[Orcnet-announce] ORCNET Meeting Notice - Thursday, Apr 23, 2009, IHOP

Wed Apr 22 15:59:49 UTC 2009

Note: This announcement has been delayed by a protracted Qwest DSL failure; it's still off the air. 
This is being sent from our local Burgerville, which offers free Wi-Fi and good (for its genre) food.
Thanks BK!

Greetings -

The Oregon IEEE Consultants' Network (ORCNET) meets regularly on the fourth Thursday of each month.

Details of our next meeting (Tomorrow night!) are below.

APRIL ORCNET MEETING

WHAT - A PRESENTATION
Mr. Keith Lofstrom, Founder of KLIC, and the ORCNET's Valiant Webmaster, will present

Server-Sky: Orbiting arrays of Solar-powered servers and communication satellites, http://www.server-sky.com.

Data Centers that consume more than 50MW electrical energy are on the horizon. The EPA in 2006 estimated the annual US Data Center power consumption at 60 billion kilowatt hours, or 1.5% of the total US power consumption, with a predicted doubling by 2011. To avert social disaster, technologists must retard this exponential growth and develop alternative ways to power our digital economy.

Server-Sky is a proposal to apply the capabilities of Oregon companies such as Solar World, Intel, and TriQuint, to build & orbit large arrays of ultralight solar-powered server satellites (Server-Sats) between the inner and outer Van Allen belts. These arrays of satellites could be solar-powered, self-steering, and networked with each other. An array of Server-Sats could act as a large phased-array antenna, "steering" thousands of communication links to earthside receiving stations below, and automatically transferring communication and control to the Server-Sat arrays that follow it in orbit. Roughly 30 trillion Server-Sats could be located within a 100 millisecond ping-time distance from earth. 

Earth can return to what it is good at - green and growing things - while space can be filled with gray and computing things.

WHO - OUR PRESENTER
Mr. Keith Lofstrom (http://www.keithl.com/)

Keith is a mixed-signal integrated circuit designer and consultant in Beaverton, Oregon. He is the CEO of SiidTech, which licenses silicon identification technology to semiconductor manufacturers. Keith designed crossbar routing chips for Icube Design Systems, which were used by Cisco and others to route much of the internet in the mid 1990s. He also helped draft the IEEE 1149.4 mixed-signal scan test standard and he received an award for a related presentation at the International Test Conference.

In addition to his other interests, Keith is the Webmaster for the Oregon IEEE Consultants' Network (ORCNET) and is active in Open-Source and the Portland Linux Unix Group.  His server hosts the dirvish disk-to-disk backup program, based on rsync and written in Perl.  Keith has a special interest in low power, high efficiency computing.

In 1982 Keith invented the Launch Loop, a space launch system, which is now attracting renewed attention from space enthusiasts.

Keith has written for Kluwer Press, various IEEE journals, SysAdmin magazine, Liberty magazine, aerospace journals, and Analog.

WHEN
Thursday, April 23, 2009, 6:00 PM to chat & eat, meeting begins at 7:00 PM (approx.).

WHERE
The ORCNET meets at the Beaverton International House of Pancakes (IHOP), located at the intersection of SW 158th & Walker Rd, across Walker Rd. from Fred Meyers.

IHOP, 15935 SW Regatta Lane, 503-614-8485.
Mapquest http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?email=1&mapdat.

The IHOP's seating capacity is approximately 35 folks, so come early! Just ask for the Oregon IEEE Consultants' Network meeting, or the ORCNET meeting. (John is expecting us.)

REMINDER!
Although our meetings are free and open to the public, membership has its advantages. Members (or prospective members) should bring a check for $50 for annual dues to this meeting.

AGENDA
6:00 PM - (or thereabouts) Eat (optional) and chat.
6:45 PM - Show and Tell (if anyone brings toys!)
7:00 PM - Call to Order - meeting begins.
             - Officer Reports
             - Old Business
             - New Business
7:30 PM - Keith Lofstrom's presentation
9:00 PM - (approx) - Adjourn

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE ORCNET's REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULE
The Oregon IEEE Consultants' Network (ORCNET) meets regularly on the fourth Thursday of each month, except for a combined November/December meeting on the first Thursday of December.

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SHOW AND TELL THE ORCNET
Our "Show and Tell" sessions happen before and after most meetings, so bring your gadgets! Your latest circuits! LINUX tools! Your creations! If something interests you technically, then others in our group will be interested, too.

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ORCNET MEMBERSHIP:
If you've been attending our group, please consider becoming a member ($50 annually). Cheap! 
To learn more, surf to http://www.eeconsult.org/membership.html, or contact any ORCNET Officer (listed below).

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SURF THE ORCNET WEBSITE!
Are you seeking a technical expert or consultant? Thinking of becoming one? Considering joining our group? Surf to www.eeconsult.org.

Just want more information about the IEEE's presence in Oregon? Surf to http://www.ieee-oregon.org, and be sure to visit the Oregon IEEE events calendar at http://www.ieee-oregon.org/index.php?option=com_events&Itemid=56

Note - The ORCNET is an IEEE "Affinity Group", similar in many ways to an IEEE Chapter. The Oregon IEEE recently revised its website, and the link from its site to ours is not yet restored. We are working to get this corrected.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ORCNET MAILING LISTS
Our valiant webmaster has configured our mailing lists for usefulness and maintainability.
We offer three lists: 
    - one for members-only,
    - another for a general public discussion forum, and 
    - a third for our (infrequent) public announcements such as this one.

Both public lists allow recipients to opt in or out, at their own discretion.

Surf to http://eeconsult.org/members/index.html for information about subscribing or unsubscribing to our lists.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
QUESTIONS & SUGGESTIONS for the ORCNET? 
Email our Chairman, Pat Barrett, pbarrett at ieee.org or pat at barrettengineering.com.

Want to be added/removed from this list? 
Surf to http://eeconsult.org/members/index.html for instructions about subscribing\unsubscribing, or contact our Webmaster, below.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2008 OFFICER CONTACT INFORMATION
Chairman - Pat Barrett, pbarrett at ieee.org
Secretary - H. Joe Tabor, harryjoe at teleport.com
Webmaster - Keith Lofstrom, keithl at ieee.org
Treasurer - Brian Conley, bconley at ieee.org
Program Coordinator - Henri Joyaux, HBJoyaux at ieee.com

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end of meeting announcement - See you There!
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