A researcher on the cutting edge of software development will expound on some of his innovations during a special presentation on Wednesday, May 3, at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown at 700 San Jacinto Blvd. The event is hosted by JASGA's education committee.

Kazushige Goto, a research associate at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at The University of Texas at Austin, will present "Squeezing Maximum Computer Performance from Software Optimization." The program will begin with registration and a cocktail reception at 4:30 p.m. in the hotel's atrium lobby, and then move to a meeting room for the lecture at 5:05 p.m.

Several manufacturers provide fast CPUs that are easily obtainable, but actual efficiency during normal applications is very low. In fact, the CPU is often nearly idling while applications are running at 100 percent. Mr. Goto will describe how to make your applications faster through software optimization.

Mr. Goto is well known in the high-performance computing community as a world-class researcher. Four of the 11 fastest supercomputers in the world use Mr. Goto's code to benchmark their performance. Scientific and engineering research programs run as much as 50 percent faster using his code. For more information on Mr. Goto see http://www.utexas.edu/features/2006/goto.

Admission is $15 for JASGA members and $35 for non-members. Food will be provided, with a cash bar. Complimentary parking is available in the hotel's underground garage.

Please RSVP by contacting Ms. Tomoko Hall at by noon Tuesday, May 2.

Don't miss the food and fun at JASGA's second annual Satsuki Matsuri (Japan May Festival) from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 7, in and around the auditorium at Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road in Austin.

This year's entertainment will include demonstrations of kendo, origami, traditional dances in elaborate kimono, Okinawan karate, taiko drum performances, bonsai care, calligraphy, and more martial arts including aikido and yagyu swordsmanship. Admission is free, with food and beverages available for purchase. (JASGA members will receive a free ticket to apply toward food or drinks.)

Prizes will be given away, and a silent auction will include a round-trip ticket to Japan, courtesy of Continental Airlines. Other auction items will included an autographed first-edition book by Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe; a one-week stay in a deluxe suite at The Manhattan Club in mid-town Manhattan; a Twin Liquors gift basket and an array of other valuable items and services.

Sponsors helping to make this year's festival possible include the Shimane Chamber of Commerce, Continental Airlines, Applied Nanotech, Asahi Imports, Austin Asian-American Cultural Center, Kaizen, Lehrmach, Tokyo Sushi Japanese Restaurant, the Shimane-Texas Industrial Technology Co-Creation Committee, TASUS Corp., and Toshiba. JASGA volunteers are still seeking corporate sponsors for this event - To become a corporate sponsors, contact the festival planning committee at . Information on sponsorship levels can be found at http://jasga.org/press/jasga_sponsor_brochure_pages.pdf.

Festival Volunteers Needed!
JASGA will need about 20 volunteers to coordinate entertainers, greet guests, and staff various booths during the second annual Satsuki Matsuri (May Festival) on May 7, 2006, at Zilker Botanical Garden Auditorium. The event is only a few weeks away, and we only have about half the volunteers we will need.

If you are interested in helping JASGA as a volunteer during the four-hour festival, please email the festival planning group at .

Contribute Goods or Services for Silent Auction
One of the ways that JASGA raises program funds is through the Silent Auction at the annual Satsuki Matsuri (May Festival). Last year, JASGA raised more than $3,000 from the auction of several items, including two round-trip tickets to Japan provided by Continental Airlines. This year, the auction subcommittee hopes to raise even more.

If you have any goods or services that you are willing to personally donate, or if you are friends with, or connected to, any business owners who would be willing to contribute to the Silent Auction, please contact Silent Auction Subcommittee Chair Clyde Prestwood at .

Examples of potential auction items include:

JASGA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so all contributions are tax deductible.

JASGA extends a warm "welcome to Texas" to relief pitcher Akinori Otsuka, the latest addition to The Texas Rangers baseball team. JASGA President Barry Cotton and wife Chiseko will represent JASGA at a reception in Otsuka's honor on April 23 at Arlington Field, in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The Cottons will join representatives from the Japan America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Dallas Japanese Association, Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber, and other Japan-related groups to welcome Otsuka to The Texas Rangers, the American League, and the great state of Texas.

Otsuka pitched for Japan in its title-winning game against Cuba in the recent World Baseball Classic. Born in Chiba, Japan, Otsuka and his wife Akemi have a son, Toranosuke, 8, and a daughter, Hikaru, 5. Otsuka attended Tokai University and was the third Japanese player to sign with a Major League team under the US-Japan Protocol posting system. He previously played for the San Diego Padres.

To learn more about the April 23 game and special reception, visit http://www.jasga.org/press/06OtsukaFlyer.pdf.

JASGA's Professional Networking Happy Hours continue to draw both members and potential members. Of the 17 people who turned out for the April 6 gathering at Triumph Cafe, four signed up for JASGA memberships.

After experimenting with admission fees and food amounts, JASGA just covered its cost for the April 6 happy hour, thanks to the four new memberships that covered what would have been a loss. For the next Professional Networking Happy Hour on May 25, JASGA will charge a flat admission fee of $10, which should make the program self-sustaining while allowing any funds collected from new memberships to be used for other programming.

Plan to attend the next Professional Networking Happy Hour and get to know others who share your interest in Japan and JASGA!