Greetings and salutations!

Welcome to the maiden blog post of "University in the Pub". Hopefully this will emerge as being the one-stop shop for all news and post-mortems pertaining to our chaotic, pseudo-monthly gatherings.

For the newbies, here's a potted intro to the concept: Imagine a university lecture in an interactive television chat-show format blended with a humorous hypothetical or two, and it shall be so… “University in the Pub” consists of informal discussions in this style, exploring the trenchant ethical and social issues of the Information Age that we currently live in. Join John Lenarcic of the RMIT School of Business Information Technology and his special guests as they make you believe that learning can be fun! The cosy venue for these gatherings is the Stork Hotel at 504 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (www.storkhotel.com). And here is what you have missed out on, as cobbled together from past flyers...

Business, Love and Text: Are SMS and E-mail the new natural languages of the 21st century? (March 2004) - SMS and e-mail have changed the rules of dating. What are the consequences for courtship in the era of the digital pickup line? Explore how language and technology has changed the mating ritual. The stellar line-up of guests included games designer/filmmaker/writer/new media commentator Mark Angeli (http://www.smh.com.au/news/livewire/game-for-anything/2005/10/12/1128796533283.html), philosopher/actor/writer/media personality Dr Patricia Petersen ( http://www.newtowntheatre.com.au/PDF_Files/Cup_Of_Tea.pdf) and RMIT mobile phone researcher Christine Satchell (http://www.ucd.smartinternet.com.au/satchell.html).

The Serendipity Machine: John Lenarcic in conversation with Professor David Green (May 2004) - Complexity and chaos reign supreme in the natural world. More often than not they add to the burden of our lives but sometimes these phenomena allow us to make unexpected discoveries almost by chance rather than design. The modern computer is a prime example of such a serendipity machine. What do handbags, platypuses and traffic congestion have in common with information technology? How does nature inspire the computer scientist? Explore the connections linking computers, complexity and life as John Lenarcic chats with Monash University’s Professor David Green (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~dgreen/), the author of “The Serendipity Machine” (Allen & Unwin, 2004).

Keanu meets Descartes: Can the Matrix change your life? (June 2004) - What is the Matrix? Certainly more than just Keanu looking cool and a multiplicity of Hugo’s engaged in martial arts levitation. Decipher some seriously deep sub-text from the blockbuster trilogy in this gathering. Can Hollywood help us discover the philosophical meaning of life in its own inimitably oblique way? Special guest was diehard postmodernist philosopher and zen academic Dr Robert Miller (RMIT: http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=i9bklxtgd7qo;STATUS=A?QRY=robert%20miller&STYPE=ENTIRE).

Philosophy: an Enchanting Metaphor in Art Practice? (July 2004) - Philosophy, as a love of wisdom, invites us to look critically at what we know. Art brings this same function to society, with the lucid artist aware of his or her own ironic stance. It is this double critical position that upsets the artist/philosopher's attachment to any truths in the world whilst allowing for an aesthetic situation. And the outcome? An attitude that is surprisingly positive. Special guests were artist and educator Mark Friedlander and Dr Robert Miller (RMIT).

From the Bayeaux Tapestry to the Amazing Spider Man and beyond: Comics are Literature and an Information Technology!! (September 2004) - Hollywood currently loves them as a source of creative inspiration and both the French and Japanese revere their creators, yet most would deem them to be at the shallow end of the artistic pool. As an ancient form of information technology, their style continues to infuse the multimedia creations of today. Yet, “Comic Book” is still a derogatory cultural term with the general public largely unaware of the present renaissance of the graphic novel. Be awakened in this discussion to the brave new world of comics around us, adult in complexity as well as content. Special guest was Dr Neil Levy (Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne: http://www.philosophy.unimelb.edu.au/cappe/staffandvisitors/levy.php).

Everything old is new again! Originality in Philosophy (October 2004) - Is there room for true innovation in contemporary philosophy, or is everything merely a footnote to ancient history? Does philosophy have a future or is it a discipline forever relegated to regurgitating the past? The Plato of the 21st century is welcome to reply… Special guest was Dr Robert Miller (RMIT).

Weeds in the Garden of Words: Does language influence the way we think? (November 2004) - Please do not read this sentence. Whoa! Made you think! The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in linguistics implies that the words we use could determine our view of the world. Explore the mysteries of language in our daily lives with John Lenarcic in conversation with Professor Kate Burridge (School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ling/staff/burridge/).

The Deity and the Machine: Religion and Information Technology (December 2004) - Organised religion has a lot to say about stem-cell research and human cloning but is tight-lipped about the impact of information technology on society. Has technology itself become a new kind of religion that shapes our beliefs? What do the clergy really think about this or do they have no opinion as yet? Special guest was Dr Philip Hughes (Christian Research Association: http://www.cra.org.au/pages/00000232.cgi).

Humour Management: Meditations on the ontology of a joke (January 2005) - Why does humour exist...and what makes a joke funny? John Lenarcic and guests engaged in a raucously profound evening of stand-up philosophy.

Love: Relationships in the age of the Internet (February 2005) - Does biology still reign supreme in the courtship stakes or has the spectre of the Internet dating taken the emotion out of the Love game?

