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DEC Tech Talks

via Zoom

Kerry Bensman

Our last speakers:

Gale "Jake" Jacobs

Link to amazon.com where you can buy Avram's book

This is shaping up to be a great and well-received series! 

Tech Talk #7: February 23, 2023, 1 pm Eastern/12 pm Central/10 am Pacific - Kerry Bensman

We recently enjoyed the discussion from Avram Miller about the Professional 3xx Series of Personal Computers, with references to the two complementary Digital products in the personal computing space.  One was the Rainbow 100 Personal Computer, a product about which Kerry Bensman can tell us quite a lot!  Kerry, who at the time worked for the late Barry James Folsom, will share the history of the Rainbow 100, DEC's relationship with Microsoft, and his own anecdotes about the PC industry in the early days.

Kerry's background: After graduating from M.I.T. with a B.S. in E.E., Kerry joined DEC in December 1969. As a mill rat, he spent a couple of years in TOPS-10 and then transferred to Denver as a Software Specialist, covering one fourth of the U.S. He was promoted to Northern California District SWS Manager in Northern California and then Northeast Regional SWS Manager in Waltham. After a short stint in Customer Services Marketing, he joined the Rainbow Group as Group Product and Applications Manager. He was responsible for the Rainbow 100B and CP/M and MS-DOS.

After the cancellation of the Rainbow, Kerry moved on to TOEM as the Basic Industries Manager and left the company in 1990, a few months after completing the Harvard Business School International Senior Managers Program. He then spent a couple of years at Wang Laboratories and later relocated to Boulder, CO as Director of Software Business for IBM's Printing Systems Division.  After leaving high tech, Kerry served six years as a City Councilman for Lafayette CO, and now lives in the St. Louis MO area.

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To sign up for any Tech Talk, email us at info@decconnection.org. Provide your name and email address for the Zoom invite (which will be emailed about a week ahead of the event).  We now ask that, to attend the Zoom session, you be a paid-up member of DEC Connection.  Here is where you can join or renew.

Generally, these sessions have run about an hour - 30-45 min. talk, 15-20 min. Q&A/discussion.

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Reunions

Memorials

click on link above for details

• John Lamb, Montreal ON, 23 January 2023

• John Shebell, 75, Stow MA, 7 December 2022

• John Kowall, 84, Mobile AL, 23 November 2022

• Sherri (Long) Murdoch, Colorado Springs, 16 November 2022

• Leta S. Levett, 70, Colorado Springs, 11 November 2022

• Denny (Denzil J.) Doyle, 90, Ottawa ON Canada, 26 October 2022

• Kanailal Raha, Kolkata, India, 26 October 2022

• Colonel Anthony (Tony) M. Jezior, USA, (Ret.), 88, Cary NC, 14 October 2022

• Ron Holton, Colorado Springs, 20 September 2022

• Bill Burns, 79, Wilmington MA, 19 September 2022

• Ruth Armknecht, 89, Atlanta GA, 5 September 2022

• Ted Sares, 85, North Conway NH, 30 August 2022

Info

David Mark's Zoom lecture on Digital History (14 June 2021) - here is link to recording on YouTube.  About 200 DECcies tuned in.  Link to their stories in the zoom chat is on our DEC Stories web page.

Medicare 2021 - Materials updated

Where to Sell or Donate your old Digital hardware

Where to purchase official Digital logo products - from DEC Connection member Jack Rahaim

DONATING OR RECYCLING COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

It's that time of year when you may be thinking of donating older electronic equipment to a Charity.  For those who have already done this, let us hear from you on the organizations you would recommend.   For Massachusetts readers, it has come to our attention that there is a local cancer charity that you may want to put on your list.  This charity is 100% run by volunteer cancer scientists, survivors, and information technologists.

The name of the organization is Recycle Computers4 Cancer [www.recyclecomputers4cancer.org]
and it donates all proceeds to help Cancer patients and their families through the SMCAC (Scientific & Medical Coalition Against Cancer). They have securely erased all data on hard drives that are donated for the past 12 years, including major pharmaceutical companies, banks, individuals, law firms, and financial institution. Also, all computer donations are tax deductible with no donation considered too small or large.  Equipment can be dropped off or arranged to be picked up. Items accepted for donation are listed at  www.recyclecomputers4cancer.org/items-accepted-donations-recycle-computers-4-cancer/

For free pickup, fill out and send in the donation form at      www.recyclecomputers4cancer.org/free-pickup-request-form/ 

The contact for RC4C is Eric Grund at eric@smcac.org.

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VAX and PDP-11 still live!

  -Thanks to Sue Yarger for sending in this note from the UK Register:

NASA dusts off FORTRAN manual, revives 20-year-old data on Ganymede - Analysing Galileo's Jovian moon results

  -And thanks to Jack MacKeen for this gem, same source:

Das blinkenlights are back thanks to RPi revival of the PDP-11 Retro computing fans wrap classic DEC fascia round world's fave hobby machine

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HAPPY 60th ANNIVERSARY DIGITAL!  See article in the Telegram for pics and nostalgia.

HP Connection

• Medical Plan Enrollment Info for DEC/HP Retirees

• Handy Reference Chart: info on Retiree Benefits, Stock Plan

• Need Retirement/Pension info? 

  Fidelity Investments still handles all DEC pension plans for HP that have not been withdrawn or started income.  However, if you have been receiving income from your DEC pension, that responsibility has now been transferred to Prudential Insurance Co. and you should still be receiving those payments.

  - HP Retirement Services Center at Fidelity 1-800-457-4015

  - Prudential Pension Department: 1-877-778-2100

• Need Stock Plan info? 

  • First try: Morgan Stanley, Employee Stock Plan Service Center at (toll-free) 1-866-722-7310. You input your social security number and then a person will answer.

  • or this website for access to stock plan accounts. Employee StockPlan Connect tech support for N/S America for website is available at toll-free: +1 866-722-7310.  Europe: +1 801-617-7700.

• DEC Retiree Benefits include the HP Employee Purchase Plan

• Retiree Purchase Plan - Go to: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/jobs/retiree/epp.html

and click on the link under “US Alumni Product Purchase Program”. Then follow the instructions to register for the program.

     HP Alumni also suggests reading feedback:

• Know someone who is leaving HP? Please pass the word to anyone leaving HP to use the HP Alumni Association's "ASAP Checklist" immediately. It has advice and mutual help -- developed by HPAA members -- on the many things you have to do before you lose access to HP's internal systems. Thanks to Curt Gowan for this info. Go to http://www.hpalumni.org/asap (HPAA membership not required.)

Digital_Man/Digital_World

The first PBS showing of Digital_Man/Digital_World was 21 Feb 2012 in Indianapolis - here is a link to the 57-minute video on their website to watch on your computer!

http://video.wfyi.org/video/2282149336/

The DVD of Digital_Man/Digital_World is no longer available.