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The DACS February meeting was enjoyed by all present, with Mike Kaltschnee as the speaker. Looking a bit tired, but enthusiastic nevertheless, Mike introduced members to the definition of a “geek” using a kindergartner metaphor. “You know your kindergartner is a geek when…” as Mike gave us ten definitions of the ultimate kid. Scary, when your under five year old starts doing your taxes. Mike continued by describing places—mostly online stores—that sell those must-have geek toys. Mike said that the advantage in being a geek is that you know of stuff that will be common in five years. I guess that being online fifteen years ago qualifies me as a geek. Mike continued by mentioning wireless, which is now very inexpensive, to connect computers in your home – no more annoying cables snaking around walls; what beats being able to use your lap top computer in bed? Geeks need scanners too, as per Mike. Lego makes some neat electric components to add on to the building blocks, another topic that Mike described. Of course, geeks have their own clothing, with all the pertinent sayings in front and back. He went on to talk about entertainment. He recently wrote about Netflix in dacs.doc and he finds that it is a very convenient way to watch movies his family really wants to see. Then he continued on news for geeks, such as Google News and Wired News—practical information for time-starved geeks. Mike concluded his short presentation—to let Ed Hicks talk about his hobby—with caffeinated products: such as soap with much more caffeine that your regular cup of java, to use in the morning for those who just do not have the time to drink that essential wake me up. What happened to the time when we had time to savor a cup of coffee in a favorite coffee shop? I attended the meeting with my 13-year-old son who reviewed this segment of the evening by saying: “Mike is cool!” Ed Hicks then continued where Mike left off, demonstrating the equipment he uses for orienteering. Until Ed’s presentation, I never realized that orienteering was a sport practiced in the U.S.A. Back when I was in school in Switzerland, orienteering was part of physical education. It was fun to spend an afternoon with a team, sprinting through the woods, looking for that next post where we would find out our next clue. I was not born with a compass in my head, nor was my team; therefore, more often than not, we ended up not finding the stations in sequence and arrived at the end of our afternoon with half the clues. But it was better than being inside. I know of some kids that grew up becoming so proficient at the sport that they went on tours in Nordic countries and in New Zealand. So it was with great interest that I listened to Ed, who, by the way, must have spoken for my purpose, in centimeters, kilometers and kilos. Ed described how to get maps for orienteering, how to create and manipulate symbols used in the sport. Ed also showed us a wearable computer with every thing—or just about—that is found on a typical desktop and that can be worn as a belt around the waist. The elements, as per Ed, consist of two tablet-like computers, a battery, USB ports, serial ports, pc cards, a pen to transfer information between the wearable and the office computer, plus the necessary GPS—I just wish I had such a piece of equipment when doing orienteering. Ed mentioned that wearable computers, while convenient for sport, also have many other applications, such as at a point of sale, when airport staff check your ticket, doing data research in the field, in surveying and such similar professions. He surprised all of us when he said that his wearable computer did not cost much more than $600.00, all add-ons inclusive. Ed gave the audience two web sites to learn more about wearable computers and orienteering: www.via-pc.com and www.orienteeringunlimited.com While being entertained, I learned quite a lot in the amount of time allocated to the presentation by Mike and Ed. That sums up DACS meetings: fun, while keeping up-to-date on computer technology. |
| Marlène Gaberel is a DACS board member and VP for Public Relations. You can e-mail her at: marlene_gaberel@yahoo .com. |
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