Stray Pointers
Episodes
2025 Advent of Code Follow-Up
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Juan Vazquez and Cameron Cunning rejoin the show to discuss how we fared with the 2025 Advent of Code competition. Website for the Advent of Code comp...
Forth Systems Creator Tom Zimmer Joins the Show
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Zimmer has implemented a variety of Forth compiler systems ranging from 8-bit commercial Forths to more modern implementations. Tom discusses hi...
Advent of Code 2025 Pregame Show
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cameron Cunning and Juan Vazquez rejoin the show to discuss our approaches to the forthcoming Advent of Code 2025 coding competition in December. #rus...
Horror Novelist Angela Sylvaine Returns to the Show
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Angela Sylvaine returns for her fourth appearance on the show. She and Jim recap the story of her first three novels and her future works including ...
Nick Andrew Discusses the System-80 Including His Zeta BBS
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Telecommunications and BBS pioneer Nick Andrew talks about the TRS-80 Model I workalike known as the System-80. With many hardware modifications, Ni...
Leor Zolman, Creator of the First Commercial C Compiler for Microcomputers Joins the Show
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Leor Zolman, creator of the BDS (Brain Damage Software) C compiler for CP/M ... the first commercial C compiler for microcomputers ... joins the show....
International Tech Speaker Christine Seeman Joins the Show
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
June 25, 2025 ( recorded on February 13th, 2024) This episode is a reissue of an earlier audio-only episode with added video. Christine Seeman join...
Text Adventure Author and Paleontologist Mike Taylor Joins the Show
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
May 16, 2025 Mike Taylor, author of the VIC-20 text adventures Magic Mirror and Nosferatu as well as the Commodore 64 game The Causes of Chaos joins t...
Atari BBSing with Rob Sherman
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rob Sherman joins the show to discuss his early years of BBSing in the 1980's and his current telnet bulletin-board systems running on Atari 8-bit gea...
Gunnar Gustafson Discusses Audio Synthesizers
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gunnar Gustafson rejoins the show to discuss audio synthesis in musical gear. He discusses family ties to some very early audio gear and he draws pa...
Interview with Synchronet BBS Creator Rob Swindell
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a video-added re-release of my interview with Rob Swindell. Rob is the author and sysop of the MS-DOS and telnet versions of the Synchronet BB...
Interview with Jeff Duntemann
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a re-release (with video!) of my interview with software engineer, writer, and publishing entrepreneur Jeff Duntemann. Jeff was the first edit...
6502, Z-80, and Forth in the 1970's
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce Hoyt and his son Ben Hoyt discuss 70's-era home computing including the MOS KIM-1, The Ohio Scientific Superboard II, and the Ferguson Big Board...
Rick Lundeen discusses his comic books "The Bombardier" and "The Daleks' Master Plan"
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Writer/illustrator Rick Lundeen rejoins the show to discuss his comic book series "The Bombardier" and his graphic novel adaptation of the classic Doc...
Wrapping up the 2024 Advent of Code with Juan Vazquez and Cameron Cunning
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With video! Software engineers Juan Vazquez and Cameron Cunning rejoin the show to discuss the 2024 Advent of Code, an annual programming competition....
The Hosts of "ANTIC - The Atari 8-Bit Podcast" Join the Show
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brad Arnold, Randy Kindig, and Kay Savetz join the show to discuss their long-running podcast "ANTIC - The Atari 8-bit Podcast" ANTIC web site: http...
Niels Haedecke discusses BBS software, Forth, and the RC2014 System
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Retrocomputing enthusiast Niels Haedecke joins the show. We talk about his telnet/SSH access Wintermute BBS, FidoNet, the RC2014 Z-80 CP/M computer ...
Discussing Perl with Jay Hannah
09 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jay Hannah joins the show to discuss his long-time use of the Perl programming language. We also discuss Jay's prominence in several Omaha-based pro...
Preparing for the 2024 Advent of Code programming competition with Juan Vazquez and Cameron Cunning
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Software engineers Juan Vazquez and Cameron Cunning join the show to discuss the Advent of Code, an annual programming competition that takes place ev...
Discussing the Villisca Axe Murders with Daryn Richardson
26 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daryn Richardon rejoins the show to discuss the 1910 axe murders in Villisca, Iowa and how the event tied to similar events in the same era. We disc...
Horror Novelist Angela Sylvaine Discusses Her New Book and Exchanges Urban Legend Stories with Jim
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Horror novelist Angela Sylvaine rejoins the show to discuss her new novel "Chopping Spree." Angela and Jim exchange local horror-themed urban legend...
A chat with Commodore computing enthusiast Bo Zimmerman
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Software engineer and Commodore computing enthusiast Bo Zimmerman joins the show to talk about his history with Commodore gear, BBSing, his other comp...
Horror novelist Angela Sylvaine rejoins the show
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Angela Sylvaine makes a return appearance on the show. We discuss her first novel, Frost Bite, as well as her newest book The Dead Spot : Stories of...
The TechnoGals Join the Show to Discuss Their Podcast
27 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Traci Gorman and Alicia Retzlaff join the show to discuss their own podcast ... The TechnoGals ! The TechnoGals linktr.ee site: https://linktr.ee/tec...
Retrocomputing with Jim Brain
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Long-time computing innovator Jim Brain joins the show to discuss his journey through electronics, Commodore computers, TRS-80 Color Computers, and th...
