Cloud Computing

💘 **Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with MongoDB Skill Badge** **Rescheduled due to hazardous winter weather for Toronto.** Fall in love with building smarter AI applications using Retrieval Augmented Generation with MongoDB. In this Valentine-themed session, you will learn how to design RAG applications, use vector search effectively, apply smart chunking strategies, and build an LLM-powered app with LangChain and MongoDB using your own data. 🎓 **Skill Badge** Complete the skill check at the end of the session and earn a Credly Badge to share with your network. **💚 Why Attend** • Learn RAG architecture, chunking strategies, and hands-on implementation • Connect with MongoDB users, engineers, and AI enthusiasts • Free community event with complimentary food **🕠 Agenda** **5:30 PM** Meet & Greet - refreshments **5:45 PM** Talk: [Dev J. Shah](https://www.linkedin.com/in/busycaesar) (SWE @ [TribalScale](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tribalscale)) - RAG with MongoDB: Learn and get a [Credly Skill Badge](https://learn.mongodb.com/courses/rag-with-mongodb) **6:45 PM** Networking and connecting with your peers **7:30 PM** Event ends **⚠️ Important RSVP Notes** • When you arrive, please take the **elevator to the 4th floor, turn left, and follow the signs** • We kindly ask that **you arrive on time** so we can keep the event running smoothly • If you arrive **after 6 PM and the building doors are locked**, please signal the **security guard** at his desk for assistance • You may use a **fully charged laptop or a smartphone** to participate in the session • Please note that this event **will end firmly at 7:30 PM** 💡 Join us for an evening of learning, sharing, and community-building. We look forward to seeing you there! ✅ Thanks to our sponsors **[@MongoDB](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mongodbinc)**, **[@Slalom Consulting](https://www.linkedin.com/company/slalom-consulting),** and **[@Delbridge Solutions](https://www.linkedin.com/company/delbridge-solutions)** 💚 We’d love to hear from the community. **Are you doing something cool with MongoDB you’d like to share?** Message our MUG leaders [@Ian](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iancloves) / [@Leonardo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leogomesdev) 🌎 Sessions will be presented in English

Great news - **Toronto Writers Community** is having an Open Mic event (our 14th) on March 4, 2026 at the Tranzac (**292 Brunswick Ave**). At 6:00pm we begin to gather, at 6:30pm we begin to read. Please let me know either here on Meetup or through [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/torontowriterscommunity/) or the night of, if you would like to present. Bring a friend or two, and get ready for a night of sharing work and taking in the talent that Toronto has to offer. Feel free to read or to come and listen. Meet new people, get inspired. The event starts at 6pm, ends at 9:30pm. At 292 Brunswick Ave, On **Wednesday, March 4, 2026**. See you there! As always, the event is free, but a donation bowl will be present and all donations all much appreciated.

Many hold the belief that work, as appearing around us in advanced economies, compromises freedom. But this claim raises a number of theoretical difficulties and puzzles. This talk surveys the different articulations of this freedom problem that the philosophical literature has offered, and argues that they are all unsatisfactory — for either analytic shortcomings or empirical inaccuracies. But this doesn’t entail that this intuition is mistaken. I present an alternative formulation — an argument from conformity pressures. I suggest that the structure of work in advanced economies is inconsistent with our freedom intuitions because market environments, in an overlooked manner, attempt to maximize the diversion of people from their own plans and projects. This new diagnosis also implies new remedies; I conclude by offering four modest “imaginaries” for enhanced individual autonomy inside a market-centred world of work. Iddan Sansino https://www.politics.utoronto.ca/people/directories/graduate-students/iddan-sonsino PhD Candidate Department of Political Science University of Toronto **About the Speaker:** Iddan’s research mainly lies at the intersection of political philosophy and political economy. He employs a variety of normative and empirical perspectives to gain a better understanding of the desirable attributes of economic institutions. Iddan also has broader interests in political theory, in particular in democratic theory and in philosophical theories of freedom. The working title of his dissertation is "The Impulsive Society: a Political Theory of the Market in the New Economy". **\* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \*** This is a talk with audience Q&A presented by the University of Toronto's Centre for Ethics that is free to attend and open to the public. Free pizza and refreshments will be provided at the event. The talk will also be streamed online with live chat here [to be posted]. About the Centre for Ethics (http://ethics.utoronto.ca): The Centre for Ethics is an interdisciplinary centre aimed at advancing research and teaching in the field of ethics, broadly defined. The Centre seeks to bring together the theoretical and practical knowledge of diverse scholars, students, public servants and social leaders in order to increase understanding of the ethical dimensions of individual, social, and political life. In pursuit of its interdisciplinary mission, the Centre fosters lines of inquiry such as (1) foundations of ethics, which encompasses the history of ethics and core concepts in the philosophical study of ethics; (2) ethics in action, which relates theory to practice in key domains of social life, including bioethics, business ethics, and ethics in the public sphere; and (3) ethics in translation, which draws upon the rich multiculturalism of the City of Toronto and addresses the ethics of multicultural societies, ethical discourse across religious and cultural boundaries, and the ethics of international society. The Ethics of A.I. Lab at the Centre For Ethics recently appeared on a list of 10 organizations leading the way in ethical A.I.: https://ocean.sagepub.com/blog/10-organizations-leading-the-way-in-ethical-ai

