Redux

**Venue:** Riverbank House, 2 Swan Ln, London EC4R 3AD **Please note:** 1\. 🚨🚨🚨 A valid photo ID is required by building security\. 🚨🚨🚨 2\. This event follows the [NumFOCUS Code of Conduct](https://numfocus.org/code-of-conduct). Please familiarise yourself with it before attending. If your RSVP status says "You're going" you will be able to get in. No need to show your RSVP confirmation when signing in. If you can no longer make it, please unRSVP as soon as possible. **Code of Conduct:** This event follows the NumFOCUS Code of Conduct. Please get in touch with the organisers with any questions or concerns. As always, there will be free food and drinks, generously provided by our host, Man Group. **Main Talks** 1. [Robin Linacre](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinlinacre/) - **Rapid deduplication and fuzzy matching of large datasets using Splink** This talk introduces Splink, a free and open source Python library for probabilistic record linkage and deduplication at scale. I’ll explain the core ideas behind the approach, show how it can be used in practice, and reflect on the opportunities of building open source tools from within the public sector. Data deduplication is a common data quality challenge: it arises whenever multiple records are collected about the same person, organisation, or entity without a shared unique identifier. This talk will introduce the core ideas behind probabilistic record linkage and show how Splink, a free and open source Python library developed at the UK Ministry of Justice, can be used to link and deduplicate large datasets quickly and accurately. I’ll cover the practical steps involved in training linkage models, using unsupervised learning, improving performance and accuracy, and visualising results and diagnostics. I’ll also touch on what it has been like to build and maintain open source tooling from within the UK public sector, and the opportunities this creates for solving problems at citizen scale. The talk is aimed at people with basic experience working with tabular data in Python, and assumes no prior knowledge of record linkage. 2. [Filip Makraduli](https://www.linkedin.com/in/filipmakraduli/) - **Small Model Inference Infrastructure: Lessons Beyond vLLM** Embedding models are evolving rapidly, from dense-only architectures, to hybrid dense+sparse (BGE-M3), multi-vector late interaction (ColBERT), and vision-language models (ColQwen2, SigLIP). Yet while LLM serving infrastructure is well-established (vLLM, SGLang), small model deployment still relies on inefficient single-model containers or custom-built systems. Production teams face a dilemma: deploy dozens of single-model containers with 5-10% GPU utilization, or invest months building complex multi-model infrastructure. This talk explains some of the key concepts of embedding inference and how it is different to LLM inference. 3. [Ian Ozsvald](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianozsvald/) - **Build your own LLM, Live, with MicroGPT** Andrej Karpathy's MicroGPT is a single file no dependency mini GPT, you can run it live with me. We'll talk about how GPT works, we'll look at the code, we'll reflect on the Torch-based nanoGPT "big brother" and you'll end the talk with stronger intuitions about how our next best token guessing overlords are working. Plus you'll have a mini GPT running on your laptop in 200 lines of Python. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Logistics** * Doors open at **6.30 pm** (get there early as you'll need to sign in with building security). * Talks start at **7:00 pm**, with drinks afterwards from **9:00 pm** at The Banker (EC4). We have reduced capacity for this event, but there will be plenty of people to discuss data science questions with. Please unRSVP in good time if you realise you can't make it. We're limited by building security on the number of attendees, so please free up your place for your fellow community members. If you want me to trim lightning talks down to two or shorten any abstracts, say which ones.

**BOOK HERE**: https://sportas.co.uk/games/48533 **Game Description:** 🔥Join us for a casual basketball scrimmage at the school court near Silver Town. No need to be a pro, though basic fundamentals help; we’ll split teams evenly so everyone can enjoy balanced, competitive play. 🏀If you have any questions or can’t come before the game, feel free to message me on WhatsApp: +44 7542 543227 How to get there: \- 3\-minute walk from West Silvertown DLR station\. 🚘Free parking available onsite. 💽Music provided **Rules** 🍙Team Size & Substitutions: 4 players per team. （Max 24 players in this session) 🍰Scoring & Duration: Games are played to 11 points (2-point and 3-point shots count)

Friendly book group Please remember to change your RSVP if you can't make it so someone on the waitlist can take your slot. New books chosen by popular vote and read 2 months later. We look forward to seeing you there!

