Letter of Appreciation

[Doug]

Jehovah's organization sets the example for good manners and appreciation.  When we donate online, we receive a letter of appreciation in return.

 

This month, the letter has some exciting news to share.  The LDC brothers have undertaken a test of installing solar power systems and power storage in remote areas.

 

In Papua New Guinea, a circuit overseer said at one rural Kingdom Hall, the new power system allows meetings to run smoothly without the noise and expense of generators. As a result, the friends now enjoy stable lighting and Kingdom songs and video presentations without disruptions.

 

Imagine the impact this will have in the community!!!   If someone should ask us at their door which religion we are, we can answer "We're the one keeping the lights on for you".

 

But, really, just think about those areas where electricity is scarce or none at all. The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is powered up!!!!  

 

I just wonder if this power system and storage is off-the-shelf equipment, or have the brothers modified ?

[Dages]

That's a good way to apply Matt 5:14  

[LeolaRootStew]

How do the neighbors benefit from this? Are they sharing the power?

[Doug]

15 hours ago, LeolaRootStew said:

How do the neighbors benefit from this? Are they sharing the power?

 

Good questions.   Quote: "This practical arrangement has helped to strengthen congregations spiritually and has made a positive impression on nearby communities".

 

Are they sharing power?   I don't have any information beyond what the letter says.  But, like you, I wondered if perhaps people would show up to ask if they could charge their phone or tablet.  I'm sure the brothers anticipated these scenarios.

When I worked on the branch in Nigeria, the first thing the brothers did was put in a well to ensure there was plenty of water.  The second thing they did was build a wall around the property for security reasons.  However, they ran a hose over the wall so the local folks could help themselves to fresh, clean water anytime they wished.

 

Another example is when the brothers developed the MEPS computer program and IBM wanted to license it for commercial use.  I don't know what the brothers decided to do with that offer.

 

So, I can't say how the brothers will handle any requests for sharing power.  The brothers will naturally want to be good neighbors, and while it may seem obvious to some that sharing solar energy is no skin off their nose, I'm sure there are many other considerations to weigh.

 

I think this "practical arrangement" is akin to the Starlink Internet connection.  A solution to infrastructure limitations.  But not for profit. Rather, to bring the good news to the ends of the earth.

 

Genesis 1:3  God said "Let there be light".  Then there was light.   

 

[Jim Jam]

43 minutes ago, Doug said:

when the brothers developed the MEPS computer program and IBM wanted to license it for commercial use

 

Do you have a source for this please?

[Doug]

50 minutes ago, Jim Jam said:

 

Do you have a source for this please?

 

The details of the arrangement are not public, and I don't have first-hand knowledge. But maybe someone on this forum does.

 

Gemini says that IBM recognized its revolutionary potential for the broader publishing industry.  Watchtower developed two versions of the software. One for their own proprietary use, and another version developed specifically to run on IBM mainframe computers. This version was named IBS for Integrated Publishing System.

 

One of the most notable applications of IBS was its use by Encyclopedia Britannica to digitize and typeset their massive volumes.

 

IBM sold and supported IBS under their own brand (licensed from Watchtower) for years. It was a "product" they could sell to global publishers that no other computer maker could offer.

 

The beauty of MEPS/IBS is the ability to digitally "draw" characters for hundreds of languages, including non-Latin scripts.  It kept the text flow identical across different languages, ensuring that "Page 5, Paragraph 2" was the same in every translation.  (I'm assuming by this, they mean the placement on the page is identical in every translation).

 MEPS and IBM are mentioned together in the 1986 AWAKE! 3/8 pp. 24-27.

[minister159]

12 minutes ago, Doug said:

This version was named IBS for Integrated Publishing System.

 

I think you meant to say, IPS?

[Doug]

16 minutes ago, minister159 said:

I think you meant to say, IPS?

 

FOUR times !!!        

[Jim Jam]

1 hour ago, Doug said:

The details of the arrangement are not public, and I don't have first-hand knowledge

 

where did you get the information from

[digital_dreamer]

1984 Awake!

MEPS—An Exciting Leap Forward in Publishing

 

Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom

Producing Bible Literature for Use in the Ministry

 

The software development team developed this system using principally IBM hardware. IBM later called this program the “Integrated Publishing System,” or IPS. The respected Seybold Report on Publishing Systems, Volume 12, No. 1, September 13, 1982, commented:

Quote

“IBM is trying once again to increase its presence in the industry, and the vehicle by which it hopes to do so is an interesting package called the ‘Integrated Publishing System’ (IPS). IPS was not developed by IBM,” the report acknowledges, but “[by] Watchtower, the publishing arm of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, where it was created primarily for their internal use.”

 

In concluding its report, Seybold said:

Quote

“We have nothing but praise for the enterprise, initiative and insightfulness of the Watchtower people. There are few today either ambitious enough or courageous enough to undertake such an application, especially virtually from scratch. . . . We don’t know just how the credit should be parcelled out, but they all deserve a lot of kudos.”

 

Artwork had to be produced for each character in a language, which included the upper and lower case, as well as diacritical marks and punctuation, all in a variety of size ranges, with separate drawings for each typeface (light, regular, italic, bold, extra bold, and combinations of each, like bold-italic). Each roman font needed 202 characters. Therefore, the 369 roman fonts have required a total of 74,538 characters. Preparation of Chinese fonts called for the drawing of 8,364 characters for each, with more characters to be added later.

 

MEPS made working with various languages much easier than before. Note the following comment as it highlights working with Arabic languages:

Quote

“Arabic letters are written in four different ways depending upon where they appear in a word or sentence. If a letter appears at the beginning of a word, it is written one way, if in the middle of a word, it is written another way, if at the end of the word, yet another way, and if the letter stands by itself in the sentence, it is written in yet a fourth way. An Arabic linotype must have different keys for all of the scores of different variations of the 22 Arabic letters that are written in the four different ways. But, MEPS was programmed so that only one keystroke is needed for each Arabic letter. The machine automatically determines, by the position of that letter in the word or sentence, the correct way to write it. As you can imagine, this makes the entering of text on MEPS much easier and faster.”

 

Edited 12 hours ago by digital_dreamer

[Doug]

1 hour ago, Jim Jam said:

 

where did you get the information from

 

I came in the Truth in 1975.  MEPS began in 1979.  I went back to Brooklyn as a temp worker in '83 - '84.  

 

I said I don't know the details, but IBM's strong interest in commercial opportunities was not unknown.  What MEPS could do was revolutionary in the publishing industry.

 

Thanks to Michael, digital_dreamer , for the research.