13 May
2004
13 May
'04
10:20 p.m.
All,
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the sudden and very
untimely death of Sipke de Wal (the Xgistor) of Noordwijk, The
Netherlands.
After a brief period of dealing with an extremely malicious form of
cancer, his body decided to give up late yesterday afternoon, May 13th,
2004.
About 15 years ago, Sipke got me started in the PDP-11 collection "biz",
when I had to get rid of my 11/40's, /34's and associated periphs. My
uncle had a friend (Sipke) who'd probably take them, and, sure enough, he
took them in.
When I saw his place, filled with all sorts of old computers, I decided to
"do that too when I grow up". I still have the MicroPDP-11 he gave me
then.
Last week, I got forwarded a message of one of his friends, asking for a
new home for a (PDP-11) computer collection, because the owner had gotten
seriously ill and had to let go. I was the first to respond, and "got"
the collection.
Sometime later, I started to realize that the list of equipment sounded
familiar. When the intermediate friend told me that the owner lived in
Noordwijk, all alarms went off. Some checking (I called his number)
clarified things.. indeed, it was Sipke's collection, and he indeed was
very ill.
Still.. we hoped for some more time for goodbyes, a chat, and so on. I'll
be taking care of his systems, which, as he put it, with a smile, "were
kinda overdue in picking up, after 15 years!"
Rust zacht, dear Sipke, and watch your blinkenlights go!
Sipke's site is at http://xgistor.ath.cx/aboutme.htm.
Fred
--
Fred N. van Kempen, DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) Collector/Archivist
Visit the VAXlab Project at http://VAXlab.pdp11.nl/
Visit the Archives at http://www.pdp11.nl/
Email: waltje(a)pdp11.nl BUSSUM, THE NETHERLANDS / Mountain View, CA, USA
14 May
14 May
4:47 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
Fred wrote...
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the
sudden and very
untimely death of Sipke de Wal (the Xgistor) of Noordwijk, The
Netherlands.
Very sad. My thoughts are with him and his family.
It does make me think... what should happen to my prized/cherished
collection if I die suddenly. On the one hand, I'd prefer it to go free to
listmembers who have helped me over the years, not the local smelter. On the
other hand, my wife has put up with the hobby for so long - and bit her lip
often when I spent "her" money on collection items. I would definitely want
some money for the collection or parts of it (my gorgeous dual bay 8E and
dual bay HP2000 would no doubt fetch "serious" money) to go to my wife. Just
to let her know some of it was actually worth something. Yes, you can all
take a copy of this email to my wife if I go suddenly as proof of my wishes
:) She would have NO clue how to go about dispersing the collection, who to
talk to, etc. I wouldn't mind an H8 or two going free to listmembers, but I
can't stand the thought of some non-listmember, just someone off the
street - offering her $5 for a pristine H8 and walking off with it cause she
wouldn't know any better.
Of course, not only the collection, but I'd have to arrange for someone to
take over ownership of this list....
Maybe the best route is for me to contact several list members and give them
my general wishes, and then let them take care of the entire disposition of
the collection. Just writing it up in a will isn't sufficient, I would want
someone I know knows what they are dealing with to be the one directing it.
Time for reflective thought methinks.
Jay West
---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]
6:31 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
On Fri, 14 May 2004, Jay West wrote:
Fred wrote...
Yes, I'm sorry to hear this.
It is with great sadness that I have to announce
the sudden and very
untimely death of Sipke de Wal (the Xgistor) of Noordwijk, The
Netherlands.
Very sad. My thoughts are with him and his family. It does make me think... what should happen to my
prized/cherished
collection if I die suddenly. On the one hand, I'd prefer it to go free to
listmembers who have helped me over the years, not the local smelter. On the
other hand, my wife has put up with the hobby for so long - and bit her lip
often when I spent "her" money on collection items. I would definitely want
some money for the collection or parts of it (my gorgeous dual bay 8E and
dual bay HP2000 would no doubt fetch "serious" money) to go to my wife. Just
to let her know some of it was actually worth something. Yes, you can all
take a copy of this email to my wife if I go suddenly as proof of my wishes
:) She would have NO clue how to go about dispersing the collection, who to
talk to, etc. I wouldn't mind an H8 or two going free to listmembers, but I
can't stand the thought of some non-listmember, just someone off the
street - offering her $5 for a pristine H8 and walking off with it cause she
wouldn't know any better.
Of course, not only the collection, but I'd have to arrange for someone to
take over ownership of this list....
