May 2003 Personal Telco Meeting Notes

Okay, here we are at the Urban Grind Coffee shop in NE Portland. A beautiful day for a wifi meeting. I'm taking these notes via Urban Grind's wireless node.

Meeting Notes:

6:OO PM: Dat opened the meeting and invited everyone to introduce themselves and their interests. The usual combination of professionals, hobbiests, hackers and curiousity seekers.

6:30PM: AdamShand takes over MC duties and introduces the business end of PersonalTelco. Notes:

1. New Secretary. Aaron Baer has become the new secretary after Michael Condondi found he no longer had the time for the duties.
2. New membership agreement. Personal Telco has a new membership agreement. Go to the membership agreement on the Wiki and the discussion page which as details on it. The ability to pay for a membership made some people uncomfortable said Adam, "but to have as may different ways to support PTP is a good thing". The paid membership is believed to be a good thing for business and corporate sponsorship.
3. Dat says he's working on an agreement that could allow PTP members to "buy computer equipment at cost"
4. Up until right now, nobody is a member except the board of directors. New members must sign a membership agreement but otherwise it appears to be a similar arrangement (read free).

5. An Election Timeline. There will be an election to vote for a new president (AdamShand is resigning next month or so). The requirment to run for President is you are nominated by a member (so first PTP needs members. Adam says three years is enough and he needs to pursue areas that use his time more effectively.

6. Dat on Playdays. Dat is planning for Playday 5. It will be a discussion format. A speaker on Security will have Q&A.

7. Wireless Convention. Rick is involved in a major wireless event at the Convention Center. It's a day-long event working with the Portland Business Alliance.

8. Long Range Metro Network. DonPark and Nat Powning and others are working on a waterproof NEMA enclosure with a Soekris board inside to create a triangular network around the city of Portland. Each node would go from, for example, from Rocky Butte, and other high spots in the Portland metro area. It's a similar in concept and execution to the San Francisco metro network. A home owner who lives on Rocky Butte with a great view of the city has donated space. Nat and Don have been putting the package together with the Soekris box. If anyone is interested, please contact Don Park and Nat Powning. People who live high and have good views are especially valuable for this project. It would be a self-contained box and people who donate space might get some benefits, too.

9. AdamShad explained that cooperating with the local business community is "a vital thing for us to do". Adam explained that there were some inappropriate hostility towards business people on the messaging board. Adam explains that PTP is not a corporate model and that's a good thing.