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This site describes my practice in creative coding and computational art. My work engages with historic computer hardware and software in ways that explore their capabilities and limitations. I also write about my interests in code and material conservation, the history of computing, and my efforts restoring machines from the 1970s and 80s to working condition.

Projects, creative works, and interests


Creative coding and computational art

Visual, conceptual, and performance works exploring creative coding, type, image processing, and computer art. Each provided an opportunity to craft unique code tools in a variety of languages -- from shell scripts and Python to FORTRAN and C.
  • Punch tape - Works on paper punch tape
  • ASCII art - Images rendered in single-strike and double-strike type
  • Programmed text - Generative compositions for screen and paper
  • Platform studies - Creative coding on historic mini- and microcomputers
  • PPTWEET - Twitter teleprinter appliance for tweeting and punching tweets to paper tape
  • SNPCAL - Contemporary takes on the fabled Snoopy line printer calendar
  • Pi Prints - Exploring the digits of Pi with simple code and a daisy wheel printer
  • Mandelbrot - ASCII Mandelbrot images, prints, live streams, and zines
  • Art1 works - My Art1 compositions
  • Drone station - A dystopian streaming service

Conservation and computing history

Notes and projects in code and material conservation, computing history, and programming as inquiry

Restoration and repair

Projects encompassing electronics, mechanics, programming, fabrication and materials science
  • Altair8800c - Building a replica MITS Altair 8800
  • Olivetti TE-318 - Documenting the restoration and operation of an Olivetti TE-318 teleprinter (2018-2021)
  • Teletype Model 33 - Restoration and notes for the Teletype ASR-33 teleprinter (2021-)
  • Printers - Daisy wheel and dot matrix printers (2021-)
  • Retroborkenwerk - My original Google Site covering the IMSAI 8080, Sol-20, disk imaging, and other microcomputer projects and repairs (2016-2019)
  • Thoughts on restoration - Personal history and objectives when restoring older computers (2018-2021)

EF1J Press

Small, personal adventures in book making and zines
  • Zines - generative fanzines (available -- trade preferred or purchase)
  • Books - hand stitched notepads and books

Online resources


Social media

Mastodon
Elon's Culture Scrap Yard
  • @ef1j95 - Self-hosted Twitter archive (TTYs, micros, printers, creative coding, conservation, hacking, 2017-2022)

Code repos

  • Github - Art1, Olivettize, and other code tools and projects
  • Glitch - Nascent generative text and writing projects

Videos and streams

  • Twitch - Occasional IRL teleprinter stream, twitch.tv/ef1j
  • Youtube - Archived microcomputer and TTY videos

More projects and contact info


  • HOWTO - Notes on homebrew web servers, wikis, ...
  • Useful websites page - Historic computing, digital humanities, etc. etc.
  • Photos - captured moments of color and light, time and place
Have comments, questions, insights, or corrections?
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