Sacramento L5 Society Meeting Minutes

Attendance

Attendance included, at least in part: Joe Bland, Ed Kulis, Michael Abramson, Jan Roston, Paul Turner, Eric James, Arlene, Chris, Robin Scott, Donna, and others.

1. Opening and Meeting Setup

The meeting began with informal technical setup and participant arrivals. Joe Bland and Ed Kulis tested Zoom audio, screen sharing, and presentation display before the formal meeting began.

Joe noted that the new format would begin with a short SacL5 “SpaceTalks” or micro-presentation before moving into regular chapter business.

2. SacL5 Micro-Presentation: “The Internet in 1915”

Presenter: Ed Kulis

Ed gave the first SacL5 micro-presentation, titled “The Internet in 1915,” with the subtitle idea of the World Wide Web throughout the ages.

The presentation traced the history of information transfer and cognition acceleration from ancient writing to modern AI-assisted semantic search. Major themes included:

• Scriptio continua – ancient writing without spaces between words, requiring readers to parse meaning manually.
• The later addition of word spacing, margins, drop caps, tables of contents, indexes, and synoptic tables of contents as tools that reduced friction in reading and understanding.
• The development of library catalogs, the Dewey Decimal System, and the Library of Congress system as ways of organizing knowledge.
• The role of early 20th-century newspaper clipping services, inspired by A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, where fast readers like Francie effectively acted as human search engines.
• The transition from physical archives and paper systems to databases, network services, the web, hyperlinks, search engines, and semantic search.
• Modern AI as a further acceleration of cognition, allowing people to retrieve, organize, summarize, and act on information much faster than before.

Ed described semantic search as moving beyond exact words toward clusters of meaning, where related concepts are connected in a multidimensional information space.

Discussion

Michael raised the question of what people should do with increased productivity and faster information retrieval. He noted that speed alone does not answer the deeper question of how people make sense of information and apply wisdom.

Ed responded with examples from software work, describing how AI can now generate database access code, analyze existing code, and dramatically shorten development cycles, while organizational access and credentials remain a major bottleneck.

Several participants complimented the presentation. Joe said the presentation set a strong opening standard for the new SacL5 micro-presentation format.

3. President’s and Treasurer’s Report

Presenter: Joe Bland

Joe reported that SacL5’s checking account remains frozen. The account is not losing principal, but inflation is reducing its real value.

Joe explained that the account was frozen after a spoofing attack in which someone appeared to be impersonating the bank. Joe recognized the issue and froze the account to prevent possible loss of funds.

Joe also reported that SacL5 must submit approximately five to six years of records to the California Franchise Tax Board by the end of April. He became aware of the requirement through Benevity. Required materials include bank records, chapter reports, and related forms.

Joe stated that SacL5 is on track to meet the deadline. However, he reported that it may take a year to a year and a half for the Franchise Tax Board process to be completed. Until then, SacL5 may continue to face difficulty opening or using a bank account.

Joe noted that other chapters may be facing similar nonprofit and banking issues, including an Ohio chapter mentioned later in the meeting.

4. SacL5 Website Update

Presenter: Ed Kulis

Ed reviewed recent SacL5 website updates. Updates included:

• A new SpaceTalks page featuring Ed’s presentation and planned future talks.
• Possible future presentation from the Boys Ranch STEM program.
• Michael Abramson’s planned future presentation on AI after ChatGPT.
• A page or post about the Boys Ranch program, including their Arduino and STEM work.
• Content related to lunar orbital rendezvous and the Human Landing System.
• Website traffic appeared to increase somewhat after promotion of the SpaceTalks concept.

Ed suggested that other chapters might benefit from similar pages so chapters can cross-reference each other’s presentations and activities.

5. NSS Chapters’ Assembly Update

Presenter: Jan Roston

Jan summarized the recent NSS Chapters’ Assembly meeting. Topics included:

• Difficulty publicizing the upcoming Executive Secretary position through Ad Astra because of separation between the Chapters Assembly and NSS communication channels.
• Discussion of whether bylaws or procedures should be changed to make such announcements easier.
• Discussion of whether the Chapters Assembly should create a YouTube channel, blog, or video presence to publicize chapter and assembly activities.
• Review of the Executive Secretary election process, including lessons from the prior year.
• Artemis-related discussion and ISDC-related updates.
• A Chicago-area chapter event reportedly had very strong attendance.
• Chapter awards are being reviewed.
• The SacL5 20-minute presentation format was mentioned favorably as a possible model for other chapters.
• Space Ambassadors may be possible future presenters for chapter programs.
• Prathmesh may be willing to give a presentation.
• An Ohio chapter is reportedly having bank account issues.
• Concerns were raised about possible misuse of NSS petition-candidate procedures by bad actors, given NSS’s significant funds.

Joe clarified that the Chapters Assembly has two officer positions elected in alternating years: chair and executive secretary.