Every Wednesday Night! Free Magic The Gathering Commander games at Hairy Tarantula, hosted by Toronto Gaymers! Please note: Masks are required in store! For more information and to RSVP please over to harryt.com/events

SPEAK WITH CONFIDENCE! If you’re interested in improving your public speaking and leadership skills at an entertaining, educational and inspirational meeting, please visit us … it’s free! We meet weekly on Wednesday evenings. The location or link will be sent to those who confirm attendance. Brainwave Speakers Toastmasters club is a place where strangers become friends, where new ideas and experiences are shared. With a wide variety of ages, backgrounds and experiences, our members are an interesting and diverse group. Regardless of whether you are a professional, student, stay at home parent, job seeker or a retiree, you will find something of value at Brainwave Speakers Toastmasters club. Please feel welcome to visit us! Contact our Vice President of Membership at karen.goodyear333@gmail.com for details.

[Summary] This meetup is for those who are interested in code, web development, design, cloud, or AI. All levels are welcome, so feel free to bring your laptop and discuss what you are working on or what you are learning. You can share your projects and ideas with other participants freely. There are outlets and WiFi, drinks are about $5 for tea, they take card only. [Price] Attendance is FREE. But you need to buy something from the venue. [Policies] \- We do not tolerate harassment of our members \- We remind users that that this meetup is intended for networking and hobby development\, and any attempts at using this meetup event as a dating platform will not be not be tolerated Further information: https://torontostack.exchange/

Let’s do some coding together at a cafe! No more working alone in the weekend. Here, we write code together. And I mean together together. Not occupying-the-same-space-but-separate together. Here’s how it works: Jennifer brings her mobile app project, tells everyone that it is like Pinterest for recipes and she’d like to work on the nav bar. Paul and Chloe think Jennifer's project is fascinating, and they join the group. They gather around Jennifer’s laptop and work on the nav bar for 2 hours. Jennifer is the one typing out the code while Paul and Chloe research, brainstorm, and offer suggestions. If you’re feeling stuck on your own project or need a motivation boost, bring it to mob programming! Want to learn by watching how others code and solve problems? Join someone else’s project at this event! Oh and we love your half-done projects that you are a bit embarrassed to share. Absolutely bring those to the event! **Discord**: We use Discord to share screen & code snippets during the event. Also feel free to share your projects here before the event! https://discord.gg/Da9fZFxPfs **Event policy**: * We have 0 tolerance for harassment. * We don’t allow the projects that are not meant to be shared in public such as school assignments, interview tasks, or trade secrets. * The goal is to write code. We discourage you from pitching business ideas here, doing code reviews, or spending the whole event on planning what to do. * Please buy a drink, and tip the barista well.

