Podcasts about Augment

Håkan Agnevall, CEO of Wärtsilä, discusses how the company is helping to shift entire industries toward a 100 per cent renewable future. Then: what’s next in entrepreneurship education with Augment co-founder Ariel Renous.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The industry is debating whether AI should be viewed as augmenting or replacing human-centric tasks. But we don't yet have a framework to discuss the technical and business impacts of that spectrum of decisions.  SHOW: 926SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #926 TranscriptSHOW VIDEO: https://youtube.com/@TheCloudcastNET CLOUD NEWS OF THE WEEK: http://bit.ly/cloudcast-cnotwCHECK OUT OUR NEW PODCAST: "CLOUDCAST BASICS"SHOW SPONSORS:[US CLOUD] Cut Enterprise IT Support Costs by 30-50% with US Cloud[VASION] Vasion Print eliminates the need for print servers by enabling secure, cloud-based printing from any device, anywhere. Get a custom demo to see the difference for yourself.SHOW NOTES:The final 5% of AI successHOW DO WE THINK ABOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF HUMANS WITH AI SYSTEMS?What do we think AI systems should be capable of?What do we think human systems should be capable of?We know how to quantify error, but do we really know how to quantify error?Almost every question about AI comes down to augment vs. replace, and yet humans tend to skew towards the replace angle. We like the thought of humans in the loop, but often don't want to be bothered to interact with humansWe haven't yet created a framework to think about the human +/- AI involvement, because we haven't really created it for general-purpose automation yet either. FEEDBACK?Email: show at the cloudcast dot netTwitter/X: @cloudcastpodBlueSky: @cloudcastpod.bsky.socialInstagram: @cloudcastpodTikTok: @cloudcastpod

This week on Hot Girls code, we are joined by Zelle, an expert on augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR)! XR is an exciting area of tech that we've always found a bit intimidating and mysterious, so we are incredibly lucky to have Zelle on the show. Join us as she breaks down what XR really is, explains the fundamental building blocks of the technology, and shares how you can get started. We also dive into the future of XR and, of course, how we can help keep this space diverse and inclusive!New episodes come out fortnightly on Wednesday morning (NZT).Links mentioned in episode:Augment for AndroidAugment for iOSInkhunter for iOSGiphyworld for iOS, oculus & vive headsetsVirtual hair color tests powered by ModiFaceMake your own Google Cardboard - Easier instructions & Advanced, sturdier version. *These instructions both require biconvex lenses. You can make your own lenses out of plastic bottles if you can't find them on AliExpress/TradeMe! Cardboard app for iOS and AndroidMeta documentation for developers - options for Unity and Unreal game engines, web development, and more! Where to Find Us: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠The Hot Girls Code Website⁠⁠Sponsored by:⁠Trade Me

What separates a successful founder from the rest? In this episode, Harish Abbott—CEO and co-founder of Augment—breaks down how he repeatedly spots opportunity early, builds products customers actually want, and navigates the fast-moving world of AI without falling into the trap of chasing every shiny benchmark.We explore how Harish's team shadowed 60 logistics operators before writing a single line of code, why storytelling is a founder's most underutilized superpower, and how to know when it's time to pivot—even if everything looks good on the surface.Whether you're scaling your first product or figuring out what not to build, this conversation is packed with real-world insights you can apply today.

durée : 00:03:50 - Les P'tits Bateaux - par : Camille Crosnier - Liam, 7 ans, commence par se demander, si durant l'époque préhistorique, notre espérance de vie était vraiment de 19 ans. Et comment notre durée de vie a pu autant s'allonger depuis. La biologiste et anthropologue Evelyne Heyer lui répond. - invités : Evelyne Heyer - Evelyne Heyer : Biologiste française - réalisé par : Stéphanie TEXIER

In this episode, the Frontispiece Four have a close encounter of the 3.14159th kind while remotely protecting the Frontispiece itself from an intruder... Adam is still experimenting with some new editing/production approaches this time, so please let us know what you think of those in this one. As the poet once said... "It's So Weird" by the Bush Tetras. "Augment or Die" is by Emerson Boatwright and Drew Messinger-Micheals. Cover art by Joanne, aka Anything Sews. Visit us on the web at dicepunks.com and on BlueSky & Tumblr at @dicepunks, or email us as dicepunks@gmail.com! Our Patreon is www.patreon.com/DicePunks — backers can gain access to our patron-only Discord, Dice Peeks after-show, and more!

Tous les matins à 7H10 et 9h45, on vous donne des bonnes nouvelles.

Tous les matins à 7H10 et 9h45, on vous donne des bonnes nouvelles.

Toujours accompagnée de Rémy Barret et sa bande, Estelle Denis s'invite à la table des français pour traiter des sujets qui font leur quotidien. Société, conso, actualité, débats, coup de gueule, coups de cœurs, sexo… En simultané sur RMC Story.

In this episode, the Frontispiece Four brave Grand Cross's basements, and their players brave some of the worst lag we've yet dealt with, all to try to communicate with a Dreamer... Adam is still experimenting with some new editing/production approaches this time, so please let us know what you think of those in this one. As the poet once said... "Other Friends" from Steven Universe: The Movie. "Augment or Die" is by Emerson Boatwright and Drew Messinger-Micheals. Cover art by Joanne, aka Anything Sews. Visit us on the web at dicepunks.com and on BlueSky & Tumblr at @dicepunks, or email us as dicepunks@gmail.com! Our Patreon is www.patreon.com/DicePunks — backers can gain access to our patron-only Discord, Dice Peeks after-show, and more!

Augment Yourself: TJ EsubiyiFreakquency: LeighLeigh is a Berlin-based writer, storyteller and cultural observer exploring the world through new perspectives. Her poetry searches the connection we have with self and our higher consciousness and aims to expose the magic of everyday life as well as the source of where we all began. Her deep appreciation for the body, rest, rhythm and humor is reflected in her work.

In this episode I talk to Iain Innes about his season racing skimo in the ISMF World Cup series, before going on to chat about longer team races and our season finale in the iconic Trofeo Mezzalama race in the Monte Rosa region of the Pennine Alps.Iain raced for Team GB as a downhill skier for over ten years, before switching to more mountaineering-centred activities. This season he has lived out of his van in the alps, training full time as a skimo athlete. Whether racing the furiously-paced skimo sprint, putting in big elevation days to Chamonix summits or cross training on foot or by paraglider, he has had a long and busy season. Trofeo Mezzalama is an Italian high altitude ski mountaineering team race in which pairs traverse from Breuil-Cervinia to Gressoney-la-Trinite, crossing the Monte Rosa massif and reaching altitudes of over 4200m. Named after Italian military ski mountaineer Ottorino Mezzalama, the race was started in 1933 and is one of the oldest and best known skimo races in the world.Due to the altitude and terrain involved, it is difficult to get perfect conditions on race day. Thus we were delighted to be met with exactly that: even atop the 4225m Castor there was no wind, perfect visibility and sun, with good snow and well established tracks. The race involves around 3200m of ascent over 40km and pairs must be roped together for the glacial section of the race.We talk through the preparation for this race, as well as race day itself, where an excited 320 teams set off at 5.30am on foot through the dark but crowd -lined streets of Cervinia.Iain is supported by Black Diamond, Augment and Tillicoultry Quarries.See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smp6_jYcbAY for a video of MezzalamaIf you want to buy me a cuppa to help support the podcast, thank you and please do at: https://ko-fi.com/finlaywild

Who really succeeds in a changing freight market environment? Find out by listening to Harish Abbott's journey in logistics! Harish explains the impact of innovation and adaptability in the industry's unpredictability, how AI tools transform operational efficiency and enable small businesses to scale without excessive headcount increases, and highlights persistence and learning from failures as crucial aspects of entrepreneurial success!   About Harish Abbott Harish Abbott is the Co-Founder and CEO of Augment, an AI-driven logistics platform transforming freight operations. In 2025, Augment secured $25 million in seed funding led by 8VC to develop its flagship product. Prior to launching Augment, Harish co-founded Deliverr, a fast-growing e-commerce fulfillment platform acquired by Shopify for $2.1 billion in 2022. His career includes pivotal roles at Amazon, where he contributed to building global fulfillment infrastructure. Harish holds degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.   Connect with Harish Website: https://www.goaugment.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/habbott/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/habbott   

Animé par Luc Desormeaux. Avec Steve Levesque.Daredevil : Born AgainAndor : Saison 2Essai de Caméra de sécurité (Ring, Wyze, ieGeek)Assassin's Creed Shadows South of Midnight

L'IA peut-elle renforcer le leadership humain ?Avec Leila Lahbabi, autrice de The Billion Dollar Purpose, on parle d'un leadership conscient, de sens, de responsabilité… et d'IA. Ancienne consultante en transformation digitale, Leila accompagne aujourd'hui les dirigeants qui veulent scaler sans perdre leur why. Ensemble, on a discuté de la manière dont l'IA transforme notre rapport au temps, à la décision et à la collaboration.Points clés :L'IA bien utilisée peut aider à sortir de la procrastination et à passer à l'actionElle ne remplace pas l'introspection, ni la responsabilité du leaderLe "purpose" vient avant la vision : c'est ce qui donne du sens à l'actionAutomatiser l'opérationnel permet de se concentrer sur les interactions humainesL'IA peut renforcer notre esprit critique… si l'intention est claireUtiliser l'IA pour gagner en clarté, pas pour fuir l'inconfortLe leadership de demain sera fait de conscience, pas seulement de performanceChaque décision d'automatisation est une invitation à mieux se connaîtreDéléguer ce qu'on maîtrise, pas ce qu'on ne veut pas affronterSe reconnecter à son rôle de créateur, au-delà de l'exécutionUn échange riche sur l'art d'équilibrer cerveau humain et IA au service du collectif.Écoutez cet épisode si vous cherchez à allier performance et conscience dans votre manière de travailler.Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Tous les matins à 7H10 et 9h45, on vous donne des bonnes nouvelles.

