Scandinavian Languages

A weekly meetup for language lovers! Come practice new languages, meet great people, and enjoy a drink — whether it’s beer, tea, or coffee. Everyone’s welcome! 🤗 Main event platform is Facebook https://tinyurl.com/yc4d7aem (so more people coming!) Address - Aldaru Street 9, FOB Bar

Come to check out our hackerspace, talk to people and learn some new things, maybe use the tools for a short while, or just sit down with a laptop and do some work in a quiet place. Also a good time to sign up for a membership! We will have tea and coffee, likely also cookies. Come whenever from 19:00 till 22:00 - we might even be open until 24:00! If there's a problem (i.e. doors not open), call 28701072.

Join our sporty group for fun workout run in Riga! **What can you expect:** During the route (\~4km) there will be 6 locations with 2-3 exercises. It’s not a race. We are moving together as a group and everyone can choose their own challenging level (or rest instead of the exercise). The purpose is to have fun and engaging physical activity. **When and where:** We’ll start on Sunday (3rd of May) at 10:30 in front of the barricades on the Zakusala island. After the run, we can go for a drink and more chit-chat. We will be happy to see you with us!

Join Latvia DevOps & AI Communities' 31st event on May 5 at [Workland](https://wrkland.com/lv/locations/riga-telegraph). Doors open at 18:30, talks start at 19:00. ✨[Janis Rozenblats](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janisr/). Janis is a product leader with 17+ years in B2B SaaS, founded Mailigen (acquired by Pipedrive), scaled product at Pipedrive during its unicorn growth phase, and most recently built the product organization from zero at Aerones, a deep-tech robotics company in the wind energy space. He is passionate about AI-first product development and rethinking how product teams are structured in the age of AI dev tools. **Talk name:** *From Zero to AI-First: How We Reinvented Product Roles at a Deep-Tech Startup*. Most companies talk about adopting AI tools. Few talk honestly about what happens when you try to rewire an entire organization around them — the resistance, the role confusion, the wins, and the spectacular misfires. At Aerones, Janis built the product org from scratch for a company that maintains wind turbines with robots. Along the way, two new roles were introduced — Product Builder and Citizen Builder — designed to push AI-assisted development beyond the engineering team and into the hands of product managers and domain experts. This talk covers the full journey: why these roles were created, how the enablement program was structured, what tooling and workflows actually worked, where things went wrong, and what would be done differently. It is a practitioner’s story — no vendor pitches, no hype, just lessons from doing it in a complex, hardware-adjacent environment. You will walk away with a practical framework for thinking about AI-assisted development roles, and an honest picture of what organizational transformation actually looks like when the PowerPoint slides meet reality. ✨ [Māris Švirksts](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maris-svirksts/) Māris Svirksts is a Lead Systems Engineer at EPAM Systems with 15+ years of experience in tech, ranging from boutique hotel booking platforms to cloud infrastructure for global corporations, and occasionally explains to stakeholders why “just make it work” is not a technical specification. He speaks Latvian, English, and sometimes Bash. The AI writing this bio was made by one of his employers’ clients, which he finds either impressive or slightly unsettling. **Talk name:** *THE DARK FACTORY / From Loom-Smashing to Prompt Engineering*. From the Luddite riots against the power loom to today’s robotic production lines, every automation wave has fundamentally changed how work is organized — and the software industry is living through the next one. While tools like Cursor and Claude have already introduced AI-assisted coding and autonomous agents, an LLM-driven dark factory for the software development lifecycle takes this further, stringing together the full cycle of planning, development, testing, and delivery with minimal human intervention. We will also have a **Lightning Talk** by: [Vija Kalniņa](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vijakalnina) is a lead researcher on the Business AI Ethics research initiative based at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. She is affiliated with AI Master Lab, an AI consulting firm based in Latvia, and teaches AI ethics to different audiences, including judges and law students. She is a Hubert H. Humphrey (Fulbright) alumna at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business (2024/2025). She has 15 years of experience in the legal field across the public and private sectors, including her most recent role as a judge at the Court of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, where she worked with white-collar crime cases and commercial disputes. She holds a PhD in European Union Law, is a published author on EU Law, and a freelance interviewer for Latvia’s leading legal journal, Jurista Vārds. This lightning talk uses AI chatbot doom loops - situations in which users are trapped in repetitive, unresolvable interactions - as a lens for learning how to examine AI incidents. By focusing on these failure patterns, the talk highlights how harm can emerge when AI systems fail. I will use a real-world example - a U.S.-based online payment and financial technology provider that relies on AI-powered chatbots for client services, and the incidents it experienced - to illustrate how issues such as insufficient human oversight, poor escalation design, and model or system limitations can lead to reputational and financial harm for companies, as well as frustration, lost time, reduced access to services, or even financial consequences for clients. The goal is to spark discussion and help the audience strengthen their ability to recognize AI-related risks and negative consequences as they arise, because understanding AI incidents is a necessary first step toward preventing them.. This time, the event is sponsored by: * [EPAM ](https://www.epam.com/)as Event Sponsor EPAM is a global leader in AI transformation engineering and integrated consulting, helping Forbes Global 2000 companies and ambitious startups to become AI-native enterprises, driving measurable value from innovation and digital investments. We are proud to be recognized by Forbes, Glassdoor and Great Place to Work as a Most Loved Workplace around the world. Learn more at  [www.epam.com](https://www.epam.com/) and follow us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/epam-systems/). * [Workland Telegraph](https://wrkland.com/lv/locations/riga-telegraph) as Event Partner Inspiring private offices and coworking spaces that support your productivity & creativity. **If your plans change**, please cancel your registration to free up your spot for others. Also, check out our Slack channel [Techies of Baltics](https://devops.lv/slack/). As always, you are welcome to check out [our YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKXmynfBPE9um6sMqFmlEEA), where we have previous meetup video recordings available. Your presence and active participation make our community vibrant and inspiring. To secure your spot, RSVP on our [Meetup.com](https://www.meetup.com/devops-and-ai-latvia/events/314069589/) page. See you there! *\*Please note that photographs and footage will be taken throughout this event without a warning. These can be used by the Community for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and in social media, or any third-party publication.*

