Computing

Join us on March 26th for an exciting **AWS User Group Toronto meetup** focused on **AI-driven development with Kiro**! The evening kicks off with a presentation and live demoes showcasing how Kiro transforms the development workflow, followed by AWS experts sharing the best practices and approaches to get most out of AI-driven development. We'll wrap up with a hands-on workshop and Q&A session — Kiro credits will be provided for participants who want to explore at their own pace. As a bonus, enjoy pizza on us and take home some exclusive Kiro-themed swag! To make the most of the workshop, please come with Kiro pre-installed on your own computer and/or AWS account ready to go. **Agenda:** 6:00-6:15: Welcome Introductions, and community update 6:15-7:00: AI-driven development with Kiro - Presentation and Demo 7:00-7:30: Lessons from field - Best practices and accelerators 7:30-8:00: Workshop set and Q&A **Details:** Address: **18 York St., 7th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5J 2T8** Date: **March 26, 2026** Time: **6:00 pm to 8:00 pm EST** **Speaker:** * **Simran Singh** \- Sr\. Solutions Architect @ AWS * **Divya Jadav** \- Solutions Architect @ AWS * **Abhijith Ramesh Chandra** \- Solutions Architect @ AWS Please plan to arrive between 05:30 PM and 06:00 PM to ensure time to check-in, before the event begins at 06:00 PM. Visitors will need to present a government-issued photo ID to verify their identity and will have their picture taken to receive a visitor badge. Please wear your badge and remember to return all visitor badges to reception at the end of the visit. Parking is available onsite. There is a parking garage located beneath the building. You can pull an access ticket at the garage entrance off 120 Bremner Boulevard or Lower Simcoe Street. If you are arriving via the Union station, the building is conveniently located next to the Union station. Please enter through the main entrance on Bremner Boulevard or via the PATH Network and proceed to the elevators.

**Taming the Lobster: Securing OpenClaw and Navigating the Future of Autonomous AI Agents** OpenClaw is everywhere right now. It’s arguably one of the most powerful tools for automating tasks locally, but let’s be honest: giving an AI autonomous access to your system is a massive security gamble. Between private data leaks and untrusted content, you’re basically looking at a "lethal trifecta" of risks if you aren't careful. In this talk, I’m going to skip the fluff and look at real exploits we’ve seen in the wild—from malware hiding in plugin marketplaces to remote code execution flaws that can hijack your gateway. We’ll then walk through a practical hardening checklist to lock down your setup (think container sandboxing and network isolation) so you can actually sleep at night. To wrap things up, I’ll share a few safer alternatives for those who want the power of an AI agent without the operational headache. **Speaker: Samiul Islam** **Senior AI Product Manager & Agentic Systems Specialist** Samiul is a Senior AI Product Manager based in Mississauga, recognized for architecting GenAI roadmaps and building the underlying orchestration layers that make AI agents reliable. Currently consulting for Thinkrr.ai, he leads the development AI roadmap including their AI copilot, and having voice AI build voice agents. With a foundation in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Samiul specializes in bridging the gap between raw LLM capabilities and deterministic enterprise outputs. During his tenure at Formula.Monks, he led R&D teams to launch agentic frameworks that utilized a semantic tooling layer to ensure AI behavior remained precise and human-like. A practitioner as much as a strategist, Samiul is an active contributor to the local AI community, frequently optimizing LLMs on Apple Silicon and developing self-hosted MCP solutions. Outside of the professional sphere, he is a dedicated DIYer and health-tech enthusiast, applying his technical mindset to navigate complex personal health data. **Schedule:** 6:00 - 6:30 - Meet 'n Greet 6:30 - 6:45 - Introduction and Welcome 6:45 - 7:45 - Main Presentation 7:45 - 8:00 - Closing and Prize Draw 8:00 - ? - (Optional - whoever would like to join) Continue our conversations at Bar 6ix, 201 City Centre Drive (3 minute walk) **Where to Find Us** Conference Room 073 in the Hazel McCallion Central Library. Bottom Level. **Parking** There is a parking garage under the library. Parking is free from 6PM on.

