#u3a — Public Fediverse posts

What Do We Really Know About Microplastics?

🗓️ Start: Mon 28 Sep 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Mon 28 Sep 2026 4:30 pm

Speaker: Prof. Iseult Lynch
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Professor of Environmental Nanosciences
Microplastics have become one of today’s most talked-about environmental issues, but how much do we really know?

Join Professor Iseult Lynch of the University of Birmingham as she explores the latest scientific evidence, separating established facts from popular assumptions. Drawing on her internationally recognised research into microplastics, nanomaterials and environmental systems, she will examine what current science reveals, where uncertainties remain, and how researchers are improving our understanding of these invisible pollutants.

An engaging and thought-provoking afternoon for anyone interested in science, the environment and informed debate.

If you are not already subscribed, subscription is free and you will receive joining details and news about forthcoming Leading Edge meetings https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-leading-edge/

https://u3acommunities.org/event/what-do-we-really-know-about-microplastics/

August is Art History Month

🗓️ Start: Tue 25 Aug 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 25 Aug 2026 1:00 pm

Tuesday August 25th at noon, come along to a taste of American art with ‘Scenes of American Identity’. Explore a few amazing paintings by American artists which may depict American identity.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/august-is-art-history-month/

Let’s discuss if the novel is really dead

🗓️ Start: Tue 28 Jul 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 28 Jul 2026 8:00 pm

We constantly hear that the novel is dead. But stories keep being written and published. So is it really?
Bring your own thoughts and examples

https://u3acommunities.org/event/lets-discuss-if-the-novel-is-really-dead/

Virtual Machines, Containers and related technologies

🗓️ Start: Tue 18 Aug 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 18 Aug 2026 5:00 pm

This month we have a talk about virtual machines, containers and related technologies.

We will discuss how different technologies can be used to make better use of server hardware resources.  Included are two explainer videos from IBM.

Plenty of time is reserved for discussions.

Joining details will be emailed to subscribers.  If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/virtual-machines-containers-and-related-technologies-2/

Next talk/discussion on u3acommunities computing group

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-136a-5b30-f7ea-e25721328417

Next talk/discussion on u3acommunities computing group

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-146a-5b30-f633-3e3387056457

History month is July 2026

🗓️ Start: Tue 28 Jul 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 28 Jul 2026 1:00 pm

Join us again for an afternoon of fascinating history!

Tuesday 28th July at noon.

Same Zoom link as previously but it will be included in the reminder email a few days prior to the meeting

https://u3acommunities.org/event/history-month-is-july-2026/

Burnham’s Britain

🗓️ Start: Thu 16 Jul 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 16 Jul 2026 11:30 am

It is now all but certain that, by next weekend, Andy Burnham will become our next Prime Minister. He may have a Messianic appeal within his party, but the man himself will be under no illusions that the government he inherits – just two years on from its historic election victory in 2024 – has lost the confidence of the voters that it can still deliver on its manifesto commitments, to change Britain for the better. So, at this meeting, we’ll consider the huge challenges that Burnham will face – economic, social and political – if he is to win over a cynical public, tired of the Prime-Ministerial merry-go-round of the last ten years. Can he do it… why not come along next Thursday and tell us what you think!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/burnhams-britain/

Antimatter Research, Accelerator Systems, and Practical Applications

🗓️ Start: Mon 27 Jul 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Mon 27 Jul 2026 4:30 pm

Speaker: Prof. Carsten Welsch
Head of Accelerator Science, Liverpool University

From science fiction to serious science: antimatter research is now producing important advances in accelerator technology, imaging and precision instrumentation.

Professor Carsten Welsch shares insights from CERN and Liverpool into how antimatter is created, controlled and studied — and why these developments may matter far beyond physics laboratories.

If you are not already subscribed, subscription is free and you will receive joining details and news about forthcoming Leading Edge meetings https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-leading-edge/

https://u3acommunities.org/event/antimatter-research-accelerator-systems-and-practical-applications/

Remote Access

🗓️ Start: Tue 21 Jul 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 21 Jul 2026 5:00 pm

As always, plenty of time is reserved for discussions.

Joining details will be emailed to subscribers.  If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/remote-access/

Remote Access

🗓️ Start: Tue 21 Jul 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 21 Jul 2026 5:00 pm

As always, plenty of time is reserved for discussions.

