- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Festivus 2024 Video Game Signup
by Jeffrey Brace 14 Dec '24

14 Dec '24

Signup here which games that you are bringing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xe1Wz62cI1q04TUVy--NAUHKzz7T0aedXTl… I need to know how many tables need to be set up.

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Safely moving machines...
by Herbert Johnson 14 Dec '24

14 Dec '24

Discussion about foamed boxes to move S-100 chassis, caught my eye. ONe consideration for hobbyists is to acquire th epacking from local resources - say the big box hardware stores, found boxes. Hardware stores have best prices on heavyduty moving boxes of size, and packing materials. Taking time to make your own moving boxes gives you good storage boxes too. Make sure the boxes you use have heavy cardboard - not thin boxes to ship paper towels! Myself, I have used sheet styrofoam insulation, cut-to-fit whatever box, assembled around the S-100 chassis. The pink insulation is firmer and good for outside layers. The white insulating is yielding and good for the inside nearest the chassis. Not a bad idea, to have a layer of big-bubblewrap as a cushion on the bottom of the chassis, for a little bounce. Or some semisoft foamy carpetpadding (not the chunky composite stuff). Fabric stores sometimes have foam padding on sale. Or find some yoga floormat that's too soft at a thrift store. By big bubble bubblewrap, I mean like one-two square inches. Not air bags, if one of them breaks you got nuttin. Bag the chassis, to keep the dust and styro bits out; what used to be called "recycling trash bags" are transparent (you can't put recycles in plastic bags anymore), but get bags with some thickness if you can. YOu can cut-out areas in foam, where you have extensions from the chassis, like front-panel toggles. Fill in empty space not full of toggles, with large-bubble bubblewrap. Small bubble bubblewrap is OK for light flat objects, not heavy items. Where to get boxes other than hardware stores? Dunkin Donuts, small retailers, some groceries and dollar stores (some have policies against). Shop your local dumpsters. Knowing the sizes you need, gives you opportunities in-the-field to find such things when you see them. With luck you'll find styrofoam too, bubble wrap. PS: For Apple II owners: I found 25-pound mozzarella boxes really good for Apple IIs! Fit is good and the sides overlap, very sturdy. Don't tell Grandpa it's icky to pull stuff from dumpsters. Save the planet from throwing out things still useful and filling up your local landfill - your trash taxes pay those landfill fees. Dumpster reclamation is how you ended up with your IMSAIs and Altairs, you know. ho ho ho Herb Johnson still not a bot -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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Open time for Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

is officially 10AM, but I will likely be there by 9AM. The door should just pull open. Call the VCF landline if you need to contact me: (732) 722-5015 See youze guys there! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Food 4 Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

Shoprite burgers, hotdogs and related software has been ordered and will be picked up tonight. Jersey Mike’s subs are ordered and picked up tomorrow at noon. 3 catering boxes this time. Around 2 PM pizza and garlic bread will be ordered from Vic’s. Burgers start cooking at 5:30PM Steering Committee meeting at 6 while we eat. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Safely moving machines...
by William Sudbrink 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

Ok, I guess I'm publicly committing here... I'm planning on bringing several full size S-100 chassis and 8 inch floppies to VCF East 2025 (it's the Altair's 50th birthday). I've always, in the past, crammed my car full of stuff for VCF but this ain't gonna fit. So, I'm going to rent a van or a truck. The question is how to put this equipment into a van/truck without damaging it. I'm thinking about having foam-in-place boxes made for each chassis. This seems fairly safe to me, plus having heavy duty boxes with handhold cutouts will make them a lot easier to move. I have no idea how much this would cost so I'm asking here. Is there some way to do it cheap? Is there a service that does it well? Is there a better idea? Thanks, Bill S. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Email services for vintage computers
by Christopher Gioconda 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

One option is to use a Unix shell account via Telnet. Alpine took the place of pine but should still work. It’s how I used to read my email using a c64 with a dialup modem about 30 years ago. On Fri, Dec 13, 2024 at 4:19 PM Dan FitzGerald via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Greetings! > > Now that I've gotten my first halfway-decent PC online (apologies to > the IBM AT in my basement), I'd like to know if there are any email > services that can be used by retrocomputers. As far as I know, all the > email services that we use today require encryption that an old > computer (and old email client) can't support. But is that really the > case? Are there any solutions available for somebody who wants to be > able to check their email from Netscape Navigator? > > Regards, > Dan FitzGerald > They/Them or She/Her > Classical Computing Laboratory at IBM Poughkeepsie > http://www.vm.ibm.com/devpages/dfitzger > > >

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Email services for vintage computers
by Dan FitzGerald 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

