Machine Learning

Do we really choose our actions, or are we shaped by forces far beyond our control? We often think of free will as the power to make our own decisions and direct our lives. But if we are physical beings in a world governed by cause and effect, what kind of freedom is actually possible? At our next Curiosity Café, we’ll explore one of philosophy’s most fascinating and consequential questions: what is free will? Together, we’ll examine some of the major ways philosophers have tried to answer it. Is freedom compatible with determinism? Are we only free when no one is coercing us? Or does genuine freedom require that we somehow break free from the chain of prior causes altogether? From there, we’ll dive into one of the most famous thought experiments in philosophy — Frankfurt’s case of Jones and Black — which challenges the idea that freedom always requires the ability to do otherwise. What does it really mean to choose freely? And what kind of control do we need in order to be morally responsible? In our second hour, we’ll turn to the ethical and political stakes of the debate. How should we think about responsibility in cases involving brain injury or mental illness? When someone’s capacity for control is impaired, does that reduce their blameworthiness? And if free will is more limited than we tend to assume, what does that mean for punishment, justice, and moral responsibility? Finally, we’ll ask what is really at stake in holding on to the idea of free will. Is it essential to moral responsibility? Can we preserve accountability without it? And how might our legal, political, and social institutions look different depending on how we answer these questions? Join co-moderators Ken Boyd and Marybel Menzies to reflect, question, and engage with others as we explore one of the deepest questions about what it means to be human — whether or not we are free. **Space is limited!** **Please obtain a “Pay-What-You-Can” ticket from Curiosity Café at [this link (click here)](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/curiosity-cafe-free-will-tickets-1986181200437) to attend this event. You need a ticket to be admitted.** See the above link for more info about tickets and other options including a limited number of free tickets. Come and hang out with us, grab food, and read through our handout from 6-6:30pm. Our structured discussion will run from 6:30-8:30pm with a 10 minute break in the middle. Hope to see you there! ***__________________________________________________________________*** This event is brought to you by [Being and Becoming](https://beingnbecoming.org/), a Toronto based non-profit. We aim to create community around exploring everyday concepts and experiences so that we may live more intentional, thoughtful, and meaningful lives. We use philosophy as a tool with which we can come to a richer understanding of the world around us. By offering activities, spaces, and other opportunities for conversation and co-exploration, we hope to enable the meeting and fusion of individuals and their ideas. Everyone is welcome, regardless of background: indeed, we believe the journey is best undertaken alongside explorers from a variety of disciplines, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Find out more about Being and Becoming [here](https://beingnbecoming.org/). About the Curiosity Café Series: For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to join us at our Curiosity Cafés and are wondering what they’re all about: every two weeks, we invite members of our community to come out to the Madison Avenue Pub to engage in a collaborative exploration of our chosen topic. Through these events, we aim to build our community of people who like to think deeply about life’s big questions, and provide each other with some philosophical tools to dig deeper into whatever it is we are most curious about.

Join us for an interactive workshop on mastering public speaking, covering essential communication skills, personal development, and professional development. Whether you are a beginner or looking to enhance your existing skills, this event is designed to help you gain confidence, improve your storytelling abilities, and conquer stage fright. Our experienced speakers will share practical tips, techniques, and exercises to help you become a more compelling and engaging speaker. Don't miss this opportunity to overcome your fears and unlock your full potential in public speaking.

The next event is happening on Tuesday April 7 at 6PM in the Wellington Market Food Hall at The Well! We'll be meeting in front of the Nord Lyon in The Wellington Market (food court!) Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately!

Holy ESL This group is an advanced and intermediate English learners who are interested to learn English language as a second language (ESL) using the Bible. Holy ESL is free and you DO NOT NEED to be a Christian. All and any faith is welcome, so come ready to engage in thought provoking conversations and deeping your understanding of both language and faith. Light refreshments are provided.

