Retro Computing: Monthly Meetup of Makers, Artists, Hackers # 141

This month’s Aachen Maker Meetup is all about retro computing.

In a short talk “USB and HDMI Considered Harmful: Input Latency on Different Hardware Generations”, Prof. Jan Borchers will present some surprising results from a few recent experiments. They indicate that the delay from pressing a button to seeing a response on screen can be much longer on modern computers than on systems from the 1980's, despite a 1000x increase in computing performance. This not only means that a few recent experiments in Human-Computer Interaction research may need to be revisited, it will also give you a great excuse whenever you’re losing a game on a modern software emulator.

After the talk there will be ample time to chat about your favorite retro systems and games. To keep everybody healthy and safe, the event will take place online via Zoom; see the link to the right in the Event details.

General info:

We meet every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 18:30 until late.

We are DIY makers, product designers, electronics hackers, artists, 3D printer builders, geek dads and their daughters - anybody from 9 to 99 doing "strange things with electricity"!

Our meetups are very informal; just sign up for the evening here and bring a project you've been working on if you like. We usually have most folks coming from Germany, but also people from the Netherlands and Belgium, thanks to Aachen's unique location, plus frequently other nationalities. If you speak German or English you'll be fine!

Normally, we get together, bring out our projects, have some soft drinks and pizza, and start tinkering or chatting with each other. We offer free access to our Fab Lab Aachen (http://fablab-aachen.de) and its 3D printers, lasercutters, PCB mills, and electronics workshop (you just pay for materials). We do quick 20-min talk or interview slots if someone would like to share something with everybody (or ask for help!).

During Covid-19, our meetings take place online via Zoom; see the link to the right in the Event details.