This is a ticketed event. Please register at [this link](https://luma.com/e69uao09). ​In his talk, Samuel Simko from ETH Zurich will present his recent work on adversarial defenses for LLMs, developed with the Jinesis Lab (University of Toronto). The talk will cover a series of approaches, ranging from triplet-based contrastive learning defenses to honeypot-style defenses designed to avoid worst-case behavior. He will also discuss patterns observed in contest-winning manual jailbreaking prompts, ideas for tamper-resistant safeguards, and the current limits of attacks, defenses, and evaluation methodologies. ​**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).

Observability is supposed to help us understand our systems but for many teams it has quietly become one of the most expensive and least flexible parts of the stack. Plenty of organizations take polished SaaS platforms like Datadog to get real value quickly early on, only to hit the same wall later: runaway costs, pricing tied to architectural decisions, and vendor lock-in so strong it makes Rogers and Bell both blush. In this talk, I’ll walk through a real-world case study of a JVM-based production system that migrated away from a Datadog-centric observability setup to an open-source, OpenTelemetry-based platform. We’ll dig into the why behind the move, the architectural decisions that mattered, the mistakes along the way, and how the team ended up with pragmatic visibility into latency, errors, and resource usage at a fraction of the cost. The second half of the talk is practical and forward-looking. I’ll show how OpenTelemetry unlocks real choice by acting as a neutral data plane for your telemetry. From there, we’ll look at modern, off-the-shelf observability backends you can plug in within minutes without rewriting applications or installing new agents. Want to dual-write, swap vendors, or route data somewhere new? This is how you do it without a big-bang rewrite or another long-term commitment with a new vendor. This session is for engineers and CEOs who are feeling the observability cost squeeze, want leverage back from vendors, and are looking for realistic ways to modernize monitoring without lighting their entire stack on fire each time they decide to change their tools of choice. **About the venue** Free Times Cafe has bistro-style seating and a full food and drink menu. Please consider helping to support the venue by planning to have supper during the talk. **Speaker Bio** Alexei Zenin is a Platform Engineering Consultant based out of Toronto, Canada. Over the course of his career he has worked across the Healthcare, Marketing, Video Games, and Banking industries. He loves to tackle hard problems in the distributed systems space with a focus on scaling platforms both from a technical and process perspective. He is a strong advocate for highly maintainable and well tested code while at the same time pragmatically delivering value to the end user. He has contributed to the broader tech community, namely to Confluent’s blogs on Apache Kafka, spoken at Current 2022 in Austin, Texas, and spoken at XP Game Summit 2025 in Toronto, Canada. During his 5 years at Uken Games he contributed to several games like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Jeopardy. One title of note he saw from inception to completion was a game for Tim Hortons built right into the official app, Tim’s Word Challenge. Millions of Canadians have played it along with their morning coffee. He also got to work with Netflix on several unannounced games during his time at the studio. Currently, Alexei is working with various clients, both large and small to modernize and streamline their platforms with the most appropriate tools and practices. Outside of his professional life, he gives back to his community by volunteering at UofT. He also enjoys paddleboarding and attending live rock concerts to reset after long coding sessions.

***Tickets must be purchased in advance:*** https://luma.com/ecomTO2603?utm_source=meetup ***(limited early bird & discounted tickets available)*** \-\-\- Bring your ambition and connect with Toronto’s top ecommerce founders, brand builders, and digital entrepreneurs at Greta Bar - King West’s high-energy, two-floor venue known for its bold design, neon glow, and vibrant nightlife atmosphere. 🍸✨ ​ [Follow us on Instagram @Ecomnetworking](https://instagram.com/ecomnetworking) Hosted by the **Ecom Network**, this event brings together ecommerce and DTC founders, online sellers, and digital entrepreneurs for a relaxed yet high-energy networking night. Expect great drinks, curated music, and meaningful conversations with people building and scaling real businesses. **​​Who is this event for?** This event is suitable for all online sellers - whether you run a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brand on Shopify, sell on Amazon (FBA), Etsy, eBay, Walmart, or manage a store on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.​ — **Event Highlights** **✨ Network in a Vibrant Setting** We’ve secured a dedicated section at at the venue just for our group. Enjoy meaningful conversations and great vibes while connecting with fellow entrepreneurs. We kindly ask that you support the venue by purchasing at least one drink or food item. **Share Your Story** Building a brand, product, or project? Looking for partners, feedback, or fresh ideas? This is your chance to introduce yourself and spark valuable connections in the ecommerce community. **Learn and Grow** Exchange insights on scaling, marketing, operations, and sales with fellow ecommerce founders. Many past attendees have walked away with partnerships, new clients, and fresh ideas - one conversation could be the start of something big. — **Dress code: Smart/Business casual** — Have questions or suggestions? ​Feel free to reach out to the organizers! ​We can’t wait to see you (again)! — *Notice of Photography* *​During the event, photos and videos may be taken for promotional purposes. By attending, you consent to being photographed and/or filmed. If you prefer not to appear in any media, please let one of the event organizers know.*

