Technology   

In the years following the end of World War II, American aviation benefited from the infrastructure created by the needs of the military services. General aviation experienced a rapid growth of light aircraft production and operations. The airline industry benefited from a worldwide network of airports and trained personnel. The military embraced the performance of jet engines and the concept of long-range strategic airpower. This was a period of peaceful uses of aviation, with personal participation by the instructor.

A scintillating review of current themes in the media will be discussed in each class. Class members present a topic, discuss it, then open the floor for discussion and debate. Poetry, literature, scientific discovery, and educational progress are examples of the issues addressed. Special guests are welcome to present.

Writing was invented about 5,500 years ago. Not long after it probably occurred to people that they would want to keep some things they wrote private. From then until now – from teenager's diaries, to personal financial data and medical records, to national defense secrets – there has been an 'arms race' between those who want to keep secrets and those who want to steal them. This class explores that history from wax tablets in the Classical era to sophisticated computers in the 21st century.

This class will introduce you to basic foundational skills in establishing a composition for a photo, using the rule of thirds, and considering the values in a photo. This content will be followed by an introduction to the many photo editing tools available on an iPhone and how to use them with the photos you have taken. If you have taken this course previously, you are welcome to take it as a refresher.

We will continue to explore the new developments in medicine and biotechnology and how they impact our health and well-being.

We will explore social changes and how people choose to adapt to or resist them. Potential topics for discussion include the changing landscape of gender identity, attitudes about social welfare programs, and right-to-die movements. We may also discuss advances in technologies such as self-driving cars and chatty artificial intelligences and what these mean for our lives going forward. Do these disruptions threaten to dissolve or perhaps expand our conception of what it means to be human?

This class will cover a brief history of OLLI sponsor California Water Service, its service areas, and the customers it serves. You'll learn how the water people drink is produced, and how it is sampled on a routine basis. We'll dive into how a water main is installed and tested and how it becomes part of our larger water distribution systems. We'll also talk about investing in infrastructure and Cal Water's Water Main Replacement Program.