Big Changes at Free Geek Twin Cities!
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- In spring 2020, Free Geek Twin Cities had to close for safety reasons -- but while it wasn't open to volunteers, it still pulled off a major renovation of its thrift store area. Now that it's open again, let's take a look at the variety of tech -- both modern and retro -- that's now on display.
Free Geek Twin Cities: www.freegeektwincities.org
My documentary about FGTC: • Free Geek Twin Cities:...
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Intro music by BoxCat Games (www.box-cat.com). - Наука та технологія
I wish more places like this existed. Old tech can be used and doesn’t have to go to e waste with a bit of time and care. I’d love to volunteer my time at one of these places, if one was near to me
I feel ya. Suck that there nothing like Free Geek in my country. What a place to nerd out at! haha
The do. Nine other locations including Portland (where it started), Chicago and Detroit.
Agreed I wish we had this in the UK. I currently spend a few hours each week refurbishing 3-4 year old laptops and turning them into Chromebooks for families who need them.
I second this. I had a lot of stuff that could have gone to a store like this, only to have to end up scrapping it because goodwill stopped taking computers and parts:( to my knowledge no such place exists in FL. if I had the time and space I would definitely have run a florida branch of this store, oh well..
There's 2 retro stores called 'Milwaukee PC' around Milwaukee, Wi.
Keep in mind the Free Geek is a chain with nine other locations including Portland (where it started), Chicago and Detroit.
Portland? Oh dear.
Better het ready for some involuntary donations.
Hi, current board member of Free Geek Twin Cities here. All the locations are separate and only unified in spirit. Each one is run quite differently. That’s why we have “Twin Cities” after our name, the original Portland Free Geek is the original.
no fucking way. CHICAGO. NI HAVE TI GO NOW
@@jeremiahrex If you're a board member. Why don't you open one in Southwest VA or Northeast TN. Heck, even open one in Asheville, NC or Knoxville, TN. My area has a retro shortage.
Great job on the story! Backstory on the light-up signs around the 7 minute mark, those were a donation from Kent @ Burg Electronic Recovery in Anoka, and had indeed been salvaged from an old computer store years ago. I had noticed them sitting in a corner of his warehouse on a few occasions, and when I explained Free Geek's mission and pending retail store opening he offered them to dress up the new space.
I'm surprised nobody jumped out of their chair at the 3 IBM PS/2 systems at the 2:05 mark, which will hopefully be tested and pushed to the store soon. One of them even included a discrete (vs on-board) micro channel ESS Sound Piper audio adapter plus the IBM video adapter card. The two newer IBM systems a shelf above are also notable, as one is a socket 8 / Pentium Pro machine that was upgraded with a unicorn Pentium 2 Overdrive CPU at some point in time. Coming soon to a Free Geek Twin Cities retail outlet near you...
believe me, i noticed them :)
Getting an LGR Thrifts vibe from this one with the jazz music. Love it!
That keyboard feels just like something LGR would get. 😂
yeah but he did not show us wath is as buy ...
This was like Alice in Retro Geekland. Thumbs up for more places like this.
i like to see more store's like this open up every where. store's like this can save me alot of money on computer part's.
Maybe internationally, I would love to have one in Ashford or even a single one in London for the south of the UK
Saaaaaaaammmmmeeee. I live in NY so this place is a bit of a drive for me.
@@oldtechnobodycaresabout one in Southampton will be cool :)
@@oldtechnobodycaresabout there is a shop that sells retro stuff here in the UK but doesn't have too much stock.
Yesss and even if the prices are too high (some places are expensive like the vancouver if i remember), i can just happily spend my time doing all the recycling stuff and get free computer or maybe just to channel my geek sides
9:50 "If you want to get into retro audio, it seems like CDs are starting to make a comeback." Gez now I feel old...
