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The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
Lem Fugitt, owner & publisher of Robots Dreams, will present a photo/video essay featuring Hack Pittsburgh, Makerbot, NYCResistor, Dorkbot NYC, the Spring 2010 NYU ITP exhibition, and Tokyo Hackerspace. He will show how small groups of creative people are joining together to redefine and revitalize everything from personal computing, arts, crafts, gardening, and even manufacturing.
Lem arrived in Japan on September 11, 1982, and hasn’t looked back since. His career includes introducing early CAD/CAM systems to Japanese manufacturing, establishing several high-tech joint venture companies, reorganizing the Japan subsidiary of a major US technology leader, and corporate strategic planning for Seiko Instruments. He acts as a management and business development consultant for several US and Japanese companies. In his spare time, he publishes Robots Dreams, a well known source for robot news, trends, and information.
Links:
Robots Dreams: http://www.robots-dreams.com
Personal: http://lemfugitt.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/robots_dreams
http://www.twitter.com/robots_forever
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tempusmaster
http://www.youtube.com/user/lemfugitt
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
Back by popular demand, our club VIVP (very important Vice President) Mr. Mike Tokue will share his technical wizardry by first presenting a comparison of mobile wireless solutions, their performance, and costs, including WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). Mike has also offered to then follow up with a demo of his new Apple iPad.
Due to wireless connectivity issues in the church basement, we will finish up the meeting early and head down to Shakey's so Mike can demonstrate the latest WiMAX technologies in real-time action. Please feel free to bring your own computers to try out the speed of Wi-Max.
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
What is Cloud Computing? What does it mean? Should you be using it? Are you already using it? What does it mean for business? What does it mean for you ?
Come along to the April 8th Tokyo PC Users Group mtg. to hear Jason Winder from Webnet IT break down the buzzwords surrounding cloud computing. This will be an intermediate level presentation, and will discuss how Google utilises cloud computing, how business is beginning to use Cloud Computing, and how Webnet IT is using Cloud Computing.
Jason Winder resides in Tokyo and is an early adopter, a technology enthusiast, and an entrepreneur. Jason runs Webnet IT ( http://www.webnet-it.co.jp ), which specializes in providing IT services and staff to small and medium-sized foreign companies in Japan.
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
In this era of exponential growth of digital images and video, how do we go about processing and maintaining such voluminous data in our own personal collections? It surely seems like such multimedia data is overwhelming and in a continuous state of exponential growth with no end in sight! The key is to devise a system by which we control our multimedia data rather than the data controlling us. Jerry will present concepts and processes he employs to deal with this phenomenon. Hopefully his ideas and strategies in dealing with voluminous data might have some peripheral spinoff and benefit for application to the audience's own multimedia collections.
With the Photo Imaging Expo (PIE) 2010 coming up soon, as a bonus topic, he will also talk briefly about considerations for purchasing digital video and imaging equipment based on personal desire, need, and budget.
If you carry a camera around as readily as you do a mobile phone, or you are thinking about purchasing one in the near future, or upgrading existing equipment as Jerry intends to do, then this presentation is definitely for you. He believes there will be something for everybody to gain some concepts and education as food-for-thought to carry back with you.
Jerry Suppan was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. After a 3-year stint in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which included a year and a half in Vietnam, he returned to the Chicago area to attend junior college. There he majored in engineering while concurrently working in airline ground operations. Through an internal company transfer to Honolulu, Hawaii, he continued to work for the airlines while attending the University of Hawaii, graduating in Japanese language studies. Since coming to Japan in 1982, he is now a permanent resident of Japan.
Jerry has worked in a diversity of corporate environments. To name some, he provided Windows network support in the financial industry, did translation services for U.S. military intelligence, and also was a sales representative for promotion of Hitachi consumer electronic products in the U.S. military market in Japan. Presently he freelances in entrepreneurship and investments....activities which involve education, talent productions, online selling, and offshore FX trade investments.
Links:
http://www.gallery.suppan.net
http://picasaweb.google.com/tokyojerry
http://tokyojerry.smugmug.com
Arka's guided tour through the 'cloud' was thoroughly enjoyable. He was able to demo some of the very sites/services he was recommending in the course of his presentation. For many of the collaboration, storage, social networking sites he was able to show how he uses them to his own advantage in business and personal realms. The in-depth explanations included numerous examples of cool features as well as limitations. Many members of the audience shared their own experiences, triumphs and dissatisfactions. As usual there was not enough time to cover all of the topics of interest due partly to the lively give and take with the audience. The consensus was that Arka should extend his presentation to another club meeting in the near future.
