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Vol 11 No 2, Spring 2005 SearchLites Vol. 11 No. 2, Spring 2005 The Quarterly Newsletter of The SETI League, Inc. Offices: 433 Liberty Street Scaling Back on SETICon PO Box 555 Little Ferry NJ Little Ferry, NJ.., 19 February 2005 -- Five years after initiating its SETICon Technical 07643 USA Symposium, the nonprofit, membership-supported SETI League has had to scale back the annual membership event to more modest proportions. Because The SETI League chose Phone: to make its meetings affordable and accessible to a wide range of amateur radio astrono- (201) 641-1770 Facsimile: mers, the events have proved a steady drain on the grassroots science group's limited fi- (201) 641-1771 nancial resources. Hence, the organization's 2005 annual meeting will be held in conjunc- Email: tion with another, much larger and well-established conference. [email protected] Web: "The last few SETICons cost us about $4,000 each to put on," notes Dr. H. Paul www.setileague.org Shuch, volunteer executive director of The SETI League. "Depending as we do upon President: membership dues and individual contributions, we thought our limited funding would be Richard Factor better spent on SETI science than on hosting scientific meetings." Consequently, Shuch Registered Agent: announced, The SETI League's 2005 Annual Membership Meeting will be held on the Marc Arnold, Esq. campus of The College of New Jersey, in conjunction with the annual Trenton Computer Secretary/Treasurer: A. Heather Wood Festival. Executive Director: H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D. This year's Trenton Computer Festival is scheduled to run the weekend of 16-17 April, 2005, with The SETI League's membership meeting to be held there on Sunday morning, 17 April, from 10 AM until Noon. SETI League members desiring to avail Trustees: Richard Factor themselves of a full weekend of social and technical activities are encouraged to register Marc Arnold, Esq. for TCF. Some SETI enthusiasts will be presenting papers on the scientific Search for Martin Schreiber, CPA Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence on Saturday, in conjunction with the regular TCF Technical Program. Advisory Board: Anthony Agnello There is a registration fee for TCF. Details (including location, lodging, and sched- Sir Arthur C. Clarke uled activities) appear on the TCF Website, www.tcf-nj.org. There will be no charge for Robert S. Dixon, Ph.D. those wishing simply to attend the SETI League Annual Membership Meeting, and all Frank D. Drake, Ph.D. Malcolm I. Raff, Ph.D. members (and prospective members) are most welcome. Annual meeting details, includ- Clifford Stoll, Ph.D. ing the Agenda, appear online at www.setileague.org/seticon/meet2005.htm. The SETI League expresses its gratitude to its friends at the Trenton Computer Festi- SearchLites, ISSN 1096-5599, is the Quarterly Newsletter of The val and The College of New Jersey, for hosting them in a year in which their organiza- SETI League, Inc., a member- tion's finances preclude sponsoring their own technical event. Interested parties can show ship-supported, nonprofit their appreciation by registering for TCF, and attending both events. [501(c)(3)], educational and sci- entific corporation, dedicated to Largely using radio telescopes and optical telescopes, SETI scientists seek to deter- the electromagnetic Search for mine whether humankind is alone in the universe. Since Congress terminated NASA's Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. SETI League, Dr. SETI, and the SETI funding in 1993, The SETI League and other scientific groups have privatized the above logo are all registered research. Amateur and professional scientists interested in participating in the search for service marks of The SETI intelligent alien life, and citizens wishing to help support it, should email League, Inc. Entire contents [email protected], check the SETI League Web site at http://www.setileague.org/, send copyright © 2005 by The SETI League, Inc. Permission is a fax to +1 (201) 641-1771, or contact The SETI League, Inc. membership hotline at +1 hereby granted for reproduction (800) TAU-SETI. Be sure to provide us with a postal address to which we will mail fur- in whole or in part, provided ther information. The SETI League, Inc. is a membership-supported, non-profit credit is given. All opinions [501(c)(3)], educational and scientific corporation dedicated to the scientific Search for expressed are those of the Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. v individual contributors. Page 1 SearchLites Volume 11, Number 2 -- Spring 2005 Event Horizon SearchLites' readers are apprised of the following confer- Tsunami Damage in Sri Lanka ences and meetings at which SETI-related information will be an email from member Sir Arthur C. Clarke presented. League members are invited to check our World 29 December 2004 Wide Web site (www.setileague.org) under Event Horizon, or Thank you for your concern about my safety in