Must be KansasFest... It's gotta be!

[Wholly Mindless]

I have to admit that about a week ago I started firing up my Apple //gs. Just a little diversion. It was nice to see that it booted first time and was nicely silent and fast thanks to my CFFA (Compact Flash hard disk). It was nice to have it boot because some of my last Apple ][+ memories revolve around the question if it was going to boot today. (Loose socketed chips are a nightmare)

The day after A2 Unplugged popped up with a new episode, I think it was the year end/upcoming year episode he does every year with people from the Apple 2 community. This got me thinking about all the stuff that has gone on over the last few years since I got back into this and just how much neat stuff and new people and new products are being created to keep our old machines going.

Then I hear about the new Java VM for the Apple 2. I too ask "Why" and think why would I put java on a 2 when the darn class files are larger than RAM? And then it hits me... Because I Can.

I get a twitter from @KansasFest announcing registration is open - and it's cheaper if you sign up now by like $60...

So, last night rolls around. Another Saturday night and somehow I ended up out on ebay. Yeah, a mistake. Two instant buys later and four pending bids and I've got programming books, a //c, a broken //gs, TWO full GS systems and an apple wrench in danger of being shipped to my house. What the hell was I thinking?

This morning at 3am I pull out the phone and look for airline tickets to Kansas City in July. Crap. They're cheap enough - under $300.

Today I ask KansasFest.org what time I should fly in on July 20th and when should I fly out on July 25th if I were crazy enough to go.

I even told the ex that I'd be out of town that week (so she doesn't ship me the kid that week). I asked first so I win, right?

Dammit. I may have just run out of excuses. It looks like I'll have to go to KansasFest 2010.

[Wholly Mindless]

I just paid for one of the //gs systems. I haven't backed out of my bid on the other one yet... But do I really need three systems?

[Ken Gagne]

Rob, if you can afford all that sweet hardware, you can certainly afford to show it off at KFest 2010! :-)

[Wholly Mindless]

Update: I guess the ebay Gods were being kind to me. I only won one of the four systems that I bid on.

I guess that means I still have money to to to KansasFest.

I've asked for the days off work and even managed to tell people with a straight face what I was thinking of doing with the time. Considering one of them is 8 years younger than an Apple //, I don't think the ridicule counts. Does it?

I've got all of my current Apple //s running and even have installed every //gs emulator I can find on my netbook - even gone so far as to set up a development environment and compile GSport.

I continue to run out of excuses. Maybe I should take up lacrosse and see if I can't get a leg broken.

[Mark Frischknecht]

Kfest is worth any price.....

[Wholly Mindless]

So you've been, Mark?

[Ken Gagne]

So... how was your first KFest? :-)

[Wholly Mindless]

Sure was. It was amazing. I was terrified it would be 7 people all with snorty laughs but it was a surprisingly large and friendly group from old timers to young punks. I was amazed how varied the talks were - from new things to do with the old dogs to very technical and just plain crazy exploits - things that would have been considered amazing back in the Apple's more mainstream days.

Ivan's Slammer (embed monitor calls in applesoft without compromises) and Martin's NakeDOS/Super-Mon (program assembly interactively like working in BASIC but without compromising performance or memory.) If I could find links to the presentations, I'd make pointers. If anyone really wants them, let me know and I'll hunt them down.

I'm still energized although I've actually not fired my GS up in 24 hours, I did read programming manuals for 2 of those hours.

[Wholly Mindless]

Found a link to Martin Haye's project of NakedOS and Super-Mon

An amazing project.