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
Do you use multiple computers and find it a pain to synchronize files between them? Is there a better way to share documents among project members than emails ricocheting all over the place? Do you want to be able to make your information public easily? Do you need to smoothly manage tough projects, in these leanest of times, without breaking the bank on expensive collaboration and groupware solutions?
The solutions are right there, and won't cost you a penny. Arka Roy will introduce the three premiere web-based office/collaboration suites: Google Apps, Zoho and ThinkFree.
Arka has worked in the software field for over 20 years, the past 18 of them here in Tokyo. His responsibilities have run the gamut from programming to project management, from planning to direction..., even Twitter marketing! He currently runs his business as a consulting developer, planner and project manager out of a sunny office in ground-zero of Harajuku.
Links:
http://www.arkaroy.com
http://twitter.com/anroy
http://www.linkedin.com/in/arkaroy
Once again the Tokyo PC Users Group's Jerry Suppan, a.k.a. "Mr. January," entertained the masses with his informative Jan. 7 presentation on "E-commerce: Basics of setting up an online shop." Jerry's talk was very well-received and well-attended, as it seems many folks wish to make money online these days. Jerry is using Yahoo Small Business' e-commerce Merchants Solution package to market high-end Japanese cutlery at his Japan Pro Cutlery website (http://www.cuttingedge-japan.com) .
Jerry demonstrated the mechanics & various aspects of the creation and operational maintenance of an online shop, including the shopping cart powered by PayPal. Because of this surprising interest in e-commerce, we are hoping to attract more speakers this year willing to share their expertise in this field. Thanks, Jerry !
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
Do you have that entrepreneurial spirit and adventure within you? Do you desire independence and to control your own destiny? Have a service or a product you wish to promote and sell for profit? Jerry Suppan will present ideas, considerations and processes in order to set up an online shop. It's not as difficult as you might think.
Jerry was born and raised in Chicago. He spent 10 years working in the airline industry in Hawaii and concurrently attended the University of Hawaii, graduating in Japanese language studies. Since coming to Japan in 1982, he has been through a diversity of experiences. Presently, he is a member of XL Japan, an entrepreneur organization. As an independent businessman, he is currently developing his own online shop, and does MacWin Hybrid IT Solutions consulting and services when requested. Also, as alternative side interests and sources of income, he is also involved with the wedding industry and TV talent productions.
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
At our November meeting, TPC Past President and speaker Mike Kato barely got started with his presentation on "Learning with Technology" before running out of time. For the December meeting, he will continue where he left off last time, expanding on the "green"/ecological aspects of e-learning technology.
As time permits, Mike will also share details of a couple of "eco" e-learning projects he is involved with, as well as discuss the general concepts of starting a venture and being an entrepreneur in a difficult economy.
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Events"
and on the TPC mailing list with the following description :
Summary
Learning with Technology and Technology that Learns for You (so that you don't have to)
Mike will be speaking and showing a variety of tools and applications related to his primary technology interest - improved learning through the appropriate application of technology. Mike has no idea which tools and applications he will be talking about, as the range of materials and projects with which he is working spans far and wide. Language learning, applications designed to foster creativity (especially for children), and e-learning tools are some specific areas in which Mike focuses, but he is also very preoccupied with "Green" education, having experience in teaching environmental science and as a Boy Scout leader. Studying will never be the same again!
At this months meeting the Annual Election of club officers took place followed by a presentation. Congratulations to Gary Wolff for assuming the position of Club President for another year, and to Mike Tokue and Tony Whitman who have also retained their positions of Vice-president and Treasurer, respectively, for another year.
Following the election and earlier club business a presentation was giving by Emiliano Castellani featuring the products and services of his company, i.e. his employer, Enterasys Networks. With a series of slides Mr. Castellani highlighted the many policies and strategies of Enterasys Networks that have resulted in a growing market share in this competitive arena of providing network security to customers. Mr. Castellani's case for customers choosing Enterasys started with pointing out the advantages of the worldwide partnership of Enterasys with Siemens. He continued with the Enterasys approach to security with managed business oriented policies verse the traditional Access Controlled List. Other key points included the use of high level technical staff to provide customer support, adhering to Standards Based Platform, being an authoritative resource for customers who are striving for SOX compliance and a timely evaluation process for potential customers. In all this presentation was an enlightening view of an area of technology that is becoming increasingly complex and costly while at the same time proving to be as important as ever.