March 26th for the OpenClaw Meetup. Fraternal Order of Eagles - 17 Elm St, Toronto, ON M5G 1H1 [https://maps.app.goo.gl/tKyQGWh6pqSu5KTi8?g_st=ic](https://maps.app.goo.gl/tKyQGWh6pqSu5KTi8?g_st=ic) from 5-8p More information to come.. speakers, guests, talks..etc

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!

Ticket Link: [https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2020-perspective-comedy-show-series-tickets-1981806652045?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2020-perspective-comedy-show-series-tickets-1981806652045?aff=oddtdtcreator) Two comedians, co-headlining. Both do 20 minutes. These are local Toronto comedians who hustle, grind and deserve the shot! ## Welcome to the 20/20 Perspective Comedy Show Series! Come join us at the **Backroom Comedy Club** Thursday nights filled with laughter and fun starting **February 26th, 2026 until end of May . Every THURSDAY @ 10PM(Eastern Time)**. Get ready to enjoy hilarious stand-up acts and witty performances that will leave you rolling in your seats! Don't miss out on this opportunity to unwind and relax with some top-notch comedy. Grab your friends and family for a night of entertainment that you won't forget! Mark your calendars and get ready to laugh your heart out at the 20/20 Perspective Comedy Show Series!

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/yvAGbh4PpD **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.

[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/

Python Toronto is back! Join us for our March meetup at the Nokia office at **100 Queens Quay E, Floor 14** on **Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 5:30pm!** If you are interested in giving a talk, we'd love to have you! Please fill out this form – [Submit a Python Toronto talk](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpNKB0Sbs893xp72M4TxmYGrTyLm4Nh1SSXnCqChP9mx6_9A/viewform?usp=header)! Talks are typically short, typically 5 to 10 minutes, and up to 20 minutes if you've really got something to say, and on any topic that would be interesting to a room of Python people. This can be a Python library that has helped you, a research paper you've enjoyed, or an interesting application of AI. The Python meetup is a casual, community-oriented meetup hosted by companies that use Python in Toronto. Talks are short, informal, and sometimes ad-hoc. Space is limited! Register now to hold your spot. **When / Where** * When: March 26, 2026, 5:30pm to 9:00pm. * Where: Nokia Office - 100 Queens Quay E, Floor 14 Toronto, ON M5E 0C7 Come early to enjoy **snacks** and **drinks** provided. **Code of Conduct** Python Toronto is dedicated to providing a welcoming, harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for this venue, including talks, workshops, parties, Twitter and other online media. Meetup participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the meetup (without a refund where applicable) at the discretion of the meetup organizers. Please email elaine@eswong.ca to report any issues.

Join us for an exciting ServiceNow Toronto Developer Meetup - Spring 2026 Edition! 📅 **Date**: Thursday, March 26th, 2026 🕕 **Time**: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EST 📍 **Location**: Scotland Yard, 56 The Esplanade, Toronto, ON **Agenda**: * **Networking -** Get to know your fellow ServiceNow Developers * **Knowledge Sharing** \- Share your insights and learn from others * **Additional details will be announced closer to the event!** Refreshments will be served at the event - Send us a private message to let us know if you have any allergies! **Note**: The event details are subject to change, so please stay tuned for any updates. This event is sponsored by Pentio Inc.