Let's write at night! This writing meetup is moving to Tuesday evenings at the Crouch End Art House. Join us for a casual, no-pressure writing session. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: we meet, introduce ourselves, and then write in focused silence. You're welcome to talk about about what you're working on and if you made progress, but also you don't have to. * **No Critiques:** We don't share work, so you can focus entirely on your own project. * **All Genres:** Novels, screenplays, academic papers, poetry, or journals—all welcome. * **The Vibe:** Relaxed, quiet, and productive. We'll meet at 7:15p Then we'll write from 7:30 to 8:30. Then we'll have 15 minutes to (optionally) chat. Bring your laptop or notebook. Please support the Crouch End At Hours by purchasing a drink or snack! Thanks!!!

This event will be for people to meet, make a short film, come back and enjoy the results. Whatever you want to do, be it film, act, direct or even just sort of hang around at the back then this is the event for you! Meet upstairs at The old red cow. If you are wondering what this group can provide for you, it’s above all else friendship with other like minded people, whether you are a screenwriter, director, cameraperson, actor etc etc. With that in mind, on Saturday we will do the following: 1. We’ll meet at the Hercules Pub, 2 Kennington Road, SE1 7BL. 2. We’ll split into several groups 3. Each team will try make a film using a prop and a random line of dialogue by 10pm that very same evening! BUT 4. Each team must make a 1 minute 30 seconds film on the way with a beginning middle and end, a solid story arc for the main character, etc. Remember to bring: 1. You and your enthusiasm 2. A camera (iPhones dslrs whatever) 3. Someone willing to do an edit after we arrive back at the on their computers All teams will then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour, happy with what they have learnt! The first team that finishes gets a Small Prize! Hopefully then, you will stick around to have a great time chatting about film, meeting new people, and forgetting about work until the late hours. Look forward to seeing you there! Please Check Dates as this isnt a weekly meetup

Please meet on the ground floor of 184 Shepherds Bush Road just before 6pm and we will escort you to the 1st floor where our secret cinema is!

**The theme for this our next meeting is:** **Loneliness** Welcome to our friendly and supportive Community. Where do we meet and really connect with other gay men in London? We Do in Covent Garden! # **New Year - new version!** **Our discussion themes would always be advertised in advance.** We are not only changing our name, we will also from now on advertise the topic we’ll be discussing before each meeting, so that you know exactly what to expect before signing up for each particular meeting. Please see the list on our MeetUp profile for potential universal themes relevant to gay/bisexual men, to be covered in our sessions. Ideas are always welcome! *We offer workshops unlike other gay/bisexual men's therapeautic discussion groups.* **A Speaker** We will at times provide a Speaker for our meetings kickstarting interesting and stimulating discussions. The Speaker can be an expert in their field such as for example an author, a therapist or a philosopher but we are welcoming any of our members to be a Speaker or a demonstrator of exercises such as massage, pilates or yoga. Or perhaps you would want to talk about your profession, if you feel it has relevance to our group. You would just have to contact Dan first for a discussion and planning. **Frequency of meetings / fee** In 2026 we’ll only have one meeting per month in person at the City Lit College in Covent Garden and one meeting online. If there is a demand for more in person meetings we’ll consider having more. We are happy to confirm that our entry prices won’t be raised and that in person meetings remain at £10. Online meetings will be FREE in January and February after which it will be £5 to attend. **Walks / museum visits** We will continue offering our occasional walking trips and also now include gay/bisexual themed history walks and visits to Museums. WHAT WE ARE: We are a group of supportive and insightful great men and we are looking forward to including you - this is what we do: CONNECTING - It is a place where you will be able to connect with other gay and bi-sexual men and where you can exchange your life experiences with them and your everyday feelings, no matter what those feelings may be - and also a place where you will be able to just be with others who live similar lives to you. EXPLORING SAFELY WITH SUPPORT - It is a place where you will experience support and growth and where you can feel safe enough to explore and reflect your feelings and life stories. Sharing is at the heart of the group but you share however much you are comfortable with - you're in charge. CREATIVE STATE REGISTERED THERAPY - It is a therapeutic discussion group which at times offers workshops and borrows elements from Creative Arts Psychotherapies. The group is based on the Creative Arts Psychotherapy/Dramatherapy and counselling work I provided ongoing for the charity Positive East in London. WHO IS IT FOR: This group is for men over 18 years old who either identifies as gay or bi-sexual or men who has sex with men - or feel emotionally connected to other men. SOCIAL OPPERTUNITY: We offer a social oppertunity in the local pub after the meetings. New members are always welcome as as well as our much appreciated familiar faces! Address: City Lit, 1-10 Keeley St, London WC2B 4BA Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM The social part: There is certainly an opprtunity for social drinks after each meeting. Cost: £10.00 **PayPal:** **[https://www.paypal.me/wellnesssupport](https://www.paypal.me/wellnesssupport)** **Credit card:** \*\*card payment with SQUARE online: \*\* **[https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLG8ZV8FJJDYS/checkout/DK4VVAQGAV3LIM2K5V4JIX2Y](https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLG8ZV8FJJDYS/checkout/DK4VVAQGAV3LIM2K5V4JIX2Y)** WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU WHETHER YOU ARE A BRAND NEW TO THE GROUP OR A FAMILIAR FACE :) YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MADE TO FEEL WELCOME. Ask to join our WhatsApp group, if you liked and enjoyed your experience with us, for regular updates and social interactions. All the best, Dan