the wake email to us at [email protected], to obtain further details. of last Sunday's devastating tidal wave. I am enormously re- Members are also encouraged to send in information about lieved that my family and household have escaped the ravages upcoming events of which we may be unaware. of the sea that suddenly invaded most parts of coastal Sri March 11 - 12, 2005: 6th World Symposium on Space Explo- Lanka, leaving a trail of destruction. But many others were not ration and Life in the Cosmos, San Marino (Italy). so fortunate. For over two million Sri Lankans and a large March 18 - 20, 2005: Contact 2005, Mountain View CA. number of foreign tourists holidaying here, the day after April 1 - 2, 2005: Dr. SETI ® is featured speaker at Atlanti- Christmas turned out to be a living nightmare reminiscent of con QRP Forum, Timonium MD. The Day After Tomorrow. My heart-felt sympathy goes out to April 2 - 3, 2005: Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Com- all those who lost family members or friends. puterfest, Baltimore MD. April 17, 2005, 0000 UTC - 2359 UTC: Seventh annual SETI Among those who directly experienced the waves were League Ham Radio QSO Party, 14.204, 21.306, and 28.408 my staff based at our diving station in Hikkaduwa, and my MHz. holiday bungalows in Kahawa and Thiranagama all beach- April 17, 2005: SETI League Annual Meeting, held in con- front properties located in southern areas that were badly hit. junction with the Trenton Computer Festival, College of New Our staff members are all safe, even though some are badly Jersey, Ewing Township NJ. shaken and relate harrowing first hand accounts of what hap- May 7, 2005: Project OSCAR West Coast Space Symposium, pened. Most of our diving equipment and boats at Hikkaduwa College of San Mateo, San Mateo CA. were washed away. We still don't know the full extent of dam- May 27 - 30, 2005: Balticon 39, Baltimore MD. age -- it will take a while for us to take stock as accessing June 19 - 21, 2005: Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers these areas is still difficult. Conference, NRAO Green Bank WV. July 28 - 31, 2005: Universus 2005, Osservatorio Astro- This is indeed a disaster of unprecedented magnitude for nomico Scientifico Gian Camillo Gloriosi, Montecorvino Sri Lanka, which lacks the resources and capacity to cope with Rovella, Salerno, Italy. the aftermath. We are encouraging concerned friends to con- July 28 - 31, 2005: Central States VHF Conference, Colorado tribute to the relief efforts launched by various national and Springs CO. international organisations. If you wish to join these efforts, I August 4 - 8, 2005: Interaction World Science Fiction Con- can recommend two options. vention, Glasgow, Scotland UK. Contribute to a Sri Lanka disaster relief fund launched by October 8 - 9, 2005: AMSAT Space Symposium Lafayette LA. an internationally operating humanitarian charity, such as Care October 17 - 21, 2005: 56th International Astronautical Con- or Oxfam. gress, Fukuoka, Japan. October 27 - 30, 2005: Microwave Update, Cerritos CA. Alternatively, considering supporting Sarvodaya, the April 22, 2006, 0000 UTC - 2359 UTC: Eighth annual SETI largest development charity in Sri Lanka, which has a 45-year League Ham Radio QSO Party, 14.204, 21.306, and 28.408 track record in reaching out and helping the poorest of the MHz. poor. Sarvodaya has mounted a well organised, countrywide June 2006 (dates TBA): Society of Amateur Radio Astrono- relief effort using their countrywide network of offices and mers Conference, NRAO Green Bank WV. volunteers who work in all parts of the country, well above July 2006 (dates TBA): Central States VHF Conference, ethnic and other divisions. Their website, www.sarvodaya.lk, Minneapolis MN. provides bank account details for financial donations. They August 23 - 27, 2006: L.A.Con IV World Science Fiction also welcome contributions in kind -- a list of urgently needed Convention, Los Angeles, CA. items is found at: September 8 - 10, 2006: SETICon06, in conjunction with the http://www.sarvodaya.lk/Inside_Page/urgently needed.htm Fourth International Congress for Radio Astronomy, Heppen- heim Germany. There is much to be done in both short and long terms for September, 2006 (dates TBA): 57th International Astronau- Sri Lanka to raise its head from this blow from the seas. tical Congress, Valencia Spain. Among other things, the country needs to improve its techni- April 21, 2007, 0000 UTC - 2359 UTC: Eighth annual SETI cal and communications facilities so that effective early warn- League Ham Radio QSO Party, 14.204, 21.306, and 28.408 ings can help minimise losses in future disasters. MHz. June 2007 (dates TBA): Society of Amateur Radio Astrono- Curiously enough, in my first book on Sri Lanka, I had mers Conference, NRAO Green Bank WV. written about another tidal wave reaching the Galle harbour July 26 - 29, 2007: Central States VHF Conference, San An- (see Chapter 8 in The Reefs of Taprobane, 1957).
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