RoR: Forum

Post 0

Tuesday, May 6 - 4:06pm

Link

Edit

Summer Seminar Early Registration Deadline May 12

This year The Atlas Society will hold its 19th annual Summer Seminar on "Objectivism in Theory and Practice" in beautiful Portland, Oregon from June 28 through July 5. You can save money on full week registrations if you sign up by Monday, May 12.

This year's event will be held at the University Place Hotel and Conference Center at Portland State University. This venue offers upscale accommodations for those who want physical comfort along with their intellectual stimulation; hey, we don't accept any mind-body dichotomy! For those on a budget, we offer basic rooms in the university dorms nearby.

But no matter where you stay, you'll find the Summer Seminar an event where people from around the country and the world gather to celebrate ideas, friendships, and Objectivist philosophy.

You'll hear over 30 speakers in some 50 sessions. Here are a few of the talks:

In philosophy, Alexander Cohen will offer a six-part series on "Objectivism in Overview," the ever- entertaining Fred Seddon will give us a three-part meditation on "Descartes's Meditations," and Shawn Klein will ask a provocative question in a two- part talk "Did You Bullshit Today?"

In politics and culture you'll want to hear former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr explain "Privacy in Objectivism & the Bill of Rights," industry expert Rob Bradley discuss "Energy: The Master Resource," The Atlas Society's Edward Hudgins outline "The New Atheism & Objectivist Opportunities," find out The New Individualist editor Robert Bidinotto's answer to the question, "Who is the 'New Individualist?'," and watch Linda Abrams' out-of-this-world discussion of "Private Space Ventures & Adventures."

In art, painter Michael Newberry in his talk "Figure the Future" will discuss the nude in art, and the always- popular and profound Stephen Hicks will give us two parts on "Capitalism & Art in Contemporary America."

In applied Objectivism our organization's founder David Kelley will offer a three-part series on "Counterfeit Reason," Christopher Robinson will give us a two-part discussion that should boost our optimism on "Elpis: Why Hope Was in Pandora's Box," and Walter Foddis and Arena Mueller will conduct a two-part workshop on "Constructing Self- Esteem from the Ground Up."

These are just some of the talks you will hear at this year's event. You can check out the full schedule at our events website.
And, as always, we will have a friendly social scene where you can fraternize late into the night over your favorite beverages with other Objectivists and fellow- travelers.

You can find the various registration options on The Atlas Society website. Act by May 12 and save!

We all need intellectual and emotional fuel and the experience of a benevolent world as it can be and ought to be. That is what you'll find at the 19th annual Summer Seminar.

Hope to see you there!

Post 1

Friday, May 9 - 11:47am

Link

Edit

Monday, May 12 Deadline for Summer Seminar Discounts

The Monday, May 12 deadline is approaching for discounts on full-week registrations for The Atlas Society's 19th annual Summer Seminar on "Objectivism in Theory and Practice" in beautiful Portland, Oregon from June 28 through July 5. You can still register at least through June 16 but can save money by registering now.

Here are some more of the over 30 speakers in some 50 sessions that you'll hear:

In philosophy, The Atlas Society's William Thomas, who organized this Summer Seminar, will discuss "Government & Anarchy" and will ask "Is a Limited Government a Small Government?"; William Kline, a big hit last year with his course on business ethics and Objectivism, this year offers three parts on "Environmental Ethics;" and New Individualist editor Robert Bidinotto discusses "Platonic Politics."

In politics and culture Vickie Oddino will reveal the truth about "Group Identity on College Campuses;" Edward Hudgins explains "Individualism and the Quest for Community;" Stephen Moses gives us two parts on "Rolling Back the Welfare State;" Sam Kazman of the Competitive Enterprise Institute will alert us to "The FDA's Deadly Overcaution;" and Michael Shaw will raise our consciousness about the danger of "Transforming America: Understanding Sustainable Development."

In art, Susan McCloskey gives us two parts on "The Root of All Evil" with reference to Ayn Rand's novels, and Lindsay Wilcox will explain "What Makes Heroic Sculpture Heroic."

In applied Objectivism, Rob Bradley, who worked for over a decade and a half for Enron, will reflect on "Ayn Rand, Enron, and Reconstruction of Business Ethics;" Joe Duarte will gladden our minds and hearts in "Flourishing: The New and Evolving Science of Happiness;" and Jackie Hazelton will give us very timely "Thoughts on Voting."

You can check out the full schedule at our events website.

And don't forget: This year's event at the University Place Hotel and Conference Center at Portland State University will offer upscale accommodations for those who want physical comfort. But we'll still offer basic rooms in the nearby university dorms if you'd rather save your money for other priorities--like purchasing products from our Objectivism Store!

At the Summer Seminar you will find as always a benevolent gathering of like-minded and open- minded individuals with whom to share ideas, enjoy friendships and celebrate life--the true Galt's Gulch experience!

You can find the various registration options on The Atlas Society website. Act by May 12 and save!

Hope to see you there!

Post 2

Sunday, May 11 - 9:10am

Link

Edit

None of your links work. They are all bogus. It's bad enough when people use these 'tracking' urls in emails but there is no excuse for using them in a website posting.