Joining details will be emailed to subscribers.  If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/remote-access/

Before Penicillin: Treating Infections in the ‘Olden Days’

🗓️ Start: Wed 8 Jul 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 8 Jul 2026 12:00 pm

Few would argue that the discovery of penicillin, and the antibiotics revolution that followed, was one of the most far-reaching breakthroughs of twentieth-century medical science. But infection treatment itself has a much longer pedigree, stretching back hundreds or even thousands of years. And it’s that story – of mysterious moulds and improbable potions (some of which even worked!) – that Mike Trevethick of Thanet u3a will be sharing with us this month. It’s a tale of daring over dogma – and some lucky breaks along the way – so why not join us for this fascinating trawl through the history books.

To view the recording, click here… “Before Penicillin”
(recordings are for personal/private use only – please do not share this link)

To contact us about the Science & Technology group, click here… Get in touch

https://u3acommunities.org/event/before-penicillin-treating-infections-in-the-olden-days/

The Welfare State: Is it Still Affordable?

🗓️ Start: Thu 18 Jun 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 18 Jun 2026 11:30 am

In Britain today, few issues provoke more heated debate than this. On one side are those who argue, on humanitarian grounds, that the less fortunate among us deserve all the support they need in order to live with at least the most basic of human needs – shelter, food, healthcare, and the means to raise a family. Against this are an unsympathetic press-pack (pictured) who decry such people, branding them as feckless skivers, brazenly scrounging off everybody else. And in the middle – as always – are our politicians, having to make hugely difficult decisions about dividing up the national ‘pot’ in a fair and equitable manner. So, at this month’s meeting, we’ll take a look at some of the data, and consider the question of whether the welfare state is still affordable in its current form.

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/the-welfare-state-is-it-still-affordable/

Art History Month June 23rd 2026

🗓️ Start: Tue 23 Jun 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 23 Jun 2026 1:00 pm

Join us on Tuesday 23rd June at noon for ‘Edward Lear- More Than Nonsense’ led by Kate Scott. a guest speaker

Zoom link as previously

https://u3acommunities.org/event/art-history-month-june-23rd-2026/

Art History month is June 2026

🗓️ Start: Tue 23 Jun 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 23 Jun 2026 1:00 pm

Join members on Tuesday 23rd June at noon for ‘Edward Lear- more than nonsense’ led by Kate, a guest speaker.

Zoom link as previously

Frog

https://u3acommunities.org/event/art-history-month-is-june-2026/

May solar

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-166a-23cc-e536-b15108238745

May solar

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-166a-23cc-e536-b15108238745

Hilaire Belloc was he a great writer or simply grumpy

🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 8:00 pm

Tonight, we go back in time to discuss the formidable output of some 500 works of literature across multiple genres, who at the same time managed to fall out with most of his contemporaries. So let’s discuss what he was trying to do.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/hilaire-belloc-was-he-a-great-writer-or-simply-grumpy/

Hilaire Belloc was he a great writer or simply grumpy

🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 8:00 pm

Tonight, we go back in time to discuss the formidable output of some 500 works of literature across multiple genres, who at the same time managed to fall out with most of his contemporaries. So let’s discuss what he was trying to do.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/hilaire-belloc-was-he-a-great-writer-or-simply-grumpy/

May is History Month

🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 1:00 pm

Tuesday, 26th May at noon, join us for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Work out what the skeletons are in the cupboards of some historical figures!

Zoom link as previously

https://u3acommunities.org/event/may-is-history-month-2/

May is History group month

🗓️ Start: Sat 23 May 2026 8:00 am
⏳ End: Sat 23 May 2026 5:00 pm

Tuesday, 26th May at noon, we have ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Work out what the skeletons are in the cupboards of some historical characters.

Zoom link as previously

https://u3acommunities.org/event/may-is-history-group-month/

Agentic AI talk / discussion

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-196a-0c2b-355c-16d142203359

May is History Month

🗓️ Start: Mon 18 May 2026 11:00 pm
⏳ End: Mon 18 May 2026 12:00 am

Join us at noon on May 26th for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. What skeletons were these once famous people keeping secret?!

https://u3acommunities.org/event/may-is-history-month/

May 2026 History Month

🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 1:00 pm

Join us on Tuesday 26th May at noon for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Explore the lives of once famous people and work out what were the skeletons in their cupboards!

https://u3acommunities.org/event/may-2026-history-month-2/

May 2026 History Month

🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 1:00 pm

Join us on Tuesday 26th May at noon for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Explore the lives of once famous people and work out what the skeletons in their cupboards were.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/may-2026-history-month/

