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lctg_speaker_schedule

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Presenting to the group with Zoom
not ready for prime time: Tips for using MS Powerpoint and LibreOffice Impress in your presentation
This schedule last modified 2021.12.22 14:25

Date Planned TopicConfirmed?Followups
Dec 16, 2020Acoustic Detection & Localization of an Active Shooter or Sniper presented by Tony Galaitsis
Deranged shooters and terrorist or enemy snipers have been a concern for a long time. Technological advances over the past few decades have used gunfire acoustic information to detect and localize active shooters and snipers in order to prevent or minimize their deadly impact. This presentation reviews the general state of acoustic shooter/sniper detection and localization, based on publicly available information found on the internet (YouTube videos, Wikipedia, manufacturer brochures, and published papers/patents) and some basic geometry.
yes
Dec 23, 2020Vacation - Enjoy the holidays!
Dec 30, 2020Career stories (update). People with careers during which interesting (and now unclassified) things have happened. Mistakes made, lessons learned.
Many of the members of our club have technical and scientific backgrounds. Some may be interested in presenting to the group important experiments or other developments in their field.
For example, in my field of pulmonary disease, the development of the Pneumatic Trough by the Rev. Stephen Hales (1677 – 1761) enabled Joseph Priestley (1733 – 1804) to discover oxygen. The struggle of scientists at that time to understand the fundamentals of matter makes an interesting story.
John Rudy coordinatingWOULD YOU LIKE TO PARTICIPATE? – let John know, email us at info@LCTG.toku.us
so far, have: Bill Haley, Dan Kleppner, Dick Wagner, George Burnell, Mike Alexander, Smita Desai, hopefully Carl Lazarus There is room for one or two others – are you interested?
yes

2021

DateTopicconfirmedFollowups
Jan 6, 2021Peter Braun talk on Covid
(we have his OK to show to LCTG; we should invite him to this meeting)(1h smi warehouse but consider playing on zoom as it has transcript)
yes
Jan 13, 2021Priestly and the Discovery of Oxygen (Jerry) Joseph Priestly (1733 - 1804) is credited with the discovery of oxygen. His discovery was a part of a long term scientific effort to understand the nature of matter. His work as an untrained scientist showed analytical skill which illustrated the relevance of his finding. His discovery of oxygen represents the beginning of the understanding of the composition of the atmosphere and its role in respiration.yes
Jan 20, 2021Quantum Biology (GeorgeG) (video and intro) with discussion (This is a new discipline where quantum effects are “visible” on/in biological systems. More coming…)yes GeorgeG will supply abstract
Jan 27, 2021Potpourri
Freakonomics?
Election security, allegations, concerns, why is it so hard to have a closed and secure system? Securing mail-in voting; how states got it to happen. Involve Town clerk or rep to participate? (GeorgeB to follow-up)
? BBC Horizon video, “Pluto: Back from the Dead” 1hr (PeterA)
? BBC Horizon video, “Britain's Next Air Disaster? Drones.” 1hr (PeterA)
? 3-year effort to video two vortex rings colliding in super slow motion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVbdbVhzcM4 8min (Bill Haley)
? Other Mark Rober youtube videos (he did Squirrel vid) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY1kMZp36IQSyNx_9h4mpCg
? Cryptocurrency and the IRS: What No One Knew About Taxes 24min
(Or, finish earlier topics not completed)
NOT YETneed coordinator or GeorgeB
Feb 3, 2021https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-plastic-problem (1hr video) Plastics having a recycle number on them leads people to think they will be recycled and are perhaps more accepting of then using them. However, many thin plastic containers such as salad boxes or clear takeout containers are not in practice recycled. (John Rudy, Bob Primak, George Burnell) This might be more than one session. Plastic bags biodegradability, manufacture, disposal, recycling.
Bob Beaudoin/Superintendent Environmental Services at Lexington DPW
yesGeorgeB to confirm date with Beaudoin
Feb 10, 2021Polaroid: Recently I learned about a Google talk on the history of Polaroid (Instant:The Story of Polaroid Christopher Bonanos Talks at Google, 2012). It might make an interesting meeting. The talk is about an hour and we could augment it with “actual folks” who worked for Polaroid? With 3-4 people worked there (Peter Albin)
I worked in photographic film product development at Polaroid for 23 years (1976 to 1998). It was there that out of necessity I became in involved in N-dimensional non-linear systems optimization computer tools. I could discuss the approaches that we used and the evolution of the software tools that were internally developed. Many of these tools and graphical visualization aids are now available in the commercial pack Design Expert by StatEase which I used in a final consulting gig at Polaroid in 2003. [Bob Eckert]
yesJohn: need names to include
Feb 17, 2021History relating to Rubber, what used for, how manufactured, WWI, WWII, rubber shortages (George Burnell with Peter, John Rudy)
WWI WWII Japan taking over, fire hoses & rain gear
NOT YETGeorgeB prepare abstract and presentation
Feb 24, 2021(GeorgeG) Mars landing, Perseverance, talk and visuals (if landing goes well, else related space info)yes
Mar 3, 2021Potpourri
(Harry) Getting Streaming Programming Into Your TV (what to do when your TV just isn't smart enough)
Fix-It Shops, Dan Kleppner et al
and more?
yes
Mar 10, 2021Chris Barnett, theory of recycling (GeorgeB to followup)
Chris Barnett, VP waste mgmt
NOT YETGeorgeB to confirm date with Barnett
Mar 17, 2021Why is Venus so bloody hot? The greenhouse effect. (Charlie Holbrow)yes
Mar 24, 2021I. I. Robi, a story of scientific rags-to-riches (Dan Kleppner)yesDan K to supply summary
Mar 31, 2021(GeorgeG to fup) Flying Cars, technology and practical considerations. Woburn company?NOT YETGeorgeG find person to speak and confirm date(date is flexible)
Apr 7, 2021Telephone Switching Before Computers (Ken Pogran)yes
Apr 14, 2021The Apollo Mission Presented by Fred Martin, ScD.; Dr. Martin served as the Apollo Software Project Manager while at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory (now Draper Lab) and then pursued an industrial career in software analysis and management.
History will surely record the voyage to the moon as being the greatest adventure of the 20th century. We will first examine our fascination with our closest neighbor and early speculation of travel through the writings of Jules Verne. We will discuss the principles of how a rocket works, gain an understanding of JFK’s decision and confidence to place a man on the Moon, and experience the Apollo Moon Project “first hand:” its methods, triumphs and surprises. Our resources will include Dr. Martin’s experiences within the Apollo Program and videos of the exciting minute-by-minute landing on the Moon’s surface.
yes
Apr 21, 2021Andrea Ghez; won Nobel Physics for black holes, Brian Green video has interview with her. JohnR has videos with Ghez (and will investigate applicability for LCTG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcPPGVigvZk This is an excellent description by Andrea Ghez (2020 Nobel Prize winner in Physics). It is 50 minutes long and is an excellent example of women in science. I think it is better than her interview with Brian Greene. It was given at the World Science Festival which is run by Greene
Apr 28, 2021Potpourri
May 5, 2021Space Debris: A Big Problem (Georg Kirchner) When the first satellites were launched some 60 years ago, space was more or less empty. However, the ever increasing launching activities since that now have created a rather crowded environment above our heads: More than 30.000 space debris objects – old / defunct satellites, upper stages of rockets, remaining parts after explosions of collisions etc. – are now orbiting in different altitudes, tracked by radar, laser and passive optical telescopes. The possibility of collisions is already rather high: Collision warning systems create already more than 1000 warnings per day (!) of close encounters between 2 objects – and sometimes this is TOO close – and a collision between two space debris objects, at velocities of 27.000 km/h, creates several 1000 new space debris parts…
Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) has demonstrated during the last years the capability of tracking such debris objects, helping to determine their accurate orbit, and also their tumbling motions – important features if you want to catch an old upper stage, and remove it from space.