Maybe the best route is for me to contact several list members and give them
my general wishes, and then let them take care of the entire disposition of
the collection. Just writing it up in a will isn't sufficient, I would want
someone I know knows what they are dealing with to be the one directing it.
Time for reflective thought methinks.
What I will do (and keep swearing I'll do before every plane flight) is
actually start a will and assign a specific executor for the computer
archive with someone whom I know and can trust to do the right thing,
taking numerous desires into consideration. It's a bit more complicated
in my case, not only due to size but also because of some specific ideas
of what I would want to happen to the archive.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
6:33 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
Not to wander too far off topic and IANAL but I'd suggest that *anyone*
who is worried about the fate of their collection (or anything in their
estate for that matter) talk to a lawyer and have their wishes recorded
in their will (you do have one?). That's what they're for.
On Fri, 2004-05-14 at 06:47, Jay West wrote:
Fred wrote...
--
TTFN - Guy
It is with great sadness that I have to announce
the sudden and very
untimely death of Sipke de Wal (the Xgistor) of Noordwijk, The
Netherlands.
Very sad. My thoughts are with him and his family.
It does make me think... what should happen to my prized/cherished
collection if I die suddenly. On the one hand, I'd prefer it to go free to
listmembers who have helped me over the years, not the local smelter. On the
other hand, my wife has put up with the hobby for so long - and bit her lip
often when I spent "her" money on collection items. I would definitely want
some money for the collection or parts of it (my gorgeous dual bay 8E and
dual bay HP2000 would no doubt fetch "serious" money) to go to my wife. Just
to let her know some of it was actually worth something. Yes, you can all
take a copy of this email to my wife if I go suddenly as proof of my wishes
:) She would have NO clue how to go about dispersing the collection, who to
talk to, etc. I wouldn't mind an H8 or two going free to listmembers, but I
can't stand the thought of some non-listmember, just someone off the
street - offering her $5 for a pristine H8 and walking off with it cause she
wouldn't know any better.
Of course, not only the collection, but I'd have to arrange for someone to
take over ownership of this list....
Maybe the best route is for me to contact several list members and give them
my general wishes, and then let them take care of the entire disposition of
the collection. Just writing it up in a will isn't sufficient, I would want
someone I know knows what they are dealing with to be the one directing it.
Time for reflective thought methinks.
Jay West
---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]
6:56 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
Guy wrote...
Not to wander too far off topic and IANAL but I'd
suggest that *anyone*
who is worried about the fate of their collection (or anything in their
estate for that matter) talk to a lawyer and have their wishes recorded
in their will (you do have one?). That's what they're for.
I agree with what Guy is saying in principal... and there has to be
something in the official legal document of the will.
However here's the part I'm not so sure can be adressed that way. There are
two problems I see with this. My wishes for the collection may well change
frequently, and the collection itself may change frequently as to contents
through trades, midlife crisis's, wild hairs to get rid of stuff, or
suddenly pick up another listmembers entire collection, etc. So I think the
exact wishes for disposal as well as what constitutes "the collection" will
change way too often, and who wants to update the legal document that
frequently?
I was thinking that more than likely, the people I rub elbows on the list
with most frequently not only have the basic knowledge of what is worth
something and what isn't, and how to best dispose of it... but just through
idle conversations/emails they are most likely to know how I would have
wanted the collection to be dealt with. They would probably be the ones most
likely to have "kept up with" my thoughts and wishes. I certainly can't
tell
my wife (or lawyer) who know nothing about computers and collection my
thoughts on each item. They'd be disinterested at the least just on the
basis of sheer volume.
So I am wondering if it wouldn't be best to list several specific listmember
friends in the will as executors of anything computer related, and that's it
for the legal document. Then trust that said friends will have the
compassion for the hobby to make the best decisions about the final
disposition of the collection. There may be one or two specific items in
the collection I have specific wishes for. Those can be part of the will.
But the bulk of it I couldn't begin to put specific wishes on each item.
That I think you just have to find a collector you trust to make the best
call. If you have a specific wish for the entire collection, that can easily
be adressed in a will. But in my case, I don't want the entire collection
going to one place, I want it broken up to as many people as possible. That
makes a simple line item in the will pretty unfeasible.
Regards,
Jay West
---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]
8 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
I've been through several iterations of wills over the years, and I make an
effort to have an "addendum" or "attachment" that lists individual
items or
collections of items and the person that they are to go to. I have numerous
old things, some items that have been in the family for 155+ years (wedding
china from 1846, my great grandfather's violin/fiddle from around 1840,
old family pictures from the 1800s, my dad's toy trains from the 1930s, for
example), and I don't want certain things to get in the wrong hands and
end up at a yard sale, or portraits from 1875 ending up hanging on the
wall at Cracker Barrel as a nameless face from the past.
I will admit that I don't always keep my list up to date, but this is a good
way to do things and is perfectly legal, or so my lawyer friends tell me.
You can change the list as things in your life change. Just get rid of the
old list and attach the new one to all copies of the will.
Ashley
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay West" <jwest(a)classiccmp.org>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004 11:56 AM
Subject: Re: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
Guy wrote...
are
Not to wander too far off topic and IANAL but
I'd suggest that *anyone*
who is worried about the fate of their collection (or anything in their
estate for that matter) talk to a lawyer and have their wishes recorded
in their will (you do have one?). That's what they're for.
I agree with what Guy is saying in principal... and there has to be
something in the official legal document of the will.
However here's the part I'm not so sure can be adressed that way. There
two problems I see with this. My wishes for the
collection may well change
frequently, and the collection itself may change frequently as to contents
through trades, midlife crisis's, wild hairs to get rid of stuff, or
suddenly pick up another listmembers entire collection, etc. So I think
the
exact wishes for disposal as well as what constitutes
"the collection"
will
change way too often, and who wants to update the
legal document that
frequently?
I was thinking that more than likely, the people I rub elbows on the list
with most frequently not only have the basic knowledge of what is worth
something and what isn't, and how to best dispose of it... but just
through
idle conversations/emails they are most likely to know
how I would have
wanted the collection to be dealt with. They would probably be the ones
most
likely to have "kept up with" my thoughts
and wishes. I certainly can't
tell
my wife (or lawyer) who know nothing about computers
and collection my
thoughts on each item. They'd be disinterested at the least just on the
basis of sheer volume.
So I am wondering if it wouldn't be best to list several specific
listmember
friends in the will as executors of anything computer
related, and that's
it
for the legal document. Then trust that said friends
will have the
compassion for the hobby to make the best decisions about the final
disposition of the collection. There may be one or two specific items in
the collection I have specific wishes for. Those can be part of the will.
But the bulk of it I couldn't begin to put specific wishes on each item.
That I think you just have to find a collector you trust to make the best
call. If you have a specific wish for the entire collection, that can
easily
be adressed in a will. But in my case, I don't
want the entire collection
going to one place, I want it broken up to as many people as possible.
That
makes a simple line item in the will pretty
unfeasible.
Regards,
Jay West
---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]
11:32 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
On Fri, 14 May 2004, Ashley Carder wrote:
I've been through several iterations of wills over
the years, and I make an
effort to have an "addendum" or "attachment" that lists individual
items or
collections of items and the person that they are to go to. I have numerous
<...>
I will admit that I don't always keep my list up
to date, but this is a good
way to do things and is perfectly legal, or so my lawyer friends tell me.
You can change the list as things in your life change. Just get rid of the
old list and attach the new one to all copies of the will.
Hmm. What's to stop your evil twin from attaching an addendum listing
that all your underwear will go to him? It would seem to me that your
attaching an addendum would have to be done in the presence of a lawyer.
But, IANAS (for the Brits ;)
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
11:44 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
I do believe that it would need to be signed, etc. I can't remember
exactly what the lawyer(s) told me, but they said that I could just make
a list and attach it to the will, both my copy and the lawyer's copy.
I can't remember if he signed it and it was witnessed or not. I suppose
it's time to update it again to protect my two new (old) DEC acquisitions.
- A
P.S. Ok, Brits and others, what's IANAS ?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vintage Computer Festival" <vcf(a)siconic.com To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and
Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Sent: Friday, May 14,
2004 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
Festival
On Fri, 14 May 2004, Ashley Carder wrote:
> I've been through several iterations of wills over the years, and I make
an
> effort to have an "addendum" or
"attachment" that lists individual items
or
> collections of items and the person that they are
to go to. I have
numerous
<...
> I will admit that I don't always keep my list up to date, but this is a
good
> way to do things and is perfectly legal, or so my
lawyer friends tell
me.
> You can change the list as things in your life
change. Just get rid of
the
old list and
attach the new one to all copies of the will.
Hmm. What's to stop your evil twin from attaching an addendum listing
that all your underwear will go to him? It would seem to me that your
attaching an addendum would have to be done in the presence of a lawyer.
But, IANAS (for the Brits ;)
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
International Man of Intrigue and Danger
http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage
mputers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at
http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
12:31 p.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 04:44:31PM -0400, Ashley Carder wrote:
P.S. Ok, Brits and others, what's IANAS ?
