On Saturday morning, I decided to check out an event I spotted on the Friends of Sunset Dunes website and the bird curious sf instagram account. It was an event with the Parks Conservancy’s Roving Ranger Program, designed to provide family-friendly education and engagement on the conservation efforts for the western snowy plover. This event was a welcome home party for the Pacific Coast population of plovers that do not breed locally. Instead, they fly off to salt pans and other coastal beaches to raise their chicks. They then return to Ocean Beach and Crissy Field to winter and rest through March.

To celebrate, rangers set up the Roving Ranger truck, displayed photos and educational pamphlets about the snowy plovers, and had activities for kids to craft cotton ball chicks. There was even a Snowy Plover mascot on-site! I learned about the breeding habits, diet, and ongoing conservation efforts to protect these threatened birds.

Farther down on Ocean Beach, a few small groups had set up spotting scopes. The two scopes I used were fixed on a group of sanderlings and one snowy plover to show visitors the contrast in appearance between the two bird species. It was my first time seeing a snowy plover on Ocean Beach, and oh my word, they are cute and fluffy! I left the event with a greater appreciation for these birds and the work the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is doing to ensure their survival.

And of course, I couldn’t resist hitting up Andytown after the event for its namesake drink. After all, the cafe has used the drink to promote conservation efforts over the years.

I wasn’t going to write about the Connie Chan AI chatbot since it’s getting a bit tired, but I think the existing coverage missed the opportunity for an honest discussion that goes beyond whether the chatbot was racist or sexist, or whether the backlash is “fake outrage”.

I had a different question: What does existing AI safety research say about responsible uses of AI in elections, if any? Was ConnieChan.ai a responsible deployment of generative AI, and what does this incident say about Wiener’s leadership on AI safety?

Sunset Variety opened last Saturday at 46th Avenue and Judah. It’s a neighborhood shop that takes its name from one of the original businesses in historic Sunset Village. The shelves are stocked with items from local makers of art, paper goods, knitted items, jewelry, housewares, woodwork, and decorative objects. Local Sunset artists are invited to submit their work for consideration to be carried in the shop. Art on the walls and shelves depicts the character of the neighborhood with themes of the ocean, beach, and fog.

Perusing the shop feels like treasure hunting. I was there on opening day along with many enthusiastic visitors. There was an abundance of quality items, and I found myself drawn to the ceramics and kitchenware. The concept of the shop involves frequently refreshing its merchandise so there will always be something new to browse.

I ended up taking home a beautiful bud vase for my mantel. If you are a maker yourself and are interested in selling through Sunset Variety, you can submit your work via their intake form here.