Show overview
Advent of Computing has been publishing since 2019, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 211 episodes, alongside 15 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 190 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run an hour to ninety minutes — most land between 45 min and 1h 6m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language History show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 4 days ago, with 23 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Sean S Haas.
From the publisher
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.
Latest Episodes
View all 211 episodesEpisode 192 - Local Computer Held Hostage!
Episode 191 - The BHP Virus
Episode 190 - Machine Room or DEATH TRAP!?
Episode 189 - The IBM 701
Usagi Electric and the LGP-21 Restoration
Episode 188 - Training and Teaching with the Bi-Tran Six
Episode 187 - What's Better Than Binary?
LIVE from VCF West - Wait, Is That Really UNIX?
Episode 186 - MADDIDA
Episode 185 - Is EMUL-8ion a Form of Flattery?
Episode 184 - What Is A Programming Language?
Dale Biagio - Hello, World!
Episode 183 - A Digital Gap?
Episode 182 - Spinning Memories
Episode 181 - RAYDAC
Episode 180 - You Wouldn't Magnetize a Tape!
Episode 179 - Programming Block by Block
Ep 178Episode 178 - The Programma 101
The Olivetti Programma 101 isn't quite like any other machine. On first glance it looks like a big desktop calculator. Inside, it's a purebred computer... but strange one. It uses twisted spring steel for memory, has no addresses, and it's machine code looks more like a spell than a program. It's existence is due, in no small part, to a man being very mean to GE engineers. Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts
Dan Temkin - Forty-Four Esolangs
bonusDan Temkin has been a long time friend of the show. I finally got the chance to sit down and talk with him about one of his latest projects. Forty-Four Esolangs is a "The first artist's monograph of programming languages". During this interview we keep circling around one very crucial question: what really is a programming language? Get the book and learn more about esolangs here: https://danieltemkin.com/Esolangs
Ep 177Episode 177 - Getting Real with RSX
Who wants to hear me make incorrect assumptions about old software? RSX is a system that, from the outside, can sound like it has a similar story to that of UNIX. First developed for the PDP-15 in 1969, RSX becomes much more well known when it migrates to the PDP-11. It becomes a multitasking and multiuser system. A key difference is niche. While UNIX is a very general purpose system RSX is built for real time. That leads to something very unique.