Tous les matins à 7H10 et 9h45, on vous donne des bonnes nouvelles.

Today, we're talking to Guy Gur-Ari, Co-Founder at Augment. We discuss Guy's journey from physicist to founder, why AI is becoming both creepier and more useful than ever, and why the intelligence AI exhibits is unlike anything humanity has ever encountered. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about Augment, check out their website here. Produced by ProSeries Media: https://proseriesmedia.com/ For booking inquiries, email booking@proseriesmedia.com

Today, we're discussing the profound idea that you are the creator of your narrative. This concept is about recognizing that your life is a story unfolding with each choice you make, and you have the power to author it. Whether you find yourself at a crossroads in your career, facing personal challenges, or simply seeking fulfillment, understanding that you control your own script can lead to profound changes. So, let's look into how you can embrace your role as the storyteller of your own life.3 Things You Will LearnUnderstanding Your Narrative: You'll learn how to identify the stories you tell yourself and how they shape your reality. We'll explore how your beliefs and past experiences can influence your current perceptions and actions.Rewriting Negative Scripts: We'll discuss practical strategies for recognizing and rewriting negative narratives. You'll discover how to replace self-doubt and fear with confidence and resilience, transforming the way you approach challenges.Embracing Your Creator-ship: Lastly, you will learn to embrace the power of choice in crafting your life's story. We'll emphasize that you have the tools to create a narrative that reflects your true self, aspirations, and dreams.It's essential to recognize the stories you tell yourself—those beliefs that create the framework of your identity. Oftentimes, we unconsciously adopt narratives from our upbringing, societal expectations, relationships or past experiences that do not serve our true selves. Why is narrating your story important?Too often, we find ourselves allowing others to narrate our stories, subtly or overtly shaping our identities based on their perceptions and expectations. These external narratives can seep into your consciousness, leading you to believe that you are less than, unworthy, or incapable, gradually eroding your confidence and self-esteem. Remember, your narrative is your strength; keep creating, keep thriving, and uplift your voice as a woman of power and grace. Thank you and many blessings!Please subscribe, and share this episode with the women in your life who are ready to embrace their power and grace. ♥️Dr. Mensimah Shabazz For One on One Consultations: Schedule a free 30-minute consultation: https://www.mensimah.com/harmony-consult or send Email to: agapect@mensimah.comSubscribe/support our channels:Join our Reflective/Inner Work Platform: https://www.patreon.com/mensimahshabazzphdContact Links:Website: https://mensimah.comInstagram: @mensimahshabazzphdYouTube: @mensimahsroundtableShop: https://shop.mensimah.comDonations: https://mensimahs-round-table.captivate.fm/supporthttps://www.paypal.com/paypalme/MRTPodcast

Chaque jour, retrouvez le journal de 8h pour faire le tour de l'actu.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Chaque jour, retrouvez le journal de 8h pour faire le tour de l'actu.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

durée : 00:01:46 - L'info d'ici, ici Périgord

Chaque jour, retrouvez le journal de 8h pour faire le tour de l'actu.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In this episode, scrutiny accelerates the Frontispiece Four's plans for Overthree, and things start to get both complicated and dicey in the process... This episode was still in the period where Nik was having audio issues we didn't discover until later, so while we've tried to make it as invisible as possible, there is a stretch at the end that just lacks Nik entirely, much to our chagrin. Adam is still experimenting with some new editing/production approaches this time, so please let us know what you think of those in this one. As the poet once said... "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies. "Augment or Die" is by Emerson Boatwright and Drew Messinger-Micheals. Cover art by Joanne, aka Anything Sews. Visit us on the web at dicepunks.com and on BlueSky & Tumblr at @dicepunks, or email us as dicepunks@gmail.com! Our Patreon is www.patreon.com/DicePunks — backers can gain access to our patron-only Discord, Dice Peeks after-show, and more!

durée : 00:02:52 - Net Plus Ultra - par : Julien Baldacchino - De plus en plus d'acteurs des nouvelles technologies se lancent, ou se préparent à se lancer, sur le marché des lunettes connectées de réalité augmentée, qui viennent superposer une couche de virtuel sur le "vrai monde". Parmi elles, Snapchat ne confie pour l'heure ses lunettes qu'aux développeurs.

durée : 00:02:52 - Net Plus Ultra - par : Julien Baldacchino - De plus en plus d'acteurs des nouvelles technologies se lancent, ou se préparent à se lancer, sur le marché des lunettes connectées de réalité augmentée, qui viennent superposer une couche de virtuel sur le "vrai monde". Parmi elles, Snapchat ne confie pour l'heure ses lunettes qu'aux développeurs.

Tous les matins à 7H10 et 9h45, on vous donne des bonnes nouvelles.

Pépites de la défense aux produits meilleur marché, des start-up comme Anduril voient une opportunité pour elle dans les coupes budgétaires infligées au Pentagone. Dans « La Story », le podcast d'actualité des « Echos », Pierrick Fay et ses invités décrivent ce changement de logiciel dans l'armement et dans la guerre à l'ère de l'IA et de l'innovation.Retrouvez l'essentiel de l'actualité économique grâce à notre offre d'abonnement Access : abonnement.lesechos.fr/lastory« La Story » est un podcast des « Echos » présenté par Pierrick Fay. Cet épisode a été enregistré en avril 2025. Rédaction en chef : Clémence Lemaistre. Invités : Jean-Christophe Noël (chercheur associé au centre des études de sécurité de l'IFRI) et Hortense Goulard (correspondante des « Echos » en Californie). Réalisation : Willy Ganne. Chargée de production et d'édition : Michèle Warnet. Musique : Théo Boulenger. Identité graphique : Upian. Photo : ARMIN WEIGEL/AFP. Sons : TMC, Anduril Industries, CNBC Television, « Full Metal Jacket » (1987), « Star Wars : Episode I – La Menace fantôme » (1999), « Star Wars : Épisode VI : Le Retour du Jedi » (1983), « L'Homme qui valait 3 milliards » (1974), « Pacific Rim » (2013). Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

How do you enable AI acceleration (at both the hardware and software layers) that stays ahead of rapid industry shifts? In this episode, Dhananjay Singh from Groq dives into the evolving landscape of AI inference and acceleration. We explore how Groq optimizes the serving layer, adapts to industry shifts, and supports emerging model architectures. Featuring:Dhananjay Singh – LinkedIn, XChris Benson – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, XDaniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, XLinks:GroqSponsors:Augment Code - Developer AI that uses deep understanding of your large codebase and how you build software to deliver personalized code suggestions and insights. Augment provides relevant, contextualized code right in your IDE or Slack. It transforms scattered knowledge into code or answers, eliminating time spent searching docs or interrupting teammates. ★ Support this podcast ★

