I am using retrocomputing, Unix, and microcontrollers as focal practices through which I can continue learning, maintain coherence and health, build community, and leave a meaningful legacy for future generations.
At the centre of my current interests lies the 6502 processor and its relationship to the Commodore 64. My goal is not merely to use these systems, but to understand them from the lowest levels of machine code and assembly language through to the applications that ordinary people use.
I want to begin with simple text adventure games on the Commodore 64 and eventually move toward portable interactive fiction systems such as Infocom-style Z-Machine programs. These programs can run on many different computers and devices, making them a practical way to preserve stories and pass them on to future generations, including my grandchildren.
The journey begins with learning how computers work at the "metal level." Emulators provide an accessible starting point, while modern AVR microcontrollers offer opportunities to recreate and better understand classic computers such as the KIM-1, Apple I, and perhaps eventually even a breadboard version of the Commodore 64.
Yet this is not simply a technical exercise.
Working with microcontrollers connects me with the Arduino and maker communities. One of my deepest concerns is that modern technology increasingly hides its inner workings behind layers of abstraction. Most people use powerful digital devices every day without understanding how they function. By working with simpler systems, learners can recover a direct relationship with technology and develop practical knowledge rather than becoming passive consumers.
This concern extends into my long-standing interest in Unix and Linux, particularly the standard Unix editor, ed(1). Understanding ed(1) provides a path toward understanding operating systems, command-line environments, and software design at a fundamental level. The discipline required by Unix tools resembles older spiritual traditions. Whether viewed through the lens of Zen practice, the Desert Fathers, or the Catholic apophatic tradition, these tools require attentiveness, humility, and regular practice. Mistakes are corrected immediately through direct feedback.
My interest in porting ed(1) to the Commodore 64 is therefore more than a programming challenge. It serves as a bridge between the Unix world and the 8-bit world. Through this process I hope to understand not only the Commodore 64 itself, but also its surrounding ecosystem, including its disk drives and operating systems.
There is also a personal dimension to this work.
More than fifty years have passed since I trained as an electronics technician. During those decades I raised a family, worked in welfare and pastoral care, entered health promotion, and eventually became a public health academic. Much of my technical knowledge has faded through time, age, Parkinson's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Returning to microcontrollers and physical computing provides an opportunity to reconnect with skills that once formed an important part of my identity.
At the same time, this work connects with my research on Aaron Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence. People flourish when life is comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. Learning, making, and participating in communities help create that sense of coherence. Technical projects can therefore become more than hobbies; they can contribute to psychological resilience, social participation, and well-being.
Technology itself is not the enemy.
Drawing on the work of Albert Borgmann and Robert Sokolowski, I believe the real challenge is learning how to use technology wisely. Artificial flowers imitate appearance without possessing the reality of living flowers. Artificial light, however, genuinely illuminates the world while also changing how we live. Artificial intelligence may belong more to the second category than the first. The question is not whether technology is good or bad, but whether it serves human flourishing or distances us from reality.
Maker culture, retrocomputing, Unix communities, and educational projects all have the potential to become what Borgmann calls focal practices: activities that bring people together, require discipline, and connect individuals with the realities underlying modern life.
Ultimately, this project is about more than computers.
It combines learning, teaching, legacy, health, community, spirituality, and practical craftsmanship. It is one part of a broader effort to remain engaged with reality, maintain cognitive and emotional well-being, contribute to others, and leave something worthwhile for future generations.
When I step back from the transcript, I see six major themes.
| Theme | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Computing Literacy | Understanding how computers work from the metal upward. |
| Maker Practice | Learning through building, experimenting, and repairing. |
| Community | Connecting generations and communities of practice. |
| Legacy | Leaving knowledge, stories, and tools for family and others. |
| Health and Coherence | Maintaining meaning, cognition, and resilience. |
| Spiritual Discipline | Practising attention, humility, and stewardship. |
The transcript is really describing three overlapping worlds:
The 6502 is not actually the centre.
The 6502 is the vehicle.
The technology is the means.
The human flourishing is the end.
To prevent the project from becoming overwhelming, I would divide the effort into four domains.
ed(1)Goal: Build understanding.
ed(1)Goal: Create working artefacts.
Goal: Preserve and pass on.
Goal: Share knowledge and maintain social connection.
Sancte Joseph, ora pro nobis!
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