Author Archives: Mark Little

About Mark Little

Born in Atlanta sometime in the past. Happily married to my wifey Lizzy for 16 years and living in our cute bungalow (Honeysuckle Cottage) in East Atlanta Village since 2004. We have one cat named Iggy. Interested in computing since 1983 with purchase of my first computer, the TI-99/4a. Moved on from there to an Atari 800XL, then self-built Windows 3.1 machine after that. Computers I currently own: TI-99/4a with PEB, Speech Synthesizer, and Program Recorder; a recently acquired TI-99/4; an Atari 130XE with 1050 Floppy Drive and all of my 1980's-era 8-bit software; a recently acquired Apple 20" iMac G4 with Harman/Cardon Pro Speakers, iSight and AirPort Extreme Base Station; and a 2011 15" Apple MacBook Pro laptop. Know BASIC (both TI and Atari) and HTML backwards and forwards, and am familiar with TI Assembly (TMS9900) language. Took FORTRAN, COBOL, and PASCAL in college. Game systems I currently own: a 4-switch woody Atari VCS (2600) with about 50 game carts (mostly loose); and two Atari Lynx II consoles (one with McWill upgrade), about 60 game carts (most CIB), and all of the various Lynx accessories. Current host of the monthly Atari Lynx HandyCast podcast and the TUBE TUNES TV theme music podcast.

Mark Little

Photos from Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 7.0

 

Photos courtesy of Jon Guidry and Mark Little

Spread the Word: Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 7.0!

The seventh iteration of the Vintage Computer Festival Southeast, commonly known as VCFSE 7.0, will be here on April 27-28, 2019. All members of The Atlanta Historical Computing Society are encouraged to spread the word far and wide, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Nextdoor.com, everywhere. Tell your friends, neighbors, family, schools, fellow students, co-workers, everyone. The graphic above, from the Computer Museum of America’s Facebook page, is shareable across many platforms, so please feel free to use it to get the word out; just include the following URL in your promotions:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=atlanta%20historical%20computing%20society&epa=SEARCH_BOX

Also, please don’t forget that we still need volunteers to cover the concessions and consignments areas.

We want this festival to be the best VCFSE ever!

Particulars:

  • When: Saturday, April 27, 2019 (10am to 7pm) and Sunday, April 28, 2019 (12noon to 5pm).
  • Where: At the new Computer Museum of America, 5000 Commerce Parkway, Roswell, GA 30076, in the rear of Roswell Town Center Mall.
  • Who: EVERYONE IS INVITED…computer geeks, families/children, STEM students, students, collectors, IT professionals, curious onlookers, etc.
  • How Much: Admission prices to both the festival and museum together is: $15/day or $22/both days for Adults 18-64, $10/day or $15/both days for Children 4-17, $40/day or $60/both days for a Family of Four, $12/day or $18/both days for Seniors 65+ and for College Students, and FREE for accompanied children 3 and under.
  • What: Douglas McIlroy, one of the original developers of UNIX at AT&T Labs in 1969, is set to be the keynote speaker for the event on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 11am to 12noon. In addition, there will be over 20 working, hands-on exhibits on display spanning the history of computers from the earliest days of mainframe and mini-computers right up to the micro-computers (and, yes, gaming consoles) of the 1980s and 1990s. Also included are hands-on activities (including a supervised soldering station), a consignment area, a vendor area, and concessions for attendees. Finally, all attendees to the festival will be allowed to tour the Computer Museum of America, due to open in July of 2019.
  • Why: Because…you know…computers.

 

Next AHCS Meeting Has Been Moved One Week Ahead

Because the Atlanta Historical Computing Society will not have access to the usual venue on the usual second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting day, the April meeting has been moved ahead one week to Saturday, April 6, 2019. The time (1pm-5pm) and meeting place (Christ the Lord Lutheran Church in Lawrenceville, GA) of the April meeting will otherwise remain the same. This earlier date will also allow the club to address any last minute VCFSE 7.0 concerns or issues in a timely fashion. Please make a note of the earlier date.

All current and prospective Atlanta Historical Computing Society members are encouraged to attend this final meeting before the big Vintage Computer Festival SouthEast 7.0 show on April 27-28.

Thank you.

First Meeting of the New Year!

This Saturday, January 12, The Atlanta Historical Computing Society will hold it’s regular monthly meeting from 1pm-5pm; this will be the first club meeting of 2019. Any and all members, along with anyone who holds a keen interest in historical computing, are encouraged to attend. And if you have any computers, consoles, etc. that you need help fixing, or if you have anything you’d like to show off to the club, bring them along, too.

Among the topics to be discussed in this meeting will be fleshing out further details about Vintage Computer Festival SouthEast 7.0, which is scheduled for April 27-28, 2019. Please don’t miss this meeting, which will be held at our normal meeting place: Christ the Lord Lutheran Church, 1001 Duluth Highway, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.