Wednesday is karaoke day. Every Wednesday we gather to sing. Come with a friend or alone, with or without a voice. The format is simple: show up, grab a microphone, and sing whatever you want. Or don't sing, just support others. As usual, the meeting place is Top Club. If you haven't been before, you can get to know the space at the same time. We're looking forward to seeing you this Wednesday. See you there! Trešdiena ir karaoke diena. Katru trešdienu mēs pulcējamies dziedāt. Nāc ar draugu vai viens, ar balsi vai bez. Formāts ir vienkāršs: nāc, paņem mikrofonu un dziedi, ko vien vēlies. Vai arī nedzied, vienkārši atbalsti citus. Kā parasti, tikšanās vieta ir Top klubs. Ja iepriekš neesi tur bijis, vari vienlaikus iepazīties ar vietu. Gaidīsim ciemos šajā trešdienā. Tiekamies tur!

📌 Let's meet in **Riga** on **May 7th, 2026** for an interactive conference and an enriching networking session! Come and discover Odoo, the all-in-one integrated software that will simplify your day-to-day business. Say goodbye to double coding, lost invoices and budgets; create your website in a few clicks... Odoo offers you a wide range of tools built for IT.🧐 🔎 **AGENDA** 🔍 14h00: Welcome 14h15: Conference - Interactive demo & tips to digitize your company. 16h00: Networking - Snacks and drinks. ➡️ Are you convinced? You can subscribe at the following link: https://www.odoo.com/r/RAZ2 The event is free, but registration is mandatory.❗ **Important:** 📍 Where? Tallink Hotel Riga 📅 Date? May 7th, 2026 📝 Registration? https://www.odoo.com/r/RAZ2 💰 Price? FREE! Hope to see you soon!

A small and exclusive group of friends running 5 km every Sunday at 10 am. Bring yourself, your running shoes and maybe a friend. We start in the center, medium pace run, then end up at a coffee shop. => Once you go on the waiting list, the moderator will approve/reject Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/rigasundayruns Whatsapp=> [https://chat.whatsapp.com/CF24r42CTn3GKtsNjdpEjG?mode=gi_t](https://chat.whatsapp.com/CF24r42CTn3GKtsNjdpEjG?mode=gi_t)

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

This year's Eurovision Song Contest is being held in Vienna, Austria, and the finals are scheduled for 16 May 2026. The [Scandinavian Club of Columbus](https://www.scandiclub.com/) will be co-hosting a viewing party for the final event in conjunction with Germania and the [Columbus Maennerchor](https://www.maennerchor.com/). The delayed televised viewing will take place at the Germania. The program will start around 2:00 p.m. and the singing will **start around 3:00 p.m**. There will be a **cash bar**, and those in attendance can **bring food or snacks** for themselves and or to share with the groups. **Suggested donation: $10/person** to help cover the cost of the venue.

