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With millions of users on AI companion apps everyday, and millions more pouring their heartfelt feelings into ChatGPT, people are engaging emotionally with AI. For some, they are convinced that this love is a two-way thing, even while admitting they know that it’s just a piece of software. So why are folks falling in love with a machine? And is it a problem if they do? This talk will explore the surprisingly long cultural history of the artificial companion and the ramifications of our science fiction becoming fact. Kate Devlin is Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Society at King’s College London where she leads the Digital Futures Institute. She is the author of Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots – a book that tells the story of technology and intimacy. Kate writes general audience pieces for a wide range of mainstream publications and regularly talks about AI and robots on podcasts and radio.

Join us at the Northern Lights Speakers is a non-profit, volunteer run public speaking club. Whether you are a beginner or experienced speaker, our club will provide you with valuable tips and techniques to improve your impromptu and rehearsed speaking skills. Our experienced Toastmasters will guide you through various exercises and give you feedback to help you think on your feet and speak confidently in any situation. The club is perfect for anyone looking to enhance their communication skills, boost their confidence, and overcome the fear of speaking in public. Why not come and see how your speaking abilities can be improved and network with like-minded individuals in a supportive and friendly environment. Contact: nlspeakers@gmail.com

Hello everyone, For our January meetup, we'll be holding our annual selection of a book not from The Guardian list. (In the past, we did this in December: but moving it to January means we can enjoy something different over the Christmas break). The category we've chosen for this year is SHORT STORIES, and the winner of the poll was * **Tenth of December by George Saunders.** Please note this is for the in-person event at The Packhorse and Talbot pub in Chiswick; please see the other event for the online Zoom option. You can find our Code of Conduct [here](https://www.meetup.com/1000-books/messages/boards/thread/53960819).

Dive into a transformative experience at our Monday Sanctuary event with Dean Kayum's guidance in London. Explore the depths of your being through a fusion of dance, movement, and meditation. This immersive session combines elements of 5Rhythms, ecstatic dance, and heart meditation to help you connect with your body and soul. Join us for a journey of self-exploration and wellness as we tap into the healing power of movement and exercise. Through the practice of conscious dancing and mindfulness, you will discover the profound mind-body connection and elevate your consciousness. Step into a space of spirituality and embrace a holistic approach to healing through movement. Don't miss this opportunity to rejuvenate your spirit and cultivate inner peace at Sunday Sanctuary. URC church, Pond Square, Highgate, London, N6 6BA,- Every Monday - 7.30 - 9.30 PM No need to book, Just Turn up and register at the door. Its a sliding Scale, £18/£15/£12, pay what you can, (cash or card) Feel free to message me with any Questions, Looking forward to seeing some of you there! Warm Wishes, Dean

**Monday Evening Chanting Circle \| 6:30–8:00pm** Start the week by unwinding your body and mind through voice and sound. This weekly chanting class is a relaxed, welcoming space to come together after work and reset through simple, shared vocal practice. We use a mix of: * Sanskrit mantras * Rainbow songs * Shamanic chants * Gentle voicework Chanting is a form of meditation that works through rhythm, breath, and repetition. You don’t need any musical experience and you don’t need to sing “well.” The voice is used as a natural tool for grounding and release, not performance. Practising regularly can help: * Settle the nervous system after a busy day * Quiet mental over-activity * Release tension held in the body * Improve breathing and vocal ease Chanting in a group makes the practice easier and more enjoyable. The shared sound helps people relax more quickly and feel supported, even if they’re new to using their voice. Over time, regular group chanting can build a sense of stability, clarity, and connection. Each session includes time to arrive, chant together, and rest in stillness at the end, so you leave feeling calmer and more centred than when you arrived. Come as you are. No experience needed. ======== FOR THE BEST PRICE 1\. PayPal \(friends and family option\) gayatrisgrace@hotmail.co.uk Add in - Chanting and the class date. 2\. BACS \(contact for details\) 3\. CASH on the night \- please message Gayatri 07505014729 to reserve place\. Note that if you can't come that you need to send a text message 24 hrs in advance or payment will still need to be made Pricing: £18 per class £14 for an Early Bird Ticket (save £4) - Finishes 3 days (72 hrs) before the class starts Om Shanti, Gayatri

IN PERSON STUDY & CONVERSATION GROUP - KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORDS. HOW IS IT ACHIEVED ? WITH TREVOR DANCE **Knowledge of the Higher Worlds is an essential book for understanding Rudolf Steiner’s ideas. It contains practical exercises to set one on the spiritual pathway advocated by Steiner – a reliable and safe path based on a rational, scientific approach.** **You are warmly invited to join the study group.** **Further information: trevordance@hotmail.com** This group is run under the auspices of the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain and small donations towards expenses are welcome. £ 3 / £2 .

