Pixel Pedant

My first #ti994a video in a long while is finally out. All the work developing my Hell's Halls sequel has slowed down my YouTube content to a trickle of late: youtu.be/Jf-ydo4-WVw

I've been back in business with the #texasinstruments CC-40 this week, working with the two awesome expansions that really make the computer worthwhile today: the HexTIr peripheral and CC-40 multicart. The video evidence is here: youtu.be/yThXKjtduVQ

Throwback to one of my favourite random encounters with #retrocomputing in the wild, these past couple years. This dude, who brought his TRS-80 into the local public library, to plug in and sit and do some coding, on a nice sunny day.

Finally posted my latest video, on the 10 best TI classics from 1979-1981. This one took a while. Turns out, taking stock of the contribution of 10 different classic #ti994a games to the system isn't a quick undertaking: youtu.be/oFEdyzKKvNA

At last, after a lot of talk of the TI CC-40 in recent days from me, here is my overview of the platform and what it can do. In honour of the 40th birthday of this little orphaned system, which debuted at Winter CES 1983: youtu.be/OZjyIc3_Ais

More coding shenanigans today on my #texasinstruments CC-40 - TI's 1983 solution for taking TI-99 BASIC with you, wherever you need it. This one's a fun little 10-Liner I cooked up.

The #texasinstruments Compact Computer 40 - a younger brother to the #ti994a that you can take with you to have TI BASIC always at hand. In this case, running a little demo I threw together today for an upcoming video. #retrocomputing

Awesome to have Hell's Halls up on the top #ti994a web store! :)

After looking at #TI994A BASIC coding strategy so much this past year, then releasing Hell's Halls, as my shot at taking TI BASIC to new heights, I've finally gotten around to recording the game start to finish, with my developer commentary: youtu.be/Z__ZLrxvrcg

In 1989/1990, The Missing Link utterly transformed what you could do in BASIC on the #ti994a. Giving TI-99 programmers access to bitmap mode graphics only assembly programmers could take advantage of prior. And Harry wrote great documentation, so it's easy to use, too.

Today I learned there was an 80s Austin, Texas indie band called "The Texas Instruments". Hilarious. Wonder if they were #ti994a fans, and I wonder if the #TexasInstruments legal department was ever tempted to give them a ring.

For the moment, Twitter sure is an entertaining place to follow the death of Twitter. But in the long run, I can now also be found on Mastodon at mas.to/@pixelpedant. Maybe I'll be able to track down some #ti994a folks there too. I hope so! #RIPTwitter

This was truly one of my weirdest #ti994a projects. Wherein I designed an RS-232 control solution which allowed me to administer a/v and power for all my game hardware, via TI-99. With picture-in-picture preview via a dedicated (analog) PIP device.

New Video! Looking at the 12 best unreleased games for #ti994a, for which playable prototypes survive. Or the best according to me, anyway. There are plenty more early 80s TI protos that survive. But these are my picks: youtube.com/watch?v=xdaI5srk…

A (newly scanned!) 1979 brochure for the TI-99/4 Home Computer from Texas Instruments. Laying out all the marvels it intended to deliver. Didn't quite work out that way. But I love it anyway. Also love how 70s all TI's promo materials were. #ti994a #vintagecomputing

This 1980 TI-99/4 vendor price list which arrived in my mail recently is a rather wonderfully window into the dawn of the TI-99. In the time before the #ti994a, when a 99/4 and monitor set you back $1100USD in 1979/1980 dollars. #vintagecomputing #RetroComputing

It's absolutely stunning what the #MSX1 library did with TMS9918A graphics into the late 80s. And given all of this can just as easily be done on the #TI994A, I take this stuff as my TI-99 inspiration every day. #vintagecomputing #retrocomputing

In the mail today, three brochures from the early ('79 and '80) days of the TI-99/4 (nope, not the #ti994a we all know and love - its predecessor). Great condition, too. Will have to scan at some point. #retrocomputing #computerhistory

Well this is my favourite #retrocomputing commentary of the year: