- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

One more day for the party survey
by Jeffrey Brace 25 Nov '22

25 Nov '22

55 respondents so far. The survey is anonymous. It's only 5 questions. It takes 2 minutes of your time. 1 days left to go. If you haven't already done so. Please fill out the survey: https://bit.ly/vcfEoY2022pre Thank you for your time! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Help needed fixing my Commodore 128DCR keyboard
by Joseph Giliberti 24 Nov '22

24 Nov '22

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The other day I was rearranging some of my collection and I dropped the keyboard for my Commodore 128 DCR about 3 ft onto a concrete floor. I really wasn't expecting the plastic case to shatter like it did. It didn't actually break into many different pieces because all of the little shards are being held together by the outermost layer of the casing. The keyboard itself still works. Can anyone recommends how I might go about repairing the case? I will share some photos either later today or tomorrow. Keyboard is also in severe need of retrobrite treatment. Thanks and happy holidays! Joe Giliberti

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Getting the Word Out!
by Chris Fala 24 Nov '22

24 Nov '22

I just noticed that Hackaday's latest e-mail newsletter mentioned TCF and VCF-East. Let's hope for a huge turnout. Thanks Hackaday!

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Happy Thanksgiving
by Christian Liendo 24 Nov '22

24 Nov '22

I hope this is a good day for everyone. I also hope that we can all meet in a few weeks. I can't wait for the smells of food, drink and blown capacitors in the air. So again Happy Thanksgiving, to you and your families. Take care fellas

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Position Statement of Chris Fala for the Steering Committee Election
by Chris Fala 24 Nov '22

24 Nov '22

Greetings VCF Members, I am Chris Fala, and for over two years I have been a member of the VCF Mid-Atlantic Steering Committee and the Chairman of the Committee for the past year. Below is a brief self-introduction, and my thoughts on the future of VCF and why I feel I’m worthy of your vote to stay on the Steering Committee. I hope you read further. and I look forward to receiving your confidence and vote as we move forward with the improvement and expansion of VCF. I grew up in the 1970s-80s in southern New Jersey. My first exposure to the world of computing was as a teenager in school on a TRS-80 model 1 (the only computer in the school) which I used to teach myself how to program in BASIC. Later, my sister who was a Commodore employee gave me a VIC-20 for Christmas that she got with her "employee discount" which I recently discovered was actually $0 (Bil Herd confirmed to me that this was a legitimate thing at Commodore!). I spent hundreds of hours programming that computer, trying to create games and other software, as I did not own any official software. I also learned to directly access the hardware thanks to the wonderful Programmer's Reference Guide book. In college, I learned Pascal and FORTRAN on the Apple IIe computers that were in the very small computer lab, and learned C at a different school on a VAX system. I have many other parallel experiences in my young days where I learned about electronics, experiences which were very impactful to me. Without further extending this document, suffice it to say that these experiences built a foundation that firmly rooted my interests in technology. While some who know me may think of me as a "Commodore guy", rest assured I have a deep appreciation for, and interest in promoting, all computer innovations wherever and whenever they may have occurred in history. While my personal history has some interesting events that have directed my life's path to where it is today, I feel my history is less relevant than my vision for the future. With the wonderful events that VCF makes available to its members at the InfoAge campus, such as workshops, swap-meets, our Holiday Membership Party, etc., we have a place to hang out, have fun, get to know people, and play/work with our toys. These gatherings make VCF-MA much more than just a museum and festival. We are a community of like-minded appreciators of creativity, preservation, history, and technology. I doubt that this dynamic will ever change, and I feel that it can only be enhanced by the growth that I believe we need and deserve. I have huge aspirations for the future of VCF. Since my first Vintage Computer Festival, I have been in awe at the literal genius that has been displayed at our tables. The skill and creativity that I have seen, I feel, has been sadly underrated based on the size of the event. Instead of being exposed to hundreds of people, I believe the great creations of our members and exhibitors should be seen by thousands, if not millions. The level of genius that I describe appears (in my opinion) to be better expressed at VCF-East than at other events. I have not had the luxury of attending many other related events, and I intend no insult or criticism of them. However, I have heard many testimonies and seen many videos that have painted a clear enough picture to help me firmly believe that what we have here at East is very special. Recently, in conversation where VCF-East was being compared to the other VCFs, I have heard the term "science fair" attributed to our festival. At face value, I feel this description can be construed as an insult. A science fair by definition is usually a children's event. Our festival is a science treasure trove! Our exhibitors don't just say, "here, look at this cool old computer". We present fully functional demonstrations of how they were used in their heyday, dig into the innovations that were foundations for later technology, promote appreciation for historic creativity that was derivative of nothing, and invent modern ways to tap into the old technology while honoring the history. The high caliber of speakers that have presented at VCF-East speak for themselves (literally!). If you don't know, go check out our YouTube channel and see the many historical figures who have been at our campus. We have an embarrassment of riches. Our host, InfoAge, possesses history that is unmatched by most other venues. While logistics can be challenging when putting on an event, those challenges don't compare with more significant facts. For example: 1. Marconi himself worked here. 2. The communications dish was significant in early space exploration. 3. Other museums on campus are exceptional, relevant, and unique. These are just a few reasons why the home of our museum is also a great home to our biggest public event! We have in our museum several extremely rare artifacts. The UNIVAC, which is one of very few that is still FUNCTIONAL. The Philbrick Researches tube based analog computer (that we affectionately refer to as "George") which we have been told was assembled to be a teaching computer and likely never existed elsewhere in this configuration. Our IBM 1130. Our Wang 4000. Our PDP "straight" 8. The list goes on. Are we the best computer museum? The most complete? The most convenient? The most attractive? The most well known? The easy answer to those questions is no. However, we have an opportunity to change that last one. We need to be foremost in people's thoughts when they think of a great place to learn about computer history. We should make every effort to make VCF-MA well known to anyone who is at all interested in technology. If elected to remain a member of the Mid-Atlantic Steering Committee, I will continue to promote the growth of all the great things I mentioned above. If you agree with me that these should be our priorities, I respectfully ask for your vote. Sincerely, Chris Fala Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Steering Committee of the Vintage Computer Federation

