Hybrid Cars

**Aim:** Create A.I / Machine Learning projects ... optionally with Robots **Web-site: [https://ai-ml-robots.github.io](https://ai-ml-robots.github.io)** **Discussions: [https://tinyurl.com/ai-ml-robots-discussions](https://tinyurl.com/ai-ml-robots-discussions)** **Pre-meeting catch-up:** 6:00 pm at **[Grill'd Burgers, 127-133 Swan St, Richmond](https://maps.app.goo.gl/N6QBydEVo1JW6ctn9)** ... great opportunity for casual discussion and especially for newcomers to get acquainted with the group ***(our table will have orange traffic cones)*** **Activity:** Using [Google Colab](https://colab.google) and [Aiko Services](https://github.com/geekscape/aiko_services), we will build a project ... where the details will be provided / updated a couple of weeks prior to the meet-up date. **Agenda:** **7:00 pm sharp at 415 Church Street, Richmond** \- 7:00 pm ML software "guided" build session using Google Colab \- 9:30 pm Projects show and tell: ad\-hoc for anyone to contribute \- 9:45 pm Tidy up room \- 10:00 pm Hard stop \! **Please bring a laptop, as these are hands-on build sessions.** Just think of a laptop as a robot without wheels or legs ! If you are a newcomer to Machine Learning or robotics, you are still very welcome. If you do have a robot, please bring it along !

The Buddhist spiritual path centres on our own mind’s vast potential for peace, compassion and wisdom. True lasting happiness does not depend on external factors but comes from looking inwards to better know our own mind and heart. This course presents key insights from the Buddha’s life and teachings to show how, through meditation and shifting our focus inwards, we can find true, unending contentment. This course presents key Buddhist frameworks that guide our path, including: * The three vehicles of Buddhism, which progressively show how we can nurture our innate peace, compassion and wisdom. * The four seals, which encapsulate what is unique about the Buddha’s teachings and sets them apart from other religions and philosophies. Including teachings from foremost Tibetan masters of our time, space for contemplation, reflection and discussion, and guided meditations, this course will give you practical tools to help you work with your mind and take charge of your spiritual path. **Details** Where: Attend in person at Rigpa Melbourne, 803 Nicholson Street Carlton North. **When**: Monday evenings, for 9 weeks, starting 27 April 2026, a break on 8 June 2026, and finishing 29 June 2026. **Time**: 7.00pm – 9.00pm AEDT. **Cost**: 9-week module: Full $180, Concession $90. **Register here:** [https://rigpa.org.au/event/this-life-the-buddhas-guide-to-inner-transformation-melbourne-april-june-2026/2026-04-27/](https://rigpa.org.au/event/this-life-the-buddhas-guide-to-inner-transformation-melbourne-april-june-2026/2026-04-27/)

Have you been interested in woodworking, 3D printing, CNC, cosplay or Electronics? Come visit Maker Community to get a tour of our space, learn about our memberships, have a chat with our members and discuss your dream projects.

The Buddhist spiritual path centres on our own mind’s vast potential for peace, compassion and wisdom. True lasting happiness does not depend on external factors but comes from looking inwards to better know our own mind and heart. This course presents key insights from the Buddha’s life and teachings to show how, through meditation and shifting our focus inwards, we can find true, unending contentment. This course presents key Buddhist frameworks that guide our path, including: * The three vehicles of Buddhism, which progressively show how we can nurture our innate peace, compassion and wisdom. * The four seals, which encapsulate what is unique about the Buddha’s teachings and sets them apart from other religions and philosophies. * Including teachings from foremost Tibetan masters of our time, space for contemplation, reflection and discussion, and guided meditations, this course will give you practical tools to help you work with your mind and take charge of your spiritual path. **Details** **Where**: Attend in person at Rigpa Melbourne, 803 Nicholson Street Carlton North. **When**: Monday evenings, for 9 weeks, starting 27 April 2026, a break on 8 June 2026, and finishing 29 June 2026. **Time**: 7.00pm – 9.00pm AEDT. **Cost**: 9-week module: Full $180, Concession $90. **Register here:** [https://rigpa.org.au/event/this-life-the-buddhas-guide-to-inner-transformation-melbourne-april-june-2026/2026-04-27/](https://rigpa.org.au/event/this-life-the-buddhas-guide-to-inner-transformation-melbourne-april-june-2026/2026-04-27/)

Sahaja Yoga awakens the sleeping energy known as Kundalini. Enabling you to go into thoughtless awareness which is a state beyond the relative. Giving you collective consciousness through vibrational awareness for the understanding and peace of your own self.