Play: Musings on the meaning of toys and games (March 2005) - Suppression of our playful nature as adults could be detrimental to our creative being. Wander through a cultural history of toys and games and develop an empowering theory of recreation in the process… Extra special guest was ludologist par excellence James Mackay-Scollay of "Card Heaven". (Check out the paper on trading card games that James and I co-authored: http://www.swin.edu.au/sbs/ajets/journal/issue5-V3N2/abstract_lenarcic.htm)

Evolutionary Information Technology: Deconstructing the cult of Darwinian belief (April 2005) - Why does Charles Darwin’s theory still incite passionate debate? Explore the controversial landscape of evolution in an evening of light-hearted intellectual banter and zany exposition with RMIT academic John Lenarcic and special guest Dr Ian Macreadie (CSIRO: http://www.expertguide.com.au/!AdjunctProfessorIanMacreadie!_3549.aspx).

Beer, pretzels and Goethe! A poet’s view of science (May 2005) - Is the Pope German? He is now and so was the polymath Goethe (pronounced “gerta”). Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) is arguably the greatest poet, playwright, novelist and essayist in the German language. His “Sorrows of Young Werther” (1774) is considered by some to be the first cult novel, a forerunner to such later works as “Catcher in the Rye”, and his most famous play “Faust” was eventually turned into a rock opera by Randy Newman in 1995. But Goethe was also an amateur scientist, with interests in geology, botany, anatomy and optics, who challenged Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of colour. Explore how the artist within this Teutonic Shakespeare informed his approach to science in a fun evening of scholarly repartee as RMIT academic John Lenarcic engages in light-hearted conversation on the topic with Associate Professor John Armstrong (Department of Philosophy, University of Melbourne: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/07/1083881480964.html?from=storyrhs).

Brainstorming Consciousness (June 2005) - It’s the cult film of the moment on the Australian art-house cinema circuit: “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” (http://www.whatthebleep.com/). Bleep is a docudrama for the masses about spirituality, quantum mechanics and the human mind that you can either love or loathe, but can’t ignore. Join RMIT academic John Lenarcic and special guest Ron Laurie (SLAM Network: http://www.slam.net.au/) as they engage in playful discussion about the issues raised in this controversial movie dealing with the human psyche.

Music from the Movies: An evening with Christopher Gordon (June 2005) - Film music has the power to arouse the emotions of a cinema audience and heighten the impact of a story. In association with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, join RMIT academic John Lenarcic as he chats with award-winning screen composer Christopher Gordon (http://www.christophergordon.net). Gordon’s numerous credits include musical scores for television mini-series events (e.g. “Moby Dick”, “On the Beach” and “Salem’s Lot” ), motion pictures (e.g. “Master and Commander” ) and public spectacles (e.g. the opening ceremony of the 2003 Rugby World Cup). The evening’s discussion will explore the narrative influence, aesthetic appeal and overall mystique of the cinema soundtrack.

Hypomania: Extreme Emotional Intelligence or Craziness for the Greater Good? (July 2005) - Hypomania is said to be a genetically based form of mild mania that endows many of us with energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and a propensity for taking risks. America has an extraordinarily high number of hypomanic over-achievers according to a recent book devoted to the topic (http://www.hypomanicedge.com/). Join RMIT lecturer John Lenarcic in conversation with John Batros of Eudaemonia Human Resource Consultants / Swinburne University of Technology (http://www.swin.edu.au/agse/staff/docs/batros.htm) as they examine the link between exuberance and success.

Einstein from A to Z: The Scientific Idol in Popular Culture (August 2005) - Albert Einstein is arguably the most famous scientist of all time - an idiosyncratic character who developed the theory of relativity and became an iconic genius on the global stage. The fact that Einstein has become synonymous with brilliance is indicative of his power as a marketing phenomenon. RMIT lecturer John Lenarcic will lead a discussion on the nature of intellectual celebrity by deconstructing the complex mix of eccentric quirks and academic insight that made Einstein the legend that he is today. (This was an umbrella event of the 2005 Melbourne Writer’s Festival, an official 2005 National Science Week event as well as an Einstein International Year of Physics 2005 event.) Special guests were James Mackay-Scollay and Con Stavros (RMIT: http://www.constavros.com/).

Blink! What is Intuition? (September 2005) - Malcolm Gladwell’s new book “Blink” (http://www.gladwell.com/blink/) explores the faculty of thinking without thinking commonly called intuition. Follow your instincts and join RMIT lecturer John Lenarcic and special guest James Mackay-Scollay in a relaxed evening of academic chitchat on serendipity in problem solving and other sundry matters dealing with human insight.

Free Will and the Paradox of Choice (October 2005) - Free will is defined as the human ability of making choices that are unconstrained by external factors. But is it an illusion? Information overload often makes too much variety a headache for some. Join RMIT academic John Lenarcic and special guest James Mackay-Scollay as they ponder the irony of preference in a discussion on the mysteries of decision-making.

The Magician: An Evening with Scott Ryan (November 2005) - John Lenarcic in conversation with actor, writer, director and ex-RMIT student Scott Ryan, as they chat about his modern cult-classic “The Magician” (http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1469585.htm), independent filmmaking, cinematic hitmen and other sundry matters.

Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter (November 2005) - Sophisticated TV dramas with complex plots such as "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under" are touted as boosting the intelligence of viewers. Can watching television and playing computer games raise your IQ score? Author Steven Johnson ( http://www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/) thinks so in his new book "Everything Bad Is Good for You". RMIT academic John Lenarcic and special guest James Mackay-Scollay debated the therapeutic nature of pop culture.

Whew!....I'm exhausted!

Next week - on Wednesday December 7th - the Stork Hotel hosts the final in the 2005 series of "University in the Pub" events: Emergence: Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Join John Lenarcic as he teases out the mysteries of complex systems in a light-hearted, chaotic conversation with Dr David Batten (CSIRO: http://www.complexsystems.net.au/index.php?page=profiles&profile=10 )