Vice President Changes

We greatly appreciate Terry S’s willingness to to help with the business activities of the Glenside Color Computer Club by accepting the nomination and running for the GCCC 2020-21 office of vice president. It is, thus, with regret that we accept Terry’s resignation for health reasons.

As per the GCCC bylaws, which state that the Glenside Board of Directors shall appoint a resource for such a vacancy, the BOD met this evening and have appointed John Mark Mobley to fill the open position for the remainder of the 2020-21 term. Mr. Mobley has graciously accepted the appointment with the sincere appreciation of the board. We welcome John Mark, who has significant previous leadership experience with GCCC.

The GCCC Board of Directors request that members respect Terry S’s privacy during this time.

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Glenside Virtual Spring Fest!: Saturday April 24, 2021 @ 7:00 PM CDT

Come join us this Saturday evening for a time of fellowship and CoCoCommunity as we usher in Spring and continue to count down the weeks until the 29th “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! later this year. No business topics, no agenda, just some time to get to know one another and see how everyone is enjoying their CoCo (or MC-10 :-).

Never fear if you’re outside the Chicago, IL, US area. We’re taking this Fest! online:

https://bluejeans.com/889394355

You can call in: Phone Dial-in
+1.408.740.7256 (United States)
+1.408.317.9253 (Alternate number) (Global Numbers)
Meeting ID: 889 394 355

Want to test your video connection?
https://bluejeans.com/111

We’ll congregate starting at 7PM Central Time and probably still be chatting at 9PM. Join anytime and drop when you must…

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Glenside Club Meeting: Thursday April 15, 2021 @ 7:30PM

It’s less than 7 months until The 29th “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! 2021, and things are continuing to trend in positive ways. We’ll get an update on the club’s 501(c)3 non-profit status submission, share more information on the April 24th Glenside Virtual Spring Fest, share details on the GCCC “mascot” ideas, and take up any new member business.

To join the Meeting:
https://bluejeans.com/889394355

You can call in: Phone Dial-in
+1.408.740.7256 (United States)
+1.408.317.9253 (Alternate number) (Global Numbers)
Meeting ID: 889 394 355
Room System: 199.48.152.152 or bjn.vc

Want to test your video connection?
https://bluejeans.com/111

Prior to the formal business meeting at 7:30PM Central, we’ll be enjoying a time of demonstrations and discussion. This month, given the recent newsletter coverage of the software package, Robert Swoger and John Mark Mobley will be demonstrating more features of LogiCall. If you’d like to show a project you’re working on, please consider joining us starting at 6:30PM.

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Glenside Virtual Meeting Software Changes

The irony of sharing this notice with our CoCo community is not lost on me, but I wanted folks to have a heads up.

For those who gather with the Glenside membership for our monthly meetings, we utilize the BlueJeans video conferencing solution for our virtual meetings. Though some use the web version of the solution, for those who have installed the software application, be aware you may need to upgrade. It appears our April and May virtual meetings will be unaffected, but keep this in mind prior to the June meeting.

Desktop App Force Update to Minimum Version

BlueJeans regularly provides new versions of the Desktop App to release new features and bug fixes.  In order to take advantage of these enhancements, after May 31, 2021 all Desktop App clients below the requirement will be forced to upgrade to the latest version when attempting to join meetings. Users on Desktop App 2.26 or above will not be impacted.

Note:

  • This will impact users on both Windows and Mac systems (not Linux)

If not on version 2.26 or higher, please click here for more information on how to upgrade to the latest version.

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Glenside Club Meeting: Thursday March 18, 2021 @ 7:30PM

With CoCoFEST! 2021 moving to November, will the extra 6 months of wait be too long for comfort? Should we consider a virtual activity in April, either during the original show dates or in lieu of our April meeting? If you have an opinion, feel free to join us and share it:

To join the Meeting:
https://bluejeans.com/889394355

You can call in: Phone Dial-in
+1.408.740.7256 (United States)
+1.408.317.9253 (Alternate number) (Global Numbers)
Meeting ID: 889 394 355
Room System: 199.48.152.152 or bjn.vc

Want to test your video connection?
https://bluejeans.com/111

Prior to the formal business meeting at 7:30PM Central, we’ll be enjoying a time of demonstrations and discussion. If you’d like to show a project you’re working on, please consider joining us starting at 6:30PM.

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Online PayPal donations are now available!

Hello all,

We now have a PayPal donations button available on our donations page. You can use this button to renew your membership or, if you wish, to make a donation to the club. We also accept physical donations and are seeking any Tandy/RadioShack items that we can list at our Annual Auction or anything you would like us to redistribute or preserve for the community.

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2021 29th Annual “Last” CoCoFEST! Alternate Event Date

With all the votes cast, it became obvious folks took a cautious view of the months ahead, with September 25/26 and November 6/7 becoming early frontrunners. As of March 1, 2021, November 6/7 edged out September as a preferred date.

Along the way, I became aware that November 5-7 is also the 2021 date for the Midwest Gaming Classic. The hugely popular pinball/arcade exhibition event in Milwaukee, WI also contains “The Computing and Gaming Museum” exhibit, where Tandy Color Computers are shown along with other 80’s era home computers and videogame systems. It’s never ideal when conflicts like this arise, doubly so since MGC draws quite a bit from the Chicago area given the location, and I know this will affect some of our attendees. That said, the event offered the least conflicts from vote responses, seemed far enough in the year to hopefully sidestep current travel/attendance issues, and was favored significantly over any other option.

Thus, I confirmed the November 6/7 date with our venue and freed up the other dates. I hope those that find a conflict might consider spending one day at MGC and the other with us. I often attend MGC but it’s something that can be adequately enjoyed over a single day.

The new date does pose a unique challenge concerning our 2022 event, though. Normally, events such as ours don’t book the following year’s venue date until after the current event concludes. This is common, and since everyone typically runs the same play, the same date in the following year is often available. Yet, this year will be different, in that the 2021 show will (hopefully) occur in November, followed by the 2022 show in its regular April timeframe, a mere 5 months later. If that’s the preference, it’d be best to decide soon, to ensure the requisite 2022 date is available and reserved. But, if the community would prefer to see a bit more space between show dates, I could see the show potentially moving back 3-4 months (splitting the 17 month distance between the 2021 November show and the 2023 April show) to early August.

For what it is worth, I prefer scheduling the 2022 show in April, both because I don’t think two shows within 6 months is a significant concern (some folks have already noted they try to attend both CocoFEST and Tandy Assembly in a given year, and those shows are normally scheduled 6 months apart) and also because I think reserving that date is prudent in case circumstances prevent a 2021 in person event (possibly due to weather concerns). Feel free to add your thoughts, as we’ll need to discuss at some point before the May meeting.

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