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My Candidancy for Steering Commitee
by Adam Michlin 24 Nov '22

24 Nov '22

Hi All, For those who may not know, my experience with the MA Steering Committee (SC) began as a founding member and co-author (with Dean Notarnicola) of the by-laws. When approached to join the newly created committee, my initial answer was no as I believe a healthy non-profit organization needs to have leadership chosen by the membership and checked by the membership. I was convinced to join with the understanding that the initial committee would work to create the necessary infrastructure to allow members to have a say in governance and I am so thrilled to have the chance to run for office. If elected, one of my first priorities will be to work towards all members of VCF, paid or unpaid, having a vote in all leadership positions at all levels of VCF. I left my SC term early as a pandemic related work issue required me to move to South Carolina and felt I would be too far away to do the job I wanted to do. Happily, I was able to move back to NJ and, in fact, live only about 10 miles north (Eatontown, NJ) of the museum and warehouse at InfoAge in Wall, NJ. One of my biggest priorities is to continue my work towards improving the treatment of volunteers. Volunteers should be working on things that they *enjoy* working on and should never feel obligated to do something they do not enjoy working on. It takes more time to connect projects with people's interests, but I am absolutely willing to put in that time and several exhibits in the museum right now show the benefits of that approach. Volunteers should also always have at least their own vote over any people in charge. All this creates an organization which thrives with volunteers. Another priority is getting quality VCF artifacts proper homes, including displayed in other museums. VCF has loaned a wonderful working Canon Cat to Kennett Classic, as one example of a deal I engineered. It just isn't the case that the best place for equipment is always the InfoAge warehouse. To that end, I want to codify a check out process for members to borrow equipment and will be the first person to vote yes if it is determined an artifact is better off with either another museum or member (IRS laws observed, of course, hi Corey!). An artifact given or sold to a caring member is often given a better lease on life than sitting in the warehouse and the more artifacts we put in the world, the more karma we are building should we ever need something for display in the museum. VCF MA should be a part of a larger community of museums and hobbyists, not an island unto itself. Bringing me to my last priority which is to take back local control of the stalled warehouse move and get it done. My experience with VCF MA is as someone with big ideas who is also the first to follow up with the boots on the ground to get them done in practice. No excuses, the buck stops here. My ideas and accomplishments include: General Warehouse Manager, including sorting and making available surplus equipment. If you have gotten a good deal on VCF surplus equipment in the last 5-6 years, I likely had some hand in it. My first volunteer job, way back when, was sorting Atari 2600 cartridges in the warehouse. How far we have come! Co-Runner, with Dean Notarnicola, of possibly the largest VCF East exhibit in the history of the event, The World of IBM. Co-Runner of the "Software Store", with Tony Bogan, a special event at VCF 2019. This not only included coming up with the idea, but weeks spent in the warehouse collecting, sorting, and pricing boxed software. Thousands of dollars were raised at this event alone. Co-Runner of the Apple II Classroom, again with Tony Bogan, a very successful proof of concept to have classes running not just on Friday, but on Saturday and Sunday at VCF East. Word has it the Commodore people are working on keeping this a tradition for East 2023. Atari people, maybe 2024? Or perhaps the Tandy people? My implemented ideas for exhibits in the museum include: The video game systems before Atari 2600 exhibit (on hiatus) The 6502/65816 video games exhibit in honor of the visit by Bill Mensch (on hiatus) The history of modems exhibit (now on display at LSSM) The history of mice exhibit (currently on display) The Atari MegaSTe MIDI exhibit (with particular help from Bill Lange and Pete Fletcher) The 1992 Exhibit (with particular help from Alex Jacocks and Jonathan Sturges - Linux .99 is a head trip!) I hope to continue progress to get a working SGI Indigo 2 to demonstrate early high end graphics and get more examples of larger computers working, whether through emulation or things like a DEC MicroVAX (a worthy exhibit unto to itself, hi Dave!). The key goal is to not just focus only on the hardware, but give people hands-on experience using software like IRIX, VMS and OS/360 etc. I also hope to continue to create exhibits that emphasize more variety of what our beloved computers once did, like our MegaSTE MIDI exhibit. Perhaps a Mac IIsomething or SE/30 running Aldus PageMaker and a LaserWriter, maybe? And, of course, working towards getting everything in the musuem working all (well, most) of the time. Along those lines, as you might guess, I am a believer in changing up the museum on a regular basis, which I feel is an important part of keeping the musuem fresh for vistitors. I am a career computer science teacher with a specialty in the integration of computer history in computer science. I teach at Red Bank Regional High School in Red Bank, NJ and work as an adjunct professor at Drew University in Madison, NJ. Some of you may know me as the teacher who uses 6502 and MIPS assembly to teach computer architecture. Others may know about the vintage computers and video games in my classroom for hands on use and teaches video game program through classic 8 bit games (mainly Atari Adventure and Space Invaders). Even others may know about my BS in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, a Masters in Music from California State East Bay, and that I am finishing a Masters in Computer Science with emphasis in Cybersecurity at Monmouth University. I am directly connected to the education scene in Monmouth County and computer science teachers through the Computer Science Teachers Association in NJ (CSTANJ) and even served for a while as the President of the Central Jersey Chapter of CSTANJ. It is my hope to get VCF MA much more involved with the NJ education scene. My father was, among other things, a Bell Labs, Exxon, Zilog, and Amdahl guy, so I can say my first computer access was with a terminal to an IBM 370 (Hunt the Wumpus!). It also means I have a very soft spot for all things big iron including my personal Amdahl paraphernalia collection which just might become an exhibit one day or, maybe just maybe, save someone a million dollars! I grew up in NJ and was very lucky to move to Silicon Valley in 1984, just in time to own one of the first one thousand Mac 128Ks and attend the Stanford Macintosh User Groups (SMUGS) meetings at Stanford with my father to see people like Bill Atkinson and Guy Kawasaki talk. I also ran a x86 PC BBS for years (Remote Access) and served as a FidoNet Net Echo Coordinator in Silicon Valley proper (good old 143). Interestingly enough, my experiences at Silicon Valley computer swap meets (De Anza and Lawrence Livermore Labs) were the inspiration to suggest our current very succesful swap meets. I hope you will consider me for membership in the MA Steering Committee and welcome all questions, public or private, you have. After all, there is little to steer without the wonderful work done by each and every one of you in the mission of spreading vintage computer wonderfulness throughout the world. Thanks for reading! -Adam * *

