code · retro
Matrix Math on a Commodore 64
Matrix fundamentals from the ground up. Definitions, the operations that matter, plain Python, numpy for comparison, and a complete BASIC program on a …
Jun 8, 2026 · 15 min
code · retro
WOZMON, Eight CPUs, and a Paper Tape
Eight CPUs from the 1970s and 1980s, sharing one 64K bus, an Apple-1 style monitor on the front, and a paper tape station. Open it in your browser and …
May 14, 2026 · 7 min
code · retro
Biological Processing Units and a Commodore 64
The fruit fly has a brain structure that acts like a hash function. I built it in Python, matched the 2017 paper’s MNIST results against a …
Apr 24, 2026 · 35 min
history · programming
Dorothy Vaughan: Adapt or Become Obsolete
When IBM machines threatened to make her job obsolete, Dorothy Vaughan didn’t retreat—she learned FORTRAN and taught her entire team. Her story …
Nov 24, 2025 · 15 min
code · Getting Started
10PRINT and 100 Doors on the PicoCalc from Clockwork Pi
Running 10PRINT and 100 Doors on the Clockwork Pi PicoCalc, a retro-inspired Raspberry Pi Pico handheld running PicoMite BASIC.
Mar 26, 2025 · 3 min
code · Commodore
The McNuggets Problem
Solving the classic McNuggets Problem in Commodore BASIC: what’s the largest number of nuggets you can’t buy with 6, 9, and 20 packs?
Mar 21, 2024 · 6 min
C64 · code
Back to the basics with BASIC (and Python): Binary Search
Why your algorithm choice matters: comparing linear search O(n) vs binary search O(log n) with implementations in Commodore BASIC and Python.
Mar 13, 2024 · 7 min
C64 · code
A Gentle Introduction to LFSRs
An introduction to Linear Feedback Shift Registers: how they work, building one on a breadboard with shift registers and XOR gates, and implementing …
Dec 21, 2023 · 6 min
C64 · code
A gentle introduction to two's complement
Understanding two’s complement: how computers represent negative numbers, why it simplifies hardware design, and how to work with signed …
Nov 21, 2023 · 12 min
code · Commodore
MOS paper tape format
Understanding the MOS paper tape format used by the KIM-1 and other 6502 systems. Breaking down the hex format line by line with checksum …
Jul 7, 2022 · 2 min
code · How-To
A visual 100 Door Problem solution in Python
Recreating the visual 100 door problem from vintage 8-bit machines in Python using the Asciimatics library for ASCII screen positioning.
Jan 11, 2022 · 3 min
C64 · code
Permutations of 1 to 9 in Python, BASIC, and 6502 Assembly
Generating all 362,880 permutations of 1-9 the hard way: understanding algorithms instead of relying on library functions. Implementations in Python, …
Dec 20, 2021 · 6 min