My car only uses cds, and cds are a great way to get mp3 files for cheap. I love cds, crazy to think they’re considered “old and outdated” to the point of being retro
Look up Umatic . I feel so old
@@bobbyhinner3225 They aren't even cheap anymore. My local store wants roughly 1 euro for a single CD-R. I remember back when you could get 2 of them for that much.
i just bought a new cd yesterday. i refuse to feel old.
Funny enough my engineering professor ask, "who has a cd player in their car" and no one raised their hands. I told him a cd player was a luxury when my truck was made, apparently when we asked around I was the only one driving a vehicle without power locks or windows. Over a 100 students and only one had manual locks and windows
Man I wish I had a place like this in my city here in Brazil! I have quite a good amount of tech to donate to a store like this!
Why don't you try to get one made?
@@jackkraken3888 I don't have the money nor the resources to do so.
@@Vitz_atelier team up with some like minded people? Good luck!
@@Vitz_atelier Regarding the money issue, you might be able to get some assistance from the government because this is a nonprofit..
Aqui em Curitiba eu já vi sebo vendendo algumas peças mas em bem menor quantidade
2:39 Yes Please. That AIO looks pretty interesting
Got a man of taste here
I think the old Gateway all in one looks MORE interesting, so get both!
Oh fudging yes, need a video about it!
I refurbed that machine, it’s an interesting one 😀
Yes, take it please! 😁
Hi Collin. I know this video was posted awhile back, but I wanted to say that I made it to Free Geek Twin Cities today and man, it was a treat! I talked with the manager and he told me about their eligibility program to help people who cannot afford a modern system. Their mission to serve less fortunate families is amazing! I highly recommend this wonderful organization!
They've really fixed the place up since I was there in late 2019! Glad to see they did something productive with the downtime
This is a beautiful celebration of the evolution of the computer industry. I'm so glad such a place exists. I hope more such stores start popping up to teach a new generation how we got to where we are today.
I drooled over those VAIO all in ones back in the day! I'd love to see a video about vintage word processors some day, stuff like the Magnavox Video Writer and the like.
I have currently a Sony VAIO laptop as my main computer right now.
Those older Compaqs for $30 was actually a super steal and a gem of a find. One of them had a Cyrix CPU, super rare.
I'll have to check out FreeGeek Chicago at some point. I'm sure FreeGeek has plenty of locations in other states, too.
God I wish we had places like this over in the UK 😭 Although I'd certainly be poorer if we did! 😂
Definitely get that Sony all-in-one if you can.
This Earth needs more of these places!!! Reduce e-waste, satisfy us geeks and give opportunities for those who cant afford fancy tech!
Ugh, I LOVE these videos! Wish we had a place like this in Mississippi.
I wish we had a place like this in Philadelphia, PA as well
i live in canada and just seeing all those cheap pc parts all in one place makes me want to fly there with nothing but 300 dollars and see what things i can buy
Same here (North Carolina), found a computer shop that also sold working/refurbished stuff (got a couple of laptop power supplies, optical drive and some SATA cables) just before the lockdown......and now they're gone :(
idk if there is a Place Like thisin germany, does anonym know that? i hope there is one here because that would be like heaven for me
@@budderbrotDE not sure, usually cool things like this are only in america
Thanks for highlighting this store! I’m a Minnesotan, but was unfamiliar with this business. Will definitely have to check them out the next time I’m in the Twin Cities-and bring some donations to boot!
I'm kind of glad I'm over the retrotech phase going into my 40s. It's crazy seeing stuff sell for just as much as it was new almost thanks to the pandemic.
Cool thift shop. I wish we would have auch good source for old and usuable tech in our town. Keep up the good work. Stay safe. Stay healthy.
In Japan, this kind of stores was opened about near 10 years ago since I was living there and most of the thigs sold there was completely in good shape and sometimes like news for a very low price. In this times they notice that many people are becoming more rtro stuffs interesting soy the prices was going up every month. Great video and thanks so much for the effort in production.
I’ve volunteered at FreeGeek in the past. If you purchase PCs / laptops from them, their prices are extremely competitive, PLUS each system has had a burn-in time that you probably won’t get from a regular Craigslist sale.
