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Festival of Inappropriate Technology

A reader writes " NTK Magazine and Mute Magazine are holding a Festival of Inappropriate Technology in London city centre on the 9th of June. Featuring the Commodore 64 underground, The Classic Amiga Preservation Society, DNSCon, the EFF plus many more talks and stalls. There will also be wired and wireless network access available. The Register will also be there. Should make for a great day, all are welcome!"

80 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Today? by cheezycrust · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hmm... June 9 - gives me plenty of time to pack my bags...

    --
    Teenagers these days don't have as much sex as they want each other to think they do.
    1. Re:Today? by loply · · Score: 1

      Given the traffic on the A1, its going to take me 4 days to reach London from here (Newcastle). Bah! I was really looking forward to attending too... or not.

  2. Talks on Old Hardware? by saveth · · Score: 2

    You'd think anything interesting that could be said in a Commodore 64 talk or an Amiga talk would have been covered in some talk, oh, five or ten years ago. :P

    Then again, I guess there are some younger folk around who haven't been able to experience the wonder of a C64. I can't wait to read what people have to say *after* the conference. :)

    1. Re:Talks on Old Hardware? by BobTheBooser · · Score: 1

      Your forgeting that amiga's got a new OS that could be interesting

    2. Re:Talks on Old Hardware? by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1

      'Nuff about the C64... Does anybody remember the Commodore PET?

    3. Re:Talks on Old Hardware? by PsykhoKiwi · · Score: 1

      The wonder of a C64?

      *glances into the next room*

      I still have myself a fully functional C16...ahh Battle.

      --
      Just remember that if the world didn't suck we'd all fall off.
  3. Just been in... by dipfan · · Score: 2

    Woo hoo - never seen so many geeks in one place. There's a stall selling teatowels (trans: dish clothes) with various browers and Google search results printed on them - ideal for geek washing-up, maybe that one day a week when you rinse out the old coffee mug.

    1. Re:Just been in... by Hieronymus+Howard · · Score: 1

      Just been there too. Pretty boring and far too many geeks. Mind you, it was fun roaring up on a harley (I don't fit the geek stereotype), but not suprisingly very few girls to impress! Google teatowels were cool though. Didn't see the Reg either, though I expect that they (like us) went to the pub instead.

      HH
      --

    2. Re:Just been in... by twoshortplanks · · Score: 1
      I asked them if they were officially licenced from Google - I was told that they were more of a hommage...

      Hmmm.

      --
      -- Sorry, I can't think of anything funny to say here.
    3. Re:Just been in... by LMariachi · · Score: 1
      There's a stall selling teatowels (trans: dish clothes)

      Great... now could you please translate "dish clothes," too?

    4. Re:Just been in... by kgroves · · Score: 1

      This event was very geeky, I felt very out of place.

      I bought one of the "Help Me" google tea-towels though.

      --
      *thwock!* *groan* *crash* A horrible roar fills the cave, and you realize, with a smile....
    5. Re:Just been in... by Kredal · · Score: 1

      tdish clothes (trans: teatowels)

      --
      Whoever stated that signature sizes should be limited to one hundred and twenty characters can just go ahead and kiss my
  4. Can I...... by echucker · · Score: 3, Funny

    bring my UNIVAC that I play Pong on?

    1. Re:Can I...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Wire-wrap your own S-100 card.
      6502 tricks on the Sol.
      Debugging the CTSS on the PDP-7 with TECO.

      So on and so Forth.

    2. Re:Can I...... by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      6502 tricks on the Sol would be tricky indeed! Getting that 8080 processor do the 6502's BCD mode, very tricky. :^)

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  5. Hmm... Not enough time... by rickthewizkid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wish I had known about this earlier....

    But then again, considering that the average piece of software takes 5 minutes to load on one of those Commodores... well... maybe I can leave my house now and get there before the show is over...

    (As a side thought)

    Time required to load GEOS on a C64 - 5 minutes
    Time required to load DOS + Windows 3.1 on a 486 - 5 minutes
    Time requiree to load WinXP on a P3 - 3 minutes
    Time required to load Red Hat on a P3 workstation - 5 minutes...

    -Rick

    1. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by Ziviyr · · Score: 2, Funny

      Took my Amiga 33 seconds from reset for it to announce "System loaded at 5:55 AM."

      After another 12 seconds the backdrop appeared, but it works fine in the between time.

