Problem. As the founding Historian for the IEEE
Power Electronics Society (1988-1989) I ran into the frustration
of gathering boxes of information and photographs and not having
the time to sort, organize, or make them available to others.
Phil Hower accepted the position and
served through 1995. I am sure he experienced the same
frustrations.
Proposed Solution. When I was asked to resume the
position, at first, I was reluctant to do so -- until I rethought
the problems in light of the Internet World Wide Web and the fact
that the society has its own server.
Hypertext Paradigm. The Internet World Wide Web uses
hypertext to organize and link material. One of the
characteristics of the hypertext paradigm is that it allows you to
store large amounts of information and mask it for various users
so they can find the information they want without cognitive
overload. The society server can act as an efficient storage
mechanism, and web pages can make the information available to
members to the extent it interests them. It is also available
instantaneously -- as soon as a file is uploaded and linked,
anyone worldwide can access it.
Help Needed. It sounds good, but will it work? To make
it work, I will need your help.
Information Annealing. My intent is to put up pages
rapidly. They will initially contain errors, omissions, and need
wordsmithing. When you read the history pages let me know of
errors immediately. If your server supports forms, the PageMaster
link at the bottom of every page will open an email form and you
can let me know instantaneously with little effort on your part.
PLEASE do this.
Omissions. You will also see omissions. When you do,
send me an "As I remember it." message by email or any other
format of your choice. It will become part of the historical
record, I will update the history, and you will get credit for
your contribution. This takes more effort on your part - but
again, please do this while it is fresh in your mind.
Sharing. If you are an old timer, please share your
early memories with us before they are lost. Any form is
acceptable.
Be Aware. If you are an officer or member of the
Society, please become aware of events and documents of historical
interest. Take time to photograph, copy, or record them for
historical purposes and send the results to the History Chair.
Under Construction. Finally, be patient. I have hundreds
of photographs I can scan and boxes of documents I can cull for
information to add to the site, and like most volunteers, my time
is limited. However, with your help, we can make this work.
How to Communicate. Email is the preferred method of
communication. If your server supports forms you can use the email
link at the bottom of each page to make it easy. Alternately, you
can use the contact information below.
-
- Jerrold Foutz, Historian
IEEE Power Electronics Society
c/o SMPS Technology, P.O. Box 871
Alta Loma, CA 91701-0871
USA
TEL: (909) 944-9111; FAX: Same - call first
http://www.cyberg8t.com/smpstech
Email:
smpstech@cyberg8t.com