Frosty Boot Up

Hey, it's Sam.

We're scattered all over the place and do wildly different things. That's exactly why I want you there.

Everyone's talking about AI. Hardly anyone is talking about it with people outside their own bubble. So I'm stealing five days in February to get us in one place to teach each other what we know, have the AI conversation properly, and show you how good the free AI models you can run on your own laptop have gotten. No subscription, no internet, no one else's servers.

Then at night we go to Igloofest and dance on a frozen waterfront. Balance.

— Sam

The idea

Smart friends, one room, no slides.

Teach each other

Everyone knows something the rest of the room doesn't. A scientist, a teacher and a developer looking at the same problem is where the good stuff happens.

Have the AI conversation properly

Not hype, not doom. What it's actually good at, where it falls flat, and what it's doing to how we work and think.

Own your AI

Free, downloadable AI models now run on a regular laptop with the Wi-Fi switched off. We'll set you up so you leave with your own.

Some of what we're cooking up

The good bits

Thursday afternoon

The Hot Seats

One person defends a spicy claim about AI. Three people from totally different fields try to take it apart. Then the room votes with red and green cards. Get a head start: pick a side now.

AI writing helpers are making us worse at thinking for ourselves.

Most AI products are a thin wrapper that the next big model update will wipe out.

If a human expert can't make sense of a messy file, no AI should touch it.

Teaching swap

Everyone teaches something

Short, informal sessions run by us. How a geologist reads a rock core. How a teacher spots AI-written homework. How to get AI running on your own laptop. You'll learn things you'd never sign up for.

Bring your mess

Show Me Your Worst File

Bring the ugliest real file from your work. A chaotic spreadsheet, a scribbled field notebook, a log nobody understands. We throw it at AI live and see what actually happens.

Saturday build challenge

The Arctic Camp Assistant

Mixed teams get three hours to build an AI helper for scientists stuck at an Arctic camp with no internet. Then the other teams try to break it. Very on theme.

House rule

The Regular Schmoe Veto

Anyone can raise a hand and say “explain that like I'm a regular person.” Buzzwords get called out. Nobody gets to hide behind jargon, especially the tech people.

Where you fit

Which one are you?

Everyone's one of four types. We mix them on purpose, because the best arguments happen between people who see the world differently.

Tap the one that sounds most like you.

The shape of the week

Days for thinking. Nights for Igloofest.

Wed

Feb 10

Arrive, settle into basecamp
The Jargon Exchange: everyone explains their field's weird words
Welcome dinner, ByWard Market

Thu

Feb 11

Show Me Your Worst File
Hot Seats debates
Afternoon nap. Mandatory.

Igloofest night 1

Fri

Feb 12

Why AI you own beats AI you rent
The AI Hype Audit
Prompt Battles

Igloofest night 2

Sat

Feb 13

The 3-hour build challenge
Tough-crowd demos
Long group dinner

Igloofest finale

Sun

Feb 14

Show & tell
Wrap-up brunch: pick one project to keep going
Head home (or Winterlude)

Yes, outside. Yes, in February.

Igloofest

An outdoor electronic music festival. In winter. On purpose.

Three nights at Place des Festivals on the Zibi waterfront in Gatineau. Snowsuits, light shows, a crowd that's somehow warmer than you'd think. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, after a long nap.

Dress like you mean it

LayersMerino base layer, fleece or down mid layer
ParkaWindproof, rated for −20°C
BootsInsulated winter boots + wool socks (bring extras)
HandsWarm gloves, plus thin liners for your phone
HeadToque or balaclava
SecretHand and toe warmer packets. Lots.

Before you ask

Questions

Do I need to be a tech person?

No. Honestly, it works better if you're not. Half the point is getting people who know AI in a room with people who know everything else. If you can say “that's not how it works in my field,” you're qualified.

Do I have to present something?

