Third Saturday Seminar 2013-2014
Return of the Elders, Unleash your Wisdom

Session 06

Continuing the Discussion About Enlightenment 2.0

Technology-Standards of Human Behavior

Curt Gibby

Saturday, 22 March 2014 (fourth Saturday, Spring Break)
9:30AM til Noon

 Room B-102, Lone Star College – Montgomery
3200 College Park Drive – Conroe, TX – 77384 – 936.273.7000 

Carl Sagan: Some part of our being knows this (the universe) is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us. We’re made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

 Saturday we will take on Technology-Standards of Human Behavior.

Technology is expanding like the universe.  On the one hand they improve our quality of life, our health, our ability to communicate, Etc. The various Social Media have produced types of relationship we could not have envisioned in our youth.  (How many friends or followers do you have?)

Also important, what effect is this having on what we consider Our Bill of Rights guaranteed by our Constitution.  Most recently we have become aware the broad based invasion of our privacy by both government and commercial interests.  We are finding that all that free stuff we can find on the internet may not be that free.  That your emails and browsing habits when combined with your credit card purchases and other “public records” and Facebook pages can at the very least allow marketers to profile you and determine what you are likely to want to buy.   Not to mention the mischief that public servants with overactive imaginations and access to your data and identity can create for you all in the interest of national security.

Obviously, much if this happens because the Internet makes it easy for those with the technology to plug in and eavesdrop (Commonly referred to as “Hoovering”)

Links to articles that you might want to read or skim over.

Technological Advancements and Its Impact on Humanityby Pratik Rajendra Butte Patil
This paper sketches an overview of Technological advancements which have shown a substantial growth concerned with each and every field of humanity whether it be the communication systems, astronomy, nuclear powers, medical fields, automobiles, electronic devices of daily usage or the computers. Everything of the technologies has its uses and abuses over humanity;

Technological Advancement: 10 Most Important Technological Advancements that Changed the World — World Changing Events in Technology Advancement
Robert Cooper, Yahoo Contributor Network

Even suggesting that this author knows which 10 of the many technological advancement categories have had the greatest impact upon changing the world is arrogant. Mostly the last statement is true because each of us with obvious specific needs might categorize their list of technological advances that changed the world or their order of importance differently.

Greatest Medical Industry Technological Advancements This Decade
Nicholas Ward, Yahoo Contributor Network
When it comes to the latest in medical technology many would argue that the most interesting or greatest inventions are the ones that keep people alive. I however, would argue that these inventions only prolongs a person’s suffering, and for this reason anything that would artificially keep a person alive, will not be on this my list of the five greatest medical industry technological advancements this decade.

As usual we will start out with Current Events

Possible Current Events Topics include: 

Russia’s fait accompli in the Crimea

The Mysterious Missing Flight  370

Syria – Iran – Iraq – Russia – UN – Rebels (Good and Bad) – etc. Refugees

Privacy vs Security – NSA – The Constitution

Enlightenment 2.0 Syllabus

Reference/Reading Materials
To help you get started may I suggest reading or skimming some the following short Wikipedia Articles: (your own  sources are welcome too.)

1. Age of Enlightenment  (First page)
2. Islamic Golden Age (Again, the first page)

The following short sections of the Outline of the History of Western Civilization:

3. Renaissance and Reformation 
4. The Reformation 
5. Rise of Western Empires 
6. Dark Ages  
7. List of Revolutions
   (worth scanning to see just to see how being a revolutionary is a good business,
   also a convenient list of historic milestones in the ascent of man.)   
8. Econ 000(Work in progress, will be updated)

About the A.L.L. Spring Session :

If you have  not looked at the LSC  A.L.L. Spring Schedule yet, you find the all the programs from all the LSC campuses are published in one book.  The LSC Montgomery schedule starts on page 28.  The Third Saturday Seminar will be found on Page 37.


You will find a rich choice of other A.L.L. courses to choose from in the Spring schedule but for your convenience here is ours.  Please note that due to the vagaries of the Spring Holidays, 3 out of 4 meetings will fall on the 4th Saturday.  Please Mark your Calendar.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

See you Saturday, 22 March 2014 at 9:30am
Curt Gibby
Director, 

281-353-4350
(mobile) Best way to reach me during the day.  If you email me – and it’s important, please call my cell and leave a message.  I go days without looking at my inbox.
281-288-8230 (fax)

Public Service Announcements:

Millbend Coffee House Special Concert

Benefit for the “Fill the Gap campaign”

“Highway 75”

6:00 pm, SUNDAY, March 29th

Highway 75 is the junction between a Liverpool bluegrass musician (Colin Stebbing) and a Texas alternative folk singer (Alyssa Stebbing). Together they traverse the music worlds of bluegrass and blues to alternative folk, bringing together decades of music that speaks to the struggle of life and its joys. Along with some original material, Highway 75 brings you on a journey where you’re bound to want to laugh, cry and sing along at some point during the night. The songs of Highway 75 will speak to the passion behind the work of PJN and the Fill the Gap campaign, a cause near and dear to their Franciscan hearts.

For additional information, to reserve seats, or to inquire about performing/opening at Millbend Coffeehouse, contact pat dot hanna at earthlink dot net

Montgomery County Choral Society—Spring Concerts

Held at the First United Methodist Church, Conroe, 4308 West Davis, Conroe.  It is lead by Ann Lee who is also the music minister at the FUMC. Both these concerts are worthwhile performances, enlisting talented musicians and soloists.  As you see, one will be a program of all- American music which will lift your spirits.  Ticket information is found on the web site, or you may call the church or any choir member.    www.fumc-conroe.org

“The American Spirit”
With Young Texas Artist Vocal Winner
Ashly Neumann
Friday, March 28 – 7:30 pm

The second concert “The World Beloved” Sunday March 30 – 10:30 am is a musical treat for the senses.  This bluegrass-style composition is presented in a classical Mass setting and will be a part of the regular Sunday service.  It sounds like a contradiction in styles, and indeed, it is.  But it all comes together in an inspiring musical experience.  This is the piece that we will sing at Carnegie Hall in NY in June.  So come if you can on March 30.