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Global General Gathering of Triple Nine Society |
Program Preview
Andrew Beckwith
Can a Photon Survive Transit from a Prior Universe to thePresent One?
The Perspective from Loop Quantum Gravity
Rita Charles
Bioethics: Who Owns Life?
Bioethical issues centered around the problem of ownership and control over the products of biological processes—both our own biological processes and those occurring elsewhere in the natural world. What is life? What is natural? This lecture will bring together thought-provoking voices and perspectives on the issues of “owning life,” including legal, scientific, ethical, and economic. From the patenting of genes and organisms to the ownership of our bodies and bodily tissues, these are among the most compelling moral and social issues facing our society today and will form the critical foundation of discussions for years to come.
Rita Charles holds degrees in Microbiology, Anthropology, Molecular Biology and Law. Dr. Charles authored American Indian Medicine and founded Lawgene. She has lectured extensively on genetics, gene therapy, stem cells and DNA.
Robert Forster - Video
Interacting II
Academy Award Nominee Robert Forster returns for an encore discourse on life in Tinseltown.
Best known for his Academy Award nominated performance of ‘Max Cherry’ in Quentin Tarantino’s JACKIE BROWN, Robert has appeared in over 100 films. The old ones, starting in 1966, include REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE, MEDIUM COOL, THE STALKING MOON, ALLIGATOR, THE BLACK HOLE and STUNTS, and the TV series BANYON.
Robert delivers his speaking program, INTERACTING, to a variety of groups – from acting classes to graduating classes; baggage handlers to CEOs; and once (he’s pleased to report) to a group of white-collar criminals in a detention facility. He developed this program during the self-termed "sliding second act" of his career. INTERACTING is like a stand-up act with a "Menu" of positive stories instead of jokes ... and a few jokes too. The stories are the lessons of his life and outline several guiding principles -- respect, responsibility, parenting (even without children), excellence, and raising any job to the level of an art form.
Marvin Goldman - Video
A Scientific Exploration of Mars in 2011
A fascinating science laboratory on a robotic rover will head to Mars in November 2011. Aided by animation and some illustrations, we will see a simulation of the trip to Mars, the landing of the rover and how it will look into sampling for possible life forms and analyzing our neighboring red planet.
I am an emeritus Professor of Biophysics from the University of California, Davis. Specializing in radiation and environmental science, I have traveled the world and consulted for many foreign governments, the White House, NASA and the US Dept. of Energy. For over 50 years I have studied, published, lectured on, and thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the science of the biological and environment effects of human activities.
Arthur R. Jensen and Frank Miele - Video
Ratio Scale Measurement of Mental Processes by Means of Mental Chronometry
Mental Chronometry (MC) is the study of the cognitive decision-making processes
measured by time. Begun in 1884 by Sir Francis Galton, mental chronometry
offered the promise of putting mental measurement on a scientific basis since
time provides an absolute, ratio scale.
Given the limitations of instrumentation and statistical procedures, the early studies in MC were eclipsed by the “paper-and-pencil” tests of Alfred Binet (1905). The Binet-type tests had pragmatic utility, such as being able to predict scholastic performance. The drawback of the Binet-type tests is that they yield measures on an age-normed scale, rather than a ratio scale. The lack of a true ratio scale severely limits the ability of standard IQ tests to probe the biological basis of differences in cognition.
For this reason Arthur Jensen reinitiated mental chronometry in the 1970s. He designed an apparatus that measures reaction time to a task known as the Hick paradigm that requires a testee to respond to a set of 1 to 8 lights. Jensen demonstrated an increase in decision making time that is proportional to the number of lights from which the testee has to choose and that this variable correlates with “paper-and-pencil” test scores.
Dr. Jensen has continued his studies with his colleague Frank Miele. They will present the current state of research in Dr. Jensen’s lab.
Arthur Jensen is Emeritus Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and is widely considered one of the preeminent authorities on psychological measurements. He is known for his work on the g factor, racial differences in cognitive ability, and physiological measures correlated with IQ.
Frank Miele, M.S., is a science journalist, Senior Editor at Skeptic, and research associate of Dr. Jensen. He is the author of the book Intelligence, Race, And Genetics: Conversations with Arthur R. Jensen (Oxford: Westview Press, 2002) and he has played a prominent role in public debate regarding heredity and intelligence.
Kevin Langdon
A Walk in Tilden Park
Tilden Park, in the hills above Berkeley, is a beautiful nature area, part of the extensive East Bay Regional Park District. Kevin Langdon invites you to join him on a moderately strenuous walk on some of the Tilden trails.
Lynn McLeod - Video
Finding Lost Minds: Recovering the Enormous Potential of Highly Intelligent People.
