:: ieee presentation ::
My thanks to Jeffrey Drummond, our local IEEE vice president, for arranging this opportunity for me to present on Bucky Fuller's legacy, along with my own brand of futurism, on election night in the Armory, just before we all went down ("in") to the play.
Doug Tompos was in fine form and kindly came out to chat with us afterward.
Wanderers Glenn (happy birthday!) and Captain Wardwell performed perfectly as my "roadies" while Heather Burkhalter and company served up top notch logistical support around projecting and amplifying.
I was pleased Sam Lanahan could join us and participate in the Q&A, asking about "more with less" and so on. Keith Lofstrom, thank you for being there and sharing your geekish sense of humor.
We emerged into a jubilant Portland, definitely Obama country, and headed over to the Convention center to catch the tail end of some celebrations, indulge in some free cheese.
FYI here's some text from the invitation that went out to IEEE members:
R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe
Written and directed by D.W. Jacobs from the life, work and writings of R. Buckminster Fuller
Description of the Play:
"Everything you've learned in school as `obvious' becomes less and less obvious as you begin to study the universe." - Buckminster Fuller
Does humanity have the chance to endure successfully on planet Earth, and if so, how? This is the question framed by Buckminster Fuller, the engineer, designer, poet, and philosopher who, among other things, was Mensa's second president and invented the geodesic dome. Join us for an unforgettable journey inside one of the most remarkable minds of the 20th century in a one-man show that blends videos, lectures, poetry and a healthy dash of humanist humor. A hero of the sustainability movement, Bucky framed many of the great ideas of his time and ours. This is your chance to get to know the man behind the world-saving mission.
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IEEE Presentation:
How has the literature developed since the publication of Grunch of Giants in 1983 and what are likely outcomes and future directions of projects Fuller started over a lifetime of heavy lifting? With demonstrations and question & answer period.
Speaker:
Kirby Urner started exploring Fuller's work in earnest following his earning a BA in philosophy from Princeton University, while serving as a high school math teacher in Jersey City. He's served as a contributing editor for McGraw-Hill, Rockefeller Center, political activist for Project VOTE! in Washington DC, and computer programmer for myriad governmental and nonprofit organizations in Greater Portland. Working in cahoots with Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Fuller's lieutenant on a couple key books, he snagged the domain name bfi.org and served as the Buckminster Fuller Institute's first web wrangler. His 'Synergetics on the Web' is one of the main stops for Bucky scholars to this day ( http://www.grunch.net/synergetics ). Kirby is an IEEE Member.
Dymaxion Clown
