Digital Digest July 2005

The Monthly Newsletter of DigitalEveJapan. Promoting women's digital lifestyles by offering a supportive community and programs tuned to women using IT in their workplace and in their everyday lives.

/:/:/:/:/ THE DIGITAL DIGEST /:/:/:/:/:/

The Monthly Newsletter of DigitalEVE Japan.

Promoting women's digital lifestyles by offering
a supportive community and programs tuned to women
using IT in their workplace and in their everyday lives.

http://www.digitalevejapan.org

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1 July 2005

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This monthly newsletter is a membership benefit of
DigitalEve Japan and is sent through our mailing list,
de-japan. If you wish to cancel your membership with
DigitalEve Japan, please follow the unsubscribe instructions
at the end of this issue.


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IN THIS ISSUE
-> Team reports.
-> Announcements
-> Upcoming Events.
-> Recent Events.
-> Special Report.
-> Q & A: Interview With A DEva.


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FROM THE EDITOR

Mayumi Tanimoto, Japanese Editor
<newsletter@digitalevejapan.org>

Based in Rome Italy, I work as a network administrator as
well as an information system strategist for the Food and
Agriculture Organizaiton of the United Nations. I am
temporarily back in Japan for a holiday.

Unlike other G8 countries, in Italy it is not easy to find
women in the IT industry. Most IT-related work places have
quite macho a environment.ﾂ Women are an endangered species.
Eveytime I introduce DEJ's activities, almost all Italian
women say that they wish they had the same kind of
organization in Italy. I would like to introduce DEJ's
activities in Japan and overseas as much as possible.

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NOTES FROM THE STEERING COMMITTEE

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Nothing to report.


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MEMBERSHIP TEAM NEWS

Misao Kajiro, Membership Coordinator.
<membership@digitalevejapan.org>

Total membership is 720 as of June 25th, 2005.

Meet the DEvas was held on 25th.

The atmosphere of COOPERS where we gathered was interesting
and sociable. Five of us enjoyed our first meeting there
with some good food. Some participants kindly volunteered to
help in their professional fields.

After the meeting we went to the Marunouchi Cafe to check if
we can use it for workshop. The meeting room with IT
facilities is only open on weekdays, and only until 6pm. But
the free internet cafe can be used from 11am to 8pm (9pm on
weekdays) every day. You need your ID card or passport. It's
very nice place to sit and read books.
http://www.marunouchicafe.com/

We are looking for a venue for our workshops so please let
us know if you know good place.


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WEB CONTENT TEAM NEWS

Debra B. Foster, Web Content Coordinator.
<web@digitalevejapan.org>


Nothing to report.


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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM NEWS

Yoshiko Toge, Coordinator.
<businessdev@digitalevejapan.org>

Nothing to report.

It is getting hot these days. How are you doing? I started
to learn golf and I am really enjoying it. I am busy at work
as usual, but I am trying to practice golf when I have time.
Exercise is really good to release your stress.


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TECH TEAM NEWS

Junko Matsuo, Technology Coordinator.
<tech@digitalevejapan.org>

When I see hydrangeas, I feel that the rainy season is not
that bad. However, the season I long for - summer - has
arrived.

As the activities of the steering comittee have increased,
the number of speaking events has been decreasing.
Coordinating speakers or making a presentation are
challenging tasks. But don't you feel like it is not so
difficult to talk for just 5 minutes?

Everybody uses information technology differently. I started
thinking that it would be fun to have a variety of people
talk briefly about "IT for me".

If you have any ideas, please do not hesitated to post them
to the discussion list. We are waiting for your opinions!


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MEDIA TEAM NEWS

Chiharu Kawai, Media Coordinator
<media@digitalevejapan.org>

I hope you are surviving this hot and humid summer in Japan.
It's only the beginning. Has any one visited the Expo 2005
in Aichi? Any DEvas in the Nagoya area? I went there earlier
this month and, hey, saw that frozen mammoth head! It was
beautiful. The main tower, which is a huge kaleidoscope, was
so pretty I could have kept looking at it for hours and
hours. If you are visiting the Expo, I strongly suggest you
check the Expo website beforehand to see if they accept any
reservations to get into some of the popular pavilions.

As I mentioned in the June newsletter, I have the following
info sheets available to all our members: 1) "Writing for
Profit" :ﾂ How to become an English-language professional
writer in Japan, and 2) "Getting Noticed--Optimizing your
Website Sizzle!": About SEO (search engine optimization).If
you are interested, please ask me by email, and I can send
you the PDF version.

It's time for T-shirts!ﾂ I have DigitalEve Japan T's in
black and white for 2,000 yen each. Please see the website
for details (http://www.digitalevejapan.org/merchandise/)
or contact me by email.

Lastly, we are looking for an English-speaking media
coordinator in charge of English language PR and media
contacts. If you are interested, please contact me also.


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DETAILS OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Please watch this list for announcements.


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RECENT EVENTS

Membership Coordinator Misao Kajiro wrote a summary of the
June 25th Meet the DEvas event in the "Membership News"
section.


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SPECIAL REPORT

"How to solve network connectivity problems"
by Mayumi Tanimoto

To those of you who use the internet extensively for work as
well as in your personal life, a computer network is one of
the essential utilities. Network connectivity problems are
something we want to avoid as much as possible.