No slides, ever. Come with something you know well or a problem you're stuck on. If you want to teach a short session or take the Hot Seat, put your hand up. If not, heckle responsibly.

What's an unconference?

A conference where the attendees are the program. There's a loose plan, but what gets talked about comes from the people in the room. Think group project, not lecture hall.

Do I need a fancy laptop?

Bring whatever you've got. A recent laptop with lots of memory is a bonus for running AI locally, but we'll share machines. I'll send simple setup instructions before the trip.

It ends on Valentine's Day?

It does. Bring your valentine, or bring them chocolate after. I've chosen not to have an opinion on how you explain this one.

How cold is it, really?

Expect −15°C to −25°C at night by the river. That's why every afternoon has a 3-hour break to rest and dry your gear. It's also exactly why it's memorable.

Wed Feb 10 → Sun Feb 14, 2027

So… you in?

Email me and I'll send details as they firm up: where we're staying, costs, and how to get set up before the trip.

hello at frostybootup dot ca Email Sam

Subject line: “Frosty Boot Up: I'm in.” Bonus points if you tell me your type and the worst file you're bringing.

Ottawa in February · El Niño years since 1973

How cold will it be?

Every El Niño February in Ottawa since 1973, with its average high, average low and coldest night. For comparison, the long-run February average low is −13.0°C.

By El Niño strength

Group averages

Group	Avg high	Avg low
Very strong	−1.2	−10.7
Strong	−3.1	−11.5
Moderate	−5.3	−15.3
Weak	−5.7	−14.9
All El Niño	−4.2	−13.3
Non-El Niño	−3.4	−12.8
All years	−3.6	−13.0

All figures °C. A longer bar is a colder night.

What this shows

Mild on average. Not always.

The pattern

Lows follow the same pattern as the highs. Very strong events run about 2.3° milder than normal. Weak and moderate events run about 2° colder.

The mild ones

Three of the five mildest-night Februaries on record were El Niño years: 2024, 1998 and 2010.

The catch

A mild month doesn't mean a mild cold snap. 2016 averaged near normal but still hit −29°C, and every very-strong year dropped to −22°C or lower. Pack for −25°C either way.

Year by year

Every El Niño February

Feb	Strength	Avg high	Avg low	Coldest night
1983	Very strong	−2.1	−11.3	−24
1998	Very strong	+1.2	−7.8	−22
2016	Very strong	−2.6	−12.9	−29
1973	Strong	−5.8	−15.9	−27
1988	Strong	−4.0	−13.0	−24
1992	Strong	−5.2	−13.3	−29
2010	Strong	−1.9	−7.8	−17
2024	Strong	+1.2	−7.3	−16
1987	Moderate	−4.4	−14.8	−27
1995	Moderate	−5.2	−14.1	−29
2003	Moderate	−6.4	−17.1	−29
1977	Weak	−4.0	−11.5	−22
1978	Weak	−6.7	−16.2	−26
1980	Weak	−5.5	−13.6	−22
2005	Weak	−1.6	−11.7	−21
2007	Weak	−6.4	−15.8	−24
2015	Weak	−10.9	−21.1	−28
2019	Weak	−4.8	−14.3	−24

All figures °C. Coldest nights of −27 or lower are in pink.

The fine print

How this was built

Method and sources

The lows are the mean of the daily lows, Feb 1 to 28 or 29, transcribed from Weather On This Day's per-date pages. Feb 9, 1981 and Feb 27 to 28, 2017 have no data.
The daily values are whole degrees as published, so the monthly averages are good to a few tenths.
About a dozen values were spot-checked against the published figures, and they matched.
The long-run February average low, −13.0°C, matches the −13°C figure Weather On This Day publishes for the same station.
The El Niño strength categories are my own, based on the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI).
Sources: Weather On This Day: Ottawa in February, and its per-date pages for Feb 1 to 29 (for example Feb 15), which use NOAA GHCN-Daily data from Ottawa CDA and Ottawa CDA RCS.

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