      --

      Someone set us up the bomb, so shine we are!
    2. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by tomstdenis · · Score: 1

      I guess you just don't know how to setup a computer

      Time required to load DOS + Windows 3.1 on a 486 - 5 minutes

      Win3.1 on my 486 [I had a 66Mhz 486SLC] booted in all of 20 seconds or so. The core of DOS took about a minute at most to boot. In total about 80 seconds from boot to windows [if it was in the autoexec.bat]

      Time requiree to load WinXP on a P3 - 3 minutes

      Now I have an Athlon XP [1.53Ghz, ATA100 disk, 512 MB of ram] and it takes roughly 2 minutes to boot. So this figure isn't too far off.

      Tom

      --
      Someday, I'll have a real sig.
    3. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by Zapdos · · Score: 2

      My 1.2 ghz Duron with redhat 7.3 boots in 84 seconds.

    4. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by ncc74656 · · Score: 2
      Time required to load Red Hat on a P3 workstation - 5 minutes...

      Sounds like it's time to dump Redh*t. LFS on a Celery 433, with Apache, Samba, Squid, OpenSSH, and qmail added, takes maybe half a minute (if that) from end-of-POST to login prompt. Even if it was configured as a workstation (with X) instead of a server (without X), I doubt that it'd take anywhere near 5 minutes to load up.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
    5. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by lazarius · · Score: 1

      those times are bullshit. redhat takes 1minute to boot (even to X) on pretty much any hardware i've seen. ditto for XP and DOS. i cant speak for GEOS.

      On my box (RH 7.2.92, Celeron Processor @ 366 MHz, lots of ram, HD etc.) it takes roughly 5 minutes, but that's due to about 3-4 minutes of ram testing - 384 MB testing at about 4MB/(every few) s is a long time.

      MIKE

      --
      Beware the JabberOrk.
    6. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by smithmc · · Score: 1

      Time required to load GEOS on a C64 - 5 minutes
      Time required to load DOS + Windows 3.1 on a 486 - 5 minutes
      Time requiree to load WinXP on a P3 - 3 minutes
      Time required to load Red Hat on a P3 workstation - 5 minutes...


      Time required to load Commodore KERNAL and BASIC 2.0 on a C64 - 5 seconds... ;-P

      --
      Downmodding is the refuge of the weak. Don't downmod, make a better argument!
    7. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by ProfMoriarty · · Score: 2
      Time requiree to load WinXP on a P3 - 3 minutes

      You haven't bought a new computer lately ... have you? WinXP is ALREADY LOADED ... sheesh ...

      Time required to load Red Hat on a P3 workstation - 5 minutes...

      Now THAT's better ... but did the P3 workstation already have WinXP loaded ... or was it an illegal "naked PC?"

      It's much yummier to fight fires with marshmallows ...

      --
      Karma? Karma? I don't need no stinkin' karma.
    8. Re:Hmm... Not enough time... by FleshWound · · Score: 1
      You haven't bought a new computer lately ... have you? WinXP is ALREADY LOADED ... sheesh ...
      That's not "loaded," that's "installed."

      Loading is the process of reading the program from disk into memory. Installing is the process of copying the program from its installation medium to the computer's hard disk.

      If you're buying your computers with Windows already "loaded," then I'd like to know what your secret is for getting the computer from the store to your house, fully set up and powered on the whole way.
  6. HP calcs.... by gTsiros · · Score: 1

    I forsee a gathering of misstreated HP calc hardcore fans... 'cause ever since the GX was introduced, the calcs are going from bad to worse :( the r&d of HP is as good as dead :/

    >

    --
    Looking for people to chat about multicopters, coding, music. skype: gtsiros
  7. been there by mocktor · · Score: 4, Informative

    I just got home from it... the wifi access is nothing to write home about but the old hardware is cool and the guy with the wearable spectrum rocked

    If any of you go - the entrance is around the back of the building, not on euston road - took me a while to figure that out :/

  8. Festival of Inappropriate Technology by SageLikeFool · · Score: 1

    When I saw the title "Festival of Inappropriate Technology" I thought it was going to be a showcase of stuff that was more along the lines of the ibrator, not old school/retro computer/hacker convention...

  9. krneki by InsaneCreator · · Score: 2

    I think I'll go look for my c64 & atari2600 & see if they still work... And at the same time I will also be able to chek if my TV is still working like it did a month ago when I last watched it. :)

    1. Re:krneki by Lemon+Wacky+Hello · · Score: 1
      TODO: have lunch, configure a server, slay a dragon, write a better sig
      Also you have to pick up some milk.
    2. Re:krneki by InsaneCreator · · Score: 1

      thank you for reminding me!