In addition to holding our annual general meeting with officer elections, we're pleased to have as our speaker, Mr. Emiliano Castellani, Technical Manager, with Enterasys Networks Japan (http://secure.enterasys.com/jp/). Emiliano will give us a corporate overview of Enterasys Networks, which was originally founded as Cabletron Systems 25 years ago, and today is part of a global joint venture with Siemens.
Enterasys Secure NetworksT presently serves over 4500 clients in 70+ countries, including at least one hundred Fortune 500 companies. Enterasys provides comprehensive network security & IT solutions, including multi-vendor VoIP support, advanced security applications such as IDS, IPS, NBA, & SIEM, management software for centralized visibility and control, and security enabled infrastructure like switches, routers, & wireless equipment.
Immediate past president Terry McKenna gave a very useful and informative presentation, in spite of our incurring rather rare technical difficulties regarding the church's projector and wireless network.
Terry outlined the various online options available for getting advance degrees in IT, comparing different degree programs (e.g., IT vs. info systems management), universities, and costs. What got everyone's biggest attention was the huge salaries that can apparently still be snagged with advanced IT degrees.
Terry explained how his online courses at the University of Liverpool are conducted, the year-by-year curriculum, how textbooks are handled, and his less than desirable experience so far with the seemingly outdated Blackboard software. He said when the course modules are in session, he has to spend a minimum of 4 hrs./day studying, which can pose interesting challenges while trying to maintain a somewhat normal family and work life.
The club would like to thank Terry for not only a fascinating presentation, but also for his continuing service to the club as Reviews Editor and active participation in club activities.
Former club president, Terry McKenna, will take a break from his Information Systems Management master's degree studies to give this month's presentation. The presentation will cover two topics....
online distance learning and the IT job market.
Terry is currently enrolled in the University of Liverpool online master's program, and will introduce a selection of IT degree programs, discuss their merits, and share his experience of juggling work and studies while trying to live a normal life.
A demonstration of Blackboard software will also be given, which will offer an in-depth look at what is to be expected from this type of learning environment. The discussion will be informal, encouraging questions during the presentation. PowerPoint slides will not be used, so bring a notebook if required.
Links:
http://www.blackboard.com
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools
http://www.oreillyschool.com
http://cnx.org
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/richard_baraniuk_on_open_source_learning.html
http://www.zotero.org
http://online-degree.dyndns.org
This month the TPC had an Akihabara tour instead of the usual monthly meeting at Omotesando.
Mike Tokue , the TPC Vice-President, conducted the tour on Saturday, August 8th.
The Plan :
The meeting place was just outside the Akihabara Station "Electric town" exit A at 1:00 P.M. (3-4 hours)
The group toured the back streets of Akihabara, some notable places, PC parts, Secondhand stores and stopped for a curry to finish the day.
What's in the making of a logo?
Some creativity to give the viewer a powerful image and effective tools to render the image. The software package that Michael Buma introduced to those attending this meeting is called GB Logos . For a modest purchase price the user gets a focused application that offers the support and speed necessary for the design process. There is a large library of images, objects and fonts included along with plug-ins to create special effects such as color gradients, text jitter and watery looking surfaces. Using the GB Logos software Michael aptly produced many examples of logos that were suitable for maps, business cards and letter heads. In short, if logos are what you need, this software enables the creation of logo designs without the need for high priced packages with feature over-load.
Mastering programs like Photoshop and Illustrator can literally take hours or even days of time, so thank goodness for easier software options specifically designed with only the minimum functions you need and with a user-friendly interface. One such program is GB Logos, an innovative and easy to use product that makes it possible for any business owner to design professional business logos, create advertisements, design nice page headers for a website and other identifying graphics in just minutes. The easy-to-use features of GB Logos include hundreds of fully modifiable logo templates and objects categorized by industry and interest, high quality graphical engine, creative tools and special effects.
