For nearly two decades, computer-based Bulletin Board Systems were the primary method of communication between computer users. As suddenly as they gained popularity, they were made obsolete by the next big thing - a newfangled system called the Internet.Commodork: Sordid Tales from a BBS Junkie takes its readers on an exciting journey through the BBS era. Through the author's personal tales and adventures, readers will discover more about these amazing times and what it was like to grow up online. With tales of copyfests, BBS parties and random acts of online debauchery, those who were there will find themselves reminiscing, while those who weren't will enjoy learning about life ""before the 'net.""You know, back when we used to modem uphill, both ways in the snow.

Join veteran gamer, video game fansite webmaster, and born storyteller, Rob Strangman as he takes you on a tour of some of the most defining moments in video game history as seen through his eyes. From the fall of Atari to the emergence of the Sony PlayStation and beyond, Rob relates tales of the adventures that were had during the golden age of gaming. Rob also discusses his experiences with importing, the ""gamer"" stereotype, and shares his opinions on the current state of gaming. While Rob may have been the original ""Virtual Caveman,"" he certainly wasn't the only one. Included here are many other stories and contributions from gamers both young and old. Also within these pages you will find interviews with many of the gaming industry's veterans: David Crane, Howard Scott Warshaw, Martin Alessi, Yuzo Koshiro, Kouichi ""Isuke"" Yotsui and more.

How did the Commodore 64 conquer the hearts of millions and become a platform people still actively develop for even today? What made it so special? This book will appeal to both those who like tinkering with old technology as a hobby and nostalgic readers who simply want to enjoy a trip down memory lane. It discusses in a concise but rigorous format the different areas of home gaming and personal computing where the C64 managed to innovate and push forward existing boundaries. Starting from Jack Tramiel's vision of designing computers "for the masses, not the classes," the book introduces the 6510, VIC-II and SID chips that made the C64 unique. It briefly discusses its Basic programming language and then proceeds to illustrate not only many of the games that are still so fondly remembered but also the first generation of game engines that made game development more approachable − among other topics that are often neglected but are necessary to provide a comprehensive overview of how far reaching theC64 influence was. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, readers will relive the dawn of modern technology and gain a better understanding of the legacy that was built, bit by bit, in those pioneering days by computers that had only a tiny fraction of the power modern machines have and, yet, were used to create the technological world we are now living in. With a foreword by Michael Tomczyk

The overlooked history of an early appropriation of digital technology: the creation of games though coding and hardware hacking by microcomputer users. From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, low-end microcomputers offered many users their first taste of computing. A major use of these inexpensive 8-bit machines--including the TRS System 80s and the Sinclair, Atari, Microbee, and Commodore ranges--was the development of homebrew games. Users with often self-taught programming skills devised the graphics, sound, and coding for their self-created games. In this book, Melanie Swalwell offers a history of this era of homebrew game development, arguing that it constitutes a significant instance of the early appropriation of digital computing technology. Drawing on interviews and extensive archival research on homebrew creators in 1980s Australia and New Zealand, Swalwell explores the creation of games on microcomputers as a particular mode of everyday engagement with new technology. She discusses the public discourses surrounding microcomputers and programming by home coders; user practices; the development of game creators' ideas, with the game Donut Dilemma as a case study; the widely practiced art of hardware hacking; and the influence of 8-bit aesthetics and gameplay on the contemporary game industry. With Homebrew Gaming and the Beginnings of Vernacular Digitality, Swalwell reclaims a lost chapter in video game history, connecting it to the rich cultural and media theory around everyday life and to critical perspectives on user-generated content.

The Social Media Handbook explores how social media are changing disciplinary understandings of the internet and our everyday lives. In addition to person-to-person social networking services like Facebook and Twitter, this volume considers a broad range of networked information services that support in-depth social interaction, community formation, and collaboration in the Web 2.0 era. Rather than considering social media in terms of specific technologies, the chapters in this book engage topics across a range of research, techniques, practices, culture and society, and theories. These broader topics—including community, gender, fandom, disability, and journalism—are entryways through which students and faculty can explore ways of thinking about social media and find new paradigms for analysis. Contributors:Axel Bruns, Francesca Coppa, Katie Ellis, Gerard Goggin, Alexander Halavais, Andrew Herman, Jeremy Hunsinger, Angus Johnston, Alice Marwick, Safiya Umoja Noble, Zizi Papacharissi, Toni Sant, Theresa Senft

The untold story about how the internet became social, and why this matters for its future “Whether you’re reading this for a nostalgic romp or to understand the dawn of the internet, The Modem World will delight you with tales of BBS culture and shed light on how the decisions of the past shape our current networked world.”—danah boyd, author of It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens Fifteen years before the commercialization of the internet, millions of amateurs across North America created more than 100,000 small-scale computer networks. The people who built and maintained these dial-up bulletin board systems (BBSs) in the 1980s laid the groundwork for millions of others who would bring their lives online in the 1990s and beyond. From ham radio operators to HIV/AIDS activists, these modem enthusiasts developed novel forms of community moderation, governance, and commercialization. The Modem World tells an alternative origin story for social media, centered not in the office parks of Silicon Valley or the meeting rooms of military contractors, but rather on the online communities of hobbyists, activists, and entrepreneurs. Over time, countless social media platforms have appropriated the social and technical innovations of the BBS community. How can these untold stories from the internet’s past inspire more inclusive visions of its future?

Presents an illustrated A-Z encyclopedia containing approximately 600 entries on computer and technology related topics.