[Robotgroup] To-Do list ???

[John P. Funk]

I will be happy to start a dialogue on doing a space/sci fi art 
display/exhibit with the ARG for the Bullock museum event. Since I am an 
avid and active "Space" fan and have many experiences doing space and 
fantasy conventions, I believe this is right up may alley.

John P-Funk
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Def Egge" <robodigest at innervate.com>
To: "The Robot Group" <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 3:47 PM
Subject: [Robotgroup] To-Do list ???



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

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