This Week: Friday Night Club Social on Ice! Happy Hour and Maine Mariners Hockey Game (No lunch Meeting)
Lace 'em up! Under the leadership of Jake Bourdeau, we'll be kicking off what finally feels like winter with an ice skate, happy hour and Mariner's hockey game this Friday January 19th. We have well over 40 reserved tickets so far, and can take about 20 more, so sign up quick!
4:15pm-5:15pm Ice skate and pond hockey pregame on the Cross Insurance Arena ice before the game (1/2 ice pond hockey, and 1/2 ice warm ups and open skate is the current plan, but TBD). Doors likely open around 3:55, and we need to be out around 5:30 so they can clear the venue. (Enter lower west door on Spring Street below Will Call entrance and right [east] of their parking garage)
Please let Jake know in advance if you need a hockey stick, so we can have one available for you. Jake Bourdeau Email, or text him at 207-232-9482.
5:30p-6:45p Happy Hour - Stars and Stripes Brewery
Located at 3 Spring Street, only a block away from our pre-game skating session. We have an area set aside, and Jake will start with a couple pizzas. They have Vy BonMi food truck working out of their kitchen, and so check them out, and possibly pre-order on the way if you want some tasty viddles.
7:15pm Maine Mariners vs Reading Royals
Bring your flannel and cowboy boots as it is Country Night! A denim koozie may be in your future. Mariners will provide us part of Section F (mid-ice) for us to sit. If you sent Jake your name and the number of tickets (and paid for them), the tickets will be at Will Call before the game.
Pricing as follows:
$32 a ticket with pre-game ICE TIME
$22 a ticket (with no skate)
Venmo: @Jacob-Bourdeau-2
Paypal: Jacob Bourdeau@JBourdeau
Jake, showing his recommended choice of flannel. Nice!
Last Week's Speaker: Rich Brooks - Embracing the Future: Rich Brooks Sheds Light on AI | by David Patterson
Last Friday, we were honored to host Rich Brooks, a distinguished expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies, at our club. His enlightening presentation centered around the capabilities of AI technologies like ChatGPT and PI, offering us a glimpse into a future where these tools reshape our approach to business and creativity.
Rich began by demystifying AI, highlighting its current capabilities and potential. He focused on ChatGPT and PI, two revolutionary AI technologies rapidly gaining prominence. ChatGPT, renowned for its natural language processing abilities, can simulate human-like conversations, making it a valuable tool for a range of applications from customer service to creative writing. PI, on the other hand, responds to a user’s voice through an app on your smartphone.
In a captivating live demonstration, Brooks showcased several features of these AI tools. The audience witnessed firsthand how ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) could effortlessly generate coherent and contextually relevant text. These demonstrations were not just informative but also served as a testament to the practical utility of AI as Rick used one program to generate his speech to the club as he was giving it!
The presentation transitioned into an interactive Q&A session, where club members posed insightful questions about AI's impact, particularly concerning the arts. The dialogue was rich and engaging, with members expressing both curiosity and concern about how AI might influence artistic creation and intellectual property.
Rich addressed these concerns as best he could, emphasizing the importance of understanding AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. He highlighted that while AI can assist in the creative process, the essence of art – its soul and emotional depth – remains uniquely human.
Brooks then shifted the focus to the practical implications of AI in business. He illustrated how AI tools like ChatGPT and PI could enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and foster innovation.
Brooks encouraged us to view AI as a collaborative partner that augments human capabilities rather than a replacement. He reiterated the need for a balanced approach, where we harness the benefits of AI while being mindful of its implications.
The insights shared by Rich Brooks at our meeting are not just relevant for our understanding of AI but also helpful in shaping how we, as a community, approach this technology in the future.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rich for his enlightening presentation and to all our members who actively participated in the discussion. Let us continue to explore, question, and understand these technological advancements, ensuring that as we move forward, we do so with the intent of benefiting not just our businesses but our society as a whole.
Photo: Justin Lamontagne, Rich Brooks, and Dick Hall.
Bits and Pieces |by Zach Newell
Words of Wisdom: Larry Gross provided words of wisdom for the day. Larry made a humorous statement about resolutions for the New Year, summarizing that we should ‘do what we don’t like.’ (Photo)
Because I’m Happy: President Dick Hall kicked off happy dollars by showing gratitude for being able to spend time in Minnesota with his grandkids who are 6 and 3. Nicki Curtis was happy to be able to spend time in Florida for the first time. Jan Chapman expressed happiness at having a compelling candidate for the youth exchange program. Jan young was happy to see her son.
