I was elected in March to the position of Assistant Director by the SIGCS (Special Interest Group for Computer Science) of MACUL (Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning). One of my responsibliities is attending a “retreat” of the MACUL Board and SIG officers, which was Sunday and Monday in Grand Rapids. We reviewed statistics on the state of the organization and worked on strategic planning and other documents for MACUL and for the SIGs. I exchanged ideas with other people very knowledgeable in technology from across Michigan. I am pleased how the organization has grown in the way it works since when I was last involved in its leadership. The weekend was exhilarating and it yet tiring due to long hours.
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I thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company this morning. Greg Miracle (owner) and Jim Cadariu (roast master) both made espresso samples that were all different and the best I’ve ever tasted. Greg showed me raw coffee, the roaster, and other equipment, and patiently explained answers to my numerous questions. A sample cup of the best drip coffee I have tasted was soon offered. I did not expect drip coffee to be this good. It has been a challenge finding good coffee in southeastern Michigan and finding this place took a bit of sleuthing. The location is 389 Enterprise Court, which is best found by the large 389 on the building on the south (right) side of the road. It is east of Franklin Road and three blocks north of Square Lake Road. This company provided excellent coffee for Future Midwest conference, which provided the prompt for this excursion. Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company coffee: highly recommended. UPDATE: Typo corrected. Sarah Worsham of Sazbean gave a talk last evening for the Social Media Club of Detroit‘s March meeting held at the Detroit Public Library main branch. Her topic, “Connecting the Dots between Twitter and The Sale,” was designed to help attendees make better use of social media in business. I enjoyed the the talk and ideas presented by others. She did well. Disclaimer: as Sarah’s father, I do not claim to be unbiased. The library was a gracious host in a building that is still beautiful, even as it could use additional renovation and/or maintenance. Being there was a treat. I even enjoyed the traditional library smell. The Social Media Club of Detroit “is for anyone who plays, works, and explores the digital landscape.” There is an expressed interest in supporting and promoting southeastern Michigan, which is a great idea. The group is on Twitter (#SMCD) and Facebook. The Michigan Computer Science Teachers Association (MiCSTA) was formed Thursday, March 11, 2010 at a meeting with the Special Interest Group for Computer Science (SIGCS) of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL). Several CSTA members were present and all saw the benefits of the CSTA. We agreed to form the chapter, and elected officers. This is the beginning. Computer science teachers in Michigan have begun to form a community for growth and to speak for the interest of computer science in Michigan. We decided to have Rich Lamb (Cranbrook Schools) hold both the offices of secretary and treasurer (due to the fact there are no funds). Linda Downer (Dundee High School) became Vice President, and Barry Webster (Detroit Country Day School) became president. The next steps are to make sure all who have expressed an interest in membership are (or become) CSTA members and to make the group an official CSTA chapter. Tablet computers may have a future brighter than their past. I liked some of the characteristics I saw when Microsoft introduced its Windows XP Tablet PC edition that has been implemented by various manufacturers since the early years of this decade. I even spoke about the theoretical benefits of TabletPCs in the spring of 2004. Some of the points are on my website. Microsoft has made improvements since then. Yet, tablets have so far remained a relatively small part of the computer market. I believe Microsoft has had good TabletPC concepts, but the shipping products I have seen have fallen short of potential. Former Microsoft VP Dick Brass shed some apparent light on Microsoft internal issues in a recent New York Times Op-Ed article, Microsoft’s Creative Destruction. The article is one person’s view, of course. But whatever the reasons for shipping TabletPCs missing their potential, let’s hope Microsoft can improve their creativity and innovation. It’s for the benefit of our future. Meanwhile, Apple recently introduced the iPad. (See iPad Announced by Apple.) We shall soon see whether their tablet design leads us to a brighter computing future. | |||||