Some kudos are in order...

I would like to especially thank Danny Lloyd, the creator of software called "Weather Message" (aka "WxMesg" for short). Danny's software is designed to be used for the gathering, handling, and sending of EMWIN bulletins.

EMWIN stands for the Emergency Manager's Weather Information Network. It is a means by which we are able to make weather bulletins and some weather-related graphics available to the public without charge as a public service.

I've been in the EMWIN weather bulletin distribution arena since 2003, when the EMWIN ground station equipment was given to us by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Since then, we've done 900-percent MORE than was asked of us, and we made the bulletins available not just over the air (in the beginning), but also via pager, cellphone, PDA, email, listgroups, web pages, by direct connection to our server, and on rare occasion, even via FAX methods.

Danny's software is in my personal opinion the best at handling all of this information and at making it available in quite the ways that *I* have always wanted to, and in the new ways that I seem to keep thinking of in the future. To that end, Danny has been exceptionally open and patient, listening to all of his users ideas and comments without complaint. He answers questions and emails nearly immediately. He never leaves anyone hanging without a response. This is hard to find, nowadays.

Danny's efforts with his software make it the most versatile and powerful EMWIN handling software that I have ever seen. I have often offered him many an idea, and he's listened to every one, and incorporated a great many of them into his software over the years.

I probably use his software a little more intensely than most other average EMWIN users do. If Danny's software has an option to be used, then I am using all of them, or very soon probably will be. I don't intentionally mean to, but I tend to put his software through a real workout. :o) If there's a bug, I'll run into it. :o) I just like doing what I do, and I like finding more and more ways to make this very cool information available to the public. Danny's software helps me do that in the best way. And if there's a capability that it DOESN'T currrently have, Danny is always there, ready to add a new idea if he thinks it helps make his software that much better.

We're both here to try to disseminate information in a timely manner - to serve the public, and maybe to help save lives in the process. That is what Danny's software is designed to do, and in the most efficient and speedy means possible.

Kudos to Dannny for putting so much of his heart and soul and mind into WxMesg, which I recommend to anyone wishing to get into weather bulletin distribution.

Todd L. Sherman / KB4MHH
Project Mgr, Alachua County EMWIN Project
Gainesville, Florida

Just Created the ACWIN-* Listgroup Series...

I just finished adding the first of many coming listgroups to the ACWIN-* suite of lists.

ACWIN stands for the "Alachua County Weather Information Network". This will be a series of UF Listserv listgroups catering to each county in the Northern Florida area surrounding Alachua County. Each county will have it's own small suite of lists catering specifically to that county. Each county will have the following lists that users can subscribe to:

1) ACWIN-FL-[countyname]
2) ACWIN-FL-[countyname]-CIVIL
3) ACWIN-FL-[countyname]-SEVERE

List 1 will contain general weather-related bulletins (current weather, forecasts, administrative sttatements). List 2 will contain civil emergency-related bulletins List 3 will contain severe weather-related bulletins and reports.

Within each listgroup, users will be able to subscribe to "topics" (bulletins) that they may turn on or off at their own will, whenever they choose. Each county's bulletins cater to ONLY that county. This allows users to pick and choose EXACTLY what they want, without being forced to take more.

As well, every listgroup will be archived.

At this time, the lists for Alachua County have been created and are now operational. I am at this time now working on Bradford and Clay counties, and more will follow after that. We'll even have listgroups for SPC and HPC bulletins.

Of course, these bulletins wouldn't even be possible without the use of Danny Lloyd's WxMesg software, which I use religiously.

For more information, please see http://alachuaskywarn.org/acwin .