Provocateurs and Peacemakers

Using Wisdom, AI and Other Tools to Solve Humanity's and Your Greatest Problems
Presented by our very own Doug Hohulin
Peter Diamandis wrote “In 1968, Stewart Brand made a proclamation: “We are as gods and we might as well get good at it.” 58 years later, it’s no longer metaphor… it’s measurement. By noon most days, you’ve already reenacted half of the Old Testament. You’ve summoned knowledge from the ether via Google or a chatbot. Spoken to someone across the globe via FaceTime. ” His new book is titled "We Are as Gods: A Survival Guide for the Age of Abundance (Exponential Technology Series). Doug will present a different framing on the topic: We Are as “Children of God”: Humans Using Wisdom and AI to Solve Humanity’s Problems

For those who like lively conversations, and for nosy people who don't have time to read it all, but want to know it all:

LAZY READERS — FEBRUARY!

Join us to tell us about whatever you've been reading — we'll discuss that and what everyone else is reading too.

RSVP on this page.

Subjects can include just about anything: fiction or non-fiction, history, science, philosophy, psychology, the arts, humor, religion or atheism, etc. Books or blogs or articles or editorials.

Come to talk or come to listen. No pressure, just friendly fun.
We'll give everyone who wants a few minutes to explain what they've been reading, and another few minutes for everyone to ask questions and discuss. We always learn a ton. Come make new friends and learn something new about what they’ve been reading.

See you Friday!
Debbie Smith, Will Fletcher, Fred Heeren

Afterwards: We'll continue our conversations over drinks and food at the Blue Moose.

***

Come early between 6:45 and 6:55 p.m. to chat and make new friends before we get started.

Presented by returning speaker astrophysicist Dr. Drew Overholt!
Long-time or returning attendees may remember Professor Overholt's talks on the science of black holes, nuclear physics, particle physics, and the death of stars among others. This time, he's taking on the first law of thermodynamics.
Here's how Professor Overholt puts it:
"Every conversation about energy eventually runs into the same wall: energy cannot be created or destroyed. That simple (but powerful) constraint explains why energy storage has become one of the most important challenges in our changing world.

"From intermittent renewable sources to growing energy needs that ebb and flow, our electric grid is constantly teetering between too much and not enough. In this talk, we will explore why energy storage has become essential, the technologies competing to fill that role, and what large-scale adoption could mean for economics, infrastructure, and society. Along the way, we may even touch on deeper thermodynamic themes about limits, order, and the systems we build within the constraints of physics."

When and Where = 7:00PM Fri. 13 March 2026 - Price Chopper, Lenexa, Kansas.

For those who like lively conversations, and for nosy people who don't have time to read it all, but want to know it all:

LAZY READERS — FEBRUARY!

Join us to tell us about whatever you've been reading — we'll discuss that and what everyone else is reading too.

RSVP on this page.

Subjects can include just about anything: fiction or non-fiction, history, science, philosophy, psychology, the arts, humor, religion or atheism, etc. Books or blogs or articles or editorials.

Come to talk or come to listen. No pressure, just friendly fun.
We'll give everyone who wants a few minutes to explain what they've been reading, and another few minutes for everyone to ask questions and discuss. We always learn a ton. Come make new friends and learn something new about what they’ve been reading.

See you Friday!
Debbie Smith, Will Fletcher, Fred Heeren

Afterwards: We'll continue our conversations over drinks and food at the Blue Moose.

***

Come early between 6:45 and 6:55 p.m. to chat and make new friends before we get started.