In addition to the August 8th meeting, we also have a TCLUG meeting to announce for Wed Sept 5. Amazon.com will be giving a presentation about Amazon Web Services (AWS). Amazon has some pretty cool developer tools. On the topic of virtualization, they have EC2, which allows you to upload a Linux image to a number of virtual machines, and only pay for the machine-hours that you use. See below for details, there's a lot of good stuff. The detailed / formal agenda will be sent closer to the date. ----------- Description ------------ What's possible in a post Web 2.0 world? Innovation continues at a mind-bending pace, and this presentation will showcase some thought-provoking new directions that Web Services are headed in. The presentation will provide an overview of Amazon Web Services, including a Web Service named Mechanical Turk that allows computers to make requests of people, an online storage service, a Virtual Server service, and more. There will also be a demo showing how to set up the virtual server. But mostly this will be an opportunity to have a discussion about innovation and entrepreneurial tools. Amazon spent ten years developing a world-class technology and content platform that powers Amazon web sites for millions of customers every day. Most people think "Amazon.com" when they hear the word; however developers are excited to learn that there is a separate technology arm of the company, known as Amazon Web Services or AWS. Using AWS, developers can build software applications leveraging the same robust, scalable, and reliable technology that powers Amazon's retail business. AWS has now launched ten services with open APIs for developers to build applications, with the result that over 265,000 developers have registered on Amazon's developer site to create applications based on these services.. About the Speaker Mike Culver joined the Developer Relations Group of Amazon Web Services in May, 2006. Mike brings with him fifteen years of technology leadership experience, including at companies such as Microsoft. In addition Mr. Culver has a strong background running an IT organization, with over a decade of experience in the Electrical Wholesale Distribution industry. As a Web Services Evangelist at Amazon, he helps developers take advantage of disruptive technologies that are going to change the way we think about computer applications, and the way that businesses compete.