    3. Re:krneki by h2odragon · · Score: 1

      might want to get the milk _before_ you go after the dragon...

    4. Re:krneki by dossen · · Score: 1

      How would having milk help him slay the dragon? Wouldn't it be in the way? Or do you know something about dragon anatomy (besides them being big and kind of flame-breathing)?

  10. dealers, dopers, and risc by linzeal · · Score: 1
    Any (working) technology you'd like to sell - via our experimental "bring and buy" stall. Though, once again, please be (reasonably) sensible about what you bring (or buy, for that matter)

    Prevents:

    This sir is mac bong only slightly used I'm only asking 3.50 (say it like tweefiffy, ok?) I'm trying to save up to buy a origin 2000 to grow weed in.

  11. Timing? by HuskyDog · · Score: 4, Informative
    Of course, it might have been a nice idea if this item had appeared a few days ago. As it is, it seems to have been posted about 2 hours AFTER the event started!!

    From here, trains to London take about 1 hour, but what with getting to the station, waiting for a train (not frequent on Sundays) and getting across London I won't be there until its nearly over.

    Mind you, I subscribe to the mailing lists of the EFF and Campaign for Digital Rights. Both are supposed to have stands and neither bothered to tell me about it.

    1. Re:Timing? by henben · · Score: 1

      Quoth Dave Green: [upon being Slashdotted midway through event] "Why link to us now? Yeah, like they're going to fly over from San Francisco today."

    2. Re:Timing? by bakert · · Score: 1

      Well if they hadn't I wouldn't have been there for the last few hours. I'm glad they did.

      --

      "Don't open the gates, who the hell needs a wooden horse that size?"

  12. heh by Dw0rkin · · Score: 1

    /. geeks are not there?

  13. Sure...I'll just whip out my old commie... by Rhinobird · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sure...I'll just whip out my old commie and surf on over to that site and see what's up...


    Oh my GAWD!!!! you can surf with a commodore 64!

    --
    If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
  14. Live from the tea lounge.. by codework · · Score: 1

    I'm posting this from the tea lounge behind the stage.. You gotta love consume.net

    Some neat technology here and some not so neat, but it's good to catch up with some peeps..

    It's a real shame that the PA wasn't too clear for the Speccy talk..

    /J

    1. Re:Live from the tea lounge.. by Dicky · · Score: 2

      I'm on the 'conference' floor with an iPAQ :-) The wi-fi access works okay. Go say hello to Sarah, Michael and Ollie on the Linux-on PS2 stall in the corner if you read this.

      --
      Paranoia isn't an infectious condition, it's a way of life
    2. Re:Live from the tea lounge.. by Hieronymus+Howard · · Score: 1

      It's a real shame that the PA wasn't too clear for the Speccy talk

      We could hear it and, ye gods, was it dull. I'd always wanted to know about the disk controllers that 'russian spectrum hackers' use instead of cassette tapes.

      HH
      --

    3. Re:Live from the tea lounge.. by cheeseflan · · Score: 1

      I have the hots for Sarah... I think that's why they threw me out... D'oh.

      --

      Pimping my Karma Whore since 1847.

  15. Re:"Festival of Inappropriate Technology" by fallacy · · Score: 1

    Nah, that'll be in the Show Hall of Inept Technology festival next door...

  16. Timing by osiris · · Score: 2

    Well, to let you all know, i was the one who submitted this story over a week ago. I couldnt log in at the time to post it as a registered user. So i had given everyone plenty of notice about it. Just must have been a pretty busy slashdot submission bin.

    Ah well, hopefully this will become a regular festival.

  17. Accommodation... by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1

    Guess I could always use the caravan I built from that old Burroughs B3700 cabinet...

  18. Supermarket Cards by mgarraha · · Score: 2

    I find it interesting that they encourage people to exchange supermarket loyalty/discount/surveillance cards. I bias my own shopping toward stores that don't use them, but does anyone know of similar swap events in the States?

    1. Re:Supermarket Cards by jcoy42 · · Score: 1
      does anyone know of similar swap events in the States?

      It really doesn't take an "event" to swap your card.

      My friends and I have been swapping whenever possible since they first introduced the things.

