Member Skype Calls: Proposed Topic Schedule

This post updated 4-Jun-2018. Originally published 10-Apr-2018.


Background

Almost three weeks ago, I asked you to suggest some ideas for future Member Skype call topics.

Thanks to those of you who took the time to offer your input.

Here are the main things which I gleaned from the responses:

*Movies are popular, and there are many to choose from.

Therefore I plan to set aside roughly one quarter of the calls for films.

*Books generated some interest (although less than movies).

Thus I plan to set aside roughly one quarter of the calls for books.

*The other platforms/personalities of the ACT realm seem to be of interest.

So I plan to set aside a few calls to discuss (and maybe even chat with) the most pertinent names.

*Certain other topics seem to generate enthusiasm. In particular: Money/banking; Psychedelic drugs; Existentialism.

It makes sense to allocate roughly one third of the calls for ‘other’ topics.

Below is my proposed schedule for the next four months or so. Please forgive me if your preferred topic(s) does not appear in this list. I have tried to include a mixture of the ideas suggested in the relevant thread, and those discussed in pre/post call chats, as well as those which are most pertinent to the core concepts and ideas at the heart of the JLB operation.


Colour code

Magenta = Movie

Blue = Book

Purple = Platform/Personality in ACT realm

Orange = Other


Nominal Schedule

Already complete

Call #14 | 15-Apr-2018 | The Weird and Whacky | Warmup Thread | Podcast

Let’s cover some of the more ‘out there’ ideas right at the start. Come one, come all — but come armed with thick skin!

Call #15 | 22-Apr-2018 | Mulholland Drive (2001)| Warmup Thread | Podcast

It was Fuhng who recommended I watch The Prestige, which quickly became a personal favourite of mine and is perfect for what I am working on, so I am trusting Fuhng with this one, too. I’ve never seen it.

Call #16 | 29-Apr-2018 | Psychedelic Drugs | Warmup Thread | Podcast

Apparently this is a ‘hot topic’, based on feedback from previous calls. In a way, I’m surprised that I’m surprised…

Call #17 | 6-May-2018 | The Truman Show (1998) | Warmup Thread | Podcast

I for one can’t believe how little attention this film gets in the rest of the ACT realm. Time to do this masterpiece justice.

Call #18 | 13-May-2018 | Money & Banking | Warmup Thread | Podcast

Hando generated much enthusiasm with his suggestion, so I am hoping the extended notice will allow him to set aside some time for us.

Call #19 | 20-May-2018 | 1984 by George Orwell | Warmup Thread | Podcast

A classic. A prerequisite. A required reading. The film does not and cannot come close.

Call #20 | 27-May-2018 | The Prestige (2006) | Warmup Thread | Podcast

David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, technology as ‘magic’. Need I say more?

Call #21 | 3-Jun-2018 | Aleister Crowley & Magick | Warmup Thread | Podcast

totes scary and taboo and teh evilz and stuff

Call #22 | 10-Jun-2018 | Fakeologist | Warmup Thread | Podcast

I truly hope that Tim will join us for this one. He is into the numbers so I saved 22 just for him 🙂

Call #23 | 17-Jun-2018 | The Number 23 (2007) | Warmup Thread | Podcast

I know that some of you genuinely fear that you may be ‘losing your mind’. But what does it mean to be ‘sane’?

Call #24 | 24-Jun-2018 | The Sync Books | Warmup Thread | Podcast

If you have not purchased at least the first edition, the time is now. These are more than mere books.

Call #25 | 1-Jul-2018 | Jan Irvin of Gnostic Media | Warmup Thread | Podcast

None of us are perfect. Especially this guy. But his work got me into the ‘trivium’ back in the day and for that I remain thankful.

Call #26 | 8-Jul-2018 | Gematria & Language | Warmup Thread | Podcast

Perhaps I will extend an olive branch to my old buddy Zachary K Hubbard…

Coming soon

Call #27 | 15-Jul-2018 | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | Warmup Thread

See Call #19.

Call #28 | 22-Jul-2018 | Stories, Meaning & Purpose | Warmup Thread

Excellent suggestion from Russell: An open session for discussing the way we view ourselves and the world around us.

Call #29 | 29-Jul-2018 | Jay Dyer of Jay’s Analysis | Warmup Thread

Member Skype #10 was a fair primer, but this fellow deserves a full and proper analysis.

Call #30 | 5-Aug-2018 | The Library of Babel by Jorge Lois Borges | Warmup Thread

Very short story, anybody could read and review it in a couple of hours.

Call #31 | 12-Aug-2018 | The Thirteenth Floor (1999) | Warmup Thread

Let’s take a roadtrip out to Tucson.

Call #32 | 19-Aug-2018 | Existentialism & ‘Death’ | Warmup Thread

Suggested by Dante from New York. Why did I put inverted commas around ‘death’? Good question.


I’m open to moving certain topics around, but a few of them are set in stone due to the numbers…

Summary:

Movies (5): Mulholland Drive; The Truman Show; The Prestige; The Number 23; The Thirteenth Floor

Books (4): 1984; The Sync Books; Brave New World; The Library of Babel

Platforms/Personalities (3): Fakeologist; Jan Irvin; Jay Dyer

I plan to invite all three (Tim, Jan, Jay) to join us for their respective calls. I don’t expect to hear back from Jay, and who knows what to expect with Jan?

Other (7): The Weird and Whacky; Psychedelic Drugs; Money & Banking; Aleister Crowley & Magick; Gematria & Language; Stories, Meaning & Purpose; Existentialism & ‘Death’.

Note 1 – Topic Leaders

Anybody may volunteer to lead any of the topics.

