April 2025

March 2025

Hysterically Historical #1

By Pete Jacobsen
Posted: 03/28/2025

I've heard a rumor that this October will mark the tenth anniversary of Eastside Village. I've only been a member the last two of those years, and I'm wondering what it was like earlier in our story. I think it will be really interesting to talk with some of the folks who were here at the beginning, and also to learn how the Village navigated Covid, but I suspect each year has its story to tell.

If I let myself think grand thoughts, I imagine, sometime around October, completing "The History of Eastside Village - The First Ten Years". I'd like to read that story! Anyone else interested?

As an experiment, I've been working with Google's AI, which they call Gemini, and a new application from Google called NotebookLM (LM = Language Model, a type of AI). I've fed a lot of EV documents to this app - all the newsletters, all the governing council minutes, the bylaws, our strategic plan, and the kitchen sink. I can ask it questions, and it does a nice job of writing several paragraphs to answer my questions. For me, its a way of brain storming - helping me work out how best to present our history. I'll probably share some of the responses with you as time goes by.

I'm missing some important information though. I need to talk with our members about their experiences with the village. I hope to talk with some of the folks who were here at the start, but just as important, folks who've joined through the years. After all, a history isn't just an origin story.

If any of you would be willing to talk with me about your experience with the Village, shoot me an email at [email protected] - I'd like buy you a cup of appropriate beverage and to talk to you!