Dr. Karl Georg Kirchner is a group leader at the Space Research Institute, Department of Satellite Geodesy, Austrian Academy of Sciences in Graz, Austria.
yes
May 12, 2021Ivor Morgan is willing to talk about his career in Antarctica, he has photos. It started with him being assigned to a radar station in UK after WWII, then to Antarctica for 2 years. [George Gamota]
May 19, 2021Potpourri
May 26, 2021Lex Liby presentation on security by Bruce Schneier https://youtu.be/eVCYX3N-nFQ
June 2, 2021Eli Brookner would like to present to the group “Fun Family Talk on Contributions of Radar to Winning WWII”. Abstract from Eli:
Radar was in its infancy at the start of World War II. The British were using radar effectively along their coastline with a network of antennas on very tall towers to warn of approaching German aircraft, but they needed an invention that would allow radars to be small enough to fit on ships and aircraft. They came up with the cavity magnetron. However they looked to American manufacturing know-how and resources to mass produce this device in a hurry. After turndowns by all the major US firms, a small Boston newcomer, Raytheon Company, came up with a solution and ended up making 85% of all magnetrons used by the allies in the war, and changed the course of the war.
June 9, 2021
June 16, 2021
June 23, 2021
June 30, 2021
  • Orphaned (moved from 12/9/2020)
    Computational Photography - changing what's used as a camera. link e.g., replacing DSLR with cellphones; more (Jonathan Goode?, Harry Forsdick?) (needs a lead)
  • Orphaned (moved from 11/11/2020)
    How one builds a web application (e.g., using spreadsheets) (Harry Forsdick)
  • Orphaned Best of Freakonomics an interview with Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, moderated by Faith Salie. Recorded at the 92nd Street Y on May 2015. (Peter Albin has link to 70min video)
lctg_speaker_schedule.1607866127.txt.gz · Last modified: 2021.12.22 14:25 (external edit)