Blackburn Community Association
Blackburn Community Association

January 2024 News

Midwinter Poetry Prize

Midwinter Poetry Prize Poster

January Discovery Café 

When: Thursday, January 25, 2024, 7:00 to 8:30 PM

Where: Blackburn Community Centre, 190 Glen Park Drive

Education, Society, and Generative AI

A number of artificial intelligence (AI) programs came out in the early 2020s that generate images (like Midjourney), music, and text (like ChatGPT). These generative AI programs surprised even long-time AI researchers with what they could do. How do they work? How will they affect education, creative work for humans, and society in general?

Our speaker will be Jim Davies (jimdavies.org), professor at the Department of Cognitive Science at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. He is the author of Imagination: The Science of Your Mind’s Greatest Power and Riveted: The Science of Why Jokes Make us Laugh, Movies Make us Cry, and Religion Makes us Feel One with the Universe, and Being the Person Your Dog Thinks You Are: The Science of a Better You. He co-hosts (with Dr. Kim Hellemans) the award-winning podcast Minding the Brain. Director of the Science of Imagination Laboratory, he explores processes of visualization in humans and machines and specializes in artificial intelligence, analogy, problem-solving, and the psychology of art, religion, and creativity.

In his spare time, he is a published poet, game designer, and fiction writer, an internationally-produced playwright, and a professional artist and calligrapher. His sister is novelist JD Spero.

Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

Questions or Suggestions? Please email barbara@blackburnhamlet.ca.

Funfair 2024 Volunteers

Fireworks

The 2024 Funfair runs from May 31 to June 2.

If you are looking for ways to get involved in the community, why not participate in the Blackburn Funfair?  It takes an army to pull off the Funfair every year and every little bit helps.  There’s plenty to do, so let us know if you want to get involved in whatever capacity, and we will find a job for you.

To join our amazing team or for more information, please contact Steve, our Funfair Chair, at funfairchair@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Outdoor Community Rinks Volunteers Needed

Rink Volunteers

The Blackburn Hamlet Community Association is seeking volunteers for our outdoor community rinks at Bearbrook Park, and Norman Johnston School.  Volunteers will be responsible for creating and maintaining outdoor rinks from December through March.  We are seeking a team of volunteers for both rinks.  We currently have only 2 volunteers for the Norman Johnston Rink and the season is in jeopardy if we do not get additional support.  If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Mark Lister at president@blackburnhamlet.com

Blackburn Library Activities

Ottawa Public Library

There are a variety of activities scheduled at the Ottawa Public Library, Blackburn Hamlet Branch throughout the month.

  • Mondays Jan 8-29 @ 10am Jigsaw Puzzle
  • Wednesdays Jan 10-31 @ 10:30am Family Storytime
  • Jan 15 @ 2pm Book Chat
  • Jan 20 @ 2pm Travel Series - Destination Caribbean
  • Jan 22 @ 2pm Watercolour Connect
  • Jan 24 @ 7pm Mango Languages Demo
  • Jan 25 @ 10:30am Social Hour
  • Jan 26 @ 2:30pm Family Literacy Day with Barbara Reid (Virtual Presentation)
  • Jan 31 @ 7pm Audiobook Cloud Demo

More details can be found on the Ottawa Public Library Website.

Upcoming BCA Events

 

January 25 Discovery Cafe

facebook  twitter  youtube