Regular Member Meeting 2008 07 29

Time & Location

July 29, 2008
Members Present: Nick, Ali, Derek, Katie, Timball, Pete
Others Present: Guests: Sam, Cassia
Quorum: Not Achieved
7:38pm - 8:10pm
HacDC, 1525 Newton St NW, Washington, DC. (Space)
Presiding: Nick Farr

Draft minutes of the last meeting

• No quorum was achieved, so prior meeting minutes could not be received.

The Consent Agenda

• No consent agenda this week.

Minister Reports

Coordinator in Chief

• No coordinator in chief present.

Minister of Finance

- Would like to start using the cash register for soda and component sales, so people are trained to use it when we go to cons.

- ToorCon is coming up at the end of September, and HacDC would be a good place for a Hackersmart.

- Peter asked if we should assess the cons for the next year, and try to schedule for the next year.

- Nick mentioned the CCC in Germany in December, and other cons

- Ben noted the wiki has a list for cons upcoming

- Peter suggested we start using the wiki page more frequently, and plan ahead.

- Ben points out there are lots of different kinds of cons, including Otakon (Baltimore), Freaknic (Nashville)

Minister of Information

- Still looking for input to the design of the website.

- Katie suggested sending a link out to the proposed designed to the list.

- Peter suggested making the calendar bigger and using the standard Google calendar widget, but there were arguments about members stuck in the 1990s who don't use JavaScript.

Keeper of the MIBS

• No Keeper of the MIBS present.

Member Reports

Ben Stanfield

Talked with a woman from Safari Online Book program. $347 per year per person to join Safari Online Books. Unlikely to go for this. Ben did ask about discounts for nonprofits, but they have nothing of the kind. This is also not their complete plan, only their "Essential Tech", which means no videos, rough cuts, or extras.

Cassia points out that you can sign up with Montgomery County Library (even if you don't live in Maryland) and get access to Safari Online for free.

Pete

Peter wants to discuss the physical space uses and if we're planning ahead for getting a larger space?

Nick reported that there are things ongoing. Nick is looking for more space nearby. He'd like to encourage everyone to look for alternative spaces. Requirements for spaces are in the district, near public transit.

Derek had some speculation about having a space in Maryland so there's an option closer to people there, but no immediate action is planned. Someone suggested carpooling.

Old Business

• There was no old business to discuss.

New Business

• There was no new business to discuss.