All About The History Of Computing & How Older Technology Lead To Our Modern World

My name is Sean, I'm a professional software developer and host of the Advent of Computing podcast. The show is all about the history of computing and how older technology lead to our modern world. Every episode covers an influential computer, company, person, or event and how we can see it’s effects today. A lot of these stories either go untold are aren’t widely known. Advent of Computing serves as a way to get more people interested in the heritage of the systems we interact with on a daily basis. This ranges from investigating the origins of the early internet, to finding out how silicon enabled home computers.

There were a lot of forces that pushed me towards podcasting. In college I majored in astrophysics and during the course of undergrad took every opportunity I could to do research. As it turns out that takes a lot of work, a lot of writing, and a surprising amount of public speaking. By the time I graduated I realized that academia wasn't the best place for me, but presenting research taught me that I really liked sharing something I'm passionate about with others. I wanted to find some way to get that same satisfaction outside of the academic world, while also doing some good.

I've worked with computers both as a hobby and professionally forever, so I've always had a deep interest in them. Particularly the history of computer science has always fascinated me. There is a pretty long and complicated history behind the technology we use, and a lot of those stories are either underreported or too technical for a general audience. So drawing on my experience from my degree program I decided to start a podcast that explained the less well known parts of computing's past. This way I get to dive into obscure topics and find ways to make them palatable to a more general audience. And when I'm lucky I get to do a good amount of original research, so that's a big plus.

I release full length episodes every two weeks, with occasional min episodes on off weeks. Production takes just about two weeks per episode. The biggest time sink is usually research. Some topics I've covered are really well documented and studied, but others take me further off the beaten path. I try to get as close to primary sources as possible since those involved with events tend to tell the story the best, but that has come back to bite me. My research diet for the podcast will range from reading a book or two on the topic, to scouring old interviews, to searching through stacks of declassified documents and archived magazine articles. I spend most of my downtime hammering away at the next episode.

Funding the show is pretty easy. I do all the editing and production myself, so my only real expenses have been a mic and hosting fees. I started a Patreon a few months ago, and which has gone a long way towards covering any recurring fees.

Like I mentioned I don't make any money podcasting, everything I bring in through Patreon goes right back into the show. I run the show because I really enjoy researching and producing it, and I think it's a valuable service. Advent of Computing is partly a vent for my own passion for computer history, and partly a way to get more people interested in computing. I think that helping people learn about and better understand computers is really important, and my listeners seem to agree.

Most of my process comes down to finding sources, outlining, and then scripting episodes. That tends to be the hardest part, but once that's done recoding and editing usually go by quickly. Since the show is solo hosted I don't need to edit all that much audio, and I have my toolchain dialed in so I can go from mic to upload pretty fast.

Right now my studio is also my office, which works out pretty well for me. I have a Samson Q2U on a boom arm feeding into my computer via a Behringer USB mixer. I usually record and edit everything right in Reaper.

I'd say that's a category I could do a lot better in. I have a pretty good presence on twitter, which seems to help. Most of my listens seem to come from Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I rarely run interviews on my show, but take any chance I can get to guest on other podcasts and talk about old computers. That helps me get more listeners from their audience, while also spreading more awareness about how cool computer history can be. The other tactic that's worked well for me is writing articles form computer-related sites. My content really lends itself to written work, so when I have spare time I'll work up articles related to episodes and post them anywhere that will accept my work. A while back one even got picked up by hackaday, which gave me a good bump in subscribers.

When I was getting started r/podcasting was a big help to me, it's a subreddit dedicated to the hobby and has all the information you will even need. But I've also learned a few lessons as I went along. The podcasting community in general is really supportive and willing to help newcomers. When in doubt, reach out and ask questions. Also, if you are hosting a solo podcast like I am don't be afraid to do lots of takes. You can use as much time as you need to get things right and make a finished product you are proud of.

You can find out everything about Advent of Computing on my website: adventofcomputing.com
If you want to chat hit me up on twitter: @adventofcomp
And if you want to support my work you can donate on Patreon: patreon.com/adventofcomputing