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An Old Computer Trip
As with other unusual interests, “old computers” have been the subject of get-togethers of various type. For some time, though, whenever I saw notices of conventions and expositions on that topic they’ve been far enough away going to them seemed too big a deal for me.
Not that long ago, though, in reading through the archives of a Color Computer mailing list I saw a notice of a weekend exposition a mere long drive away. The thought of making a day trip gathered strength in me. What I did wonder about was how much of a hassle traffic might be going through the conurbation in the way. Travelling much the same route to the annual family reunion picnic (where one relative happens to have his own interest in old computers) a few weekends before turned my thoughts towards trying transit. It would take longer, but I’d be able to do something other during those hours than keep my eyes on the road ahead and maybe listen to music.
After two trains and a bus ride (which did get onto the toll highway I’ve never paid to go on before) I arrived just a short walk from the converted downtown department store the exposition was being held in. It took up one upstairs floor, and as it turned out among the Commodore machines and examples from other companies there were several Color Computers. One person bought a “Micro Color Computer,” the short-lived attempt to compete in the “small starter machine” segment someone’s been porting games to for a while, even if the machine on sale didn’t come with a power supply. I succumbed to the temptation of buying a Raspberry Pi with power supply and other accessories, although as it turned out not the very latest model; thoughts of hooking it up to my TV instead of using a bigger portable to play downloaded videos had popped into my head. As it turned out, I also ran into the relative with his own interest in old computers.
Not that long ago, though, in reading through the archives of a Color Computer mailing list I saw a notice of a weekend exposition a mere long drive away. The thought of making a day trip gathered strength in me. What I did wonder about was how much of a hassle traffic might be going through the conurbation in the way. Travelling much the same route to the annual family reunion picnic (where one relative happens to have his own interest in old computers) a few weekends before turned my thoughts towards trying transit. It would take longer, but I’d be able to do something other during those hours than keep my eyes on the road ahead and maybe listen to music.
After two trains and a bus ride (which did get onto the toll highway I’ve never paid to go on before) I arrived just a short walk from the converted downtown department store the exposition was being held in. It took up one upstairs floor, and as it turned out among the Commodore machines and examples from other companies there were several Color Computers. One person bought a “Micro Color Computer,” the short-lived attempt to compete in the “small starter machine” segment someone’s been porting games to for a while, even if the machine on sale didn’t come with a power supply. I succumbed to the temptation of buying a Raspberry Pi with power supply and other accessories, although as it turned out not the very latest model; thoughts of hooking it up to my TV instead of using a bigger portable to play downloaded videos had popped into my head. As it turned out, I also ran into the relative with his own interest in old computers.