History Month May 2026

🗓️ Start: Tue 19 May 2026 10:00 am
⏳ End: Tue 19 May 2026 5:00 pm

Join us at noon on May 26th for our next history group meeting. Title’ Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Explore the lives of those who were once famous and in some cases, still are famous but what were the skeletons in their cupboards?

https://u3acommunities.org/event/history-month-may-2026/

‘Forever’ Chemicals

🗓️ Start: Wed 10 Jun 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 10 Jun 2026 12:00 pm

‘Forever’ Chemicals, otherwise known as PFAs, are a large group of synthetic organic compounds that have been around – literally – since the 1930s, when they were discovered, quite by accident, to be useful raw materials in the manufacture of plastics. Today, the problem of plastic pollution is a familiar one, but the PFAs themselves pose an even more insidious environmental threat: not only are they almost indestructible, but they’ve been found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we grow crops on, and even inside living organisms – including us! In this thought-provoking talk, David McLellan from Torridge u3a will describe the history, the chemistry, the risks we face, and what – if anything – we can now do about it.

To view the recording, click here… “Forever Chemicals”
(recordings are for personal/private use only – please do not share this link)

To contact us about the Science & Technology group, click here… Get in touch 

https://u3acommunities.org/event/forever-chemicals/

Current Affairs discussion group: Open Forum

🗓️ Start: Thu 21 May 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 21 May 2026 11:30 am

With so much going on at the moment, both domestically and around the world, it’s time once again to open the floor to all of you – our members – to share your thoughts on any topic you wish. Whether it’s making the headlines right now, or it’s been squeezed out by everything else, why not come along and give it an airing!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/current-affairs-discussion-group-open-forum-2/

Agentic Artificial Intelligence

🗓️ Start: Tue 19 May 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 19 May 2026 5:00 pm

19th May @ 3:00pm – 5:00pm

This month we’ll look at agentic artificial intelligence … large language models are now no-longer contrained to just “chat”, they can now interface to the outside world to perform tasks.  We’ll take a look at a couple of tools (opencode and openclaw), how they work and risks involved.

As always, plenty of time is reserved for discussions.

Joining details will be emailed to subscribers.  If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/agenic-artificial-intelligence/

Agentic Artificial Intelligence

🗓️ Start: Tue 19 May 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 19 May 2026 5:00 pm

19th May @ 3:00pm – 5:00pm

This month we’ll look at agentic artificial intelligence … large language models are now no-longer contrained to just “chat”, they can now interface to the outside world to perform tasks.  We’ll take a look at a couple of tools (opencode and openclaw), how they work and risks involved.

As always, plenty of time is reserved for discussions.

Joining details will be emailed to subscribers.  If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/agenic-artificial-intelligence/

Daniel Defoe… The ignored classical author

🗓️ Start: Tue 28 Apr 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 28 Apr 2026 8:00 pm

Sadly, the man who wrote tales like Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders is an ignored author in the current rush to reread the Classics. Why? Is he marred by some of his other more erotic and non-mainstream titles? Let’s discuss

https://u3acommunities.org/event/daniel-defoe-the-ignored-classical-author/

Daniel Defoe… The ignored classical author

🗓️ Start: Tue 28 Apr 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 28 Apr 2026 8:00 pm

Sadly, the man who wrote tales like Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders is an ignored author in the current rush to reread the Classics. Why? Is he marred by some of his other more erotic and non-mainstream titles? Let’s discuss

https://u3acommunities.org/event/daniel-defoe-the-ignored-classical-author/

Art History

🗓️ Start: Sun 26 Apr 2026 8:00 am
⏳ End: Sun 26 Apr 2026 5:00 pm

Art History: April 28th at NOON-1pm

Guest speaker, Zoe who has a talk about the life and works of David Shepherd and Ronnie Wood

https://u3acommunities.org/event/art-history-2/

Rosalind Franklin: The Triumph and the Tragedy

🗓️ Start: Wed 13 May 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 13 May 2026 12:00 pm

In 1953, the scientific world was abuzz with the discovery of the structure of DNA by James Watson & Francis Crick, but back then, few were aware that it was only made possible by the painstaking work of another, equally brilliant scientist who, as a woman in what was still largely a man’s world, had long struggled to be taken seriously. She would go on to make ground-breaking discoveries in the study of viruses, until, in 1958, she was tragically cut down in her prime by cancer. She was just 37. Had she lived, who knows what else she might have accomplished, but her moving story – told here by Barry Zussman (Torridge u3a) – would become her greatest legacy, and an inspiration for women in science everywhere.

