https://github.com/stewdio/jed
Music video for Grandaddy’s song of the same name.
https://github.com/stewdio/jed
applesoft applesoft-basic basic grandaddy music
Last synced: 4 months ago
JSON representation
Music video for Grandaddy’s song of the same name.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/stewdio/jed
- Owner: stewdio
- Created: 2025-09-07T13:26:32.000Z (9 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-09-13T17:24:36.000Z (9 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-09-15T22:05:59.054Z (9 months ago)
- Topics: applesoft, applesoft-basic, basic, grandaddy, music
- Language: BASIC
- Homepage: https://stewartsmith.io/work/jed
- Size: 868 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Jed’s Other Poem
(Beautiful Ground)
music video
[Music video for “Jed’s Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)”](https://stewartsmith.io/work/jed)—a song by indie rockers [Grandaddy](https://grandaddymusic.com), from their sophomore record [The Sophtware Slump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sophtware_Slump) (2000). Programmed in [Applesoft BASIC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applesoft_BASIC) on a vintage [1979 Apple `][+` computer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_Plus), this is the [world’s first open-source music video](https://stewartsmith.io/work/jed#first-open-source-music-video) (2005).
Enjoy the video and read a complete description of its creation and reception here:
https://stewartsmith.io/work/jed
| Element | Party |
|:------------------------------|:------|
| Music | [Grandaddy](https://grandaddymusic.com) |
| Concept, direction, execution | [Stewart Smith](https://stewartsmith.io) |
| Camera | [Jeff Bernier](https://jeffbernier.se) |
| Lighting | [John Paul Chirdon](http://johnpaulchirdon.shoutabl.com) |
## 20th anniversary
On the occasion of this music video’s 20th anniversary (September 2005–2025), I’ve decided to take the long-overdue step of publishing its code to GitHub. Originally open-sourced in December 2005 (only a few months after [Linus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds) created [Git](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git)—and well before [GitHub](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GitHub) existed), the ZIP file containing the code was available solely from my own website. This new repository retains those original source files:
| File name | Description |
|:----------|:------------|
| `jed.bas` | Applesoft BASIC source code as plain text. |
| `jed.dsk` | Binary disk image for emulators. |
| `jed.aif` | Code as audio for use with [`BLOAD` command](https://stewartsmith.io/work/jed#data-as-audio) on vintage Apples. |
The original `README` message is included here below. I’ve updated the `LICENSE` to the most recent version of the [Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en), which applies to the three original files listed above. (The `LICENSE` file accompanies them in the `code` folder.) Note that this code package does __not__ include (and has never included) the music track. Go buy that from [Grandaddy](https://grandaddymusic.com/)! Thank you to V2 Records’ legal team for [granting me permission to showcase my work](https://stewartsmith.io/work/jed#avoiding-a-lawsuit) twenty years ago. And [thank you to Jason Lytle, Grandaddy, and fans of this video](https://stewartsmith.io/work/jed#legacy).
## How to: Load onto a vintage Apple
You’ve found yourself a working vintage [Apple II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II) computer. (Congratulations! That’s an increasingly difficult thing to do.) Perhaps it’s an Apple `][`, or `][+`, `//e`, or even a `//c`. What really matters is that your Apple II has a functioning audio cassette interface with a [3.5 mm (⅛ inch) minijack port](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(audio)).
You will need a separate device that can ① playback the included `jed.aif` audio file, and ② can pipe that sound out through a 3.5 mm (⅛ inch) minijack port. (If you’re playing the audio from a device that does not have a minijack port, such as a contemporary iPhone, you’ll need an adapter—for example, a USB-C-to-minijack adapter.) Finally, you will need a ③ male-male 3.5 mm (⅛ inch) audio cable to physically connect the audio port on your device (or adapter) to the audio port on your Apple II.
Boot up your Apple II, then at the command prompt type `LOAD`, and press Return. This will appear to halt the machine as it waits for input from its minijack port. Make certain that your two devices are connected via your minijack audio cable. Then on your playback device, play the `jed.aif` audio file in its entirety. Once this completes, your Apple II will return control to you. Type `LIST` and press Return to verify that the code is now in memory. (If you grow impatient during the listing process, press the __CTRL__ and __C__ keys together to exit the listing procedure early.) Type `RUN` and press Return to execute the program. (You can also press the __CTRL__ and __C__ keys together to exit the program early.) Enjoy.
To see this process in action (using a first generation iPad as the playback device), visit [Panic Software](https://panic.com/)’s May 2010 blog post “[An Apple //e, an iPad, and Jed](https://panic.com/blog/an-apple-e-an-ipad-and-jed/)” (pictured above).
## How to: Load into an emulator
My Apple II emulator of choice is [Virtual II](https://www.virtualii.com) for macOS. While I will use that for illustration purposes, you ought to be able to extrapolate these instructions to your own platform / emulator combination. Once you have [downloaded and installed Virtual II](https://www.virtualii.com), you will need to separately [download the hardware ROM images and place them into the proper folder](https://www.virtualii.com/VirtualIIHelp/virtual_II_help.html#ROMImage). (The ROM files are _not_ included in the Virtual II application for copyright reasons. Those [linked instructions](https://www.virtualii.com/VirtualIIHelp/virtual_II_help.html#ROMImage) will guide you through the process of finding and installing the ROMs in your correct local folder.) You can download the ROMs for [all five supported machines here](https://www.virtualii.com/ROM.zip), but I had more luck with the [`apple2_roms.zip` located here](https://mirrors.apple2.org.za/ftp.apple.asimov.net/emulators/rom_images/).
Now that you have an Apple II emulator, and its [ROM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROM_image)s, it’s time to load Jed. From your Virtual II application bar, select __File__ → __New Machine__ → __Apple `][+`__. The virtual machine will boot, but it does not yet have a disk to complete its boot from. Simply drag and drop your `jed.dsk` file from Finder onto the emulator’s graphic representation for __Drive 1__ — or from your Virtual II application bar, select __Media__ → __Insert Diskette Image…__, then locate and select your `jed.dsk` file. The virtual machine will finish booting with Jed loaded. Because `jed.dsk` was formatted with the `INIT JED` command, the `JED` program will automatically execute as part of the boot process. Again, you can press the __CTRL__ and __C__ keys together to exit the program early.
## Original README
__Monday, 12 December 2005.__
After many requests for Jed’s source code I finally figured out a *simple* way to get it off the Apple `][+` without transcribing it. The old Apple has an audio-out for saving data to cassette tape—the data is encoded in tones that sound like a traditional modem. I plugged the old Apple’s audio-out into my PowerBook and recorded the noise. Then I loaded this into my [Virtual II emulator](https://www.virtualii.com) as a virtual cassette. Perfect.
For your enjoyment I’ve exported the code as an AIF audio file (like a cassette), a binary disk image for emulators, and a plain text (BASIC code) file. Have fun running and tweaking as you see fit. Although some spots of code are embarrassingly inefficient, or are commented out entirely, I’ve made no effort to clean it up and have left everything exactly as it was during filming. You’ll also notice that the emulation falls slightly out of sync with the music, which is not provided—go out and buy the record yourself! Despite best efforts to scale the timing variables appropriately I was thrown off by numerous immutable factors. Minor post-production edits were required to keep it all together. I don’t think this diminishes from the project’s “hardcore” status.