|
OLLI
E-News
#13SE-11 of April 1, 2011
|
TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION
Google teams up with OLLI to test the
GooglePad
The
GooglePad's large display of a member's name and photo.
Google,
and the world's leading lifelong-learning institute, OLLI at Mason,
just announced a collaborative effort to test Google's
newly developed tablet computer – the GooglePad. Developed in total
secrecy, the GooglePad has been designed to be far superior to Apple's
popular iPad, offering elegant solutions to problems being experienced
by iPad users. Prototype GooglePads are now available for exhaustive
evaluation by OLLI members since they represent potential users with
the fewest technical
skills. "If seniors can use the GooglePad effectively, no other users
will have problems," said a Google executive.
Google will
provide, free of charge, a
GooglePad to every OLLI member who wishes to participate in the
six-month evaluation; afterward, members can keep the
tablets.
The only requirements for participation are: (1)
Members must be photographed and their voices sampled for entry into
the OLLI membership database; and (2) Members must sign a nondisclosure
agreement to protect Google's proprietary rights. Starting Monday,
April 4 you can pick up your GooglePad with its user guide during
office hours at Tallwood, Reston and Loudoun.
The
GooglePad includes sophisticated face-detection and
voice-recognition software and an ultra high-speed
wireless Internet connection. Thus, OLLI members will no longer need
to wear nametags. A member can point his GooglePad at the member facing
him, and the GooglePad will instantly display the member's name in VERY
large letters. Or if a member is trying to remember what "George Smith"
looks like, he can just say the name out loud, and his GooglePad will
instantly display George Smith's photo.
The GooglePad's technology offers other advantages
to
OLLI. For example, the GooglePad can detect that a
member's cell phone is turned on while the member is actually attending
class
and automatically turn it off. And members
can click large buttons on the GooglePad at the end of each class to
send private feedback to the instructor on his or her class
performance.
Details will follow in a future OLLI E-News article.
Back to top
RED ALERT: TRAFFIC
AT TALLWOOD
Watch for new OLLI crossing guards
starting Monday
WALKING TO AND FROM TALLWOOD across Roberts Road is extremely
dangerous. Starting Monday, April 4,
it will become less
life-threatening for
members who park across the street in the nearby neighborhood.
Specially trained OLLI
member/volunteers will serve as crossing guards
before and after each class.
When you are driving to classes at Tallwood,
be alert for the presence of OLLI crossing guards—wearing
high-visibility safety vests—who might rather suddenly appear in the
middle of the road. They will be stopping ongoing traffic so that
members can safely walk across Roberts Road. Eventually, OLLI will have
its own marked crosswalk but due to the dearth of transportation funds
in Northern Virginia, that approved project is probably at least six
months away from completion.
Please be careful when driving to and from
Tallwood ... and avoid
getting a ticket! Although OLLI crossing guards are not sworn police
officers with full arrest powers, they do have authority
from Fairfax County to issue traffic citations.
OLLI does need some backup crossing guards to
cover for those who are sick, may have been hit by a car while on duty
or are out of town. If you are interested in volunteering as an OLLI
crossing
guard, please contact Crossing Guard Coordinator Susanne Zumbro.
NEW COURSES OFFERED
Several exciting courses added to the
spring term
 By Gordon
Canyock, Communications Resource Group Chair
SEVERAL
NEW COURSES have been planned by
the new Communications Resource Group, which I am chairing. The new
courses will be given at Tallwood, starting next week. All three
courses are on hot topics
that should appeal to
many OLLI members. You can sign up now (online at the Member Portal,
via email or at any campus), but
don't wait long; unlike
during regular
registration, these courses are first-come, first-served ... and only
limited
space is available!
PRACTICAL TECHNOLOGY (F910)
|
LIVING
WELL WITH WOMEN (F911)
|
LIVING
WELL WITH MEN (F912)
|
Tuesdays,
4:15–5:45, Apr 5–12 (Two sessions)
Instructor: OLLI grandchildren aged 10 and below
Taught by local experts (note unusual class time – required
because
instructors attend elementary school during normal OLLI class times),
this course is for seniors who want to participate in today's modern,
high-tech
world but don't have a clue as to how to go about it. Choose this
course if:
- You
have a new
smartphone but don't even know how to turn it on;
- You
want to
join Facebook so you can see what's going on with your children and
your grandchildren; or
- You
want to try one of those new-fangled
gadgets you've been hearing about (netbook, iPad, iPod Touch...).
