President's Message

January 2008 (v1.10)
Rob Limbaugh - President

Happy New Year!

If your Holidays were anything like ours, then you ate too much, gave too much, and probably got too many goodies. This year we didn't travel as we had in the past, which allowed for much desired and appreciated 'down time'. As long as everything was enjoyable, then that's all that really matters!

To kick off the year, I'll be attending the 2008 APCUG Annual Convention being held January 3 through January 6 in Las Vegas. DACS is a member of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups. Being able to rub elbows with members of other Computer User Groups from around the world should be quite interesting and educational. DACS was also entered in the Newsletter and Website competitions by a couple of our members.

The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show begins the day after the APCUG convention ends, so I'm revved up to attend that, too. Since I'll already be in Vegas, I'll get to see both shows! Unfortunately, my stay will be cut too short to be there the full week. That's OK, though, as I'm sure I'll be ready to return home midway into the week anyhow.

More books
First up is "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. This was a surprisingly longer read than I had anticipated. For the uninitiated, this book discusses the relativity and quantum theories. The first few chapters were reasonably easy to keep up with, but then the book got a little tougher. Mr. Hawking uses very plain and simple-to-understand language. The complexity is within the ideas and thoughts conveyed in the book. Interestingly enough, the book does spend a fair amount discussing theology—which I didn't really expect. Overall, this was a great book, but it did require extra time to reread some paragraphs to ensure the point conveyed was understood. Thankfully this isn't a thick book!

Next in my pile of reading material was "Leonardo's Lost Robots" by Mark Elling Rosheim. DaVinci created many masterpieces, with which we are all familiar, throughout his life. Arguably, one of the most recognized items is the "Last Supper". Leonardo's work on mechanical devices and anatomy led him to work with 'automaton' designs. This book takes you through Rosheim's research and intrigue trying to compile and recreate Leonardo's work. My favorite designs in the book were the programmable cart, the knight, and the hydraulic computer used in the bell ringer design. It's amazing to see what was capable even in such early times!

A Quick Reminder
Our 2008 General Meeting Schedule is changed for the first six months of 2008. Our General Meetings will be held on the FIRST MONDAY of January through June 2008. The 'FIRST TUESDAY' schedule will resume July 2008.

Keeping it short…
Due to the recent Holidays mentioned above, this is being written smack-dab between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's difficult to stop and take a look at everything going on, so I have little else to report. Until next time…

ROB LIMBAUGH
relimbaugh@dacs.org