{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Floppy Days 164 - The Sphere, Part 1 with Ben Zotto","description":"Floppy Days 164 - The Sphere, Part 1 with Ben Zotto Patreon: https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics  Arcade Shopper and https:\/\/thekeep.net  FutureVision Research  Tuc's Workbench  Hello!!! and welcome to episode 164 of the Floppy Days Podcast, for June, 2026.  My name is Randy Kindig and I\u2019m your host for this joy ride through the rewarding hobby of vintage computers and computer history. I have to start off by apologizing, as I\u2019ll actually be stepping back in the computer timeline for this episode.  Sometimes it happens.  My goal from the beginning of this podcast was to go through computers in the approximate order they were released (at least by year).  And, I\u2019ve largely done that with this podcast.  However, sometimes a machine comes up that I didn\u2019t know about or didn\u2019t recognize its importance at the time I put together the list of computers to cover.  This month that computer is the Sphere, which was introduced in 1975.  That\u2019s right, I said 1975.  That was the same year as the Altair and even before the Apple 1. What was the Sphere and why do we care?  The Sphere was the first "personal computer," defined as such by Byte Magazine due to its consumer focus and built-in keyboard and monitor.  Now, I know that many computers can claim the moniker of first \u201cpersonal computer\u201d, and rightly so, but this one has the endorsement of an early, well-respected, long-running computer magazine and they have good reason for feeling this way about the Sphere.  Once you hear the details, you\u2019ll see just how ground-breaking this machine was at a very early period of computer history. Not only that, some of the personal stories behind the machine are simply downright fascinating. Ben Zotto is the undisputed expert on the Sphere in these times, after finding an abandoned machine sitting on the sidewalk and deciding to adopt it and learn more about it.  He recently wrote a comprehensive book on the Sphere called \u201cGo Computer Now!\u201d that I mentioned the last episode I had acquired.  Well, I ended up reading that book cover-to-cover and really enjoying it.  So much so that I decided to contact Ben and see if he would be willing to come onto the podcast to talk about his book and the Sphere Computer.  Thankfully, he was.  This podcast actually serves two purposes: first as an interview with Ben to learn more about him and his book, and secondly as an overview of a computer I didn\u2019t cover back when I started this podcast back in 2013 with the Altair 8800 and the Apple 1. So, this will be a 2-part journey on the Sphere.  This month we talk in great detail with Ben Zotto about how he ended up going down the Sphere rabbit hole and all the great things he\u2019s done to promote an important machine that was forgotten in the annals of history.  Next month, Ben and I go through all the usual topics about the Sphere: history, tech specs, using the machine, current Web sites and a great deal more. I really hope you enjoy hearing about the Sphere and meeting Ben Zotto! New Acquisitions\/What I\u2019ve Been Up To\/News VCFSW - https:\/\/www.vcfsw.org  REU Grande - https:\/\/www.go4retro.com  National Videogame Museum (NVM) - https:\/\/nvmusa.org\/)  article\/cover for May, 2026 Call-A.P.P.L.E. Magazine with Floppy Days Woz interview - https:\/\/www.callapple.org\/  passing of Howell Ivy: audio interview from 2022 - https:\/\/floppydays.libsyn.com\/floppy-days-114-howell-ivy-exidy-sorcerer-and-exidy  video interview from 2022 - https:\/\/youtu.be\/QojU9ty4q_U audio interview for Byte Shop 50th - https:\/\/floppydays.libsyn.com\/floppy-days-161-byte-shop-interviews  video interview for Byte Shop 50th - https:\/\/youtu.be\/QlmkvVSuNbs  Upcoming Vintage Computer Shows KansasFest 2026 - July 14-19 - University of Illinois Springfield (in person) - July 31-Aug. 1 (virtual) - https:\/\/www.kansasfest.org\/  Silly Venture SE (Summer Edition) - July 30-Aug. 2 - Gdansk, Poland - https:\/\/www.demoparty.net\/silly-venture\/silly-venture-2026-se  Southern Fried Gaming Expo and VCF Southeast - July 31-Aug 2, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - https:\/\/gameatl.com\/  Long Island Retro Gaming Expo - August 7-9, 2026 - Cradle of Aviation, Garden City, NY - https:\/\/liretro.com\/  Fujiama - August 26-30 - Lengenfeld, Germany - http:\/\/atarixle.ddns.net\/fuji\/2026  Vintage Computer Festival GB 2026 - September 11-13 - Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, United Kingdom - https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/25457837877216829\/  Vintage Computer Festival Midwest - September 12-13 -  Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL - https:\/\/vcfmw.org\/  Tandy Assembly 2026 - October 2-4, 2026 - Cincinnati, Ohio - https:\/\/www.tandyassembly.com\/  Portland Retro Gaming Expo - October 9-11 - Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR - https:\/\/retrogamingexpo.com\/  Chicago TI International World Faire - October 24 - Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL - https:\/\/www.chicagotiug.org\/home  VCF Montreal - November 7-8 - Champlain College Saint-Lambert, Saint-Lambert, QC - https:\/\/cvcfed.org\/vcf-montreal-2-0\/  Schedule Published on Floppy Days Website - https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA\/pub  Interview Links Ben\u2019s site - https:\/\/sphere.computer\/  Ben\u2019s book \u201cGo Computer Now!!!\u201d - https:\/\/shop.gocomputernow.com\/products\/go-computer-now  Wikipedia - https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sphere_1     ","author_name":"Floppy Days Vintage Computing Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/www.floppydays.com","html":"