Join us at Eltham Leisure Centre for a FREE fun-filled Walking Football Mixed Gender Session, brought to you by Walking Football 4 Health Victoria. This event is designed for anyone looking for a low impact sport to stay active, be part of a welcoming community, and most importantly have fun. Our friendly host, Paul, will be there to introduce you to walking football, ensuring a safe and engaging experience. Don't miss out on this opportunity to engage in sports, socialise, and promote a healthy lifestyle in a welcoming community environment. There is no cost for this program. Sign up now and be a part of this exciting Walking Football Session. If you wish to contact the organiser, Mick directly, you can do so on: 0430 163 550 Email: info@wf4hvictoria.org.au Website: [Walking Football | Walking Soccer | Walking Football 4 Health](https://wf4hvictoria.org.au/) Facebook: [Walking Football 4 Health Victoria Group | Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/wf4healthvictoria)

Join us for an engaging evening at the next Melbourne Databricks User Group Meetup! We have a great line up of speakers for the night who will be sharing their learnings from implementing Lakebase on Databricks as well as unpacking some of the latest feature announcements on the platform. **Speakers;** * **Shreya Sharma**, Solution Architect at Databricks: *A tour of Databricks' serverless Postgres for operational apps and AI agents and the headline features (branching, autoscaling, scale-to-zero, horizontal reads). Then a rundown of what's shipped in the last few months — Lakehouse Sync (Postgres → Delta CDC), scale-to-zero as the default, customer-managed encryption keys, and OTLP metrics/logs.* Why Attend? The Databricks User Group is your chance to: * **Learn from experts**: Hear about the latest Databricks developments and best practices directly from industry leaders and experienced practitioners. * **Network with peers**: Connect with other data professionals in Melbourne who are passionate about data, AI, and analytics. * **Share knowledge**: Engage in discussions, ask questions, and exchange ideas with other members of the community. Event Details: * **Venue Host**: Vivanti Consulting, Level 20, Tower Five, 727 Collins Street, Docklands, VIC 3008 * **Date:** Thursday 11th June, 2026 * **Timing**: 5:30pm-8pm * **Catering and Drinks provided** RSVP today to secure your spot and feel free to invite colleagues or friends interested in Databricks and data-driven innovation. We look forward to seeing you there!

Hi Gophers! We're at Atlassian this June to talk carbon footprint calculations for Claude and building a custom Kubernetes PaaS in Go. * **Agenda** **5.45pm — Food & Networking** **6:30pm — Intro** **6:45pm — Talks** **8.00pm — Wrap up then head out for kick ons** * **Talks** **🎤 Mia de Búrca** **What I Learnt Writing a Carbon Awareness Skill for Claude** (short talk) Having recently left my senior IC job in tech, I wanted to take some time to pursue green software principles, in **particular** how they apply to our use of AI. Since I'm an engineer, and engineers learn by doing; I decided to build an MCP server using sustainable software practices, and have it serve up a skill that would let an LLM ask what **its** carbon footprint had been for the conversation so far. The talk describes what I built and why, and how the implementation **and** infrastructure were a breeze **compared** to finding some real numbers to back up the carbon equivalence calculation. **🎤 Ryan Djurovich** **How I built Podplane - an Open Source PaaS running Kubernetes on Object Storage** About Podplane: Want to deploy your app easily and securely on AWS, Google Cloud, or Proxmox? Podplane is an Open Source Platform-as-a-Service built on Kubernetes with all state stored in Object Storage. It consists of a CLI, etcd alternative ([netsy.dev](http://netsy.dev)), auth server ([easy-oidc.dev](http://easy-oidc.dev)), and next-gen auto-scaler ([nstance.dev](http://nstance.dev)) - all written in Go. \* **Interested in speaking at an upcoming event?** We will aim to have a mix of short (\~10min) and in-depth (20-30min) talks. If you’re keen to give a talk on a topic, share a project, or idea, please let us know [bit.ly/GolangMelbourneSpeakersForm](https://bit.ly/GolangMelbourneSpeakersForm)

It's Footscray's famous Drag Bingo! We promise there is no drag bingo like it, it's famous for a reason! Join your fabulous drag host for an evening of fun bingo games, camp drag shows, comedy, cocktails, prizes & much more! [(Link to booking)](https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/825729) It's just $12 to play with over $100 in guaranteed prizes to give away including a $50 bar tab, $50 cash, and other drink and prize giveaways throughout the night. You can also add a cocktail or meal package to your ticket for the full Pride of our Footscray experience! Doors open 6:30pm and balls drop at 7:30pm sharp. Please ensure you allow plenty of time to be seated and get your food and drink before the show starts!