In today's episode, Harish Abbot, founder of Deliver and now Augment, joins us to talk about his experiences building multi-billion dollar startups and how he's taking that to logistics to build an AI-powered teammate for the freight industry. Follow the Loaded and Rolling Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Harish Abbot, founder of Deliver and now Augment, joins us to talk about his experiences building multi-billion dollar startups and how he's taking that to logistics to build an AI-powered teammate for the freight industry. Follow the Loaded and Rolling Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Cognitive Revolution, Guy Gur-Ari, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Augment, explores the transformative impact of AI on the software industry. Highlighting Augment's unique approach, Gur-Ari discusses the challenges and solutions associated with integrating AI into large codebases, the nuances of maintaining context in AI-driven coding tools, and the evolving economics of AI-driven businesses. He shares insights on the company's focus on reinforcement learning from developer behaviors, future trends in software development, and offers advice for junior developers entering an AI-enhanced industry. The conversation also touches upon the vital role of user data, the complexities of vector databases, and the potential of agentic flows to revolutionize coding processes. SPONSORS: Box AI: Box AI revolutionizes content management by unlocking the potential of unstructured data. Automate document processing, extract insights, and build custom AI agents using cutting-edge models like OpenAI's GPT-4.5, Google's Gemini 2.0, and Anthropic's Cloud 3.7 Sonnet. Trusted by over 115,000 enterprises, Box AI ensures top-tier security and compliance. Visit https://box.com/ai to transform your business with intelligent content management today Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Oracle's next-generation cloud platform delivers blazing-fast AI and ML performance with 50% less for compute and 80% less for outbound networking compared to other cloud providers. OCI powers industry leaders like Vodafone and Thomson Reuters with secure infrastructure and application development capabilities. New U.S. customers can get their cloud bill cut in half by switching to OCI before March 31, 2024 at https://oracle.com/cognitive Shopify: Shopify is revolutionizing online selling with its market-leading checkout system and robust API ecosystem. Its exclusive library of cutting-edge AI apps empowers e-commerce businesses to thrive in a competitive market. Cognitive Revolution listeners can try Shopify for just $1 per month at https://shopify.com/cognitive NetSuite: Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. With a unified platform for accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR, NetSuite provides real-time insights and forecasting to help you make quick, informed decisions. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/cognitive PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing CHAPTERS: (00:00) About the Episode (04:38) Introduction and Welcome (04:46) The Software Supernova Series (05:23) Augment's Unique Approach to AI in Software Development (06:16) Challenges in Large Code Bases (07:32) Understanding Augment's Customer Base (09:19) Context Management in AI (11:46) Technical Insights and Blog Highlights (13:16) Context Management and Code Indexing (19:35) Sponsors: Box AI | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) (22:40) Developer Workflows and AI Integration (29:04) Vector Databases and Retrieval Systems (Part 1) (33:25) Sponsors: Shopify | NetSuite (36:13) Vector Databases and Retrieval Systems (Part 2) (37:29) Best Practices for Building RAG Applications (50:36) Establishing a Solid Process for Model Evaluation (51:01) Optimizing Experimental Iteration Time (53:10) Exploring Reinforcement Learning from Developer Behaviors (54:14) Challenges and Benefits of User Data in AI (01:05:34) The Economics of Running an AI Company (01:14:16) Future of Software Development and AI Integration (01:18:51) Advice for Junior Developers in the AI Era (01:23:58) Conclusion and Final Thoughts (01:24:50) Outro SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://www.cognitiverevolution.ai Twitter (Podcast): https://x.com/cogrev_podcast Twitter (Nathan): https://x.com/labenz LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nathanlabenz/

