- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 22 Jun '19

22 Jun '19

Very busy today, lots of visitors. I had three projects to work on but didn't have time for any of them -- a nice problem to have.

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Maker Faire this year
by Evan Koblentz 21 Jun '19

21 Jun '19

Everyone, This year's idea for our World (NYC) Maker Faire exhibit is replicas/workalikes. The registration opens next month, so for now this is conceptual. Me/Dean/Jeff/Corey are planning it behind-the-scenes. We will bring: - Replica 1 (Not a Mimeo, because the former is hobbyist-friendly; latter is for true aficionados) - Altair Mini - PiDP - Kim Uno - Commodore Mini - Glitchworks 8085 - Atari Flashback (maybe) Two questions: - Does anyone have Oscar's PDP-11/70, and if so are you willing to loan it to us or (better yet) exhibit it personally at the event? - What other replica hardware should we consider for this exhibit?

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FS: Various S-100 Static RAM Boards
by systems_glitch 21 Jun '19

21 Jun '19

All, I'm going through some of the extra S-100 RAM boards I've got, fixing them up, testing them, and selling them off. I started a thread on the VC Forums to corral them all together in one place, so I don't have to post multiple threads there or on the listserv. You can find them here: http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?70379 "Tested, working" means they spent at least an hour running the Rasmussen memory test with no errors reported. Thanks, Jonathan

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FS: Alspa ACI-2 CP/M Computer with 8" Drives
by systems_glitch 20 Jun '19

20 Jun '19

All, I've decided to sell my Alspa ACI-2, here's the post on the VC Forums with full information: http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?70364 Neat little machine, same concept as the Ampro LittleBoard Series 100 (drive box with Z80 SBC) but it uses 8" disks instead of 5.25". The CP/M CBIOS is set up to be able to read/write SSSD IBM 3740 format disks in addition to Alspa's double density format. Thanks, Jonathan

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 20 Jun '19

20 Jun '19

Super busy today! School's out and it showed. Several families visited today, some from the local area, and others from South Carolina and Texas. It was busy all day from 1pm-5pm. I didn't get much of a break. InfoAge management likes our new touchscreen info kiosk, so I stuck around from 5pm-8pm working on content for them.

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I know someone looking for a non-working Apple II+ Mobo
by Christian Liendo 19 Jun '19

19 Jun '19

Someone at work is looking for a non-working Apple II+ Mobo. Anyone has one that is not stripped, but not working?

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Game Changers: Inside the Video Game Wars
by Andy Meyer 19 Jun '19

19 Jun '19

I stumbled across this show on The History Channel the other night. I thought it was pretty good. What did you guys think of it? https://www.history.com/specials/game-changers-inside-the-video-game-wars/f… Cheers, Andy

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Museum Report 2019-06-16
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jun '19

18 Jun '19

I took VCF's turn at the InfoAge front desk. About 35 visitors came to visit InfoAge despite it being a nice day and being Father's Day. All ages, some from close, some from as much an hour away. I'm not sure how many made their way to VCF, because Doug was docent at VCF today and will reply to this email with his report. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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OT: Here's my resume
by Evan Koblentz 18 Jun '19

18 Jun '19

Hey everyone. I'm not unemployed: my job situation is just stuck in a rut (not counting the awesome work I have the privilege of doing for VCF!), so I decided to expand my horizons. I had an "Ah-ha!" moment last night. I figured out that "IT communications specialist" is a real thing for which large-ish companies hire people like me. For example: new company-wide IT changes? Complicated security trends? Problems with policy documentation? Need to explain to all the non-IT people what the heck virtualization is and why they should care? And so on ... there are a million topics to keep such a person busy. Most of the time this job is burdened to a junior IT staffer who can't write, CIO who's out of touch with the masses, or HR worker who doesn't understand the technology. So, if you're on this list and you know of such a need at a big-ish company, then hire me! I'll be the guy who explains all things IT to everyone outside the department. Here is my resume. Feel free to distribute as you see fit: http://snarc.net/ek_res_comms.pdf. Thanks!! PS. Please refrain from personal commentary about my goal or off-topic replies. -- Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation www.vcfed.org evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 VCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Osborne for good home
by Dean Notarnicola 17 Jun '19

