#u3asocial — Public Fediverse posts

New Tech – When Does it Change the Workplace?

🗓️ Start: Tue 20 Oct 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 20 Oct 2026 5:00 pm

20th October 3pm to 5pm

This month I’m delighted to invite Phill Fox to come and talk to us about how generative AI might impact our workplace and jobs.  Phill is an AdaptaKind Ambassador for the Adaptavist Group – I saw him present at the Shambala festival as part of the CERN festival program.

Plenty of time is reserved for discussions … since generative AI is so much in the news at the moment, I’m expecting a lively discussion.

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/new-tech-when-does-it-change-the-workplace/

October is Art History Month

🗓️ Start: Sat 10 Oct 2026 8:00 am
⏳ End: Sat 10 Oct 2026 5:00 pm

Tuesday 27th October at noon is ART HISTORY. There will be part 2 of American Artists with ‘In Search of American Identity’.  Which artist/s will it be? Which art best tells their stories?

Zoom link as previously

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

fail2ban + anubis

https://u3a.social/display/c66bfb1b-216a-ca57-3a9a-cd7726133421

The Literary Contribution of 300 million books

🗓️ Start: Tue 27 Oct 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 27 Oct 2026 8:00 pm

Soon after the demise of Jeffrey Archer we discuss his contribution through:
31 novels
11 children’s books
7 short story collections
3 prison diaries and
3 plays

A massive output, rarely praised by critics but many titles said to be those no-one could put down till they’d finished

https://u3acommunities.org/event/the-literary-contribution-of-300-million-books/

First Stars and Early Epoch Black Holes

🗓️ Start: Mon 26 Oct 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Mon 26 Oct 2026 4:30 pm

Speaker: Dr. Emma Chapman
University of Nottingham; Royal Society Fellow

The James Webb Space Telescope has opened an unexpected window on the young Universe — and Doctor Emma Chapman is one of the scientists helping us understand what we are seeing. Among JWST’s most intriguing discoveries are the mysterious “little red dots”: extraordinarily distant objects that may harbour rapidly growing black holes. They seem to have appeared astonishingly early in cosmic history, raising difficult questions about how black holes could have grown so quickly. Join Dr. Chapman at 3pm on Monday 26 October for a fascinating look at these discoveries and what they may mean for our picture of the Universe.

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/first-stars-and-early-epoch-black-holes/

Science Fiction of Iain M Banks, Tonight

🗓️ Start: Tue 22 Sep 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 22 Sep 2026 8:00 pm

Apologies this is a late reminder for this evening’s session but domestic u3a has had me in a spin.

But, hopefully, tonight we can discuss the contribution Banks made to Science Fiction. He could be stylish, inventive and downright funny. So how do his version of the genre stand up to time?

https://u3acommunities.org/event/science-fiction-of-iain-m-banks-tonight/

The Power of Hydraulics

🗓️ Start: Wed 14 Oct 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 14 Oct 2026 12:00 pm

As a technology, hydraulic fluid power has been around since the Industrial Revolution, more than 200 years ago. And in industries as diverse as transport, manufacturing, construction and waste disposal, this instant and precisely controllable source of power, generated by a pressurised liquid in a confined space, continues to shape the modern world. In this light-hearted presentation, guest speaker Steve Skinner, with the aid of some eye-catching animations, will reveal some of its many applications, past and present. From the familiarity of London’s iconic Tower Bridge to the surreal alternative reality of taking 700 intrepid Victorians on a simulated sea voyage in the centre of Paris, hydraulic fluid power has been one of our most versatile technologies, and remains so today.

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

https://u3acommunities.org/event/the-power-of-hydraulics/

September is History Group Month

🗓️ Start: Tue 22 Sep 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 22 Sep 2026 1:00 pm

We meet on Tuesday 22nd September at noon.

We had such a good time at our last history meeting that we will continue with the Show and Tell theme. Members can show us artefacts/ items from the past, tell us about them and possibly why they have them. If you cannot bring an item, maybe you can tell us about a favourite game you played as a child or film you saw or somewhere of historical importance you have visited either recently or in the past.

