they were doing it to use their bandwidth and storage. For the most part I don't think many old school hackers were motivated by money and I think a lot of current ones are. Old hackers have a romanticism surrounding them that I don't think current hackers will.

[Flack]

Always love hearing C64 related stuff...will put this into my podcast playlist for driving music.

I did want to mention (although I doubt there's anything you can do about it...I'm probably the cause of the problem), but I can't seem to get iTunes to DL any shows. I used a link I found on the site, and added it properly, but it just gives me an exclamation point when it looks for episodes...any ideas?

I probably should change podcast aggregators, but since I listen to everything on my iPod in my car, I'd like to try and keep it all in the family so to speak...

When I switched back from Feedburner to Wordpress's internal RSS feed, I think I broke my iTunes link. I am trying hard to get that working because I know how many iPod/iTunes listeners I have/had. I will keep trying to fix it!

[OldSchoolGamer]

Great show as always FLACK, though, were there some audio issues? I had some breakup.......

Anyway though, thanks for your efforts, I love the show!

[Ed Oscuro]

When hackers compromised something at the phone company, it didn't generally affect end users/customers
Ah, the Robin Hood angle. That's right.

Eh, not much new there, thanks anyhow! :)

Also, I think that the current batch of hackers fall into two camps - greed-motivated on both ends, perhaps. One's financial; the other's boredom motivated griefers. There are of course more people out there who use their skills for good - testing out friends' systems, working their job, etc. - but they aren't considered "hackers" anymore.

I'M INVINCIBLE and similar stereotypes in the media pretty much saw to the end of that.

[scooterb23]

When I switched back from Feedburner to Wordpress's internal RSS feed, I think I broke my iTunes link. I am trying hard to get that working because I know how many iPod/iTunes listeners I have/had. I will keep trying to fix it!

You are the bestest! Definitely digging the show

[WarLordAG]

I listened to the arcade show, pretty good.
I also read through all of your blog entries. (No Stalker?) A lot of entertaining stories there, you're a good writer.

Keep up the awesome job man.

[Sudo]

Just listened to episode five, which was the first one for me. I enjoyed it, and will definitely check out future episodes. :)

[Flack]

I did want to mention (although I doubt there's anything you can do about it...I'm probably the cause of the problem), but I can't seem to get iTunes to DL any shows. I used a link I found on the site, and added it properly, but it just gives me an exclamation point when it looks for episodes...any ideas?

Hey Scooter, just wanted to let you know a couple of things.

#1, I installed "Podcasting", a Wordpress Plug-In. The new feed (http://www.robohara.com/?feed=podcast) should now be iTunes-friendly/compliant.

#2, I signed up for an iTunes account this morning and submitted the podcast to iTunes, so I am just waiting to hear back on that.

Let me know if #1 makes things any simpler for you.

(I should mention #3 -- I had to change all the filenames. Part of the reason iTunes was choking on the files is apparently because I had spaces and apostrophes in the file names.)

[Flack]

First post updated -- episode 108 is live (http://www.robohara.com/?p=1992)!

The iTunes link is still borked. After multiple attempts to contact Apple, it seems the only way to fix the problem is to add it as a new podcast. I'll work on that today. In the meantime, I updated the RSS feed in the main post, which links directly to the podcast feed.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Perfect. I've gotten into a podcast/audiobook listening habit at work. I'm almost caught up on FDR's 1500+ so, I now finally have time for others. Looking forward to listening. :D

[Flack]

I should have a new episode of You Don't Know Flack posted this weekend, and in preparation of that I have made some big changes.

First of all, the podcast now has its own dedicated site: http://podcast.robohara.com

It also now has its own dedicated RSS Feed: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2

It is also now on iTunes as well: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

I am also in the process of setting up a small forum where people can discuss the shows and suggest new show topics.

Over the past couple of episodes I have ironed out all the weird pops, clicks, and other strange audio problems I was having. The newer ones sound much better, so give it a listen and check the site for Episode 109 this weekend!

[Flack]

Episode 109 is live!

In Episode 109 of You Don’t Know Flack I discuss the 1541 Ultimate, along with several other solutions for loading D64 images on real Commodore 64 computers.

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 109: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=38
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[Flack]

Episode 110 is Online.

In light of Sony's recent decision to end production of 3 1/2 floppy disks, Episode 110 of You Don’t Know Flack is all about floppy disks -- from the history of floppies to specific memories and stories I have regarding them.

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 110: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=46
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[Berserker]

wget (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wget)-ing it now.

Man, I'm really digging this new site design! (missed the last few bumps)

[Flack]

Episode 111 is Online.

Episode 111 is a lot about my old BBS, The Gas Chamber, and a little about my new forum, The Gas Chamber. It is not about real gas chambers at all.

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 111: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=52
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[Flack]

Episode 112 is Online.

Episode 112 is all about Photon: The Ultimate Game on Planet Earth. Laser Tag was a big part of my teen years and I could talk about it for days … or at least 61:08 minutes.

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 112: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=58
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[Flack]

Episode 113 is Online.

You Don't Know Flack is back on track with Episode 113, which is about my personal experiences with Apple computers. The podcast spans my experiences dating back to the early 1980s to my current stash of iPods and iPhones.

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 113: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=64
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[Flack]

I went through and edited all the posts with the new iTunes link:

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[Flack]

Episode 114 is Online.

Episode 114 of You Don’t Know Flack is all about Arcade Auctions. In this episode I talk about my experiences of buying arcade games at auctions. I share some tips and tricks of the trade, including what to bring, what to look for, and what to expect. I have been attending arcade auctions for almost 20 years, and have purchased around 70 arcade games from auctions during that time.

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 114: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=71
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[Shulamana]

Will check it out, most podcasts don't make it to 100 episodes unless they're actually good. :)

Edit: I listened to the latest episode, I'm not terribly fond of the single person podcast format, but I think I will at least listen to a few more.

As for the Ms. Pac-Man on Auction Hunters, the "buyer" was Nathan Barnatt, who is known for his series of fabricated video game documentaries "Talking Classics" where he plays the character Keith Apicary. He has also been in commercials for M&Ms and Gamestop. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that, especially since the show's "hosts" are part time actors themselves, it definitely called that sale into suspicion, especially since someone like him would definitely know that cabinet was overpriced. It was later implied that the whole scene was staged and it sort of killed the whole storage unit genre for me. It just shows how easy it is to blow the legitimacy of those types of shows wide open if you know even a little bit about the value of the items they find.

[OldSchoolGamer]

I've always loved listening just wish they were more frequent! :)

[Flack]

Your wish is my command!

Episode 115 is Online.

Episode 115 of You Don't Know Flack is all about text adventures. This episode is unique in multiple ways. Not only does it feature the infamous Interactive Fiction author Robb Sherwin via Skype ... but it features him for approximately two hours. What can I say? Robb and I got carried away talking about text adventures!

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 115: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=75
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[stonecutter]

How about a panel of 5, and some discussion of classic Log logs?

[Flack]

Episode 117 is Online.

Going old school on this one, Episode 117 of You Don't Know Flack is all about copyfests, those disk-swapping parties we used to throw back in the day. In this episode you'll hear about my own experiences with copyfests, why we started having them, and why we stopped.

You Don't Know Flack Podcast: http://podcast.robohara.com
Episode 117: http://podcast.robohara.com/?p=90
Forum: http://thegaschamber.robohara.com (http://thegaschamber.robohara.com/)
RSS: http://podcast.robohara.com/?feed=rss2
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-dont-know-flack/id368604225

[vespertillio]

Pssssst.:...I need Ultima 1. Ya know where I can score it?