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Vintage Computer Federation has initiated a fundraiser for InfoAge operating expenses. As with many museums across the country InfoAge was hit hard by lower visitor numbers, yet the expenses keep coming. For those that don’t know, VCF leases space for our museum and warehouse from InfoAge. So we are looking to help them as it benefits us and all the other museums under the InfoAge umbrella to stay in business.

Our doors stay open as a result of the volunteers’ efforts, the donations made by visitors to InfoAge, as well as grants and other fundraising efforts.

As you can imagine, the long closures, limited capacity and public concerns that have come as a result of COVID-19 have seriously hurt our ability to raise money and continue to maintain and improve the Camp Evans Historical Landmark Site and the museums that occupy it’s spaces.

Starting with the resident non-profits, we are pooling our resources to keep the doors to our home here at Camp Evans/InfoAge open and continue to share this wonderful place with the public. But we need your help to make it through these difficult times.

ANY donation will help make an impact.

How will your donation help? Your donations will assist InfoAge in paying for daily operating expenses (like keeping the electricity on!) repairs and maintenance and installation of new exhibits just to name a few!

Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.

We set a goal of $10,000 to go towards operating expenses to keep the lights on. You can donate by going here: https://gofund.me/f72ab5f0.

Hello everyone,

Today is Giving Day, so I’d like to remind everyone that VCF is a 501c3 non-profit. We are always open to donations of money. We always need funding especially in a year where the largest sources of our funding, our Vintage Computer Festivals, were cancelled due to Covid-19.

Here are the ways that you can send us cash donations:

1. Check by Mail:  P.O. Box 417, Eatontown, NJ, 07724
2. PayPay: paypal@vcfed.org
3. Amazon Smile: smile.amazon.com/gp/ch/list/47-4133714

An unrestricted donation is best for us to fund the most needed project.

Here are current projects that we are working on:

1. Warehouse organizing materials
2. Warehouse climate control materials
3. Warehouse climate control equipment
4. Museum artifact display improvements
5. Museum office supplies

The Vintage Computer Federation is having its first Swap Meet event. This swap meet is for vintage computers, radios, TVs, ham radios and related items.

FREE FOR BUYERS!

Vendors: $20 for 1st space, $10 for each additional space.

DATE: November 7, 2020 (RAIN DATE: November 8, 2020)
TIME: 9AM to 6PM
LOCATION: Huge Parking lot on Monmouth Boulevard between Watson Road and Taft Street in Wall, NJ

Across from InfoAge Museum and Brookdale College
GPS location: 40.1848793,-74.0630848
Google Maps: Click Here
Satellite Map Click Here
Flyer – PNG
Flyer – PDF

WEBSITE: https://vcfed.org/vcf-swap-meet
EMAIL: swapmeet@vcfed.org
PHONE: 732-722-5015

If you are interested in renting a space, please fill out this Reservation Form

VCF events are done for the year, the world is still a mess, and our supply of t-shirts is dwindling! If you were thinking about getting one of these beautiful shirts, now is the time!

Two great colors to chose from, and the back sums up 2020 perfectly! (Green is shown; amber shirts have an amber back as well. Bonus points if you know where the caterpillar comes from.  Hint: it is not from Centipede!)

Your cost for this masterpiece? Just $20 + shipping, and all profits go to support VCFed. The shirts are made for us by A Nova Print in Portland, OR.  Men’s and Women’s sizes are available, but some sizes have already sold out.

More information can be found at https://vcfed.org/t-shirts/

The Vintage Computer Federation and the System Source Computer Museum are hosting a vintage computer workshop on Saturday November 14^th and Sunday November 15^th 2020 at:

System Source Computer Museum

338 Clubhouse Road,

Hunt Valley, MD  21031

Plenty of free parking, short walk from Baltimore’s light rail (Gilroy Road Stop)

Saturday November 14^th, 2020 we will open at 9:00 AM on and will lock up by 7:30 PM.

We will go to dinner afterwards. Details to follow soon.

