Lights, Camera…Action!

Motion picture film reel with film unrolling to the bottom right. The Macstock logo consisting of a Peace Sign, a Heart, and a stylized early Macintosh are overlaid atop the extended film.Get your camera rolling and be part of the action, the Macstock Short Film Festival will be back for its second year at Macstock VII!

Hosted by Wally Cherwinski, the 2nd Macstock Short Film Festival gives those attending Macstock a chance to relax as each day winds down by sharing first-run screenings of videos made by your friends & family within the Macstock community.

Would you like to be part of the “Action”? Enter your own production in the Macstock Short Film Festival!

To take part in this year’s Macstock Short Film Festival, put together a short video (less than 2 1/2 minutes please) from some new or old footage and submit it here.

Don’t have a video ready? That’s okay, but we’d like to know one is coming. So, if you’d like to take part, but your film isn’t quite ready, please use the submission form to let us know that too!

The more short films submitted the better, so dust off your director’s cap, shine up your clap board, and get rolling!

All completed videos must be received by July 8th, 2023. You’ll find more on Wally’s Second Macstock Short Film Festival here:
https://macstockconferenceandexpo.com/macstock-film-fest/

Mac Geek Gab LIVE! at Macstock VII

Mac Geek Gab logoI’m excited about this one because it’s been a while since we’ve been able to do anything like this at Macstock, but when Dave Hamilton reached out to me a few weeks back and asked if I’d like it if he and John Braun recorded a Mac Geek Gab LIVE from Macstock’s Stage this year, I think the word “Yes” came out before he finished asking.

But, when he also said they’d like to include a special Macstock Edition of Stump the Geeks as part the show…I can’t think of a better way to wrap up the first full day of Macstock than getting everyone in the Macstock community involved by asking you bring your tech questions to try and … Stump the Geeks!

Join Mac Geek Gab at Macstock VII, Saturday the 22nd at 4pm. It’s sure to be a blast!

Barry’s Midwest Mac BBQ 2023!

Midwest Mac BBQ logo - Stylized classic Macintosh at the top with flames coming from right and left followed by the words, Midwest Mac BBQ. Three wine glasses appear below the words. All icons are placed on a brown background with simulated screws in each of the 4 corners.Macstock VII is only part of a weekend long “Mac-stravaganza” that’s taking place this July, because Barry and I are happy to announce that Barry’s Midwest Mac BBQ (and Wine Event) is back for 2023!

Taking place on Thursday, July 20th, 2023 and hosted by Barry Fulk, the Midwest Mac BBQ is an informal gathering of Apple enthusiasts at Barry’s home located near Chicago, IL roughly five miles from O’Hare Airport and about twenty miles from downtown Chicago.

For those of you who’ve been to one before, you know that Barry can throw a party, and it sounds like if you can get to the area just a couple days prior to Macstock, you won’t want to miss this one!

But, here’s the important bit: You’ll need to let Barry know you want to attend! And the easiest way to do that is by visiting the Midwest Mac BBQ page on Macstock’s site. While there, you can check out his “teaser” video and then use the form at the bottom to let Barry know you’re coming!

For even more information about Barry’s Midwest Mac BBQ, visit Barry’s website at barryfulk.com

The Pleistocene “Elephant” in the Room

Mastodon LogoLooking for Macstock on social? You’ll find me and Macstock on Mastodon!

I’ve fired up my own instance to host both Macstock and my podcast, so the easiest way to find me is to open your favorite Mastodon client (Ivory? Mastonaut? Web?) and search for:

@macstockexpo@tooting.ninja

Or, if you prefer, you can search for or visit https://tooting.ninja/@macstockexpo

There you can follow, comment, boost, or … yep, just read what’s up with Macstock!

Don’t want to sign up for yet another social network?

Ugh! I get it! That’s okay, you can follow Macstock’s Mastodon account or Macstock’s news posts via RSS too! Yep, good ol’ RSS works great to stay on top of Macstock updates and news!

To follow my Mastodon posts via RSS:
Add https://tooting.ninja/@macstockexpo.rss (don’t forget to add the .rss) to your favorite RSS feed reader. (This should work with ANY Mastodon account!)

And to follow the news from Macstock’s website via RSS:
Use https://macstockconferenceandexpo.com/feed/ instead!

Toot!!

** I realize mastodons may not be in the same family of proboscideans as elephants, but…you know…creative license and all.

P.S. Wither Twitter?
Macstock’s Twitter account is going into “maintenance” mode. Thanks to RSS and a little IFTTT magic, posts I make on Mastodon *should* appear on Twitter, but it’s not guaranteed.

Save the Date: Macstock VII is Coming!

We have a Venue!

We have Dates! (Hint: July 22 & 23, 2023)

And all we need is … YOU!

Well, YOU and a bazillion other things I need to do before we can all meet again this summer like: update the website(!!!), get the new ticketing system working, finalize speaker line ups, order swag, design the t-shirt….

*whew*

Okay, I guess I need to get just a little more completed before Macstock VII is fully ready to go, but how about we have a little Macstock VII Launch Party this Saturday and hang out in a live stream on YouTube where I’ll share the latest updates on Macstock for 2023!

(Truth be told, I always need a little pressure on me to get moving, so this is your chance to see how much I can get done in the next three days — OR make fun of me for getting nothing done! LIVE!)

Some of the stuff I’ll plan to cover:

  • Macstock VII’s Dates
  • This year’s theme!
  • How this year’s schedule is different
  • Who’s on board to present so far?
  • Where to find Macstock on Social Media these days
  • And, oh yeah, if I get my act together: Ticket Sales Begin!

When?

February 25th, 12 PM Central Time (18:00 UTC)

Check your time zone here: https://time.is/UTC-6

Where?

Watch Live on YouTube February 25th!*

Click here and set a Reminder!

*Don’t worry if you can’t join us live. Recordings will be available on Macstock’s YouTube Channel for your time-shifted viewing pleasure. AND I’ll put all this info out later in another newsletter.

See you then!

Take care, be safe, and be kind,

Mike

Come Hang Saturday Night at Public House Woodstock!

Public House of Woodstock LogoLooking for a fun place to gather with fellow Macstock attendees Saturday after Day One comes to an end? The outdoor patio space at Public House of Woodstock has been reserved for us!

While the Food and drink are not part of your Weekend Pass, you can grab yourself dinner, appetizers & drinks after the days talks! Their full food & drink menu will be available for you to place your own orders.

While there, be sure to check out the bar area! Not only can you see the original holding cells from the building’s days as courthouse for the county seat, but it’s also one of the many filming locations for the movie, Groundhog Day, that can be found throughout Woodstock!

Located in the Old Courthouse on the Historic Woodstock Square:
101 N Johnson St
Woodstock, Illinois 60098