Scott Demark, President and CEO of Zibi Community Utility, joins thinkenergy to discuss how our relationship with energy is changing. With two decades of expertise in clean energy and sustainable development, Scott suggests reimagining traditional energy applications for heating and cooling. He shares how strategic energy distribution can transform urban environments, specifically how district energy systems optimize energy flow between buildings for a greener future. Listen in.   Related links   Scott Demark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-demark-83640473/ Zibi Community Utility: https://zibi.ca/ Markham District Energy Inc: https://www.markhamdistrictenergy.com/ One Planet Living: https://www.bioregional.com/one-planet-living Trevor Freeman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-freeman-p-eng-cem-leed-ap-8b612114/ Hydro Ottawa: https://hydroottawa.com/en   To subscribe using Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinkenergy/id1465129405   To subscribe using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wFz7rdR8Gq3f2WOafjxpl https://open.spotify.com/show/7wFz7rdR8Gq3f2WOafjxpl To subscribe on Libsyn: http://thinkenergy.libsyn.com/ --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: https://www.youtube.com/user/hydroottawalimited   Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hydroottawa   Stay in the know on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HydroOttawa Transcript: Trevor Freeman  00:07 Welcome to thinkenergy, a podcast that dives into the fast, changing world of energy through conversations with industry leaders, innovators and people on the front lines of the energy transition. Join me, Trevor Freeman, as I explore the traditional, unconventional and up and coming facets of the energy industry. If you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas for topics we should cover, please reach out to us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com   Speaker 1  00:29 Hi everyone. Welcome back. One of the overarching aspects of the energy transition that we have talked about several times on this show is the need to change our relationship with energy, to rethink the standard way of doing things when it comes to heating and cooling and transportation, etc. This change is being driven by our need to decarbonize and by the ongoing evolution and improvement of technology. More things are becoming available to us as technology improves on the decarbonization front, we know that electrification, which is switching from fossil fuel combustions to electricity for things like space and water heating vehicles, etc, is one of the most effective strategies. But in order to switch out all the end uses to an electric option, so swapping out furnaces and boilers for heat pumps or electric boilers, switching all gas cars to EVs, etc. In order to do that in a way that is affordable and efficient and can be supported by our electricity grid, we need to think about multi strategy approaches, so we can't just continue to have this one way power grid where every home, every business, every warehouse or office tower satisfies all of its energy needs all the time directly from the grid with no adaptability. That isn't the best approach. It's not going to be affordable or efficient. We're not going to be able to do it fast enough. The multi strategy approach takes into account things like distributed energy resources, so solar and storage, etc, which we've talked about many times on this show, but it also includes approaches like district energy. So, district energy is rethinking how energy flows between adjacent buildings, looking for opportunities to capture excess energy or heat from one source and use that to support another. And that is the focus of today's conversation. To help us dive into this topic, I'm really happy to welcome Scott Demark to the show. Scott has been a champion of sustainability, clean energy solutions and energy efficiency in the Ottawa real estate and development industry for over 20 years now, he has overseen many high-performance development projects and was one of the driving forces behind the Zibi development in downtown Ottawa, and most applicable for today's conversation the renewable district energy system that provides heating and cooling to the Zibi site. Scott is the president and CEO of the Zibi community utility, as well as a partner at Thea partners. Scott Demark, welcome to the show.   Scott Demark  03:15 Thanks. Nice to see you. Trevor,   Trevor Freeman  03:17 So, Scott, why don't we start with definitions are always a good place to start. So, when we talk about a district energy system, give us a high-level overview of what exactly that means.   Scott Demark  03:27 Sure, a district energy system is, is simply the connection, or interconnection of thermal energy sources, thermal energy sinks. And so really, in practical terms. It means, instead of buildings having their own furnace and cooling system, buildings connect to a hydronic loop. A hydronic loop is just pipes filled with water, and then the heat or the cooling is made somewhere else, and that heat or lack of heat cooling is in a pipe. They push the pipe to the building, and then the pipe extracts the heat or rejects the heat to that loop. And so it's simply an interconnection of us as sources and sinks for federal energy.   Trevor Freeman  04:14 And I guess one of the important concepts here is that buildings often create heat, not just through a furnace or not just through the things that are meant to create heat, but, you know, server racks, computer server racks, generate a lot of heat, and that heat has to go somewhere. So oftentimes we're cooling buildings to remove heat that's being created in those buildings, and then other buildings nearby need to be heated in order to make that space comfortable. Is that fair to say?   Scott Demark  04:42 Yeah, absolutely. Trevor, so, an office building in the city of Ottawa, big old government office building, you'll see a pretty big plume on the roof in the winter time. That's not just kind of the flue gas from a boiler, but rather it is actually chillers are. running inside to make cooling, and they're just selling that heat to the atmosphere, even on the coldest day of the year. So, it's people, you know, people are thermal load. Computers are thermal load, and so is solar gain. You know, January is pretty dark period for us, meaning low angle sun. But by this time in a year, you know, or at the end of February, there's a lot of heat in that sun. So, a glass building absorbs a lot of sun. An office building will need cooling on the sunny side of that building a lot of the time, even in the dead of winter.   Trevor Freeman  05:31 Yeah. So, a district system, then, is taking advantage of the fact that heat exists, and we don't necessarily need to either burn fossil fuels or even if it's a, you know, a clean system, we don't have to expend energy to create heat, or create as much heat if we could move that heat around from where it's kind of naturally occurring to where we need it.   Scott Demark  05:54 That's right at the very core of a district energy system. You're going to move heat from a place that it's not wanted to a place that it is wanted. And so in our example of the office building, you know, on the February day with the sun shining in and the computers all running, that building's getting rid of heat. But right next door, say there's a 20-story condo. Well, that 20 story condo needs heating and it also needs domestic hot water. So, year-round, domestic hot water represents 30, 35% of the heating load of any residential building, so at all times. So, a district energy system allows you to take that heat away from the office building and give it to the residential building, instead of making the heat and dissipating that heat to the atmosphere in the office building. So, yeah, it's, it's really a way to move, you know, from sources to sinks. That's, that's what a district energy system does well.   Trevor Freeman  06:48 So we've kind of touched on this a little bit, but let's dive right into, you know, we talk a lot on the show about the energy transition. This, this push to, one, move away from fossil fuel combustion to meet our energy needs. And two, shifting from a kind of static, centralized energy system like we have right now, big generators, large transmission lines, etc., to more of a two-way flow, distributed energy system. What is the role of district energy systems within that transition. How do they help us get closer to that sort of reality that we talk about?   Scott Demark  07:27 I think the biggest way that they help is economies of scale. Okay, so by that, I'll explain that. Imagine there's a lot of technology that's been around a long time that is very scalable to the building level, but most of them are fossil fire. Okay, so the cheapest way to heat a building in Ottawa is to put a gas fired boiler in. That's the cheapest capital cost, first cost, and it's also the cheapest operating cost, is to put a gas boiler in. That industry is well established. There's lots of trades who could do it. There's lots of producers who make the boilers. When you start to try and think about the energy transition and think about what you may do to be different, to be lower carbon, or to be zero carbon, those industries are just starting right. Those industries don't exist. They don't have the same depth, and so they don't have the same cost structure, and often times they don't scale well down to the building. And therefore, a district energy system aggregates a bunch of load, and so you can provide a thermal energy so at scale that becomes affordable. And that is, you know, a very good example of that would be where, you know, you might want to go and recover heat from some process, and we'll talk about Zibi as the example. But if he wanted to go recover heat from some process and bring it in, it doesn't make sense to run a pipeline to a source to heat one building. You can't make financial sense of it, but if you're heating 20 buildings, that pipeline, all of a sudden, makes sense to take waste heat from somewhere, to move it somewhere else. The other advantage is that truly district energy systems are agnostic to their inputs and outputs for heat. So, once you've established that hydronic loop, that interconnection of water pipes between buildings, what the source and what the sources, doesn't matter. So, you may have at one point built a district energy system, and Markham District Energy System is a great example of this market District Energy System was built on the concept of using a co-generation facility. So they burned natural gas to make electricity, they sold electricity to the grid, and they captured all the waste heat from that generation, and they fed it into a district energy system. Well, here we are, 20 plus years later, and, they're going to replace that system, that fossil fired system Augment, not fully replaced, but mostly replace that system with a sewer coupled energy recovery and drive those heat recovery chillers to a sewer system. So, they're putting a very green solution in place of a former fossil solution. They don't have to rip up the pipes, they don't have to change anything in the buildings. They only have to change that central concept. Now, again, Markham could never do that at a one building scale. They're only that at the community scale.   Trevor Freeman  10:21 So, you mentioned, I want to pick on something you said there. You talked about a sewer heat energy system. They're pulling heat from the sewer. Just help our listeners understand high level kind of, why is there heat there for us to pull? Like, what's the what's the source there?   Scott Demark  10:38 Yeah. So, when we shower, when we flush toilets, all of that is introducing heat into a sewer system. So, we're collecting heat from everybody's house into the sewer system. The sewer system also sits below the frost line. So, call it Earth coupled. You know it's the earth in Ottawa below the frost line sits around eight, eight and a half c and so at that temperature and the temperature of flushing toilets, we essentially get a sewer temperature in the on the coldest day of the year, that's around 10 10, and a half degree Celsius. And obviously, for lots of the year, it's much warmer than that. And so I think, you know, a lot of people are kind of familiar with the concept of geo exchange energy, or that. Lot of people call it geothermal, but you exchange where you might drill down into the earth, and you're taking advantage of that eight, eight and a half degrees, I'll see. So, you're exchanging heat, you can reject heat to the earth, or you can absorb heat from the earth. Well, this is the same idea, but you accept or reject from the sewer. But because the sewer is relatively shallow, it is cheaper to access that energy, and because it's warm, and on the coldest day, a couple of degrees make a big difference, Trevor, and most of the year so much warmer, you're really in a very good position to extract that heat, and that's all it is. You are just accepting or rejecting heat. You don't use the sewage itself. It doesn't come into your building. You have a heat exchanger in between. But that's, that's what you do.   Trevor Freeman  12:10 Yeah, great. And I, we've talked before on the show about the idea that, you know, for a air source, heat pump, for example, you don't need a lot of heat energy to extract energy from the air. It can be cold outside, and there is still heat energy in the air that you can pull and use that to heat a building, heat water, whatever. So same concept, except you've got a much warmer source of energy, I guess.   Scott Demark  12:34 Yeah, exactly. And you know, Trevor, when you look at the efficiency curves of those air source heat pumps, you know, they kind of drop off a cliff at minus 20. Minus 22 in fact. You know, five or six years ago, they that that was dropping off at minus 10. So, we've come a long way in air source heat pumps. But imagine on that coldest, coldest day of the year, you're still your source is well above zero, and therefore your efficiency. So, the amount of electricity you need to put into the heat pump to get out the heat that you need is much lower, so it's a way more efficient heat exchange.   Trevor Freeman  13:07 Great. Thanks for that, Scott. I know that's a bit of a tangent here, but always cool to talk about different ways that we're coming up with to heat our buildings. So back to district energy. We've talked through some of the benefits of the system. If I'm a building owner and I'm have the decision to connect to a system that's there, or have my own standalone, you know, traditional boiler, whatever the case may be, or even in a clean energy one, a heat pump, whatever. What are the benefits of being on a district system versus having my own standalone system for just my building.   Scott Demark  13:42 Yeah, so when you're wearing the developer's hat, you know they're really looking at it financially. If they have other goals around sustainability, great, that will factor into it. But most of them are making decisions around this financially. So, it needs to compete with that. That first cost that we talked about the easiest ways, is boilers, gas fired boilers is the cheapest way. And so, they're going to look to see it at how. How does this compare to that? And so, I think that's the best way to frame it for you. And so, the difference here is that you need to install in your building a cooling system and a heating system. In Ottawa, that cooling system is only used for a few months a year, and it's very expensive. It takes up space, whether you're using a chiller and a cooling tower on the roof or using a dry cooler, it takes up roof space, and it also takes up interior space. If you do have a cooling tower, you have a lot of maintenance for that. You need to turn it on and turn it off in the spring, on and fall, etc., just to make sure all that happens and you need to carry the life cycle of that boiler plant. You need to bring gas infrastructure into your building. You generally need to put that gas boiler plant high in your building. So up near the top, and that's for purposes of venting that properly. Now that's taking real estate, right? And it's taking real estate on the area that's kind of most advantageous, worth the most money. So you might lose a penthouse to have a boiler and chiller room up there. And you also, of course, lose roof space. And today, we really do try to take advantage of those rooftop, patios and things, amenities are pretty important in buildings. And so, when I compare that to district energy at the p1 level, p2 level in your building, you're going to have a small room, and I really do mean small where the energy transfer takes place, you'll have some heat exchangers. And small, you might have a space, you know, 10 or 12 feet by 15 to 18 feet would be big enough for a 30-story tower, so a small room where you do the heat exchange and then Trevor, you don't have anything in your building for plants that you would normally look after. So, when you look at the pro forma for owning your building over the lifetime of it. You don't have to maintain boilers. You don't have to have boiler insurance. You don't have to maintain your chillers. You don't have to have life cycle replacement on any of these products. You don't need anybody operating those checking in on the pressure vessels. None of that has to happen. All of that happens on the district energy system. So, you're really taking something you own and operate, and replacing that with a service. So, district energy is a service, and what, what we promised to deliver is the heating you need and the cooling you need. 24/7. The second thing you get is more resilience, and I'll explain that a little bit. Is that in a in a normal building, if you if the engineers looked at it and said, you need two boilers to keep your building warm, then you're probably going to install three. And that is kind of this, and plus one sort of idea, so that if one boiler goes down, you have a spare. And you need to maintain those. You need to pay for that. You need to maintain those, etc. But in district energy system, all that redundancy is done in the background. It's done by us, and we have significantly more redundancy than just n plus one in this example. But overall, you know, if you have 10 buildings on your district energy system, each of those would have had n plus one. We don't have n plus 10 in the plant. And so overall, the cost is lower, I would say, if you look at it globally, except the advantages you do have better than N plus one in the plant. So, we have higher resiliency at a lower cost.   