|
Wednesdays,
11:45–1:15, Apr 6–13 (Two sessions)
Instructor: Surprise male celebrity who has been married for more than
15 months
This course, open
only to men, is
designed to help men live happily with their wives or
significant others. Possible topics – from a previous Beverly Hills
seminar by this instructor – include:
- Differences
Between Laundry Basket and the Floor
- Learning
How to Find Things – Starting with looking in the right place
instead
of turning the house upside down while screaming
- Loss of
Virility – Losing the remote control to her
- Real
Men Ask Directions When Lost – Testimonial from the one man who
did
- Getting
Over It – Learning How to Live with Being Wrong All the Time
|
Thursdays,
11:45–1:15, Apr 7–14 (Two sessions)
Instructor: Surprise female celebrity who has been married twice, each
time for a year
This course, open
only to women, is
designed to help women live happily with their husbands
or significant others. Possible topics – from a previous Beverly Hills
seminar by this instructor – include:
- Up in
Winter, Down in Summer – How to Adjust a Thermostat, Step by Step
- Which
Takes More Energy: Putting the Toilet Seat Down or Complaining About It
for 3 Hours?
- How
to
Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
- "I Was
Wrong, and He Was Right!" Real-life testimonials
|
Back
to
top
FRIENDS OF OLLI RAFFLE
Win a ticket to the Royal Wedding!
Informal photo of William and Kate,
officially known as His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales, KG and
Miss Catherine Middleton
|
to
the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at
Westminster Abbey in London on Friday, April 29, at 11:00. OLLI member
and British citizen
"Mo" Mason (known as
Princess Maureen prior to her marriage to commoner David Mason, also an
OLLI member) was one of the lucky 1,900 recipients of a royal
invitation. Unfortunately, Mo and Dave cannot attend, so she is
donating her
invitation to a fortunate OLLI couple. If you win, be prepared – the
invitation says "Dress: Uniform, Morning Coat or Lounge Suit"
(American translation of lounge suit – business
attire).
Tickets are
$25 each and are now available for purchase via the Member Portal
(credit card payment only) or at any of the OLLI campuses (cash, check
or credit card payment). Ticket sales will end at noon on Monday,
April 11, when the winner will be announced at Tallwood (you do
not have to be present to win).
All proceeds will go to
Friends of OLLI for the purchase of 65" 3D-ready, Internet-ready,
high-definition TVs and 3D-capable Blu-ray players for
OLLI classrooms, with scores of active 3D glasses for use by members
watching 3D
programs. The first classroom designated for this upgrade is Tallwood's
TA-1. The number of classrooms to be equipped will
depend upon the amount of money raised, so buy as many raffle tickets
as you can afford!
-- Contributed
by the OLLI
Development Committee. For more information on the Royal Wedding, click
here to visit its official Website.
 OLLI Story in 3D.
The first 3D movie to be shown on the new HDTVs will be the new OLLI Story in 3D, a
high-definition, widescreen movie in
3D now being filmed on all three campuses. It will tell the "story of
OLLI" as of 2011.
One
of our members,
an experienced videographer, recently acquired a high-definition
3D camcorder (photo at right)
and volunteered to update our seven-year-old OLLI
Story documentary. The
world premiere of this new movie will be at OLLI's 20th anniversary
celebration in September.
|
Selected by the OLLI Poetry
Workshop
|
April
Folly
My friend goes to OLLI, by golly,
To exercise her artistic folly,
Where marvelous elders strut their stuff
And lose themselves in poetic guff.
We don't see ourselves as others see us
We welcome the Classics like Dido, Aeneas.
(That's not to say we deplore free verse
Or avant garde ways, and what
is worse
We sort of like the new.) So it's
Good to read some OLLI poets.
T.S. Eliot says that April's cruel
Most months would with an April Fool.
Who needs pranks and jokes impractical?
It's hard when cold, to remain syntactical.
Summer's gotta be fantastical!
By the poets of the Poetry Workshop |
MASON ARTS AND
MUSIC
Upcoming Fairfax performances
 By Jan Bohall, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
TWO RECENTLY ANNOUNCED EVENTS, with
tickets now available, are listed below.
 OLLI Comes to Mason
Kick a
Little Higher, Do
Fri, Apr 1, 8:00
Excitement reigns as OLLI seniors
turn out for a first-ever program featuring three of OLLI's versatile
and
talented artistic groups: Singing for Fun, led by the gifted Linda
George and her able assistant, Palmer McGrew; OLLI Players under the
direction of the incomparable Kathie West; and the classy and
imaginative Poets of OLLI.
The evening will feature a
chorus line with Linda and Palmer leading the vocal entourage in a
rendition of Kick a Little Higher, Do.
Kathie will direct the OLLI Players in the rousing, ribald Sunday in the Park with George.