**.... Do you *dread* speaking in front of others? .... Need to *present* an important meeting? .... Is it time to *enhance* your communication skills?** **Meeting Theme: 'Impact with Body Language'** Purposeful body movement in public speaking enhances clarity and connection. By mastering gestures, posture, and eye contact, you can reinforce your message and engage your audience more effectively. Generate a great amount of emotion and interest through the use of non-verbal communication, Effective gestures for emphasizing and clarifying your words include: * Eye contact, * Moving around the stage with purpose, * Facial expression to reflect emotions, and * Managing uncontrolled mannerisms. Gain new insights and benefit from the information provided by Toastmasters Speechcraft program. Join our meeting and experience the hands-on “how-to” instruction in public speaking. If you are an experienced Toastmaster or a guest exploring Toastmasters, you will acquire a new way of communicating your thoughts with increased clarity and impact. Each ‘discovery’ meeting will provide valuable tips to boost your confidence on stage. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from experienced speakers. **What is the Toastmasters Speechcraft Discovery meeting?** You will: * gain insights into principles and strategies from expert speakers, * hear speeches and learn from evaluations given by advanced Toastmasters, * experience what happens at a real Toastmasters meeting, * get familiar with the Toastmasters Speechcraft program and resources, * discover the benefits of Toastmasters Speechcraft for personal and club growth. **Register NOW for any FREE Discovery meeting.** **Discovery Meeting:** Tuesday, Apr 7 7:00PM to 8:30PM Doors open 6:45PM **Have a question, contact organizer:** Phoenixtmvppr@gmail.com **Sponsor:** Phoenix-Toronto Toastmasters Club Phoenix-Toronto Toastmasters empowers individuals to master the communication skills that drive personal achievement and confidence. Through practice and peer feedback, you will rapidly develop presentation abilities, persuasive influence, and leadership presence. Accelerate your audience impact and transform your trajectory with skills that will help you grow your opportunities. **Speechcraft Discovery Series** **Week 1 – Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026** ‘How to Choose a Topic’ **Week 2 – Tuesday, Mar 3, 2026** ‘How to Organize a Speech’ **Week 3 – Tuesday, Mar 17, 2026** ‘Know Your Speech Purpose’ **Week 4 – Tuesday, Apr 7, 2026** ‘How to Impact with Body Language’ **Week 5 – Tuesday, Apr 21, 2026** ‘How to Use Vocal Variety’ **Week 6 – Tuesday, May5, 2026** ‘How to Create Images with Powerful Words’ **Week 7 – Tuesday, Jun 2, 2026** ‘Research Your Topic to Elevate Your Credibility’ **Week 8 – Tuesday, Jun 16, 2026** ‘Evaluate to Elevate’

Go Medieval! Learn Medieval arts, sciences, dancing and games! Have somefun with like minded history geeks. Tuesdays, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm St. Andrew’s United Church 117 Bloor St EAST (near Church Street) Ring the buzzer for the gate keeper more info? www.eoforwic.ca

Hello everyone! Nice to meet you 😊 This is the first event I’m hosting on Meetup.com, but we’ve already had four small coffee chats, so this will be our fifth meetup for Korean learners. This time, I’m trying something a little different, a combination of a study group and a dinner gathering. For this event, first-time attendees will be joining the dinner table, and as you become a regular, you’ll also be able to join the study group sessions. The location is still TBD and will be announced soon. **It’s free to join, but everyone will pay for their own food or drinks.** *** **\*\* What is “식구 (食口)”?** “식구 (Sigoo)” means “family” in Korean. It literally comes from Chinese characters meaning “people who share meals together.” You can see how important sharing a meal is in Korean culture. So this time, why don’t we sit at the same table, share a meal, and get to know each other through Korean learning?

**This is a ticketed event. Please register at [this link](https://luma.com/wbpv7ouu).** In this talk, Talha Paracha will present insights from his latest research on using language models for improving software security ("Hallucinating Certificates", to appear at ICSE 2026). Certificate validation is a crucial step in Transport Layer Security (TLS), the de facto standard network security protocol. Prior research has shown that differentially testing TLS implementations with synthetic certificates can reveal critical security issues, such as accidentally accepting untrusted certificates. Paracha et al. introduce a new approach, MLCerts, to generate synthetic certificates that leverages generative language models to more extensively test software implementations. Recently, these models have become (in)famous for their applications in generating content, writing code, and conversing with users, as well as for "hallucinating" syntactically correct yet semantically nonsensical output. The authors leverage two novel insights in their work: (a) TLS certificates can be expressed in natural-like language, namely in the X.509 standard that aids human readability, and (b) differential testing can benefit from hallucinated malformed test cases. MLCerts finds significantly more distinct discrepancies between the five TLS implementations OpenSSL, LibreSSL, GnuTLS, MbedTLS, and MatrixSSL than the state-of-the-art benchmark Transcert. ​​​**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).

