By Tom Barnett, Fun SIG Commander

As part of our goal of building a community within which technical communicators can network, we provide dinner meetings, seminars, and workshops. A lighter side of our networking also involves gathering at festivals for those interested in participating with other STC members.

Highland Games

The Caledonian Society of Arizona sponsors the 42nd Annual Highland Games and Scottish Gathering February 25–26. The festival focuses on Scottish clans, music, Scottish athletic events, Scottish food and vendors, and it even has a display of British automobiles such as the Cooper. Last year several families of STC members attended.

Howling Against Hunger

The March Phoenix Chapter meeting falls on the 14th, which happens to coincide with a full moon. Our chapter has had a tradition of holding one or two food drives during the year, and I thought we might throw some fun into this one. I traditionally contribute a larger some of my charity donations to hunger causes, so I thought I would tie the two events together.

At our March registration table will be a pot. For every registrant who howls at the full moon, I will contribute a dollar toward hunger causes. If the registrant would rather not perform this full moon tradition, they may contribute two dollars to the food drive pot and my friend and former chapter president Tim Eull will howl at the full moon. For more information on our Fun SIG activities, see the November issue of Tieline (PDF).

Pi Day, 300th Anniversary

The Greek letter p (pi) was first used for the value 3.1415 in the publication, “Synopsis Palmariorium Mathesios,” written by William Jones in 1706. So, 2006 will be the 300th Anniversary of the use of p as a mathematical symbol.

March 14 is an incredible celebration day this year. In the U.S., this date is written 3-14, or 3/14, which uses the first three digits of pi, 3.14 (see a more details see Pi Day, 300th Anniversary). A lot of technical writers work with engineers who use a lot of mathematics, and they may be familiar with Pi Day.

Happy Birthday

Coincidently, March 14 is also the birthday of a famous quantum physicist, Albert Einstein, who was born in 1879 in Germany. Some familiar Einstein quotes include:

• Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
   

• Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
   

• The ideas that have lighted my way have been kindness, beauty, and truth.
   

• I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Irish Faire

Another festival with participation from STC members and their families involves one of the bigger parades in Phoenix, which is followed by a festival similar to the Highland Games. The location of the Faire in central Phoenix also includes a permanent Irish Cultural Center. (See the Fun SIG's  St. Patrick's Day page.)

World Book Day

Now, this is an interesting day celebrated in the UK and Ireland on March 2. UNESCO designated it as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. Its origins come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St. George’s Day, St. George being the patron saint of England. One survey showed that only 25 percent of English residents know their patron saint, and only 20 percent know that his day is April 23. Anyway, I’m going to see if I can’t get more Phoenix Chapter members knowledgeable about both World Book Day and St. George’s Day.

The Greatest Show on Grass

Another Phoenix event that had STC members in attendance was the largest golfing event in the world, the FBR Open. Since the Open is held over a number of days, this was mostly an unhosted event, although some STC members did coordinate their attendance. 

February and March Observations

February Events
Library Lovers Month
National Time Management Month
 6 Pay a Compliment Day
 9 Clean out your Computer Day
11 National Inventor's Day, US (T. Edison's birthday)
13 Random Acts of Kindness Week
19 National Engineers Week
19 International Friendship Week
26 Telecommuter Appreciation Week
 
March Events
Listening Awareness Month
American Red Cross Month
Women's History Month 
 2 World Book Day (UK and Ireland)
 8 International Women's Day (UN)
14 National Pi Day (300th anniversary)
17 Saint Patrick's Day
20 International Earth Day