Michael Sippey
The Icon Garden
Description: Userlandia is a podcast and blog for the retro and modern tech enthusiast.
Whirring hard drives, clackety keyboards, and CRT monitors—ah, the sounds of spring. Unable to resist this siren song, certain species of migratory nerds find themselves congregating at the source of this cacophony: the Jersey Shore. Here, in Userlandia, we’re taking a road trip to the east coast’s finest antique computer event: the Vintage Computer Festival East .
Ah, New Jersey. Home of the Devils, Bruce Springsteen, and Rum Ham. My last visit was back in 2021 for VCF East. After missing the 2022 event due to a scheduling conflict, I cleared my calendar to attend in 2023. I enjoyed the vibe of the 2021 show— check out my review from back then —and a five hour drive from my home base northwest of Boston is reasonable for a long weekend getaway. Driving to the show makes it possible to buy or sell big, bulky computers that won’t fit in a carry-on. With a car packed fu
VCF East’s usual venue is the InfoAge Science and History Museums in Wall, New Jersey. Not much has changed since my last visit, and the same rooms (save for one) played their same roles. Hundreds of antique computers and the people that love them congregated in these halls over the course of three days. With exhibitors that exhibit! Vendors that vend! And consignments to consign! So let’s dive in to the highlights, lowlights, and LED lights surrounding VCF East.
Michael Sippey
The Icon Garden