President's Message

Something funny happened on the way to our forum.

It does happen! The star of the show fails to show, but the show still must go on. That's what happened at our last General Meeting, when a representative from Alps Electric fell into a white hole on the way from the West Coast to the Danbury Hospital auditorium, where DACS members waited for a demo of the latest in color printing technology. Never mind. Bruce Preston fielded a few more Random Access questions, Ed Heere and Tom McIntyre put together an instant presentation on Y2K, and Jeff Setaro filled in with the latest on computer viruses.

Apologies are in order for those who came to the meeting hoping to learn more about printers. And special kudos go to Jeff, Bruce, Ed, and Tom, who salvaged the evening and kept our members in place and at the edge of their seats with cutting-edge information on topics of concern to all.

Volunteers

A wonderful thing about DACS-and what keeps me coming back each year for more-is the dedication and professionalism of our volunteers. People who could all be doing something else, and for MONEY. Virtually all our services, save the equipment we use and the printing and mailing of our newsletter, are performed without charge by volunteers. And whether it's scouting the best in the business for the programs at our monthly meetings, writing for or producing our newsletter, sharing one's expertise at meetings and at SIGS, or charting the business and direction of DACS, it's all done professionally and held to a tight deadline.

Y2K-II

If you attended the last General Meeting or the Y2K conference in October, you know that there are many surprises in store for us all when 1999 folds over into the year 2000. In May we will re-visit the subject with an assessment of what you can do to prepare. You'll learn that it's not a doomsday, grab all your things and run into the woods scenario, but one that requires some practical information on how to protect your vital information and perhaps even on how to
make a buck on the companies that are best situated. In the meantime, DACS' guru-in-residence, Ed Heere, will provide timely information on the latest in Y2K developments at our regular meetings.

DACS and VFJ: a winning combination

Volunteerism does have its monetary rewards. DACS was recently chosen as one of eighteen winners of the 1998 "Jerry Awards" for User Group Community Service Projects, by the Association of PC User Groups. The awards, named for APCUG founder Jerry Schneider, will recognize and support outstanding volunteer initiatives around the country with $500 grants sponsored by Oracle, Microsoft, and Adobe Systems. More about this in later issues.

The computer industry has long supported the work of DACS and Voice for Joanie in their efforts to bring a gift of speech to the silenced victims of Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS. Microsoft in particular has provided continuing support as a corporation and through the generosity of its caring work force. VFJ is an official charity for corporate matching funds on behalf of Microsoft employees, and recently the company has provided the financial backing to extend the reach of Voice for Joanie from coast to coast. Thanks to arrangements made through the good offices of VFJ and DACS, a $1,300 contribution from Microsoft, a PC and monitor donated from private sources, and the technical assistance of a nearby friend, an ALS patient in a southern California rest home has a voice system to help him communicate with his family and caregivers.

Now in its ninth year, Voice for Joanie has provided speech technology to more than 200 people in Connecticut. But to continue, it must have more volunteers to service its equipment and to monitor the progress of its clients. Technical knowledge is useful but not essential-you only need compassion for those with special needs, a car, and one weekend a month. Won't you help out? Call Shirley Fredlund at (860) 355-2611, ext. 4517 to become a Voice for Joanie volunteer.

--Allan Ostergren
dacsprez@aol.com