17 Jun '19

All, I just heard from him. He has not had any luck finding a qualified non-profit who wants it and it's looking to sell. Don't think he wants a ton of money for it, but it looks like he's looking for at least $100 plus shipping (which seems to be about market rate right now for a working unit.) Here's his description if anyone is interested: Osbourne 1 and all accessories including all the software available at the time and keyboard overlays for those. The only defect is that the leather carrying handle disintegrated and only the wire handle is left. As far as I know, it is in perfect working condition. I paid $1795 in 1981for the basic package (which is equivalent to $4947 today) but I purchased several add-ons in programs and keyboard overlays. I will need some remuneration. All components weigh 15 kg. On Thu, May 31, 2018 at 2:18 PM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > For donations it comes to ship or don't ship. > > The donor finds out real quick that it will take at least an hour of time > to pack and drop off or arrange for pickup something bulky like an Osborne > portable, assuming one already has boxes and packing materials on hand. No > box or not enough padding? Boxes and packing materials cost money > especially if it's a onesy-twosy thing and the person needs to buy these > items at retail prices. Suddenly the donor is losing money because they > can only declare the value of the item, not the packing and shipping > expense nor labor. > > To file for a tax deduction one must receive and then keep track of the > donation receipt, plus accumulate enough deductions as Glenn said to make > itemizing taxes worth it. > > The donor says to himself - Why pack and ship potentially lose money? A > tax donation is great but I may not get it, certainly not right away. > Might as well just sell on Ebay. > > That's why most large donations are not shipped, even if the recipient pays > shipping, unless the recipient is willing to pay all the expenses. Or > they're rich and don't care about money. > > Bill > > On Thu, May 31, 2018 at 1:24 PM, Glenn Roberts via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > Unfortunately, the new tax law may have a negative impact on giving to > VCF > > and other 501(c)(3) org's. With the increase of the standard deduction > > threshold to $24,000 (for married couples; $12K for single filers) may be > > far fewer people able to itemize, and hence the itemized deduction for > > donation will be much less an incentive for many. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic- > > > bounces(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> On Behalf Of Dave McGuire > > > via vcf-midatlantic > > > Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2018 1:10 PM > > > To: CJ Reha via vcf-midatlantic <vcf- > > > midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> > > > Cc: Dave McGuire <mcguire(a)neurotica.com> > > > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Osborne for good home > > > > > > > > > Unfortunately it's not an odd situation at all. The owner has > googled > > > around, figured out that people want these machines, and has seen > dollar > > > signs. It's pretty common. > > > > > > -Dave > > > > > > On 05/31/2018 12:32 PM, CJ Reha via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > > > I've gotten a response, he says he intends to donate it to a > 501(c)(3) > > > > organization and requested paperwork. He asked how much I would pay > if > > > > I was not an organization...this is an odd situation. > > > > > > > > On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 10:31 PM, Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic < > > > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > > > > >> I emailed him within a couple minutes of seeing Evans email. Still > no > > > >> response. > > > >> Tony > > > >> > > > >> Sent from my iPhone > > > >> > > > >>> On May 30, 2018, at 10:29 PM, Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic > < > > > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > >>> > > > >>> I asked. No reply > > > >>> > > > >>> On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 10:24 PM Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic < > > > >>> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > >>> > > > >>>>> On 05/30/2018 04:07 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > > >>>>> I received an email from plebourgeois(a)me.com who said he's in > > > >>>>> Mandeville, Lousiana and has an Osborne available with > > > >>>>> accessories/manauls to a good home for the cost of shipping. He > > > >>>>> said he'll throw it away if he does not find a home for it soon. > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> That's all I know, do not reply to me or this list, send the guy > > > >>>>> an email directly. > > > >>>> > > > >>>> It would be good to know if someone is able to save it. > > > >>>> > > > >>>> -Dave > > > >>>> > > > >>>> -- > > > >>>> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ > > > >>>> New Kensington, PA > > > >>>> > > > >> > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Dave McGuire, AK4HZ > > > New Kensington, PA > > > > >

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