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.

**Note the location Thai Express Union Station food court.** **Google pin.** [https://share.google/grUYGncv3G3exetw7](https://share.google/grUYGncv3G3exetw7) **We will discuss day trading, swing trading strategies and tools.** This will not be a presentation format. **Telegram group for quicker communication:** [https://t.me/+m8BMRABGX74xNmZh](https://t.me/+m8BMRABGX74xNmZh) **Discord Group for exchanging ideas, charts and strategies** [https://discord.gg/SVYTSPh7](https://discord.gg/SVYTSPh7) We will discuss options trading and investing strategies, as well as the skills needed to start. It is a **casual meetup to meet people who are interested in trading or building a career around it, especially algorithmically. No "financial gurus" are welcome.** Join us for a meetup where we share trading ideas, and connect with others who share a common interest in investing. Algorithmic trading is commonly used by large institutional investors and market makers, but it is also accessible to retail traders. It offers several advantages over manual or discretionary approaches—particularly in minimizing psychological errors that often impact human traders. Some of the topics we usually discuss: \- Reasons for investing \- Limitations of being a retail trader \- Practical tools: brokers\, APIs\, data sources\, real\-time implementation \- Brainstorming ideas: strategies that may be working today **Note this even is not sponsored or endorsed by any business where we are meeting. We are just using their space for casual meetup event.** **Please no promotion of MLM, pyramid schemes, self promotion to paid services, affiliate promotion, paid subscriptions or similar stuff.** **Useful Links** * Notion page of [Algo Trading Resources](https://systemetic.notion.site/Algorithmic-Trading-Resources-fe400c5258e440fd8a4d63770d08bc13) **Disclaimer:** This meetup is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. The discussions and materials presented at this meetup are provided as general information and are not intended to be a substitute for professional financial, legal, or tax advice. All participants are encouraged to consult their financial advisor or qualified professionals regarding specific financial issues. None of the organizers, speakers, or participants at this meetup are liable for any financial loss or damage incurred as a result of trading activities or decisions based on the information shared during this event. Trading stocks and other financial instruments involves risk and may not be suitable for all individuals. **CFTC Rule 4.41:** Futures, foreign currency and options trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one’s financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. **Non-Endorsement**: References to specific securities, investment strategies, or any financial instruments during the meetup are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute a recommendation, endorsement, or investment advice by the organizers or speakers. **No Guarantees**: There is no guarantee that the investment strategies discussed will be profitable or protect against loss. All investments involve the risk of loss. **Conflict of Interest**: Presenters or organizers may hold or intend to acquire positions in securities discussed during the meetup, which may create a conflict of interest.

Join us this week as a guest to overcome your fear of public speaking and speak with confidence! We hold weekly meetings on Thursday nights to facilitate impromptu speaking, debates, discussions, and prepared speeches to practice our skills and give each other constructive feedback. We are a friendly group of all ages and backgrounds in the GTA, where we help our members and guests in their personal and professional development. We typically meet at the Etobicoke Civic Centre with lots of free visitor parking. You can join us as a guest anytime you want, for as long as you would like, to see what Toastmasters is all about! Come and join us this Thursday to become the best version of you. The theme for this week's meeting is TBD! Join us to practice your improv. speaking skills, debating skills, and to improve your public speaking abilities. If you're interested in attending this meeting, please contact us through our "Contact Us" form on http://goodyeartoastmasters.com/ See you there! ABOUT GOODYEAR TOASTMASTERS \*NOTE\* We are now back in-person at the Etobicoke Civic Centre! Visitor Parking is free. Simply let the Security Person know you're here for a Toastmasters meeting. • Our meetings start at 6:45 PM and lasts for about 2-hours. We suggest you arrive earlier to settle in and network before we begin. • It's free to attend as a guest and you can join us as many times as you would like. For the full access to the Toastmasters Pathways Programme, however, you will need to join as a member and pay a membership fee. • Don't worry about the low attendance numbers on Meetup. Members do not RSVP here. We use the club website instead. Meetup is primarily a place for us to reach out to newcomers such as yourself!

