Benefits of Membership
Each of our meetings usually involves a lecture on a specific IT topic, usually given by the Head of the Computer Department here at PBCC, Dr. Horvath, These seminars offer hands-on experience and one-on-one help completely free of cost.
The best way to learn is to teach. If a member is knowledgeable about a subject that falls within the interests of the club, they are highly encouraged to share this information either by hosting a lecture or by participating in the unofficial dialog that occurs at a meeting's end. This will help the student build effective communication and organizational skills while increasing confidence in the subject matter.
Finally, the most notable benefit is the opportunity to attend IT-related conventions funded by Interclub Council (ICC) grants.
Conventions? Tell me more!
In 2004, eight individuals traveled San Fransisco for LinuxWorld and Las Vegas for DefCon 12, where an amateur engineer set a world record. Everyone got tons of free goodies from the vendor booths, but one member, Robby, walked away with a brand-new IPod.
Because we can't get enough of Linux, five attended the LinuxWorld 2005 at the Moscone Convention Center back in San Fransisco. We got to speak face-to-face with industry celebrities like John "Maddog" Hall, executive director of Linux International, and participate in the Epic Games' Unreal Tournament... uh... Tournament. There was even a very memorable trivia contest called the Golden Penguin Bowl, in which Chris DiBona (Google), Marc Marlin (Google), and Brian Aker(mySQL) faced-off against Rob Mensching (Microsoft), Bill Hilf (Microsoft), and Rob Curran (you guessed it, Microsoft). What made this particular contest so memorable was the Imperial March being played as the Microsoft team, clad in Storm-trooper uniforms with a Darth Vader Curran, marched to take their place before the competition began! Two of our members walked away with extrodinary prizes: Kevin nabbed a PSP for wearing a t-shirt and Nestor recieved $500 for successfully configuring a Linux Server the fastest.
NEED MORE INFO ABOUT 2006 TRIP TO DALLAS!!
How do I join?
As a casual club, there isn't an official method of joining beyond going to our meetings. In order to be eligible for convention attentance, it's strongly encouraged that members attend as many lectures and events as possible. If you wish to be added to our mailing list or want to join the roster before the next scheduled meeting, please email Dr. Horvath with your interest. Click on "Contact" in the right navigation list for the contact information.