New members drinks in Shoreditch. Starts at 8pm nearest station is Shoreditch High Street or Old Street. A great place to get to know members before we have a fleet or live events in October & November. We will meet outisde the venue before all heading in, if you have any questions or are struggling to find us, feel free to message the organiser Adam on +447730463675

**London's first multi-sensory aerial relaxation experience with live ambient music, gongs, aromatherapy and aerial hammocks. An Oasis of Calm in our Busy Lives.** # Aerial Relaxation Pods - Sound Journey Gong Bath Meditation in Hammocks ### **ABOUT AERIAL RELAXATION PODS™** London's first **multi-sensory aerial relaxation experience with a short guided meditation, live ambient music: gongs, crystal bowls, vocals, other live instruments and nurturing electronica, aromatherapy eye pillows and scents, sky-blue silky aerial hammocks** to soothe your stresses away and lift your spirit! **A very unique, next level sound journey experience!** *"An oasis of calm in our busy lives."* Londoners stressed out by their busy lives can now turn to Aerial Relaxation Pods™ to transform their tension to calm, and restore the body’s natural healing wisdom. ***(please confirm all dates / times / venue via eventbrite. Not all dates are correct on meetup!)*** **PLEASE NOTE:** Please book via eventbrite. There are very limited spaces, and no sales on the door. an RSVP here on meetup is not a ticket! **For more information and bookings:** [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aerial-relaxation-pods-sound-journey-gong-bath-meditation-in-hammocks-tickets-84883457707?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aerial-relaxation-pods-sound-journey-gong-bath-meditation-in-hammocks-tickets-84883457707?aff=oddtdtcreator) *“Our pods are here to help Londoners relax. As a former teacher myself, I am fully aware of just how busy and stressed a lot of people are. And most of us just don't find the time to unwind. Our **Aerial Relaxation Pods** are going to help you alleviate stress, providing time & space to allow your body to deeply rest, harmonising your nervous system. You’ll feel rejuvenated and refreshed after one session.” -* Seth Newman, co-founder of Aerial Relaxation Pods**™**.

• What we'll do -Play and socialisation for all types of Bulldogs. We are a friendly and inclusive group. From 11am-11.30am we will be at Adam's Pond, then at 11.30am we will walk the half mile from Adam's Pond at Sheen Gate to Beverley Brook at Roehampton Gate for the bulldogs to exercise and have a paddle in the brook. If you arrive after 11.30am please make your way down to the Brook to meet us. • What to bring -a collar & lead plus some water for your bulldogs (bulldogs can run free if they like to play but may need some time out if they get over excited). • Important to know -There is free parking in East Sheen Gate car park of Richmond Park which is 20 yards West inside Richmond Park at East Sheen Gate entrance. The Bulldog Meet Up is at Adams Pond, 20 yards east inside East Sheen Gate, and can be seen from East Sheen Gate entrance. There is also free parking on the roads outside the gate - Sheen Lane and Fife Road, London SW14 8BJ

