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Yes! Check out information science events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the information science events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
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Information Science Events Today
Join in-person Information Science events happening right now
The Moltverse meets Reality
This is a ticketed event. Please register at [this link](https://luma.com/vqaqs628).
Unstoppable agents? Digital drugs? Robo-religions?
Moltbook is an internet forum designed exclusively for artificial intelligence agents. Some see it as AI theatre, others as a warning shot for autonomous agents.
In this talk on Moltbook and related phenomena, Giles Edkins looks at the hype, the reality, and what it might mean for the future.
**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 make it in person, feel free to join the live stream starting at 6:30 pm, via [this link](https://www.youtube.com/@Trajectory-Labs/live).
This is part of our weekly [AI Safety Thursdays](https://luma.com/trajectory-labs) series. Join us in examining questions like:
* How do we ensure AI systems are aligned with human interests?
* How do we measure and mitigate potential risks from advanced AI systems?
* What does safer AI development look like?
Behind Autonomous AI: Infrastructure, Security, and Control
A technical evening exploring two critical dimensions of autonomous AI: the infrastructure powering it and the frameworks keeping it secure.
[RSVP on Luma ](https://luma.com/yps2pw1f)
**Part One: Plumbing for the Gigafactories in the AI Era** How networking is done for AI, how it's evolving, and the infrastructure challenges emerging at scale.
**Part Two: Secure and Safe Autonomous AI** As AI systems grow more capable and independent, how do we maintain control? Talks on security architecture, safety frameworks, and the governance decisions shaping what comes next.
**What to expect:**
* 4 Technical talks with breaks for discussion
* Real-world perspectives from infrastructure and security experts
* Networking with engineers, builders, and technical leaders and the community that cares.
**Admission:** $10 Contribution (Complimentary for Students, Seniors, and Job Seekers)
As a non-profit, your ticket purchase directly supports our mission to provide equitable access to AI education and resources for the entire community.
**Presented by:** NovaForge AI Venture Lab: A non-profit incubator and accelerator in a 50,000-sq-ft Canadian Innovation Hub & Co-working Centre, pairing world-class mentorship, capital access, and deep resources to turn bold ideas into enduring businesses. [https://novaforge.ca](https://novaforge.ca)
When Norm Violations Come Out of the Shadows
This talk will explore what happens to public discourse when previously restrictive norms against blatant falsehood and overt racism start to erode.
Are there still efforts to conceal?
Do new mechanisms arise?
What changes in audiences and communicative environments allow for these shifts, and how can one push back against them?
Jennifer Saul
https://uwaterloo.ca/philosophy/profiles/jennifer-saul
Professor
Department of Philosophy
University of Waterloo
**About the Speaker:**
Jenny's primary interests are in Philosophy of Language, Pragmatics, Feminism, Philosophy of Race, and Philosophy of Psychology. In recent years, much of her work has been on deception and racism in political speech. Her book *[Dogwhistles and Figleaves: How Manipulative Language Spreads Racism and Falsehood](https://global.oup.com/academic/product/dogwhistles-and-figleaves-9780192871756?cc=ca&lang=en&) has recently been published by Oxford University Press*. It explores certain commonalties in the communicative mechanisms that have allowed politicians to get away with much more obvious falsehood and racism than previously thought possible.
Jenny has also published *Lying, Misleading and What is Said: An Exploration in Philosophy of Language and in Ethics* (Oxford University Press 2012). It argued that considering the distinction between lying and misleading-- which seems to many an ethically significant one-- can help to shed new light on methodological disputes in philosophy of language over notions like what is said, semantic content, implicature, and the semantic/pragmatic distinction more generally.
Jenny was Director of the Leverhulme-funded Implicit Bias and Philosophy Project. She has published[ two co-edited volumes](https://global.oup.com/academic/product/implicit-bias-and-philosophy-volumes-1-and-2-9780198766186?cc=ca&lang=en&) on implicit bias with Michael Brownstein, and she continues to lecture widely on this topic to a range of audiences. She is especially interested in helping institutions find methods to combat implicit biases, and she frequently advises on this topic. Her view is that [structural and institutional solutions are the most effective means of doing this](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/implicit-bias-training-often-flawed-shouldnt-be-scrapped), and she works with the institutions at which she speaks to improve their policies and procedures.
**\* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \***
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. 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
NEW TIME!! FREE Spanish, English, and French Oral Conversational Class!
