Remember Dial-up?
Getting online used to sound like two robots arguing. Then someone picked up the phone. ☎️💻
THE STORY SO FAR / SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2026
Every story
starts somewhere.
Ours started with a modem, a mouse ball and an old techie who still keeps the cables.
Follow Techie of the 90s from Barry’s earliest memories to Max’s six adventures and the latest stories from the studio.
Start at the beginningBarry and Max are fictional AI characters. The videos are stories, not repair instructions.
THE COMPLETE VIDEO JOURNEY
From the first upload.
One story at a time.
22 published videos
No matching stories. Try another word or choose All stories.
01
28 September – 2 October 2026
Before the cloud, there was a floppy disk.
It began with the little things you only remember if you were there: cleaning the mouse ball, negotiating with a modem, waiting all evening for one song. Barry’s world grew from those familiar frustrations into memories of first programs, early VR and gloriously mismatched game colours.
Remember Windows Updates in the 90s? 😩
Windows updates in the 90s were a different kind of adventure. One update, several reboots, and the occasional prayer that your PC would start again. 😂
Remember When One Song Took All Evening? 🎵
Before Spotify, getting one song could be an entire evening’s project.
Remember IRQ Conflicts? 😩
You installed a new sound card. Everything looked perfect.
The Floppy Disk Ate My Homework
Before the cloud, there was the floppy disk.
We Used to Clean Inside the Mouse 🖱️
There was a time when your mouse stopped working and the solution wasn't replacing the batteries.
My First VR Problem? Finding the Keyboard.
Headset on. Controller in hand. Heretic Game running at the Cape Town Computer Faire.
My First App Had One Small Problem…
My first program: an emergency phone-number app on a Commodore 64. 💾
My Stress Ball Had ONE Job!
Remember keeping a stress ball on your desk?
VGA Monitor. CGA Game. Unforgettable Colours.
I was lucky enough to have a VGA monitor. The copy of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego I had? CGA.
02
5 October 2026
The techie behind the stories.
The introduction puts a face to the nostalgia: a fictional Cape Town techie exploring what happens when old-school memories meet modern AI storytelling. The character, voice and studio become a home for more than a single joke.
Who Is Barry? | Techie of the 90s
Meet Barry, a techie from the 90s who somehow ended up making AI videos in 2026. 😄
03
13–19 October 2026
Then Max picked up the tools.
The world expands with six short stories about Max, old gadgets and the problems people give up on too quickly. An old phone, a dead controller, a broken robot, homemade headphones, a television and a drifting drone give him six very different challenges.
They Laughed at His Old Phone… Until They Needed It 📱 | Max Fixes It
Everyone laughed at Max’s old phone. Then the bus had a problem and suddenly that “useless” phone became the only one that still worked.
Everyone Thought This Controller Was Dead 🎮 | Max Fixed It
Brad was ready to throw his controller away. Max thought he knew the problem straight away. He was wrong, but that didn’t stop him finding the real fault.
He Broke Max’s Robot… Then Needed His Help 🤖 | Max Fixed It
Dylan breaks Max’s homemade robot, but when Dylan later gets into trouble, Max has a choice to make.
Max Couldn’t Afford the New Headphones… So He Built His Own 🎧
Everyone wanted the expensive new headphones. Max couldn’t afford them, so he built his own from old parts and added one clever feature.
Dad Said the TV Was Dead… Max Said Give Me 5 Minutes 📺 | Max Fixed It
Dad had already given up on the old TV and was ready to replace it. Max wasn’t convinced it was finished just yet.
The Drone Wouldn’t Come Back 😳 | Max Fixed It
Brad’s drone stops responding near the trees and starts drifting. Max has to work out whether it is actually broken, or just doing something they don’t understand.
04
20 October 2026
Six episodes later… what’s next?
Barry pauses to look back at the experiment: moving from tech memories to characters and stories, learning about scripts, voices and editing along the way. The lesson running through it all is simple: tools can help make a video, but the story gives people a reason to watch.
Six Episodes Later… What’s Next? | Techie of the 90s
From cleaning mouse balls to creating characters with AI. This old techie is learning a few new tricks. 😂
05
12–15 November 2026
Same Barry. A fresh batch of problems.
Wired headphones make a comeback, dial-up interrupts the phone, the printer has trust issues and the PC needs permission to switch off. The newer run returns to Barry’s dry humour and familiar studio. Its EP01–EP04 labels belong to this run; the story started earlier.
Wired Headphones Are Back. Barry Never Left. #Shorts
Wired headphones are back in fashion. Barry's junk drawer was ahead of its time. 🎧
Get Off the Phone! | Barry Remembers Dial-Up
We didn’t have Wi-Fi passwords. We had a phone bill. 😂☎️ “Are you on the internet?” Not anymore, Mom. Who remembers dial-up? 🤖 Barry is a fictional AI character.
The Printer Has Trust Issues | Barry EP03
Printers haven’t improved. They’ve just learned Wi-Fi. 😂🖨️
It’s Now Safe to Turn Off Your Computer
We used to wait for permission to switch it off. Now we wait for updates. Progress, apparently.
Archive compiled from the channel’s published video history, checked 15 November 2026. Dates are YouTube publication dates; releases on other channels may differ. Videos published on the same day follow the recorded channel order.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
A studio. A community.
And a home of our own.
Today the stories live together here, alongside Barry’s Retro Finds. Catch the newest episode, explore the archive or bring your own tech memories to the conversation.