The ISI World Statistics Conference in Ottawa on July 16 – 20, 2023 was a very important event for me: I was co-author of no less than four papers presented there and I myself had two presentations. The first one was on AI assisted search for new fintech companies, the second on a simulation laboratory for carbon content measurement. I am developing. Specifically the session on fintech was like a summary of the work of the last three years.
The side conditions of this trip were somewhat unfortunate: because of delays and cancellations, it took me almost two days to reach Ottawa, and when I arrived, my baggage had disappeared. I was absolutely exhausted. Below you can see my shirt drying at the hotel window in Ottawa. I had to handwash it the morning after arrival — literally my last shirt…!
I saw lots of homeless people in Ottawa. On two occasions, I felt the strong urge to intervene: a young woman lying on her stomach right on the sidewalk, after dusk, with the pedestrians stepping over her, and a young man lying in the glazing sun at noon, face up, without protection. It would have been easy to help, but I failed to do so, feeling inhibited and afraid. I learned something.
On my last day, I had the chance to see beautiful Gatineau Park on a splendid summer day. Below is the view from the boats house of a former prime minister, at Lac Kingsmere. It is just as peaceful as it looks, full of light.