Trevor Freeman  17:39 So, we know there's no such thing as a miracle solution that works in all cases. What are the best use cases for district energy system? Where does it make a lot of sense?   Scott Demark  17:50 Yeah, in terms some, in some ways the easiest things, Pretty work. Doesn't make sense. So, so it doesn't make sense in sprawling low rise development. So, the cost of that hydronic loop those water pipes is high. They have to fit in the roadway. It's civil work, etc. And so, you do need density. That doesn't mean it has to be high rise density.  You know, if you look at Paris, France, six stories district energy, no problem. There's, there's lots and lots of customers for that scale of building. It doesn't have to be all high rise, but it does, District Energy does not lend itself well to our sprawling style of development. It's much more suited to a downtown setting. It also kind of thrives where there's mixed use. You know, I think the first example we were talking about is office building shedding heat, residential building needing heat. You know, couple that with an industrial building shedding heat. You know, these various uses, a variety of uses on a district energy system, is the best, because its biggest advantage is sharing energy, not making energy. And so, a disparity of uses is the best place to use that. I think the other, the other thing to think about, and this is harder in Canada than the rest of the world, is that, you know, it's harder on a retrofit basis, from a cost perspective, than it is in a in a new community where you can put this in as infrastructure. Day one, you're going to make a big difference. And I'll, you know, give a shout out to British Columbia in the Greater Vancouver area. So, the district, you know, down in the Lower Mainland, they, they kind of made this observation and understood that if they were going to electrify, then District Energy gave economies of scale to electrify that load. And they do a variety of things, but one of the things they do is, is kind of district you exchange system so, so big heat pumps coupled to big fields, and then spring heat made a bunch of buildings. But these are green field developments Trevor. So, as they expand their suburbs. They do need to build the six stories. They very much have kind of density around parks concept. So now Park becomes a geo field. Density around the geo field, but this infrastructure is going in the same time as the water pipes. It's going in at the same time as the roads, the sidewalks, etc. You can dramatically reduce your cost, your first cost related to that hydro loop, if you're putting it in the same time you're doing the rest of the services.   Trevor Freeman  20:27 So, we're not likely to see, you know, residential neighborhoods with single family homes or multi-unit homes, whatever, take advantage of this. But that sort of low rise, mid rise, that's going to be more of a good pick for this. And like you said, kind of development is the time to do this. You mentioned other parts of the world. So, district energy systems aren't exactly widespread. In Canada, we're starting to see more of them pop up. What about the rest of the world? Are there places in the world where we see a lot more of this, and they've been doing this for a long time?   Scott Demark  21:00 Yeah. So, I'd almost say every, everywhere in the northern hemisphere, except North America, has done much more of this. And, you know, we really look to kind of Scandinavia as the gold standard of this. You look to Sweden, you look to Denmark, you look to Germany, even. There's, there's a lot of great examples of this, and they are typically government owned. So, they are often public private partnerships, but they would be various levels of government. So, you know, if you, if you went to Copenhagen, you'd see that the municipality is an owner. But then their equivalent of a province or territory is actually a big part of it, too. And when they built their infrastructure ages ago, they did not have an easy source of fossil fuels, right? And so, they need to think about, how can we do this? How can we share heat? How can we centralize the recovery of heat? How can we make sure we don't waste any and this has just been ingrained in them. So there's massive, massive District Energy loops, interconnecting loops, some owned by municipalities. Someone probably, if you build the factory, part of the concept of your factory, part of the pro forma of your factory is, how much can I sell my waste heat for? And so, a factory district might have a sear of industrial partners who own a district energy loop and interfaces with the municipal loop all sort of sharing energy and dumping it in. And so that's, you know, that's what you would study. That's, that's where we would want to be, and the heart of it is, just as I said, we've really had, you know, cheap or, you know, really cheap fossil fuels. We've had no price on pollution. And therefore, it really hasn't needed to happen here. And we're starting to see the need for that to happen here.   Trevor Freeman  22:58 It's an interesting concept to think of, you know, bringing that factory example in, instead of waste heat or heat as a byproduct of your process being a problem that you need to deal with, something you have to figure out a way to get rid of. It becomes almost an asset. It's a it's a, you know, convenient commodity that's being produced regardless, that you can now look to sell and monetize?   Scott Demark  23:21 Yeah, you go back to the idea of, like, what are the big benefits of district energy? Is that, like, if that loop exists and somebody knows that one of the things the factory produces is heat, well, that's a commodity I produce, and I can, I can sell it, if I have a way to sell it right here. You know, we're going to dissipate it to a river. We may dissipate it to the atmosphere. We're going to get rid of it. Like you said, it's, it's, it's waste in their minds and in Europe, that is absolutely not waste.   Trevor Freeman  23:49 And it coming back to that, you know, question of, where does this make sense? You talked about mixed use. And it's also like the, you know, the temporal mix use of someone that is producing a lot of heat during the day when the next-door residential building is empty, then when they switch, when the factory closes and the shift is over and everybody comes home from work, that's when that building needs heat. That's when they want to be then taking that heat to buildings next to each other that both need heat at the same time is not as good a use cases when it's offset like that.   Scott Demark  24:23 Yeah, that's true. And unless lots of District Energy Systems consider kind of surges in storage, I know our system at CB has, has kind of a small storage system related to the domestic hot water peak load. However, you can also think of the kilometers and kilometers and kilometers of pipes full of water as a thermal battery, right? So, so you actually are able to even out those surges. You let the temperature; the district energy system rise. When that factory is giving all out all kinds of heat, it's rising even above the temperature. You have to deliver it at, and then when that peak comes, you can draw down that temperature and let the whole district energy system normalize to its temperature again. So you do have an innate battery in the in the water volume that sits in the district energy system   Trevor Freeman  25:15 Very cool. So you've mentioned Zibi a couple times, and I do want to get into that as much as we're talking about other parts of the world, you know, having longer term district energy systems. Zibi, community utility is a great example, right here in Ottawa, where you and I are both based of a district energy system. Before we get into that, can you, just for our listeners that are not familiar with Zibi, give us a high level overview of what that community is its location, you know, the goals of the community. And then we'll talk about the energy side of things.   Scott Demark  25:46 Sure. So Zibi was formerly Domtar paper mills. It's 34 acres, and it is in downtown Ottawa and downtown Gatineau. About a third of the land mass is islands on the Ontario side, and two thirds the land mass is on the shore, the north shore of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, both downtown, literally in the shadows of Parliament. It is right downtown. It was industrial for almost 200 years. Those paper mills shut down in the 90s and the early 2000s and my partners and I pursued that to turn it from kind of this industrial wasteland, walled off, fenced off, area that no one could go into, what we're hoping will be kind of the world's most Sustainable Urban Community, and so at build out, it will house, you know, about six, 7000 people. It will be four and a half million square feet, 4.24 point 4 million square feet of development. It is master planned and approved, and has built about, I think we're, at 1.1 million square feet, so we're about quarter built out. Now. 10 buildings are done and connected to the district energy system there. And really, it's, it's an attempt to sort of recover land that was really quite destroyed. You can imagine it was a pretty polluted site. So, the giant remediation plan, big infrastructure plan. We modeled this, this overall sustainability concept, over a program called one planet living which has 10 principles of sustainability. So, you know, you and I are talking a lot about carbon today, but there's also very important aspects about affordability and social sustainability and lifestyle, and all of those are incorporated into the one planet program, and encourage people to look up one planet living and understand what it is and look at the commitments that we've made at Zibi to create a sustainable place. We issue a report every year, kind of our own report card that's reviewed by a third party that explains where we are on our on our mission to achieve our goal of the world's most sustainable community.   Speaker 1  28:09 Yeah. And so I do encourage people to look at one planet living also. Have a look at, you know, the Zibi website, and it's got the Master Plan and the vision of what that community will be. And I've been down there, it's already kind of coming along. It's amazing. It's amazing to see the progress compared to who I think you described it well, like a bit of an industrial wasteland at the heart of one of the most beautiful spots in the city. It was really a shame what it used to be. And it's great to see kind of the vision of what it can become. So that's awesome,   Scott Demark  28:38 Yeah, and Trevor, especially now that the parks are coming along. You know, we worked really closely with the NCC to integrate the shoreline of Zibi to the existing, you know, bike path networks and everything. And, you know, two of the three shoreline parks are now completed and open to the public and they're stunning. And you know, so many Ottawa people have not been down there because it's not a place you think about, but it's one of the few places in Ottawa and Gatineau where you can touch the water, you know, like it's, it's, it's stunning,   Trevor Freeman  29:08 yeah, very, very cool. Okay, so the next part of that, of course, is energy. And so there is a district energy system, one of the first kind of, or the most recent big energy, District Energy Systems in Ottawa. Tell us a little bit about how you are moving energy and heating the Zibi site.   Scott Demark  29:29 Yeah. So first, I'll say, you know, we, we, we studied different, uh, ways to get to net zero. You know, we had, we had a goal of being a zero carbon community. There are low carbon examples, but a zero carbon community is quite a stretch. And even when you look at the Scandinavian examples, the best examples, they're missing their energy goals, largely because some of the inputs that are District Energy System remain false so, but also because they have trouble getting them. Performance out of the buildings. And so we looked at this. We also know from our experience that getting to zero carbon at the building scale in Ottawa is very, very difficult. Our climate is tough, super humid, super hot. Summer, very cold, very dry, winter, long winter. So, it's difficult at the building scale. It's funny Trevor, because you'd actually have an easier time getting to zero carbon or a passive house standard in affordable housing than you do at market housing. And that's because affordable housing has a long list of people who want to move in and pay rents. You can get some subsidies for capital and the people who are willing to pay rent are good with smaller windows, thicker walls, smaller units and passthroughs, needs all those kinds of things. So when down at Zibi, you're really selling views, you're competing with people on the outside of Zibi, you're building almost all glass buildings. And so it's really difficult to find a way to get to zero carbon on the building scale. So that moved us to district energy for all the reasons we've talked about today already. And so, when we looked at it for Zibi, you really look at the ingredients you have. One of the great things we have is we're split over the border. It's also a curse, but split over the border is really interesting, because you cannot move electricity over that border, but you can move thermal energy over that border. And so, for us, in thinking about electrifying thermal energy, we realized that if we did the work in Quebec, where there is clean and affordable electricity, we could we could turn that into heat, and then we could move heat to Ontario. We could move chilled water to Ontario. So that's kind of ingredient, one that we had going for us there. The second is that there used to be three mills. So originally Domtar three mills, they sold one mill. It changed hands a few times, but it now belongs to Kruger. They make tissue there so absorbent things, Kleenexes and toilet paper, absorbent, anything in that tissue process that's a going concern. So, you can see that in our skyline. You can see, on cold days, big plumes of waste heat coming out of it. And so, we really saw that as our source, really identified that as our source. And how could we do that? So, going back to the economies of scale, is, could we send a pipeline from Kruger, about a kilometer away, to Zibi? And so, when we were purchasing the land, we were looking at all the interconnections of how the plants used to be realized. There are some old pipelines, some old easements, servitudes, etc. And so, when we bought the land, we actually bought all of those servitudes to including a pipeline across the bridge, Canadian energy regulator licensed across the bridge into Ontario. And so, we mixed all these ingredients up, you know, in a pot, and came up with our overall scheme. And so that overall scheme is relatively simple. We built an energy recovery station at Kruger, where just before their effluent water, like when they're finished in their process, goes back to the river. We have a heat exchanger there. We extract heat. We push that heat in a pipe network over to Zibi. At Zibi, we can upgrade that heat using heat recovery chillers, to a useful temperature for us, that's about 40 degrees Celsius, and we push that across the bridge to Ontario, all of our buildings in Ontario, then have thin coil units. They use that 40-degree heat to heat buildings. The return side of that comes back to Quebec, and then on the Quebec side, we have a loop and all of our buildings in the Quebec side, then use heat pumps so we extract the last bit of heat. So, imagine you you've returned from a fan coil, but you're still slightly warm. That slightly warm water is enough to drive a heat pump inside the buildings. And then finally, that goes back to Kruger again, and Kruger heats it back up with their waste heat comes back. So that's our that's our heating loop. The cooling side is coupled to the Ottawa River. And so instead of us rejecting heat to the atmosphere through cooling towers, our coolers are actually coupled to the river. That's a very tight environmental window that you can operate in. So, we worked with the minister the environment climate change in Quebec to get our permit to do it. We can only be six degrees difference to the river, but our efficiency is, on average, like on an annual basis, more than double what it would be to a cooling tower for the same load. So, we're river coupled with respect to cooling for the whole development, and we're coupled to Kruger for heating for the whole development. And what that allows us to do is eliminate fossil fuels. Our input is clean Quebec electricity, and our output is heating and cooling.   