Latest news with #AustinWalker
CTV News
31-07-2025
- CTV News
‘I'm sorry': 2 years in prison for impaired driver involved in fatal e-scooter crash in Saskatoon
A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to two years in prison for the impaired driving death of 25-year-old Austin Walker. Saskatoon's provincial court had to open another courtroom to accommodate all the grieving loved ones, as a sentence was handed down regarding the death of 25-year-old Austin Walker. Wade Chaboyer, 40, will face two years in prison for killing Walker while driving impaired last summer. Just after 3 a.m. on June 22, 2024, Walker was riding an electric scooter home from a friend's house, where he'd been watching hockey, when he was hit and killed near the Circle Drive overpass on Warman Road. Chaboyer fled the scene, but police soon located him due to the e-scooter still being attached to the bumper of his vehicle. Following his two years in prison, Chaboyer will face three years of probation alongside a five-year ban on driving and 100 hours of community service. 'People can do evil things, but at the end of the day, at their core, they're not evil people. We still have to punish them. Society has an interest in seeing this happen and making sure people don't do the same thing,' Ron Piche, the defense counsel said. The Crown did not offer comment, but more than 15 victim impact statements were read in the courtroom. Austin Walker's family and friends showed up to express the profound impact his death has had. Walker was described as kind, funny, and loyal. His loved ones tearfully recalled memories of Walker being a stellar athlete and friend. When offered an opportunity to address the court, Chaboyer said, 'I'm sorry.'
CTV News
06-07-2025
- CTV News
Family of Sask. man killed by impaired driver hosts memorial golf tournament
A year after Austin 'Auzi' Walker was killed by an impaired driver, his loved ones gathered to play a round of golf for their friend on Saturday. 'It's been phenomenal. It's a day to remember him. It's not a sad day. It's...a great way to honor him while his friends and family could come and just spend a day,' Chet Walker, Austin's father said. The Austin 'Auzi' Walker 2025 Memorial Golf Tournament brought together over 100 golfers at The Legends Golf Club in Warman, Sask. 'As a family, we decided we wanted to do something special for his name,' Chet said. 'We have 144 golfers today, which is capacity and [an] additional 50 some people coming to that barbecue.' Chet shared that golfing was a family activity and a hobby his 25-year-old son particularly enjoyed. Chet added that he hopes those in attendance take positive memories from the day. 'Be happy,' he said. 'Take one day at a time. Enjoy the day.' Austin's loved ones hope to continue keeping his memory alive, and this tournament is the first step towards that goal. 'We really want to keep his name out there. Another thing why we're doing this is, raise a little money to give back in his name for different charities,' Chet said.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- CTV News
Saskatoon parents launch lawsuit, driver pleads guilty in fatal e-scooter crash
A Saskatoon man was killed when the electric scooter he was riding was struck by an alleged drunk driver. (Noah Rishaug/CTV News) The parents of a 25-year-old Saskatoon man who was hit and killed while riding an electric scooter last summer have filed a lawsuit. Chet and Tera Walker are suing the driver, the scooter company Bird Canada and the city of Saskatoon, alleging negligence. A statement of defence has not been filed. Their son, Austin Walker, was hit and killed on Warman Road near the Circle Drive overpass on June 20, 2024. Walker was on his way home from his friend's house after watching hockey. Chet Walker Chet Walker next to his son's Dalmeny Sabres jersey. (Stacey Hein / CTV News) The driver, Wade Chaboyer, has pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and failing to remain at the scene. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30 under a joint submission. In their lawsuit, the Walkers allege Bird Canada was negligent by allowing scooters to be operated on roads with speed limits over 50 km/h. They claim the city was negligent for 'requiring e-scooter riders to use dangerous roadways' and failed to work with the scooter company to establish 'no-go zones.' The suit further alleges Chaboyer was 'driving at an excessive speed for the conditions' and failed to 'avoid a collision that was foreseeable and preventable.' The allegations have not been tested in court. The family is seeking $60,000 in damages.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Microsoft releases AI-generated Quake II demo, but admits ‘limitations'