Start the weekend off right! Take charge of the stage every Friday night at Cloud Nine in Ajax 10pm -2am. Click on the links to see some of the amazing singers that light up the show. [Cloud Nine Karaoke singers](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1KqHL9Q53E/) [Cloud Nine Karaoke Talent](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CG4CFy6kJ/) [Cloud Nine Karaoke on fire](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19TKBSnLeF/)

This is a ticketed event. Please register at [this link](https://luma.com/q7t43ncn). ​Diana Issatayeva will provide an overview of the physical network architectures underling AI training and inference. Then, we will explore how these architectures influence governance options. ​​​**Event Schedule** 6:00 to 6:30 - Food and introductions 6:30 to 7:30 - Presentation and Q&A 7:30 to 9:00 - Open Discussions ​​​​If you can't attend in person, join our live stream starting at 6:30 pm via [this link.](https://www.youtube.com/@Trajectory-Labs/live)

Eventbrite Link: **[https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/436240616427?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/436240616427?aff=oddtdtcreator)** **Savor the laughter at Sizzling Saturdays! Toronto's comedy spectacle starts at 8 PM. A night of uproarious fun awaits!** Join us for a sizzling Saturday night at 8 PM! Backroom Comedy Club presents a comedy extravaganza featuring Toronto's top comedians. Immerse yourself in an evening of wit, humor, and uproarious laughter. Make your Saturday memorable—reserve your seat now for an unforgettable entertainment experience!

**Note: This is a Waiting-List-Only Event: There is a $5 Meetup fee that must be e-Transferred to me before your spot can be confirmed.** **• *Please be on time* \- we're looking forward to hitting the buffet as soon as it opens\, to give us maximum opportunities to network and engage with our group members\!** I’ve made a reservation for a group of 14 people at **Bangkok Garden** (18 Elm St) for an intentional networking lunch. This session is strictly for **AI Professionals (AIP)**: founders and practitioners in the AI space. Whether you're deep into Machine Language, deep learning, data science, blockchain, GenAI or training your own LLM, this is your opportunity to actually meet some of your peers out in the real world, to have some high-level technical and strategic conversations. **THE EXPERIENCE:** * **The Venue - Bangkok Garden:** A soaring, high-ceilinged Thai "oasis" near Dundas Station. * **The Meal:** A full Thai lunch buffet. * **The Cost:** You are responsible for your own buffet bill at the restaurant (approx. **$24.00 + tax + 18% gratuity**, totalling roughly **$32.00**). **HOW TO SECURE YOUR SEAT:** 1. **Join the Waitlist.** 2. I will DM the first 20 people on the waitlist with e-Transfer details. 3. A **$5.00 non-refundable commitment fee** is required to move from the Waitlist to the "Going" list. 4. Your seat is only confirmed once the fee is received. Unpaid spots will be offered to the next person on the waitlist after 2 hours. **THE GOAL:** To cut through the noise and meet the actual builders in the Toronto AI scene. No generic "small talk" needed - this is just a group of 15 AI practitioners discussing all things AI, from LLM implementation to agentic workflows, the latest GenAI models, and the future of the stack.

Artificial Intelligence is a new thing for us where we are learning what are its limit and what we can do with it. Here is the place to discuss any quirky projects you are using working with AI. Or you are happy to share how AI has enhanced your workflow utilizing it in your day to day job whether that be programming, product development, sales or marketing. This is a informal discussion for us to share, collaborate and meet together to explore this powerful tool.

Discover Kiro, AWS’s innovative development environment that adapts to your workflow. Whether you prefer specification-driven development or a more intuitive, vibe-based approach, Kiro empowers you to build applications your way. In this session, speakers will explore Kiro’s core functionality and its evolution through re:Invent 2025, along with demonstrations of prompts used to create APIs, hooks, and steering documents. In the latter part of the session, watch as we build a complete example from scratch, showcasing Kiro’s agentic AI workflow in action for spec-driven development and vibe coding. What You'll Learn - Core Kiro concepts and development philosophy Feature evolution: pre and post re:Invent 2025 Practical examples: API creation, hooks, and steering docs Live coding demonstration with real-time problem solving Who Should Attend - Developers, solutions architects, and technical leaders interested in modern AWS development tools and AI-assisted coding workflows. **Speakers Bio:** Matthew Jorat: Matthew Jorat is a Customer Solutions Manager at AWS with nearly three decades of expertise in AI, cloud transformation, migration, modernization, IT, technology, and business. His career spans infrastructure engineer, solutions architect, security auditor, customer success director, support and services director, and operations officer. He was an early adopter of AWS services as a customer, and his current role at AWS uniquely blends his technical and business skills as he partners with executive teams to translate strategic priorities into measurable business outcomes through cloud adoption, AI implementation, and operational excellence. Matt leads end-to-end AI initiatives for enterprise customers, identifying high-impact use cases and maintaining relentless focus on measurable ROI. He holds eight AWS certifications and serves as Adjunct Professor at Franklin University teaching cloud computing and AWS architecture. His expertise encompasses GenAI, agentic AI systems, migration, modernization, and optimization strategies that drive transformation at scale. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/) Girish Bhatia: Girish Bhatia is a seasoned technology delivery leader with deep expertise in cross-domain program management. He holds multiple AWS certifications, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Generative AI Practitioner, and is also an AWS Community Builder. Girish brings over two decades of experience in the information technology industry. Throughout his career, Girish has led major technology-driven business transformation from modernizing on-premises applications to driving large-scale cloud migrations. His work includes API-based integration platforms, data-center and mainframe modernization, and enterprise cloud adoption initiatives. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Girish works at a tech-forward fintech company. He is passionate about AWS serverless architectures, Generative AI and emerging cloud technologies. An avid learner and builder, he continues to explore and apply the latest innovations in AWS to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/[https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/) **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