Trevor Freeman  34:56 So, none of the buildings, you know, just for our listeners, none of the buildings have any. sort of fossil fuel combustion heating equipment. You don't have boilers or anything like that, furnaces in these in these buildings,   Scott Demark  35:06 no boilers, no chillers, no   Trevor Freeman  35:09 that's awesome. And just for full transparency, I should have mentioned this up front. So, the zibi community utility is a partnership between Zibi and Hydro Ottawa, who our listeners will know that I work for, and this was really kind of a joint venture to figure out a different approach to energy at the city site.   Scott Demark  35:28 Yeah, that's right, Trevor. I mean the concept, was born a long time ago now, but the concept was born by talking to Hydro Ottawa about how we might approach this whole campus differently. You know, one of hydro Ottawa's companies makes electricity, of course, Chaudiere Falls, and so that was part of the thinking we thought of, you know, micro grids and islanding this and doing a lot of different things. When Ford came in, and we were not all the way there yet and made changes the Green Energy Act. It made it challenging for us to do the electricity side, but we had already well advanced the thermal side, and hydro, you know, hydro makes a good partner in this sort of thing. When a when a developer tells someone, I'd like you to buy a condo, and by the way, I'm also the district energy provider that might put some alarm bells up, but you put a partnership in there with a trusted, long term utility partner, and explain that, you know, it is in the in the public interest, they're not going to jack rates or mess with things. And then obviously, just, you know, hydro had such a long operating record operating experience that they really brought sort of an operations and long-term utility mindset to our district energy system.   Trevor Freeman  36:45 So, looking at a system like the Zibi community utility or other district energy systems, is this the kind of thing that can scale up over time? And, you know, I bring this up because you hear people talk about, you know, a network of district energy systems across a city or across a big geographic area. Are these things that can be interconnected and linked, or does it make more sense as standalone district energy systems in those conditions that you talked about earlier?   Scott Demark  37:17 Very much the former Trevor like, and that's, you know, that's where, you know, places like Copenhagen are today. It's that, you know, there was, there was one district energy system, then there was another, then they got interconnected, then the third got added. And then they use a lot of incineration there, in that, in that part of the world, clean incineration for garbage. And so then an incinerator is coming online, and so that incinerators waste heat is going to be fed with a new district energy loop, and some other factory is going to use the primary heat from that, and then the secondary heat is going to come into the dictionary system. So, these things are absolutely expandable. They're absolutely interconnectable. There are temperature profiles. There's modern, modern thoughts on temperature profiles compared to older systems. Most of the old, old systems were steam, actually, which is not the most efficient thing the world, but that's where they started and so now you can certainly interconnect them. And I think that the example at Zibi is a decent one, because we do have two kinds of systems there. You know, I said we have fan coil units in in the Ontario side, but we have heat pumps on the other side. Well, those two things, they can coexist, right? That's there. Those two systems are, are operating together. Because the difference, you know, the difference, from the customer's perspective, in those two markets are different, and the same can be true in different parts of the city or when different sources and sinks are available. So, it is not one method of doing district energy systems. What you do is you examine the ingredients you have. I keep saying it, but sources and sinks. How can I look at these sources and sinks in a way that I can interconnect them and make sense? And sometimes that means that a source or a sink might be another district energy system,   Trevor Freeman  39:12 Yeah, systems that maybe work in parallel to each other, in cooperation with each other. Again, it's almost that temporal need where there's load high on at one point in time and low on the other point in time. Sharing is a great opportunity.   Scott Demark  39:26 Yeah, absolutely   Trevor Freeman  39:27 great. Okay, last question for you here, Scott, what is needed, maybe from a regulatory or a policy lens to encourage more implementation of district energy systems. How do we see more of these things happen here in Canada or North America?   Scott Demark  39:45 The best way to put this, the bureaucracy has been slow to move is, is what I'll say. And I'll use Zibi as that example. When we when we pitch the district energy system. At Zibi, we had to approach the City of Ottawa, and we had to approach the city at Gatineau, the City of Ottawa basically said to us, no, you can't put those in our streets. Engineering just said, no, no, no, no. And so, what we did at Zibi is we actually privatized our streets in order to see our vision through, because, because Ottawa wasn't on board, the city of Gatineau said, Hmm, I'm a little worried. I want you to write protocols of how you will access your pipes and not our pipes. I want to understand where liability ends and starts and all of this kind of stuff. And we worked through that detail slowly, methodically with the city of Gatineau, and we came to a new policy on how district energy could be in a public street and Zb streets are public on the Gatineau side today, you know, come forward 10 years here, and the City of Ottawa has a working group on how to incorporate District Energy pipes into streets. We've been able to get the City of Ottawa to come around to the idea that we will reject and accept heat from their sewer. You know, Hydro Ottawa, wholly owned company of the City of Ottawa, has an active business in district energy. So Trevor, we've come really far, but it's taken a long time. And so, if you ask me, How can we, how can we accelerate district energy, I think a lot of it has to do with the bureaucracy at municipalities. And you know, we're we see so much interest from the Federation of Canadian municipalities, who was the debt funder for zcu. We have multiple visits from people all over Canada, coming to study and look at this as an example. And I'm encouraged by that. But it's also, it's also not rocket science. We need to understand that putting a pipe in a street is kind of a just, just a little engineering problem to solve, whereas putting, you know, burning fossil fuels for these new communities and putting it in the atmosphere, like the genies out of the bottle, right, like, and unfortunately, I think, for a lot of bureaucrats, the challenge at the engineering level is that that pipe in the street is of immediate, complex danger to solving that problem, whereas it's everybody's problem that the that the carbons in the atmosphere. So, if we could accelerate that, if we could focus on the acceleration of standards around District Energy pipes and streets, the rights of a district energy company to exist, and not to rant too much, but give you an example, is that a developer is required to put gas infrastructure into a new community, required, and yet you have to fight to get a district energy pipe in the street. So there needs to be a change of mindset there, and, and, and we're not there yet, but that's where we need to go.   Trevor Freeman  43:07 Yeah, well, it'll be interesting. You know, in 10 years, let's talk again and see how far we come. Hopefully not 10 years. Hopefully it's more like five, to see the kind of change that you've seen in the last decade. But I think that the direction is encouraging, the speed needs a little bit of work, but I'm always encouraged to see, yeah, things are changing or going in the right direction, just slowly. Well, Scott, we always end our interviews with a series of questions to our guests, so as long as you're okay with it, I'll jump right into those. So, the first question is, what is a book you've read that you think everybody should read?   Scott Demark  43:41 Nexus? Which is by Harare. He's the same author that wrote sapiens. Lots of people be familiar with sapiens. And so, Nexus is, is really kind of the history of information that works like, how do we, how do we share and pass information? And kind of a central thesis is that, you know, information is, is neither knowledge nor truth. It is information, and it's talking a lot about, in the age of AI, how are we going to manage to move information into truth or knowledge? And I think it, you know, to be honest, it kind of scared the shit out of me reading it kind of how, how AI is impacting our world and going to impact our world. And what I thought was kind of amazing about it was that he really has a pretty strong thesis around the erosion of democracy in this time. And it's, it was, it was really kind of scary because it was published before the 2024, election. And so it's, it's really kind of both a fascinating and scary read. And I think really something that everybody should get their head around.   Trevor Freeman  44:59 Yeah, there's a few of those books recently that I I would clear or classify them as kind of dark and scary, but really important or really enlightening in some way. And it kind of helps you, you know, formalize a thought or a concept in your head and realize, hey, here's what's happening, or gives you that kind of the words to speak about it in this kind of fraught time we're in. So same question. But for a movie or a show, is there anything that you think everybody should watch   Scott Demark  45:29 That's harder. I think generally, if I'm watching something, it's for my downtime or own entertainment, and pushing my tastes on the rest of the world, maybe not a great idea. I if I, if I'm, if I'm kind of doing that, I tend to watch cooking shows, actually, Trevor. So, like, that's awesome. I like ugly, delicious. I love David Chang. I like, I like, mind of a chef, creativity behind a chef. So those kinds of things, I'd say more. So, if there was something to like that. I think somebody else should, should watch or listen to I have, I have a real love for Malcolm Gladwell podcast, revisionist history. And so if I thought, you know, my watching habits are not going to going to expand anybody's brain. But I do think that Malcolm's perspective on life is, is really a healthy it's really healthy to step sideways and look at things differently. And I would suggest, if you have never listened to that podcast, go to Episode One, season one, and start there. It's, it's, it's fantastic.   Trevor Freeman  46:39 Yeah, I agree. I'll echo that one. That's one of my favorites. If we were to offer you or not, but if we were to offer you a free round-trip flight, anywhere in the world, where would you go?   Scott Demark  46:50 That's hard. So much flight guilt, you know, I know it's a hard assume that there's carbon offset to it. It's an electric plane.   Trevor Freeman  47:00 That's right, yeah,   Scott Demark  47:01 the we, my family, had a trip planned in 2020 to go to France and Italy. My two boys were kind of at the perfect age to do that. It would have been a really ideal trip. And so, I've still never been to either of those places. And if I had to pick one, probably Italy, I would really like to see Italy, mafuti. I think it would be a fantastic place to go. So probably, probably Italy.   Trevor Freeman  47:25 My favorite trip that I've ever done with my wife and our six-month-old at the time was Italy. It was just phenomenal. It was a fantastic trip. Who's someone that you admire?   Scott Demark  47:36 I have a lot of people, actually, a lot of people in this, in this particular space, like, what would I work in that have brought me here to pick one, though I'd probably say Peter Busby. So, Peter Busby is a mentor, a friend, now a business partner, but, but not earlier in my career. Peter Busby is a kind of a, one of the four fathers, you know, if you will, of green design in Canada. He's an architect, Governor General's Award-winning architect, actually. But I think what I, what I really, appreciate about Peter, and always will, is that he was willing to stand up in his peer group and say, hey, we're not doing this right. And, you know, he did that. He did that in the early 80s, right? Like we're not talking he did it when it cost his business some clients. He did it when professors would speak out against him, and certainly the Canadian Association of architecture was not going to take any blame for the shitty buildings that have been built, right? And he did it. And I remember being at a conference where Peter was getting a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian architects Association, and so he's standing up, and people are all super proud of him. They're talking about his big life. And he kind of belittled them all and said, you're not doing enough. We're not doing enough like he's still he's still there. He's still taking the blame for where things are, and that things haven't moved fast enough, and that buildings are a massive part of our carbon problem, and probably one of the easier areas to fix. You know, we're talking about electric planes. Well, that's a that's a lot more difficult than it is to recover energy from a factory to heat a community, right? I admire him. I learn things from him all the time. He's got a great book out at the moment, actually, and, yeah, he'd be right up there on my in my top list,   Trevor Freeman  49:54 Awesome. What is something about the energy sector or its future that you're particularly excited about?   Scott Demark  50:00 I wish you asked me this before the election. I I'm feeling a little dark. Trevor, I think there needs to be a price on pollution in the world. Needs to be a price on pollution in America, in Canada, and I'm worried about that going away. in light of that, I'm not, I'm not super excited about different technologies at the moment. I think there are technologies that are helping us, there are technologies that are pushing us forward, but there's no like silver bullet. So, you know, a really interesting thing that's coming is kind of this idea that a small nuclear reactor, okay, very interesting idea. You could see its context in both localized electricity production, but all the heat also really good for district entry, okay, so that's an interesting tech. It obviously comes with complications around security and disposal, if you like. There's our nuclear industry has been allowed to drink like it's all complicated. So, I don't see one silver bullet in technology that I'm like, That's the answer. But what I do see, I'll go back to what we were talking about before, is, you know, we had to turn this giant ship of bureaucracy towards new solutions. Okay, that's, that's what we had to do. And now that it's turned and we've got it towards the right course, I'm encouraged by that. I really am. You know, there are champions, and I'll talk about our city. You know, there's champions in the City of Ottawa who want to see this happen as younger people have graduated into roles and planning and other engineering roles there. They've grown up and gone to school in an age where they understand how critical this climate crisis is, and they're starting to be in positions of power and being in decision making. You know, a lot of my career, we're trying to educate people that there was a problem. Now, the people sitting in those chairs, it they understand there's a problem, and what can they do about it? And so I am, I am excited that that the there is a next generation sitting in these seats, making decisions. The bureaucracy the ship is, is almost on course to making this difference. So I do think that's encouraging. We have the technology. We really do. It's not rocket science. We just need to get through the bureaucracy barriers, and we need to find ways to properly finance it.   Trevor Freeman  52:34 Right? I think that's a good place to wrap it up. Scott, thanks so much for your time. I really appreciate this conversation and shedding a little bit of light, not just on the technical side of district energy systems, but on the broader context, and as you say, the bureaucracy, the the what is needed to make these things happen and to keep going in that right direction. So thanks a lot for your time. I really appreciate it.   Scott Demark  52:56 Thank you, Trevor, good to see you.   Trevor Freeman  52:57 All right. Take care. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of The thinkenergy podcast. Don't forget to subscribe. Wherever you listen to podcasts, and it would be great if you could leave us a review. It really helps to spread the word. As always, we would love to hear from you, whether it's feedback, comments or an idea for a show or a guest, you can always reach us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com

