A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away I became a member of the AHA. I wanted to brew good beer, and the AHA was the best (and pretty much only) source of ideas and information in that regard. And, Charlie was coming to town to proctor a beer judge exam (AHA sponsored - pre-BJCP), so I figured I should join on principal.
Being an engineer and data analysis freak, I recently graphed my 23 year brewing schedule with a Zymurgy delivery layer superimposed on top. There is a distinct correlation between my receiving my latest issue of Zymurgy, and my brewing schedule.
It was not necessary to perform the analysis to know that I am inspired by contact with my fellow brewers to go out to the shed and brew. The game's the same as it ever was. Only some of the names have changed.