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AT THE CENTER
The Silicon Valley World Internet Center thanks its Sponsors for their continuing support: EXECUTIVE
SPONSORS KNOWLEDGE
NETWORK PARTNERS Past copies of Newsletters and Directions to the Center are available on the Web site. All programs are held at the Center unless otherwise noted. To join our community, click on this link: http://center.infopoint.com/join.php ***************************** HOLIDAY POWER PUB:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2003 ********* STRATEGIC ROUNDTABLE:
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2003 ********* SUMMARY: POWER PUB:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2003 **************************** HOLIDAY POWER PUB:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2003 With the call for technologies to support solutions geared toward Homeland Security from the Federal and State governments, the Valley community is asking what specific technologies are going to be considered -- and will be viable for implementation -- by Homeland Security offices and initiatives around the U.S. Please join us for a Power Pub Exchange led by Pub Master, Mr. Jim Hurd, around the specific area of sensor technologies -- including bio-sensors, wired and wireless sensors -- for use in Homeland Security solutions. The driving questions for this informal, townhall-style discussion will be:
ABOUT JIM HURD Jim Hurd is the Director and Founder of the NanoScience Exchange, a "Think & Do" Tank for venture-backed start-up companies, based in San Francisco, CA. The NanoScience Exchange facilitates action between the six stakeholders of nanotech - - start-ups, corporations, government agencies, national labs, universities and investors. Mr. Hurd also consults for nanotech start-ups in building strategic alliances and rounds of investment. Previously, he consulted with companies to build strategic relationships, rounds of investment and hire key individuals for leading technology companies in wireless and semiconductor markets. From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Hurd was President of Up Software, Inc., which produced innovative transferable skills software training used by corporations, universities and job training centers around the U.S. Mr. Hurd grew up in Washington, D.C., and graduated from George Washington University. This is the final Power Pub for 2003. We will extend the networking time after the Pub Exchange to allow for celebrating the end of the year, welcoming the new year, and cheering on the holidays. We encourage holiday wear and ornaments to hang on our cross-cultural, pseudo-"tree." Come for a great discussion and a lively party! **************************** STRATEGIC ROUNDTABLE:
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2003 The Silicon Valley World Internet Center is conducting an invitation-only Strategic Roundtable Session around the area of research opportunities and funding sources in the State of California for Homeland Security. On Tuesday, December 9, 2003, the Center will convene a group of 18-20 representatives from the Office of Homeland Security for the State of California and other government representatives, along with research institutions, and potential high technology partners. SAP Corporate Research is sponsoring this session. The objectives of this Strategic Roundtable Session are to:
**************************** SUMMARY: POWER
PUB: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2003 The mighty duo of Pub Masters, George Sidman and Les Laky, kept a lively discussion hopping with an overflow crowd of 65. The townhall-style discussion hovered around 5 main questions:
The crux of the Power Pub Discussion centered around, as one participant put it, the "inherently crappy" nature of broadband wireless and several major security issues. The general consensus was that security is not yet adequate. The debate continued at the Pub about timeline for mass consumption of fixed wireless, which some participants were putting at about 3 years out. Several folks declared broadband wireless as a "lost leader," being given away essentially for the sake of bringing in other revenues to the provider. Several speculated that eventually hotspots would be free, but for now people are simply, as one participant put it, "hitch-hiking on coffee cups," at local cafés, paying for overpriced libations to get access to the Internet. Pub Master George Sidman called for an application layer to manage the relationship between fixed wireless and other components of the communications package, pointing out that the industry just has not evolved to that point yet. As much as there was enthusiasm for the decrease in the cost of processing power which affects this market, the wrap up comment from one participant summed up a fairly skeptical tone heard throughout the evening based on the claim that the numbers around the boon in broadband wireless are far too optimistic and we need to get a hold on the reality of the current market. ABOUT GEORGE SIDMAN George Sidman is a proven entrepreneur with a 20 year track record in launching and growing successful software companies in the information sciences. In 1984, he founded INLEX, Inc., which quickly became a leading provider of library automation systems worldwide. He is the Founder and President of Nousoft, Inc., (1994), a software company specializing in very large-scale object management technologies. Mr. Sidman also is the founder of Arista Systems, Inc., (1997), a venture capital funded distance-learning company. Currently, he is Founder & President of Monterey Network Center, a regional web commerce provider. In this capacity, he provides leadership for company formation and growth, technology development, marketing, and sales. Mr. Sidman has conducted successful financings in public and private markets. Among his other accomplishments, he is a licensed architect and developer of award-winning sports facilities; and a consultant and public speaker to the information sciences community. In total, Mr. Sidman has started 7 companies over the last 25 years, all of which are operating successfully today. ABOUT LES LAKY Les Laky (http://www.leslaky.com) is the CTO of New Access International, a fixed broadband wireless service provider with operations in the United States and South America. He is Co-Founder of the Fiber Internet Center of Palo Alto, intent on reducing the cost of connecting to the fiber optic network and upgrading customers to the faster speeds. Mr. Laky was also one of the founders of MediaCity, a successfully Palo Alto ISP acquired by SoftNet in 1996. He is a telecom and Nortel veteran, a pioneer in cable modem technology, and an active participant and advisor to several start-up ventures as a co-founder of Internet Inventions. In addition, Mr. Laky is the Keeper of DomainKeep, a private domain name registration service. **************************** For further information on the Center's Sponsors and Knowledge Network Partners, visit their Websites: EXECUTIVE
SPONSORS KNOWLEDGE
NETWORK PARTNERS **************************** To join our community, click on this link: http://center.infopoint.com/join.php
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