Join us for a night of TED. From Wikipedia: TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading."

Video 1: Barry Schwartz: Our Loss of Wisdom

Video 2: Jared Diamond: Why Societies Collapse

Arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 for introductions and to get settled in. We will begin the first video at 7:00. The video is approximately 20 minutes long. After we watch, we'll discuss for approximately 40 minutes (it'll depend on how much we want to discuss... it could be considerably less, but we'll cap it at no more than 60 minutes) Once we're done with the first video, we'll watch the second video (also approximately 20 minutes long) and discuss (same parameters).

Our home is small and humble... be prepared to get cozy... some of us will probably end up sitting on the floor.

The Edmonton Culture Club's first Music Appreciation Night (aka MAN)! What is a MAN? It is an opportunity to get together with other music enthusiasts and be exposed to music that you might not otherwise know about. In other words, it's awesome.

I first started coordinating MANs with the Calgary Culture Club several years ago, but the true origins of my music appreciation events goes back to high school. My grade 10 drama teacher was a very cool guy, and one thing he would do is spend the first few minutes of every class playing some kind of interesting or unusual music for us and we would lay about on the floor just listening... and then we'd talk about the music... and then we would go on with drama class.

The Culture Club music appreciation events are meant to be a similar experience, although we usually sit rather than laying around, and we often visit and socialize during the music (unlike in grade 10 drama class).

All attendees submit up to 12 minutes of music that they enjoy and would like to share with others. Often the events have a theme, and sometimes they don't. When we have a theme, it might be genre-specific (ie. Blues MAN), it might be instrument-specific (ie. Sax MAN), or it might be more open to interpretation (ie. Perfect MAN, Hoochie Koochie MAN or Mystery MAN). The point is to share music you enjoy with others who you think would appreciate the opportunity to discover it. It's not a test! We'll kick off the ECC's music appreciation with an un-themed one - you can pick whatever you like to share.

On the night of the event, we'll convene at my home to share some snacks and listen to everyone's music submissions. For anyone who can't attend in person, there will be a webinar option.

Arrive at 6:30PM for introductions and to get settled in. We'll start the music at 7:00 with a quick round-robin to introduce our songs, then we'll listen to the music selections.

Our home is small, and the atmosphere casual. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion if you like for maximum comfiness.

Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the event.

Webinar Option (if required):

• I will use AnyMeeting.com to create a Webinar. Using this Webinar, we will be able to online chat (using their chat feature), and I will be able to share a window with you (ie. Wikipedia if we decide we want to look something up).
• You will receive an e-mail with a link to the webinar. All you have to do is click the link, enter your name, location, and e-mail. Note that you do not have to enter real information here if you’re leery about giving your personal information.
• When you first join the webinar, you’ll see a grey window in the middle of the screen, probably saying something like “Your Webinar. Nothing is currently being shared.” The “chat” window is at the very bottom underneath that. Scroll down to find the “chat” window and enter something in the box to let us know that you’re in and you’ve found the chat window. If you don't find the "chat" window, phone or e-mail me right away so we can get it sorted out.
• You will NOT hear the music through the webinar. You will be responsible for having the music ready on your own computer (or stereo system), queued up and ready to begin, when we’re ready to start. We’ll start the music at the same time (and pause it together as well, if/when we take a break).
• We will NOT have real-time voice as I’d have to set up a conference call, and frankly, I don’t want to have a telephone stuck to my head – I want to listen to the music comfortably. Sorry.