PastaThiefHave any of you been to a VCF before? I'm planning to go to VCF Montreal in January, and I'm wondering how to make the best of it. My track record at going to conventions alone is not great, because social anxiety often means I participate less than I would if I had people with me and that I wind up feeling isolated and "off" for the whole thing. I'm also a little worried because I follow some retro nerds who are always talking about the nitty gritty of designing efficient processors and writing algorithms that make use of memory map quirks and stuff, and I'm just someone who... kinda likes and is nostalgic about old computers. I worry I'll be out of my depth.
nuxi@PastaThief I've gone to #VCFMW for a few years. On the whole it tends to be very welcoming, with the caveat that many, if not most of us in the community are in the same asocial boat. Starting a conversation can be difficult, but what brings us all is a passion for this stuff (which can sometimes be a bit overwhelming). There are a few who need to demonstrate geek cred at any opportunity, but most people are happy to find *anyone* else to chat about their hobby with.
@PastaThief and you didn't mention is as an anxiety, but I will point out that there will be plenty of other trans folk there.
Piper@PastaThief Outside of technical panels, there’s no expectation for you to know anything about internals of how the systems work - there’s plenty at VCF for someone who just wants to see and interact with strange old equipment! And the people who own the equipment are usually very happy to talk to you about it at whatever level you’re at :)
Bits&Terminal Jeff@PastaThief I've been to a couple of VCF-East and most of the people just like old computers and tech - the people who know more in-depth love to share what they know and most are very good at making it approachable. Also, almost all people with tables are happy to be there so will treat you with kindness though it can get very busy.
Last thing: each VCF has its own personality, so VCF Montreal may be quite different than any other VCF events. Just take your time, take breaks in a quiet area when you need it - no need to rush things and don't worry about missing out on anything, there's likely way more at the event than you have time for and that's okay.
I'm not going to make it to VCF Montreal, not enough time. So please let us all know about your experience once the event is over!
Zodypop@PastaThief I agree with everything that has been said so far. I went to VCF Midwest for the first time this year and loved it. I felt very comfortable there. It really feels like the Wonka land of old tech and it's easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of things you'll want to examine. Take your time. I probably circled the entire floor about 10-12 times and kept finding new gems. Enjoy!
FRANK.MCCONNEL@PastaThief Find out what you can do to help with setup and teardown. Don 't know about Montreal but I was at the first several VCFs before it was called "VCF West" and used to help there. Since 2021 I have been going along with an "exhibit" where the Friends of the Palo Alto Library bring a bunch of books to sell (really this is outreach to let folks we have a monthly book sale) and I have enough to do with setup and teardown of that.
@PastaThief Srsly this is a good way to be friendly with the folks who run the show, and you'll probably get to talk to some of the exhibitors during setup too.
@hairyvisionary @PastaThief volunteering in any capacity is an *excellent* way to help break the ice and meet people!