[Robotgroup] To-Do list ???

[Def Egge]

With Vern's distraction over his upcoming travel to Maker Faire (on 
behalf of The Robot Group), we need some folks to help with the 
planning and execution of some other upcoming local events.  [Vern, 
we do need some of your valuable time on these matters before you go.]

1) What is the status of proposals to First Night Austin?  Have there 
been any sent?  Are there any to be worked on?  Sorry, folks, but 
Denise has a lot on her plate this year[1].

2) What is the status of the Thereping upgrades / retrofits?  Do we 
need a work session this weekend?  Vern is leaving when?  How are the 
Therepings being transported / shipped?  Are all the requisite cables 
/ adapters / etc. pulled, tested, packed and ready?  What else needs 
to be done (especially, if the Therepings are not coming back to 
Austin until after the Nuts and Volts event in San Francisco)?  I do 
have a little free time this weekend....

3) We have 3 dates scheduled for the Bob Bullock Museum, two of which 
require both of the RoboSpinArt machines to be working in top 
form.  Given that 2007-05-26 is at the end of the week after Maker 
Faire, there may (or may not be a lot of work to be done to ready 
these machines.  [The 2007-07-21 date is still far enough down the 
road that we can 'ignore' it for the moment.]

However, both of these dates require at least two other displays / 
demonstrations by The Robot Group (and some media coverage may be 
possible and we would certainly want to put on our best face).  What 
will we bring?  Who will bring it?  When will be in be completed / tested?

We have another gig at the Bullock Museum on 2007-08-12 which also 
coincides with the weekend of Armadillocon to which, if I am not 
mistaken, we have also committed.  We will be spread thin and 
worn-out before that weekend is over.  What are we bringing?  Who 
will be attending?  What work needs to be done to design / repair / 
rebuild these exhibits?  Why wait until the last minute to begin 
untangling spaghetti wiring, replacing damaged servos, finding 
suitable power supplies?[2]

4) Maker Faire is coming to Austin on the weekend of 
2007-10-20.  What (new and exciting) exhibits do we envision for that venue?

5) Off to the side, we have Vadim working on the rights to use our 
own Robofest name.  Does anyone (pssst ... you're on Vadim) have a 
status update?

6) Related to the Robofest issue (and other intellectual property 
matters as well as the Travis County Property Tax Appraisal District, 
the Texas Secretary of State's Office, the IRS, and - possibly - the 
State Comptroller's Office) we need a single, more-or-less permanent 
point of legal contact.  Personal P.O. Boxes, personal residences, 
and personal business addresses will not work ... deaths at 
inopportune times, and membership turnover contribute more than loss 
of institutional memory.  Any perceived cost savings will be more 
than surmounted by the cost (and time) involved in digging ourselves 
out of yet another financial / intellectual property / paperwork SNAFU.

I posted the information on the cost and availability of P.O. Boxes 
at the South Congress Postal substation.  Has anyone moved on that 
yet?  Does anyone intend to?  If this is NOT the 
mutually-inconvenient location that some had envisioned, this would 
be a great time to speak up (not to mention a great time to stand and deliver).

7) I modified Eric Lundquist's letter[3] to the executor of Tom 
Morin's estate, obtained Vern's signature, and sent it off (certified 
mail) over one week ago.  I have the online delivery confirmation ... 
2007-05-07.  Not that I really expect to hear anything from Tom's 
family (since I neglected to mention to them the rather large sum 
from his inheritance that he turned-over to The Robot Group[4]) but 
is there any word on that?

Yes, I am a professional pain-in-the-ass.  Thanks for asking.

[1] She, I, and The Robot Group need her out of the ALC (AISD's 
designated sh*t-end of the stick).
[2] Rhetorical question, I know ... "If it weren't for the last 
minute, nothing would ever get done."
[3] Nice letter, Eric ... in case I hadn't mentioned that lately.
[4] I apologize, Lord.  That was just wrong. ;-)




All the best....

Mike