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Rationalists of East Tennessee Newsletter January 2026 |
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First Sunday In Person + Zoom Meeting
January 4. 2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time Pellissippi State, Hardin Valley, Goins Building Cafeteria Annex
Chat GPT presented by Jack Suggs
Join us for a deep dive into the mysteries of Chat GPT. How does it work? What are algorithms? Will it take over the world and lead us to perdition or herald a blissful future for its creators?
Jack Suggs received his BS from Texas Tech and an MS in civil engineering from Texas A&M. His 41-year career in municipal service as Assistant Public Works Director for the City of Oak Ridge, Deputy City Manager and Interim City Manager before retiring in 2024. He served in a variety of regional and national roles with organizations supporting the electric power and municipal management fields.
We meet in the Cafeteria Annex of the Goins Administrative Building. Direct access is from the back of the building, off the small parking area for PSCC vehicles.
Coffee and other hot beverages will be available. Bring snacks to share if you wish.
If you know of others who may be interested please feel free to forward the announcement email. Zoom link available on request. |
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Blount County First Wednesday Meetup
Wednesday, January 7 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
NEW LOCATION Peaceful Side Brewery
106 Everett Ave
Maryville, TN 37804
This is a new location that we are trying out.
Check out the menu at https://peacefulsidebrewery.com/taproom-menu/
This will be a monthly event on the First Wednesday. All are welcome to join in. |
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Field Trip!! Saturday, January 10, 8:30 AM
Hiwassee Wildlife RefugeSandhill Cranes
- When 01/10/2026
- 8:30 AM
- Location Meet at Kroger Parking Lot,
We will be meeting in the Northshore Kroger, 9501 S Northshore. Go to the parking lot behind the gas station.
After meeting at 8:30 AM to determine who wishes to carpool, we will set off for the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge (directions below).
After viewing the cranes (bring good binoculars and cameras), we will make plans for lunch at a local eatery.
Come join us for a fun field trip.
Site Directions: On I-75, take exit number 25 in Cleveland, Tennessee. Travel north on Highway 60 through the town of Birchwood. Approximately 1.7 miles north of Birchwood, turn right on Shadden Road. Go one mile and turn right on Blythe Ferry Road. Take the next left on Priddy Lane and follow signs.
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January RET Book ClubSunday, January 11, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Zoom Link available on request.
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Tech billionaires have decided that they should determine our future for us. According to Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, and more, the only good future for humanity is one powered by technology: trillions of humans living in space, functionally immortal, served by superintelligent AIs. In More Everything Forever, science journalist Adam Becker investigates these wildly implausible and often profoundly immoral visions of tomorrow—and shows why, in reality, there is no good evidence that they will, or should, come to pass. Nevertheless, these obsessions fuel fears that overwhelm reason—for example, that a rogue AI will exterminate humanity—at the expense of essential work on solving crucial problems like climate change. What’s more, these futuristic visions cloak a hunger for power under dreams of space colonies and digital immortality. The giants of Silicon Valley claim that their ideas are based on science, but the reality is darker: they come from a jumbled mix of shallow futurism and racist pseudoscience. More Everything Forever exposes the powerful and sinister ideas that dominate Silicon Valley, challenging us to see how foolish and dangerous, these visions of the future are. 290 pages |
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Third Sunday In Person + Zoom Meeting
January 18, 2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time Pellissippi State, Hardin Valley, Goins Building Cafeteria AnnexWhen determined, the program will be announced on the rationalists.org website calendar. January 18, 10:30 AM, Third Sunday, Zoom Link available on request.
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January Reflections Meeting
January 25, 2026 4:30 - 6:00 PM Eastern Time Zoom MeetingDiscussion topic to be announced on the rationalists.org website calendar. Zoom Link available on request. |
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Annual Business Meeting, February 1, 2026
February 1, 2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time Pellissippi State, Hardin Valley, Goins Building Cafeteria Annex
RET's Annual Business Meeting will be held on February 1, 2026. During the meeting we will be hearing about what RET has accomplished this past year and plans for the future. Another important part of the meeting is the election of board members and officers. This gives you the opportunity to help run the organization. The board generally meets monthly for an hour via Zoom. If you have ideas for future activities for RET, this would be the perfect way to bring them to fruition.
If you are willing to serve on the board of directors, please send a message to nominate@rationalists.org.
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Copyright © 2020 {Rationalists of East Tennessee, Inc.}. All rights reserved. Please request use of any material at contact below.
Contact email: info@rationalists.org
Edited by Sharron King: newsletter@rationalists.org.
Opinions expressed are those of authors and/or editors and are not necessarily the opinions of RET | | |
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