Guests: Niki Curtis introduced guests. Abby Bridgers, prospective member; new member Laura Green Rothermel, Chris Rothermel, Sarah Marvel and Julia Mehlman were among the guests. A Winning Pot?: Gerry Angier ran the raffle for a chance to win $160. Dick Hall won the chance to pull the Queen of Hearts. No luck, Dick. Big D pulled the 10 of Hearts.
Welcome New Members: Nannette Duncanson’s welcomed her friend Laura Green Rothermel, with CRLG Enterprise & Afflilated Companies, a Rotary legacy member, and a passionate designer with a new approach to culture. In her words, she is a "design designer", an artist with high creativity and passion.This past September she and her partner in life and work, sculptor Chris Rothermel, opened the Necesse Est Storefront in the Old Port, a public living room of sorts to host cultural events as well as a place to feature local artists. The store will both host and hold Master Classes in Design, Style Setting, Fine Art Finishing, Sculpture & Product Demonstrations as well as socially interesting takes on our current culture.
Next, Niki Curtis introduced Cort Hepler. Cort is originally from East Corinth, a graduate of the University of Maine, where he studied Financial Economics. After school he lived in South America, and then several years in Boston, where he served as President of the Downtown Boston Rotary Club. Currently, Cort serves as Head of Marketing for Alacrita, a life science consulting firm with offices in London and Boston. He’s a passionate volunteer at Portland Adult Education, an amateur mechanic and a lover of the outdoors, where you can frequently find him hiking, biking or skiing.
Photos: Left - Laura and Nanette, Right, Niki and Cort. Welcome to Portland Rotary!
Survey Says: District 7780 is beginning planning for the 2024 Recovery Conference to be held in the Fall. This event has proven to be informative and helpful as the district continues to address substance use disorder. In an effort to obtain ideas and feedback from Rotarians, the district is asking club members to complete a survey. You can access the survey with this LINK - Click Here.
Rotary Youth Exchange: Jan Chapman announced that we have a compelling candidate applying to be an exchange student. Our club will sponsor a student and we are looking for three (3) host families to host/support a student for three months. There is some financial support from the Rotary Club to help families with responsibilities. (Photo)
Mental Health: President Dick Followed announcements with a video from president of Rotary International, Gordon McInally. McInally talked about the importance of Rotary Clubs supporting mental health through initiatives like asking members, “How are you really?” McInally preached the importance of clubs helping to provide more resilience to all of life’s challenges by reinforcing the power of personal connections. McInally underscored the importance of the lifesaving impact of treatment and care that our clubs can provide by creating connections. Our clubs and communities create hope in the world.
Mid-Year, Rotary Action Brunch: Dick reminded the club that the Mid-Year, "Rotary Action Brunch" will take place from 11:00am – 1:00pm on Sunday, January 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport, Maine. The brunch will continue to explore themes around supporting mental health initiatives as addressed in the video by Rotary International President, Gordon McInally. The cost for the brunch: $35.00 Rotarians and guests. (Photo)
Where've You Been? The team is back and looking forward to sharing the story of their work in the Dominican Republic.
NEW MEMBER NOTIFICATIONS:
If any Portland Rotarian would like to offer a comment on a proposal, please send it to our Club President, dickhall7780@gmail.com. It will be shared with the Board of Directors prior to a vote on the application.
Speaker Schedule
January 26 -Mark Lee, Harriman Architects -$60Million Portland School Renovate
February 2 - Wiley Muller, Lift All Boats
February 9 - Michael Ziegler, Portland Conservatory of Music
Thurs Feb 15 - Club Visioning Workshop (Long Range Planning) 4:30p-8p
February 16 - No Meeting - Please attend the Visionary Meeting :)
Club Executives President Dick Hall President Elect Patty Byers Vice President John Thompson TreasurerDick Hall Secretary Tom Nickerson Board of Directors Bruce Jones,
Ben Millick, Quinn Slayton, Zachary Newell,
David Ertz, Maggie McGauley Sergeant-At-ArmsJake Bourdeau
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
Contributing Editors Jake Bourdeau, Erik Jorgensen,
Julie L’Heureux, Ben Lowry,
Zach Newell, Bruce Moore,
Tom Nickerson, Dave Patterson,
Tom Talbott, Laura Young
Program Chair Justin Lamontagne Managing Editor Tom Talbott
7:15pm Maine Mariners vs Reading Royals
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