scitari Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 I am pleased to announce that I have published my book Atari Projects: 50 Fun Projects for Your 8-Bit Home Computer. The goal of this book is to provide a series of fun projects to make it easy for beginners and experts alike to get the most out of their Atari 8-bit retro-computing hobby. Most projects are designed to be completed in less than an hour, and are ideal for the weekend hobbyist. The format of each project is a how-to that lists the pre-requisites, the time estimate for completion, some introductory information, a step by step guide, and some comments. The projects are presented in a sequential order that could be followed by someone new to the hobby. The book starts with projects related to purchasing and working with Atari computers and peripherals followed by chapters on software, BASIC programming, and useful resources. Included are projects on original hardware and software, as well as projects covering recent developments in technology such as flash memory devices and emulators that can enhance the Atari experience. The book is 122 pages with lots of color photos. It is printed on high-quality paper and sells for $19.80 on Lulu. Of course, all the projects can be found for free on the Atari Projects website if you don't want to buy the book. The advantage of the book is that the projects have been curated, presented in a logical order, and heavily edited. I hope you find the book fun and useful! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 What a great way to publish a book! I have checked the Lulu website and the site is even "European" friendly ? Low shipping costs and it is even possible to pay with European online banking. So I have ordered one ? I am very curious to see how the book looks like and (ofcourse) the contents. This book will be a nice addition to my book collection! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted August 27, 2019 Author Share Posted August 27, 2019 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Fred_M said: I am very curious to see how the book looks like and (ofcourse) the contents. Here is the table of contents: Introduction 1 1. Purchase an Atari Computer 2 2. Tips for Finding Local Hardware 5 3. Read the Purple Book 8 4. Test the RAM of an Atari Computer 9 5. Purge Dangerous Power Supplies 11 6. Clean an 810 or 1050 Disk Drive Head 13 7. Upgrade a 1050 Disk Drive with the Happy Board 15 8. Purchase an Indus GT Disk Drive 17 9. Purchase an 850 Interface Module 19 10. Replace the Ribbon and Paper in an 820 Printer 21 11. Replace the Ribbon and Paper in a 1025 Printer 24 12. Repair a 1020 Printer 26 13. Connect Your Atari to a PC 29 14. Purchase an Atarimax Maxflash Cartridge 31 15. Purchase an SDrive-Max Disk Drive Emulator 34 16. Connect Your Atari to an LCD Screen 36 17. Connect Your Atari to an LED Screen 39 18. Connect Your Atari to the Internet 42 19. Fun with the Atari Touch Tablet 45 20. Tips for Storing Your Atari Hardware 47 21. Tips for Downsizing Your Collection 50 22. Explore Disk Operating System Versions 54 23. Make Floppy Disks 57 24. Make Floppy Disks Double-Sided 60 25. Explore Floppy Disk Collections 62 26. Back Up Floppy Disks to ATR Images 66 27. Install the Altirra Emulator 67 28. Connect an Atari Joystick to Your PC 69 29. Save an ATR File from Altirra to Your PC 70 30. Edit ATR Images 71 31. Play Sea Dragon 73 32. Play Star Raiders 75 33. Explore Game Easter Eggs 77 34. Read the Book Atari BASIC 79 35. Read the Book De Re Atari 80 36. Try GTIA Graphics Modes in BASIC 82 37. Make a Playfield in BASIC using Redefined Character Sets 84 38. Draw Halloween Pumpkins in BASIC 89 39. Learn About Display List Interrupts in BASIC 92 40. Learn About Player Missile-Graphics in BASIC 95 41. Read the Book Breakout 99 42. Read the Book Atari Inc.: Business is Fun 100 43. Read the Book Terrible Nerd 101 44. Listen to the Floppy Days Podcast 102 45. Listen to the ANTIC Atari 8-Bit Podcast 104 46. Watch the Fate of Atari Documentary 106 47. Read the Atari 8-Bit FAQ 107 48. Join Atari Age 108 49. Participate in a Retro Challenge 109 50. Attend a Vintage Computer Festival 110 Edited August 27, 2019 by scitari 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefffulton Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 5 hours ago, scitari said: I am pleased to announce that I have published my book Atari Projects: 50 Fun Projects for Your 8-Bit Home Computer. The goal of this book is to provide a series of fun projects to make it easy for beginners and experts alike to get the most out of their Atari 8-bit retro-computing hobby. Most projects are designed to be completed in less than an hour, and are ideal for the weekend hobbyist. The format of each project is a how-to that lists the pre-requisites, the time estimate for completion, some introductory information, a step by step guide, and some comments. The projects are presented in a sequential order that could be followed by someone new to the hobby. The book starts with projects related to purchasing and working with Atari computers and peripherals followed by chapters on software, BASIC programming, and useful resources. Included are projects on original hardware and software, as well as projects covering recent developments in technology such as flash memory devices and emulators that can enhance the Atari experience. The book is 122 pages with lots of color photos. It is printed on high-quality paper and sells for $19.80 on Lulu. Of course, all the projects can be found for free on the Atari Projects website if you don't want to buy the book. The advantage of the book is that the projects have been curated, presented in a logical order, and heavily edited. I hope you find the book fun and useful! Purchased. Will review on the Into the Vertical Blank Podcast if I can break myself away from reading and playing with the projects! ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted August 27, 2019 Author Share Posted August 27, 2019 3 minutes ago, jefffulton said: Purchased. Will review on the Into the Vertical Blank Podcast if I can break myself away from reading and playing with the projects! ? woo hoo! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebiguy Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 6 hours ago, scitari said: I am pleased to announce that I have published my book Atari Projects: 50 Fun Projects for Your 8-Bit Home Computer. And I am also pleased to support this kind of initiative so I purchased one. I see that you filtered out the articles about the 2600 which is fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted August 27, 2019 Author Share Posted August 27, 2019 (edited) 3 minutes ago, ebiguy said: And I am also pleased to support this kind of initiative so I purchased one. I see that you filtered out the articles about the 2600 which is fine. I did. Hope to do a book like this for the 2600 some day. Thanks for the support! Edited August 27, 2019 by scitari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Additional topics to consider next time: 1. Why You should Always Watch Nir Dary's youtube videos 2. Don't start an Atari-themed YouTube channel. Nir did it first! 3. Upgrade your XC12 with the "Turbo" mod! 4. What the hell is a "Turbo" mod? 5. You mean I still have two wait for two minutes for a game to load? Why would I install the Turbo mod? 6. HOW MANY "Turbo" loaders were released on cartridge. WHY??? 7. Wait, there's a 6000 baud "Super Turbo" loader? 8. How to make a purchase of Atari Exotica on Allegro. 9. How to pay for a purchase on Allegro with a credit card, when the credit card won't be accepted, even though the seller insists that he or she takes credit cards. 10. How to convince sellers on Allegro that Canada is, in fact, a country, and not something that you made up, and that you can in fact ship packages to your address from Europe. (Okay, this actually happened on eBay, and not Allegro, but I'm on an Allegro theme here). 11.How to contact Allegro's customer service when you can't understand their payment options. SPOILER: You can't! BTW, bought a copy of your book. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarxx Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Looks great, purchased. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_x Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 perhaps on the next revision mention somewhere that atari bbs's still exist... unless thats covered under the "internet" section... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted September 1, 2019 Author Share Posted September 1, 2019 14 hours ago, doctor_x said: perhaps on the next revision mention somewhere that atari bbs's still exist... unless thats covered under the "internet" section... Yes! Atari BBSs are covered. Here is the original blog post that chapter is based on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted September 1, 2019 Author Share Posted September 1, 2019 Here is the Google preview of the book. You can see the first 10 chapters or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 (edited) I always post my latest additions to my collection on Facebook and my website. This time a.o. the book by Jason Moore ? Edited September 10, 2019 by Fred_M 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 5 hours ago, Fred_M said: I always post my latest additions to my collection on Facebook and my website. This time a.o. the book by Jason Moore ? Thanks! Hope you find it useful 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irich2 Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 Any plans to offer a PDF version of the book for sale? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbotkinneydude Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 (edited) Jason, I got your book in the mail a couple of days ago. Thank you! Great printing quality for something that's made to order. I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously, thank you for curating the most interesting projects off your website into a single volume. Nothing beats paper! Edited September 12, 2019 by abbotkinneydude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted September 14, 2019 Author Share Posted September 14, 2019 On 9/11/2019 at 7:31 PM, irich2 said: Any plans to offer a PDF version of the book for sale? I haven't planned for that because all the same projects are available online in HTML. Thanks for planting the seed though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted September 14, 2019 Author Share Posted September 14, 2019 On 9/11/2019 at 8:53 PM, abbotkinneydude said: Jason, I got your book in the mail a couple of days ago. Thank you! Great printing quality for something that's made to order. I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously, thank you for curating the most interesting projects off your website into a single volume. Nothing beats paper! Thanks! Glad to hear you like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 Planning to get this book later in the year, don't have any extra Atari budget currently LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irich2 Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 13 hours ago, scitari said: I haven't planned for that because all the same projects are available online in HTML. Thanks for planting the seed though. You're welcome! I love your project website -- it is so cool! Here's another angle for planting the seed: if you were to come out with a PDF for $9.95, you would then have three distinct price points -- Free (AtariProjects.org Website), $9.95 (PDF), and $19.95 (Physical Book). This way, you cover all the possible markets for your book. Continued success to you, your website, and your book!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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