SMSI Amateur Night

December 18, 1998

Images and Imagination
Presentations / Silent Auction

Minutes from Amateur Night 12/18/98
The meeting was called to order at 7:15 PM by Bill Mikuska, the 'late' start being entirely reflective of copious amounts of Chinese food and deserts being consumed immediately prior to the presentation session. Tamara Sanchez treated us with a chocolate/raspberry cake decorated with "SMSI Amateur Night" and a person looking through a microscope.

The After Christmas-Christmas party, to be catered by Reza's and addressed by Dr. John McCormick on January 22, 1999, was noted.

The first presenter, John Shane, gave an SMSI website demonstration for small groups. Others were entertained by Stan Schmidt, who brought several unusual musical instruments, including a violade-amore, a Tibetan bell whose sound thoroughly belied its small size, a horn, also from the region of Tibet, fabricated from a human femur, and a drum which incorporated two human skullcaps.

Richard Lee gave a slide demonstration on the theme of deceptive imagery from its relatively crude but humorous beginnings to the current high tech deception of digital imaging. Dave Roy gave an update of his research into a no-cost SMSI website and the possible use of color images of photographs to augment µ Notes 2000..

Mike Bayard looked at the history of amateur microscopy with slides of a nineteenth century journal, English Mechanics & Journal of Science. From an 1894 article by "One Who Knows" it became obvious that amateur microscopy was very much a hands on business and that the eternal question, "Is the microscope fashionable?" haunted our ancestors. Sharon Jankauskas followed with a seasonally oriented slide and singing presentation on the theme of bells.

Art Struss spoke on digital imaging with the SEM and, with magic lantern slides, made a strong case for the advantages of this technique, including saving the cost of film; this alone could pay for a system (~$15K) in three years. Differentiation between organic and inorganic materials via backscatter imaging was a highlight. Another advantage of digital imaging is the ability to directly export images on the electronic highway.

Marcella Slezak nabbed the door prize, a gift certificate to Borders, and the silent auction followed at 9:20 PM.

Report submitted by John Macdonald, Recording Secretary