Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

ascii.textfiles.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 76 posts

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#41

Post by amichlin »

As a former warehouse volunteer at VCF in Wall, NJ, I can attest that this blog post consists of only conjecture and no facts.

Everything was checked for archiving. Everything was offered to anyone who would listen for over a year. Most of the paper found a good home. In fact, a better home as the warehouse is near the ocean and has no climate control. Not a good place to donate paper. It should never have been donated and should never have been accepted (under previous management).

I was actually there. Nothing in this blog post is factual.

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#42

Post by nanomonkey »

nxobject wrote: post #39
h2odragon wrote: post #10

The politics of volunteer organizations tends to get uglier after there gets to be money in it. Preservation of things like this, ephemeral history, is important. Everybody recognizes that immediately: "hey what a good idea if someone would save that stuff". The actual doing gets harder. i got a stack of 17 years of "PC magazine" somewhere; easy to find people who say "oo cool i'd love to look through those" but much…

I'm sad there's no easily-available public resource that would at least destructively scan those for you.

Internet Archive scans all sorts of media and saves them.

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#43

Post by cranky908canuck »

With a large (at least in kilograms) collection of vinyl and shellac records, I have looked into the 'what happens next (ie., what should my executor do)' issue.

The most memorable comment was in the blog of a buyer of collections. Can't find the link but paraphrased: "I will never even look at a collection that has had anyone else peruse and buy some discs. They bought your collection." As in, most 'collections' are really 'accumulations', the dealer will buy your accumulation and give you psychological cover that someone really values all of it, but keep the valuable stuff and bin the rest --- and first do an assay that there are indeed some gems in the ore.

Also, "If you recognize the performers, it's not of any value".

I see so many records at thrift shops that make me think "Crap, did I drop that off by mistake in my last move" that I have to concede that the fate of my collection will be the replacement of fossil fuels. As a classical listener and collector, I am nontheless moving to a (cynical?) assessment that a lot of those collections are "the music you were told you should enjoy".

Yep, it's heartbreaking. This thread makes me think about what the real goal should be, given that the material media is merely fuel. Maybe a short document about the things that I want to charge the beneficiaries with giving a listen to?

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#45

Post by woleium »

cranky908canuck wrote: post #43

With a large (at least in kilograms) collection of vinyl and shellac records, I have looked into the 'what happens next (ie., what should my executor do)' issue. The most memorable comment was in the blog of a buyer of collections. Can't find the link but paraphrased: "I will never even look at a collection that has had anyone else peruse and buy some discs. They bought your collection." As in, most 'collections' are…

what is it you are trying to leave behind that could not be more portably replicated by a collection of flac files?

Personally ill be happy if my children would listen to some of the music i like and remember me. my collection will not mean anything to them, nor should it.

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#46

Post by cranky908canuck »

Lerc wrote: post #28

I care about vintage computers and early computing history, because quite a few people I know are aware of this I am gifted old hardware and documentation. I have nowhere to set them up or display them so they go into storage. I would willingly gift them to good homes, I feel my role is as a custodian. I cannot make use of these things, but I can ensure that they continue to exist. I can completely sympathise with th…

'Lerc' comment speaks to the key thing here: there was a miscommunication:

Donor: I would like to charge you with care and control of this archival material. Recipient: Thank you for the containers and fuel.

What happened then is in the past, no going back. The incident raises the bar for archive recipients ("is this an archive, what can we do with it").

Some archiving orgs now will not accept donations without a monetary donation to cover the archiving process. I have to say I agree with that, insofar as it filters out "I didn't discard it, I donated it to a museum".

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#47

Post by cranky908canuck »

woleium wrote: post #45
cranky908canuck wrote: post #43

With a large (at least in kilograms) collection of vinyl and shellac records, I have looked into the 'what happens next (ie., what should my executor do)' issue. The most memorable comment was in the blog of a buyer of collections. Can't find the link but paraphrased: "I will never even look at a collection that has had anyone else peruse and buy some discs. They bought your collection." As in, most 'collections' are…

what is it you are trying to leave behind that could not be more portably replicated by a collection of flac files? Personally ill be happy if my children would listen to some of the music i like and remember me. my collection will not mean anything to them, nor should it.

You are correct! Not a technology, I'd just give them a list (eg. Shostakovich Piano Cto 2), maybe in the when 'when you read this I am gone' letter, though I would like to make it happen before then, so we can talk! ... and yes, that means do some work now.

also consider (Grand)^n(children)

Ideas about how to leave a 'repertoire legacy' would merit a new thread!

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#48

Post by sshine »

amichlin wrote: post #41

As a former warehouse volunteer at VCF in Wall, NJ, I can attest that this blog post consists of only conjecture and no facts. Everything was checked for archiving. Everything was offered to anyone who would listen for over a year. Most of the paper found a good home. In fact, a better home as the warehouse is near the ocean and has no climate control. Not a good place to donate paper. It should never have been donat…

> Nothing in this blog post is factual.

So VCF doesn’t have those plastic boxes any more?

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#49

Post by amichlin »

sshine wrote: post #48
amichlin wrote: post #41

As a former warehouse volunteer at VCF in Wall, NJ, I can attest that this blog post consists of only conjecture and no facts. Everything was checked for archiving. Everything was offered to anyone who would listen for over a year. Most of the paper found a good home. In fact, a better home as the warehouse is near the ocean and has no climate control. Not a good place to donate paper. It should never have been donat…

> Nothing in this blog post is factual. So VCF doesn’t have those plastic boxes any more?

I can't speak to that as I haven't been involved in two years.

But they were there two years ago, so I'll correct myself say almost the entirety of the blog post is false.

Re: I am no longer attending vintage computer festivals

#50

Post by init2null »

fzzzy wrote: post #26
init2null wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just found my two remaining beloved PCMags in my boxes. They have such fond memories attached, but I'm thrilled that I don't have 17 years. I understand the desire to keep years of magazines, but I'd worry that it becomes a personality trait at that point. And of course they take up way too much room. My newly-adopted Win98 PC is bad enough.

which two?

"Perfect PC", Dec 11, 2001. "Technology in America", Mar 12, 2002.

I was sixteen when I got them in the mail. Such a shameless geek.

Post reply on HN