      And most stores let you just give them your phone number if you've forgotten your card, so you don't even need to let them know you've "swapped".
      --
      Never trust an atom. They make up everything.
  19. If only I had known by Zemran · · Score: 1

    It would have given me a reason to dust off the Acorn Electron, as it is I have found out too late to go...

    --
    I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
  20. Blogging it live by mouthbeef · · Score: 2, Informative
    I'm blogging it live from the floor -- on Boing Boing.


    Also, live discussion on #infoanarchy on irc.openprojects.net

  21. I'm there - blogging live by BenHmm · · Score: 3, Informative
    1. Re:I'm there - blogging live by BenHmm · · Score: 2

      No, really, I was. Mod it as funny all you like...

      :-)

      It rocked, by the way. Well done to Dave and Danny and all the rest

  22. How're these for Inappropriate Technology... by Provocateur · · Score: 1

    Is there a stall for the makers of:

    armor-piercing bullets

    firearms not detectable by metal detectors

    Just call me the dark side of humour

    --
    WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
  23. Wireless Securtity Talk by twoshortplanks · · Score: 1
    Yey Gus for giving the same wireless security talk he did at YAPC::Europe last year.

    Basically at the end of the event he presented the "We've had free wireless access for the entire event , and we sniffed this many plain text passwords flying across the open" talk. Silly, silly people.

    SSH is your friend.

    --
    -- Sorry, I can't think of anything funny to say here.
  24. Good to see a US site reporting UK specifics. by cheeseflan · · Score: 1

    This was pushed hard by Extreme and NTK.net for the last few weeks. I'm glad I went, the chatbot++ discussion was enjoyable (in the "take it Outside" fringe event in the pub next door).

    Freeman Dyson rules!

    (especially when he shit on just about everything the crowd enthused about!)

    --

    Pimping my Karma Whore since 1847.

  25. Dick Smith VZ200 by pommiekiwifruit · · Score: 1

    Time to get to ready prompt: a fraction of a second. It beats C64, ZX Spectrum etc. dead. I think perhaps it didn't test its RAM very thoroughly :-)

    1. Re:Dick Smith VZ200 by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      The C64 was just as fast to the READY prompt. It was loading anything off the slow ass 1541 that took forever.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    2. Re:Dick Smith VZ200 by pommiekiwifruit · · Score: 1

      Nah, the C64 took nearly a second to boot up!

      But you could load a full size game off the 1541 in 6 seconds. (You had to use Warp 25 as a fast-loader though, included as the first program on the disk).

  26. C64 party - 21st June 2002 by pommiekiwifruit · · Score: 1

    Gossips nightclub, Soho. See www.c64audio.com for details.

    That gives you plenty of time :-)

    1. Re:C64 party - 21st June 2002 by mocktor · · Score: 1

      mmm, across the road from my desk... i'll be there

  27. The legendary PET by pommiekiwifruit · · Score: 1

    A machine where a misplaced POKE could cause the machine to catch fire :-)

    It took years for other computer manufacturers to catch up and make the BIOS reprogrammable in order to give virus writers something to aim at.

    And years more before Sony could create a CD that freezes a Mac.

    1. Re:The legendary PET by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      The sad thing is that I could have bought about 20 PETs from this guy who won some surplus auction, for $100 in 1996.

      I passed them up and got the IBM PC/XT/286s instead, and sold them at the flea market to make my money back.

      If I had bought those PETs and sold them today on eBay, they would have gotten several hundred dollars a piece.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    2. Re:The legendary PET by rixster · · Score: 2

      poke 144,15 if memory serves me right.... made the machine crash as a "security measure" (but no flames....)

      --
      Two wrongs may not make a right, but three ....
    3. Re:The legendary PET by CTalkobt · · Score: 1

      Actually it doesn't...

      If you want to crash it try messing around with location 1 which is where memory banks / how the C-64 is segmented memorywise can be swithced in and out. Flip out the ROM's while IRQ's/NMI's are enabled and kablooey.

      BTW, It is possible to disable NMI's on the 6502 line... Just enable and trigger an NMI and then never RTI from it.

      Long live the C= 64/128's...

      --
      There's a gorilla from Manilla whose a fella that stinks of vanilla and has salmonella.
    4. Re:The legendary PET by CTalkobt · · Score: 1

      Geesh - If I would take a look at the title then I might see the subject line. Ignore the "it doesn't" - I dunno on the pet.

      All the rest of the message still applies.

