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NEXT WEEK IS 'SHORTS FOR WAIPUNA' DAY – DON'T FORGET!!
Antoon advised that Bay Waka (formerly The Whomp) now has a circulation of 40k and is about to increase from 40 to 56pp. A new website – Bayonline.co.nz has also been launched (Damn good it is too. Take a look – Ed) Articles welcomed
Pat waxed lyrical about the new, improved Treasured Art, sponsored by Duncan Ebbett and Volvo (thanks to James Clague). There's going to be a room at The Elms to showcase artists and, mysteriously, the venue for the black tie auction wasn't revealed. Rumour has it that a fleet of black Volvos will be whisking the attendees off to the function. Watch this space.
Kathy, following on, appealed for quality names for the databases for both potential exhibitors and people with (a) a love of art and/or (b) bottomless pockets to be invited to the auction.
It is with regret that the Board has accepted the resignation of Mark Whitworth from the Club
Our speaker today was our own Professor Barry Vercoe and what a great insight he gave into the workings of MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They have an annual budget of some $US75m and sponsors include Lego and Toshiba. 40/50 graduate students are admitted each year. In 1984, work was already being done on flat screen TVs and Movie Map pre-dated Google Maps by several decades. By his own admission, MIT welcomes misfits and crazies (who presumably have the ability to think well and truly outside the box) and currently has over 400 projects in the pipeline, including a 'grow anything' system - given the right conditions. The '60 Minutes' documentary was fascinating, as was the reasoning behind buying Fair Trade bananas.
Barry's favourite invention remains 'Clocky', an alarm clock on wheels which goes off, then runs away to hide (still 'alarming') until its master/mistress has to get up to turn the damn thing off ($35.86 from Ozzy Owl).
Sergeant Warren Banks related highlights from his recent European jaunt (wedding in Italy, hiring bikes in Italy and seeing the Falkirk Wheel, one of the wonders of the British canal system.)'If I knew how much fun grandies could be, I'd have had them first', says Warren but then dropped the bombshell of his being asked to sing Nessun Dorma at the wedding reception. Impressive.
Sally won the raffle
Parting Thought from Les Geraghty: 'The same hand that can write a beautiful poem can knock you out with one punch – that's Poetic Justice!' (Irish boxer)