Toronto AI agent hackathon: build, deploy, transact on-chain. Mac Mini prizes, internships, mentorship, free food. Apply to get in: 👉 [https://luma.com/2bntw4vd](https://luma.com/2bntw4vd "https://luma.com/2bntw4vd") **The Vision** ​We’re bringing the **OpenClaw** and **GOAT Network** stack to Toronto students for a one-day vibe coding sprint with the support of the **CanCode** grant program from the **Government of Canada**. Your mission: Build an AI agent that doesn’t just talk but owns its identity, manages its own wallet and transact with other agents. Leverage Bitcoin’s 99.9% uptime and BitVM2’s mathematical security (viat GOAT) to build agents that handle high-value transactions with zero human oversight. ​ **🏆 The Stakes** ​We aren't giving out stickers and socks. We are giving away **Mac Minis** to the top-performing teams to power your future AI development. We also are looking for the bright minds to join our team and our partner projects as an interns to continue developing what they started at the hackathon. We also will be mentoring and helping those who would like to develop their hackathon projects further as their own startups. ​ **🚀 The Challenge** ​Deploy a "vibe-coded" autonomous agent using: * ​**OpenClaw:** The brain and framework. * ​**ERC-8004:** On-chain identity (Give your agent a soul). * ​**x402:** Agent-native payments (Let your agent get paid). * ​**GOAT Network:** The infrastructure for the agent economy. ​ **📅 Event Details** * ​**When:** 10 am \- 9 pm \|\| March 28 2026 * ​**Where:** George Brown College (exact address will be posted). * ​**Who:** University students * ​**Perks:** Fuel provided (Pizza, snacks, and drinks) + On-site technical mentorship. ### ​ ### **🏆Prizes** * ​Mac Mini + internship opportunities + entrepreneurship opportunities ​​ 🍕 **Food & drinks are on us** — snacks and drinks will be served throughout the event. ​​ **11:00 AM** — 🚀 Doors close. Hacking begins! ​​**11:00 – 11:15 AM** — Welcome & Kickoff ​​ ## ​**​🔧 Workshop Track** ​​11:15 – 11:45 AM \| Why we are building this ​​​11:50 AM – 12:10 PM \| ClawUp \+ Messengers \(Telegram\, Slack\) ​1​​2:10 – 13:20 PM \| Build on GOAT Testnet 3 — Deploy an 8004 & x402 ​​Go from zero to a live, AI-powered transaction on GOAT Testnet fully vibe-coded. ​​**Getting started:** 1. ​​Register on 8004 — link and instructions in the onboarding checklist 2. ​​Confirm your registration on the [GOAT Dashboard](https://goat-dashboard.vercel.app/?utm_source=luma "https://goat-dashboard.vercel.app/?utm_source=luma") 3. ​​Use the Telegram Bot Onboarder to set up your x402 merchant payment 4. ​​Watch live demos and join the idea brainstorming session ## ​**​🛟 Support** ​​You're never stuck. Here's who to reach out to: * ​​**GOAT support team** is available in person and across both Telegram channels throughout the event ## ​**​🔨 13:20 – 6:30 PM \| Build Time** ​​Heads down. Ship something real. Prizes announced mid-session — stay tuned. ## ​**​🏁 6:30 PM \| Submissions Close** ## ​**​🎤 6:40 PM \| Demo Time** ​​Each team gets **3 minutes** to present. Everyone who wants to demo gets a slot — just keep it sharp! ​​After demos, judges have **15 minutes** to deliberate, then prizes are announced live. 🏆 ​​Physical prizes handed out on-site. ## ​**​** ## **🎉 Socials** ​​We'll wrap up with open hang time — meet the builders, the GOAT team, and the community. Stick around! ### **🔥Let's get started!** Apply to get in: 👉 [https://luma.com/2bntw4vd](https://luma.com/2bntw4vd "https://luma.com/2bntw4vd")