And the Poets of OLLI, represented by the metaphorical and oratorical
members of the Poetry Workshop, will do lyrical and somewhat
risqué
original limericks for the enjoyment of all. Note: This presentation is recommended for
mature audiences only.
Admission: $25 (event is a fundraiser for Friends of OLLI)
Concert Hall
Come at 7:15 for a pre-performance artistic discussion on Grand Tier
III.
|
Virginia Opera
Benefit Gala
Sat, Apr 2, 7:00 - 11:00
This gala event,
inspired by the production of Madama
Butterfly, will feature an
"Oriental essence" cocktail hour, with artists, strolling musicians and
flora of the Orient, followed by a gourmet dinner interspersed with
live cabaret performances by Virginia Opera performers.
Click here for more
information and to order tickets. Ticket prices before booking fees
range from $236 (Premier Opera
Patron) to $5,000 (Cherry Blossom Level Sponsor). All proceeds will
support Virginia Opera's
productions, outreach and education programs.
Note: Dress is Black Tie
|
Other Mason events
 By Barbara Kyriakakis, OLLI
E-News Associate Editor
- Vision Series
Lecture: Mon, Apr 4,
7:00. "What Good Are
Seniors?," presented by Thom Clement, executive director of OLLI at
Mason. Mr. Clement will explain the benefits of having senior citizens
living in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Topics will include Economy and the Oldsters – How
senior spending habits such as gifts for grandchildren contribute to
the economy; Driving Habits Mean
Safer Streets – How older, experienced drivers avoid accidents
by driving 10 miles below the speed limit; Early Bird Dinners – How seniors
free up those popular later reservation times by taking
advantage of early-bird specials; Early
to Bed – How energy use declines because of seniors' sleeping
habits; and Volunteerism –
How seniors help the community by volunteering for everything,
especially at OLLI. Center for the Arts, Concert Hall; free. Informal
reception follows; light refreshments include large, freshly baked
chocolate-chip cookies.
 Bike to OLLI Day: Tuesday morning,
Apr 5, 8:00 to 11:00. Get your bikes ready to put the "pedal the
metal." An OLLI T-shirt, bottled water and a full breakfast await those
who make it all the way to the Tallwood campus on their bikes – enjoy
eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, biscuits, assorted fruits, orange juice
and coffee. Booths offering free maps, bike reflectors, mirrors, and
safety tips will line the OLLI parking lot. Nurses will perform triage
in the social room annex and treat minor injuries. Come join the fun
but please, make sure you "helmet up" on your ride! Note: Non-biking OLLI members at Tallwood
for classes on Tuesday may partake of the breakfast for a donation of
$12 per person to Friends of OLLI.
|
About OLLI E-News
and the
member/volunteers who
produce it
Rod
Zumbro
Editor |
Barbara Kyriakakis
Associate
Editor |
|
|
Review Team: Gordon
Canyock,
Barbara Kyriakakis, John West
Database
Manager: Barbara
Kyriakakis
|
- About
this newsletter.
OLLI's
weekly newsletter, OLLI
E-News,
is
emailed
to
current
OLLI
members
with
email
addresses
on
Fridays.
When
classes
are
in
session, printed copies of this newsletter are distributed in
classrooms. Comments,
suggestions or complaints? Please contact Editor Rod
Zumbro or Communications Committee Chair Gordon
Canyock.
- Submissions. We
encourage members
to submit news items, articles and photos for this newsletter. The deadline
to
the editor is 7:00 pm Wed (7:00 pm Mon for letters to the
editor
for which an
OLLI response is appropriate) for that
week's issue; submissions
earlier in
the week are strongly encouraged and greatly appreciated.
Please
limit
articles to about 250 words. Submit material via email to Editor Rod
Zumbro
(email rzumbro@gmu.edu).
- Read the latest
issue early. The
new weekly issue of OLLI
E-News
is posted to the OLLI Web site Thursday evening. Read it by visiting http://www.olli.gmu.edu/pubs.htm#enews,
where
you
will
find
a
list
of
the
last
12
issues;
click
the
latest issue listed.
- Viewing or searching past
issues. Your options for finding items in past issues of OLLI E-News
include viewing the last
12
issues; searching the
content of
ALL issues for any word or words; and searching the
DocStore archive of all past issues by date or issue number.
|
|
Updated:
April 1, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at
George Mason University. Materials in this publication subject to
OLLI-Mason copyright may be reproduced for noncommercial educational
purposes as long as credit is given to OLLI-Mason.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George
Mason University, 4210 Roberts Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384; Email: olli@gmu.edu;
Fax:
(703) 503-2832
Original site design and construction by OLLI-Mason member Rod Zumbro. |
|
