KansasFest News

KansasFest makes a concerted effort to capture as much of the organized KansasFest experience for sharing online. But Internet company Google Inc. recently did us one better by spotting a KFester in the wild.

Google's fleet of camera-equipped cars regularly scours the Earth, shooting digital panoramas that are then shared via Google Maps with Street View. While recording the country roads of England last summer, they happened to have caught this scene:

Ewen in his natural habitat. Click for larger view.

The above image was first posted to the KansasFest email list by the pictured peripatetic, KansasFest alumnus and former logo designer Ewen Wannop, famous for his Apple II telecommunications programs and essays. "I discovered by accident today that my village was now on Street View," explained Ewen. "Then I remembered the car passing me last year while I was out walking."

The region featured above can be found on Google Maps, where it can be zoomed in for an even better view. Google uses a sufficiently high resolution for its images that Ewen's shirt is surprisingly legible when enlarged.

Where else can KansasFest be spotted? Send us your pictures, or come to KansasFest 2010 to witness the originating site itself!

The KansasFest 2009 schedule filled up so quickly that we're giving you an early chance to submit your sessions for 2010!

While the evenings and nights of KansasFest are renowned for their spontaneity, the mornings and afternoons are reserved for sessions spanning a variety of uses, extensions, and applications of the Apple II family.  Just as varied as these sessions are the good people who volunteer to present them.  If you have a topic you'd like to present, fill out the session proposal form.

Or do you have a topic you would like to see presented, even if you aren't the one to do it?  Email us your idea.

Past sessions have included hardware, software and game demonstrations and tutorials; integration of the Apple II with other devices; emulators; programming; Apple II history; or any subject that would be of interest to Apple II users. We are especially interested in, and priority will be given to, sessions that focus on Apple II-related topics. If we have room in the schedule, we also love Mac, iPhone and a stray Windows or UNIX session or two.

Sessions are typically 30 to 60 minutes in length and are held at various times throughout the daytime hours.

If you've never done a session and would like ideas for topics or formats, check out our archive of past presentations.

Rob Walch, host of the Today in iPhone podcast and frequent presenter at KansasFest, will be returning to the event in 2010. This year, not only will he be updating attendees on the state of the iPhone — he'll also be presenting Apple's latest creation: the iPad, the tablet computer announced this week.

Of course, Apple II users are no strangers to Apple tablets, and we'll have one of these classic devices on-hand for comparison, courtesy Tony Diaz. Who will win this showdown of retro vs. modern tech?… Need you ask?

KansasFest alumnus Howard Katz emailed us today with this sad news:

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It is with heavy heart that I report that one of the Apple II's notable personalities has passed away.

Joe Kohn of Shareware Solutions II died on Jan. 6th, 2010, following a battle with lung cancer. He was 62 years old and lived in Marin County, California.

Joe got to know many Apple II people when he was a sysop on The Source, and his interest in the Apple started to grow.  He became interested in writing about the II and was a regular contributor to the Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide and then wrote for inCider/A+, most notably about shareware programs.  He published the Shareware Solutions II newsletter from 1993 through 1999, while running an online store for Apple shareware and freeware titles. He was active on several of the online services when they were still supporting the Apple II, including CompuServe, AOL, and Delphi.

An avid Apple II fan, Joe owned numerous Apple II computers, including the rare Mark Twain IIGS. Joe used his IIGS for all of his personal work, and it was his preferred machine for his online work.

In his later years, he was was president of the Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, becoming an expert on native wildflowers and other California plants.

Burial will be in Marin County on Jan. 8th, and a memorial service will be held on Saturday.

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Joe Kohn was a regular presence at KansasFest in the 1990s, making the drive each year from California to attend KFest as a presenter, vendor, roastee, and roaster. Although many KFesters had not seen him in years, he continued to make available many unique Apple II programs and publications. As a member of the community and as a friend, he will be missed.

UPDATE: Pat Kern has created this slideshow tribute in honor of Joe Kohn.

