Happy New Year! For the next year, the Algorithmica Japonica will be without its usual Prez Sez column, since I've become the TPC's president in addition to continuing as newsletter editor and decided to include everything I might want to say in this Midnight Writer column. I hope to be of useful service as president, and I welcome any suggestions, just as I have for years as editor. I'm especially interested in ensuring that the TPC is beneficial to as wide a spectrum of its members as possible, and in increasing the group's appeal to others in order to increase that membership. Please share your ideas with me...and don't forget that the AJ always needs new articles, too.

I'd like to encourage you all to visit the TPC website (www.tokyopc.org) regularly to see what's been happening and what's planned, and to join in the discussions in the various newsgroups (news.tokyopc.org). I also recommend that you check once in a while to see what newsgroups are available, since they are added and removed in accordance with demand. Just now I noticed someone saying they hadn't been aware of the tpc.internet- access one, for example, and I think that some people may not be aware yet of the relatively new tpc.books one, either. A new Java Special Interest Group (SIG) has started and is in its formative stages; you can see what's happening--and influence it--by frequenting the tpc.java newsgroup.

Another new option for keeping in touch between meetings, and discussing things in realtime, is IRC. Visit #TPCUG on EFNET. There are only a few people in there most days lately, but that will change...if you log in.

The Publisher job is being shared for now by Vice President Barbara Manning and Publicity Officer Justin Gardiner. Barbara was one of our two excellent speakers at November's meeting, and is a marketing expert. Justin has already greatly enhanced the AJ's (and thus the TPC's) visibility, and has plans for further improvements. The newsletter has great publicity potential, much of it still untapped, and we would really like to hear from you about both how the newsletter might be improved and where else it might be distributed to good effect. A list of the current distribution points was included in the last issue; if you have another favorite spot where you think it could usefully be placed, please let us know about it.

Andrew Shuttleworth is a tough act to follow as president; among his other accomplishments he represented the TPC brilliantly in the planning of the recent Work in Tokyo job fair and the multi- group Christmas Party. He has graciously agreed to continue contributing his skill at lining up presenters for the meetings, so he'll be acting as Programs Officer as well as Past President. Please help him out: if you know, or know of, someone who could do an interesting presentation at the TPC's monthly meeting, contact Andrew (maybe you could do a presentation, for that matter).

Finally, for anyone who may have missed my usual PC-related rant this time, unbelievably enough, my computers haven't given cause for offense in a month. But I'm sure that'll soon change. Stay tuned.

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