Apple co-founder
Steve Wozniak
and host MUGport make waves at
the You
Don't Know Mac! 2000
statewide
MUG event on the Oregon coast!
© B Y .S T E V E .W E L S H
Oregon MacPioneers User Group (Omug)
It wasn't asking much to
expect some improvement in the sequel to last
year's inaugural.
But, really, having Apple
co-founder Steve Wozniak bring his smile and
wit to the stage for You Don't Know Mac!
2000 in Newport, Nov. 11th was, well… a sequel and an improvement we couldn't have dreamed better!
It seemed almost everything
about this year's statewide Macintosh Users Groups
celebration and trivia event reached a new level --
4 Oregon MUG teams competed on stage (3 last year),
9 Oregon MUGs overall were represented (7 last
year), the event day agenda was expanded, the crowd
was larger and the scenery outdoors was wetter.
Newport is on the coast, after all.
Actually, it was picture
perfect on the coast, as sunny outside that weekend
as it was with smiles inside the Hatfield Marine
Science Center for the YDKM event. There was no
doubt a special feeling in the air with the Woz
participating.
When it was all said and
done with the trivia contest, Portland
(PMUG)
defended its YDKM crown and was presented the
Golden Apple Trophy once again, this time by the
legendary Woz. PMUG finished strong in the 3rd and
final round once again, overtaking host
Newport (MUGport),
Eugene (EMUG)
and Corvallis (CMUG).
Inbetween there were a lot of laughs, a wide range
of Apple history and trivia, a harbor full of
prizes (for the teams as well as the audience
thanks to generous vendor contributions), and, most
important, a display of what MUGs can do when they
come together to support each other.
There was no doubt,
however, having Apple's co-founder fly up on his
own cost and take the Master of Ceremonies' reigns
was the icing on our statewide event's 2nd year.
Every Oregon MUG in attendance, and our audience,
felt the impact of that kind of support.
Wow.
And Steve truly enjoyed
his time in Oregon. But then, we kinda' pulled
out the red carpet to show him how much his visit
meant to us -- a private helicopter ride from
Eugene to Newport and a night in the Honeymoon
Suite of the Newport Belle, a luxurious
stern-wheeler bed & breakfast docked in the
marina!
"I had a great time," Woz
told Steve Travis, MUGport's president, on the way back to the airport the next day. "I hope you will invite me back."
I think you'd have to say THAT is a given.
A
statewide purpose
For the uninitiated,
Oregon's YDKM event was created last year to bring
closer together all active Mac User Groups in the
state, establish communications and share resources
to support each other. And to have some fun (thus
the trivia contest). Each year YDKM is hosted by a
different Oregon MUG, thereby showcasing that MUG's
community and members, ensuring freshness and a
unique flavor with each YDKM. Last year's
inaugural was in Corvallis.
The host for 2001 will be PMUG
(Portland).
YDKM's goals could not be
met without the contributions of many, including
several local and nationwide vendors who proved
they appreciate user groups by providing a wide
range of products/prizes -- all major donations
going to participating MUGs and/or their
communities. More on this later.
Of course, Apple's support
of YDKM is paramount. And an important
acknowledgment of UG events like YDKM was shown by
the attendance this year of Apple's UG Program
Manager (we like to call her "Queen") Diane
Cohn. Diane even offered to be backup MC in
case Wozniak could not make it. Thank you,
Diane.
The
pre-event snowball
Statewide happenings like
YDKM are not "just add water and stir" formulas.
Months of preparation and a tremendous amount of
communication and talent are involved -- about
99% of it volunteer effort. With the expansion
of the YDKM format this year, MUGport proved that
even a smaller UG can host this event, and do it
very well.
"When (MUGport) first
talked about hosting YDKM, we wondered if we were a
large enough group to pull it off," said Steve
Travis. "Well, we knew we would have some help, and
we felt that Newport had some special attractions.
So we just dove right in."
One of those attractions
included the site MUGport chose to hold YDKM --
Oregon State University's prestigious
Hatfield
Marine Science Center
right in the bay.
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HMSC's
Visitor
Center
made an ideal showcase with its marine
life exhibits for attendees to enjoy
before the trivia contest, and its
intimate auditorium gave even the farthest
seat from the podium and Wozniak a clear
view and cozy experience.
The start of
You Don't Know Mac! 2000 was
intentionally scheduled for a Saturday and
the early evening (6 p.m.) so that
attendees and MUG members from different
points in Oregon could travel leisurely to
Newport.
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Coast
town Newport, and host MUGport, didn't disappoint when it came to "friendliness." © Photo by Leigh Hamilton.
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And, for those that
arrived early or stayed the weekend, to soak in
other special features of the coast, such as the
Oregon
Coast Aquarium
(which was the home of Keiko the whale), the
Pacific ocean and the beach, the Yaquina Bay
Lighthouse, or the simple pleasure of browsing
along the small streets of this fishing
town.
But it was when we had
confirmation that Steve Wozniak had, indeed,
accepted our invitation that the excitement for
this year's event truly rippled from one end of the
state to the other.
The pre-event "snowball" of
preparation rolling downhill just got
bigger.
Continued
on next page
>
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article are reserved by the author, and photographs
are copyright each photographer. Reproduction in
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expressed written permission of the author or
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images or logos of Apple, Macintosh are either
copyright or trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.,
and all other logos or trademarks above by our
event contributers are used here in the spirit and
support of this organization as a Mac Users
Group.
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