Our society does little to make use of the skills, intelligence, and creativity of the highly intelligent. Efforts have been made to identify and assist highly intelligent children in the school system, but once they get to college, they're limited to their own resources. While those who do succeed make enormous contributions to all areas of life, there are many who do not achieve even a fraction of their vast potential. We will explore some of the reasons for this loss of a valuable resource, and present possible solutions.
Lynn McLeod has been a member of TNS for about 8 years, and has been the Financial Officer since July 2008. She has worked for many years with profoundly intelligent children and adults in academic and professional settings. Lynn is committed to helping the highly intelligent to find and fulfill their full potential.
Tom Parrish - Video
Roundtable Discussion: The Anthropic Principle
The anthropic principle—the idea that our very existence as intelligent beings may have a real effect on our perspective on the universe, and even on the universe itself—has been the subject of widely ranging interpretation and debate. Tom Parrish will provide an overview of the anthropic principle, including its origins and variants as well as some personal insights, as a framework for the discussion, but please come with your own ideas and opinions (we know you have them!). Discussion topics will include:
o Does the anthropic principle have any place in the "real" sciences of physics and cosmology?
o Anthropic selection effects, including the "doomsday paradox".
o How the anthropic principle relates to our notions of causality, probability, and random events.
o The “strong” anthropic principle and more speculative ideas.
Tom Parrish, structural engineer by day and science junkie by night, created and facilitated the Grok Exchange series of facilitated discussions for the local Mensa chapter.
David Seaborg - Video
Evolutionary Theory Today: What We Know and Controversies
This is a talk about what science knows about evolutionary biology today, and scientific controversies being debated in the field. It will include the evolution of sex, sociobiology, what attracts people and animals to the opposite sex and how that is adaptive, punctuated equilibrium, mass extinctions, how new species are formed, evolution of altruistic behavior, evolution of homosexuality, the importance of neutral genes and random factors in evolution vs. natural selection, defense against predation, and where evolution is likely to go in the future. Power point presentation. Fossils and animals will be shown to illustrate the ideas presented. People will be given the opportunity to handle these, but no one will be forced or pressured to do so.
David Seaborg is an evolutionary biologist with a graduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley who originated an important theory that states that organisms can act as feedback systems with respect to their evolution, and that their morphology and behavior play approximately as large a role as their environment in shaping their evolution. He is an environmental leader, who founded and heads the World Rainforest Fund, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to saving the earth’s tropical rainforests and biodiversity. An excellent public speaker, he lectures on evolutionary biology, the philosophical implications of science, and environmental issues.
Leonard Talmy - Video
How Language Structures Concepts
As a fundamental design feature, language has two subsystems, the open-class (lexical) and the closed-class (grammatical). These subsystems perform complementary functions. In the total meaning expressed by any portion of discourse, the open-class forms contribute most of the conceptual content, while the closed-class forms determine
most of the conceptual structure. Across languages, further, all closed-class forms are under strong semantic constraints governed by certain general principles. They thus represent only certain concepts, but not others. Closed-class meanings accordingly constitute an approximately closed inventory of concepts that serve a structuring function. This inventory is universally available, and each individual language draws elements in some proportion and distribution from it for its own closed-class representations. The closed-class inventory is further semantically constrained in that the concepts in it fall into certain conceptual categories, but not others, and these categories in turn fall into a certain set of extensive “schematic systems” for structuring conception. Five of these schematic systems are configurational structure, location of perspective point, distribution of attention, force dynamics, and cognitive state (the talk will address the first, and further as time permits). The closed-class subsystem emerges as perhaps the
most fundamental conceptual structuring system of language.
Leonard Talmy is Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and former Director of the Center for Cognitive Science at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and now a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a co-founder of the field of cognitive linguistics.
Kerry Williams - Video
Hunting Extinction Level Events
Hunting the Ele
Finding the quarry and locating its lair
Assessing the Ele's power and strength
Choosing your weapons, assessing collateral civilian casualties,
putting the Ele down
Kerry is a retired engineer; is a former newspaper owner and publisher, Kodiak bear assistant guide, flight instructor, oil field and pipeline worker, professional provocateur, hydrologist, ski instructor, paralegal, solar race car designer and builder, geothermal researcher, and aircraft designer; is currently on assignment in Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories as a freelance photographer; and is a lifelong adventurer and Ele hunter.
Games
We will break up into subgroups and play several “party” or “communication” games, including Charades, facilitated by Gary Sockut, several new games facilitated by Kevin Langdon and Karl Heuer, and whatever other games attendees may be interested in playing. If you are interested in facilitating a game during this session please contact us.
Got Talent?
To participate in a possible talent segment, contact Ed Schreiber, 303-692-8535,
ed@schreiber.org.
About Triple Nine Society: triplenine.org