KANSAS CITY, MO — December 22, 2009 — Mark Simonsen, employee number three and later owner of Beagle Bros, will be the keynote speaker at KansasFest 2010. At Beagle Bros, whose popular software products for the Apple II hobbyist demonstrated the publisher's quirky sense of humor, Mark developed software including Flex Type, Beagle BASIC, Beagle Graphics, Triple-Dump, and Double-Take. In the early 1980s, Mark decided that he "wanted to work with the Apple for the rest of [his] life," a statement that captures the enthusiasm and spirit of Mark, Beagle Bros, and many Apple II users.

Beagle Bros started in 1980 under the direction of Bert Kersey to provide software to casual users of the Apple II. A year and a half after graduating with a degree in computer science from Brigham Young University, Mark "fell in love with the Apple." Mark published Flex Type through Beagle Bros in 1982, joined the company as a programmer in 1983, and bought it in 1987 at the age of 29.

Besides software like Shape Mechanic, GPLE, and DOS Boss for budding programmers, Beagle Bros produced books, posters, and even advertisements full of clever and useful tidbits demonstrating the capabilities of the Apple II. Later, the company produced highly regarded productivity software like Platinum Paint, BeagleWrite GS, and the TimeOut line of AppleWorks add-ons. Beagle Bros earned many loyal followers thanks to the combination of quality products, enthusiasm, and humor.

Mark sold the company's product line in 1991 and 1992 to Quality Computers. Today, Mark helps save memories as the CEO of iPreserve, a company specializing in photo, film, video, and document preservation.

KansasFest 2010, the 21st annual Apple II conference, is set for July 20th through July 25th at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. KansasFest was originally hosted by Resource Central and has been brought to you by the KFest Committee since 1995. Any and all Apple II and Macintosh users, fans, and friends are invited to attend this year's "summer camp for geeks." Registration details will be announced on the KansasFest Web site in early 2010. Please heed the warning from Beagle Bros and refrain from feeding your disks to alligators. For photos, schedules, and presentations from past year's events, please visit the event's official Web site at http://www.kansasfest.org/

CONTACT:
KansasFest 2010
http://www.kansasfest.org/
http://twitter.com/kansasfest/

KansasFest is scheduled for July 20 – 25. It seems like a long time away, but its less than a year from now. If you want to attend and have a full-time job, you need to coordinate with your co-workers and supervisor. A day off here and there can usually be scheduled on short notice, but a full week off requires some planning — especially since the summer is a popular time for vacations, and not all employees can take the same week off.

Check at your workplace and see what their policies are. Some companies accept vacation requests only within the same calendar year; others limit themselves by the fiscal year (which for some businesses began October 1st). Whenever they let you make your request, the sooner the better, so be sure to put KansasFest 2010 on both your personal and professional calendars.

While everyone else is getting sunburned at the beach or getting their cheeks pinched at boring family reunions, you'll be enjoying the air-conditioned company of your fellow geeks. Now that's a vacation!

How have you spent the month since KansasFest 2009: suffering from withdrawal? Or poring over the photos and sessions, wishing you'd been there?

Whether you be a veteran or a newcomer, you have something to look forward to, as KansasFest 2010 is official! We'll be at Rockhurst University of Kansas City, Missouri, USA, from July 20th to the 25th.

More details about KansasFest MMX, including keynote speaker, registration, and more, will be posted here as they become available. In the meantime, mark your calendars, save your pennies — or sign up to present a session! Whatever you do, don't miss this chance to attend one of the world's best and longest-running Apple II conventions.

As Vince Briel conducted his Replica 1 workshop on the last full day of KansasFest 2009, Ken Gagne, one of six students in the class, had his progress documented in photography. The result is an image gallery at Computerworld.com showing many of the steps (and obstacles) involved in assembling a working Apple-1 clone. It's great to see KansasFest getting coverage in the mainstream press!

For a more informal look at KansasFest, there are plenty of other photos to complement our videos and podcasts. Check out our photo gallery for pictures by KansasFest attendees Ryan Suenaga, Bruce Baker, and Mark Frischknecht.