SAOUG Committee News Flash! (7 May 2009)

SAOUG Committee News Flash!

Have a glimpse at the people, who ensure that SAOUG provides quality workshops and conferences. Those, who find the hot topics and even the "hoties" speakers.

So, what is happening in the SAOUGsville?

Forthcoming Workshop: 20 May 2009

Training the Trainer: A New approach to training end user

Facilitator: Dr. Glenda Myers, WITS Medical Library (SAOUG ex-chair)

Feedback will come after the workshop. If you want an additional workshop, please let us know.

Regional Branches

Good news for the SAOUG members outside Gauteng. At the last two meetings (January & March 2009) the committee discussed the arrangement of workshops and election of regional SAOUG representatives. As a start a Quantum workshop will be arranged in the Eastern Cape area. Further discussions with Stellenbosch & Cape Town representatives will be made. I will keep you posted.

SAOUG Conference 2010, 2-6 August

A new exciting Conference coming your way just after the Soccer fiver is down.

Keep these dates in mind for budgeting purposes.

Membership April 2009- March 2010

Membership Invoices are being currently sent to all SAOUG members. Please pay on time.

Want to become SAOUG member? Visit the Membership website for MORE information!

SAOUG Blog & Website

The blog is receiving a new make over. Posts will be done on a more regular basis. Links to useful online resources & services will be added. Keep coming back to find out more.....

The future face of the SAOUG website will be discussed @ a meeting on 8th of May 2009.

2009 Committee Members

Do you know who are your SAOUG Committee members. Click HERE!

These are some of the members present at the March 2009 meeting.

Madelein van Heerden chairs the meeting

Glenda Myers (past chair) & Chris Cromhout (treasurer)

Susan Scheepers (former SAOUG blogger & the NEW Membership secretary)
& Fiona Bester (Branch & Liaison officer)

Upcoming SAOUG committee meeting: 8 May 2009 (CSIR).

Want your voice to be heard? Leave a comment on this post.

Go to >>>> SAOUG website

Posted by: Pavlinka Kovatcheva (SAOUG blogger)

SAOUG Committee Member: Saying goodbye

During the Valentine's workshop on 13 of February 2009, with sadness we said goodbye to Ingrid de Bont, who after many years of being in the SAOUG committee, decided to leave.

It was a committee decision to present Ingrid with a honorarium for long and dedicated service. The SAOUG chair Madelein van Heerden had the pleasure of handing Ingrid a gift and saying a couple of words of appreciation.

This is what Ingrid had to say:

" Personally, I take this opportunity to thank the Committee, and the Group, for the generous token of appreciation which was awarded to me. I feel honoured, and I want to stress again that membership of the SAOUG has opened worlds of interest to me over the years, and that work on the Committee has been such fun, and has given me so much, in the way of insight and also friendship and encouragement, that I really feel that my personal gain far outweighs any time and effort spent in the process"

Ingrid also sent through an e-mail, her thoughts on the presentation given by Anthony Olivier:

Valentine’s breakfast 2009 – “Ada’s offspring” by Anthony Olivier

"A full house of SAOUG members attended the traditional Valentine’s breakfast at Swan’s Rest in Centurion. The morning was chilly, but at least the sun was out again and made the lovely venue look its best.
After having enjoyed the breakfast spread, we were treated to some fascinating previews of what is in store for humanity in the way of computer technology, things that many of us may actually live to see, and which are likely to be as natural to our children or grandchildren as radio and TV are to us.
Tony demonstrated in an entertaining way that virtual worlds are already within reach, ready for exploration and exploitation by the imaginative. The question is whether we will still be in charge in the end, or whether computers could actually outsmart us altogether, a thought that Tony followed through history and speculated about, supported by some thought-provoking examples."

Thanks Ingrid for your inputs and your spirit. I hope you will still keep in touch with us!

Have you seen the SAOUG blog post on the Anthony Olivier presentation? Click HERE!

Posted by: Pavlinka Kovatcheva (SAOUG blogger)

SAOUG VALENTINE'S WORKSHOP

Welcome to the SAOUG 2009 blogging world!

The SAOUG committee organised it's first workshop for 2009 on 13th February 2009. These are some pictures and highlights of this event, which took place in the beautiful Swan's Rest in Centurion, Pretoria.

On the way to the workshop, you can enjoy the swans in the pond!

The guest speaker Anthony Olivier, holds the position of Security Strategist and Architect, in the Standard Bank Global Security Office, where his function is to determine security strategies for the 3 to 5 year time frame.

His intriguing presentation "Ada's Offspring" kept us guessing from the beginning. To learn who's Ada's offspring is click HERE! You will be pleasantly surprised by the way Anthony starts from the Mythology and the early Literature, through the technological changes in the last two centuries, to the latest technological innovations and the Web 3.0 semantic web. Have you heard of Nike MP3 Run? Nintendo Wii? Emotiv? Keep reading to find out Anthony's predictions.......

Read Ingrid de Bont comments on Tony's presentation. Click HERE!

Madelein van Heerden, SAOUG committee chair opens the workshop and welcomed all! The breakfast and the networking made for an enjoyable time during the morning.

Thanks to the South African Online Information Services for the Valentine's chocolate.

Visit the SAOUG website!

Want to talk to SAOUG members? Leave a comment....