What a treasure trove! As an upstate new yorker, I would practically swim through the great lakes and hitchhike to MN to visit here if I could
I'm in Syracuse I'd live in the place if we had one of these here
@@GregBriggs77 Im in Rochester NY wish we had something like this but with WNY it would all be overpriced.
What a great idea, if you can recycle or reuse it helps prevent it going to landfill. I used to build pc’s for gaming and sell them to my daughter’s friends at university. I really enjoyed the process of building the computers, it would take me 3 days to complete, it could have been done in a day but it’s very time consuming,day 1 , mount all the components into case and install windows, day 2 install driver’s and update windows, over clock the processor and ram, then run a programme to stress test and find a stable over clocking. Day 3 tidy all the wiring and zip tie all cables, job done.
Who here remembers the Weird Stuff Warehouse here in the Bay Area? Sunnyvale to be specific. It was featured in the doc "Triumph of the Nerds" by Robert X. Cringely.
That Que! Fire drive was also my first CD burner, and I bought it specifically because it matched the case on my G4/450. My parents won the very base model of those Technics CD players, kind of like the one on top but without a remote control, at a murder mystery dinner in the mid-80s.
I'm way down in Des Moines, but stumbled across this today. Commendable job, you all!
Damn, I was just google searching places like this in the Twin Cities metro area a night or two ago, and I just happened accross this video right now. Weird.
I make the 4-hour trek out to Minneapolis every few months just to visit these guys. The place is amazing, if for no other reason to meet with other retro tech nerds. Many thanks for the video sir!
I live in Minneapolis and didn't know this place existed. Thanks for introducing me to this store! I will be donating and perhaps buying!
The Respective Brands does not go outdated, its custom fit to serve, provide leisure time, create still and moving images into moving arts. No dead pixels. The brands are always complete features no one can refuse, tangible standards designed for excellence soft and hardwares and peripherals. SMEs........respectively.
I wish I loved closer to this. So many useful things I could get from here.
I can't WAIT to see the "new" store! I love Free Geek and am really interested in your retro tech!
Good to see you going back to freegeek, really enjoyed your last mini documentary about them
$200 for that Panasonic VCR is a steal if it works, that's one of the best VCR's ever made.
Ya know, just think of what a broad and beneficial "stimulus" this could be if startup money was provided by the govt rather than just tossing money around. Everything from education, environment, tech and business activity and a myriad of stuff I can't think of right now. This is such an awesome program on so many levels that is an absolute shame it isn't available in cities all across the country (especially in Atlanta, where I am!) Thanks so much for bringing this to so many people's attention, Colin. Perhaps one of us watching will figure a way to expand this all over.
We need Free Geek in every cities..
Wow, I'm in the Twin Cities, and I had no clue this place existed. I've even been looking for something like this. I'll have to check it out.
Just stumbled across your channel. I’m local to the TC and can’t wait to check this place out
Amazing! New follower of the channel and I never knew we had something like this here in the twin cities!
Great video. A very LGR Thrifts vibe - always a popular format. That place is the bomb. Would love to visit and drop some cash if I lived anywhere near.
This is an awesome place
Nice to see an active community creating something awesome like that :)
Always cool when you explore what they have, awesome stuff!
I would definitely be interested in a video about that VAIO all-in-one!
Gosh, wish we had a Free Geek in the UK, specially in the North West!
This is awesome. Lived in the twin cities most of my life and had no idea this place existed.
Thanks to Colin for bringing this place to my attention. I really like what they're doing at this project, so more power to them! I have a feeling I may well buy my next Lenovo laptop from Free Geek. Excellent video, as always, btw!
I had always heard of Free Geek, but never visited it myself. Thanks for this video into it, I'll have to stop by sometime!