Join us as we get together to see your choice of two VERY different movies – one sweet and wholesome – the other a terrifying folklore horror! Option 1 is the fun whodunnit-action-comedy-mystery led by Hugh Jackman, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES! Option 2 is the top-reviewed supernatural-horror-thriller starring Adam Scott, HOKUM! Here’s a description, trailer and plan for this event: THE SHEEP DETECTIVES: Every night a shepherd reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it. The film is directed by Kyle Balda and take a look at this ensemble cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau and Emma Thompson and the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein and Rhys Darby. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZI5oM6hWk HOKUM: In this film, a horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch. It is written/directed by Damian McCarthy stars Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh and Austin Amelio. Hokum premiered to rave reviews at this year’s SXSW Festival and is being release by Neon. It is earning a stellar 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which calls it, “A classic haunted house story enriched with atmospheric folklore and perfectly-timed shocks!” TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVCIK_MPyhc PLAN: We’ll plan for a 7pm-ish showing of both films and will meet inside the theater lobby about 20 minutes before showtime. If the showtimes work out, we’ll try to get both groups together for a bite before the shows! Complete details and showtime will be confirmed/announced as the date gets closer. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

When judging morality, should we prioritize **intentions/duty** or **outcomes/results**? It introduces two influential philosophers as representatives of these approaches. * **Immanuel Kant (deontology):** An action is moral when it is done from **duty** and follows rational, universal principles (the **categorical imperative**). Certain acts—like lying—are wrong regardless of the consequences; you can’t do a wrong thing for a right reason. * **John Stuart Mill (utilitarian consequentialism):** The morality of an action is determined by its **effects**, specifically how much **happiness/well-being** it produces. Mill argues that some pleasures are “higher” than others, and that good intentions don’t redeem harmful outcomes. ## Discussion Questions 1. **The lying dilemma:** A murderer comes to your door and asks if your friend is hiding inside. Kant would say you must not lie. 2. **Can good intentions rescue a bad outcome?** 3. **The organ harvest problem:** A surgeon has five patients dying of organ failure and one healthy patient in for a checkup. Killing the one to harvest organs would save five lives, and the math works out for the utilitarian. Why does this feel so deeply wrong? Is that feeling a point in Kant's favor, or just a bias we should overcome? 4. **Do rules need exceptions?** Kant insists moral rules must be universal, with no exceptions. But most of us can imagine extreme scenarios where any rule seems like it should bend. Does the need for exceptions fatally undermine deontology, or is the strength of the system precisely that it refuses to bend? 5. **Who gets to calculate the consequences?** Utilitarianism asks us to maximize good outcomes, but we're notoriously bad at predicting consequences. If we can't reliably know the results of our actions, is it practical to base our entire moral system on outcomes? Does this uncertainty push us back toward rules and principles? 6. **Everyday morality:** Think about a real moral decision you've made recently, even a small one. Did you reason more like a Kantian (what's the right thing to do in principle?) or more like a utilitarian (what will produce the best result?)? Do most people naturally lean one way? 7. **Justice vs. the greater good:** A town can prevent a deadly plague by sacrificing one innocent person. The greater good is clearly served. But is it just? Can an action be morally right and deeply unjust at the same time? 8. **The big synthesis question:** Are these two systems actually opposed, or do they often arrive at the same answers by different paths? Is it possible that we need both: rules to guide us in the moment and consequences to evaluate systems and policies over time?

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

Hey Everyone! Let's meet at Belle's Bread Bakery and Cafe. There is lots of free parking and easy access to the cafe and many shops and restaurants as well. This is a great way to meet new and old friends while chatting about life and practicing English language speaking skills. All are welcome and encouraged to join us anytime between 11am and 1pm. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/