\*\*\* The more parents and kids, the cheaper it gets for all of us! \*\*\* \*\*\* Do you know a Location? \*\*\* **Action Steps Needed:** **1,** RSVP to the Waitlist to show your interest. **2,** Post your location idea in the discussion! **3,** Fill in our basic info form at https://form.typeform.com/to/z37tCjtL. **Interested in East London are:** Jonathan, Anna Butterworth, Victoria474389760, **Interested in North West London are:** Soba **Possible location Ideas are:** Your home, an Adventure Playground, free play coffee shop, Soft play location, your garden or summer house, task-based play like clay modelling, Wall or rock climbing, splash pad, forest play time with hut, River Picnic... What would work well for you?

We will go to see Romería, Carla Simón’s third feature – nominated in 6 categories at the 2026 Goya Awards – is the concluding episode of the filmmaker’s semi-autobiographical trio of films exploring her upbringing and family history. Set on the Galician coast in the early 2000s, the film follows 18-year-old Marina, who travels to Vigo in search of information about her biological father; she is seeking his death certificate to be able to apply for a scholarship to film school. Reconnecting with her paternal side of the family, she discovers a huge amount of shame and secrecy around his death. Reading from her biological mother’s diary entries from her youth, Marina takes the opportunity to uncover what she can about her parents’ relationship with the estranged family, and discovers the reason for their secrecy. For those who can stay will go for a drink after the screening to discuss the film.

Do you want to submit a talk to a Postgres conference? Do you want to try out the challenge of fitting a bunch of interesting information into 5 minutes for a lightning talk? Can you talk for 1 to 2 minutes on a Postgres topic you've just heard? On the 6th of May, we will be back at Star of Kings, running an event which is all about speakers and speaking. With the Call for Papers for PGDay UK closing on the 12th, we are inviting anyone who has a talk idea, is unsure of whether the topic fills the time, or just might enjoy a bit of technical improv to join us. If you would like to present a talk or a lightning talk, please get in touch. We will update this event description a people come forward. In the absence of any volunteers it will be Postgres-themed improv talks and, maybe, an organiser taking a talk for a spin. Don't let it come to that :)

When judging morality, should we prioritize **intentions/duty** or **outcomes/results**? It introduces two influential philosophers as representatives of these approaches. * **Immanuel Kant (deontology):** An action is moral when it is done from **duty** and follows rational, universal principles (the **categorical imperative**). Certain acts—like lying—are wrong regardless of the consequences; you can’t do a wrong thing for a right reason. * **John Stuart Mill (utilitarian consequentialism):** The morality of an action is determined by its **effects**, specifically how much **happiness/well-being** it produces. Mill argues that some pleasures are “higher” than others, and that good intentions don’t redeem harmful outcomes. ## Discussion Questions 1. **The lying dilemma:** A murderer comes to your door and asks if your friend is hiding inside. Kant would say you must not lie. 2. **Can good intentions rescue a bad outcome?** 3. **The organ harvest problem:** A surgeon has five patients dying of organ failure and one healthy patient in for a checkup. Killing the one to harvest organs would save five lives, and the math works out for the utilitarian. Why does this feel so deeply wrong? Is that feeling a point in Kant's favor, or just a bias we should overcome? 4. **Do rules need exceptions?** Kant insists moral rules must be universal, with no exceptions. But most of us can imagine extreme scenarios where any rule seems like it should bend. Does the need for exceptions fatally undermine deontology, or is the strength of the system precisely that it refuses to bend? 5. **Who gets to calculate the consequences?** Utilitarianism asks us to maximize good outcomes, but we're notoriously bad at predicting consequences. If we can't reliably know the results of our actions, is it practical to base our entire moral system on outcomes? Does this uncertainty push us back toward rules and principles? 6. **Everyday morality:** Think about a real moral decision you've made recently, even a small one. Did you reason more like a Kantian (what's the right thing to do in principle?) or more like a utilitarian (what will produce the best result?)? Do most people naturally lean one way? 7. **Justice vs. the greater good:** A town can prevent a deadly plague by sacrificing one innocent person. The greater good is clearly served. But is it just? Can an action be morally right and deeply unjust at the same time? 8. **The big synthesis question:** Are these two systems actually opposed, or do they often arrive at the same answers by different paths? Is it possible that we need both: rules to guide us in the moment and consequences to evaluate systems and policies over time?

