[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Special Meeting Computer and Technology Group

Tue Jul 6 15:14:18 PDT 2021

 In Windows 11, MS Teams will be integrated into the OS. We should factor this in if the Town is doing the setup. 
I know Win 11 isn't coming out until the end of this year. But a lot of us will have it by the time any Town project will get completed. 
My next new PC will be bought late this year, and it will certainly have to be Win 11 ready. Even though I spend 90% of my days in Linux! (And yes, Zoom does work on Linux -- sometimes anyway... I'll skip the details.)
-- Bob Primak

    On Tuesday, July 6, 2021, 06:06:40 PM EDT, Harry Forsdick <harry at forsdick.com> wrote:  

 John, et. al.,
I don't think we should hesitate to ask the Town to pay for this.  
Having seen how the Town insists that the installation will be done either by the staff electricians of the Facilities Department or an outside contractor who is a "professional" in this area, I know it won't be you or me with our wire cutters, and it will cost a lot more than we think it should.  In addition, in order to make both the audio and video equipment be fixed assets that are always available, it will require one or more dedicated PCs to host the cameras and microphones as Zoom "participants".  I think we can craft the use of software (primarily Zoom) to host each of the cameras and microphones without having to write any software -- and that is the most valuable thing we can do in the implementation of this project.
I came to these conclusions when I observed the high-level design, implementation and deployoment of the technology for the Community Center in 2017.
-- Harry

| Harry Forsdick
Lexington Photo Scanning
Town Meeting Member Precinct 7
harry at forsdick.com |   | 46 Burlington St., Lexington, MA 02420
(781) 799-6002 (mobile)
www.forsdick.com
click to see my other websites |

On Tue, Jul 6, 2021 at 5:30 PM john rudy <jjrudy1 at comcast.net> wrote:

A separate issue is how one pays for this.  Let’s say we come up with a $1000 solution.  We have some data which I do not recall but let’s assume we have 40 active members.  Unless the CC contributes, we then ask for $40 per member and see what happens.  If one calculates the savings of 1 hour of driving (expenses plus wasted time) anyone should be able to justify it.  Thanks for what you did

John

John Rudy

781-861-0402

781-718-8334 (cell)

John.rudy at alum.mit.edu 

13 Hawthorne Lane

Bedford, MA  01730-1047

From: Harry Forsdick <forsdick at gmail.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, July 6, 2021 5:17 PM
To: john rudy <jjrudy1 at comcast.net>
Cc: Lex Computer Group <LCTG at lists.toku.us>
Subject: Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Special Meeting Computer and Technology Group

John,

Thanks for setting up the meeting at 9 am on July 14 to discuss Hybrid Meetings.

Unfortunately, I will be away in the Berkshires on July 14 so I won't be able to participate.  In the past several days, I have done some research on the Internet looking for various suggested solutions to the issue of Hybrid Meetings -- everybody is thinking about this subject these days.

I have written down my contributions to a discussion about this topic.  This might serve as a good starting point for a discussion:

   - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rnwFZEExlY4cubzU30vhTK2J1znWT1FRKIFcwcNlOZg/edit?usp=sharing

I have shared this in a way that everybody who receives this message has permission to leave comments on what I have written.

If there is one main idea I have, it is, keep this as simple as we can get away with.  As you well know, it's possible to go way overboard with a group design session, and this is a mistake.  In general, my rule when doing such things is to start low and make improvements based on actual experience, not imagined need, as we go along.

As for additional hardware, we will clearly need additional microphones and cameras.  As I've mentioned, between 2014 and 2017 I was involved (as was George Gamota) in the high-level design of the A/V equipment used throughout the Community Center.  Included in this design were ideas and plans for having a video conferencing capability permanently installed in each of the rooms where meetings might be held.  This plan was a little too far out for the higher-ups and was politely ignored.  But if we had installed the fixed microphones and cameras, we wouldn't be having to do this now.  So be it:  there was nothing like a global pandemic to motivate the idea in peoples' minds.

Four years later, now that we all seem to be comfortable with the beneficial aspects of cameras and microphones picking up the content of our meetings, the suggestion that we have cameras and microphones permanently installed in the conference room still stands.

I think that is all I have for now.

Regards,

-- Harry

| 
Harry Forsdick
Lexington Photo Scanning
Town Meeting Member Precinct 7
harry at forsdick.com
www.forsdick.com
 | 

 | 
46 Burlington St.
Lexington, MA 02420
(781) 799-6002 (mobile)
meet.jit.si/HarryForsdick (video)
Click to see my other websites
 |

On Fri, Jul 2, 2021 at 9:26 AM john rudy <jjrudy1 at comcast.net> wrote:

At 9am on July 14th we will discuss the return to the Lexington Community Center.  You can view it as storming the Bastille.

The Community Center is reopening on July 5th and we must decide whether to return, remain on Zoom, or do something in the middle.  And of course what we decide to do for July might be different than what we choose to do in September or January

Everyone is invited and we will use or normal Zoom entry.  Steve will merely open it up an hour early.  So far I have heard from Charlie Holbrow, Harry Forsdick, Peter Albin, George Burnell, Bob Primak but would expect others.

It will be useful to know what other organizations are doing.

If we decide to have a mixed environment we have to think about how we would zoom from the Community Center.  Would we need additional equipment?

I would appreciate knowing if others plan to participate.

John

John Rudy

781-861-0402

781-718-8334 (cell)

John.rudy at alum.mit.edu 

13 Hawthorne Lane

Bedford, MA  01730-1047

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