Writing an article requires a measure of focus. Unfortunately, my focusing on any ONE thing right now is impossible. During the four weeks since the last newsletter deadline, numerous topics have come to mind for the next article, and I've not managed to fully develop or research any of them. I recently saw a t-shirt, black with large white letters that read: "Procrastinators Unite Tomorrow". I should get one of those. With the deadline being a few hours away, this procrastinator's article will be an olio of thoughts (in no particular order), one or more of which I hope you find useful, or at least interesting.

ICON – The Future Is Now!

With the ratification of ICON's new Constitution and Bylaws on October 21, the organization is now poised to move forward. With our members having a voice they've never had before, you will see more requests for participation and committee involvement. Please, find a level and a niche where you can contribute, and do so. And if any ICON officer or committee chair EVER tells you when you volunteer that "no help is needed at this time," PLEASE let me know! There is ALWAYS a place we can use your help.

The current officers and committee chairs, in accordance with the new governing documents, will be preparing "procedural reports," thereby providing a previously non-existent accountability and documentation. Now, not only will prospective officers know "you really don't have to do that much," but they will have a detailed outline of the expectations of their office.

Development of a membership database is underway. Implementation of the database and related procedures will provide checks and balances, streamline many of our recordkeeping chores, and readily provide the information each officer and committee chair needs to do their jobs. Members will soon notice changes in the sign-in procedures at ICON functions, renewal notifications and more.

Web Site Committee

According to the Bylaws, "the Web Site Committee shall be responsible for all electronic media relating to the organization, shall secure and maintain master copies and backups of all files, including databases utilizing electronic media, and shall provide access for all officers to resources and the means to disseminate pertinent information and announcements to the members regarding functions and activities."

The new Bylaws require us to staff our committees with non-officers to the extent practical. If you are a non-officer and think you would be interested in working with me on this committee, please e-mail me. Of course, constructive comments regarding the Web site or the new database are welcome whether you are a committee member or not.

Tutorials and Other Answers

Several ICON members are currently working on tutorials or other kinds of training to be made available to our members. I'm working on a set of screenshots and instructions for creating pre-numbered items (such as ballots or door prize tickets), troubleshooting CD-burner problems, and several "Holiday Projects You Can Make With Your Computer." Others are busy learning about converting analog video to digital, creating a CD resource for new ICON members, and developing new class and SIG ideas.

Net Neutrality

If this term means nothing to you, please take the time to learn about it and cast your votes accordingly. It DOES affect EACH of us. Net Neutrality involves all ISPs (Internet Service Providers) being required to treat ALL Internet content equally. The battle for Internet control in the United States is currently being played out in Congress, where the 1996 Telecommunications Act (which deregulated the industry to increase competition) is being revised.

Neutrality advocates say the policy has enabled the Internet to foster rapid innovation (instant messaging and podcasting e-Bay, search engines and Amazon.com). But telephone and cable companies, which own the wires over which most Internet traffic travels, want to replace the Net's traditional "open-pipe" structure with a system of priority channels that "sniff" data to determine content and shift some traffic to high-priority lanes. Such a system is needed, the companies say, to ensure higher quality of service for customers downloading bandwidth-gobbling video, for example, and to raise funds to pay for extending fiber-optic cable and other infrastructure to carry today's much faster broadband Internet. But media advocates say telephone and cable companies mostly want to protect their key businesses — video and voice transmissions — from new competitors offering the same services via broadband. ¹

PBS watchers recently saw a Bill Moyers special on the issue entitled "The Net at Risk." You can access several hours' worth of reading and links on the subject here, and if you have high-speed access, you can actually view the show here: www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/net/index.html

If one can believe the "Senate Tracker" at www.savetheinternet.com/, there are currently 29 Senators for net neutrality, 14 against, 4 waffling, and 53 unknown. (Missouri's senators are in the "unknown" ranks.) The mid-term elections will likely be over by the time you read this; however, I would very much like to know where those on the ballot stand on this issue.

Some forum members are discussing the issue on ICON's forum at the following url: www.iconusersgroup.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=857 Please join the discussion there.

Americans have lost many liberties due to apathy. As a Web programmer, I would hate to lose the "level playing field" the Internet provides, enabling a "mom 'n' pop" entity to compete globally with those much larger. More important, as an American, I would hate to lose the only First Amendment free speech media remaining.

¹ See the 24-page Congressional Quarterly Research report on net neutrality, which is available to cardholders through the Springfield-Greene County Library's subscription to the CQ Researcher database

(http ://0-library.cqpress.com.www.coolcat.org/cqresearcher/)