Hope to see you all there

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

Britain’s Broken Justice System

🗓️ Start: Thu 17 Sep 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 17 Sep 2026 11:30 am

As our long, hot summer finally comes to an end, so too has the honeymoon period for the new PM, as he confronts all those thorny issues which bedevilled his predecessors, and still remain unresolved. And one of the most intractable is the crisis in Britain’s criminal justice system, as exemplified most recently in our prisons where, not for the first time, inmates are having to be released early because of overcrowding. Quite apart from the trauma it evokes in their victims – not to mention the burden it places on the probation system – the exercise is largely futile, because the stubbornly-high reoffending rate only adds further pressure to our already-stretched judicial system. Little wonder, then, that new cases are taking ever longer to come to court – even the controversial proposal to axe some jury trials wouldn’t even scratch the surface of this long-standing problem. Is it time, then, to completely rethink our approach, by considering alternatives to locking up ever more of our fellow citizens? There’s a lot to talk about, so why not join us for an hour of lively discussion on these important 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/britains-broken-justice-system/

Tracking aircraft above your house

🗓️ Start: Tue 15 Sep 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 15 Sep 2026 5:00 pm

15th September @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

This month we take a look at tracking aircraft above your house using ADS-B.

We look at what ADS-B is, hardware and software required to receive it plus integration into home assistant to allow further processing.

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/tracking-aircraft-above-your-house/

The Wonder of Water

🗓️ Start: Wed 9 Sep 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 9 Sep 2026 12:00 pm

Water is the most abundant molecule on the surface of the Earth, and essential for life as we know it. It makes up around 60% of the human body, and up to 90% in other organisms. But this ubiquity is no coincidence, because chemical reactions of the kind necessary for supporting life are only possible because of water’s unique physicochemical characteristics. In this wide-ranging presentation, Carol Barrett, from Cardiff u3a, will explain how these remarkable properties can explain observations as diverse as the shapes of raindrops and snowflakes, why some insects can literally ‘walk’ on water, and how plants – even the tallest trees – are able to lift it up from the ground to every single leaf. 

To view the recording, click here… “The Wonder of Water”
(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/the-wonder-of-water/

What Do We Really Know About Microplastics?

🗓️ Start: Tue 6 Oct 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 6 Oct 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/

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/

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/

Minerals that glow

🗓️ Start: Tue 9 Jun 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Tue 9 Jun 2026 12:00 pm
📍 Location: Zoom

Speaker: Doctor Paul Beatty

Paul will be telling us all about these amazing minerals, why they glow and the many ways they’re used.

Mineral enthusiasts concentrate on displaying these minerals under UV lighting to reveal their beauty. Some minerals produce light when exposed to X-rays, electron beams (cathode rays), radioactivity, high electric fields and even mechanical energy from grinding. Others glow in response to heating, thermoluminescence, is used in archaeology, geology and environmental science to date artefacts and geological formations accurately. Other uses include TV screens based on cathode ray tubes, advertising and electronic displays, fluorescent lamps, and more recently in LED lighting using blue or UV LEDs as the means of excitation.

Subscribe to Geology

https://u3acommunities.org/event/minerals-that-glow/

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/

Ask the group anything

🗓️ Start: Tue 16 Jun 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 16 Jun 2026 5:00 pm

This month we running another … ask the group anything.

So come along with your questions – could be related to a previous talk or really anything broadly related to computer science.

The meeting process will be :

1. If you have a question, put it in the zoom chat window
2. I will choose a question and raise to the group
3. Anyone who has a response to the question can raise their hand
4. I’ll choose who to speak as usual

Of course there is a risk that we run out of time … I will try to manage the time so we get through as many questions as possible.

Since this is a discussion rather than a presentation, we won’t record this meeting.

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

https://u3acommunities.org/event/ask-the-group-anything-2/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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

Fun & games with email hosting

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

Books and Literature January Meeting

🗓️ Start: Tue 27 Jan 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 27 Jan 2026 8:00 pm

Discussion.

Winnie the Pooh was 100 on Christmas Eve.

Are his Hundred Acre Wood adventures simply a pleasure of the past?

Or do children still enjoy Pooh today?

As grans and grandads should we keeping the bear as family reading?

https://u3acommunities.org/event/books-and-literature-january-meeting/

My tee-shirts just arrived 😀 (the other is bright orange!)

#Fediverse #u3asocial

@_elena @u3acommunitiescomputing

@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