TPC member Michael Buma will share his knowledge and experience with GB Logos and answer your questions regarding logo design techniques. He is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah and has over 10 years experience in applications and network engineering, including having worked for both Intel and Toyo Engineering. Michael is a recognized expert in ASP.NET, and is presently involved in CAD software marketing and IT consulting services, as well as serving our TPC club in the capacity of corporate liaison and assisting with the website redesign efforts.
Last time Mike focused on how to process digital photographs
and made some suggestions on how to store and where to present them.
For this month's meeting he drew upon his academic training and
years of experience to provide some insight as to what makes a photo
interesting. As he touched upon the key points of perspective ,
angle, balance, subliminal lead in, isolating topics, etc.
he was able to illustrate the concepts by presenting photos from
from his own collection. Mike's Flickr photo sets can be found at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtokue/sets/ .
The presentation was followed by a wide ranging question and answer
session that covered everything from lens protectors and filters to
photo file organization.
In April Mike Tokue barely got started on his presentation on
Basic Digital Photography before running out of time. For the
May meeting he will continue to expand on his recommendations
of how to enhance the final version of your photos.
The audience is encouraged to participate and to bring their
camera for some hands on case studies
This well attended meeting included many new participants
at the TPC monthly meeting. Everyone wanted to hear, and
in some cases share, advice on how to get the most out of
their digital photography experience.
Mike's first recommendation was a practical use for the
digital camera. Since today's models are capable of such
high resolution, document everything! Use the camera to make
a copy of important documents and to make a record
identifying valuables and property. It takes just a
little time and can potentially reduce the hassles when
things are lost or stolen.
Mike stressed the flexibility of working with the
digital format. What the camera captures is often
not presentable right out of the box. However with
an off-the-shelf digital photo editing program it
is possible to make dramatic improvements to the
picture by making adjustments to the brightness,
saturation, contrast, etc.. Mike was able to
demonstrate the use of many of the tools with
a photo taken of an audience member.
There was a lively discussion on the pros and cons
of some of the popular photo hosting services on
the web , such as , flickr and google.
Mike's closing recommendation:
The more pictures you take the better you get at
developing a critical eye for what makes a good
picture.
Our dynamic club VIVP (very important VP) Mr. Mike Tokue will
share his expertise in digital photography covering the basics,
shooting, manipulation, storage, & web galleries.
Topics will include:
What to Shoot, Why shoot, How to shoot.
How to make that Photo Pop!
Having Fun with your Photos.
How best to make use of free web galleries.
Please come with all your digital photo questions for Mike,
who obviously has a real passion for this field.
Mike's Flickr photo sets:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtokue/sets/
At the following link you will find a summary of this event written by Paul Papadimitriou.
Also included at this linked location is a 74-min. streaming video of the meeting panel discussion.
The meeting was promoted on the TPC website "Upcoming Event" and on the TPC mailing list
with the following description :
Time: Thurs. March 12, 2009 from 7pm to 10pm
Location: The Pink Cow (www.thepinkcow.com)
Organized By: Mobile in Japan, Tokyo PC Users Group, Digital Eve
Event Description:
Join the Tokyo PC Users Group, Digital Eve Japan and the Mobile in Japan Community
for an evening of debate on the merits and demerits of the increasing array of smart phone
choices available to us.
You'll learn:
- What are the benefits of a smart phone over a regular Japanese keitai?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various smart phone offerings
(iPhone, Windows Mobile, Nokia, Blackberry, Palm and Android)
- What should you consider before buying a smart phone and what choices do we have in Japan
- What developments can we expect to see over the coming months and years
Panelists:
- Steve Nagata
- Mike Tokue
- Paul Papadimitriou
Moderator: Andrew Shuttleworth - Long time mobile power user and blogger
=== Event Details ===
DATE: Thursday 12 March
TIME:
Doors open - 6.30pm
TPC Club biz - 7.00-7.30
Presentation - 7.30-8.30
Networking - 8.30-late
VENUE: The Pink Cow, Shibuya (http://www.thepinkcow.com)
COST: 1,000 yen (Includes light snacks, Regular TPC member rates apply)
For more information about the particpating groups see:
Tokyo PC Users Group : http://www.tokyopc.org
Digital Eve Japan : http://www.digitalevejapan.org
Mobile in Japan : http://www.mobileinjapan.com
Keep up with TPC
Between meetings, you can keep up with what is happening with TPC by participating in the club newsgroups and mailing lists This is a handy way to stay informed, look for information, or share your knowledge and tips.
