Your hosts: Joe Spain and David Mace
Category: Activities (Page 4 of 31)
Activities are gatherings that occur on a regular schedule, usually weekly, to enjoy a specific pastime.
Jan Selkowitz is a veteran China watcher. There is no more important foreign affairs issue facing this administration than our complex relationship with Xi Jinping and China. Are we friends or enemies? Can we cooperate on important technology issues like Artificial intelligence, or are we headed into a Cold War? What is the future of Taiwan? How aggressively should we be providing them with military resources? What are China’s challenges going forward? How is their Belt and Road initiative doing? Some Geopolitical commentators predict with their aging demographics, China’s days as a world power will be over in the next decade. Others strongly disagree.
You won’t want to miss this discussion on May 18th at 2 pm moderated by Jan Selkowitz.
Background Material
What Does Xi Want? YouTube Video May 11, 2023
Is China’s Power about to Peak The Economist May 11. 2023 Subscription Required
Just How Good can Chinas Get at AI The Economist May 11, 2023 Subscription Required
What’s China’s growing role on the world stage mean for the U.S. ? NPR April 30, 2023
America, China and a Crisis of Trust Tom Friedman New York Times April 14, 2023 Subscription required
A Country in Flux: Recent and Future policy shifts in China Brookings Institute March 10, 2023
U.S Taiwan Relations: Will China’s challenge lead to a crisis? Brookings Institute May 1, 2023
Peter Zeihan: Decoding China’s Destiny April 2023
Mark Strauss, founder of WaveAerospace in Stamford, builds unmanned aircraft that carry out our customer’s most important missions with their most critical payloads. What differentiates our aircraft from all other aerial systems is our ability to fly in wind & weather that grounds other aircraft. Whether your mission is reconnaissance, communications, or tactical logistics, we fly day or night.
Douglas Campbell
HIKING
LARSEN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
FAIRFIELD, CT
APRIL 27, 2023
10:00 AM
The Larsen Sanctuary is owned and run by the Connecticut Audubon Society and was a gift from Roy and Margot Larsen in the early 1960s after the construction of I-95 eliminated about half of Audubon’s sanctuary in coastal Fairfield. It consists of 155 acres of varied terrain with little elevation change, several ponds and streams and very well maintained trails. We will be hiking about 3 miles which we should complete in about two hours as there will be many places to stop and observe wildlife. What you say, “wildlife on a DMA hike?” yes indeed there is here. We saw birds, turtles, a snake and an active beaver pond during our pre-hike. There is a pair of nesting Barred Owls on the property and the center also has a birds of prey compound which we may be able to see as well. This should be a terrific hike!
The Sanctuary is located at 2325 Burr Street in Fairfield which is north of the Merritt Parkway. Google “Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary”. There is plenty of parking, a nature store and bathrooms. NO DOGS permitted on this hike but please bring spouses and/or friends!
There will be NO LUNCH after this hike so that hikers will also be able to attend the Current Affairs meeting at 2:00 that afternoon.
PS-The director of the Fairfield region of Connecticut Audubon is Amy Barnouw, the daughter of John Schlachtenhaufen, who guided us on our pre-hike! Thank you Amy!
Trip report:
The forecast for today was occasional showers with a probability of rain of about 50% during the hike two hour window of 10-12 am. However, at about 8:30 the skies opened up in Darien which apparently had a sobering effect on many DMAers desire to hike. Your hiking captains, Robert and Dave, were not deterred and headed up to Fairfield ready to push ahead.
As it turned out, five other DMAers were not deterred either and the seven of us set out pretty much on schedule to tour the spectacular Sanctuary. The weather was just fine for a hike, cool but no rain. We set out on the main trail and detoured for a one mile trip through Deer Meadow (no deer!) before resuming on the main path which then took us past two beaver ponds and into the forest of giant trees and many streams and ponds. We hiked 3.2 miles in under 2 hours.
The overcast weather kept more than hikers inside, most wildlife stayed away too! We did see two Canada Geese, a few birds and a squirrel. Thanks to all who turned out!
The next hike is scheduled for Monday June 5 at a site TBD. We will hope for a better forecast!
Dave McCollum
Robert Plunkett
Your host: David Mace
Current Affairs: April 27 at 2 p.m. at the DCA and on Zoom. Voting Integrity.
Last year, Current Affairs had a lively discussion on voting rights.
