Log
Board Meeting
November 16, 2003

Board Meeting Log, 16 November, 2003.
(Brent) Ok, I call the meeting to order - it's 10 min after the hour.
(Brent) Item 1 - minutes of the last meeting. Comments or questions?
(Nancy) None here.
(Roger) None here
(Brent) Shirley - none here
(Gerard) none
(Brent) none from me
(Brent) The minutes are ratified as correct
(Brent) Item 2 Fall projects review 1. new CD Project, report from Nancy
(Nancy) Mike Lob and I went back and forth several times on this, this past month.
(Nancy) He developed a CD, sent it to me for my review.
(Nancy) I found one could link just fine within the CD, as tho a complete copy of the web site.
(Nancy) The only issue for me was that SOME of the links were deliberate sent to ZetaTalk3 mirror site in Slovenia, for space reasons.
(Nancy) One the CD, this made them external links, even though the material should be able to fit on the CD
(Nancy) So I created pages that linked via relative reference on the ZT3 site, had Mike whack that site for a C: drive copy he could run the CD Adobe Reader copy from, and that solved that problem.
(Nancy) The items that would have otherwise been missed included the Wood Gas diagrams, which I consider highly valuable for Aftertime.
(Nancy) Mike now has a new copy, which he has stated he will sent to me, as yet received.
(Nancy) I think the only issue now is duplication and distribution.
(Nancy) Done with project report .
(Brent) Thank you Nancy. I had thought that the original idea was to have folks do their own copies of the websit, but having one complete and available is very good indeed!
(Nancy) My thinking is that we should ask of the TT mailing lists who WANTS one, as a start.
(Nancy) Cost should not be high, and their 'donations' can follow the distribution, to save time.
(Nancy) I guess I'm assuming that Mike would be able to duplicate, but he might not want to be in the loop like that.
(Nancy) There are places that duplicate CD's enmass.
(Brent) OK, good idea. What about copies of the original? Are you or Mike doing that, or.....
(Nancy) Mike would have to do that, and I'm sure would. I also could, but he is all set up and I'd have a learning curve.
(Roger) Copying an existing CD is doable and may be the easiest, let alone the cheapest solution.
(Brent) Ok, sounds good. As you said, we can start by querying the TT lists for interest, then go from there.
(Nancy) Yes, one has a master, and duplicates MANY at the same time, I think.
(Nancy) This can be burned out on individual PC's but is time consuming that way.
(Roger) The only cost would be blanks and shipping.
(Nancy) We have the $$ in the checking account, what better way to spend it at the present time!
(Roger) The time consumption is that only one can be burned at a time.
(Roger) If there was a large number of pending orders, this would be problematic.
(Nancy) Roger, do you know of anyone with the time to burn CD's at home? I won't have this time.
(Nancy) For those who do not know, I was filmed by New Zeland TV this past week, for instance.
(Nancy) Picking up.
(Roger) Well, there is only the need to insert the blank, tell the program to go and then come back later to get the cd out. The only contingency is what about labeling?
(Nancy) I guess an external label on the envelop would do, a printed page, etc.
(Roger) My software allows the creation of an image on the harddrive so multiple copies can be created without always needing to read the "original" cd.
(Nancy) Do I sense a volunteer?
(Nancy) Others could be requested, from for instance the tt-forum group.
(Roger) My handwritting is not the best, but I could ask my daughter to write something like "Troubled Times Website" on the disks.
(Nancy) Way to go, Rog :-) Children like to be included in important matters.
(Roger) My thinking is that volunteers are just around the corner and though I have three machines with burners (could burn 3 disks at a time), I may not be able to fill a tremendous number of orders in a timely manner.
(Jurian) just a suggestion.. find a cd duplicator shop; that'll be much faster, much cheaper, and the cd's will last longer than 2 years
(Roger) I guess I am sort of volunteering, and my ulterior motive is that I still have TT funds for shipping expenses. There is a wear and tear issue on my burners, but as long as the workload is lite...
(Roger) 2 years?
(Nancy) I agree with Jurian! This may be what we will need shortly, anyway!
(Jurian) depending on the quality, writable cd's have been known to lose their contents in less than 2 years
(Jurian) you will want pressed cd's anyway, not home-burned; way to expensive
(Roger) Hmm, I hadn't heard that. My understanding was that cd
(Roger) '
(Brent) I didn't know that Jurian, good information!
(Nancy) Well, this is for the immediate Aftertime, and days before rotation stoppage, so would suffice, my thinking.
(Roger) cd's last up to ten years.
(Jurian) Roger: good quality ones do
(Jurian) however, if you're making something that's supposed to be an archive of information, for 'troubled times', then home written cd's are NOT the way to go
(Roger) The survivability depends on exposure to reading lasers, heat and sunlight.
(Jurian) pressed cd's will last much longer
(Jurian) and take more abuse
(Roger) So if we are to follow Jurian's advise, we need to make sure the professional duplicator is a cd manufacturer, not just a copy service.
(Nancy) Lets go with the method that lasts longest, and it toughest.
(Brent) Roger - I believe that a professional duplicator is still OK. The issue is "pressing" CD's rather than "copying" them, so that they last longer. The duplicator need not be a cd manufacturer.
(Roger) "Pressing" is manufacturing.
(Brent) Hmmm....OK, Jurian, any comments on this situation?
(Brent) can we have them pressed, or is it too expensive?
(Jurian) not really, just make sure they're not burned cd's :)
(Jurian) as for pricing, I have no idea
(Nancy) Me neither.