Great to see a place where they actually seem to know what they're doing. I'm so tired of going to surplus stores where random electronic parts are stacked up two stories high between piles of dog poop and used pizza boxes, thrift stores where all the good stuff gets shipped away to be sold on eBay and you have to dig through isles full of old people's clothes and 1960s nicknacks to find anything, and city surplus stores that are only open 2 hours a week and don't know anything about what they're selling.
If I would have a store like that in my neighborhood, I would first clean out my garage, and then sign up as a volunteer. And I would probably fill my garage right back up again hahaha
Love this video of your trip. Man, I'd love to just clean out their retro gaming section.
The collection of vintage Mac items freegeek has is pretty great! If I was up that way, I’d love to pick up a thing or two
4:47 - Ha, I got one of those! It was actually my first laptop. I didn't feel like it was worth buying a laptop in the 1990s (too bulky, poor battery life) but in the early 2000s I wanted one for doing panels at anime conventions, and decided to go for a Mac because I felt it would be less of a hassle than trying to setup a Linux laptop. I kept running it until about the time that support for the PowerPC processors started to really get dead-ended. It was a nice little machine, for sure.
Every city deserves a place like this.
What a fantastic place. I would volunteer there every week if there was one where I live. Spotted a Yamaha RX series Amp, I did a video where I repaired one of those. Go into your iCloud now and remove any old devices people!
I am so jealous to your side of the world.
It's just non existing here, people don't care and people care even less fixing these kind of things.
Great video!
This place is amazing.. I'm adding it to a "must visit" if and when I visit Minneapolis. Thanks for putting this video out there..
Glad to see vintage stuff not being thrown away. Wish I had a place like this around here. :(
This is so cool, I really love old hardware. Im currently playing around with a Compaq Evo D510 that was released in 2001. I've installed Lubuntu 18.04 and ive been able to use it online with the Dillo web browser, ive also had it on IRC while streaming some icecast radio. Brought back alot of memories.
Heard about this place several years ago, still haven't made it out (I am in Anoka). Great Video, I really need to get over there.
Wish there were places like this where I live. Of course, I'd be broke in no time.
_Gee, Your Honor, the Trinitron CRT was bright and inviting and just oozing with high contrast DOS game goodness! When I came to my senses, I had 20 Pentiums and a Quadra loaded up in the back of my truck, and there was my bank account lying dead on the floor..._
Very cool and real electronic store. Love geek places like this!
I'd for sure want to see more on that All-in-one vaio!
I really wish we had places like this in the UK - so much tech just goes to landfill or 'the tip' and never sees a new life, just the bottom of a dumpster.
Excellent work there. Hope something similar where near me.
We have a Free Gook up here in Vancouver BC Canada, seriously amazing work they do redirecting useful tech away from the landfill. Also being able to find that oddball stuff is just too easy at their thrift store, need more of these places.
12:16 Last time I was in there, I raided the bin for the smaller IDE drives. Hopefully they've been able to restock the
Great video and Free Geek looks awesome.
Colin "Heyyy guys, what would I have to do to take that 12" home?"
FG:TC " Well, how about a nice video tour?"
Great space, I'd add.
It looks like they are using a lot of what appears to be new USPS boxes inappropriately. Those boxes are the property of the postal service and are intended to be used for shipping only.
4:23 I totally read that as "¡Que! Fire!"
4:35 I don't miss the translucent grey plastic trend (1999) as much, but I DEFINITELY miss the translucent colors (1998).
6:14 Okay, THAT is something I never thought I'd see, and honestly never conceived of in my life. Even in the old days. I'm so glad we're living in the days of dirt cheap optical mice. I remember when the first ones were around a hundred bucks! Even BLUETOOTH mice have finally gotten down to the $15 price point -- they were $50 or more for the longest time!
11:28 Oh man, I haven't even heard "AGP" mentioned in so many years. I had an AGP Tseng Labs ET-somethingorother in the mid-90s. I remember its most advanced feature (other than 640x480x24bit or 1024x768x8bit video modes) was a hardware-accelerated mouse cursor. As in, a single, solitary sprite. XD
12:40 Those are worthless, IMO. Out of a handful of Express and Extreme units we bought a few years back, only the one Extreme unit is still working well.
