I just returned home from my voyage to Munich for the VCF 1.0e and I
am happy to report that it went rather well, in fact as well as expected.
A little over 100 people came through over the course of the weekend.
There were some great exhibits, including a complete VAX 11/850 setup
and running, an Atari 1450XLD (only a few of these exist), some rare
East German microcomputers, and even an Inca Quipu!
We somehow managed to execute the Nerd Trivia Challenge despite
numerous technical challenges. Our own Philip Belben took 2nd place.
Congratulations, Phil!
After the event was over, Hans, Philip and myself went on a three day
whirlwind tour around Germany. Three days couped up in a car with a
wacky Bavarian is more torture than anyone should ever be subjected to,
but Philip and I managed to make it through the ordeal without too many
psychological scars (I enter long term counseling tomorrow). Of course
you may get slightly differing opinions from Philip but pay him no mind ;)
Somehow we didn't find time to visit the Deutches Museum in Munich to
see the Siemens 2002 (worlds first transistorized computer) but we did
make it to the Technik Museum in Berlin and saw many fine Zuse
machines, including a replica of the Z1 and a Z23, along with some other
special purpose machines. It was a fantastic exhibit. I got digital photos
of the machines and will be posting them to the VCF website shortly (I'll
announce when they are up).
We then made it over to the Heinz Nixdorf Museum in Paderborn and I
must say I am impressed! What an excellent place. They had excellent
exhibits starting with humankind's earliest attempts at writing and
counting and worked up through various stages of technological
innovation to the computers. There were all sorts of excellent machines
on exhibit but we weren't allowed to take any photos :( The place was
crawling with spooks ready to give you a sound drubbing if even the
thought of taking a picture crossed your mind. Always the rebel I did
manage to snap a picture of one of the exhibits anyway. Nyah.
Anyway, highly recommended.
We bought some good books, including an autobiography of Konrad
Zuse which I had the pleasure of reading on the long flight back. What
an amazing story! We also scored some prints of Zuse's, one of which
was even signed by him when he visited the museum before he passed
away.
I spent the last two days in Oxford, England, where I delivered two talks
on computer collecting. I was able to meet our own John Honiball there
as well as pick up several good books from a used book store. I didn't
have time to search for any old computers but I did make contact with a
Physics professor there at Oxford who has in his own collection several
of the DEC machines the university has discarded over the years,
including a PDP-8 (i.e. "straight 8"). He said he knows of some DEC
machines (an 11/23 was specifically mentioned) that are to be discarded
soon so if anyone has any interested in making contact with him (I'm
sure he'll be a continued source of good stuff) then contact me privately
and I'll pass on his contact information.
I also managed to find some neat-o stuff in Munich at a flea market we
went to before the VCF. I got an Atari 520ST+ (only because I don't have
a '+' model), a Sharp PC-1500 with expansion chassis and case, and a
Siemens teletext terminal that was used in Germany throughout the 80s
(similar to the French Minitel or the English Prestel systems).
Now that VCF 1.0e is a part of history, I will start ramping up production
for VCF 4.0. My interest in producing an East Coast USA event is also
growing, and I will be contacting those who have offered assistance in the
coming weeks to determine if a summertime event would be feasible. As
well, if there is anyone in the New England region who would like to
assist then please contact me privately.
Thanks to everyone who helped with VCF 1.0e, and of course extra-
special thanks go to Hans Franke for making it a reality. I also thank
him for teaching me some particularly juicy German. As my reportoire of
languages grows I will soon be able to insult and offend people the world
over!
Pictures of VCF 1.0e will be posted to the VCF website soon. Stay
tuned for details.
We'll see you all at the next VCF!
Sellam International Man of Intrigue and Danger
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Looking for a six in a pile of nines...
VCF Europe: April 29th & 30th, Munich, Germany
VCF Los Angeles: Summer 2000 (*TENTATIVE*)
VCF East: Planning in Progress
See
http://www.vintage.org for details!
Received on Sun May 07 2000 - 14:03:14 BST