**Heide Museum of Modern Art & Gardens** Our Sunday Walk this week takes us back to the beautiful Heide Sculpture Gardens and Park on the banks of the Yarra River. An integral part of Heide is its Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the grounds featuring outdoor sculptures. With a long history as an artist's retreat and landscape gardens, Heide is a special place for a Sunday Walk. **Start**: Meet at Heide main entrance, off Templestowe Road, Bulleen. We'll meet at the large sculpture display outside the Gallery Shop at the entrance to MoMA. (see main picture here). Note the slightly later Start Time: **9.15 AM** **Parking:** Turn off Templestowe Rd and head for the Lower Carpark (follow signs). If this carpark is full, drive past and follow the road to Banksia Park where there's plenty of extra space, then walk back to the Kitchen. **The Walk**: We'll walk the gardens and parkland of the adjacent Banksia Park before heading back to the Kitchen Cafe for brunch. It's a slightly shorter walk than our usual (about 4 Km) but includes some hilly sections. **Toilets**: Throughout the Park and at the Kitchen area. **Coffee**: At the Heide Kitchen Cafe, where we can also enjoy brunch if you wish.

**Why the Question Matters for Alignment, Moral Progress, and Long Term Flourishing** Practically nobody in alignment wants to say it out loud. So let’s say it: *AI might turn out to be* ***[more moral than us](https://www.scifuture.org/more-moral-than-us/)***. Now – why does that feel like a dangerous thing to claim? The question is not whether AI can match human moral reasoning. The question is whether that’s even worth bragging about. The idea of AI being more moral than humans is a real taboo in some circles. Many alignment researchers are uncomfortable with the idea because it seems to smuggle in the assumption that AI could have genuine moral agency, which conflicts with deflationary views of LLMs as “stochastic parrots” – and also because it sounds uncomfortably close to AI-worship or motivated reasoning for deferring to AI. Invoking this idea could get one dismissed as naive or as an actual safety risk oneself. *It’s also epistemically risky.* *More moral* – but in what sense? Knowing more facts relevant to ethics? Drawing better inferences from values? Applying principles wisely in context? Actually being *moved* by moral considerations, rather than just computing them? These aren’t the same thing. Conflating them produces both overclaiming and underclaiming – and most of the bad arguments on both sides of this debate do exactly that.[1](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/#6ebcc18c-d890-4a28-8b01-27945a532c66) An AI could plausibly exceed humans on moral knowledge, reasoning and even judgement without having anything like moral motivation. Collapsing these leads to both overclaiming and underclaiming. Clear distinctions between stuff like moral judgement and moral motivation makes the conversation tractable. Is it dangerous for public discourse? There’s a genuine risk that the framing gets weaponised – either by people wanting to justify AI authority over human decisions, or by critics who use it to paint alignment researchers as unhinged techno-utopians. It can also trigger motivated reasoning in both directions. A lot more could be said here. But the taboo is not protecting us from a dangerous question. It’s protecting us from the answer. The taboo itself is epistemically costly, yet if we ***refuse to ask*** whether AI could have better-grounded moral reasoning than humans, we prevent getting to the heart of the issue. ## **The questions worth asking** Before thoroughly assessing whether AI could be more moral than humans, we need to ask whether the question is even coherent. ### Alignment targeting and verification *What should AI align to?* Is morality a cohesive alignment target, or a family of overlapping intuitions that only look unified from a distance? And if there is a *fact of the matter* about moral improvement, *how would we know we were tracking it* – rather than simply laundering our current preferences with extra steps? More pressingly: what would it mean to *verify* that an agent has better moral judgement than us, given that we’re the ones doing the evaluating? This is the bootstrapping problem. We cannot step outside our own moral reasoning to assess a system that exceeds it. That isn’t a reason to stop asking – it’s a reason to ask more carefully.