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Many
of the great military commanders of the past employed astrologers
to accompany them on their conquests. The purpose was not just
to predict the outcome of a battle or to divine an enemy’s
intentions, but also to lay the groundwork for what must come
after. For the task of creating an empire and maintaining it
required an ability to ask questions about the future, and that
future could be seen in the stars.
Prophet-making enterprise
As a growing empire on the frontier
of the Internet, IBM
saw a need to engage an astrologer to peer deep into cyberspace
and set goals and a future course for the company and for others
venturing onto the Web. That task went to John Patrick, Vice President of Internet
Technology, and resident of Ridgefield, CT.
It would seem to be the most enviable
of occupations--spend all day surfing the Web, draw up some conclusions
and insights, and then go out and sell others on the idea. That,
in a nutshell, is what John Patrick does for IBM, but with the
intelligence, conviction and charisma of a true prophet. His
tool of the trade is a vision of where Web technology is headed,
and his mission is to travel the globe sharing that vision with
governments, corporations and entrepreneurs. For his company,
the rationale is what’s good for the Internet is good for
IBM. For nearly every year since 1994, DACS has been honored
to be a whistle-stop on John’s annual campaign.
Stop the future
I want to get on
This year, John will be promoting
a new book, Net
Attitude, which he describes as preparing one’s organization,
its people and all its systems and processes to take advantage
of everything the Internet has to offer. He will redefine his
vision of the future of Web commerce, the stresses and setbacks
it has endured, and the triumphs it is about to undertake. You
can hear it all at the next DACS meeting on Wednesday, December
5 (note delayed date).
Last call for Board
The annual membership meeting and
board election is coming on December 5. For last-minute candidates,
there is still an opportunity to make nominations from the floor
prior to the vote. We welcome any member who is willing to contribute
their time and effort to the betterment of DACS. If you cannot
be at the meeting, a proxy form at the back of this newsletter
can be sent in to register your selection.
Welcome back, Ted!
When our energetic associate editor,
Ted Rowland told me he was moving from Sherman downeast to Maine,
I was dismayed that we would lose a valuable colleague and friend.
But Ted assured me that once he settled down, he would once again
be available to fulfill his editorial duties by e-mail. This
edition of the .doc is the first effort at that collaboration,
and so far it seems to be working well.
In nine years I have been involved
with dacs.doc, we have employed numerous techniques and stratagems
to get the newsletter out. Editorial copy has been exchanged
by mail, by BBS, by dictation over the phone, by e-mail and by
hand through a car window in a distant parking lot. It is an
indication of how far the revolution has come that we can simultaneously
work on final copy from more than one location at once, and hopefully
get our newsletter to the printer without getting into the car.
You may have noticed our ads appearing
in the News-Times
and on WLAD Radio. We have initiated a three-month campaign to
promote our meetings, and to build membership. This is an expensive
option, but one which we believe is necessary to create new recognition
of DACS and to stabilize our growth for the future. But, as always,
the best way to sell DACS is by word of mouth. Won’t you
do your part by telling a friend about us and bringing them to
a meeting. A stronger DACS is all the better for serving you.
--Allan Ostergren
dacsprez@aol.com
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President's
Message
