“*That people in Maryland have a Maryland workshop, NJ in NJ, NY* *in NY, and PA in PA all on the same day because there are too many **events to avoid date conflicts.*” It’s good problem to have, one that didn’t exist even ten years ago. The biggest challenge to any organization is managing growth. If we work together, we’ll find our way. On Sat, Mar 14, 2020 at 6:26 PM Adam Michlin via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
Definition
Federation: the formation of a political unity, with a central government, by a number of separate states, each of which retains control of its own internal affairs.
Thinking back, I started my involvement in this hobby around 1993. My computers weren't so vintage then, I had no idea what CP/M was or any awareness of machines prior to the Apple II. I had to give up that collection in 2004 to move to NJ. What I remember most of all was that it was a lonely hobby.
My interest was rekindled when I started teaching Computer Science in FL around about 2008. I'm a huge believer in teaching history in any subject I teach and it seemed obvious to not only teach the history but to show the history. I had kept a Mac SE from my first collection that had traveled from CA to NJ to FL and used that as my first prop in teaching Computer Science and, by extension, Computer History.
I was lucky that we had a district warehouse (that makes the VCF warehouse look small) where all the old tech went to rest (we couldn't recycle for complicated financial reasons). And thus began my second collection. Primarily Apple II.. because, well, schools and Apple II.
I then left my job as a CS teacher and moved into the music retail industry. As such, I again had to give up my collection. Still the hobby was lonely.
I moved to NJ to again teach CS in 2014. Kept only my one Apple IIc. But something different happened. I found you people. My classroom became stocked with machines donated by people like Tony Bogan, Dean Notaricola, Alex Jacocks (and I'm forgetting so many, sorry!).It would take me pages to list just the knowledge I've gained from everyone reading this very email. Thank you to each and everyone of you.
The hobby wasn't lonely anymore.
We are the Vintage Computer Federation. We are not just a museum and warehouse in Wall, NJ. We are not just an online forum or mailing list. We are people. We are people throughout the world. We are events throughout the world.
We are growing and the nature of growing is that there will be conflicts. I, however, look at the conflicts as a good thing rather than a bad thing. It is easy to avoid conflicts... don't grow.
I dream of a world where we have so many workshops that people have to choose. That people in Maryland have a Maryland workshop, NJ in NJ, NY in NY, and PA in PA all on the same day because there are too many events to avoid date conflicts. Heck, I'd love to see an Idaho workshop! And, of course, someone really needs to get going on that North NJ workshop less than 10 minutes from where I live. ;)
As one the primary people responsible for the VCF Social Media, I have done my best to promote *every* organization that does anything at all to push our hobby in a positive direction. LCM, CHM, museums and other organizations in Holland, Finland, Russia, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland.. on and on and on.
As a Steering Committee member, I have pushed very hard to increase access to our collection to members and create a formal way for organizations to borrow our artifacts for display in their own museums.
I do all this because I have a vision that VCF exists to promote the hobby. The entire hobby. This is what a Federation does. Yet the nature of a Federation is that independent entities (officially or unofficially) within it will sometimes have conflicts.
But I don't see conflicts as a bad thing. I see conflicts as an amazing problem created by a growing hobby. No one is trying to create conflicts, but they will arise. We will, however, overcome them together to take this hobby to the next level (or four).
I just can't imagine going back to that lonely hobby.
-Adam