[2](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/#114785ab-004c-4882-b8c8-c0437942e9ec) ### The motivational gap Even if the epistemic questions could be resolved, a deeper problem remains: most human moral failure isn’t a failure of *reasoning*. It’s a failure of *motivation*. If humans are themselves imperfectly morally motivated, what does alignment to human preferences actually track? Not moral truth – at best, some weighted average of moral intuitions, distorted by power, attention, and self-interest. How much of human moral failure is motivational rather than epistemic? More than we tend to admit. We frequently know what the right thing is and fail to do it anyway – which means a system that merely reasons better about ethics hasn’t addressed the failure mode that actually matters most. And this raises the hardest question in the cluster: is moral motivation necessarily tied to phenomenal experience – to there being something it is *like* to care? Or could a system be genuinely motivated by moral considerations without felt engagement? Can motivation be grounded without being felt? ### The systemic stakes Finally, there are second-order questions that rarely get asked – about what happens to *us* if AI gets this right. Does sustained deference to AI moral judgement atrophy human moral reasoning capacity? And if so, what are the systemic risks of that atrophy – not just for individuals, but for the collective processes through which moral knowledge has historically developed? (There is recent work on comparative moral Turing Tests that begins to take this seriously[3](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/#6efcb4e9-295e-425c-8860-40f415ef4935)) Moral progress for humans has never been a purely individual achievement. It has happened through argument, conflict, revision, and hard-won consensus across generations. A system that resolves moral questions faster than humans can engage with them might not accelerate that process. It might short-circuit it entirely. I think asking these questions Socratically can help nudge the conversation into the open productively rather than letting it fester as an unexamined assumption. Also I think this line of questioning isn’t just intuition pump fodder, I think they are directly important to the project of AI alignment.[4](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/#13e5d2e0-79f6-42fc-8d1e-fcae403c2f6b) > Refusing to ask whether AI could exceed human moral reasoning doesn’t make the question safe. It just means we’ll answer it by accident, badly, and too late. Handled carelessly, this question causes damage. Left unasked, it causes more. ## Footnotes 1. The claim is easy to make sloppily. “More moral” conflates several things that need to be separated: a) Moral knowledge (knowing more facts relevant to ethics) b) Moral reasoning (drawing better inferences from values) c) Moral judgement (applying principles wisely in context) d) Moral motivation (actually being moved by moral considerations – which is one of my core focus points of activism) [↩︎](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/#6ebcc18c-d890-4a28-8b01-27945a532c66-link) 2\. This was brought up in an interview with Nick Bostrom [↩︎](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/#114785ab-004c-4882-b8c8-c0437942e9ec-link) 3\. See Eyal Aharoni’s and Danica Dillion’s work on Moral Turing Tests – presentations and interviews [here](https://www.scifuture.org/eyal-aharoni-breaking-the-moral-turing-test-studies-of-human-attribution-and-deference-to-ai-moral-judgment-and-decision-making/), [here](https://www.scifuture.org/ai-outscored-humans-in-a-blinded-moral-turing-test-should-we-be-worried-dr-eyal-aharoni-explains/) and [here](https://www.scifuture.org/danica-dillion-ais-moral-compass-better-than-expected-now-what/). [↩︎](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/#6efcb4e9-295e-425c-8860-40f415ef4935-link) 4\. The grounded values approach actually requires asking questions like: – What should AI align to?, Is morality a cohesive alignment target?, is there a fact of the matter about moral improvement, or is “more moral” just “more aligned with our current intuitions”? – What would it mean to verify that an agent has better moral judgement than us, given that we’re the ones doing the evaluating? (see work one recently on comparative moral Turing Tests) – If humans are themselves imperfectly morally motivated, what does alignment to human preferences actually track? – How much of human moral failure is motivational versus epistemic? – Is moral motivation necessarily tied to phenomenal experience, or could a system be genuinely motivated by moral considerations without anything it’s like to be it? – Can motivation be grounded without being felt? – Does sustained deference to AI moral judgement atrophy human moral reasoning capacity, and what are the systemic risks of that atrophy – both for individuals and for the collective processes through which moral knowledge has historically developed? Also see: **[Why Are We Afraid to Ask Whether AI Could Be More Moral Than Humans?](https://www.scifuture.org/why-are-we-afraid-to-ask-whether-ai-could-be-more-moral-than-humans/)**

