Note: some of the links referenced are broken at present...under
construction and all that.
Parallax Inc. and Dr. Dobb's Journal proudly present...
The Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
October 2nd & 3rd
Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, California
www.vintage.org
For the third year in a row, the Vintage Computer Festival is back to
thrill and amaze you with the history of one of the greatest inventions
in all of mankind, the computer!
This year:
* More great speakers!
* More great exhibits!
* More great vendors with Cool Stuff to sell!
* More fun games and contests, including the Nerd Trivia Challenge!
* Tour The Computer Museum History Center!
* And of course, FREE STUFF!!
In short, plenty of stuff to indulge all your SENSES:
HEAR the speakers! SEE vintage computers! TOUCH them too!
SMELL their electronics! But please don't TASTE them!
"The mission of the Vintage Computer Festival is to promote
the preservation of 'obsolete' computers by allowing attendees to
experience the people, stories and technologies that embody the
remarkable tale of the computer revolution."
Register Early and $AVE!
Register by June 30 and pay only $15 per person (or $20 per person
by September 15). That includes access to the entire event all
weekend, including the speakers, the exhibit and the flea market.
Kids 17 and under are admitted free, and as always, parking is free
too!
To pre-register, send a check or money order to:
Vintage Computer Festival
4275 Rosewood Drive #29-161
Pleasanton, California 94588
Or visit the VCF website for more information and a handy registration
form ready to print (
http://www.vintage.org/vcf/register.htm).
The Speakers
Horst Zuse
Horst, the eldest son of early digital computer pioneer Konrad Zuse,
will be giving a lecture on his late father's machines and will
focus on the computer businesses that Konrad later founded to market
his ideas.
Jon Titus
Who can forget one of the earliest of kit microcomputers, the Mark-8?
Jon designed the Mark-8 around Intel's 8008 microprocessor and wrote
a construction article which appeared in the July 1974 issue of
Radio Electronics.
Todd Fischer
Todd bought the assets of IMSAI after their bankruptcy and continued
to manufacture and sell IMSAI products under the Fischer-Frietas
Corporation. Todd consulted with MGM for the movie _War Games_ and,
as a treat, will be bringing along for show and tell the actual IMSAI
8080 computer that co-starred in the film.
Stan Veit
Stan is an early chronicler of the microcomputer revolution, and also
a participant. Stan started one of America's first computer stores in
New York, and in the process forged relationships with some of today's
revered pioneers, including Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, whom he
shared a booth with at the first West Coast Computer Faire where the
Apple ][ was debuted to the world.
Jim Willing
Our admired and beloved VCF Celebrity, Jim will wax philosophic on
various themes of stupendous relevance.
Eugene Kim
Eugene is a writer for Dr. Dobb's Journal (a VCF sponsor!) and will
be giving a lecture on the history of free software, a very relevant
topic considering the free-software movement is in full force in
today's computing arena as evidenced by the escalating adoption of
GNU/Linux.
Curt Vendel
Curt is the founder of the Atari Historical Society (check out his
great website at
http://www.atari-history.com) and has amassed an
amazing collection of Atari artifacts and company history, including
some one-of-a-kind Atari prototypes. Curt will be bringing along
some of these prototypes for show and tell.
Roger Sinasohn
Roger is an avid collector of early portable computers and will be
giving a talk on the history of the Kyocera 85, a.k.a. the Tandy
Model 100, a.k.a. the Olivetti M10, a.k.a. the NEC PC-8201A.
Doug Salot
Doug's research has uncovered what he believes to be the first
"personal computer". Forget the Apple ][, the Altair or even the
Alto. Doug's pick as first PC goes all the way back to the 1950's.
Designed by Edmund Berkeley, an unsung hero of computer history,
Doug intends to win Berkeley the prominance and praise that he feels
is much deserved by this virtually unknown computer visionary.
Plus!
Workshops by Parallax on their amazing little BASIC Stamp. Get
a preview of this cool little device by visiting their website
at
http://www.parallaxinc.com.
More speakers to be announced soon! Check the VCF website for
updates.
The Vintage Computer Faire and Exhibition
This year, the Vintage Computer Festival exhibit will feature the
exhibits of individual collectors, all vying to win first, second
or third place in eleven categories, plus the coveted "Best of Show"
award. The winner of the "Best of Show" ribbon will also win
fabulous prizes.
This year, we want YOU to exhibit the pride of your collection.
What better way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for your hobby than
to be an exhibitor at the Vintage Computer Festival.
Exhibitor information can be found on the Vintage Computer Festival
website (
http://www.vintage.org/vcf/exhibit.htm).
The Vintage Computer Flea Market
Every year the best deals on vintage computer items can be found
at the Vintage Computer Flea Market. Here are only a few of the
amazing items sold at last year's flea market:
* Apple 1 (no, we're NOT kidding!)
* SWTPc 6800
* A rare computer by "the digital group"
* Morrow Decision 1 (S-100)
* California Computer Systems (S-100)
* Apple Lisa 2
* And much, much more!!
If you've got old computer stuff that you'd like to sell, there's
no better place than the Vintage Computer Flea Market at the
Vintage Computer Festival. Please visit our website for rates
and regulations (
http://www.vintage.org/vcf/vendor.htm).
The Nerd Trivia Challenge!
Hey trivia fans! Think you got what it takes to survive the Nerd
Trivia Challenge? If you qualify, you'll be pitted against two
other players in a battle to determine who is the undisputed master
of computer history trivia. Answer the most questions correctly
and you could walk away with $50 in cash plus some other nifty prizes.
Lightweights need not apply, this contest is geared towards the
serious computer history enthusiast. For contest rules please visit
http://www.vintage.org/vcf/ntc.htm.
Tour The Computer Museum History Center!
The Computer Museum History Center boasts the largest collection
of historic computer artifacts in the world. Their collection
includes rare, one-of-a-kind computers and artifacts that date
back to the early part of the century and beyond.
A tour of the History Center's "Visible Storage" warehouse will
be organized on Sunday, October 3. Tickets are limited and so
advanced registration is recommended.
FYI: The History Center is on the move, and is thrilled to announce
plans to build a permanent museum to be dedicated by 2007. You
can help the History Center achieve its goal by becoming a member.
Information about becoming a member of the History Center can be
found at
http://www.computer-history.org.
Meet Fellow Computer Collectors!
The VCF is the premier gathering for collectors of vintage computers.
What better way to enjoy your hobby than by meeting other like-minded
individuals to share stories and information about your computer
collection. Register now!
http://www.vintage.org/vcf/register.htm
Visit our Sponsors!
Without our sponsors, the Vintage Computer Festival could not be
a reality. It is our wonderful sponsors that enabled us to bring
you the Vintage Computer Festival year after year. Demonstrate
your appreciation by visiting them on the web:
Parallax, Inc.
http://www.parallaxinc.com
Parallax manufactures the BASIC Stamp, a versatile
microcontroller with a built-in BASIC language that is
suitable for most any electronics and computer hobbyist
project.
Dr. Dobb's Journal
http://www.ddj.com
Dr. Dobb's Journal is the oldest continually running
microcomputer journal, in existence since 1975. It
features monthly articles and columns geared towards
the computer programming professional.
EOF
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar_at_siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out.
Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0!
See
http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 05/25/99]
Received on Sat Jun 26 1999 - 22:20:09 BST