Greetings! Now that I've gotten my first halfway-decent PC online (apologies to the IBM AT in my basement), I'd like to know if there are any email services that can be used by retrocomputers. As far as I know, all the email services that we use today require encryption that an old computer (and old email client) can't support. But is that really the case? Are there any solutions available for somebody who wants to be able to check their email from Netscape Navigator? Regards, Dan FitzGerald They/Them or She/Her Classical Computing Laboratory at IBM Poughkeepsie http://www.vm.ibm.com/devpages/dfitzger

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MARCH monthly Newsletter - December 2024
by Thomas G 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

Hello all, This is a bit of a first. As part of a bunch of recent bylaw changes concerning how the steering committee operates (which we will happily go over during the town hall at festivus), we decided to entrench it into the bylaws that a monthly newsletter be put together and disseminated to the membership, to keep everyone on the same page regarding how things are going at Infoage, upcoming events, etc. This first edition is a little slapdash - it was put together in less than a week - but hopefully it helps to bring everyone up to speed on what we've been doing for the past year or so, and what we hope to get done in the near future! Future editions should hopefully look a little more professional - but for that, you'll have to wait until January... Anyways, without any further ado, attached is the Inaugural edition of the MARCH Newsletter! -Thomas G., Chairman of the MARCH Steering Committee & Collections Manager

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Vintage, Cookies
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

I used grammar properly this time! That’s cookies with a vintage look, not old cookies! My sister made some gingerbread cookies with cookie cutters that I bought from World Of Commodore. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0725i8dPL0W3jLs5zFVqOi6RQ Enjoy! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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FESTIVUS INFO
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

*DATE AND TIME: * Saturday, December 14 from 10AM until 1AM. *LOCATION:* At InfoAge: 2201 Marconi Rd, Wall Township, NJ 07719 *BUILDING:* *9010-D*, A.K.A. *The Visitors Center*, A.K.A. *The Sandy Dorms*, A.K.A. *The bunkrooms* *RSVP: LET ME KNOW YOUR ARE COMING BY PUTTING YOUR NAME ON THIS LIST <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZsOOwTR-uSJqg1TsIh7bJuEKVk_cZ6iBqdo…>* *WEATHER:* I have ordered decent weather with temperatures between 30 and 45 degrees. No snow or rain this time. *COST: * $25 per person. No Exceptions. Whether you bring food or not. Eat food or not. We still have to pay for use of the space. It is a bargain with plenty of food, drinks, socializing, swap meet, video games, etc. *PAYMENTS*: *IN-PERSON*: Cash, credit card, Apple Pay, etc. through Square. *PAYPAL*: paypal(a)vcfed.org, Please put a note: Festivus, x people. *VENMO*: @vintagecomputerfederation *VCFED SITE: *Coming soon *THERE IS NO OVERNIGHT STAY AVAILABLE! * Sorry, Wall Township no longer allows anyone to stay overnight in The Visitor's Center please use our discount hotel option or any other hotels in the area. *Atlantic Inn & Suites:* $80 per night and you must call the number directly: (732) 974-8400 AND mention Vintage Computer Federation *FOOD SIGNUP LIST <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1w6xDPTMoqYyBWOkWw9cpkVs_NbebjqFYEnu…>* *Potluck: Sign up to bring your own items*. If you need suggestions, then look at the suggestions column, see what others are bringing or ask me. VCF will buy burgers, hot dogs, some drinks and condiments for dinner. We will cook in the outside trailer. VCF will also buy pizza from Vic's, subs (Mike's Subs), Garlic Bread (Vic's) for lunch and starter food earlier in the day. *VIDEO GAME SIGN UP <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xe1Wz62cI1q04TUVy--NAUHKzz7T0aedXTl…> * I will set up a small game room. Let me know what games you are bringing and how many tables you need. *SWAP MEET SELLING LIST <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C_TmdCb3SllzVDRW_fGlH72aZwdFC7rC7-q…> (List what you are selling)* Swap Meet in the women's bunk room. Buy and sell what you want. *WANT TO BUY LIST* <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iLCGLmGKYJ7xwjLTo9X_rMlcfoksUCTJgAR…> (What you want to buy) *VOLUNTEERS NEEDED SIGN UP LIST: <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13VHS_Qu4vIvg2UtE4tYLc--6159pGjC9kQP…>* I need volunteers to set up, run the event and break down. *DOCENT SIGNUP* <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1prDJeXnRJC5_XzEegdp56_a8Oemp-PyhWJm…> The model train show will have lots of visitors. Please take an hour slot to spread the load *SWAG REQUEST* <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MFOTEIlVqiGSrWxXYSBtygQsg7gY9WP9OUn…> Is there any VCF Swag that you want to buy? Let me know ahead of time and I will have it ready. Any questions? Is there anything that I'm missing? Jeff Brace

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