We will meet at Gardenvale Railway Station , near the walkway leading to the platforms. We will ride to my favorite Toastie and Deli shop in Moorabbin then head south to find our way to Mordialloc Station. Any type of bicycle will do as it is on roads and cycle paths. Bring water . Your bike needs to be in good order and wet weather gear if the forecast is for rain. Ride route [Gardenvale- Mordialloc ](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54825377) RIDE REGISTRATION FORM The form should be available within a day or two of the ride announcement. The link to the form will be seen in the event messages when you RSVP. Please complete it when available. ESSENTIAL ITEMS Functioning headlight & tail light Spare tube and a puncture kit MYKI card, ATM card/cash, basic tools, rain gear, food/snacks, etc WATER It's your responsibility to check the temperature and distance for the day and carry an appropriate amount of water. When riding outside suburbia remember that carrying too much water is better than not enough as the distances between water availability may vary greatly from the planned route due to road closures or other unforeseen circumstances. Check Meetup for any changes the day before the ride, as the ride may be cancelled in the event of extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances. If you cannot make it to the ride please change your RSVP to 'NO' at least one day before the ride day. This ride is for MBTC club members, or those who have not yet done 3 days riding with us. To join our club check out [https://www.mbtc.org.au/membership](https://www.mbtc.org.au/membership) When I RSVP for this event/activity I acknowledge that the activity of bicycle riding can be dangerous and that I may suffer loss or injury or death and I agree that in consideration of my participation in any event conducted by the MBTC that I will absolve from liability the MBTC, its officers, and any event organiser from all claims, demands, or suits whether for personal injury or property loss suffered whether by negligence or breach of contract or otherwise, save for any right I may have pursuant to the Australian Consumer law. I acknowledge that photos may be taken of me during MBTC rides and social events, and that it is club practice that these photos will be published on Meetup, Facebook, and the club website. I will notify the ride leader and other riders if I wish to not be photographed. MBTC cannot guarantee that my photo will not be published and will promptly honour requests to be removed from MBTC controlled sites.

It's DDD but \***lightning**\*. The evening will be a hybrid event hosted by the DDD Melbourne crew and consist of short & sharp presentations of fifteen minutes in length on a dev related subject. Venue space is limited, we cannot accommodate more than **130 people**. First come first served! **ONLINE ATTENDANCE** You can join us online, we'll aim to get the call started somewhere around 6pm before we have our introductions and first speaker. Remote audience link --> [https://meet.google.com/pvg-uqer-pui](https://meet.google.com/pvg-uqer-pui) You can ask questions of our speakers via Slido. We'll try to ask your questions as they come through on Slido, but we may not get to all of them. **TALKS** **Rupesh, Quality Engineer Practice Lead at Fabric Group:** Validating AI Systems in a Probabilistic World Traditional software testing assumes deterministic behavior—the same input produces the same output every time. Modern AI systems, particularly LLMs and agentic workflows, behave differently. Responses can vary based on context, prompts, model state, and external dependencies, making conventional testing approaches insufficient. This presentation explores how organisations can establish confidence, quality, and governance for non-deterministic systems through new testing methodologies, evaluation frameworks, and observability practices. It will cover emerging tooling such as DeepEval and Botium, along with strategies for measuring accuracy, relevance, safety, hallucination risk, and user experience in AI-driven applications. **Leah Garrett** My Screen Moves Now: Notes From a Web Dev Building Robot UI I went from building web apps to building the face of a robot. In this talk I'll cover what changes when your UI has a body, from testing things you can't see in a browser to designing for a screen that won't stay still, and how AI tooling helped me get up to speed. **James Westall** No Idea What I’m Doing: Shipping Software Anyway I spent five years at uni, racked up a healthy HECS debt… and never actually graduated. I work in sales now, and my background is in Security and Windows Server infrastructure. I’ve never written a line of code anyone has paid for. Which for many, might disqualify me from building software. Apparently, not anymore. This talk is a mix of introspection and light comedy, walking through what happens when someone like me starts building and shipping with LLMs. It’s about capability vs. credibility, vibes vs. reality, and what we’re all supposed to do when the rules of “who gets to build” have quietly changed. **Gordon Chen** Building a Modern eCommerce Marketplace with AI As AI capabilities advance, what role is left for developers, and what skills should we prioritise? Drawing on over 20 years of experience in software engineering and data engineering, Gordon shares his thoughts from building a modern eCommerce marketplace with AI, tackling the shift toward spec-driven development and where human elements remain critical. **@tensorfish** "Ok claude, real-time transit map of melbourne. Make no mistakes." This talk walks through building MykiMap: a live, GPU-accelerated map of every tram, train, and bus moving across Melbourne’s transit network. Along the way, we’ll get into the agentic coding workflow: what it’s genuinely productive for, and what’s just hype.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ **CODE OF CONDUCT** All DDD events are subject to the DDD Code of Conduct available at [https://www.dddmelbourne.com/code-of-conduct/](https://www.dddmelbourne.com/code-of-conduct/) **VENUE AND FOOD SPONSOR** [Fabric Group](https://www.fabricgroup.com.au/) **FUTURE EVENTS** Are you interested in speaking at a future DDD by Night? That's awesome, we'd love to have you! We take speakers of all experience levels and offer training too. [Fill out this form](https://forms.office.com/r/12c0CvLwQk) and we'll be in touch. **FEEDBACK** Feedback, whether it's good or constructive, helps us grow and improve these events and so we'd love for you to fill out the form here --> [https://forms.office.com/r/MB8WGKv9Bi](https://forms.office.com/r/MB8WGKv9Bi)

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.

