Josh Renaud

@Kirkman
707 Followers
361 Following
915 Posts
Husband to a Boliviana. Daddy. Emperor of the Renaud Empire. Journalist and developer for stltoday.com. Lover of Atari, BBSes and retro tech.
joshrenaud.comhttps://www.joshrenaud.com
Break Into Chathttps://breakintochat.com/blog/
PossumIDhttps://whosum.com/t/kirkman
Signal314-200-5760
Josh Renaud5d ago
Show threadJosh Renaud6d ago

Mister Rogers put on operas in the 1970s and early 1980s which were pretty zany.

Joe Negri got to have a lot of fun in the “Windstorm in Bubbleland” opera (which is by far the favorite in my family). He played “W. I. Norton Donovan”, the president of the National Bubble Chemical Co., who transforms into "The Wind."

Josh Renaud5d ago
Josh Renaud6d ago

Joe Negri was such an easygoing and friendly person in Mister Roger’s Neighborhood: music shop owner and jazz guitarist in the “real” world, and Handyman Negri in Make-Believe.

He lived a long full life, and he certainly blessed me and my kids through his involvement in MRN. Rest in peace, Joe Negri.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/joe-negri-mr-rogers-neighborhood-dies-age-99/

#mrn #MisterRogers #MrRogers #MisterRogersNeighborhood

Joe Negri, known as Mr. Rogers' "Handyman," dies at 99

Joe Negri, known to many as Handyman Negri on "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," has died at the age of 99, just days shy of his 100th birthday.

Show threadJosh Renaud6d ago

Mister Rogers put on operas in the 1970s and early 1980s which were pretty zany.

Joe Negri got to have a lot of fun in the “Windstorm in Bubbleland” opera (which is by far the favorite in my family). He played “W. I. Norton Donovan”, the president of the National Bubble Chemical Co., who transforms into "The Wind."

Josh Renaud6d ago

Joe Negri was such an easygoing and friendly person in Mister Roger’s Neighborhood: music shop owner and jazz guitarist in the “real” world, and Handyman Negri in Make-Believe.

He lived a long full life, and he certainly blessed me and my kids through his involvement in MRN. Rest in peace, Joe Negri.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/joe-negri-mr-rogers-neighborhood-dies-age-99/

#mrn #MisterRogers #MrRogers #MisterRogersNeighborhood

Joe Negri, known as Mr. Rogers' "Handyman," dies at 99

Joe Negri, known to many as Handyman Negri on "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," has died at the age of 99, just days shy of his 100th birthday.

Show threadJosh RenaudMay 21

ICYMI, here's my talk from the inaugural #Westmoot last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbQohw4tjQ4

"It has often been said that J.R.R. Tolkien wanted to make a "mythology for England," but echoes of Middle-earth can be found among the monuments, mounds, and muddy rivers of the American Midwest."

#Westmoot26 #Westmoot25 #IntoTheWest

"Reflections on Middle-earth from a Middle American" (Josh Renaud, Westmoot 2025)

YouTube
Josh RenaudMay 21

🚗 🧙📚
In 12 hours, I'll be headed to Minneapolis with my daughter for #Westmoot26. I'll be giving a presentation about storytelling in Tolkien's home and in our own homes. Very excited!

If you're going, too, I hope to see you there!

#westmoot #intothewest

Josh RenaudMay 20
MGCoco★ 📍WestmootMay 18
Not pictured here but will also be at my table, I will have prints of some of my Chinese ink paintings!

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ggnpeqeml4solsa2s3p24hn3/post/3mm2luyv73s2h
Josh RenaudMay 20
MGCoco★ 📍WestmootMay 9
I wanted to make a themed Westmoot design! Since it's in Minneapolis this year, what better than with a loon and the Minnesota state flag, but with the Star of Earendil ;) These will be available at the con as stickers! #art #Tolkien
Josh RenaudMay 20
Twin Cities Geek May 17
This week, celebrate all things Tolkien at Westmoot, find bizarre wares at the Oddities & Curiosities Expo, attend the State Fair's Summer Kickoff, dance it up at a Shrek-themed rave, and lots more! #MNastodon https://twincitiesgeek.com/2026/05/this-week-in-geek-5-18-2026-5-24-2026/
This Week in Geek (5/18/2026–5/24/2026)

Jump to: In-Person Events Virtual Events Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, May 18, to Sunday, May 24. Although inclusion in This Week in Geek is not an official endorsement of any event or organizer, we do our best to feature events that appear safe, responsible, and consistent with our mission and values. If you feel that one of the events below is incompatible with Twin Cities Geek as an organization, we encourage you to contact us at [email protected] with your concerns. In-Person Events The Hobbit What: Theater & Comedy When: Now through Sunday, May 31 Where: Theatre in the Round “Join a band of storytellers in the not-so-distant-future, as they tell the story of Bilbo Baggins in this inventive adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s classic tale.” Tickets are $20–29, and there is a pay-what-you-can

Twin Cities Geek - MN Geek Culture Magazine
Josh RenaudMay 3
Josh RenaudMay 2

For the last 25 years, Barren Realms Elite (BRE) has been frozen in amber, with the same ANSI title screen.

But it was preceded by _lots_ of other designs from 1992-97.

I put together a gallery of 14 of these forgotten screens:

https://breakintochat.com/blog/2026/05/02/the-many-ansi-title-screens-of-barren-realms-elite/

I hope you'll enjoy revisiting the changing looks of a classic BBS door game.

#bbs #retrocomputing #retrogaming #InternetHistory #history #vintagecomputing #ansiart #ansi #textmode