This entails preparing some introductory remarks, and a few questions for discussion.

Ideally, those who lead each call will also be happy to moderate the flow of conversation, which is actually very easy in these calls because the participants are the cream of the crop of the ACT realm (in my humble opinion) and actually want to be here (as opposed to certain other platforms, which seem to serve merely as pastimes for bored and lonely people).

I have already claimed weeks 17, 19, and 21 for myself. I will be leading those discussions. Every other week/topic is up for grabs.

The more people who volunteer to lead a call, the better. Both Russell and Fuhng have already stepped up to the plate and done outstanding jobs. You don’t need hundreds of podcasts worth of experience to lead a call 😉

Seriously, you will have fun, and it will give you something to look forward to and build upon. I hope that every member who has already participated in a previous call will volunteer to lead at least one of the calls in this block. Naturally I will be happy to lead any/all calls which are not claimed by others.

Note 2 – Call Times

Primary call times as at April 2018. Other arrangements can be made.

Those who cannot make it to the usual call time can contact me to make other arrangements for that week. I will be more than happy to set aside my Sunday night (Sunday morning Europe time) so long as I am given advance notice. I can even make other arrangements midweek if necessary — especially for those of you in Europe. I can then add the second call to the first in the final mp3 release, or publish them separately (i.e. Part A and Part B), depending on which format works best for that particular call.


Production notes: Released to the public from the outset (i.e. 10-Apr-2018). Updated Warmup and Podcast links 4-Jun-2018.


 

12 thoughts on “Member Skype Calls: Proposed Topic Schedule

  • 11-April-2018 at 3:23 am
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    great to see this! gets me all shivery with excitement! XD

    and i really like the Warmup thread idea, too!

    • 11-April-2018 at 3:04 pm
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      Will you be volunteering to lead a call or two?

      Regaridng the Warmup threads, from time to time I attend a discussion group at the main library in Brisbane. Basically a bunch of random people who get together once per week to chat about and/or debate a topic which is determined and advised ahead of time. They utilise a forum facility similar to the Warmup threads and not only do these online conversations often surpass the ‘real life’ ones in terms of depth of communication, but they allow people to come along to the ‘real life’ meetings with a solid idea of what to expect to be discussed. It is my hope that the Warmup threads will prove to be of similar utility.

      • 11-April-2018 at 11:15 pm
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        sure – sign me up for Mulholland Drive – if you think there’s more for me to do, i’m happy to do so.

        • 12-April-2018 at 2:15 am
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          uh, i hate to hafta say this, but the 22nd of April (actually, that week as well as the next, the 29th) won’t work for me. sorry, something just came up!

          • 12-April-2018 at 10:31 am
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            All good. Every topic will also have a corresponding ‘Warmup’ thread for discussion before (and after) the call, so even when people can’t make it along to the call itself, they can still contribute to the conversation.

  • 11-April-2018 at 3:51 pm
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    Cool, lets do it!
    I have marked down 13. May on my calendar and will be prapare some good stuff for you guys 😉

    • 11-April-2018 at 4:00 pm
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      Excellent. Tim has also let me know that he intends to be there for Call #22. Now I need to see if I can get Jay and Jan to do likewise, and encourage a few of the other members of this site to lead a call or two. I’m working on it!

    • 27-April-2018 at 6:30 am
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      Looking forward to the subject Hando, please put some juicy tidbits in the warmup thread as I am not able to make the call time but would like to be able to drop in a question for you to give your opinion on so I can listen back on the replay. regards Russell

  • 15-April-2018 at 9:26 pm
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    I’m willing to lead a call or two. I will make sure to come prepared with notes so I can keep the rambling/tangents to a minimum.

    I’d be open to any of the mimd-altering substances/psychedelic drugs, books/movies or personalities in the ACT realm. Ideally, it would take place Sunday evening Brisbane time as we are usually in bed 12 PM Brisbane (10 PM EST) so if it was at the normal time, we’d have to start recording no later than 10 AM Brisbane.

    I think one of the problems we’re having on the calls when it comes to the “open discussion” portion is that we either all talk at once or nobody talks. I think the round table format is best as nobody feels as though they are monopolizing the time. You can choose a member to lead the round table portion if you want to mix it up and bring in different perspectives.

  • 27-April-2018 at 6:25 am
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    Due to the nature of a business venture requiring me to attend events on Sundays I am having to miss out on quite a few of the calls which is disappointing as there are great subjects put forward.

    My calendar for the year hasn’t been worked out completely yet, but it will be increasingly more difficult for me to attend a Sunday morning session so if there is any consideration for a Sunday evening ” Australian time” or alternative session that would be good.

    I am particularly interested in call 18 which unfortunately coincides with an event I have to attend so I will look forward to what Hando has to say on the replay.

    Call 32 Existentialism & ‘Death,
    call 31 12-Aug-2018 | The Thirteenth Floor this movie I watched on a recommendation from this site.
    call 28 22-Jul-2018 | Stories, Meaning & Purpose,
    call 27 15-Jul-2018 | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley,
    call 23 17-Jun-2018 | The Number 23 , call 21 3-Jun-2018 | Aleister Crowley & Magick ,

    These are my pick for topics that would be good to show up on.The idea of a warm up thread is great JLB I will look forward to be part of the discution of the content there if I cannot get to the call.

    • 27-April-2018 at 10:44 am
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      Let me know if you are available later in the day for any of those calls and I will be more than happy to set aside time to record a ‘part 2’.

      Also, if you leave your questions or comments in the Warmup thread prior to the call, I will be more than happy to read them out as part of the call.

      The more interactive and inclusive these calls, the better. Those who can’t make it to the call can still definitely be a part of it.

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