**\*\*\* We've Moved! Bold Penguin - 6555 Longshore St, Dublin, OH 43017 \*\*\*** Ryan Carroll **Local AI in Rails: Fast, Cheap, and Predictable** Rails apps usually reach for external AI services when they need “intelligence,” but that approach can bring latency, cost, and unpredictability along for the ride. This talk shows a different path: running a Japanese sentiment model directly inside a Rails app, using ONNX Runtime, background jobs, and real-time updates to keep the user experience fast and responsive. Using a small app called **Sentiment Omikuji** as the case study, the talk walks through how the model was trained in Python, exported to ONNX, and loaded into Ruby for local inference. It also covers how Japanese text is tokenized, how the sentiment output drives a fortune generator, and why the app uses Solid Queue to keep model work off the request path. Along the way, the talk explores the tradeoffs of local inference versus API-based LLMs, and why classic machine learning can still be the right tool for focused problems. Attendees will leave with a practical architecture they can adapt in their own Rails applications, plus a clearer picture of when local AI makes sense, how to keep it predictable, and what it takes to make it feel good in a real app. **AGENDA:** * See updates to parking below * Doors open at 5:30, feel free to come and hang out before! * Official start of the meeting is at 6:30pm * After the meeting is done, we will go hang out at a nearby space in Bridge Park! If you can, please sign up via meetup by noon the day of the meeting so we can have an estimate headcount for food :) We always order extra, so feel free to join us even if you don't get signed up! Thank you to Bold Penguin for providing the food and location! **Parking & Arrival:** **Parking:** Parking in Bridge Park is free. The closest lots are the Mooney Garage and the Hotel/Endres Garage. **Entry:** The doors to the office are to the right of PINS. The street level door and elevators lock at 6pm. If you arrive after that, someone should be there to let you in, else call the number posted. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Once you exit the elevator, turn right. \*\*\* We are a bunch of professionals, students, and geeks who are excited about Ruby programming language ([http://ruby-lang.org/](http://ruby-lang.org/)) and Rails framework ([http://rubyonrails.com/](http://rubyonrails.com/)) and the joy they have brought back to web development. Our main goal is to share the love of the Ruby and Rails ecosystems with anyone that is interested. We cater to everyone, whether a non-programmer through advanced Rubyists. * We give lectures on programming topics * We freely provide decades worth of experience * For full details of this month's meeting please visit [http://columbusrb.com](http://columbusrb.com)

Hi Ladies , Let's Hike Blendon Woods Metro Park . We will meet at the nature center parking lot. Hiking about 4 miles completing the blendon woods loop and the sugarbush trail . Wear appropriate footwear and bring water for hydration .

Join us for an Opening Night showing of the super-hero action-adventure, SUPERGIRL! Get in early because this series is just getting started! Hot on the heels of last year’s excellent SUPERMAN comes what should be another fun adventure! Here’s a description, trailer and plan for this event: DESCRIPTION: Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, joins forces with an unlikely companion on an interstellar journey of vengeance and justice when an unexpected adversary strikes too close to home. The film is directed by Craig Gillespie, written by Ana Nogueira, and stars Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet and Jason Momoa. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1-pfiVMKAs PLAN: We’ll plan for a 7pm-ish showing with a possible bite either before or after the show! Showtime and complete details will be confirmed and announced as the date gets closer! Once showtime is announced, advance ticket purchase is advised. When you have yours, please list your seat number in the Comments section of this event. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

We'll meet at the flagpole in the **Ridgeview Middle School** parking lot (4241 Rudy Rd). Parking there is fine on Sundays. From the school, we cross OH-315 and the Olentangy River via the **Olentangy Trail Pedestrian Bridge**, then walk past **Whetstone Pond** and through **Columbus Park of Roses**, turning back at the **Whetstone Branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library**. About 4 miles round trip, roughly 1.5 hours. Click [this Google Maps link](https://maps.app.goo.gl/jPCyEUyA2st8uWks5?g_st=i) to view the route. All paces welcome. See you there.

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