To view the recording, click here… ‘Rosalind Franklin: The Triumph & The Tragedy’
(recordings are for personal/private use only – please do not share this link)

To contact us about the Science & Technology group, click here… Get in touch

https://u3acommunities.org/event/rosalind-franklin-the-triumph-and-the-tragedy/

March solar update

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-9669-cd97-1fcc-e4e398933618

WASTE AND CLIMATE CHANGE 10am-11.30am Wed 25 March

🗓️ Start: Wed 25 Mar 2026 10:00 am
⏳ End: Wed 25 Mar 2026 11:30 pm

Modern consumer society is currently trapped in a “take-make-waste” cycle, with the average person in the UK generating 620kg of waste annually—a figure contributing to 5.5% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. This crisis is driven by an economic model where it is often cheaper to replace items than to fix them, leading to a projected 70% increase in global waste by 2050. To prevent this refuse from flooding landfills and the environment, urgent regulation is needed to transition toward a circular economy. By prioritizing the repair, reuse, refurbishment, and recycling of goods, we can break the link between economic growth and environmental degradation.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/waste-and-climate-change-10am-11-30am-wed-25-march/

Discussion on the Poetry of Philip Larkin

🗓️ Start: Tue 24 Mar 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 24 Mar 2026 8:00 pm

Just over a century after Philip Larkin passed away we will chat about what his poetry means to us today. We will start with his “A study of reading habits” and move on from there

https://u3acommunities.org/event/discussion-on-the-poetry-of-philip-larkin/

Generative AI talk @ fetcham u3a

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-2069-c039-626b-973964398312

@druedin It certainly shouldn't, though sometimes it does. But #U3A was never a university.

Fun & games with email hosting

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-1869-9db0-30c7-664075044150

@rysiek So true.

Mind you, many websites do have an RSS feed but don't publicise it (mostly, I suspect, due to ignorance).

I use addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firef… to find "hidden" RSS feeds to follow (on my frendica instance).

Screenshot from my next talk -

#u3a #u3a.social @u3acommunitiescomputing

@_elena @shollyethan @yunohost @ilja Great guide, many thanks for sharing.

Years ago (pre-cloud) I used to self host at home, but as the cloud grew there became little point in this d-i-y approach. But as you say, now the cloud has become such a bad place, the d-i-y approach is back in fashion again !

I now self-host at home (again) :

• email
• photo sharing
• search
• books
• webserver
• calender
• fediverse server
• backups

I'm now looking for a docs solution, probably onlyoffice.

I've not come across yonohost before, so I'll follow with interest further parts of your series.

#docker-mailserver #immich #searxng #calibre #wordpress #baikal #fediverse #frendica #restic #u3a #onlyoffice #yonohost !u3acommunitiescomputing

#Vale Wes Smith ❤️‍🩹

my 90 year-old dad died last night after a very long life, a long decline, multiple hospitalisations, and the last couple of months spent in hospital & a repat facility

lots of complex feelings for me, but I’m glad he no longer needs to struggle in difficult circumstances (largely of his own creation, but still ❤️‍🩹)

when he was young, he travelled the world in the Merchant Navy in the loud, hot bellies of large cargo ships amongst the enormous engines with pistons several times taller than himself. he only spent a short time in each port – a tasting menu, you might say – but he felt that he had seen the entire world by the time he got married

he worked many jobs in his long career, most of them spent bending metal to his will, often shaping machines into new forms to perform tasks for which they were never originally designed. he worked long hours to provide financially for his family – which he saw as his main duty in life – but also because he loved working with machines & solving engineering problems born of metal. grease. electricity.

he was a fitter & turner, a boiler-maker, a repairer & maintainer, a “keeper-runnerer”, a tinkerer. he used tools to design & make other tools to make machines. I’m sure that some of my own interests & skills were influenced by growing up watching him execute his craft, hearing him talk about his work, & being dragged along to yet another industrial robot exhibition 😩😜

he was a life-long learner, and my own love of 🤔 – or at least facility with – computers & electronics & code (oh my!) were things he saw (and understood) and supported. in the late 1970s or very early 1980s he took a programming course (which was the spelling at the time 😜) at the local TAFE, and he took me along – a rare opportunity in that era. my first hands-on experience with code at 11 or 12 years old was in the form of mapping out & writing programmes down by hand on graph paper & then encoding them on a stack of mark sense cards with a B2 pencil to be fed into a card reader (and drawing that all-important diagonal line down the side of the stack with said pencil – #IYKYK 😆)

it wasn’t long until I had begged sufficiently & got my very first computer (that we absolutely couldn’t really afford), a #CoCo – the original #TRS80 #ColorComputer model in “battleship grey” with 16K RAM 😲, later upgraded to a whopping 64K 🤯 🤯