I Am Not A Solicitor (as opposed to the American 'IANAL')
-ethan
--
Ethan Dicks, A-130-S Current South Pole Weather at 14-May-2004 21:30 Z
South Pole Station
PSC 468 Box 400 Temp -75.2 F (-59.6 C) Windchill -124.1 F (-86.8 C)
APO AP 96598 Wind 10.7 kts Grid 019 Barometer 694.5 mb (10084. ft)
Ethan.Dicks(a)amanda.spole.gov http://penguincentral.com/penguincentral.html
1:46 p.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 04:44:31PM -0400, Ashley
Carder wrote:
As opposed to the US where it would be "I Am Not A Shyster" :^)
Zane
P.S. Ok, Brits and others, what's IANAS ?
I Am Not A Solicitor (as opposed to the American 'IANAL')
-ethan
11:30 a.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
So I am wondering if it wouldn't be best to list
several specific listmember
friends in the will as executors of anything computer related, and that's it
for the legal document. Then trust that said friends will have the
compassion for the hobby to make the best decisions about the final
disposition of the collection. There may be one or two specific items in
The one problem I see is finding someone who is geographically close enough
to assist in this. Previously there was someone both my wife and my parents
knew to contact about my collection if anything happened to me. There no
longer is. I have spent some time explaining to my wife how to dispose of
things if anything happens to me, and have attempted to let her know what
items have value. Simply put, she knows not to toss DEC stuff :^)
Zane
3 p.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
Not to wander too far off topic and IANAL but I'd suggest that *anyone*
who is worried about the fate of their collection (or anything in their
estate for that matter) talk to a lawyer and have their wishes recorded
in their will (you do have one?). That's what they're for.
YEs, and they also charge a lot of money for this sort of thing. Enough
that I'd probably have to sell at least one of my larger machines to pay
for said will...
-tony
2:57 p.m.
New subject: In Memoriam: Sipke de Wal (collection disposition)
Fred wrote...
Indeed. My condolences, too, to his family.
It is with great sadness that I have to announce
the sudden and very
untimely death of Sipke de Wal (the Xgistor) of Noordwijk, The
Netherlands.
Very sad. My thoughts are with him and his family.
It does make me think... what should happen to my prized/cherished
collection if I die suddenly. On the one hand, I'd prefer it to go free to
listmembers who have helped me over the years, not the local smelter. On the
other hand, my wife has put up with the hobby for so long - and bit her lip
often when I spent "her" money on collection items. I would definitely want
some money for the collection or parts of it (my gorgeous dual bay 8E and
dual bay HP2000 would no doubt fetch "serious" money) to go to my wife. Just
I have let my parents (who house my collection) that if anything should
happen to me, they are to get in touch with one of my friends (Philip
Belben, who used to be on this list) and that he can do essentially what
he likes with my computers, cameras, tools, test gear, etc.
He is heavily into old computers (and for that matter photography) and
would realise that while the box of old PC motherboards is not
particularly valuable, the boxes of M-series and R-series flip-chip cards
most certainly are (I don't necessarily mean 'valuable' in the sense that
they can be exchanged for money, rather that they are worth saving for
restoring old computers). And that some things, like my box of HP41
modules -- which contains 2 ZenROMs amongst other things -- are well worth
grabbing.
-tony
15 May
15 May
5:08 a.m.
Quothe Fred N. van Kempen, from writings of Fri, May 14, 2004 at 09:20:05AM +0200:
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the
sudden and very
untimely death of Sipke de Wal (the Xgistor) of Noordwijk, The
Netherlands.
That is indeed very sad news. My condolences to his family and
girlfriend (if she was still with him - mentioned on his links page).
Looking at his web site, I see that he was quite a philosopher as well
as a long-time computer collector who was a great source of
inspiration to other computer collectors. Hopefully his web
site---which is also quite artistic, or at least his files, writings,
etc. can be preserved. It's good to know that his classic computers
will continue to be preserved.
--
Copyright (C) 2004 R. D. Davis The difference between humans & other animals:
All Rights Reserved | My VAX | an unnatural belief that we're above Nature &
www.rddavis.org | runs VMS & | her other creatures, using dogma to justify such
410-744-4900 | doesn't crash!| beliefs and to justify much human cruelty.
7379
days inactive
7380
days old
14 comments
9 participants
participants (9)
-
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
dickset＠amanda.spole.gov -
ggs＠shiresoft.com -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
jwest＠classiccmp.org -
rdd＠rddavis.org -
vcf＠siconic.com -
wacarder＠usit.net -
waltje＠pdp11.nl