      --
      There's a gorilla from Manilla whose a fella that stinks of vanilla and has salmonella.
  28. Inappropriate technology? by Butch · · Score: 1

    Commie 64s, Amigas, and ... a website? Why isn't this a gopher site?

  29. Redhat takes 5 minutes to boot? What rot. by wackybrit · · Score: 2

    Time required to load Red Hat on a P3 workstation - 5 minutes...

    I only run Red Hat on my notebook, but it boots to a Gnome/Enlightenment desktop in just under three minutes (excluding time to type 'root' and my password).. and that's only a cranky old 266 Mhz!

  30. Check out "Fallen Angels" by Niven and Pournelle by ibirman · · Score: 3, Informative

    I just read a great book that talks about "Inappropriate Technology" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. The book is available for free at the Baen Free Library. It is a great read and was very enjoyable. Really puts a different perspective on "good" and "bad" technology. Funny that they used the same term for the show.

  31. The Best part... by NickRob · · Score: 1

    Is the supermarket card swapping. I hate supermarket cards tracking me down and seeing what I do. This is a great way to fight back against the supermarkets who used to give us all of their 'deals' anonymously. Now we have to use those cards, which I leave at home at times, or get raped for prices.

    Is there any way that we could set up a big slashdot card swap? My Albertson's for yours.

    1. Re:The Best part... by iank · · Score: 2, Interesting

      A much better use for supermarket loyalty cards.... give a tramp a home.

      Let me explain. In the UK some bank ATM (cash points) are inside the bank building and the only way to get in (out of hours) is by swiping your ATM card to make the door open (the rest of the bank is shuttered off). I assume this is to stop tramps using it as a place to sleep. However I discovered that a supermarket loyalty card also lets you in. So if you really hate supermarket loyalty cards, you can now put them to good use and give a tramp a warm place to sleep. :-)

    2. Re:The Best part... by mocktor · · Score: 1

      much respect, there are a lot of good people near where i work with nowhere to sleep. One question: which supermarket?

    3. Re:The Best part... by gorilla · · Score: 2

      In almost every case, the card opening is simply a switch hidden behind an approriate sized slot. Anything which will push through the slot will open the door. That's why a card inserted in any of the 4 possible orientations will open the door, while on the actual ATM, it has to be inserted in the 1 working orientation.

  32. Carrier Bag Competition by nigelnigek · · Score: 1
    Had an interesting time there this afternoon meeting different sides of the online society. My favourite exhbit was the french guy with those mechanical birds that sung and flew.

    One of the highlites (?) which i unfortunately missed was the winner of the Most Geeky Carrier Bag competition. Can anyone who was there tell me who won? Conversely, what bag would be voted best by the /. community?

    Nigel

    --
    Code Monkey Inc.
    1. Re:Carrier Bag Competition by iank · · Score: 1

      Yep NSA bag "won"* it. That was soooooo cool though. :-)

      * don't think there was a prize. If there was, I might have dug out my old Acorn RiscPC carrier bag...

  33. Photos by sidetrack · · Score: 2, Informative

    Some (not very many) photos (not very varied, or good) are here

  34. Speccy people by sidetrack · · Score: 1

    Oh yeah, you can leave comments on that page, so please fill in the gaps on the speccy guys if you can remember who was who....

  35. I was there too by GreyFish · · Score: 2, Informative

    Showing off the soekris Net4521's which consume.net may be adopting as there weapon of choice.

    The french guy with the singing birds and the cybernetic parrot sausage is Paul Granjon from zlabs.

  36. Excellent turnout by dipfan · · Score: 1

    Organisers say that at least 1,200 paying guests came through the door, each stumping up £3 ($5). It shows there's a demand out there for this type of event, something to bear in mind for any /. conferences.

    Hats off to Dave at NTK and the other organisers, for all their hard work.

  37. Re:Who brings their kids to Hooters? by nomadianomad · · Score: 1
    Do the 'gril'ls actually go places? I suppose, if you _really_ wanted to, you could bring your fav. cooking utensils everywhere you eat.

    Though the girls might be wondering if *daddy* is gonna bring home a "new mommy.." ;)

  38. Re:AARGH! by awful · · Score: 1

    so stop whining and do it yourself.

  39. Could be a case of "life imitating art"... by CRConrad · · Score: 1

    ...*intentionally* -- you don't think you and I are the only people ever to have read _Fallen Angels_, do you? :-)

    Only I bought and paid for a copy on Dead Trees. :-(

    --

    Christian R. Conrad
    mail me at iki.fi ; same user ID as here