The VCF Midwest 2024 Report
Userlandia
Vintage Computer Festival Midwest made a massive change for 2024: they moved to a new venue! Can the Schaumburg Convention Center contain this massive mix of retro computer goodness? Join me as I try to cover almost everything at an impossibly huge at VCFMW. Blog Post: Join the Userlandia Patreon at Visit VCFMW at -=- Chapters -=- 0:00 - Intro 0:20 - Moving On Up 2:11 - Exhibition Excursion 27:18 - Venue Variables 34:27 - Vendors, Makers, and Traders 48:23 - People, Panels, and Events 59:52 - The Winds of Change -=- Contact -=- Follow on Mastodon: https://bitbang.social/@kefkafloyd Follow...
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The Apple IIGS Megahertz Myth
Userlandia
I love the Apple IIGS. It’s a great computer, but could it have been greater? The legend goes that Apple purposefully underclocked its CPU during development to avoid competing with the Macintosh. But is this actually true? Join me for a deep dive into the IIGS architecture, the life of the 65816 CPU, and the ghosts of keynotes past. Blog Post: Join the Userlandia Patreon at -=- Chapters -=- 0:00 - Intro 0:27 - The Myth, The Legend, the Apple IIGS 6:09 - The Apple IIx 12:21 - The Need for Speed 15:52 - The Birth of the 65C816 22:56 - Yields, Bugs, and Errata 33:56 - Accelerators, ASIC Inc,...
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Installing OS/2 on a PS/2 Model 80: 5000 Subscriber Special
Userlandia
I’ve hit 5,000 subscribers, and what better way to celebrate than to install an old operating system on a lumbering battlestation? In a past video I said I’d install IBM’s OS/2 on the PS/2 Model 80 386, and now we’re doing it. How well does it run? Will I learn to love the Workplace Shell? I’m also giving a big channel update about ongoing projects and some of my thoughts about the vintage / retro / whatever scene. How well does OS/2 run on this massive 386? You’ll have to watch to find out. Blog Post: Join the Userlandia Patreon at -=- Chapters -=- 0:00 - Intro 0:29 - Setting Up...
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VCF East 2024 Review
Userlandia
Vintage Computer Festival East is back for 2024 with more to see than ever before. After a banner crowd in 2023 the show needed to make some adjustments in 2024 to account for more people. Were those changes a success? Join me for a tour of the east coast’s big retro tech expo. Blog Post: -=- Chapters -=- 00:00 - Intro 00:18 - Exhibits, Vendors, and Things to See 13:51 - Panels & Events 20:04 - Consignment Considerations 30:15 - A Change Will Do You Good -=- Links -=- * The Vintage Computer Federation - * InfoAge Science Museums - https://www.infoage.org -=- Contact -=- Follow on...
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An American Visits British Computer Museums
Userlandia
Computer museums are a great place to check out the coolest of vintage tech. I’ve been to my share in America, but what about the rest of the world? Join me as I fly across the pond to check out some of the UK’s coolest collections of classic computers. There’s Sinclairs, Acorns, and Amstrads—oh my! Blog Post: -=- Chapters -=- 00:00 - Intro 00:18 - An American Tourist in King Retro’s Court 02:31 - The Centre for Computing History 12:51 - A Colossal Cave Adventure 23:11 - The Best of Britain -=- Links -=- * The Centre for Computing History - * Retro Collective Site - *...
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Garmin iQue 3600: How A Palm OS PDA with GPS Predicted The Future
Userlandia
Garmin iQue 3600 We take for granted that we can pull out a phone and get directions to almost anywhere on Earth. But years before Apple and Google gave us the tools to navigate our lives a GPS maker gave us the first pocketable personal digital assistant with an embedded GPS. Featuring dynamic turn-by-turn directions, the Garmin iQue 3600 built an amazingly powerful navigational tool on top of Palm OS. How did it stack up against the competition when it launched in 2003? Can I still get accurate directions from a device released two decades ago? And can I install up-to-date maps to...