\*These classes are not a language exchange, but instead are meant to be a step in between so that students feel confident maintaining in depth and grammatically correct oral conversations outside of class\*
\***Meetup event numbers only tend to show new students registering and do not include returning students attending class.** **Per class, there is an average of 7 students.** The first 2 classes are free and then only cost between $15 and $35 depending on which type of class you want to continue with\*
These French, English (For Spanish and French speakers only), and Spanish classes are primarily meant for adults who are travellers, or who are planning to live in a French, English, or Spanish-speaking country. The classes are primarily oral-based through guided conversations. They will teach you how to handle conversations in situations such as **"Going to the Convenience Store"**, **"Making Plans"**, **"Negotiating Prices"**, and **"Going out for a Drink"**. To ensure that students get used to using the language automatically, students will learn to maintain contextual conversations with timing before moving on to the next lesson. Call (647)787-9953, e-mail us info@monkeylingo.ca, or visit monkeylingo.ca for more information! **Online and private classes are also available!**
No other language classes are as conversational as these ones. We guarantee it! Cheap parking can be found using the "Spot Hero" app.
Practical Philosophy Meetup - Toronto 🇨🇦
**NO PHILOSOPHY EXPERTISE REQUIRED!**
**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?**
Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎
Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic.
The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌
**📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?**
Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/KRy6VgwgGRm3hSGeYlAzDE), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going.
When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture.
**General Meeting Agenda**
Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline:
* 19:30-19:45 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start.
* 19:45-19:55 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines.
* 19:55-21:15 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them.
* 21:15-21:30 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo.
* 21:30 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other.
**🧧PRICING?**
Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend! We just ask that if we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Some chapters rent a space for us to meet, and they may ask for donations to help contribute to the cost of rent. Donations will always be 100% voluntary though!
**💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY**
**🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam
🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel
**🤓 FAQ**
* **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?**
No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what you think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it.
* **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?**
The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school.
* **Is it mostly men that attend?**
Surprisingly, no! Although often, philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms.
* **Can I come alone?**
Of course you can, we encourage it :)
* **Can I be late?**
Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation.
* **Where do you meet?**
The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/KRy6VgwgGRm3hSGeYlAzDE) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/).
🤝**POLICY**
To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment.
**PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨**
We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 50+ chapters in over 25 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️
**\*\*\***
**Join our [Toronto Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/KRy6VgwgGRm3hSGeYlAzDE) 👈**
**Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈**
**Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**
FREE Spanish, English, and French Oral Conversational Class 4 Adults!!
\*These classes are not a language exchange, but instead are meant to be a step in between so that students feel confident maintaining in depth and grammatically correct oral conversations outside of class\*
\***Meetup event numbers only tend to show new students registering and do not include returning students attending class.** **Per class, there is an average of 7 students.** The first 2 classes are free and then only cost between $15 and $35 depending on which type of class you want to continue with\*
These French, English (For Spanish and French speakers only), and Spanish classes are primarily meant for adults who are travellers, or who are planning to live in a French, English, or Spanish-speaking country. The classes are primarily oral-based through guided conversations. They will teach you how to handle conversations in situations such as **"Going to the Convenience Store"**, **"Making Plans"**, **"Negotiating Prices"**, and **"Going out for a Drink"**. To ensure that students get used to using the language automatically, students will learn to maintain contextual conversations with timing before moving on to the next lesson. Call (647)787-9953, e-mail us info@monkeylingo.ca, or visit monkeylingo.ca for more information! **Online and private classes are also available!**
No other language classes are as conversational as these ones. We guarantee it! Cheap parking can be found using the "Spot Hero" app.
Practical Philosophy Meetup - Port Credit 🇨🇦
**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?**
Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎
Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic.
The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌
**📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?**
Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://tally.so/r/81LP4A), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going.
When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture.
**General Meeting Agenda**
Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline:
* 19:00-19:15 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start.
* 19:15-19:25 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines.
* 19:25-20:45 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them.
* 20:45-21:00 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo.
* 21:00 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other.
**🧧PRICING?**
Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend! We just ask that if we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Some chapters rent a space for us to meet, and they may ask for donations to help contribute to the cost of rent. Donations will always be 100% voluntary though!
**💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY**
**🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam
🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel
**🤓 FAQ**
* **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?**
No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what you think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it.
* **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?**
The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school.
* **Is it mostly men that attend?**
Surprisingly, no! Although often, philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms.
* **Can I come alone?**
Of course you can, we encourage it :)
* **Can I be late?**
Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation.
* **Where do you meet?**
The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/81LP4A) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/).
🤝**POLICY**
To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment.
**PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨**
We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 50+ chapters in over 25 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️
**\*\*\***
**Join our [Mississauga Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/81LP4A) 👈**
**Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈**
**Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**
Information Science Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
Google Build with AI Series (Waterloo) - Production-Ready Multimodal Agents
**Important:** Register on the [event website ](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026022707)is required for admission.(RSVP is turned off on meetup)
**Description:**
Join Google Cloud for the agentic AI bootcamp to learn how to build production-ready AI and multimodal agents.
**The ‘Next’ – Capturing Innovation**
The era of the text-only chatbot is evolving. Focus on the bleeding edge of AI: Multimodality. We’ll explore how to build intelligent agents that can see, hear, and respond to the world in real-time, creating immersive experiences that feel more human than ever before.
**What to Expect:**
* \- Multimodal Gemini Agents: Coordinate agents to analyze video and audio while maintaining character consistency across multi\-turn image generation\.
* \- Intelligence Beyond RAG: Move past simple retrieval with hybrid search\, context engineering\, and multi\-agent pipelines\.
* \- Real\-Time Live Interaction: Build low\-latency\, interruptible agents that "see" and "hear" using the Gemini Live API and bidirectional streaming\.
**Who Should Attend?**
This hands-on workshop is designed for software developers, data scientists, and AI practitioners who have some experience building applications or working with models, and are looking to productionize them. To get the most out of the labs, you should have foundational knowledge of a programming language like Python and be comfortable using the command-line interface. While expertise is not required, a basic understanding of Cloud computing concepts, web APIs, and containerization technology like Docker will be highly beneficial.
To participate, you must bring your own laptop and power cable. The activities are intended for laptops and cannot be completed on a tablet or phone.
Venue: Waterloo, Canada (register full the full address)
ONLY CONSCIOUSNESS: Reality, Energy, and Manifestation
**A cordial invite to the second segment of a miniseries of meetups on the resurging interest in the perennial mystery of Consciousness.**
**Hosted by The Ontario Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) in collaboration with Global Consciousness Collective (GCC)**
**[www.meetup.com/ions-ontario](http://www.meetup.com/ions-ontario), [www.noetic.org](http://www.noetic.org/), [www.easyglobaltraining.com](http://www.easyglobaltraining.com/)**
**Speaker Bio:**
Afsaneh Motamed Khorasani was born in Tehran, Iran, into a family of educators and is a biomedical scientist and medical affairs expert with training in obstetrics, molecular biology, and cancer informatics. She completed her MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral studies in Canada and brings more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. An entrepreneur, she is the founder of Neometrix Consulting and Easy Global Training, delivering global services in regulatory, quality, and medical affairs.
Beyond science and business, Afsaneh is an artist, poet, and musician with a deep passion for travel, spirituality, and human consciousness. She has explored 30 countries, immersing in diverse cultures, and actively studies quantum mechanics, theosophy, and the paranormal. A longtime member of the Monroe Institute and the Institute of Noetic Sciences, she started a new Monroe Community Group (MCG) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to foster discussions on spirituality and consciousness among like-minded individuals to share insights and practice Hemi-Sync meditation.
Visit our Youtube channel for more similar talks: https://www.youtube.com/@Easyglobaltraining
Please also send us a confirmation e-mail to: afsaneh.motamed@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list for future events.
Improv Class for New Friends
Don't be disappointed if you don't see a bunch of people attending. I advertise this on multiple platforms and the class usually sells out.
\*\*If you don't use Paypal, email me at ralph@socap.ca and we'll figure it out. You can pay be etransfer or with a credit card/cash at the venue.\*\*
Improv comedy uses several techniques to create laughter. These include, creating an atmosphere free of judgement, saying 'yes', active listening, being positive, putting your focus on others, and the importance of play and laughter.
Not coincidentally, these are the same things that happen to us naturally when we are bonding with another person.
In this class, we'll explore these techniques not with the goal of being funny, but with the goal of being people that other people want to be around.
The teacher, Ralph MacLeod, is a co-founder of two independent improv clubs in Toronto - Bad Dog Theatre and Social Capital Theatre. He's been teaching improv for over 30 years. He also teaches these same techniques to several organizations including UofT, Google, Kraft, Shopify and many, many more.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have!
FAQs and Good To Know....
After every event, a group from this class sit down and have a drink together so be prepared to stay if you want! Of course, you don't HAVE to.
You also don't have to be single or bring a friend. The vibe of this class is much more 'making new friends' than a 'singles' mixer'.
We usually run to 8:15 so pay for extra parking!
Google Build with AI Series (Waterloo) - Production-Ready Multimodal Agents
**Important:** Register on the [event website ](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026022707)is required for admission.(RSVP is turned off on meetup)
**Description:**
Join Google Cloud for the agentic AI bootcamp to learn how to build production-ready AI and multimodal agents.