I still have that computer over 40 years later 😊

after he retired, he always had several ambitious plans on the boil (less charitable folks might call them “hare-brained schemes” 🙃), including a petrol-powered all-terrain tracked wheelchair for a friend who wanted to be able to travel off the beaten path under his own (metaphorical) steam. it would have ended up weighing about a tonne & absolutely would never have worked (safely), but he was determined to “help” a friend & excited to work on solving an interesting engineering challenge, once again bending metal and machinery to his purpose du jour

he was happiest noodling in his workshop, oil- & grease-stained hands deep inside a machine, wielding – or welding – a new tool of his own design. I always associated the smell of machines and ozone with his presence. until after he retired I never saw his hands unstained by years of ingrained, immovable grease

in his later years he discovered #3Dprinting and became a journeyman #maker of sorts. he was exceptionally proud (and a bit obnoxious) when he was able to “teach the professionals at #U3A a thing or two” about his new hobby. his idea of a conversation had always been (impatiently) waiting for you to take a breath so he could tell you the next thing he was interested in – usually unconnected to whatever you’d shared 💁‍♀️

he used a succession of smallish 3D printers to make many, many Japanese-inspired lanterns (into which he stuffed various strings of coloured flashing lights) and Chinese-inspired dragons, amazed & delighted that additive manufacturing was able to create interlocking objects right off the print bed – after having spent a lifetime creating sometimes-intricate interlocking components using tried-and-true subtractive manufacturing processes. he gave most of these prints away to others – whether they wanted them or not 😆

he was a fitter & turner, a boiler-maker, a repairer & maintainer, a “keeper-runnerer”, a tinkerer

and he was my father

#Vale Wes Smith ❤️‍🩹
1935-2025

#GNUWesSmith
#XClacksOverhead

Emails will be going out tomorrow for next weeks #u3acommunities talk/discussion on home networking.

Use https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/ to join.

#u3a #networking #retired #wifi

I see next years #u3a festival is sponsored by saga ... sad given how bad for the environment cruses are.

I'll be presenting my talk about alternatives to mainstream social media and the fediverse tomorrow, Mon 1st Sept, at 2:30pm to the #u3a IGO.

See https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/interest-groups-online/interest-groups-online-groups/igo-science-and-technology

The feedback from the last time I presented it was amazing !

See https://u3a.social for more info and https://u3acommunities.org/u3a-social-survey/ for the survey.

After this event I plan to write up the survey results and share with the third age trust decision makers, so a good time to fill in the survey.

#u3a #u3acommunities #retired

The #u3a #ai group has just posted a generative AI survey ... they are seeking how they can best target their AI related talks and workshops.

See https://u3acommunities.org/generative-ai-for-everyone-survey/

If you use or don't use AI, your views are wanted !

#u3acommunities

Emails go out today for next weeks U3ACommunities computing talk on "real time bidding (or, how targeted ads work)".

See https://u3acommunities.org/event/real-time-bidding-how-targeted-ads-work/

100% free, we are simply trying to share.

Subscribe to email lists here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/

#u3acommunities #u3a #retired #ads #rtb

Today, at 2pm BST, I'll be presenting "Exploring Alternatives to Mainstream Social Media" to u3a online learning events. Will include a brief history of social media platforms, some issues with the big ones and a look at the fediverse.

Will include a proposal that we create our own server https://u3a.social

I'll also mention instant messaging and search engines.

Free for u3a members - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-alternatives-to-mainstream-social-media-tickets-1415091961149

#u3a #retired #fediverse #u3acommunities #facebook #X

After seeing Mike Berners-Lee ( https://bsky.app/profile/mikebernerslee.bsky.social ) at the also festival, I bought and just finished his book "A climate of truth". Kinda of depressing and hopeful at the same time 🙂

One of my focuses at the moment is social media in u3a, so I'll be pushing the "truth in media" message a bit that way.

Mike - you need to be on the fediverse !

