LOOKING BACK
with Barbara Maxwell, VP Marketing

Sitting at your computer every day and having that instrument aid your productivity in many elegant ways quickly lulls us, especially the younger persons among us, into believing it has certainly always been that way. Just watch the eyes of a youth widen in disbelief when you tell them that you didn't grow up with a personal computer or a cell phone.

The company that evolved into Synergy software began in 1983 on the wild frontier of the computer industry, and I, fortunately, was there to watch. At our company, I was not the gifted visionary. A teacher by training, it fell to me to try to translate exploding technology into words that the rest of us could understand. Although California's Silicon Valley was dubbed the "cradle" of technology,
the frontier was really anywhere that someone saw desktop computing as a potential productivity tool and tried to harness it to their purposes.

Our business actually started as Peripherals, Computers and Supplies, slightly ahead of the whirlwind in computer software. We were quickly drawn into the vortex and changed our name to Synergy Software. That choice of names always reflected our gratitude for the internal synergy of our talents, but also our thanks for the interest and input from our users.

One of our products was reviewed in the premier edition of MacUser; imagine that. We appeared in a circa 1988 MacConnection catalog called the President's Catalog. It was a collection of folks trying to solve computing problems of the software and hardware varieties. They were not computer science majors, just entrepreneurs seeing opportunity, while they tried to improve life on the technology frontier. We were there along with names that have become far more
recognizable: Warnock, Roizen, Shirley, Edelman, Eubanks...to drop a few. If you find an old copy....its a hoot to read.

Many of the companies are gone now, swallowed up by others, or done in by the perils of fledgling businesses seeking their footing in technology's shifting sands. One of my daughter's favorite Halloween costumes was simply a sweat suit covered all over with the colorful trade-show buttons of all those players who roared onto the scene in those early years, and just as quickly disappeared.

I've met many of you at one time or another at early MacWorld or other PC shows, or as we evolved, at trade shows more targeted to various disciplines. We have always really enjoyed those opportunities to talk to our customers about what they do and how we can help. We hope that you have visited the case studies section on our web site where some of you have shared your stories. We are very proud of the important work that we assist. Whether you found us, or we found you, we are eternally grateful for your contributions to our products, and for your continued support.

We worked on our scrapbooks a bit this year and looked back at many of our earlier reviews and advertisements (click here to view ). Many of you have been our customers for nearly all of the time we have been producing software: some of you a bit less. Regardless, we hope you enjoy these looks
back at our evolution. KaleidaGraph is now 21 years old and solid. Stay with us as we continue to grow.

Through the years...:
In 1996, after many successful years in the Macintosh marketplace, a version of KaleidaGraph for Windows was launched. Many scientific magazines took this opportunity to applaud the virtues of KaleidaGraph. We thought we would share some of them with you:

• given its small demands, it is surprising how much functionality KaleidaGraph offers
• it proves useful in situations where data collected via on-line instruments needs simple and immediate treatment
• KaleidaGraph comes with a full array of useful features that easily compete with those of more expensive plotting packages
• the user interface is simple and easy to use
• this two-dimensional plotting-and-analysis package is very well done and contains most of the plotting features and curve-fitting, statistics, and data analysis tools that you will need for many applications
• quick and supportive technical support is available over the phone and by email
• a demo that has a good overview of the software is available free to first-time users.
• on-screen help is complete and relevant; every screen has a help button for instant directions if the user is unfamiliar with the operation
• the price is about half that of competitive programs

New! Version Tracker
Each new version of KaleidaGraph brings new features and functionality. To track the new features that have occurred over the years, check our website. Do you see an important feature on this list that you don't have in your current version? Get it now! Upgrade from any version for only $59.95.

Starting a New Lab or Managing an Existing Lab?

Managing an Existing Lab
Managing an existing lab can be challenging. You are probably a scientist and a manager and may have questions concerning managing budgets, personnel, technology, information, funding, training, safety, risk, expansion and building or renovation. We have gathered articles on these topics and others and placed them on our website.

New Lab Start-up
We have also gathered information on starting a new lab. Many laboratory equipment suppliers offer New Lab Start-up Programs. These programs are an effective, economical way to obtain special time- and money-saving offers on the supplies you need. We have linked to many of these programs on our website along with checklists that are designed to get your lab up and running quickly.

And of course, don't forget to make KaleidaGraph part of your lab. Every lab needs a robust, reliable, and affordable graphing and analysis tool. We have academic pricing and multi-user licenses that make furnishing your lab quick, easy and inexpensive.

NSTA Recommends...

Twice a year, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) distributes a catalog titled "NSTA Recommends." This catalog contains information on various science teaching books. Since teaching science to college students can sometimes be a difficult and challenging process, we have highlighted a few selections below for your reference:

• Start With a Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science
  Introduce your students to the magic of stories - delivered through educational case studies that will help you put science into vivid context. Start With a Story offers an abundance of strategies, tips, examples, ideas, and resources to free your students (and you) from dry lecture formats.
  
  Start With a Story is a collection of more than 40 essays published primarily as columns in NSTA's member publications, Journal of College Science Teaching. The collection examines every aspect of the case study method: the "case for cases"; what makes a good case and how to write different types, using case studies for team learning and in large classes; and assessing and evaluating the case study process.
  
  Clyde Freeman Herreid, Editor
  $34.95
  
• Handbook of College Science Teaching
  Are you still using 20th-century techniques to teach science to 21st-century students? Update your practices as you learn about current theory and research with the authoritative new Handbook of College Science Teaching. The Handbook offers models of teaching and learning that go beyond the typical lecture-laboratory format and provide rationales for new practices in the college classroom.
  
  Joel J. Mintzes and William H. Leonard, Editors
  $49.95

We have been introducing KaleidaGraph to scientists and researchers for over 20 years...

Circa 1988:
Circa 1989:

Circa 1994:
Circa 2005:

Circa 2006: