Academics

**Can R tame the LLM chaos? Let's find out. 🤖** Two talks. Two live demos. One evening that might change how you think about LLMs in R. Refreshments and networking from 18h00. **Agenda** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* 16h30 – 16h45 \| Welcome and News \- Handre Williams & Luis de Sousa \* 16h45 – 17h20 \| Handre Williams: **R as the orchestration + statistical validation layer for LLMs** LLMs are powerful but unreliable. R is rigorous but underestimated. This talk explores what happens when you combine the two — using R as the orchestration backbone and statistical validation layer for LLM workflows. Handre will show practical patterns for calling, chaining, and stress-testing LLMs from R, and how classical statistical tools can keep your models honest in production. Includes a live demo. \* 17h20 – 17h55 \| Luis de Sousa: **RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) in R** LLMs hallucinate. The fix? Give them better memory. This talk dives into Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in R — combining DuckDB's vector search capabilities with R's data ecosystem to ground LLMs in domain-specific knowledge. Luis will show how to build a RAG pipeline from scratch, turning your own data into a knowledge base that makes LLMs actually useful in practice. Includes a live demo. \* 17h55 – 18h00 \| Wrap up\, questions & close \* 18h00 \| Refreshments & networking — continue the conversation in person **Details** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ When: 14 April 2026 @ 16h30 to 18h00 (GMT+2) Where: Microsoft Campus in Bryanston, South Africa Location: https://goo.gl/maps/4ffcC3N6T7S2 Keen to speak at a future event? Submit your session abstracts at https://sessionize.com/johannesburg-r-user-group/ **Stay connected** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* Website: https://www.rusergroup.co.za \* Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/joburg-r-users-group \* Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHBRUserGroup \* GitHub: https://github.com/rusergroupcoza \* WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/3CeDifS

**Can R tame the LLM chaos? Let's find out. 🤖** Two talks. Two live demos. One evening that might change how you think about LLMs in R. Refreshments and networking from 18h00. **Agenda** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* 16h30 – 16h45 \| Welcome and News \- Handre Williams & Luis de Sousa \* 16h45 – 17h20 \| Handre Williams: **R as the orchestration + statistical validation layer for LLMs** LLMs are powerful but unreliable. R is rigorous but underestimated. This talk explores what happens when you combine the two — using R as the orchestration backbone and statistical validation layer for LLM workflows. Handre will show practical patterns for calling, chaining, and stress-testing LLMs from R, and how classical statistical tools can keep your models honest in production. Includes a live demo. \* 17h20 – 17h55 \| Luis de Sousa: **RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) in R** LLMs hallucinate. The fix? Give them better memory. This talk dives into Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in R — combining DuckDB's vector search capabilities with R's data ecosystem to ground LLMs in domain-specific knowledge. Luis will show how to build a RAG pipeline from scratch, turning your own data into a knowledge base that makes LLMs actually useful in practice. Includes a live demo. \* 17h55 – 18h00 \| Wrap up\, questions & close \* 18h00 \| Refreshments & networking — continue the conversation in person **Details** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ When: 14 April 2026 @ 16h30 to 18h00 (GMT+2) Where: Microsoft Campus in Bryanston, South Africa Location: https://goo.gl/maps/4ffcC3N6T7S2 Keen to speak at a future event? Submit your session abstracts at https://sessionize.com/johannesburg-r-user-group/ **Stay connected** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* Website: https://www.rusergroup.co.za \* Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/joburg-r-users-group \* Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHBRUserGroup \* GitHub: https://github.com/rusergroupcoza \* WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/3CeDifS

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)

Start your week the right way with Manic Mondays. Giving you an enjoyable Bachata lesson with a push of cool moves. The second hour has Beginner/Intermediate Salsa on 1. You must understand basic Salsa skills to participate. 730pm-830pm Bachata Cool Moves 830pm-930pm Salsa On 1 (Beginner/Intermediate) $15 for One Class $20 for Both Free Parking & Plenty of Dance Space.

This month's prompt concerns the idea of the “warrior philosopher” (seemed appropriate in these times)--that is someone whose understanding of violence, power, and justice is forged through direct experience of war. We are looking at Major General Smedley D. Butler, a highly decorated U.S. Marine raised in a Quaker (pacifist) tradition who later became a prominent critic of American militarism (there is a wonderful biography of Gen. Butler called "Gangsters of Capitalism") Butler's argument in *War Is a Racket* (1935): that many U.S. interventions were driven less by national defense than by corporate and financial interests, with Butler portraying himself as an enforcer for business and Wall Street. We can consider the moral ambiguity of his insider critique—whether complicity strengthens or undermines credibility and also consider some of the concrete reforms he proposed (e.g., “conscript” capital before soldiers, restrict the military to coastal defense, and have only those who fight decide on war). Butler’s life arc clearly changed from pacifist upbringing to warrior to antiwar crusader—and asks whether true understanding of peace requires firsthand knowledge of war, and what that implies about the cost of suffering. So do we need to suffer to understand suffering? Do we have to experience war to appreciate peace? As one more question: in the movie "A Few Good Men" Jack Nicholson's character says that "you have the luxury of not knowing what I know" so do most of us go through life oblivious to real violence and suffering? See you at Drunken Philosophy!

Salsamante Dance Academy will be at Swerve Every Tuesday Night to share the Rhythm & Energy of Bachata & Salsa. These are Beginner Level lessons to get you comfortable and understand the two dances. Spread the Good News to all. Swerve Dance & Fitness Complex 640 Lakeview Plaza Blvd A, Worthington, OH 43085 Bachata 7pm-8pm Salsa 8pm-9pm $15 - One Lesson $20 - Both Lessons

Let’s try this popular Italian restaurant in Reynoldsburg. This is the menu: https://scaliristorante.com/#4e468054-0235-43e2-81c2-44e061341e9e

Let's bedazzle some books while we discuss our April pick: Bloodguard by Cecy Robson! Book description: One hundred years. Tens of thousands of gladiators. And today, only one will rise… Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie. Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena—vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive—would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose. He was wrong—and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity. All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day. Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard—and his freedom. But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap. Nor will his ultimate revenge… Event: Please bring your own book, journal, bookmarks, etc to bedazzle. If you have bedazzling supplies, please bring them as well. I will supply gems, glue, and picker tools, but if you have certain colors in mind, you may want to bring your own.

Walk for Children - 2026 Save Soil Walkathon in Columbus 🌍 Over 52% of the world soil is degraded and scientists warn we may have only a few decades of fertile soil left. As Sadhguru shares, soil is a living system—and when it degrades, our food, health, and future are at risk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyT-6qiubd0 🚶‍♂️🌎This Earth Day, Join the Walk for Children-2026 SaveSoil 5K Walkathon here in Columbus and help raise awareness about soil for the future of our children! Every step you take helps: ✔️ 1. Raise awareness in your communities about protecting and restoring soil. ✔️ 2. Supports sustainable food systems. ✔️ 3. Helps secure our children’s future. 📅 Date: April 26, 2026 📍 Location: Scioto Audubon Metro Park Check-in address 400 W Whittier St, Columbus, OH 43215 ⏰ Time: 8:30 a.m. check-in event starts at 9:30 a.m. 👉 Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walk-for-children-2026-save-soil-walkathon-in-columbus-registration-1986596534713?aff=oddtdtcreator 👉🏼Free and Open to All. Share this message and bring your neighbours, friends & family along to celebrate our planet! Let’s make it happen!