#climateoftruth #mikebernerslee #u3a
#fediverse #climatecrisis #polycrisis

Hoping to present the idea of the #ferdiverse to the #u3a council soon as they formulate their next 5 years strategy.

Whilst good timing, I expect a lot of pushback from #facebook fans. Still, you've got to try right ?

@phil Yes, early in the process will be requirements gathering and software selection. I tend to agree with your views, but many options available.

I've done the talk a few times now at #u3a events and the post meeting survey indicates close to 100% interest with very high levels of offering to help.

So next up national talks. See https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/interest-groups-online/interest-groups-online-groups/igo-science-and-technology and https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-alternatives-to-mainstream-social-media-tickets-1415091961149 .

@couldrynick Great talk at the also festival last weekend (I was the guy that mentioned the fediverse).

My effort at the moment is to try and persuade #u3a (https://www.u3a.org.uk/) to setup their own fediverse server to support communications between members. I'm doing a couple of talks nationally to the #u3a in August to push the idea a bit. placehoder is https://u3a.social. Wish me luck !

Will be re-doing my talk/demo on installing #linux to #u3a interest groups online this afternoon.

https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/interest-groups-online/interest-groups-online-groups/igo-linux-discussion-group

https://plord.co.uk/talks/installing-gnu-linux/

I know It's not hard, but it is useful for those who have never seen linux to see how easy it is.

Off to #midhurst #u3a this morning to present about the #fediverse .... hopefully there is a decent amount of discussions.

I've been asked to re-do my fediverse talk to #u3a learning events on 11th August.

See https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-alternatives-to-mainstream-social-media-tickets-1415091961149

Please consider re-sharing this to your #u3a connections so we can get a really diverse audience.

Thanks

Good News Stories from 2024

🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Dec 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Dec 2024 11:30 am

As another year draws to a close, and the nights draw in, it can sometimes feel like the most significant events of the last twelve months were all doom and gloom. So instead, as the festive season beckons, let’s raise our spirits by taking a look back at some of the good news stories of 2024. Whether they’re of global, national, or even just local interest where you live, this is your opportunity to share them with the rest of us, so why not join us for an hour of uplifting conversation!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/good-news-stories-from-2024/

The Middle East Crisis: Stepping Back from the Brink

🗓️ Start: Thu 21 Nov 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 21 Nov 2024 11:30 am

A year on from the brutal Hamas incursion into southern Israel, the bloody chain of events it triggered has left tens of thousands dead across the region, and has brought Israel and its arch-enemy Iran to the brink of war. Diplomacy has failed, peace talks have stalled, and now the impending return of Donald Trump to the White House has added even more uncertainty to this seemingly intractable crisis. So is there any hope of avoiding what some are already calling a new Armageddon. What do you think? Why not join us for an hour of lively discussion about this most divisive of issues.

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/next-current-affairs-group-meeting-thursday-21st-november/

Assisted Dying: The End of Unnecessary Suffering, or a Slippery Slope Towards Execution of the Unwanted?

🗓️ Start: Thu 17 Oct 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 17 Oct 2024 11:30 am

Our subject for this month’s meeting could hardly be more topical, coinciding as it does with the introduction, in the House of Commons, of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Private Member’s Bill to legalise assisted dying for the terminally-ill in England & Wales. While all previous attempts, most recently in 2015, have always been decisively voted down, public opinion in favour of a change in the law has only hardened, and especially so since Esther Rantzen joined the campaign. So the outcome this time is expected to be much closer. But what do you think? Why not join us for an hour of lively debate on this most contentious of issues!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/next-current-affairs-group-meeting-thursday-17th-october/

America at the Crossroads: The Battle for the White House, and Why it Matters so Much More This Time Around

🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Sep 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Sep 2024 11:30 am

By popular demand, the Current Affairs Discussion Group is up and running again, so we’re looking forward to welcoming back some of our old friends, and hopefully many new ones as well. And for this, our first meeting, the topic could hardly be more momentous. In barely two months time, Americans will cast their votes for one of two candidates whose sharply divergent opinions on how the country should be run, and its role in the wider world, are dividing the electorate perhaps more than at any other time in modern US history. Who will win is anybody’s guess, but of one thing we can be certain – whichever way it goes, the consequences for America, and the rest us, will be far-reaching. So why not join us as we look ahead – nervously! – to the outcome.

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: “Subscribe to the Current Affairs group”

https://u3acommunities.org/event/current-affairs-discussion-group-grand-re-launch-meeting/