Aerial Relaxation Pods… with Live Ambient Music! - London's Deep Relaxation Experience - Aerial Relaxation Pods - Lift Your Spirit Please watch our video to give you a taste of the experience: Our Aerial Relaxation Pods video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxlR9u44llw London's first multi-sensory, aerial relaxation experience with Live ambient music, aromatherapy and featuring our beautiful sky-blue silky Aerial Hammocks. "An oasis of calm in our busy lives." Two sessions per evening on Thursdays: IMPORTANT: Please note your space is only confirmed once booked through Eventbrite. 7:15-8:30pm book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/84883457707 8:45-10pm book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/84878729565 COST: 1 x ticket £17 (£18.92 inc ticket fee) Offer (limited availability) 2x tickets £28 (£30.77 inc ticket fee) "Words are inadequate to express the uniquely nurturing experience I had during your Aerial Relaxation Pod class... and the music was amazing! The feeling of being securely wrapped in a silk hammock from head to toe, suspended in the air, slowly rocking, with the crystal bowls and ambient music created a sublime and profound atmosphere. It was as if I was in a cocoon of total support, allowing peace to flow into my entire being." - Alison COVID SAFETY GUIDELINES & PREVENTION MEASURES: - If you are showing any symptoms, please do not attend. Any participant repeatedly coughing in the space will be asked to leave immediately. - You can wear a face-covering during the sessions if you choose to. - Please come already dressed in comfortable clothing ensuring your knees, armpits and torso are covered, and with a bag for your belongings. There are bathrooms at the venue but no changing rooms. - We will provide antibacterial wipes and hand sanitisers at the venue. Please wash your hands regularly and use the hand sanitiser supplied upon entering the venue. - All touch hotspots will be regularly cleaned with disinfectant between each session. - We ask that all participants keep at least 1m physical distance at all times. Any participant repeatedly breaching this distance will be asked to leave. - We will provide clean lavender eye pillows and covers will be changed between each session. You are welcome to bring your own eye pillow/ eye mask. - All hammocks will be disinfected with antibacterial spray between each session. - Blankets and cushions: we will provide separate sets for each session. You are welcome to bring your own blanket & cushion. - The venue has skylights that will be opened to allow more airflow in the space. PLEASE NOTE: 1) Strictly no latecomers! - Sorry, please arrive on time! Unfortunately, if you are more than 10 minutes late, you will not be allowed entry, (and there can be no refunds if you are more than 10 minutes late, very sorry!) as we need to make it a calm & peaceful space for people who are already here. 2) Please only arrive 5 minutes before the start of the session, as there is no waiting room. 3) No Refunds. No refunds are available as we need to have enough time to fill the space left. You are welcome to pass on your ticket to a friend, colleague or family member. 4) Clothing: Please wear a sleeved shirt that covers the armpits and leggings or yoga trousers that cover your knees. Wear form-fitting clothing. Please do not wear baggy clothing as they can snag and catch on the sling’s fabric causing accidents. Ensure that your clothing is "zipper free" and remove all jewellery (body piercings, watches and hair clips. These items can snag and damage the silk hammocks.

This week we'll look at the third chapter of [Science and Human Values](https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/students/envs_5110/bronowski_1956.pdf), by Jacob Bronowski. In this work Bronowski contends that science is not merely a technical method, but instead is grounded in the same philosophical principles which characterise an open society. These values include honesty, freedom, and tolerance of uncertainty and, he argues, abandoning them leads to intellectual and moral disaster. Please read the chapter before attending.

This cutting edge rom-com translates the familiar "love triangle" to the 2025 luxury driven NYC culture. Can our successful matchmaker find true love herself? Watch it and cast your opinion at the group discussion,

Bring your Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontroller, or any other electronic project and join fellow electronics makers for a night of creativity and collaboration! This session is open forum to share your current projects—whether complete or in progress, it’s all interesting! Whether you’re deep into embedded systems, exploring new ideas, or just getting started, you’ll find a welcoming space to collaborate, share, and get inspired. I've been hardware hacking a See N Say to make it say whatever I want - while the project is in progress still, it should be working by this meetup! I'll bring it for demo. [See N Say Project](https://github.com/cdeever/esp32-see-n-say) While we continue to pursue a more permanent venue for this Meetup, we’ll be using public library facilities based on availability. This session will be at the Worthington Park Library in the Olentangy Meeting Room.

2026 may be the last year many developers write code by hand. We need coding agents to solve complex problems in production codebases, but vibe coding alone won’t get us there. Vibe coding is all gas, no brakes. It burns up the context window until the agent slips on its own slop. You can go fast at first, but the more you stuff into the context window, the more tangled its outputs get. While the industry is rapidly increasing code generation speed, we still have to understand, review, merge, and maintain what gets shipped. This talk will outline how coding agents (Claude Code + Gas Town) work and a framework for orchestrating them to solve complicated problems in complex codebases. It’s about steering the model: doing the research to align intent, planning the approach up front, implementing in parallel steps, and breaking early. Human judgment still matters, but it should be spent on high-leverage decisions: what to build, what to forbid, and “what is quality?”, not cleaning up slop. Attendees will leave with a checklist to identify workflow and environment gaps that hold agents back, so you and your team can ship higher-quality software starting tomorrow.

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia

# **Band: The Pegheads; Caller: Liz Burkhart** Beginner lesson at 1:30, regular dancing begins at 2:00 pm NOTE THAT WE ARE TEMPORARILY DANCING IN THE AFTERNOON INSTEAD OF EVENING. Dance with us in the afternoon then you can still go out in the evening! **Sponsor: All Soles Contra and Square Dancing, First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., Columbus OH 43214** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 1:30 - 2:00, followed by dancing 2:00 - 430. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. Please bring your own refillable water bottle.