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Party survey - Three days left
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Nov '22

23 Nov '22

https://bit.ly/vcfEoY2022pre The survey is anonymous. It's only 5 questions. It takes 2 minutes of your time. 53 respondents so far. 3 days left to go. If you haven't already done so. Please fill out the survey: https://bit.ly/vcfEoY2022pre Thank you for your time! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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LATEST UPDATE - Steering Committee Candidate Nominations
by Chris Fala 23 Nov '22

23 Nov '22

We have another addition to the list. Seven candidates! Thanks to everyone for your interest in serving our organization. Today is the last day for nominations! Voting opens on Saturday!!! There are three positions to fill, so remember that eligible voters may cast *three* votes. Doug Crawford - nominated by Chris Fala Adam Michlin - nominated by Dean Notarnicola Jeff Salzman - nominated by Jeff Brace Ethan O'Toole - nominated by Alexander Jacocks Chris Fala - nominated by Tony Bogan Dean Notarnicola - nominated by Doug Crawford Alexander Jacocks - nominated by Jeff Salzman Once a candidate submits a position statement (or "campaign speech" ;-) as I like to call it), it will appear here: https://vcfed.org/steering-committee-nominee-position-statements/ I hope that everyone will get to know the candidates. Cast your votes for the people who you feel will steer VCF-MA to great success. Sincerely, Chris Fala Steering Committee Chairman

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Steering Committee Nomination UPDATE
by Chris Fala 22 Nov '22

22 Nov '22

Since we only have a couple days left, I will continue to send updates at least once per day or when there is a new nominee. See up-to-the-minute update below! Doug Crawford - nominated by Chris Fala Adam Michlin - nominated by Dean Notarnicola Jeff Salzman - nominated by Jeff Brace Ethan O'Toole - nominated by Alexander Jacocks Chris Fala - nominated by Tony Bogan Dean Notarnicola - nominated by Doug Crawford

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One week left to go for the ??? Party - Please fill out survey.
by Jeffrey Brace 21 Nov '22

21 Nov '22

The survey is anonymous. It's only 5 questions. It takes 2 minutes of your time. 36 respondents so far. One week left to go. It determines what we will call our party in December. If you haven't already done so. Please fill out the survey: https://bit.ly/vcfEoY2022pre Thank you for your time! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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