News stories for Episode 176, September 5, 2020 show

News stories for Episode #176, September 5, 2020 show:

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1) Todd Wallace (Lord Dragon) has released a video showing his new OS9/NitrOS9 utility for formatting MSDOS disks on the Coco - up to 720K (so double density 5.25" or 3.5" disks):

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158575072022641/

2) Charlie (charlie2020 on Discord) has released version 1.3 of some OS9/NitrOS9 utilities that he wrote in BASIC09:

 http://jechar.ca/coco/Download/

3) "Mr. Lurchs Things" YouTube channel made a video showing his Coco 3 with upgrades (thanks to Nick Marotta for finding this one), and is part of the this year's "SepTandy 2020" promotion between multiple YouTube pages. His upgrades include the 6309, SDC and 512K:

 https://youtu.be/LsCZu4Z2KBU

4) Also part of SeptTandy 2020 is TheRetroChannel showing his installing of a Coco 1 S-Video/composite mod on one of his Coco 1's, on YouTube:

 https://youtu.be/PNnAg8qFdzM

5) A 3rd "SepTandy" video is from Dinty's Hideaway about the Coco is also out (I should mention that this one has some factual errors mentioned in the video, and has very scattershot editing approach):

 https://youtu.be/UbL84lYfPUQ

6) A 4th "SepTandy" video is from "Adrian's Digital Basement", where he does a deep clean/restore of a Coco 3 (I haven't had a chance to fully watch this yet):

 https://youtu.be/wPtTv8yoBLc

7) A reminder of David O'Connors naming contest for his Coco 3 in a Model III case project, with prizes, that is running until the end of the month:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158549721952641/

8) Fran Purcell has a cool photo from the air of the Computer Plus facility in Littleton, Massachusetts circa 1981 when they were renting space from a Texaco Gas station. Fran was interviewed on the Coco Crew last month, and Computer Plus had full page ads selling Coco's and other Tandy hardware and software, for years, in the front pages of Rainbow.

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10223040101421128&set=p.10223040101421128&__tn__=%2CO*F

9) Fred Rique has been experimenting with some animations done with Semi-graphics 24 mode (original Coco 1, and earlier Coco 2's), by mixing text characters by scanline like Protectors II, and includes BASIC source to show how it was programmed (click graphic to animate):

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158579128062641/

10) Coco Crew episode 63 was released, including an interview with Curtis Kaylor (who wrote the printer emulator we covered last week), and a discussion on whether some hardware upgrades to the Coco line go to far (I am sure that this has been a discussion topic on their show before?)

 http://cococrew.org

11) The Amigos are doing an "International Computer Club" Zoom call next Saturday (September 12) at 5 PM EST. Nick Marentes and I will be on to represent Coco (and show off Pipes), along with an international panel covering all retro systems. It will be live on their Twitch channel, I believe, and then put on their YouTube channel shortly thereafter.

 https://www.twitch.tv/amigosretrogaming/

12) David O'Connor is also attending the Adelaide Retro Computing Group September Event next Friday, where he will be demonstrating his Coco's, and will report back to us about how the event went, and how the Coco's went over with the wider audience:

 https://www.facebook.com/events/1020353411732331

13) Glenside Color Computer Club is having a virtual picnic on September 19th - details to follow.

Game On news:

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1) Jim Gerrie has released a "complete remake" of his MC-10 port of the Scott Adams 1978 text adventure game called Adventureland. Unlike his original port, it is now completely self contained in RAM, and no longer needs other supporting files. It also includes corrections and bug fixes:

 https://youtu.be/Zy7jgIdcogA

He also put up a video of his port of "Sirius Adventure", originally by Mladen Bauk from a 1983 issue of 80 Micro:

 https://youtu.be/0JGNjYnB2Dw

2) Our own Stevie Strowbridge officially release his BASIC shoot em up Cosmic Aliens, and Rob Inman and David Ladd have started a port of it to RSB under NitrOS-9 as well:

 http://cosmicaliens.com

3) Since the Amigos show "ARG Presents" has the Coco as the feature computer on tomorrow's Sunday morning show (featuring The Interbank Incident and Rad Warrior), Aaron put up an over 90 minute YouTube video showing short, un-commentated videos of various Coco games strung together:

 https://youtu.be/Z11kxXlLjpA

4) SimonWGB on YouTube put up another Dragon 32 game stream that was recorded on Twitch, that lasted almost 3 hours (includes Frogger, Screaming Ab-Dabs, Caverns of Chaos). These are long plays.

 https://youtu.be/CBPcWSJ6Cc0?t=235

5) "Cloudy Eggs" on YouTube did a comparison of the educational game "Ernie's Magic Shapes" on various platforms, starting with the Coco 1, and also the Atari 8 bit, Apple II, DOS, NES, & the VTech Laptop. There was a C64 version, but the author couldn't find a working copy of it.

 https://youtu.be/wDo7IzC4oyc

6) DaveJustDave on YouTube released an interview with Ken Williams (who, with his wife Roberta created Sierra), and the interview even covers the Coco a bit for their ports of Disney games for the Coco 1/2 from around 1984/1985, and then Kings Quest III and Leisure Suit Larry for the Coco 3 in 1988. Ken has a new book out mentioned as well, which sounds interesting (Coco is mentioned around 19:00 in - and that is where it is mentioned that for some of the more "gutless" machines, the interpreter had to be rewritten in assembly; including the Coco). Thanks to Rob Inman for finding this one:

 https://youtu.be/gdEYABhmVNo