BCS Oxfordshire Branch May 2009

If you would prefer to read this email, or previous issues, online, the newsletter archive is at: www.oxon.bcs.org/eBCSOxon.php
May 2009

Dear Branch Member,

In this month's newsletter, details about our May meeting on Microsoft's Silverlight tool, which is also our branch AGM, pointers to other events and competitions you may be interested in, and a goodbye from your editor.

Would you consider joining the branch committee which will be elected at the AGM?

New committee members are always very welcome, particularly this year, as two of us are stepping down because of other commitments.

We work mostly by email, with occasional face-to-face meetings (often over delicious pints and pies). The role is not particularly onerous. You'd help with planning and running the meeting programme. You'd have a chance to make new contacts and find out more about and perhaps influence how the BCS works. Please get in touch using the feedback form on our website or come along to the AGM.


Thursday 21 May 2009: Silverlight: The Art of the Possible & Branch AGM

Silverlight booksAfter the brief business of the Annual General Meeting, preceded as usual by a light cheese and wine buffet, Michael McClary from Microsoft's UK Digital Agency Team will tell us about Silverlight.

Silverlight is a free cross-browser, cross-platform runtime from Microsoft designed to deliver rich application experiences and high quality video to the desktop. Michael's talk will include many demos and real-world examples and discuss its position in a growing software and service world.

Can Microsoft take on the existing players in this important technology space? Come along and find out..

Apress, one of the world's leading technical publishers, are providing several relevant books as well as tokens for ebooks to be given away on the night. Preference will be given to people who are willing to write a short book review.

...more


BCS Oxfordshire Schools Web Competition 2009

BCS Oxfordshire Schools Web Competition 2009 logoJudging is now under way. We will announce the results at the presentation on 24 June. See www.oxon.bcs.org/webcomp.

...more


Cheltenham Science Festival: Computers of the Future

BCS is sponsoring the Royal Institution 2008 Christmas lecturer, Chris Bishop, for an interactive introduction to the exciting future of digital technology. How will we interact with computers? Will they be able to talk back or give advice? With explosions, liquid nitrogen superconductors, and mouse traps: expect loud bangs!

...more


BCS Student Contest 2009
competition poster

If you are, or know someone who is a student with Java skills, there is still time to enter the 2009 BCS Student Contest. The top prize, an Asus Eee PC, is for the best Four-in-a-Row strategy game. The contest runs until June 1st.

...more


Thursday 23 April 2009: Annual Branch Visit: Sophos Anti Virus Lab

meeting posterThis year's branch visit to SophosLabs in Abingdon was so popular that all the places were taken within a few hours of our April eBCSOxon newletter going out.

We're sorry if you would have liked to come but didn't see the newsletter in time. We're hoping to arrange similar visits in the future. Keep watching the newsletters and the branch website.

...more


Tech Stuff

The twelfth Oxford Geek Night is on 27 May 2009.

...more


and finally..

This is my last newsletter as your branch email co-ordinator. I've enjoyed the challenge of producing them, but I'm stepping down from the branch committee, with effect from the AGM in May, to concentrate on my new responsibilities in the BCS.

It's in the nature of these things that you don't get much feedback, so I'm grateful to the branch members who took the trouble to send comments, mostly very encouraging, on this newsletter format which we introduced in 2006.

Please welcome Gerry Rohling, who has agreed to take over as Branch Webmaster and email co-ordinator.

A fresh pair of eyes is always welcome. Gerry will be looking at the website and at these newsletters to see how they can be improved and whether they can be made easier to produce and maintain. Gerry would welcome ideas on the newsletter, the website and how we communicate with members. Use the feedback form on the branch website.

...more


Branch Meeting Programme

Our full meeting programme for 2008/9 is on the branch website.

The 2009/10 programme is being worked on and will start in September. We plan to send details to all branch members and update the branch website around the end of August.

...more


Specialist Groups

Did you know that BCS members can join up to five BCS Specialist Groups online?

Just sign on to the Members' secure area, and click on "Specialist Groups" in the box headed "Manage your membership". You should then be able to join several Specialist Groups.

...more


BCS email management online

BCS members can manage all their BCS email subscriptions online by logging on at https://wam.bcs.org/wam/lsm.aspx.

...more


About this newsletter

Want to know more about this newsletter? There's an article on the branch wiki.

You can now subscribe to the text-only version of this newsletter. The BCS online interface doesn't support this option - see below for how to request it.

...more


Are we addressing you correctly? If you would like us to use a different or more friendly greeting, please reply with the text "%Email% greeting:" followed by your preferred salutation.

Regards
Adrian
Adrian Walmsley
Webmaster and email co-ordinator
BCS Oxfordshire Branch
BCS

Coming Events etc

Oxfordshire Branch meetings are open to BCS members and non-members. Unless otherwise stated, there is no charge and you don't have to book.

For other events, check the links.


14 May: Science Oxford: Why the One You Fancy Never Fancies You

18 May: BCS Birmingham: Branch AGM and "An Exploration of Cloud Computing"

19 May: BCS Berkshire: High Performance Computing and Immersive VR

19 May: Oxford Internet Institute: The Future of the Internet: Private Sheriffs in Cyberspace

20 May: BCS North London: 'Slumdog Millionaire' - inspired by IT?

21 May: BCS Oxfordshire: Silverlight: The Art of the Possible & Branch AGM

27 May: Oxford Geek Night 12

28 May: Oxford Internet Institute: Learning Companions and Pedagogical Agents: Future Trends and Possibilities

6 June: Cheltenham Science Festival: Computers of the Future

9 June: OeRC: Mapping Ethics in a Collaborative Global Health Research Network

18 June: Oxford Internet Institute: The EU Database Protection Directive: Intellectual Property Rights and Public Access to Information

25 June: Oxford Internet Institute: The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet

Full Branch Programme

Oxford Internet Institute events

OeRC events

Science Oxford

BCS Events Calendar



Feedback
We'd love to hear your comments, views and opinions on this newsletter and on the branch programme. Please use the feedback form on the branch website.

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