Post 3

Sunday, May 11 - 10:04am

Link

Edit

Rick,

I tried most of them, they all worked. Why are you concerned about "tracking" url's? I'm thinking you have your browser set to reject websites that try to set cookies but that doesn't mean the website is "bogus", it means you have made a personal choice to reject any website that uses certain tools built into the software to provide additional services besides just reading text.

Post 4

Sunday, May 11 - 10:18am

Link

Edit

When I click on the link I get a blank page.

I do not have my browser set to reject anything. I do, however, have javascript disabled. Javascript should be used to enhance a page; there is never any reason to require it. At the very bare minimum, if some clueless web programmer does require javascript he should detect when it is not available and then give an error message.

A totally blank page is totally unacceptable.

Post 5

Sunday, May 11 - 10:41am

Link

Edit

Rick,
I use Mozilla Firefox and it is very easy to enable and disable JavaScript. I disabled it and got the same result, a blank page. I agree, there should be an error message of some kind, like "JavaScript must be enabled to view this page". I suspect they will soon be aware of the problem and fix it. You might try enabling JavaScript temporarily in order to view the links.

Post 6

Sunday, May 11 - 12:51pm

Link

Edit

Pardon the hijack, but how come when my preferences say that javascript IS enabled, I often get an error message saying that it is not?

PS, I hear great things about Portland!

>sorry, hijack over<

Post 7

Sunday, May 11 - 2:29pm

Link

Edit

Ted writes:

> how come when my preferences say that javascript IS enabled, I often get an error message saying that it is not?

Ted:

Is it possible you are confusing Java and Javascript. Although the names are similar, these are two different things.

If you are using Firefox, there is a plug-in called QuickJava that puts two small buttons on the lower status bar that allow you to quickly toggle either Java and/or Javascript on/off. It also gives you constant visual feedback to the current state of both. Some of you might find that useful.

A few other plug-ins that I find indispensable are:

CS Lite which easily allows you to control which sites are able to set cookies.

Adblock Plus along with Adblock Filterset.G Updater which block the huge majority of Ads from websites.

Flashblock which allows you to easily control which sites can/cannot run flash content automatically when you first visit them. You always have the option to manually run flash content on sites that are blocked by default. This quiets many visually noisy sites and speeds up browsing.

Regards,
--
Jeff

Post 8

Sunday, May 11 - 5:11pm

Link

Edit

I use Netscape, Jeff. I am pretty sure it does say javascript. But I'm not home, so I'll have to get back to you. Thanks.

Post 9

Monday, May 12 - 9:57am

Link

Edit

I use Internet Explorer, just checked all the links and they do work! They also work through my AOL account.

If worse comes to worse, just go to our website: http://www.objectivistcenter.org/

Or our Summer Seminar page: http://www.atlasevents.org/2008_summer_seminar.html

Or call 202-AYN-RAND (296-7263).

Post 10

Monday, May 12 - 12:56pm

Link

Edit

Deadline Today, May 12, for Summer Seminar Discounts!

Just a reminder that today, Monday, May 12 is the deadline for discounts on full-week registrations for The Atlas Society's 19th annual Summer Seminar on "Objectivism in Theory and Practice" in beautiful Portland, Oregon from June 28 through July 5. Tomorrow morning we'll be checking to see who has taken advantage of the savings that we offer on an intellectually stimulating and spiritually renewing week.

You can still register at least through June 16 but can save money by registering now.
You can check out the full schedule at our events website.

And don't forget: This year's event at the University Place Hotel and Conference Center at Portland State University will offer upscale accommodations for those who want physical comfort. But we'll still offer basic rooms in the nearby university dorms if you'd rather save money.

You can find the various registration options on The Atlas Society website. Act today and save!
Hope to see you there for the Galt's Gulch experience!

Post 11

Monday, May 12 - 5:26pm

Link

Edit

however, have javascript disabled. Javascript should be used to enhance a page; there is never any reason to require it. At the very bare minimum, if some clueless web programmer does require javascript he should detect when it is not available and then give an error message.

I am a professional software developer at a very large e-commerce website. We require Javascript for our site. There is no reason to turn off Javascript. That's a personal decision you are making and your web browsing experience will be greatly diminished because of this.

It is not possible to create a modern website without using Javascript. If you are concerned about safety there are other less draconian ways to achieve it.

Post 12

Tuesday, May 13 - 6:19am

Link

Edit

I find my internet experience greatly enhanced by disabling javascript. I turn it on for certain sites like Google Maps that depend on AJAX but most of the time javascript is not necessary and is used simply to create visual distractions, usually by serving ads. "Graceful degradation" is the key to a well designed web site.

There is no excuse for requiring javascript in order for a link to be useful.

Post 13

Tuesday, May 13 - 12:49pm

Link

Edit

Rick,

You might vary your expectations depending on whether the website is a commercial one (i.e.: Amazon) with an army of software engineers or a website that has a part time or perhaps even a volunteer website designer. I still think the problem with this specific website will be fixed as soon as the right person becomes aware of it.

Post 14

Tuesday, May 13 - 2:59pm

Link

Edit

You were right Jeff, it was Java, not Javascript.

I've started a new thread here in the RoRtechnology forum.