I am in charge of a large-scale network administration,
including a Local Area Network and a Wide Area Network,
which connects a variety of offices scattered around the
world. Many if the network connectivity problems can be
solved using these very basic tips:

・・ Verify the environment around the devices
For people who are not into hardware, the environment around
the devices is something which is often neglected. However,
these devices are much more sensitive than we think.ﾂ They
are not immune to high temparatures, humidity, or dust. Be
sure to keep the temperature inside the devices lower than
28 degrees Celcius. With the Japanese climate, we also need
to pay attention to the level of humidity. Do not forget to
keep the room and area around the device tidy. Cover up the
devices to protect them from dust.

2. Verify theﾂ conditions around the cables
Two main types of cables are used in computer networks:
copper wires and optic fibers. Both of them can break if you
step on them, or bend them too far. If possible, cover them
up with alminium plastic cable covers.

3. Length of cables
Cables are physical tools to transfer electronic signals so
they have a physical limit. Once their maximum capacity is
exceeded, theyﾂ cannot deliver signals properly.

4. Noises from other devices
Network devices tend to be influenced by the noise produced
by white appliances, such as copy machines. If you notice a
decline in your LAN or Wi-Fi performance, verify the
location of those appliances.

5. AC
Do not turn off power of network devices. Once they have
been turned off and switched on again, they need to learn
the "routing" of signals from scratch. It takes some time.
Furthermore, 60% of emergency calls to ISPs or IT
departments are due to electricity failure.


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Q & A: INTERVIEW WITH A DEVA
Interview by Ko Iwata

This month, I interviewed Jennifer Pack, who owns Black Cat
Studios and works as a freelance graphic designer as well as
a photograper.

1) If you are not from Tokyo, where are you from originally
and when and why did you relocate to Tokyo?

I am originally from Georgia in the United States of
America. My husband is a guitar player in the Air Force Band
of the Pacific Asia area, and we moved to Tokyo in February
2004.

2) How long have you been a member of DigitalEve Japan?

About a month.

3) How did you find out about DigitalEve Japan and why did
you decide to join?

I found out about Digital Eve Japan from another person's
personal blog. I thought it sounded like a great
organization and a good way to meet other women with similar
interests.

4) What DE-J activities/resources have you participated in?
Of these, which do you find the most advantageous and why?

I haven't had a chance to participate in any activities or
resources yet. I have been working with Misa and Anne on a
survey for an upcoming graphic design workshop andﾂ I look
forward to meeting everyone at a future Meet the DEvas
event.

5) Are there any other activities and resources you would
like to see offered by DigitalEve Japan?

Right now, what DigitalEve Japan is offering seems good to
me.

6) What are your interests in digital technology?

I am a graphic designer and photographer and use computers
everyday for my job as well as some of my hobbies.

7) What kind of computer do you use?

A Power Mac G5 with a 30" Cinema Display.

8) Are you a member of any other technology-related groups
and if so,which ones?

I am not currently a member of any other technology-related
groups. I am a past member of the National Association of
Photoshop Users and the American Advertising Federation.

9) Please tell me a little bit about where you work and what
your responsibilities are.

I have my own freelance design and photography business 窶・br> Black Cat Studios. I started Black Cat Studios in August of
2002 after seven years at an advertising agency. My design
clients are mainly based in America and I work with them via
the internet. The design projects I work on range from logos
and brochures to books and magazines to websites.

10) Do you have any favorite software programs? If so, why?

I use the Adobe Creative Suite 2 (Adobe InDesign, Photoshop,
Illustrator, Acrobat and GoLive) for most everything I do. I
also use Corel Painter. Adobe Photoshop is such a versatile
program for graphic design and photography and I've been
using it since it's earliest incarnations. I switched from
QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign in early 2003 and have never
looked back. InDesign is a powerful layout program and
because of its close relation to Acrobat, it makes sending
proofs to clients via email that much easier.

11) What is your favorite computer-related activity? (for
example, games, email, surfing the net, etc.) Do you have
any other hobbies?

Besides doing graphics work, I have a deep love for
photography. Most of my non-work related computer activities
find me downloading photos from my cameras, sorting through
them, making any color corrections, and uploading them to
Flickr (www.flickr.com). Flickr is my favorite photo sharing
website. I also look through other Flickr users photos, chat
with my friends back in the states, keep up my blog, look
for recipes and surf the rest of the net. My other hobbies
include cooking, exploring Japan, reading, arts and crafts,
movies and listening to my husband play guitar.

12) What is your favorite website and why?

I would have to say right now that my favorite website is
www.flickr.com.

13) Name three things you will always find near your
computer.

A sketchpad, a notepad (with a list of things to do), and
usually a pile of file folders/books that I need to clean up
and go through.

Black Cat Studios
blackcatstudios@mac.com
jen.pack@mac.com
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/blackcatstudios/

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SUBMISSIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER

Have an announcement to make?
An article to submit for consideration?
(We can't pay you, but we'll give you a byline.)
Please send your submissions in plain text format to
newsletter@digitalevejapan.org
The deadline for the August newsletter is July 15.

The Digital Digest is brought to you by the Newsletter Team:
Debra B. Foster, Lynn Fujino, Noriko Hasegawa, Koko Iwata,
Misao Kajiro, Louise Mackay, Mayumi Tanimoto and Ailsa Wylie.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





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