The global Azure community is coming together again, and Columbus is officially on the map. On **Saturday, April 18, 2026**, the Azure Columbus Meetup is hosting our local edition of Global Azure 2026. This is a free, community-driven event packed with learning, networking, and all things Microsoft Azure. Whether you’re building modern cloud-native apps, experimenting with AI agents, deploying containers, automating infrastructure, or just beginning your Azure journey, this event is for you! **What to Expect** * Engaging technical sessions * Real-world Azure architecture & cloud-native patterns * AI, agents, automation, and modern DevOps * Food and drinks (because learning burns calories) * Time to connect with fellow engineers, architects, and cloud enthusiasts We’re lining up a strong set of speakers from the local and regional Azure community. Speaker announcements coming soon! **Who Should Attend?** * Software engineers (any language, any stack) * Cloud architects * DevOps engineers * Data professionals * AI explorers * Platform builders * Anyone who loves solving hard problems with great tools If you build, deploy, automate, scale, monitor, or optimize in Azure, you’ll feel right at home. **Why Global Azure?** Global Azure is a worldwide community event where Azure user groups host learning sessions on the same day across the globe. It’s grassroots. It’s technical. It’s practical. And it’s powered by people who genuinely love sharing what they’ve learned. And yes, it’s free to attend!

Topic to be announced! **CALL FOR SPEAKERS** Learn more: https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/ **THANK YOU** *Leading EDJE* for hosting our meetup! Leading EDJE specializes in helping organizations innovate and solve complex problems. EDJE does this with their "A" player team of professionals using agile methodologies and SCRUM management techniques to give organizations a competitive advantage that sets them apart. Learn more at https://www.leadingedje.com/ **THANK YOU** *Amazon Web Services* for sponsoring pizza! Learn more at https://aws.amazon.com/. **DIRECTIONS** 6515 Longshore Loop, Suite 300 Dublin, OH 43017 (3rd floor) **FREE PARKING** at the Endres Garage across the street, 6540 Riverside Dr, Dublin, OH **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab for a future meetup?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

Join the inaugural meeting of the Columbus Vintage Computing Club (CVCC)! Get to know others in the vintage computing space and get hands on time with a Commodore VIC-20 and various Palm Pilot PDAs! We will use this time to get to know each other, share projects we've been working on and plan the future of the CVCC. We'll be at the Hilliard Library in Meeting Room 2A at 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

We will show a variety of methods for building agents that run in Microsoft Foundry. This covers the different types of agents: Prompt, Multi, and Hosted, as well as the development lifecycle using evals and traces.

Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/

Drake Lundstrom is presenting: Code Anywhere by Talking to your Phone Abstract: Have you heard the trend of people deploying code anywhere from checkout lines to doctors' offices? In this talk, you will learn how to talk to your phone and have an app on Azure to show your friend 5 minutes later. The basic DevOps tools you already know, plus a little bit of AI magic, are all you need! If you want to follow along, the demo will be in Azure with GitHub Actions and GitHub Copilot, and you can have it set up on your phone by the end of the session. Just come in with an Azure account and a GitHub repo. Join us for pizza, drinks, and networking @ Improving's office. Doors open at 5:45.