May 6, 2012 - 10:21 am - Posted by Commodore Computer Club
Check out this cool video showcasing the Commodore PET computer from the 1983 Canadian television series called Bits and Bytes:
The Bits and Bytes TV series featured a format where Luba Goy as the instructor would address Billy Van through a remote video link. The video link would appear to Luba who was seated in an office on a projection screen in front of her. She was then able to direct Billy who appeared on a soundstage with various desktop computer setups of the era.
Popular systems emphasized included the Atari 800, Commodore PET, Tandy TRS-80, and Apple II. Each episode also included short animated illustrations to explain key concepts, as well as videotaped segments on various developments in computing.
The above video is sort of cheesy in an 1980′s awesome kind of way, but still really informative, so if you have the time, it’s highly recommended that watch the entire thing.
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2 Responses.
I remember that series featuring BBC Micros at one point. The PBS station in Tampa ran it as filler occasionally late at night for a while in the 80s. “Bits and Bytes”, “Jack Horkheimer” (remember him?), and sign off.
Billy Van was a well-regarded character actor in Canada. IIRC, the cantankerous father character on “Corner Gas” was written specifically for him, but Van died before filming commenced on the pilot.
I also recall Mr. Wizard playing with Commodore equipment on the revived series in the 80s which ran on the early Nickelodeon network. The show was also produced in Canada even though a US network provided the money.
I watched these growing up as my hometown was Rochester, NY (right on Lake Ontario, more or less directly across from Toronto). Canadian-produced TV shows were commonplace on our TV screens then.
Billy Van was also the “genius” behind ‘The Hilarious House of Frightenstein’ (I was so excited to pick the series up on DVD a couple years back).
Lastly, there’s a good ‘Mr. Wizard’ segment on YouTube where he and a young girl investigate the inner workings of an Atari 1200XL! Pretty cool stuff considering the short lifespan of that particular model.