Join your community of fellow Intuitives and MBTI nerds for a casual evening of engaging conversation. We get together every second Sunday – with a mix of regulars and new friends. There is no fee to attend, though we ask that you support the venue by ordering something to eat or drink. **Feel free to contact event host B. via Facebook/Meetup messenger, or text/call 416-712-8635 for directions**. About the venue: The Pint Public House Nearest Subway: Union Station Map / Directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/G5GfXDSQXeifJ5ot5 We make an effort to find pubs that are quiet and introvert friendly, with a section to ourselves. We make no effort to muffle our extroverts, but should they get out of hand, our resident INTJ will use their death stare, to pull them back in line.

\*\*Please note that this event requires your name and email address for QR code to get access to the building on the event day, you must register or else you will not receive a QR code for access\*\* [Link ](https://forms.office.com/r/7ZB00rZmBh?origin=lprLink)to Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/7ZB00rZmBh?origin=lprLink Agenda: Join us for the **GitHub Copilot Dev Days** event in Toronto! ​Whether you use VS Code, or any other tool in your stack, this session is GitHub‑centric but fully tool‑agnostic — come as you are, code how you like. ​**What to Expect** * ​Practical insights into real GitHub workflows and modern AI‑assisted development * ​Live demos from local engineers and community builders * ​A friendly, social environment to connect, share ideas, and learn from one another **Speakers:** -Bruno Capuano \- Cihan Cinar \- Kaan Turgut -Ehsan Eskandari

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)

**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 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** GitHub Copilot is powerful, but what if you could scale from a solo AI assistant to an entire team of specialized agents working in parallel? This session introduces Squad: an open-source framework for multi-agent orchestration that lets you define teams of AI agents with specific roles, responsibilities, and expertise. We'll progress from Copilot basics to the Copilot CLI, explore how Agents add autonomy, and see how Instructions and Skills let you customize agent behavior. Then, the climax: a live demo where a Squad team of 3 agents (Lead, Developer, Tester) stands up and builds a working application in real-time, showcasing true multi-agent collaboration. Whether you're new to AI or exploring how to scale your use of Copilot, this session will show you what's possible when agents work as a team. **YouTube Link** TBD

If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, working with yarn, this is the group for you. Meet new friends, bring your projects, learn from others.
We normally meet a few times a month during the week from 6-8pm. We will occasionally meet on weekends during daytime hours.

**The Data-Driven Brand: Using Analytics to Shape Perception** Can you use analytics to improve tacos? This being CBUSDAW, we think the answer is probably “yes”, but we’re not sure how to implement or test this theory. For our April meetup we’ve got Sara Kear, CMO of Condado Tacos, to investigate this delicious question. Sara will explore how she blends quantitative data and qualitative customer feedback to shape brand positioning and drive business decisions. We all know that marketing and analytics go way beyond attribution. Sara will show how Condado uses customer insights to inform product and pricing strategy. She’ll also highlight how Condado leverages customer feedback at scale to influence operational priorities, positioning marketing as the voice of the customer across the organization. In the last 12 years Condado has gone from one location in Columbus to 52 locations across 10 states, so we’re guessing there’s more to that growth than really good guac (though the guac probably helps). Ultimately, this talk focuses on the intersection of art and science—using data to inform creativity and build a brand that resonates with customers in a measurable way. **About Our Speaker** Sara Kear is Chief Marketing Officer at Condado Tacos, where she oversees brand, restaurant design, menu and pricing strategy, off-premise including catering, and customer data strategy. Since joining in 2021, she has helped grow the brand from 19 to 52 locations while building a data-driven marketing organization focused on loyalty and customer insights. Condado has since been named to the Inc. 5000, recognized as Breakout Retailer by Chain Store Age, and consistently ranked among FastCasual’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers. 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)

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.