by Tom Lasssiter, Membership Secretary
The HAL-PC Show, on the first Tuesday of each month at the George R. Brown Convention Center, is an awesome experience. I was totally lost my first few meetings; but I’m not the type to ask questions or directions (a guy thing!). This article is aimed at the new member who wishes to avoid my predicament.
First, free street parking is available until spaces disappear around 5:30 p.m. – then it’s into the lots for $3.00. Second, take the escalators to the third floor. The program starts at 7:00 p.m. in the main auditorium. That is the easy part; the hard p art is fitting in the activities between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
The Beginning Users SIG is down front in the main auditorium from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Charles Ursell and his helpers have done a marvelous job with this SIG for years. It is the first contact many of us had with SIGs. Since it uses a Q&A format it is an ex cellent place for new users to take their basic questions.
The Membership table opens at 6:00 p.m. in the lobby so take your guest by to sign up for membership and HALNet. (You DID bring a guest, didn’t you?) While in the lobby take advantage of four more activities – Swap Meet, Member Services Committee table, Door Prize Drawing Bowl table, and Vendor Room.
The Swap Meet has HAL-PC members selling pre-owned hardware and software to other members who can use it. The Member Services Committee tables sell new hardware and software, as they become available on special pricing from the presenting and other vendo rs.
At the Door Prize Bowl, fill out a card for the drawing at the end of the program. Lots of software is given away, courtesy of our vendors and program speakers. Prior prizes have also included an IBM Thinkpad laptop, an AMD K6 233mhz PC, a 7GB Maxstor ha rddrive, a mountain bike from Micrografx, and $100 bills from Texins Credit Union. Grab a coke and hot dog from the snack bar in the lobby and visit with old friends or make new ones.
Just off the lobby is the Vendor Room, where assorted PC related goodies from area vendors are sold. The presenting speakers for the evening will many times have special price products available that evening only. Or they may pass out order forms for spe cial pricing if ordered in the next few days or weeks.
From 6:30 to 7:00 Malcolm McCorquodale conducts a general Help Q&A from the podium. Take your seat early for the program and participate in this learning exercise.
HPD officers provide security and the area around the convention center is well lit. I’ve never seen unsavory characters in the vicinity. Join us each month for this fantastic HAL-PC Show with speakers from the leading companies in the PC industry (see t he Magazine, page 5, for details). Adjournment is between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.
For more info contact Tom at jamesl@hal-pc.org.
E-mail me at webmaster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.