Welcome to the first episode of a new series at LoreForged! LoreForged & Friends has the team at LoreForged, Vlhadusgaming, and Dr. Burns sit down and talk all things Ashes of Creation! This time we discuss the recent Artisanship changes, the future of the Augment system, finished game status and much more! Enjoy!To watch the video version, check out our YouTube Channel!Chapters:0:00 - Intro13:20 - Artisanship Changes36:54 - Future of the Augment System56:44 - Testing to Launch Phase

Tous les matins à 7H10 et 9h45, on vous donne des bonnes nouvelles.

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Karen Ng, Senior Vice President of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot.HubSpot is a leading software platform empowering over 184,000 businesses across 120 countries to manage their sales, marketing, and customer support teams. In 2024, HubSpot generated over $2.5 billion in revenue, driven by significant investments in Artificial Intelligence.Karen oversees critical products like Smart CRM, Operations Hub, and Ecosystem, while driving strategic partnerships and business development. Her technical expertise is notable, with three patents. She has also published research in stress detection, interactive health assessments, and robotic expressivity when she worked as a Machine Learning Researcher at MIT.In this episode, we'll explore Karen's approach to deploying AI Agents across HubSpot's product portfolio, her decision-making process for when to Build, Buy, or Partner, and her innovative approach to product org design. We'll discuss how product teams can leverage AI Agents to augment their impact and automate workflows, and how product leaders can elevate their roles as key drivers of revenue.What you'll learn:Karen's journey to becoming SVP of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot and her insights on the company's AI transformation.The challenges and strategies involved in creating a global, multi-product platform for businesses.How to prioritize features and innovations in a fast-paced, customer-centric environment.The future of business technology, including AI-powered tools and self-service products.Key Takeaways

Today, we're talking to Scott Dietzen, CEO at Augment Code. Scott shares insights on how Augment is revolutionizing the coding process, making developers more productive, and improving software quality across the board with the power of AI. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!  To learn more about Augment Code, check out their website here. Produced by ProSeries Media: https://proseriesmedia.com/ For booking inquiries, email booking@proseriesmedia.co

Topic 1: CISA Under the Microscope CISA was called out in the Project 2025 document as a left-wing organization inside the government due to their warning about election interference. It is now subject to cuts and scrutiny. In the mass firings at DHS on February 14th, 130 employees at CISA were fired as they were “probationary” employees. Many MSPs and MSSPs subscribe to CISA.gov alerts. It is unclear how this will be affected. Wherever you stand on politics or related topics, small business needs a good source of security alerts we can rely on. What's your take? Topic 2 (AI, of course): Was DeepSeek revolutionary or just the next obvious step in the evolution of AI? From Geekwire: Satya Nadella's response was, "Jevons paradox strikes again! . . . As AI gets more efficient and accessible, we will see its use skyrocket, turning it into a commodity we just can't get enough of." What do you think. Just another step in the evolution of AI? Or is there news here? See: - https://www.geekwire.com/2025/microsoft-ceo-says-ai-use-will-skyrocket-with-more-efficiency-amid-craze-over-deepseek/  - Wikipedia on Jevon's Paradox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox  - ChatGPT now has 300 million users (https://backlinko.com/chatgpt-stats)  - Google Search has 1 billion regular users, and now includes Gemini results at the top of every search - Microsoft CoPilot has about 30 million users (https://www.businessofapps.com/data/microsoft-copilot-statistics/)  - Adobe Creative Cloud has about 30 million users and includes AI in all products (https://photutorial.com/adobe-statistics/)  Topic 3: Will Microsoft compete with you - or your SOC? Now available: Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR Says Microsoft: "Our expertise is now your expertise. Augment your teams across security, compliance, identity, management, and privacy with Microsoft Security Experts." See https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/services Is this service worth considering, or should Microsoft put those resources into fixing security problems in their deployed software? The pages makes it sound like this will have a major human-led component, but that's exactly what they are NOT doing. Will you jump on board or wait to see if this is real first? And will this help Microsoft cut payroll, or just require more hiring? We welcome your feedback! :-)    

Dans cet épisode, je reçois Soraya Jaber. 10% .