**The ‘Next’ – Capturing Innovation**
The era of the text-only chatbot is evolving. Focus on the bleeding edge of AI: Multimodality. We’ll explore how to build intelligent agents that can see, hear, and respond to the world in real-time, creating immersive experiences that feel more human than ever before.
**What to Expect:**
* \- Multimodal Gemini Agents: Coordinate agents to analyze video and audio while maintaining character consistency across multi\-turn image generation\.
* \- Intelligence Beyond RAG: Move past simple retrieval with hybrid search\, context engineering\, and multi\-agent pipelines\.
* \- Real\-Time Live Interaction: Build low\-latency\, interruptible agents that "see" and "hear" using the Gemini Live API and bidirectional streaming\.
**Who Should Attend?**
This hands-on workshop is designed for software developers, data scientists, and AI practitioners who have some experience building applications or working with models, and are looking to productionize them. To get the most out of the labs, you should have foundational knowledge of a programming language like Python and be comfortable using the command-line interface. While expertise is not required, a basic understanding of Cloud computing concepts, web APIs, and containerization technology like Docker will be highly beneficial.
To participate, you must bring your own laptop and power cable. The activities are intended for laptops and cannot be completed on a tablet or phone.
Venue: Waterloo, Canada (register full the full address)
Thursday Discussion Group (formerly Mystic Christianity)
### Thursday Evening Discussion Group
**In\-Person \| Starts at 8:00 PM \(Doors open at 7:30 PM\) \| Drop\-In**
**Starting material:** *[Network of Thought](https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Network-of-Thought-Krishnamurti-ebook.pdf)* by **Jiddu Krishnamurti**
This weekly discussion group offers a reflective and open space to explore themes of **mysticism, spirituality, and inner transformation** through selected writings and talks by Jiddu Krishnamurti, Annie Besant, Alice Bailey, and other thinkers whose work invites deep **inquiry into consciousness, freedom, truth,** and **the nature of self-understanding**.
Rather than promoting a particular belief system, the group emphasizes **shared reading, thoughtful reflection, and respectful dialogue**.
Participants are welcome to engage at their own pace—whether through listening, contemplation, or open discussion.
While there is **no requirement to commit before attending**, *the intention is to gradually build a group of participants who are interested in returning regularly and engaging sincerely with the material* and the group process. Newcomers are very welcome, and those who feel drawn to ongoing study are warmly encouraged to continue attending.
This is a **drop-in group**, and no prior background or preparation is required.
**All are welcome.** Come as you are, reflect together, and take part in a spirit of openness and mutual respect.
ONLY CONSCIOUSNESS: Reality, Energy, and Manifestation
**A cordial invite to the second segment of a miniseries of meetups on the resurging interest in the Perennial Mystery of Consciousness.**
Last December we held the first of the series: **[The Holy Grail of Consciousness Embedded AI](https://www.meetup.com/ions-ontario/events/312293729/?eventOrigin=group_similar_events)**[ ](https://www.meetup.com/ions-ontario/events/312293729/?eventOrigin=group_similar_events)focusing on two opposing understandings of Consciousness.
The prevailing concept among many scientists that bursts of electrical activity creates consciousness. And that it is conceivable, indeed possible, to harness this burst of electrical activity in silicon chips giving rise to consciousness in AI.
This differs from the Perennial understandings reached by thinkers of the East who investigated states of Mind beyond dreamless deep sleep and made empirical observations of human and non-human entities over millennia. To them, Pure Consciousness as Ultimate Reality cannot be expressed by speech or understood by the Mind, for it is the illumination of Pure Consciousness which enables the speech to be expressed and the Mind to understand in the first place.
In this and follow up sessions of the series we will be joined by Dr. Afsaneh Khorasani, **[Afsaneh Personal website-| Home](https://www.bing.com/search?q=Afsaneh+Khorasani&form=ANNTH1&refig=6986d3bc1bc5479f87ccec054ccb89ed&pc=PCMWSB&adppc=EDGEXST)**[,](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=7cbb65b29886dd437938c7314526aebd9058fe4d4749dbdf2731d36796825912JmltdHM9MTc3MDMzNjAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=229627c8-30c9-6f1e-2861-3229310c6ef5&psq=Afsaneh+Khorasani&u=a1aHR0cDovL2Fmc2FuZWhtb3RhbWVkLmNvbS9lbi9pbmRleC5odG0) an eminent research scientist. Among **[other initiatives](https://www.easyglobaltraining.com/)** Dr. Afsaneh has been involved with the Princeton University linked **[Global Consciousness Project](https://noosphere.princeton.edu/)** led by Roger Nelson to which our **[Institute of Noetic Sciences](https://noetic.org/)** (IONS) has been providing logistical home base over the years.