6. Proposed Chapter Calendar of Events

Joe suggested that the Chapters Assembly or Chapter Resources area should create a chapter calendar of events where chapters can post upcoming meetings, presentations, links, and topics.

Ed agreed to contact Perry about the workflow for adding such a calendar to the chapter resources area.

The group discussed that such a calendar could help chapters share events, attract attendees, and potentially support donations or recruitment.

7. NSS Chapter Committee Representation

Joe reported that he has stepped down from the NSS Chapter Committee and suggested that SacL5 needs a new representative.

Joe recommended that Ed consider attending the committee meetings and contacting Dave Stewart, who is active in leading the committee’s practical work.

The group discussed the distinction between:

• Chapters Assembly – more like a chapter discussion and decision forum.
• NSS Chapter Committee – more focused on operational matters such as ISDC support, chapter materials, banking issues, and practical support for chapters.

Ed said he would ask Perry about the committee and meeting details.

8. Open Space Organization White Paper

Presenter: Michael Abramson

Michael discussed the continued development of the Open Space Organization, or OSO, white paper.

Michael said the next step is to find time for a dedicated discussion of the current draft and Ed’s suggested additions or alternatives.

Key issues to address include:

•  
• Operating procedures.
• How unequal parties can cooperate without feeling dominated.
• How participating parties would benefit.
• How the organization would respond to normal operations and emergencies.
• Development of hypothetical case studies to test the organization’s proposed mechanisms.

Joe suggested that low Earth orbit debris and collision management could be a strong test case for OSO, because it involves governments, private companies, commercial actors, and other stakeholders.

The group discussed the challenge of getting diverse space actors to cooperate, or at least avoid interfering with one another.

Paul suggested organizing the OSO material using a synoptic table of contents or topic structure. Michael said the draft may not yet have enough material for that level of structure, but the idea could become useful as the work grows.

9. SacL5 Balloon Flight / MiniCube Project

Presenter: Ed Kulis

Ed reported slow but continuing progress on the balloon flight device / MiniCube project.

Current status:

• Ed has a prototype voltage booster working to convert a 3.7 V lithium battery source to the 5 V needed by the device.
• The next challenge is soldering the components into a more permanent assembly.
• Ed noted that soldering makes later testing and component changes more difficult.
• Ed may use one or two MiniCube-sized units.
• JP indicated that heat may be a bigger concern than cold, depending on the flight conditions.
• Jan noted that JP may have added another flight opportunity, possibly in summer, giving more time for development.

The group discussed that once SacL5 has flown something, it can advertise the result and use it as a starting point for future student or chapter projects.

10. Arduino Kits and Boys Ranch STEM Program

Presenter: Ed Kulis

Ed reported that SacL5 sent six Arduino kits to the Boys Ranch program.

The Boys Ranch thanked SacL5 and plans to use the kits in their classes.

Ed said the Boys Ranch has already done impressive STEM work, including building a remote underwater vehicle. He would like to invite their teacher to present what they are doing.

The group discussed that the Boys Ranch program may become a good outreach connection for SacL5.

11. Eric James Mercer Automobile Project

Presenter: Eric James

Eric presented his project to build a 1/6-scale model of a 1913 Mercer Raceabout.

Eric explained that the real car belongs to the National Automobile Museum in Reno. He remembered the car from childhood and considered it one of the coolest cars he had seen.

Project details:

• Eric is building the model at 1/6 scale, about two feet long.
• He created a 3D CAD model using Autodesk Fusion 360.
• He visited the museum in Reno to measure and photograph the car because photographs alone were not sufficient.
• The car is old enough that most body panels do not have compound curves, making it practical to reproduce from flat material.
• Much of the model will be made from brass because it is easy to machine and solder.
• The wheels will likely be made from hickory.
• Eric does not plan to build a fully functional engine, because that would require access to original engine drawings or the ability to reverse-engineer an original engine.

The group discussed the history of the Harrah automobile collection, the National Automobile Museum, and related automotive engineering ideas, including compound engines.

Ed asked whether Eric’s pictures could be placed on the SacL5 website. Eric said that was fine.

12. Presentation Format Discussion

Near the end of the meeting, participants agreed that the new micro-presentation format was successful.

Michael suggested allowing more time for presentations and especially for questions afterward, since discussion can be one of the most interesting parts.

Joe agreed that future outside speakers may require more flexibility and that some meetings may run longer in the presentation portion before moving into chapter business.

13. Items Not Fully Covered

The agenda included several items that were not substantially covered before adjournment, including:

• Integrating Tom Tolan’s orbiting tether, Roger Arnold’s orbiting spaceport, Don Wade’s “Gravity Train,” and an electromagnetic lunar launcher/lander.
• Update on potential NASA grant application and related subjects.
• Paul Turner’s contacts with Ken Davis of Sacramento’s School of Engineering and Science.
• Additional space news items.

14. Action Items

15. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:30 PM PDT.