Universal Access to All Knowledge
This Meeting’s HighlightsProgram: "Universal Access to All Knowledge"Speaker: Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet ArchiveMeeting for the week of March 14th to March 20th, 2016* * *
Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our meeting!Each Monday our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 45 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time.Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you; read it while on public transit, waiting in line for coffee, or even at the park! Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
Note for Visiting Rotarians seeking makeup credit: We only provide makeup credit for those attending our current week’s meeting! If you scroll to the very bottom of this page and the attendance survey is already closed, this you will not receive makeup credit for this meeting!
Welcome!
Message from our Club President-elect
Hello Rotarians and guests!My name is Mitty Chang and I am the president-elect of the greatest Rotary eClub in the Silicon Valley, the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley! I am filling in for President Rushton this week, and we are excited to be sharing our program this week with the many guests out there.A little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to meet the Rotary club presidents-elect of our region at the Far West President Elect Training Session (PETS) in San Jose, California. We heard from world-class speakers and spent the weekend in workshops learning about how we can be the best club president for our members.Over the next three months, I will be reaching out to all of our members in an effort to get to know each of you better. I want to learn more about each of you and your lives. My goal is to make sure that as a Rotary club, our leadership is always working on providing more value to your membership, and that our club elevates your life.Those of you who have been charter members with us since our inception just a little over a year ago, I thank you all. And for those of you who have come to join us after our charter, I thank you too. I know that over the course of the past year, our eClub has grown significantly in terms of its programs and offerings. We started with holding just online meetings. Today, we have world-class programs from amazing speakers, monthly in-person socials in the Silicon Valley, online socials, service projects in the bay area, and now grants for members. We have even had Rotary celebrities such as Rotary International General-Secretary John Hewko present to our eClub! (Think of him as the CEO of all Rotary International staff employees.)But we aren't stopping there. We are going to continue growing this club and its offerings over the next year, so that by our club's 2-year birthday, everyone can be proud of how much we've grown in just two years.And to our guests who are joining us this week. Welcome! We are so thrilled to have you here! Our Rotary eClub is all about innovation and education, but we are also predominately a membership organization; a family. We are constantly looking for ways to help our members improve their lives. Please join us this week, and don't forget to leave a comment letting us know where you are from!
Yours in service,
Mitty Chang,
Club President-elect
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
The Power of Images
They say a picture says a thousand words. Every week we try to bring you a picture that we think will inspire you a thousand times.
This week's photo is from our club's Camera Czar Keith Marsh:Keith writes, "Sunrise is one of the best times of day to photograph, but I have always had a tough time getting out of a warm bed before dawn. The exception is Yosemite. This iconic location is one of the best at any time of day, but sunrise is special. I used HDR to capture the subtle colors of the morning sky."
The Power of Ideas
A good idea is one that catches our attention, and then catches our breath.
This week, we have two videos to share. The first video is about friendship and surprises in the form of cute, fluffy animals.
Sometimes even just the most genuine surprises can brighten someone's day!
The second video is a 360 degree video from BBC Earth. This video about dinosaurs is breathtaking not simply because of the amazing creatures you will see in the video, but because it is a 360 degree video. That means you can pan the angle on the video on your own. On your smartphone, you should be able to pan by moving your phone around as if it were goggles. On a desktop computer, you can use your mouse to pan by clicking and dragging inside of the video to control the angle.
There are so many reasons to be inspired. Sometimes, it's as simple as a surprise in the form of a fluffy animal, and sometimes it's as amazing as playing with how far we have advanced with technology in such a short time.
A Little Humor
We think a chuckle and a smile is a good way to spend a moment. Well, friends, here are our attempts to bring on both!
This week we are featuring a segment from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on siblings. Check it out!
Do you have any weird sibling stories? Share yours in the comments section!
Happy Dollars
Happy Dollars is the segment of our meeting where anyone can choose to make a voluntary donation to tell us a short story about something good that has happened to them this past week. Maybe someone paid for your coffee, gave you a ride somewhere, or you got a job promotion.
Happy dollar notes from last week:From John Lorenzo ($20):
"In memory of Mark Dohn's mother."
From Brian Liddicoat ($15):
"My elderly mother had a big scare at the hospital last week but doing much better now. I am super thankful and paying that forward..."
From Linda Diekman ($20):
"Thanks for making me feel so welcome in the club!"