The flip side is voting integrity. Having made a career in accounting for the world’s largest corporations, which requires great accuracy and verifiable data, DMA member and CPA John Wolcott will look first at how our elections’ votes are cast, collected, stored and counted. Disputes in this process have created recent mistrust.
John will then review some possible common sense solutions to ensure that future election counts are less subject to dispute by any party or faction.
You may ask how these might be implemented. Of course, that is part of the debate. Our conversation about John’s analysis and recommendations may lead to some solid findings in that area too.
Join us for a discussion of this timely issue. We should all try to be as well-informed as possible before the next election cycle!
Watch: Black Americans Debunk Liberal Talking Point that Voter ID is ‘Racist’: They’re Ignorant.
Best Practices and Standards for Election Audits
The Free Consent of the People: Thomas Hooker and the Fundamental Orders
“Here’s the (almost) perfect voting device. More to come”
“An award-winning writer of absorbing, sophisticated fiction delivers a stylish and propulsive novel rooted in early 20th century New York, about wealth and talent, trust and intimacy, truth and perception. In glamorous 1920s New York City, two characters of sophisticated taste come together. One is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; the other, the brilliant daughter of penniless aristocrats. Steeped in affluence and grandeur, their marriage excites gossip and allows a continued ascent — all at a moment when the country is undergoing a great transformation. This is the story at the center of Harold Vanner’s novel Bonds, which everyone in 1938 New York seems to have read. But it isn’t the only version. Provocative, propulsive, and repeatedly surprising, Hernan Diaz’s Trust puts the story of these characters into conversation with the “the truth”-and in tension with the life and perspective of an outsider immersed in the mystery of a competing account. The result is an overarching novel that becomes more exhilarating and profound with each new layer and revelation, engaging the reader in a treasure hunt for the truth that confronts the reality-warping gravitational pull of money, and how power often manipulates facts”–
The Wanderers first Spring Wandering is upon us. This Thursday March 30 we head to Torrington in the Naugatuck Valley. This area was one of the industrial hubs that helped to create Connecticut’s initial prosperity and is now a modern scenic venue.
Travel to Torrington will be by carpool from the DCA (274 Middlesex Road, Darien) leaving at 8:30 am. Please arrive at the DCA some minutes before. The ride is approximately 75 minutes up Rte. 8 off the Merritt Parkway. All are welcome.
Our next hike will be on Thursday, March 23 at 10:30 am at Cranbury Park in Norwalk. The park’s expansive 227 acres surround the historic Gallaher Mansion, a classic example of Tudor Revival style of architecture which is on the National Registry. Beyond the great lawn and mansion, Cranbury Park offers a series of meandering and wooded trails and a dog-friendly environment. This hike has a few moderately difficult sections but otherwise has trails that are generally flat and well maintained. The entrance to the park is at 300 Grumman Avenue.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Robert Plunkett.
On November 30, 2022 Open AI released a user- friendly application called ChatGPT. It
took the world by storm—within 5 days it had 1 million users and within two months that
number had exploded to 100 million. It was the fastest diffusion of a new technology in
history. Known as ”Generative AI” it can generate impressive content on almost any
subject at any level of expertise and answer almost any question with confidence in a
user- friendly way. This technology is sometimes wrong but never in doubt. Its rapid
acceptance by the public has set off an arms race among the big tech companies
(Microsoft, Google, Baidu, Alibaba, Meta) to incorporate this technology into their
products.
As an indication of its expertise and versatility ChatGPT has passed bar exams, medical
school exams and the Wharton MBA final exam.
But it also has problems: it cannot distinguish truth from falsehood, it displays bias and
never reveals its sources. Once these problems are resolved, the impact of this
technology on different kinds of jobs is likely to be enormous, potentially reducing the
marginal cost of labor to zero.
Sunil Saksena will lead a discussion on this emerging technology and whether society is
adequately prepared for this revolution.
To try ChatGPT, click this link and select “Try ChatGPT” to register.
https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/
Cathie Wood’s (ARK’s) just published research report which includes a section on AI can be downloaded via this link.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chatgpt-heralds-an-intellectual-revolution-enlightenment-artificial-intelligence-homo-technicus-technology-cognition-morality-philosophy-774331c6?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/podcasts/generative-ai-is-here-who-should-control-it.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Generative A.I. Is Here. Who Should Control It?
