Scene World – The C64 Ntsc/pal Disk Magazine – Podcast

As we all go through these unprecedented, socially isolated times together, AJ and Joerg have a quick message for everyone looking for ways to pass the time.

Scene World was founded 20 years ago, on November 1st, 2000 to be exact. Long ago enough to look back with staffers Altraz, Merman and Nafcom and share stories how this was all made possible and where it lead to. We are also proud to have gotten the great Rick Heaton aka Sapience!

In the world of retro reproductions, the Commodore 128 is the red-headed stepchild, with the least attention from enthusiasts. That is, until now! Johan Grip joins AJ and Joerg to talk about the C128 Neo, a replica PCB designed to help preserve these vintage machines. (interview starts at 13:40)

Josh Aas is one of the founders of Let's Encrypt, THE non-profit certificate authority. We talk to Josh and learn more about why it's important that the last 20% of the internet that isn't secure yet is getting encrypted and why it is also important for us retro related homepage owners (and surprisingly also to phishing sites)! interview starts at 18:23

If you thought that the Right to Repair was limited to Europe and North America, you were totally wrong! Being able to repair your own stuff is an important topic all over the world, including Africa. Joerg and AJ talk with Gunther Schmitz of Right to Repair South Africa about how this topic relates to his unique neck of the woods, and ways that this is important for more than just us tech nerds. (Interview begins at 10:15)

Intellivision was one of the absolute pioneers in the video game industry, starting all the way back in 1979 with the original Intellivision console. Now in 2020, they're back with a new console called the Amico, which promises to rekindle some of the actual fun that video games used to be. AJ and Joerg talk to Intellivision CEO Tommy Tallarico and European president Hans Ippisch about how this all began and how they're bringing Intellivision into the 21st century while honoring its long legacy. Also, watch AJ struggle to keep his mic from falling over. (Interview begins at 7:00)

Welle:Erdball has been making music for almost 30 years, and the Commodore 64 has been an integral part of their unique sound since the beginning. Joerg and AJ talk to W:E members Honey and MissMoonlight about their musical process, what it means to them to be able to create art at this level, and the importance that the C64 plays in their music. (Interview begins at 35:49)

Kick-Off II is one of the most difficult football (or soccer, if you're NTSC) games to master. Oliver Stender and Frank Fuhrmann have done just that, though, and their skill has lead to them being two of the highest ranked players to take part in the Kick-Off II World Cup -- championships that are still being held today. AJ and Joerg talk to them about what draws them to this game, as well as the challenges of keeping a vintage game championship series relevant and entertaining in the 21st century. (Interview starts at 21:34)

Martin Ahman, AJ and Joerg look back at the games that were revived via retro IP successors. (Yes, PC retro is also retro nowadays!). Let's have a look together at what publishers and development studios showed us today!

Ben Taylor likes to make friends with internet scammers. He's the man behind the Pleasant Green YouTube channel, where he tells the stories of -- and gives a human face to -- people we often think of as entirely nefarious. AJ and Joerg talk to him about what drew him to this, the very human stories behind many internet scammers, and what we can all do to help others. (Interview starts at 10:00)

The Micronics is hard at work creating a new mechanical keyboard for the Amiga 500, 600, and 1200, and Liwei Guan is the person making it all happen. AJ and Joerg talk to her about how she got involved in the Amiga community, the logistics of creating a new keyboard, and the unique directions she's taking to get this done. (Interview begins at 10:19)

Jason Scott is the free-range archivist of the Internet Archive and the creator of textfiles.com. AJ, Joerg, and Martin W. talk to him about why preservation is so important and ways in which everyone can help ensure that our digital histories are preserved. Interviews starts at 26:59

Gamescom is one of the biggest gaming conventions on the planet. AJ and Joerg start off Scene World's annual Gamescom retrospective by taking to Markus and Nico Grupp, developers of the game Highrisers; and Michael Blatz, who was at Gamescom as a publisher, to learn about the Gamescom experience from their unique perspectives. Also, AJ learns what "Ego Shooter" means. (interview begins at 33:43)

Christian Spanik is one of the best known IT journalists on the planet. From his start in journalism, to writing books, TV shows, and eventually joining Data Becker, he has had a hand in almost every facet of the computer world since the 80s. In this podcast, Christian sits down with AJ and Joerg to talk about his new project, Digisaurier, and about how changes in technology and our digital lifestyles impact the way that we consume information. (Interview begins at 14:53)

Antstream is the world's first retro game streaming subscription service (think Netflix, but for retro games!). AJ, Martin, and Joerg talk to Antstream's Brandon Keenen and Jo Clifford about how this all came together, and how they're paving the way for the future of retro gaming.

Christian Gleinser is the guy behind Dr. Wuro Industries and some of the most popular and unique games to come out for the C64 in decades. He joins AJ and Joerg to talk about how he got started, where he gets inspiration for creating such unique products, and where he's headed in the future. Also, AJ learns some German. (Interview begins at 8:00)

Superguns may not be actual guns, but they're definitely super! They're also vital for preserving vintage arcade machines. Valerio Cannone and Peter Smets have designed their own -- the Kodai16 -- and they join the podcast to talk about their version of this important component, and what it means for the future of arcade preservation. Interview starts at 12:15!

Gay Gordon-Byrne is the Executive Director of The Repair Association, and is one of the foremost voices in the Right to Repair movement. She joins AJ and Joerg to finish up Scene World's Right to Repair Month [obnoxious air horn], to discuss why the right to repair is so important, the ways in which we're losing this right, and how everyone can help to keep the right to repair. (interview begins at 8:55)

The Right to Repair movement covers not only repairing, but also the right to modify. Katja Becker, the force behind Tora.mod, is one of the premier hardware modders around. She joins AJ and Joerg to talk about vintage hardware, the modding scene, and why it's important that the knowledge and ability to do this be available. Also, Joerg gives his views on why disk drives are still important. (Interview begins at 34:30)

If you're looking to repair almost anything, iFixit is THE place to go for almost every resource you'd need. Joerg wraps up Scene World's Right to Repair Month [obnoxious air horn] with iFixit's Kelsea Weber and Kay-Kay Clapp, where they talk about the amazing resource that iFixit provides to those who want to repair their stuff, and why having the right to repair is so important. (interview begins at 11:40)