banner
Upcoming Events
Frank n Stein
Richmond Pub
May 23, 2019
4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
 
Frank n Stein
Jamesons Pub - Brentwood
Jun 13, 2019
4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
 
View entire list
Russell Hampton
ClubRunner
ClubRunner Mobile
COG Volume 36 - Number 35
April 2, 2019
 
The Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown is comprised of professional and community leaders brought together in fellowship to create a better future.
 
This Week's Birthday
Eva Friesen April 6
 
Attendance for April 2
69 people, including 4 visitors and guests.
 
 
 
Manon Mitchell & Michael Pierson
Open the Meeting with O Canada
Highlights of the April 2, 2019 Meeting
 
Madeleine King Delivers
the Invocation
 
 
 
President Tim Heaton
 

 

This week's meeting opened with Manon Mitchell and Michael Pierson's playing the Hockey Night in Canada theme in honour of the Calgary Flames finishing the NHL Western Conference regular season in first place.
 
President Tim Heaton called the meeting to order and extended our club's acknowledgement that our meetings take place on the traditional Treaty 7 territories in Southern Alberta. Treaty 7 peoples include the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Piikani and Kainai), Tsuut'ina First Nation, Stoney Nakota (Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley) First Nations, and the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region III.
 
Manon and Michael then led us in singing O Canada, while Madeleine King delivered the invocation.
 
Thanks also go out to our front entrance volunteers John Seigner, David "Brom" Bromwich, Barbara Lutz and Bob Junker.
 
President Tim's sing-song for the week was The Okee Dokee Brothers' Can You Canoe?
 
Club secretary Kurt Kowalchuk welcomed our visitors and guests, and acknowledged the birthday of Past-President Eva Friesen, which is being celebrated this week.
 
The April 9th club meeting with speaker Vivian Krause is sold out. There will only be 20 tickets available at the door, and these will be reserved for club members.
 
The District 5360 Conference, Building Comm-Unity will be held in Olds from May 3rd to the 5th.
 
The University of Calgary Rotaract club is hosting its Millennial Pub Quiz at the Kilkenny Pub on April 5th.
 
Steve Austin announced that the SIS Charity Golf Classic is actively seeking sponsors and golfers. To encourage the registration for foursomes, the registration fee for a foursome is being reduced to $1100 this year. Individual golfers can still register for $300 per person.
 
This year's SIS Charity Golf Classic is being held at the Blue Devil Golf Club.
Our Speaker, Jim A. Gibson
Posted on Apr 02, 2019
 
Alexis Evdoxiadis
Introduces Our Speaker
 
 
 
Our Speaker, Jim A. Gibson
 
 
 
Thanking Our Speaker
 

 

Alexis Evdoxiadis introduced entrepreneur and author Jim A. Gibson, whose 2018 book Tip of the Spear: Our Species and Technology at a Crossroads formed the basis of his presentation to the club.
 
In his book, Mr. Gibson describes how technological disruption is accelerating, and expresses his concern for the "future disenfranchised" that are being left behind.
 
He began by describing his three laws of technology.
  • The slopes of all technology evolution curves are increasing, and technology progressions (e.g., Moore's Law) are usually presented on charts with logarithmic scales that obscure the true nature of exponential change.
  • Humanity has never discovered something new, only to discard it as being immoral or worthless, and it is not in our fundamental nature to do this.
  • Our current organizational systems (democracy, capitalism, education, energy) are failing to keep up with this exponential technological disruption.
The implications of these laws will profoundly affect the world because rapidly advancing technologies are combining to reinforce technological disruption. The following are just some of the technologies that are evolving exponentially.
  • Computation
  • Internet of things
  • Robotic aviation/drones
  • Artificial intelligence
  • 3D printing
  • Virtual reality & artificial reality
  • Materials science
  • Synthetic biology
  • Next generation batteries
  • Blockchain and digital identity systems
  • Nanotechnologies
  • Cognitive Sciences
It is difficult to imagine the possibilities that can arise when these technologies combine; e.g., when robotic aviation combines with artificial intelligence to enhance virtual reality experiences. However, our linear ways of thinking are increasingly unable to keep up with this wave of technological disruption.
It is particularly concerning that the decline of human discourse, the rise of fake news and a geo-political slide is amplifying the disruptive effects of the three laws because in the next 10 to 15 years our species will face a fundamental choice.
  • For the first time in human history we will have the technology and tools to solve all of the world's problems; or,
  • The same tools will end life as we know it.
The real problem is inequality. Will these tools be used to benefit all mankind, or will the "future disenfranchised" be left behind? Our speaker left us with some final thoughts.
  • We overestimate the impacts of technology in the near term, and underestimate their long-term impacts.
  • The innovation of "things" must become the "innovation of ways".
  • The path forward must begin with a new "social contract".
  • Trust builds connections exponentially, and exponential trust creates "velocity".

According to Mr. Gibson the future must be created with intention. The challenge for coming generations is to develop different ways of relating socially, economically and politically that will integrate the biological and technological disruptions facing us.

Following a thought-provoking discussion, Bob Taylor thanked our speaker.
COG Staff - April 2, 2019
 
Editor Craig Henderson
Photography David Richardson
Sponsorships David Holden
Rotary Club of Calgary - Chartered April 1914 as Club #949
Suite 305, 105-12 Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1A1
Tel: (403) 398-9969 - Fax:  (403) 264-2392
www.rotaryclubofcalgary.org - admin@rotaryclubofcalgary.ca
President: Tim Heaton - Vice-President: Rick Erven
RI President: Barry Rassin - District Governor: Dan Doherty