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The Computer History Museum will host the Vintage Computer Festival Aug. 2-3. Photo by Heather Zimmerman

Presented by the Vintage Computer Federation, this annual event will take visitors back in time, before AI, the cloud, and even social media, to when computers were often big, boxy — and balky, to boot — but all they might make possible was also just coming into focus.  The event features historical hardware from the 1960s through the ’90s. See hands-on demos of old-school tech from Apple, Atari, Commodore and others. The festival takes place over two days and also features speakers on everything from the Apple Lisa (a precursor to the Mac) to the challenges of restoring vintage machines.

The Computer History Museum’s “Retro Games” exhibit includes cartridges and packaging from vintage games. Photo by Heather Zimmerman.

Speaking of retro tech, a visit to the festival also offers access to the Computer History Museum’s exhibitions, which includes a last chance to check out the vintage gaming exhibit, “Retro Games: From Atari to Xbox,” which closes on Sunday. The exhibit offers a look at consoles, game cartridges and even TV ads from back in the day. Visitors can also take a few arcade games for a spin.

Aug. 2-3, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View. $11.50-$35 single day admission/$23-$70 two-day admission. computerhistory.org.

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Heather Zimmerman has been with Embarcadero Media since 2019. She is the arts and entertainment editor for the group's Peninsula publications. She writes and edits arts stories, compiles the Weekend Express...

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2 Comments

  1. Based on my past perceptions of this museum, it is focused on technology while ignoring its impact on society. And that should not be ignored, especially in the one forum dedicated to thede machines. This retrospective will likely say next to nothing about the impact of a retinue of unelected social misfits acquiring outsized cultural influence that they did not earn and that they zealously protect despite the havoc they have made possible … with no end in sight.

  2. Based on my past perceptions of this museum, it is focused on technology while ignoring its impact on society. And that should not be ignored, especially in the one forum dedicated to these machines. This retrospective will likely say next to nothing about the impact of a retinue of unelected social misfits acquiring outsized cultural influence that they did not earn and that they zealously protect despite the havoc they have made possible … with no end in sight.

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