NEW NET - Calling all tech enthusiasts

NEW NET: Northeast Wisconsin Network for Economy and Technology issues -- a gathering of tech enthusiasts which happens weekly in the Appleton area and is looking for other tech enthusiasts in the northeast Wisconsin region.

The NEW NET gathering last night, 25 Oct 2005, at Mister Churro in Appleton covered some interesting tech ground. Highlights of the past week's tech news were briefly mentioned or discussed a little more in depth, such as Google Base, the newly announced PWRficient microprocessor, Blackberry and other convergent devices, iPod issues, Arstechnica Lounge and fuel cells for Canon cameras. Side conversations developed from the tech news items, such as the high quality and outstanding tech design of Monster cables (which just might justify their equally stellar prices), which were brought into the conversation related to HDTV and the iPods. Talk to Bob P. for more details about Monster cables. Discussion about how entrepreneurs and small businesses can get good quality and reasonable prices for tech equipment and support morphed into some dialogue about the best way to update business systems monthly, and led to a suggestion that most/all pcs would run more quickly if they were defragged nightly while their users were fast asleep.

I know there are hundreds, if not thousands of tech enthusiasts scattered throughout northeast Wisconsin. It seems like it shouldn't be an overwhelming task to weave a more connected web between those enthusiasts so they are able to help each other more and get more help from their fellow enthusiasts. My vision is that five or ten or twenty tech enthusiast local groups would start meeting regularly in their communities, whether that's weekly, monthly or some other frequency. Some of the groups or individual enthusiasts may want to participate on a virtual basis, where telecommunication technology or tele-collaboration technology is used to enable or enhance participation. These groups will then reach out to and collaborate with other local tech enthusiast groups in the region, sometimes on a person-to-person basis, sometimes on a one-time interaction between two local groups, and sometimes on a larger scale where all the tech enthusiasts in the region are made aware of and encouraged to attend a region-wide NEW NET meeting.

If you are a tech enthusiast in northeast Wisconsin, please think about the above concept and consider participating in or even being one of the leaders for a local tech enthusiast group. If you live anywhere near Appleton and want to attend the Mister Churro gatherings on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm, feel free to show up or email or call me for more details (bob [at] mydigitechnician.com, 920-731-1272). If you don't want to drive to Mister Churro or that time is bad for you, consider participating in our gatherings via a virtual presence, or consider starting your own local tech enthusiast group. I'd be happy to work with you to get a local group started.

Finally, if you're not interested in connecting with tech enthusiasts in northeast Wisconsin, but you know of others in the region who might be interested, please have them contact me or tell them when and where the group gathers. And if you live outside northeast Wisconsin but want to participate via tele-collaboration technology, I'd love the chance to use the technology you're familiar with or want to try out.

The world isn't quite flat yet, but it's headed that way. Connect with other tech enthusiasts and help the flattening process!

I look forward to hearing from you...

Bob Waldron