Gunnar Gustafson Discusses JavaScript and Web Development
06 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gunnar Gustafson walks us through the timeline of using web development tools such as JavaScript and React.js. He touches on going to college at age...
Hijinks and Practical Jokes in IT
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since April Fool's Day is coming up in about a week, I thought I'd tell a few stories about pranks and funny situations from working in IT.
Bob Fulkerson discusses the Endless Forest BBS and Computer Science Academia
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Computer Science professor Bob Fulkerson joins the show to discuss his BBS days including his stewardship of the Endless Forest BBS in Omaha. Bob also...
Hardware / Software Engineer Thomas Cherryhomes Discusses his Fujinet Retrocomputing Projects
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas Cherryhomes joins to the show to discuss FujiNet ... a series of add-on direct-connect devices for 80's era home computers that provides a numb...
A Chat with Software Engineer and International Speaker Christine Seeman
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Christine Seeman joins the show to discuss a variety of programming languages including Java, Ruby, and Go. We also discuss her live international s...
A Chat with Synchronet BBS Author and Sysop Rob Swindell
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rob Swindell, author and sysop of the MS-DOS and telnet versions of the Synchronet BBS joins us to discuss the genesis of the BBS, running his own BBS...
Chatting with Programmer, Author, and Former Dr. Dobbs Journal Columnist Jeff Duntemann
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Duntemann joins the show to discuss his experiences with various technical and non-technical endeavors. Jeff was the first editor of Borland's ...
Discussing Programming Languages with Ben Hoyt
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Software engineer and engineering manager Ben Hoyt joins the show to discuss his experience with various programming languages. Topics discussed inc...
Speaking with Screenwriter and Filmmaker Harrison Demchick
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Writer / editor / screenwriter / filmmaker Harrison Demchick joins the show to discuss his background in writing. We discuss the process that led to...
Reviewing the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas Special with Rick Lundeen
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick joins the show for a look at the final episode of Doctor Who for 2023 ... "The Church on Ruby Road." This podcast contains spoilers for the episo...
Reviewing the Doctor Who Special #3 with Rick Lundeen
10 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Lundeen joins the podcast for a review of the final of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials .. "The Giggle" For more information on Stray Poi...
Discussing the Doctor Who Special #2 with Rick Lundeen
03 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Lundeen joins us again to discuss "Wild Blue Yonder", the second Doctor Who 2023 special. Please note that there are spoilers in this discussio...
Discussing the Endless Forest BBS with Dan Kenny
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Kenny joins the show to discuss the Endless Forest, an Omaha area electronic bulletin board system (BBS) that began life on the Apple II in the 19...
Discussing the Doctor Who Special #1 with Rick Lundeen
26 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Lundeen returns to the podcast to continue the 60th year celebration of Doctor Who. In this edition of the podcast, we discuss "The Star Beast"...
Discussing The Beatles and News Journalism with David Helling
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Former 1970's Beatles Trivia radio show co-host David Helling joins us to discuss his Beatles knowledge and his long career in political news journali...
The Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special
12 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My friends and fellow Whovians Rick Lundeen and Neil Welch joined me for a roundtable discussion of the series. Neil presents a unique perspective a...
Chatting with Linux on the Mainframe Specialist Elizabeth K. Joseph
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth K. Joseph leads the Open Source Program office for IBM Z series mainframe systems. She's published books on Ubuntu Linux and OpenStack. Sh...
A Discussion with Artist and Teacher Keith Howell
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Keith Howell joins us for a discussion on his long background in art, comics, modern and classic pulp texts, and his ongoing art publications. Keith...
Chatting with BBS Sysop and Software Engineer Ben Kimball
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Software engineer Ben Kimball discusses learning BASIC programming at age seven, writing and running his first BBS using Turbo Pascal, telnet BBSing, ...
Speaking with horror novelist Angela Sylvaine
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Horror novelist Angela Sylvaine discusses various elements of the writing process and the journey that led her to write her new book "Frost Bite." ...
Monster Hunting with Daryn Richardson
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, illustrator Daryn Richardson describes how art permitted him to deal with PTSD and how a coupling of art and his interest in supernat...
Speaking with Electronics / Computer / Audio specialist Bob McCoy
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bob McCoy joins us for a discussion about his lengthy career in various kinds of electronics disciplines and his path to programming in Perl and Power...
Interviewing BBS user and shareware author James Christie
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
During the first half of the episode, James discusses his usage of Omaha-based electronic Bulletin-Board Systems ( BBS's ) and his experiences marketi...
Interview with musician Ron Gablehouse
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Musician Ron Gablehouse discusses the inculcation of tech into the music that he writes and produces in his home studio. Links: Ron's website http://...
Microcomputers, mainframes, and more - chatting with Randy Carson of C2C Consulting, LLC
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Long-time computing professional and entrepreneur Randy Carson discusses his career path in Information Technology. https://www.c2caz.com/ For more...
A chat with illustrator Rick Lundeen
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Illustrator / writer Rick Lundeen discusses comics, Doctor Who, and his various creations including 100 Covers, The Swede, Super Unicorn Mega Chop, Wh...
Speaking with author Eric San Juan
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eric discusses his interests in writing, the 12 books he's written / co-authored, and other media projects. His books include discussions of Akira K...