Mr. Charney opened his presentation (in which he used TelePrompTer and PowerPoint visuals) by referencing the 1854 Altoona, Pennsylvania railroad's Horseshoe Curve as an engineering feat, and then tied it in to additional technologies that are transforming the world, such as I-T.

1971 was the Age of I-T and the Internet.  Mr. Charney said that we have one global electronic ecosystem, which for the most part is beneficial.  However, it is also why a mortgage crisis in Silicon Valley can affect a banking institution in Germany. 

A point made and emphasized was that technology has greatly enhanced a way of life throughout the world, even in isolated villages where people can receive email, thus allowing them to "get the big picture" and participate. 

(More photos available after text)

Rotarians and guests were met in the lobby of the Rotary Summit Center with several displays representing our international committees, as today was International Day for our Club.

At approximately 12:20 p.m., President BERT GEORGE rang the bell, calling to order meeting #4,730 of the Rotary Club of San Jose.  This was to be a meeting that ran the gamut from zero to ten on the intelligence scale; more on this later.

PHIL STRONG, accompanied by PAUL TUMASON, led the singing of God Bless America, which was immediately followed by the Reflection delivered by DAVID LaVELLE.

JOHN McLEOD provided news and pithy wit, followed by President Bert who dispensed with the usual introductions of visiting Rotarians and guests due to an over-ambitious agenda, although he did recognize a visiting Rotarian from Italy and noted that a pre-meeting flag exchange had occurred.

President Bert called attention to the lobby displays and acknowledged CYRIL ISNARD and The Fairmont for the international flair to today's lunch, which ranged from a meat carving station and chili, to mashed potatoes and pasta.  (There was more starch on my plate than on my shirt collar). 

President Bert then teed-up the international committees, so that we could learn more about their activities.  Leading off was CINDA HOYT speaking on behalf of the Adult Gift of Life Committee.  Cinda noted that 40 patients have been helped through this unique program since its establishment in 1985.  She also let us know that the next patient will be in town next month from Ecuador.

KATHY WILEY spoke on behalf of Rotaplast, noting an upcoming (April?) trip to Guatemala City.  President Bert later praised Kathy for her work with the Rotaplast Committee, and pledged that he would, someday, proudly participate on one of their trips. 

MIKE CONNIFF spoke on behalf of International House and that our Club, through this committee, has provided much to the San Jose State University International House, from connecting to the Internet to providing international flags outside the facility. 

Former president JERRY SILVA spoke on behalf of the Rotary Foundation, and thanked everyone who has given back through the Foundation.  Jerry noted that to date this year more than $38 thousand has been contributed to the Foundation, and in excess of $11 thousand for Polio Plus. 

Kathy Wiley returned to the podium to speak about Youth Exchange, as CARL SALAS was in Washington, D.C.  Kathy told us that this year our two Youth Exchange students are from Brazil and France.

MAUREEN EVERETT spoke about International Service, with a wonderful slide show courtesy of KRISHNA CHITTIBATHINI.  Maureen told us that the Club has been involved with projects throughout the world, and recently completed a clean drinking water project for 21 schools helping some 30,000 villagers in eastern Thailand.  She said there are 9 spaces available for a trip to the "Niagra Falls" of eastern Thailand in July.  Funding for these projects comes from the annual gala as well as members' Club donation of $175. 

President Bert encouraged all members to participate in an international program, and then launched into the area of the meeting that was closer to the zero on that aforementioned intelligence scale.  This segment included a Point-of-View video that took us through the Summit Center mensroom, in which we heard the all too familiar sound of the spinning Wheel of Fortune.  Low and behold, our Club's fearless leader was strategically placed behind a stall door smiling and spinning the wheel.  In a sense, this was a combination of two game shows: Wheel of Fortune and Let's Make A Deal (careful of what's behind door number three). Cut to: live and on stage, the wheel was spun once again and the number "randomly" corresponded to our Club's videographer extraordinaire, past president, CARL CILKER.  President Bert thanked Carl for all his fun videos, and then fined him.  Carl graciously contributed an undisclosed amount to the Rotary Foundation.