Dans cet épisode, je reçois Stéphane Mallard, conférencier spécialiste des nouvelles technologies et défenseur assumé de la pensée libérale. En France, cette philosophie, qui place la liberté avant tout, est souvent incomprise et décriée. J'ai voulu en savoir plus sur le regard qu'un libertarien porte sur le travail, l'économie, la société, et sur le rôle que jouera l'intelligence artificielle dans notre futur. Stéphane partage sa vision radicale : la fin du salariat, l'essor du freelancing, l'automatisation des tâches grâce à l'IA, et l'idée d'un revenu universel comme levier d'émancipation. Des idées qui dérangent, mais qui invitent surtout à repenser notre société.

Une étude montre que les Français ont passé beaucoup de temps à faire du lèche-vitrine l'année dernière. Cela peut paraître étonnant car on n'arrête pas de dire qu'il y a un problème de pouvoir d'achat. Et bien, malgré ça, la fréquentation dans les 850 galeries commerciales de France a augmenté de 1,1% l'an dernier selon la Fédération des Acteurs du Territoire.

Une étude montre que les Français ont passé beaucoup de temps à faire du lèche-vitrine l'année dernière. Cela peut paraître étonnant car on n'arrête pas de dire qu'il y a un problème de pouvoir d'achat. Et bien, malgré ça, la fréquentation dans les 850 galeries commerciales de France a augmenté de 1,1% l'an dernier selon la Fédération des Acteurs du Territoire.

The Crypto Merchant won't let you end up with any old hardware wallet. Modern cryptocurrency traders need modern devices - like the Ledger Nano S Plus, for example… https://www.thecryptomerchant.com/products/ledger-nano-s-plus-hardware-wallet The Crypto Merchant City: Daytona Beach Address: 609 South Ridgewood Avenue Website: https://www.thecryptomerchant.com/

In the 2010s, many CIOs adopted a Cloud-First strategy for building their digital services and skills. So how would a CIO build an AI-First strategy in today's world?SHOW: 890SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #890 TranscriptSHOW VIDEO: https://youtube.com/@TheCloudcastNET CLOUD NEWS OF THE WEEK: http://bit.ly/cloudcast-cnotwCHECK OUT OUR NEW PODCAST: "CLOUDCAST BASICS"SHOW NOTES:Capture low-hanging AI fruit with AgentsHow to make your product idea go viral in your companyWHAT CONSIDERATIONS SHOULD GO INTO AN AI-FIRST STRATEGY3-month, 6-month, 12-month projectsWhat are the AI possibilities?AI Center of Sharing ExperiencesBase Models vs. Trained/Aligned ModelsAugment vs. Replacement (or AI Beginning) activitiesVendor offering vs. Open Source evolutionCost Modeling and Cost MonitoringThe Ecosystem (of the large LLMs) is questionable - will they be viable in 1-2yrs?Security policies - how broad, how strict, how to evaluate? Data scientists vs. non data scientists?FEEDBACK?Email: show at the cloudcast dot netTwitter/X: @cloudcastpodBlueSky: @cloudcastpod.bsky.socialInstagram: @cloudcastpodTikTok: @cloudcastpod

In this episode we welcome Dr. Candace (Candy) Tefertiller, an expert in spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation, to explore the exciting potential of transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS) in augmenting motor recovery. Candy breaks down the mechanisms behind TSS, offers insights into the latest research, and shares the current and emerging clinical applications of this noninvasive technique. Together with host J.J. Mowder-Tinney, we dig into key considerations for therapists, including patient outcomes, and strategies for keeping a pulse on relevant research. Listen in to learn how TSS might be the next innovative intervention to augment SCI recovery. Interpret the evidence around the underlying mechanism associated with noninvasive spinal stimulation to facilitate sensory and motor recovery after SCI Apply evidence-based, practical strategies to actionably address motor recovery and activation after SCI, with a focus on enhancing functional outcomes in daily activities Solve patient case scenarios involving individuals with limited voluntary motor activation after SCI Timestamps: (00:00:00) Welcome (00:0049) Introduction to guest (00:03:05) Background and research focus (00:06:14) The impact of noninvasive spinal stimulation (00:10:04) Understanding transcutaneous spinal stimulation mechanisms (00:14:03) Comparing noninvasive and invasive spinal stimulation (00:15:54) Patient tolerance and individual variability in stimulation (00:18:01) Distinguishing between spinal and peripheral nerve stimulation (00:20:57) Current research status and future directions (00:25:38) Understanding noninvasive spinal stimulation (00:27:48) Research insights and case studies (00:30:55) Impact on spasticity and functional improvements (00:37:16) Key considerations for therapists (00:45:30) Real-world applications and patient engagement (00:48:51) The future of physical therapy and research Neuro Navigators is brought to you by Medbridge. If you'd like to earn continuing education credit for listening to this episode and access bonus takeaway handouts, log in to your Medbridge account and navigate to the course where you'll find accreditation details. If applicable, complete the post-course assessment and survey to be eligible for credit. The takeaway handout on Medbridge gives you the key points mentioned in this episode, along with additional resources you can implement into your practice right away. To hear more episodes of Neuro Navigators, visit https://www.medbridge.com/neuro-navigators If you'd like to subscribe to Medbridge, visit https://www.medbridge.com/pricing/

durée : 00:02:56 - Sous les radars - par : Sébastien LAUGENIE - Après avoir tenté d'imposer la loi martiale le 14 décembre, le procès en destitution de Yoon Suk-yeol commence ce mardi. En attendant, même s'il ne peut plus prendre de décision, il garde son statut et donc son salaire, augmenté de 400€ par mois environ en 2025.

durée : 00:02:56 - Sous les radars - par : Sébastien LAUGENIE - Après avoir tenté d'imposer la loi martiale le 14 décembre, le procès en destitution de Yoon Suk-yeol commence ce mardi. En attendant, même s'il ne peut plus prendre de décision, il garde son statut et donc son salaire, augmenté de 400€ par mois environ en 2025.

In the latest edition of Omni Talk's Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Simbe Rolling Out Tally Spot To Augment Its Robots For the full episode head here:https://youtu.be/xw-boSNx8kc

Adrien Chrétien, responsable du développement beauté augmentée chez L'Oréal Groupe, était l'invité de François Sorel dans Tech & Co, la quotidienne, ce jeudi 9 janvier. Il s'est penché sur le dévoilement de L'Oréal Cell Bioprint et de la révolution de l'analyse de la peau par l'entreprise, sur BFM Business. Retrouvez l'émission du lundi au jeudi et réécoutez-la en podcast.

Today's guest is a rare breed of broker looking to build a sophisticated new intermediary operating at the higher end of the market. In the past two years the business he leads has gone from a standing start to handling around $1.6bn in premiums. Andrew Matson and Augment Risk have done this by being very targeted and very progressive, breaking insurance and reinsurance down to its core element – capital. At a fundamental level insurance is a tool for capital protection and capital management. If designed and executed well this is a tool that produces better outcomes for clients and these benefits are ultimately measurable in improved return on equity. Of course, what I have just described is about as far removed from the traditional broker model as it is possible to be. This model might not be for everyone, but that is beside the point. Augment is already demonstrating that there is an eager community of sophisticated global buyers keen to discover what a holistic client- and capital-focused broker might be able to do for them. And that's what makes this encounter so interesting. Andrew has a singular vision for what he wants to achieve and after this podcast you'll be in on the act too. But we don't just talk about Augment's plans: legacy, parametric insurance, the future of insurance securitisation and the long-term effects of the digitisation of the insurance value chain are all examined in depth. Andrew is ultra-smart and highly passionate and his ambition sears through this episode. For anyone disillusioned with siloed, product-focused and constrained broking, here is someone with a genuinely attractive and genuinely original proposition to put to you. LINKS: We thank our naming sponsor AdvantageGo: https://www.advantagego.com We also thank audio advertiser, The Insurance Network (TIN), organiser of the highly-successful TINtech events series. This week they are advertising their successful TINtech London Market event, which will be happening on 4th February 2025.