Microsoft has released a browser-based, playable level of the classic video game Quake II. This functions as a tech demo for the gaming capabilities of Microsoft's Copilot AI platform — though by the company's own admission, the experience isn't quite the same as playing a well-made game. You can try it out for yourself, using your keyboard to navigate a single level of Quake II for a couple minutes before you hit the time limit. In a blog post describing their work, Microsoft researchers said their Muse family of AI models for video games allows users to 'interact with the model through keyboard/controller actions and see the effects of your actions immediately, essentially allowing you to play inside the model.' To show off these capabilities, the researchers trained their model on a Quake II level (which Microsoft owns through its acquisition of ZeniMax). 'Much to our initial delight we were able to play inside the world that the model was simulating,' they wrote. 'We could wander around, move the camera, jump, crouch, shoot, and even blow-up barrels similar to the original game.' At the same time, the researchers emphasized that this is meant to be 'a research exploration' and should be thought of as 'playing the model as opposed to playing the game.' More specifically, they acknowledged 'limitations and shortcomings,' like the fact that enemies are fuzzy, the damage and health counters can be inaccurate, and most strikingly, the model struggles with object permanence, forgetting about things that are out of view for 0.9 seconds or longer. In the researchers' view, this can 'also be a source of fun, whereby you can defeat or spawn enemies by looking at the floor for a second and then looking back up,' or even 'teleport around the map by looking up at the sky and then back down.' Writer and game designer Austin Walker was less impressed by this approach, posting a gameplay video in which he spent most of his time trapped in a dark room. (This also happened to me both times I tried to play the demo, though I'll admit I'm extremely bad at first-person shooters.) Referring to a Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's recent statements that AI models could help with game preservation by making classic games 'portable to any platform,' Walker argued this reveals 'a fundamental misunderstanding of not only this tech but how games WORK.' 'The internal workings of games like Quake — code, design, 3d art, audio — produce specific cases of play, including surprising edge cases,' Walker wrote. 'That is a big part of what makes games good. If you aren't actually able to rebuild the key inner workings, then you lose access to those unpredictable edge cases.' This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Microsoft releases AI-generated Quake II demo, but admits ‘limitations'
Microsoft has released a browser-based, playable level of the classic video game Quake II. This functions as a tech demo for the gaming capabilities of Microsoft's Copilot AI platform — though by the company's own admission, the experience isn't quite the same as playing a well-made game. You can try it out for yourself, using your keyboard to navigate a single level of Quake II for a couple minutes before you hit the time limit. In a blog post describing their work, Microsoft researchers said their Muse family of AI models for video games allows users to 'interact with the model through keyboard/controller actions and see the effects of your actions immediately, essentially allowing you to play inside the model.' To show off these capabilities, the researchers trained their model on a Quake II level (which Microsoft owns through its acquisition of ZeniMax). 'Much to our initial delight we were able to play inside the world that the model was simulating,' they wrote. 'We could wander around, move the camera, jump, crouch, shoot, and even blow-up barrels similar to the original game.' At the same time, the researchers emphasized that this is meant to be 'a research exploration' and should be thought of as 'playing the model as opposed to playing the game.' More specifically, they acknowledged 'limitations and shortcomings,' like the fact that enemies are fuzzy, the damage and health counters can be inaccurate, and most strikingly, the model struggles with object permanence, forgetting about things that are out of view for 0.9 seconds or longer. In the researchers' view, this can 'also be a source of fun, whereby you can defeat or spawn enemies by looking at the floor for a second and then looking back up,' or even 'teleport around the map by looking up at the sky and then back down.' Writer and game designer Austin Walker was less impressed by this approach, posting a gameplay video in which he spent most of his time trapped in a dark room. (This also happened to me both times I tried to play the demo, though I'll admit I'm extremely bad at first-person shooters.) Referring to a Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's recent statements that AI models could help with game preservation by making classic games 'portable to any platform,' Walker argued this reveals 'a fundamental misunderstanding of not only this tech but how games WORK.' 'The internal workings of games like Quake — code, design, 3d art, audio — produce specific cases of play, including surprising edge cases,' Walker wrote. 'That is a big part of what makes games good. If you aren't actually able to rebuild the key inner workings, then you lose access to those unpredictable edge cases.'