(Brent) Well, if the price of pressing is too prohibitive, then we will just have to burn them, eh?
(Nancy) Yes, who is going to get costs here, sorry I don't have the time!
(Brent) Roger, can you make a few calls on this? I know that over here, we have no CD pressing facilities....it's a small island!
(Brent) Roger?
(Brent) Can we keep this going people?
(Brent) Am I still connected?
(Gerard) you are
(Roger) Sorry, I was filling out a request for info form at MediaTechnics about this issue. I'll continue my websearch and try to contact a couple of other companies.
(Nancy) Good, Roger is doing it as we speak! :-)
(Brent) Good, let's keep the meet going shall we? It costs a lot to call Canada from Hawaii!
(Roger) Well, sort of anyway. I just clicked the first link that showed up in my websearch.
(Brent) Thanks Roger....next project is Booklet orders & status, Roger?
(Roger) Booklet orders are back down. I haven't had a request for more than a month.
(Brent) How are your funds holding up?
(Nancy) Yes, few to NO orders in the mail, but this does not mean that folks are not using the PDF route, which they should.
(Nancy) So, booklet supply adequate, for now.
(Roger) I have plenty of funds and books, just waiting for requests.
(Brent) OK, very good. Thank you Roger.
(Brent) Next item, Acerage & Seed project,....Roger? Finished for the year?
(Roger) I have about 500 booklets and $577.92 in postage/mailer expense funds.
(Roger) The A&S project is finished up for the year.
(Roger) There was little of no harvest at the Kansas field. Stan was harvesting tomatoes with the intention of saving seed. I do not know what quantities he may have.
(Nancy) I have some packets yet, but showed them in the NZ filming so may get requests yet. About 30 left.
(Brent) Good Roger...an adequate supply of booklets, and postage funds.
(Nancy) Pardon, about 20 left.
(Nancy) Showed how to save seed too :-)
(Brent) Good show, Nancy! :-)
(Brent) So, no contact from Stan in awhile, Roger?
(Roger) The seed stock I have from The Ark Institute is quite aged. I plan to sort through this again this winter and dispose of those varieties that are sure to be infertile (such as onions). I will report on stock, etc. next quarter.
(Brent) Ok, very good
(Roger) I've had contact with members of his family. He is working hard and keeping busy. He has built a couple of cold frames for the acreage here.
(Nancy) I emphasized in the TV filming the garden I put in for this year, to renew itself. Chineses cabbage, gypsy onions, buckwheat, etc. and WHY these are good varieties.
(Roger) Any questions...
(Brent) None here, thank you.
(Brent) Shirley says - none here either.
(Brent) OK then, moving along....Short wave report...Shirley?
(Brent) Shirley - short & simple; absolutley nothing has changed since last month. end of report.
(Brent) Shirley - questions?
(Roger) [chuckles]
(Nancy) None here :-)
(Gerard) none
(Brent) OK, thank you Shirley. Next item, server report.
(Brent) Not much new to report. It was suggested last meeting that I search for a local server/network expert to help me set it up. I'm still reserching the possabilities, and have no leads yet. It's a small island, and those experts are "few and far between". End of Report.
(Brent) Questions?
(Nancy) None here.
(Gerard) none
(Brent) Roger?
(Roger) I have yet to hear back from my friend at MIT. I suspect that mid-terms are keeping him busy. I have been in touch with his family locally and will continue to pursue his assistance or advice.
(Roger) I may need to get additional information from you, Brent, about the status of the install, etc. For instance, is it Redhat Linux or Debian that we have?
(Brent) Roger - it's Debian, and just the Linux is installed, nothing else, such as networking software, etc.
(Brent) Other questions Roger?
(Roger) Good, that helps. Debian is available online and my friend can give me a list of instructions if he doesn't have the time.
(Brent) about the server...
(Roger) Nothing else at this moment. I'll send him another email and try to get something going soon...
(Brent) Roger - Debian is alread installed, it's the hookup to our network, email etc., that is needed now.
(Roger) Here's an interesting tidbit...Princeton Disc considers duplication to be the most cost effective for orders of less than 1000. They identify replication as stamping out the cd and do this for orders of 1000 or more. No prices on their website either.
(Brent) OK, end of projects list. Item 3 december meeting vote.
(Brent) Comments?
(Nancy) I suggest that IF we need to vote on the CD burning issue, funding this, it can be done by email, does not require a meeting.
(Roger) I think the open items can be handled by email.
(Nancy) We traditionally do NOT meet on the holiday month, December.
(Roger) True, but we could call an emergency meeting if needed.
(Brent) Yes, I agree about the email vote on the CD issue...
(Nancy) I move we skip meeting in December, as is our tradition.
(Roger) I second.
(Brent) Roger - yes, but a meeting may not be necessary for a vote on the CD issue...
(Roger) I was just stating an obvious.
(Roger) You know, for the record...
(Brent) OK, we have a motion. all in favor vote yes, opposed no
(Brent) yes
(Roger) yep
(Nancy) Yes
(Brent) Shirley - yes
(Gerard) Yes
(Nancy) Does shirley need the log?
(Brent) good, motion carries, there will be no meeting in December - defered for the Holidays.
(Brent) Nancy - yes she does, thank you!
(Brent) Ok, if there are no more questions or comments, we will adjourn the meeting. Comments or questions before I do?
(Roger) Short meeting...if there isn't anything else, I move we adjourn
(Brent) Sherley - no
(Nancy) I second this motion.