From The
President’s PDA

by Chris Bastian

Happy Birthday to You
Another anniversary is here. It was two years ago this month that a handful of Mac aficionados, meeting at a Moroccan restaurant (with a belly dancer, if memory serves), decided that an organization to support New York’s Macintosh community was needed. Since we set up shop, our general membership has reached 278, we’ve published 10 issues of MetroMac Express (all available at our website if you’ve missed any) and held a dozen general meetings – all through the hard work of dedicated volunteers, and the financial support of over fifty Supporting members. With another Macworld Expo NY (now know as “Create”) on the way, and new meeting resources available (see below) it’s a fruitful time for New York’s Macintosh community.

Knights of the Round Table
Building toward a more-structured management, we’ve approved a set of bylaws, and have appointed our first Executive Committee to take on the group’s administrative tasks. In addition to myself as President, we have Bess Moffett as Treasurer, Michelle Dollinger as Secretary, and Peter M. Fine, Henry Marcinkowski, Laurie Duncan, Seth Elgart, Marc Silverman, Milt Herder and Lloyd Prezant as Directors at Large. Executive Committee meetings are held the first Thursday of each month, and all members are welcome to observe.

Tote that Barge, Lift that Bale
Our recent e-mail requesting additional support in running the organization has struck gold, yielding several able, enthusiastic volunteers. I’d like to welcome and thank Annelliesse Popescu, who’ll be taking over my secondary role as Meeting Coordinator, Rob Yasharian and Kevin Cashman who’ll be working on the design aspects of MetroMac Express, and Odette Wilkens who’ll be offering legal advice to the Executive Committee. There’s always something else that needs to get done, so if you can offer some time and ability, please drop me an e-mail at cbastian@metromac.org.

Things will be Great When You’re Downtown
Okay, mark your calendar NOW for Thursday, June 12. Better yet, CANCEL anything you have scheduled for Thursday, June 12. MetroMac is proud to announce a VERY special meeting at the Theatre in the Apple Store SoHo, at the corner of Prince and Greene Sts. To launch the first of what we hope will be regular Apple Store events, we have invited DAVID POGUE, longtime Mac guru and now the NY Times Circuits columnist. Note – because of the Apple Store hours, this meeting will run from 6-8 PM. The theatre seats fifty and there’ll be competition from the crowd in the store, so come early if you don’t want to stand in the corner. Many thanks to Apple Store Theatre Coordinator Adam Rackoff for accommodating us.

Help Me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, You’re My Only Hope
What do you do when Apple’s coming to your next meeting, and you lose your meeting space with three days to go? You call Tekserve, New York’s favorite Mac repair shop and store. David, Neal and the other Tekserve folks not only made their meeting room available at the last minute, but also ponied up free “Mac Troubleshooting” books for all attendees (available from O’Reilly Press if you didn’t get one), as well as $250 worth of raffle goodies. Tekserve has been a strong supporter of User Groups for over a decade (remember the repair discount for MetroMac members?) and deserves a big round of thanks.