September 2008 BBB, Final Version

The September ACTC BBB Newsletter
Here is the September issue of the Black and Blue Bottom, the Almaden Cycle Touring Club newsletter. These are in PDF format:

• Normal version for viewing.
• Special "two page up" version for printer.

READ THIS: This is it folks! This has been a busy last couple of weeks. Work and other commitments have not left extra time for editing. I did not have time to change the shop listings from last month's issue.

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August BBB, Final Version

[Click here to view PDF version]

August ACTC Newsletter has Gone to Printer

Thank you to everybody who helped with this newsletter. Your photos, stories and corrections made this a better newsletter.

Here it is, I hope you like it!

• Regular issue version for normal reading in PDF format.
• Special two page up PDF version for printer.

Thank you everybody who has made this a fine edition. Thanks especially to Naomi for helping so much with the newsletter production and to all the folks who contributed stories, pictures, corrections, comments and other content. This has gone to the printer.

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August BBB, First Alpha Version

First Alpha, August 2008, 1-19

[Click here to view PDF version]

The first Alpha Version (What's an Alpha Version?) of pages 1-19 of the August newsletter is here. Please look it over.

Constructive comments and corrections are best e-mailed to me at s_sloan@mac.com or publisher@actc.org.

Please do NOT send e-mail to my g-mail account, the g-mail account is for e-mail distribution lists only with a low signal to noise value. It is heavily filtered and automatically purged on a regular basis. I may miss your comment there.

[Download issue in PDF Format]

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July BBB is here

July ACTC Newsletter has Gone to Printer

This has been a busy last week. A week ago today we returned from a multi-week vacation. Between work and family priorities it has been busy this week. I did get some great family and riding time in, but this issue was rushed!

There will be no time to edit this one. It has just barely gotten done in time to go to the printer. Here it is, I hope you like it!

• Regular issue version for normal reading in PDF format.
• Special two page up PDF version for printer.

Thank you everybody who has made this a fine edition. Thanks especially to Naomi for helping so much with the newsletter production and to all the folks who contributed stories, pictures and other content. This has gone to the printer.

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June BBB is done

June 2008 BBB newsletter has gone to printer

Thank you everybody who has made this a fine edition. Thanks especially to Naomi for helping so much with the newsletter production and to all the folks who contributed stories, pictures and other content. This has gone to the printer. The following files are in PDF format:

• Regular edition for viewing by membership.
• Special two page up version for printer.

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June BBB, Second Alpha Version

Second Alpha, June 2008, All Pages

The second Alpha Version (What's an Alpha Version?) of the June newsletter is here. Constructive comments can be Emailed to me at s_sloan@mac.com or publisher@actc.org. Please do NOT send Email to my Gmail account, that account is for Email distribution lists only with a low signal to noise value. It is heavily filtered and automatically purged on a regular basis. I may miss your comment there.

[Download issue in PDF Format]

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June BBB, First Alpha Version

First Alpha, June 2008, 1-19

The first Alpha Version (What's an Alpha Version?) of pages 1-19 of the June newsletter is here. Constructive comments can be Emailed to me at s_sloan@mac.com or publisher@actc.org. Please do NOT send Email to my Gmail account, that account is for Email distribution lists only with a low signal to noise value. It is heavily filtered and automatically purged on a regular basis. I may miss your comment there.

[Download issue in PDF Format]

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May B&BB is here

This is the May Issue of the Black and Blue Bottom, the ACTC Newsletter
I am very rushed this month and will be out of town this weekend so there will be no time for revisions, I am sorry.

This has already gone to the printer:

• On-line version for viewing and reading by membership
• The normal single page wide version, with the template layer turned off, that works on the printing press and goes to the printer for production of the bike club newsletter.
• A special double page wide version that SHOULD work on the printing press and can be checked by the printer for production of the bike club newsletter.

Thanks

~Steve

April B&BB is here

This is the April Issue of the Black and Blue Bottom, the ACTC Newsletter:

• On-line version for viewing and reading by membership
• The special double page wide version that works on the printing press and went to the printer for production of the bike club newsletter.

Thanks

~Steve

March B&BB Newsletter Links

The March Issue of the B&BB is here
I hope you like it:

• On line version for viewing and reading
  
• Special double page version going to printer for production of the newsletter

Thanks, and enjoy this week's races!
Steve

Deadlines Extended

As Patrice mentioned on the Elist, this month's deadlines will be as before.

The deadline for the March issue will be the Sunday before the Feb. Meeting.

