[kwlug-announce] Meeting Monday (NEW LOCATION): Linux Desktop Use, PostGreSQL Indices

[Paul Nijjar]

LOCATION CHANGE: For some time KWLUG has been looking for new meeting
spaces. This month we will experiment with a new candidate: the KW
Innovation Centre co-working space at 283 Duke St West, in Kitchener.
(This is sometimes known as the "Canada Blockchain Hub" in the old Boehmer
Box building.) The new space is about block away from the old one. 
See https://kwlug.org/283-duke for maps and information.

I hope you will be able to find the new space because there are some
nice presentations lined up. Our beginner-friendly presentation will
be delivered by Jim Kelsh, who will take us on a tour of how to use
Linux desktop environments day by day. If you have been dabbling with
a Linux desktop environment but have not transitioned to one for daily
use, this is the presentation for you. 

On the more technical side, first-time KWLUG presenter Hadi Moshayedi
will talk about different kinds of indices in the PostgreSQL database.
PostgreSQL offers many different ways to organize your data for fast
lookups, and they all come with advantages and drawbacks. Hadi will
discuss B-tree, GIST, GIN, Hash, and Brin indices. 

Also: we are on the lookout for a 40-minute beginner-friendly
presentation for July. If you have something in mind then please get
in touch. 

With the summer season (finally) approaching there are lots and lots
of interesting events going on over the next few weeks. Here are a few
that may be of interest to KWLUG: 

- This weekend (June 2 and June 3) is Maker Expo! This free event
  features all kinds of demonstrations and displays of cool tech and
  art projects created by local makers. There are also many hands-on
  workshops suitable for both kids and grownups. In addition robots
  beat each other up for our amusement, and there is an interesting
  speaker series. 

  This year Maker Expo has expanded to the Kitchener Memorial
  Auditorium, and has expanded to two days (but is still gratis?!).
  For directions and more information, visit https://makerexpo.ca .

- If you would like to ham things up, on Sunday the Guelph and
  Kitchener Amateur Radio Clubs are hosting the Central Ontario
  Hamfest, dedicated to radio and electronics. This event is not
  gratis, but should be lots of fun. See http://hamfest.on.ca/ for
  more information.
  
  (It turns out there is a relationship between ham radio enthusiasts
  and Linux; in the beginning days of distributions, ham radio
  enthusiasts were early adopters of Linux as a platform for their
  software, as evidenced by the still-existing "hamradio" section in
  Debian: https://packages.debian.org/stable/hamradio/.) 

- Our friends at Hive Waterloo Region (disclaimer: I am now an
  organizing member?!) are holding their next big event on Wednesday,
  June 6, at Alert Labs. There will be a number of speakers offering
  quick talks on digital literacy and inclusion. See
  http://hivewr.ca/events/hive-wr-meetup-6/ for more information.


There are tonnes of other things happening. As always, check out
http://watcamp.com for some of them. 


Here's information about our new meeting space again: 

KW Innovation Hub (aka "Canada Blockchain Hub")
Unit 225
283 Duke Street West
(near Duke and Victoria, just past the railroad tracks)
Kitchener

Maps and photos are available at https://kwlug.org/283-duke . The
meeting will start at 7pm, and we will start setting up around 6:30pm.
Note that there are two sets of doors to the room, but it is likely
that only one set will be open. 

- Paul



-- 
http://pnijjar.freeshell.org