From Rob King ($15):
"Glad to know I can attend the club 24/7. Thx"
From Brian Liddicoat ($15, second note):
"Love the new Disney animated film "Zootopia", a great film about how reaching your goals in life means a lot a of frustration and disappointment along the way. The film (set in an animal world) tells the story of a girl bunny rabbit (Judy Hopps) who dreams of being a police officer. Of course, nobody believes in her but her (rabbits are too gentle to be police officers). As she shows us, nothing worthwhile in life comes easy. An important message for the "instant gratification" generation."
Did something good happen to you recently? This is your chance to brag about it or give a shout-out to someone deserving, while giving some of that karma back to our community.
For Our Members
This is where we have some housekeeping items for our club members, including grants that are available for members only. Guests are welcome to read or skip this section.
Min-E Service Grants Available for Members!
From our club service chair, Andrew Taw:"As a service club, we are constantly looking for ways to reach out to our communities to help in as many ways as we are able. Sometimes this happens via giving a little of our own time and resources, and sometimes we work with our fellow club members to bring a greater set of talents and energy to a noble cause. What I hope we are all doing regularly is keeping an eye out for something noble we can support, and this project represents one way we can leap forward with a way to make that support tangible."
About the Min-E-Grants Program
This program is designed to help members choose worthy projects to support through what we call, "Min-E-grants." Figuring out how to do this well is an ongoing process, and we'll be looking for your suggestions to make this effort the best it can be.
The basic idea is to allow any member in good standing the opportunity to identify a project in his or her community to which we can donate up to $250. The amount of money requested must be matched by another Rotary club or nonprofit organization (not the benefitting organization). The hope is that we will be able to get our members more actively involved in service within their communities, and that this might further give us a new avenue for connecting with each other.
• Club members, read more about the min-e-grant rules and guidelines here.
• Club members, apply for your service min-e-grant by clicking here.
A note from member Mark Dohn:
"How incredible to come home this afternoon and find the flowers that were sent from the club! As I sit here, I can smell them from over on the table. Mom would have approved. The messages from other members of the club have been an unexpected and well appreciated gift, too.
Mom pretty much spent her life in service to others: A nurse who also was a volunteer both at church and for other organizations, she was always looking to see how she could better her community and the lives of the people within it. My favorite tidbit is that she donated over 25 gallons of blood during her lifetime! O-positive, of course.
In the 70’s she mentored young women in need through a local program. Even after the program ended, she continued her relationship with several of them for close to 20 years.
Mom was my sounding board. She often would pause before she gave an answer - making sure she had thought it through and was giving the best, honest, balanced, response possible. Every day I challenge myself to follow in her steps and be kind, thoughtful and of service.
Everyone, please know how much your support has meant, and thank you again."
Mark, our hearts are with you. Thank you for sharing about your mother.
Service Survey
Over the last month our members have done service. Here are their stories:
Nate Gildart planned a music fundraiser for TELL (suicide prevention lifeline / mental health care services) for January 30th in Osaka, Japan. He also set up for and played a show to support TELL in Kobe. The purpose was to raise funds and awareness of TELL, and educate people on mental health care available in Japan generally, and the Kansai region specifically.
François Tessier worked on registering the Ayubowan Foundation by gathering a potential board of directors. He also spent many hours preparing for the next trip to Sri Lanka to reinforce the clinic’s relationship with governmental institutions and get official recognition of the Ayubowan Foundation.
Paul Mosso helped jump-start a neighbor’s car during the last five minutes of the Super Bowl, but reports that he made it back to see the last two minutes of the game! “Go Broncos!” he says.
Rushton Hurley counseled teachers at several educational technology events.
John Lozano organized a training for adult leaders for the CISV (Children’s International Summer Village) program. These adults will lead youth to summer and winter programs to international destinations (Finland, Norway, Brazil) and domestic locations (Philadelphia). The training included activities developing leadership, cultural understanding, risk management, human rights issues, and sustainable development. He organized a second event for CISV to discuss how sustainable development impacts our community. The discussion format event gathered youth and adults from the organization to explore how to make an impact in the community.