Sunday November 15th we will open at 9:00 AM and lock up at 5:00 PM

All social distancing restrictions must be followed such as wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart. There is plenty of space in the workshop areas.

Accommodations:  Try https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g41196-Hunt_Valley_Maryland-Hotels.html

Feel free to talk with others about sharing a room.

Food:   There are plenty of restaurants within a short drive.   We will have a catered Indian buffet on Saturday at cost ($12.00?) and catered Barbecue ($12.00?) on Sunday for those who sign up.

We will feature tours of the museum throughout both days and several mini-workshops:

• Retrobright workshop (bring your yellowed plastics)
• Pre-industrial computing class –  Learn to use a slide rule, and various types of Abaci
• Hot Metal Typesetting (3500 lb word processor)

If you need a machine to work on, please let me know.  We have lots of computers awaiting restoration!

If you have unusual needs, (220 Volts, fork lift, etc please email Bob Roswell at museum@syssrc.com

Bob Roswell

broswell@syssrc.com

https://museum.syssrc.com

410-771-5544 x 4336

Sign up for the repair workshop is here: <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z72yC72x5PmN4jb0Aw8uK3x0sQwMAk-0Opuee_zYu5Y/edit?usp=sharing>

Anthropologist Margaret Mead famously noted that,“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Curt Vendel, Atari collector and historian passed away unexpectedly on August 30, at age 53, was one of these ‘committed citizens,’ a walking one man archive of Atari history. Vendel was the guiding light behind the Atari History Museum, an online and physical archive of over 15,000 documents from Atari, which he in many cases rescued from oblivion as part of a lifetime of intense collecting efforts. The collection also includes “information, images and personal stories on all items produced by Atari as well as news and links to further assist any and all individuals interested in learning more about the company that helped to pioneer and shape many areas of Video Arcade Entertainment, Home Consumer Electronics, Personal Computer Systems and much, much more.” The Museum is celebrating its 40th year. Vendel was known to be kind, outgoing, and generous with his time. His loss will be keenly felt by the retrogaming and history of computing community. He leaves behind his wife Michelle and daughter Madison, a college freshman.

The VCF West Schedule and YouTube streaming link have been posted.

Mark your calendars and spread the word far and wide!

Details about the Q&A sessions after each talk will be posted sometime this week.

You can e-mail questions about each talk to microphone@vcfed.org and Erik will ask the questions live.

What: Vintage Computer Festival Pacific Northwest 2020
When: Saturday March 21st and Sunday March 22nd
Where: Living Computers:Museum+Labs in Seattle, Washington.
Web site: https://vcfed.org/vcf-pnw

Why … So you can share your favorite old computers and projects in person with like-minded others for two full days at a great venue. This is one of the many ways we celebrate computing history while reaching out to a larger audience, and hopefully inspiring others.

As of this writing we have seven exhibitors, three speakers, and a handful of volunteers signed up. We are looking for 20 to 25 exhibitors in total, another speaker or two, and a few more volunteers. While returning exhibits are welcome, we want to encourage first-timers to step up and try it out. (It is fun and rewarding!)

If you know that you can bring an exhibit please look at https://vcfed.org/vcf-pnw/exhibitor-registration and then fill in the registration form. (Potential volunteers and speakers – send me an email instead, as there is no form.) If you are “on the fence” or just have questions please send me an email and I will get things sorted out for you. The registration deadline is January 31st but if you know you can commit now it will make project planning easier.

A description of the event can be found at https://vcfed.org/vcf-pnw. General information for exhibitors including links to pictures from last year, a link to the registration form, and a FAQ can be found at https://vcfed.org/vcf-pnw/exhibitor-registration. Feel free to email me with questions.

Thanks,
Mike
michael@vcfed.org

The Vintage Computer Federation Museum located at the InfoAge Science Museum (formerly Camp Evans) in Wall, NJ. will be closed for the entire month of January due to renovations. We are excited about the improvements planned. We will update everyone when the renovations are completed. The repair workshop is still scheduled for January 25 & 26.