Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.
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Monthly meeting of the SPAUG Planning Committee.
A Slice of Pi
Maurice Green, PhD
Over the past 10 years we have seen a burgeoning interest in small microprocessor boards which can be programmed using a variety of software. They are being used by engineers for prototyping, by artists and by “do-it-yourselfers” for a wide variety of projects from music synthesizers to robotics. It is almost a “return to the future” similar to the early years of computing in the 1970’s. Two of the most popular units have been the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi. Costs are in the $25-$50 range and much of the software is open source, making them easily accessible to students, experimenters and professionals alike. Microsoft has recently announced that there will be versions of Windows 10 available for both the Arduino and Raspberry Pi 2.
Maury will compare the two systems and then demonstrate the installation and programming of a Raspberry Pi system.
Tips and Tricks
This month’s meeting will feature short talks by three of our members:
- Android Smartphone Overview (Christie Bilikam)
- Introduction to Google Docs (Stan Hutchings)
- Using Irfanview for Your Images (John Sleeman)
The meeting will be held at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge, 4249 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. Meeting registration starts at 7PM in the Lodge room on the second floor. The featured talks begins at 7:30PM.
All members and guests are invited to attend a NO-host dinner prior to our general meeting. Dinner will be at 5:45 PM at The Bistro located on the ground floor of the Elks Lodge.
Please NOTE:
Parking is either on the SOUTH side of Woodside Road or within the apartment complex in the driveway to Robert’s unit.
Carpooling is strongly recommended.
WiFi will be available.
Living Through the 20th Century
Nat Landes
The 20th Century saw major breakthroughs in technology, from radio to television to computers, and multiple wars. Our former SPAUG Treasurer, Nat Landes, lived through it all. Come join with other SPAUG members as we help Nat celebrate his 97th birthday. He will regale us with stories of all the changes in technology and computers he has seen. [Read more…]
Monthly meeting of the SPAUG Planning Committee.
Living Through the 20th Century
PART 2
Nat Landes
A continuation of the talk from the July meeting which was interrupted by the birthday party for our former SPAUG Treasurer, Nat Landes. He will describe for us many of the changes in technology and computers he has seen. [Read more…]
Monthly meeting of the SPAUG Planning Committee.
Laptop & Smartphone CryptoParty
Rhona Mahony
Join us and learn how to stay safe online. Learn what vulnerabilities you face based on your work, travel, family, and activities. Protect yourself from abuse by your ISP, telephone company, data miners, criminals, and law enforcement agencies.
Bring your smartphone and laptop and leave with new encryption software and several helpful tools, working on your own devices. Gain new understanding and skills to shield yourself from privacy violations. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has posted a wonderful guide, called Surveillance Self-Defense. It will give you a good idea of the topics which will be covered.
Monthly meeting of the SPAUG Planning Committee.
Agenda items:
- Evaluation of the September meeting and new sound system arrangement.
- Preliminary report on review of the Bylaws by John Buck and John Sleeman so we can begin to plan for revisions that may be needed.
- Plans for the election process for the October and November meetings.
- Final decision regarding the membership roster update.
- Presentation of website and social media page content.
- Replacement of the old SPAUG email system.
- Identification of moderators for activation of the online forum system