Tzviatko Chiderov participated in Design2Transform, a one-day event in Nairobi which aims to help Community Based Organizations (CBOs) improve their online presence. My team was matched with the Touch-Life Children Centre in Korogocho (one of the largest slums in Nairobi). In just a few hours, we built a new website for the center, created a new logo for them, and worked on strengthening their social media presence. The best part for me, however, was a few days later, when we went to visit the center and formally deliver our product. We got to see the place in person, and meet and interact with the kids and administrators.
Yvonne Kwan spent a weekend with Interactors from District 5170 at their Presidents’ Winter Retreat in Camp Campbell (Boulder Creek, CA).
Martin Fox spent time doing some pro-bono advising/mentoring for nonprofit and NGOs.
Mitty Chang volunteered as a chaperone / camp counselor for Interact District 5170’s annual Presidents’ Winter Retreat at Camp Campbell in Boulder Creek, California, one weekend from Friday night to late afternoon Sunday. The leadership camp was designed to inspire and train the incoming Interact club presidents-elect.
Richard Knaggs was moved to pay a child’s outstanding debt at a store.
Gene Tognetti joined Yvonne, Catherine Liu, and Andrew Taw to do some bird habitat restoration in San Francisco.
What have you been up to? Whatever it is, please let us know using the survey, below.
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
The World of Rotary
We are part of the Rotary International family, with over 1.2 million members in over 180 countries around the world. Rotary’s reach is global. Here we tell our members and guests about Rotary’s initiatives and events.
The Rotary Foundation is the financial lifeblood of Rotary projects around the world. The Foundation funds grants for Rotary clubs all around the world, and also is the financial power behind our End Polio Now campaign, where Rotary is working on eradicating the polio virus from this world.This July, we mark the beginning of what will be a year-long celebration of the 100th year of The Rotary Foundation and the good that it has brought. Here is a video from Rotary International headquarters:
Our Events & Projects
This section of our meeting is where you learn about both recent and upcoming events and projects our club is leading or supporting. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here.
Upcoming Events:
Did you miss our past events? Come join us for any of our upcoming events! Guests, you are welcome too!All times are in Pacific Time (San Francisco, CA, USA time!)Tech Mini-Workshop for Rotarians on Wednesday, Mar 16th, 7:00p:
We are providing an opportunity for Rotarians around the district to learn about various technologies which are free and useful to clubs. The gig will be at the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College, and you can learn about the details on this page.
If you can help with setup and coordination (tech skills welcome, but not required!), please email Rushton (president@siliconvalleyrotary.com) to let him know you can be there.
Oakland Ed Fund’s Run for Schools 5K on Sunday, Mar 20th, 6:30a:
Join us in raising money for schools in Oakland by running or walking a brisk 5K with the Oakland Public Education Fund team at the Oakland Running Festival. The Ed Fund team tent will have tea for early morning runners, sunglasses, T-shirts, a photo booth, and other giveaways throughout the day. There will also be lots of great booths to explore, showcasing food vendors and other local businesses. We’ll be meeting at 6:30am on March 20th at Snow Park on Harrison and 19th Street. The race will then start at 7:30am. If you have any questions or you’re interested in going, please let Andrew know at service@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
Nightlife Exploration at the California Science Academy on Thursday, Mar 24th, 7p:
Come to San Francisco with our club to explore the amazing exhibits and experiences at the planetarium during the evening for California Science Academy’s Nightlife program! We will be meeting at the California Science Academy in San Francisco on Thursday, March 24th, at 7p for an exciting night of science adventures! Open to all members and guests. Tickets will be available for purchase. More details coming in early March.
Justin’s House Chili Cookoff on Sunday, Apr 24th, 9:30a-3p:
Do you think you have the best chili in town? We’re putting together a team (maximum 4 people) for the first Justin’s House Chili Cookoff, to be held Sunday, April 24th, in Santa Clara, from 9:30 to 3:00. We’re helping raise money for a great cause during a fun day of ‘competition’ and food. We could win, too! If you’re interested, find out more about the Justin’s House Chili Cookoff day by clicking here. To learn how you can get involved with our club’s team, please email Gene Tognetti (gene.tognetti@gmail.com).
Selected Comments from Last Week
Every week our members and our guests have the opportunity to engage with our group by leaving a comment. We select a few comments every week to feature. Here are some comments from last week's meeting by Abiodun Dominic Odunuga.
