UFTO Bulletin #17

January 2, 1996

To: UFTO Members:

. . in this issue: . . . . . . . . .

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were great.

1. We have a new member of UFTO. Pacificorp has decided to join. Welcome!

2. There’s progress in the high priority “By-Topic” mission we’ve set for this year. Enclosed is another cut & paste “Topic Resource File 1.0” report, this time on “Distributed Utilities”. Please pass it along as appropriate (note the upgraded format).

I’ve been fortunate to identify Fourth Floor Databases, a local company that’s been helping me to assemble the reports and to sort through alternatives for a long range solution

As you know, the two “1.0” reports were experiments to see what would be involved in cutting UFTO information along topical lines. The UFTO data is now in the form of a dozen separate word processing files (which I can send you if you want them–in MAC or PC format). This makes it awkward to search, scan and assemble topical subsets of the information. We basically did it “by hand” to make the 1.0 reports.

The approach that’s taking shape is a Filemaker database, where each record will contain a portion of text from the UFTO Reports and Bulletins, along with fields for source (lab), date, contact person and phone number. We’ll transform current text into discrete data records. The entries in “Distributed Utilities 1.0” are prototypes.

Filemaker works on either PCs and MACs, it’s easy to use, and it’s inexpensive. It also provides excellent searching capabilities. This will give us what I’m visualizing as an “automated cut & paste” capability. I can use it here to keep an up-to-date file of all the UFTO information, to produce Topic Resource Files at will, or simply to pull up every item on a given subject. If you want the capability at your desk, that will be easy to arrange.

How does this sound to you?

PLEASE– fill out the attached questionnaire and fax it back to me. Thanks

3. “Breakthrough Technology Conference” (Electrotechnology) in Tampa, April 24-6 — I hope you and someone from your marketing group will attend. We will hold an UFTO group meeting in conjunction with this event. See attached questionnaire.

4. 2nd Topical Conference — PNL has offered to work with us on arranging some kind of a meeting–and even to host it. Please indicate any prefences about time, place and topic — see questionnaire.

EdB

FYI Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) has a new AREA CODE — 423 (replaces 615)

UFTO Member Survey — Federal Technology by Topic

Jan 2, 1995

Name: Fax to: Ed Beardsworth at 415-328-5675

Company: By January 9.

“Fossil 1.0”:

“Distributed Utilities 1.0”:

Filemaker database concept:

Sounds promising-on the right track

We’re likely to use the database ourselves

We’ll want more UFTO “Topic Resource File” hardcopy reports **

** Highest priority subject areas are: __________________________________________

Ideas, thoughts reactions:

I or a representative (corporate/UFTO):

__ Will be there ___ Won’t be there ___ Hope to be there — ____ % chance

Someone representing our industrial marketing (subject expert):

__ Will be there ___ Won’t be there ___ Hope to be there — ____ % chance

Comments:

Preferred timing (between now and August) _________

Topic/Format: suggestions:

Other thoughts and suggestions:

Company (corporate/UFTO) representation: _____ Likely _____ Possible _____ Unlikely