14:42 Oh man, the old Sylewriter. I remember when that came out, I was working at the university computer store. They were pretty forgettable, hapless little things. Typical mid-90s Apple: overpriced crap.
Thanks for this video! I never knew this place existed!
I'd love to visit that place!
I would LOVE to be able to visit them. That kind of place is right up my alley. Heck, I'd probably even want to volunteer there! But sadly according to the almighty Google it's about 350 miles away from where I live. I'm glad to see them continuing to do well despite the pandemic. We need more places like this across the US!
Fantastic that places like this exist.
That place is the perfect playground. Forget Disney World!
How have I not known about this place?! I must visit.. and have things to donate even! 👍
I would absolutly love to run such a shop like this here i live ! The benefit of having to tinker with old hardware an make people happy at the same time is vary appealing ! Shame it doesn't really exist in france
What a trip down memory lane!
I used to find some good industrial handheld PCs on the $1 table when the local computer surplus store was still around. They all seemed to come from the Chicago Board of Trade back when they were the first exchange in North America to offer digital trading on the floor.
I prefer the TI-86 over the TI-84 Plus.
I’m so jealous. I wish we had a store like that in OKC. I would have so much fun looking at all their stuff.
Then start one.
It's like a dream goodwill!
I'm in Minneapolis and I didn't know about this place! I need to find it!
VAIO stands for (or at least, was originally) "Video Audio Integrated Operation" which explains why most of them were pretty compact with most things built-in to the main board along with at least one A/V port and i.LINK port on them. They often had MiniDisc audio drives in them (or at least, available for them) back in the '90s and early '00s.
Ever since the remodel, the cool stuff is never on display anymore. It’s really kind of slowed down the fun. Be glad you have real access.
They’re very backlogged right now, but there’s definitely cool stuff that trickles out. Apparently a 20” Sony PVM was available not long ago, but sold in just 2 days.
Would love to see something like this here in MD!
If we had a store like that in West Virginia I might just never leave it
I love your channel, but never realized you were in the twin cities! Hi from Mankato!
I wish we had a free geek or hacker space near me. So much gets tossed here because to do anything else is an hours drive or more away. Wonder how tough it is to start one?
7:19 Nice Samsung SyncMaster (226bw???) on the back. I still have a 931bw from 2005/06 working flawlessly on a daily basis.
I started crying this is sooo cool I need parts
2:08 I had one of those ibm desktops back in the day, my first pc as I switched from a mac. Would love to do a retro build in one of those!
I'm from the Stillwater area of MN and I had no idea this place existed. I'm gonna have to stop by next time I visit town along with my trip to Ax-Man 🤙😂
i live in the area and never knew this place existed. this is great!
Also good to see and with the racks.
Reminds me of my garage. I work with a recycler in Minnesota, and my full time job is selling retro tech online. Just today I picked up a Compaq Presario CDS 526 All in one, and might make a video about it
I'm in for the video! 👍👍
@@arthurmann578 Unfortunately, I plugged it in and could hear some crackeling. Opening it up, I plugged it in again and there was a solder joint connected to a capacitor that I could see some arcing, and the joint was pitted. I unplugged it, took a few pictures and listed it on ebay for someone else to try to fix.
@@mattcintosh2
Oh...OK...maybe on the next one you find. Be well out there! 👍👍
@@arthurmann578 The video is here ua-cam.com/video/Dnc_btdzWMk/v-deo.html I cut it short after realizing that I wasn't going to be able to do anything else to it.
@@mattcintosh2 Thanks bro! Will have a look and subscribe to your channel! 👍👍
I still have an iMac in my home, and it works great! Cool to see so much stuff.
Just as a coincidence, there's a Free Geek store about 2 hours from me in Arkansas. I've been meaning to check it out if I get a chance...
15:53 ayyyy I got that other scope to the right of the Heathkit last week!