Mastodawn

my gods. i accidentally stumbled upon the original url from the show watching a vhs rip of an early episode, and wbm had a snapshot from 1996!

https://web.archive.org/web/19961102161219/http://www.dotto.istar.ca/

this is an extremely obscure piece of canadian history: Dotto's Data Café. it was a computer/internet tech show from the 1990s hosted by Steve Dotto that aired on canadian networks. (i doubt it was rebroadcasted anywhere else, but if it made it to your country, please let me know!)

#canada #digiPres #webPreservation #history

since i appreciate that 99.999% of the known universe has never heard of Dotto's Data Café - a tech/computing tv show produced/aired in the 90s and 2000s in canada, here is one mid-1990s episode digitized from an old vhs tape.

think Computer Chronicles on a $100 an episode budget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czv9grI8GMo

#canada #history #digiPres #macintosh #vintageApple

Dotto's Data Cafe - Netscape Navigator

YouTube

CrankyOldBugger

@vga256 I used to watch Dotto whenever I could. It was a good show. Never saw Computer Chronicles until I downloaded it from the Internet Archives a few months ago. Those old computer shows from the 80's really take me back.

@vga256 Don’t forget “Dave Chalk’s Computer Show”, which seems even harder to find online! This is the only clip I can find with a quick search https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEqqwGR12Hc&feature=youtu.be

Multi-Monitor - massmultiples™ flashback from the 90s

YouTube

@vga256 Wow, I never saw this! So good. And funny, haha:

"<random story scenario> and THEN we'll look at Netscape!"

@pierrenick 🤣 that is SO canadian and weird

@vga256 Also, it's all about not taking his suit jacket off and 1s later it's off to talk about Netscape.

@pierrenick 🤣 i love that he is so unabashedly geeky and proud of it. i would never have this much courage

@vga256 I want to watch this show!

@karpour it is incredibly hard to find vhsrips of the episodes. this is one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czv9grI8GMo

Dotto's Data Cafe - Netscape Navigator

YouTube

@vga256 I used to watch this show all the time on the Knowledge Network.

forestine 1d ago

@vga256 whoa i watched that show!

M. Grégoire 1d ago

@vga256 I remember that show. I wonder what happened to Mr. Dotto...

Putting shows up on YouTube, apparently: https://m.youtube.com/@dottotech/videos

dottotech

381235 After spending over 15 years hosting and producing Dotto Tech on TV (Canada) We are now focusing on delivering excellent how-to content on YouTube. Although the channel has been around for a long time, we only made the channel a priority on September of 2013. Each week we will be publishing 2 productivity videos, focusing on using your computer and smart devices for personal productivity. We will also be publishing videos on: Growing a YouTube Channel MasterCaster Videos, how to Screencast, podcast, webcast and produce webinars and tutorials For More information on the show Please visit us at: http://www.dottotech.com

YouTube

@mpjgregoire he looks good! so glad he's still creating.

Sn4ptr4n 1d ago

@vga256 I grew up watching him!

Yanik Magnan 1d ago

@vga256 I absolutely loved this show in elementary school

PrairieOptimist 1d ago

@vga256 This was a great companion series to Computer Chronicles. That was more technical and business oriented while Dotto was like talking to that geeky friend you have that’s like “I gotta show you this cool thing I found.”

@FutureLuddite that is a great way of putting it. i love that dotto is so unabashedly excited about computers in a genuine way.

ꟻꟻAИ ᗡAT 🇨🇦14h ago

@vga256 I saw the man himself in about 2003, at the Cheshire Cheese on Dunbar Street. He wasn't super happy to be recognized...

Now what was the show with Billy Van and Luba Goy