In the past decade, we have seen a very rapid growth and popularization of networked digital technologies which brought along very rapid transformation of the way in which information is distributed as well as the means by which information is transmitted. Email and web publications have quickly become the norms for global information distribution. Two important consequences of the use of electronic distribution are
(i) the drastic reduction in the time required to distribute information; and
(ii) the massive expansion in the volume of information.
Because information reaches us so quickly and in such a large volume, we need to be more responsive and selective with the information that falls upon us each day. An inevitable consequence of this rapid transformation of the mode of information distribution is the fast growing demand for better “timeliness” and “quality” of information. Indeed, within the Circuits and Systems (CAS) Society, members are demanding more rapid distribution of timely and quality information.
The IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Newsletter is a new electronic publication of the IEEE CAS Society, and its charter is to inform members of the latest development in our fields of interest as well as the latest news from our Society. As we know that our members are particularly information conscious, we have to take extra care to maintain the highest level of timeliness and quality in this electronic publication.
I have the privilege of being the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Newsletter, thanks to the invitation by the Executive Committee of the CAS Society and the approval of the Board of Governors. I treasure this opportunity to serve the members of our Society and will do my best to ensure a quality electronic publication for our members. I am particularly grateful to Prof. Gianluca Setti and Prof. Ljiljana Trajkovic for giving me a lot of suggestions, and to all the members of the editorial board for their hard work in the past couple of months in collecting and selecting so many interesting articles for this inaugural issue and also for upcoming issues.
At this stage, we are still in the process of formulating the best strategy and setting the most appropriate direction for this new electronic publication, and we need your suggestions in making this publication a “preferred” publication for our members. If there is any particular wisdom you would like to impart on us, please do let us know.
Chi K. (Michael) Tse
Editor-in-Chief
February 2007