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 **Abstract** Web Forms gave .NET developers a powerful abstraction for building reusable UI controls long before design systems were a thing. Web Components finally bring that same idea to the browser natively. This session explores how the Web Forms mindset translates into Custom Elements, Shadow DOM, and HTML templates. We’ll examine how Web Components enable design systems that work across frameworks, how they differ from server‑driven controls, and why they’re becoming a foundational layer for modern UI. Whether you’re maintaining legacy apps or building greenfield projects, you’ll leave with a practical understanding of how to apply familiar patterns in a modern, standards‑based way. **YouTube Link** [https://youtube.com/live/fD2cYeKp_UU?feature=share](https://youtube.com/live/fD2cYeKp_UU?feature=share)

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

**Improving Office in Franklinton** Physical location: Improving Office 330 Rush Alley Suite #150 Columbus, OH 43215 Schedule: 6:00 p.m.: Socialize, eat, and drink. Improving will be providing pizza and beverages. 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Main meeting and presentation(s). Topic: Type Annotations with John Cassidy We meet on the last Monday of each Month. Presentations are given by members and friends of this group. If you would like to do a presentation (small or large) on a python topic, please contact Central OH Python at centralohpython@gmail.com

**Complex Trauma Support Group** Our group is intended for survivors of complex trauma. If you are here, it’s likely that so much of who you are and what you have experienced in this life is actually invisible to most people––to family, society, coworkers, and the people who are around you. We are a peer-led group of survivors creating opportunities for ourselves and others to share our experiences, share support, and build relationships in kind community together. Survivor experiences might include: child sexual abuse, incest, child trafficking, and other experiences of people living with traumatic dissociation and complex PTSD. **What to expect at your first meeting:** Currently, we are offering a bi-monthly in person group at 2:00pm on the first and third Sunday of the month. The only criterion for joining the group is that you are a survivor of trauma wishing to have more kindness in your own life and share kindness with others, and that you agree to practice to group’s relational agreements available for view here: https://www.kindgroups.com/agreements. Joining the group is free of charge. We ask that new people connect with us for 30 minutes on the phone or on zoom before coming to their first group, so that we can determine together that we are a good fit. Our meetings last approximately 90 minutes. Participants are never required to share. You’re also welcome to choose a pseudonym and you will never be asked for private information. You are welcome to leave at any time. The kindness that survivors can share when among others who have survived similar childhood experiences is something we rarely get to experience. Time spent with others who understand even a little bit more about us is a relief. Our hope is to help ourselves and others experience that we are not alone. We wish for our efforts to be a cause of kindness in our own lives and the lives of each other. You can read more about the groups at www.kindgroups.com.

**New Dojo Location!** **Knotty Pine Brewing** 1765 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead. We're looking for topic suggestions and people interested in presenting at our monthly meetings. To this end we've set up a survey form at [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc)

**First meetup of the Columbus AI Engineering group.** We’ll kick things off with a practical, beginner-friendly discussion on: **How LLMs like ChatGPT actually work — and how to build real applications with them.** We’ll cover: * what’s actually happening under the hood (at a high level) * why LLMs behave the way they do (hallucinations, prompt sensitivity, etc.) * how people are building real systems with them today * where things break in practice This will be a **short, informal talk (\~15–20 min)** followed by open discussion and Q&A. Whether you’re an engineer, builder, or just curious about how modern AI systems work, you’re welcome to join. No slides, no fluff — just real conversation about real systems. We’ll hang out afterward and get to know each other.

The Fellowship of the Star Schema: Transforming OLTP Data for Power BI One does not simply build reports on OLTP data. Join us on an epic journey from the depths of raw, normalized tables to the shining halls of a well-modeled star schema fit for Power BI greatness. We will demystify the differences between OLTP and OLAP, walk through star schema vs snowflake (and why Power BI has a clear favorite), and show you the compression differences between normalized and columnar storage that will make you never look at an OLTP model the same way again. We will cover the different types of dimensions, when to use them, and how to handle Slowly Changing Dimensions without losing your mind. You will leave knowing exactly how to identify a bad model, how to convert OLTP data into a clean star schema, and how to forge relationships that rule them all. Whether you are a data wizard, a curious hobbit, or somewhere in between, your models will never be the same.