Reviving a Vintage News Experience with Modern Technology

In an age where information flows ceaselessly through smartphones and tablets, nostalgia-driven individuals are yearning for simpler times, when news arrived primarily via newspapers. This sentiment inspired Andrew Schmelyun, a software engineer, to revive the vintage experience of reading a morning newspaper, albeit with a modern twist.

Embarking on this technological journey, Schmelyun acquired a 1980s era Star NP-10 Dot Matrix Printer. This vintage equipment was integral to his project, serving as the physical medium for the morning news. He paired the printer with a Raspberry Pi Zero W single-board computer, employing a serial-to-USB adapter to enable communication between the devices. Guided by Linux’s file-oriented system, Schmelyun successfully configured the printer to echo information via a simple command line.

To generate the content for his morning read, Schmelyun leveraged APIs to pull in diverse information streams, such as weather forecasts, stock data, news headlines, and trending Reddit posts. He scripted a PHP program to compile this data into a coherent format suitable for an 80-column printout. The process runs automatically every morning, courtesy of a cron job, ensuring a freshly printed “front page” is always available with his morning coffee.

The appeal of this project lies in its tangible result—a physical piece of paper affirming the filtered news experience. Although a modern printer or digital delivery could achieve similar outcomes more efficiently, the tactile action of tearing off a sheet from a dot matrix printer evokes a unique satisfaction. Schmelyun’s project not only celebrates retro technology but also demonstrates its integration with contemporary systems, offering a template for enthusiasts to replicate this blend of old and new. His work showcases how simple technological adaptations can bring charmingly nostalgic experiences into the digital age.