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/

Join us as we get together to see your choice of two VERY different movies – one sweet and wholesome – the other a terrifying folklore horror! Option 1 is the fun whodunnit-action-comedy-mystery led by Hugh Jackman, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES! Option 2 is the top-reviewed supernatural-horror-thriller starring Adam Scott, HOKUM! Here’s a description, trailer and plan for this event: THE SHEEP DETECTIVES: Every night a shepherd reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it. The film is directed by Kyle Balda and take a look at this ensemble cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau and Emma Thompson and the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein and Rhys Darby. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZI5oM6hWk HOKUM: In this film, a horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch. It is written/directed by Damian McCarthy stars Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh and Austin Amelio. Hokum premiered to rave reviews at this year’s SXSW Festival and is being release by Neon. It is earning a stellar 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which calls it, “A classic haunted house story enriched with atmospheric folklore and perfectly-timed shocks!” TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVCIK_MPyhc PLAN: We’ll plan for a 7pm-ish showing of both films and will meet inside the theater lobby about 20 minutes before showtime. If the showtimes work out, we’ll try to get both groups together for a bite before the shows! Complete details and showtime will be confirmed/announced as the date gets closer. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

Join us as we get together to get together to help those in need at this CMG Gives Back event! We have a great little community of Movie Group friends so rather than see a movie this time, we’ll help “create a better world” by helping serve those in need. Here are complete details and our plan for this event: FAITH MISSION – GRANT KITCHEN: The Faith Mission kitchen and dining room serves residents 3 meals a day, every day of the year. For this event, our group will help prepare food, serve meals, assist residents in the dining room, wash dishes, and clean surfaces. PLAN: We will be preparing / serving / cleaning for BRUNCH from 10:30am to 12:30pm and have space for a total of 7 volunteers. Please arrive at 10:20am and wear closed-toe shoes and long pants. LOCATION: Faith Mission – Grant Kitchen is located at 245 N. Grant Ave. Enter the kitchen at Dock 1 (in the back of the building), indicated in the attached map. On-site parking in the adjacent lot and street parking is available in the surrounding area. Below are some links / attachments with additional info/details: IMPORTANT REMINDER: Our group will be providing all of the volunteers on this day so a firm RSVP count is essential. Please only sign up if you are certain you’ll be able to attend. If something unavoidable comes up, please try to update your RSVP no later than one week prior to the event. With few exceptions, no shows or cancelations within 1 week of the event will not be eligible for future CMG Gives Back events. I appreciate your understanding as we try to ensure the agencies have the volunteers needed to provide the essential services they provide to the vulnerable population they serve. Our Partner Agency for this event is Lutheran Social Services! A huge THANK YOU to all of YOU for volunteering at this (and any of our previous) CMG Gives Back events! Should be another good/fun/meaningful time together, Dan

FREE event [https://www.ccad.edu/chroma](https://www.ccad.edu/chroma) Friday, May 15, 3–7 p.m. CCAD campus, 60 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH Join Columbus College of Art & Design for *2025* *Chroma: Best of CCAD*, our annual campuswide exhibition showcasing outstanding student work from across the college’s academic programs. This faculty-juried show features select work from CCAD students of all class years, and is a can’t-miss end-of-year campus celebration recognizing their tremendous achievements. It’ll be a night of fun and entertainment, with interactive games, animation and film screenings, art symposiums, poetry and prose readings, and more (along with some of the best local food trucks). *Chroma* is free and open to all. Many exhibitions including... **Game Art & Design:** **DSB, first floor, Welcome Center lobby and Room 115**

**Optional movie afterwards**

Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you! **What to Expect at the Intro Circle** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup: * Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics Round 1 - (7 secs max): * Your name * What you're working on * What you can help others with Round 2: * Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. Round 3: * Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool. After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!