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Meeting Date: January 10, 2001 Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: Alan Mildwurm's house
Bank Account: $1,700 (approximately)
2001. When I first saw that movie in a Chicago theater thirty plus years ago, that year seemed as far away as, well, Jupiter. Not all Arthur C. Clarke's "predictions" in that movie have come true. We do have space stations, but none yet have jogging tracks. Computers do talk to us, but few with the human tones of Hal.
Speaking of Hal, last week our company of nearly 2000 employees turned on a voice-activated phone dialing system. Dial the four digit access number and a recording asks with whom do you wish to speak. Say the name, and if the computer thinks it understands you it says "Calling <person name>", giving you a chance to intervene if it's wrong. So far, at this point it has always been correct for me. If it isn't sure, it asks "Do you mean <person name>?". If you say "yes" it calls them. If you say "no", it tries another name. If it runs out of names, it dials a human being for help.
I have had excellent success with this. True, today when asked for "Bill Smith" it replied "Do you mean Smith Bill?", but when I said "yes", it then replied "Calling Bill Smith". But it is truly amazing how well this system works. Not as sophisticated as Hal in 2001 by a long shot, but then our phone system is not likely to shut off my air and turn me into a meteor, either.
New Business:
Next Speakers: February will be PowerQuest, March will be the ever popular MP3, and April a double whammy with Intuit and Board elections. And save your old software and hardware: coming in May, the DVPC Swap Meet. Here's your chance to trade your old technology to a fellow member for their old technology.
Elections: Like the first robin, DVPC elections are a sure sign that spring is here. What could be more exciting than the fervor of a hard fought campaign? Here is your chance to give something back to DVPC: and get pizza once a month for a year in the bargain. You say you don't like to run for office? Don't like to make speeches and kiss babies? Not to worry. We have positions on the Board that you can be elected to while putting in less effort than a (Continued on page 9)
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