From member Paul Mosso:
"Rushton, I enjoyed the photo of the statue in England. What a great symbol and message. Keith I also enjoyed your image from Yosemite and the Fire Falls. Abiodun it was great to hear about your work, and you are helping a generation! I have been thinking about your presentation since the recording. It is truly staggering the level of unemployment given the level of education. The Human Capital is there and the needs are so great in the World; as a member of the global community we need to find ways to increase collaboration to solve the problems of tomorrow."
From member Richard Knaggs:
"Beautiful image Keith. Abiodun I share your vision about entrepreneurship. At school level I am trying to expose my students to as many subject disciplines as possible as well as putting them into think tank programs. Only yesterday I asked two learners to write a business plan about their idea and they looked at me and said they do not know how. These are critical skills for their futures. I would like to look at your curriculum integration."
From guest Jayprakash Deshpande:
"Nice coverage of topic by Abiundun! He is doing a great job for uplift meant of youth there who have tremendous potential, age being on their side. Good Luck!"
From member Linda Diekman:
"Great meeting, everyone! @Keith Marsh -- what an amazing photo! Thanks for sharing! I've been thinking about my "moonshot." And I'm in awe of the work Abiodun is doing. I thought the unemployment statistics he shared were pretty startling even for the college educated. Thanks for making my week!"
From guest Ferheen Abbasi:
"Abiodun, thank you so much for your presentation!! It was incredible to hear your story. Empowering young people is so important for the future of a country so it's phenomenal to see all the good you are doing. "Omoluabi" is such a beautiful word that truly defines you, Abiodun! Affirming you and can't wait to see what you do next. Shout out to Keith for that gorgeous picture!! Before I moved to Japan, my family and I went to Yosemite 3 times a year because it's my dad's favorite spot. I miss it!"
The Program
This week, we have Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive, presenting "Universal Access to All Knowledge" to the eclub's members and guests.
"Advances in computing and communications mean that we can cost-effectively store every book, sound recording, movie, software package, and public web page ever created, and provide access to these collections via the Internet to students and adults all over the world. By mostly using existing institutions and funding sources, we can build this as well as compensate authors within the current worldwide library budget."As these digital libraries take shape there are new opportunities for computer scientists. Can we make a distributed web of books that supports vending and lending? How can our machines learn by reading these materials? Can we reconfigure the information to make interactive question answering machines? Can we learn from the past human translations of documents to seed an automatic version? Similarly, can we learn how to do optical character recognition by having billions of correct examples? What compensation systems will serve creators and networked users? How do we preserve petabytes of changing data?"This talk will give an overview of the collections and challenges now facing those of us building digital libraries, and end with a list of projects that might now be possible because of these collections."A successful entrepreneur and a passionate advocate for public internet access, Brewster Kahle has spent his career intent on a singular focus: providing Universal Access to All Knowledge. He is the founder and Digital Librarian of the Internet Archive, one of the largest libraries in the world. Soon after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied artificial intelligence, Kahle helped found the company Thinking Machines, a parallel supercomputer maker. In 1989, Kahle created the Internet's first publishing system called Wide Area Information Server (WAIS), later selling the company to AOL. In 1996, Kahle co-founded Alexa Internet, which helps catalog the Web, selling it to Amazon.com in 1999. The Internet Archive, which he founded in 1996, now preserves 20 petabytes of data - the books, web pages, music, television, and software of our cultural heritage, working with more than 400 library and university partners to create a digital library, accessible to all.
Those interested to learn about and help with the efforts of the Archive should explore the following sites:https://archive.org/https://openlibrary.org/http://politicaladarchive.org/https://archive.org/details/prelinger
Upcoming Programs
Now that you have completed watching this week’s program and meeting, here are some programs that you can expect in the coming weeks.
Week of Mar 21st: Ian Pollock – Storytelling and Platform Innovations in Design EducationWeek of Mar 28th: Lowell Sheppard - Lessons for Business and Life from Cycling and the Tsunami Stones
You’re Almost Done! One last thing: The Attendance Survey..
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done. First, we have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
Visiting Rotarians, this is how you can get an email receipt to pass along to your club’s secretary as proof that you’ve attended our meeting if you need it for makeups.Non-Rotarian Guests, we would love to see who is dropping by our meetings! This part is optional for you though.More importantly, for all members and guests — we strongly recommend and ask that you leave a comment below in our comments area below. Tell us how you enjoyed the program. Ask this week’s speaker any questions you might have. Or just stop by and say hello and tell us where you’re from!
