A lot has changed in roughly 10 years! Back then t-5's and MH (although expensive) were the way to go. Now its all about LED, Wi-Fi, dimmable/programmable lights! lol no need for plug-in timers anymore. Tank Controllers and Monitors have also come a long way.
I'm looking forward too it, and yes! I'd like to come to a meeting sometime. I'm about 1hr 30min north of Portland.