Generative A.I. Is Here. Who Should Control It?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/science/artificial-intelligence-ai-gpt3.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Meet GPT-3. It Has Learned to Code (and Blog and Argue).
Meet GPT-3. It Has Learned to Code (and Blog and Argue).
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/technology/microsoft-openai-chatgpt.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Microsoft Bets Big on the Creator of ChatGPT in Race to Dominate A.I.
Microsoft Bets Big on the Creator of ChatGPT in Race to Dominate A.I.
Without Consciousness, AIs Will Be Sociopaths
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/15/opinion/ai-chatgpt-lobbying-democracy.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
How ChatGPT Hijacks Democracy
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/technology/chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-universities.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/18/chatgpt-ai-health-care-doctors
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GYeJC31JcM0
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/technology/chatgpt-openai-artificial-intelligence.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
How ChatGPT Kicked Off an A.I. Arms Race
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/technology/microsoft-bing-openai-artificial-intelligence.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Bing (Yes, Bing) Just Made Search Interesting Again
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/technology/ai-chatbots-disinformation.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Disinformation Researchers Raise Alarms About A.I. Chatbots
AI Boom Could Make Google, Microsoft More Powerful
URBAN HIKE
STAMFORD CT
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
10:30 AM
We will meet at 10:30 in the parking lot for Harbor Point on the northwest corner of Washington and Atlantic Streets in Stamford.
(See directions below) The lot is quite large and free.
Our urban tour will take us along the West Branch of the Rippowam River past the many new apartment and office buildings looking across the river mouth at the Crab Shell and Prime Restaurants on the opposite shore. We will continue into Kosciusko Park and walk the perimeter of the park past Shippan on the opposite shore. Leaving the park we will again pass through more of the new construction and have lunch in one of the restaurants there. Our total hike will be about 2.5 miles which should take us a little less than 90 minutes.
DIRECTIONS-Since the parking lot does not have an address, the route to follow is to take I-95 south to Exit 7. Turn left onto Canal Street and then right onto Dock at the first light. Follow Dock to Atlantic and turn left. Straight ahead on Atlantic to Washington. Turn right on Washington then a quick left into the lot.
Guests and dogs on a leash are welcome!
Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett
Recap:
The temperature was 38 degrees and a light mist was falling at 10:30 in the morning but 22 hardy DMAers and guests gathered in the Harbor Point parking lot for a hour and a half walking tour of the new South End. The area bounded by the east and west branches of the Rippowam River (“South End”) in Stamford has been redeveloped over the past several years into an impressive complex of apartments, restaurants, other retail and offices. We toured much of that new area and hiked around Kosciusko Park for a total of 2.2 miles in a little under 1.5 hours.
We paused to pose for Marilyn Parker to take the group photo but otherwise kept walking, talking and looking at the scenery.
Sixteen hikers stayed on for a burger lunch at Bareburger Restaurant which set up a long table for us. A delightful way to spend a late February morning!
Dave McCollum
Bob Plunkett
On April 12, we will turn to the world of international art. In January 1939, Pablo Picasso was renowned in Europe but disdained by many in the United States. One year later, Americans across the country were clamoring to see his art. How did the controversial leader of the Paris avant-garde break through to the heart of American culture?
The answer begins a generation earlier, when a renegade Irish American lawyer named John Quinn set out to build the greatest collection of Picassos in existence. His dream of a museum to house them died with him, until it was rediscovered by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., a cultural visionary who, at the age of 27, became the director of New York’s new Museum of Modern Art.
Barr and Quinn’s shared goal would be thwarted in the years to come—by popular hostility, by the Depression, by Parisian intrigues, and by Picasso himself. It would take Hitler’s campaign against Jews and modern art, and Barr’s fraught alliance with Paul Rosenberg, Picasso’s persecuted art dealer, to get Picasso’s most important paintings out of Europe. Mounted in the shadow of war, the groundbreaking exhibition Picasso: Forty Years of His Art would launch Picasso in America, define MoMA as we know it, and shift the focus of the art world from Paris to New York.
Picasso’s War is the never-before-told story about how a single exhibition, a decade in the making, irrevocably changed American taste, and in doing so saved dozens of the twentieth century’s most enduring artworks from the Nazis. Through a deft combination of new scholarship and vivid storytelling, Hugh Eakin shows how two men and their obsession with Picasso changed the art world forever.