Why are we doing this? The old deadlines were way too tight and forced the ride scheduler and editors to work week nights and the publisher to give up a weekend to do the newsletter. For example; when I was publisher before, I often had to choose between riding or attending family events and doing the newsletter. This makes it very unattractive for folks to run for publisher. For the ride scheduler and the story editors the previous deadlines were even more difficult. They were expected to turn their rides and stories around in three weekday work days. In my opinion asking that of volunteers is not reasonable, especially if you want to encourage volunteers who have jobs and families that may require care at home to get involved.

Also, as mentioned at the December meeting, I want to train more folks to do the newsletter. New folks will be even slower at doing the newsletter and will need more time. In short I feel this may be difficult, but it needs to be done. I believe the work has to be divided up to make it reasonable. This new schedule gives folks more options in scheduling their lives around their ACTC volunteer work and I hope will encourage more folks to volunteer. I appreciate your time and understanding.

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Deadline is coming

There's still time!

The deadline for submitting an article for the Feb. 2008 ACTC B&BB Newsletter is coming up. Please submit articles and post your Feb rides, stories and events by Dec 30th.

This gives each volunteer a week to do his or her work around job and other commitments.

If you would like to consider a submission, please let us know:

publisher@actc.org
rides@actc.org

Current Newsletter Timeline:
Dec 30 Articles and rides to copy editor & ride scheduler
Jan 6 Finished articles to layout person
Jan 13 Newsletter to Printer
Jan 17 Mailing Party (location unknown).
By Feb 1 Newsletter in mailbox

Thanks,
Steve Sloan

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January BBB Newsletter

The January 2008 BBB is Here
For this issue I have been working on the templates to make them easier for folks to use. They are not quite there yet, but that is coming. I hope you enjoy this issue. I had to scramble to fill some blank pages. I hope you don't mind how I filled them.
Steve

• Version of newsletter optimized for web viewing.
• Version that was sent to the printer.

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My third term as publisher

I ran for publisher on the platform many hands make light work. My mission is to lighten and spread the work and thus lighten the load on each volunteer and to make the work more manageable. I hope to do this by creating a more distributed workflow and documenting that workflow. That is my first focus. For me improving quality is secondary to that task. I hope to have it down to the point that two or three people can be laying out the newsletter even though some of those people will be novices. I plan to layout no more than four issues myself this year.

In the end we may be able to achieve better quality, but the workload has to be manageable. Otherwise we may not have a newsletter to improve. In the meantime, I do not want to introduce any new steps to the production process unless the intent of them is to ease production.

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My Last BBB, for now

My last issue of the bike club newsletter for now
Because we got our house burglarized this week and I had some of my equipment stolen this was an especially challenging issue to get this out. But, the old newspaperman in me could not miss an issue (especially my last one.) So, here it is! There was no time for corrections or edits due to my schedule. The final, finished and complete December 2006 newsletter is posted here in PDF.

This issue is done and it has been sent to the printer. This is the printer's version in PDF. This is how it has gone to the printer.

Last Whine and Dine Ride of the Season

It's the Bullwinkle Ride

This is the traditional first and last whine and dine ride of the regular season. It is a nice ride with some climbing both up and over Kennedy and Shannon. The climbs are not bad and it ends with a descent into Los Gatos. If you have lights, or a tail light, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring them, but I don't think we will need them. Bring your appetites and maybe a bottle of wine for sharing after the ride!

See you there!

~Steve

Remembering

October Newsletter Queue Is Here

Deadline has passed and I believe the stories for the October issue have been received and are posted to the Queue for the October BBB. By contributors submitting these stories it is assumed they are the last versions and the versions they desire printed and that each story is ready for processing for the newsletter. Stories are now being dispatched for editing and are soon to be out of my hands. Contributors are encouraged to double check the queue to be sure I did not make a mistake and miss posting any stories sent to me and that the queue is complete as posted.

The queue is here.

Thank you everyone for contributing to this newsletter:

~Steve

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Whine and Dine Ride August 23

Here are the rides for today. I am not going to be able to make it out of work:

M Ride

LM ride

Ride Sign Up Sheet

I will try to make it to Burritos!

Whine and Dine Birthday Bash

Camera Phone Post: Jolyce and Candy's birthday celebrated on bike ride
The whine and dine ride of August 16 was likely the last big evening whine and dine ride of the 2006 season and may be my last of the season as school is starting next week. We had a great ride up Hicks road and stayed out partying until after 10pm. It was Jolyce's birthday and next Sunday is Candy's. So we had a cake and both women blew out the candles. We also had fine wine as Pam brought a bottle of Silver Oak. We had so much fun!