Dr. Afsaneh will lead us into a deep yet practical journey into the nature of reality, consciousness, and energy, bridging modern physics, ancient wisdom, and lived experience. Together, we will look at consciousness as the ground of all experience, energy as the language of the universe, and manifestation as alignment rather than effort.
We’ll explore how thought, emotion, belief, frequency, and awareness shape our lives, our relationships, and our ability to create with clarity and presence. The session will be reflective, expansive, and grounded in real-life application, offering insights you can integrate into daily living.
In the months ahead, we will invite other panelists to share their perspective in a conversational setting with emphasis on audience interactions.
We look forward to sharing this space of inquiry, awareness, and connection with you.
Pens Not Property: Edward Said on Forms of Life
This talk begins from the question of property in Edward Said's last interview. It then asks: What is the role of property within Sylvia Wynter's reading of "the horizon of humanity" in Jacques Derrida? Ultimately this talk considers Said and Wynter together in offering an inquiry into the forms of life we have inherited and live within today.
[Benjamin P. Davis](https://benjaminpdavis.com/) is an Assistant Professor of Africana and Hispanic Studies at Texas A&M University and a Fellow at the Center on Modernity in Transition. He is the author of *Simone Weil’s Political Philosophy: Field Notes from the Margins*, which reads the mystic Simone Weil as an illuminating political theorist, and *Choose Your Bearing: Édouard Glissant, Human Rights, and Decolonial Ethics*, which presents the poet and philosopher Édouard Glissant as a vital voice for the practice of human rights today.
His third book, *Another Humanity: Decolonial Ethics from Du Bois to Arendt*, defends the concepts of “the human” and “humanity” against a critical backdrop in theory today.
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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. 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
Information Science Events Near You
Connect with your local Information Science community
Coworking w/ IxDA at Junto
Join us and work remotely together with like-minded UX folks. This is a last minute opportunity to get out at one of our favorites, [Junto](https://thejuntohotel.com/)! Plenty of seating is available in addition to a connected coffee shop and restaurant.
I will be there 10-12 for sure, maybe longer. Feel free to come and go anytime during the day, and don't forget your charger and headphones!
DoJo (Informal Python Meeting)
**New Dojo Location!**
**Draft Day Columbus**
1130 Dublin Road
Columbus, OH 43215
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)
An Immense World
This meeting will be an open discussion about the book "an Immense World" by Ed Yong
Data & Analytics Wednesday - Google Analytics Alternatives
**Google Analytics Alternatives**
Is it finally time to make the switch away from Google Analytics? Two-and-a-half years ago Jason Packer asked this question at Columbus Web Analytics Wednesday.
Since then: Google’s Universal Analytics has been sunset, we’ve changed our name to Columbus Data & Analytics Wednesday, and Jason has released two editions of his book “Google Analytics Alternatives”.
Fresh off the release of the 2nd edition of his book, we thought it was time to re-open this conversation. While people love to complain about it, GA’s market share has remained relatively constant (at least in the United States). Why is that? You won’t find any complaints about GA4 in this talk, but rather an overview of what’s currently available in the market and how to frame your decision-making process.
We’ll also be giving out some free copies of Jason’s book! So even if you’ve got a “GA4Lyfe” tattoo (no judgement), there’s free books to go with the free pizza and beer.
Thanks to our 2026 sponsors:
[Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro)
More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)
French conversation club
Bienvenue! Columbus French Conversation group invites you to our Saturday morning French conversation club. Expect a casual and welcoming atmosphere in which to learn french! I will bring my laptop so we can look up new vocabulary as needed! The venue is a beautiful French restaurant so you can really get into the zone :)
Industry Tech Talk + Q&A
Excited to share that AWS Cloud Club's first meeting will take place on Thursday, February 26th at 5pm - 6pm!
We’re collaborating with [Big Data & Analytics Association](https://www.linkedin.com/company/big-data-analytics-association/) to host [Alok Jha](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alok-jha-42abb928/), Head of Product Management for AWS Intelligent Application Protection at Amazon Web Services, for a tech talk + Q&A on his journey in leading cutting-edge innovation in industry.
If you’re interested in cloud, cybersecurity, AI, or product management, this is a session you won’t want to miss.
Make sure to join our Meetup and GroupMe to stay up to date for future events and collabs!
Psychic Development Series II - Pueo Group
Private Group. Closed to the Public
Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy.
In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected.
The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve.
I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia




