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IBM's 386 Tower of Power: The PS/2 Model 80
Userlandia
IBM was late to the 386 PC party, but when they finally arrived they made a statement about what they thought the future of computing would be. With a 32-bit Micro Channel bus and room for six drives IBM aimed this tower directly at the likes of Compaq. But what’s inside this monstrous machine and how can it be upgraded? And what can you do with an old boat anchor like this? Join me as I pull this PC apart to see what you got when you bought a $6,845 workstation in 1990. -=- Chapters -=- 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - Adopting a Micro Channel PC 04:38 - The Case 07:35 - Drive Bays and Power...
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IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 - Computers of Significant History
Userlandia
What was the first retro or vintage computer you collected? I saved an obsolete PS/2 Model 30 286 from the scrap heap back in 1997. This machine was a footsoldier in IBM’s war to reclaim their ownership of the PC platform they invented. But why did they bring out a machine featuring ISA after hyping up Micro Channel? And where do these machines fit in for the modern collector? Watch to find out. Blog Post: https://www.userlandia.com/home/ibm-ps2-model-30-286 -=- Chapters -=- 00:00 Intro 00:28 The IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 10:18 Baud to the Bone 22:20 The Big Blue Meanies 37:28 Mr. Big Blue Sky...
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The Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 2023 Report
Userlandia
I’m back at the Vintage Computer Festival Midwest for another convention of old and obsolete technology. With tons of retro computers and video games it’s a celebration of old technology and the people that made them. VCF is bigger than ever in 2023, with more panels, more exhibitors, more vendors, and more attendees. But being bigger also means more challenges. Did VCFMW rise to the occasion and conquer the challenges, or did it crash like an old PC running Windows 95? You’ll have to watch to find out. Blog Post: -=- Chapters -=- 00:00 Intro 00:40 VCF Midwest Returns 03:21 Exhibits and...
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Sun, Surf, and Street Fighter: The World of East Coast Beach Arcades
Userlandia
Any self-respecting beach town in the United States has an arcade. But there's a certain variety that lives along the northeast Atlantic coast. When kids of all ages tire of the sand and surf, they can hop on to the boardwalk for video games and the chance to win big prizes. Join me as we experience Fun-O-Rama in York Beach, Maine, a classic beach arcade I’ve been visiting for over thirty years. Blog Post: -=- Chapters -=- 00:00 Intro 00:28 Sun, Surf, and VIdeogames 02:16 Inside Fun-O-Rama 05:15 How the Beach Arcade Survived 09:00 Destination: Arcade 13:17 Outtro -=- Subscribe -=- Apple...
info_outlineI’m back at the Vintage Computer Festival Midwest for another convention of old and obsolete technology. With tons of retro computers and video games it’s a celebration of old technology and the people that made them. VCF is bigger than ever in 2023, with more panels, more exhibitors, more vendors, and more attendees. But being bigger also means more challenges. Did VCFMW rise to the occasion and conquer the challenges, or did it crash like an old PC running Windows 95? You’ll have to watch to find out.
Blog Post: https://www.userlandia.com/vcf-midwest-2023
-=- Chapters -=-
00:00 Intro
00:40 VCF Midwest Returns
03:21 Exhibits and Ambiance
15:11 Testing the Limits
20:25 Let’s Make a Deal
29:24 People and Panels
35:12 The Vibe
46:46 Outtro
-=- Links -=
* VCF Midwest - https://www.vcfmw.org
* The VCF Midwest YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/@VCFMW
-=- Subscribe -=-
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-=- Contact -=-
Follow on Mastodon: https://bitbang.social/@kefkafloyd
Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kefkafloyd.bsky.social
Visit The Website: https://www.userlandia.com
Join The Userlandia Discord: https://discord.com/invite/z2jmF93
Theme Song by Space Vixen: https://spacevixenmusic.bandcamp.com
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Astronaut In A Submarine by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
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Our Sunrise by Diamond Ace | https://soundcloud.com/diamond-ace-music
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Autumn Dance by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
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Ambivert by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
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➞ Artist: Ron Gelinas
➞ Track Title: Curious (Original Mix)
➞ Link to Track: youtu.be/h-yia5l_Jjs
Artist: Ron Gelinas
Track Title: Slinky
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Downtown Walk by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
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Sundown by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
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Tokyo by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
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