Kay Savetz
LightNews LightNews
savetz.bsky.social
Kay Savetz
@savetz.bsky.social
2.1K followers 980 following 240 posts
Atari 8-bit historian, Internet Archive ham radio archivist, interactive fiction podcaster. Portland Oregon.
Posts Replies Media Videos
savetz.bsky.social
Chris lent me the APX Dragon Quest disk and I was able to flux image it. Is it now preserved!
Screenshot of Dragon Quest title page which features a green dragon flying towards the viewer A 5 1/4 inch floppy disk labeled DRAGON QUEST 1.1
October 30, 2025 at 8:59 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Never change, New York
United Rentals equipment where the phone number has been graffitied from 1-800-UR RENTS to 1-800-UR PENIS
October 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
savetz.bsky.social
There’s a retrocomputing newsletter that I want to like. On the most recent issue cover, there is an AI generated Atari computer that’s just so terrible. If you have a hobby, do the hobby. Don’t let an LLM create it for you. I’d rather see a 3 year-old’s crayon drawing over this monstrosity.
AI-generated atari 800XL. The colors are right, but the shape isn’t right, and the keyboard has blurry buttons. The keycaos are wrong. There are two letter I keys. Etc.
October 3, 2025 at 2:24 PM
savetz.bsky.social
When someone is trying to hack my Facebook account I'm secretly rooting for them. Please take away the misery
Screenshot of a Facebook password reset email. "One more step to change your password"
September 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
savetz.bsky.social
September 17, 2025 at 11:45 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Harry Stewart (ex-Atari employee who programmed PILOT, WSFN, and other stuff) has died. His daughter sent me his Atari documents. Some of these I scanned years ago when he lent them to me. Others seem to be unpreserved.
September 10, 2025 at 9:42 PM
savetz.bsky.social
In 1984 someone had their Atari 800 repoed 😭
(Also, what's a Vector 2600?)
Ad in The Daytona Beach News-Journal - April 27 1994. PUBLIC AUCTION - Vector 2600 Computer - Comet II Printer - Atari 800 with communicator package.
September 10, 2025 at 4:13 PM
savetz.bsky.social
ATARI in today’s NYT crossword puzzle
66 across: console for the game Pitfall!
September 4, 2025 at 12:10 AM
savetz.bsky.social
My automated searches for Atari 800 turn up weird things sometimes. Uploaded to @archive.org yesterday: Le Journal De Mickey - Album N°130 #1858 (2 février 1988)

archive.org/details/jour...

(translation in alt text)
In French: A computer soon... A few weeks ago, Vincent was wondering how to persuade his parents to buy him a computer. Many of you responded, and here's your advice. "I had the same problem as you about a computer. My parents told me that when I got at least 15 out of 20 in a modern language, they'd put a hundred francs in a box for me. So, eventually, I managed to buy one, and now I'm typing away on an Atari 800 XL. You could possibly suggest this solution to them. Katia Volpatti, Saint Marcel."
August 27, 2025 at 6:59 PM
savetz.bsky.social
It followed me home, mom, can I keep it? I promise to feed and play with it every day.
A pile of three Atari eight but computers, two Atari STs and various old software displayed on the floor
August 21, 2025 at 3:11 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Anxious boy
A classified ad from the May 19, 1989 issue of the Worcester News under the section “Computers, Computer Games.” The ad reads: “WANTED Computer ATARI 800XL or ATARI 1040ST. Please phone anxious boy. Leigh Sinton 32371 or Ledbury 677.”
July 13, 2025 at 12:50 AM
savetz.bsky.social
My newspapers.com search for "Atari 800" turns up weird stuff from time to time
A 1983 “Shoe” comic strip from The Sanford Herald shows two bird characters discussing computers. One says, “I just don’t know which desktop computer is right for me and my system. There’s IBM, Xerox, Apple II, Atari 800…" The other replies, you oughta start out with something basic…” The punchline follows in the final panel: “Like a Dumpster I”
July 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
savetz.bsky.social
It annoys and/or amuses me every week when I get my TidBITS newsletter in email, when Google warns me to be cAreFuL with this newsletter — which has existed years longer than Google. Of the two entities, TidBITS is more trustworthy by far. @adamengst.bsky.social
An email from the TidBITS newsletter viewed on my phone, preface with the message “be careful with this message. The center has not authenticated this message so Gmail can’t verify it actually came from them. Report SPAM? / Looks safe.”
June 10, 2025 at 3:03 AM
savetz.bsky.social
Ok bot
99% likely AI generated profile pic
June 8, 2025 at 2:56 AM
savetz.bsky.social
ATARI in today’s NYT crossword puzzle
24 Across: gaming company whose logo is known as “the Fuji”
May 25, 2025 at 2:50 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Atari in today’s NYT crossword puzzle
Clue: cartridge from the 1980s. Answer: ATARIGAME
May 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Caroline contemplates @paulrickards.bsky.social plotter art.
“A cat sits on top of a printer, intently staring at a colorful abstract painting on the wall. The printer is covered in various stickers and sits beside a desk cluttered with papers and cassette tapes. Two vibrant framed artworks hang on the wall above the printer.”
May 9, 2025 at 1:32 AM
savetz.bsky.social
Another trip to the PO Box; another pile of scam invoices from Domain Networks
Six white envelopes from “Domain Networks” are stacked on a countertop. Each envelope has a window showing the Domain Networks logo, a PO Box address in Hendersonville, NC, and postage information. The bottom envelope is partially opened, revealing a payment notice requesting $289 for a domain listing addressed to Savetz Publishing. The notice asks for payment by May 6, 2025.
April 28, 2025 at 6:39 PM
savetz.bsky.social
This program does not exist, and yet here we are
Atari eight bit computer screenshot that says “Atari artworks” featuring an image of an artist palette
January 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Mail’s here
21 boxes, each holding about a maximum of 10 floppy disks, with handwritten labels, such as Atari artist, koala painter, micro illustrator, C 64 micro illustrator, dragons eye… these are source code, master disks, and backup disks An additional seven small floppy disk boxes with labels like Atari systems, micro illustrator demo, koala micro illustrator archive, Atari chalkboard, current projects A large open cardboard box filled with smaller boxes of 5.25 inch floppy disks
January 8, 2025 at 11:04 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Mail’s here
Piles of floppy disks and cartridges for Atari, computers, including jumbo jet pilot and SynCalc and a voice synthesis box Piles of books and manuals for Atari computers, including mapping the Atari, Sam’s computer facts for the Atari disk Drive, star Raiders, infocom bureaucracy
January 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
savetz.bsky.social
On the upside, I did find these Star Trek the next generation trading cards shoved in with the floppy discs.
December 30, 2024 at 5:05 AM
savetz.bsky.social
Floppy disks are gross. People are gross. 40 years of air is gross.
A look into the inside of a floppy disk sleeve, which is brown with grime or cigarette smoke or something. It’s disgusting.
December 30, 2024 at 4:51 AM
savetz.bsky.social
Using Applesauce to make images of Lee Pappas’ old Atari disks. How’s your Sunday going?
A workshop with an old Apple laptop, a couple of 5 1/4 inch floppy disk drives, an applesauce disc imager, and a pile of disks.
December 29, 2024 at 5:50 PM
savetz.bsky.social
Christmas morning 40 years ago, I got an Apple //c
1984, Kay on Christmas morning smiling and hugging two large boxes with the Apple logo on them
December 25, 2024 at 4:29 PM