President Bert then mentioned that there were flyers on each table promoting the Sharks Foundation Sampling with the Sharks event, taking place February 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Club Auto Sport of Silicon Valley.  Much of the proceeds will benefit Washington School and our Club's efforts to enhance learning for its students. For more information, visit www.SharksFoundation.org

Next, yours truly made an appearance as Brianack the Magnificent, somewhat of an homage to Johnny Carson's classic Carnac routine.  This is where the intelligence meter dipped into negative territory, but hopefully most folks enjoyed the very bad puns (i.e. "Answer:  Obama Nation.  Question:  How does one describe Aretha Franklin's hat worn at yesterday's inauguration?"  Read: abomination).

Just in the nick of time, LARRY DONATONI came to the podium to kick our intelligence scale into positive territory with the introduction of today's speaker, Howard Charney, senior vice president of Cisco.  Mr. Charney is a member of Cisco's Office of the President and Executive Staff, and reports directly to CEO John Chambers.  He contributes to Cisco's strategy and direction, advises customers on implementing critical Internet technologies, and communicates Cisco's vision to key audiences worldwide.  Mr. Charney founded Grand Junction Networks, which invented Fast Ethernet and low-cost switching.  Cisco acquired Grand Junction in 1995 and charged Mr. Charney with growing Cisco's networking business, after which he led its Small/Medium Business division to market leadership in two-tier distribution of network systems.  Prior to Grand Junction, Mr. Charney was one of the four founders of 3Com Corporation.  He holds mechanical engineering degrees from MIT and an MBA and JD from Santa Clara University, is a licensed patent attorney, and belongs to the State Bar of California and the Federal Bar.

Mr. Charney opened his presentation (in which he used TelePrompTer and PowerPoint visuals) by referencing the 1854 Altoona, Pennsylvania railroad's Horseshoe Curve as an engineering feat, and then tied it in to additional technologies that are transforming the world, such as I-T.

Our speaker noted a conversation he had with economist Carlota Perez who told him some two years ago that the current economic crash would occur.  Perez said that there have been five distinct technology revolutions and that such technologies transform everything. 

1971 was the Age of I-T and the Internet.  Mr. Charney said that we have one global electronic ecosystem, which for the most part is beneficial.  However, it is also why a mortgage crisis in Silicon Valley can affect a banking institution in Germany. 

A point made and emphasized was that technology has greatly enhanced a way of life throughout the world, even in isolated villages where people can receive email, thus allowing them to "get the big picture" and participate. 

Mr. Charney shared Cisco CEO John Chambers' quote that, "Education and the Internet are two great equalizers."  He also reported that every dollar spent on education returns five-dollars to the economy, and that I-T investment drives productivity, and that productivity drives the economy.  Smart Utilities, said Mr. Charney, increases productivity and increased productivity can raise the standard of living for people around the world.

Mr. Charney said that the evolution of the Internet goes from 1 to 1, to 1 to Many, to Many to Many, and noted that people want information, not data.  He then provided a glimpse into the future when stating that "real holograms" may be 3 to 5 years out, and joking that "teleportation could suck-up a lot of bandwidth," the physics concept of Quantum Entanglement suggests that one could disassemble an object here and reassemble it there, and that by the year 2020, computer telepathy is likely - using thought to propel a robot, for instance.

"Innovation is what this is all about," said Mr. Charney.  He then quoted inventor Charles Kettering, who brought us such things as the spark plug, Freon, and safety glass.  When asked why he was so driven to invent things, Kettering replied, "My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there."

After a brief question and answer session, President Bert presented our speaker with a certificate commemorating his visit and that a donation will be made in his honor for our Club's Adaptive Swing project. 

Meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. 

Next week's program will be Superior Court Judge Eugene Hayman speaking on the topic, "Early Intervention Program for Domestic Violence."

Respectfully submitted and telepathically yours via the Internet (with plenty of information, not simply data),

Brian Adams, Rotary Summary Committee

Photos Provided By:  Paul Tumason