🍕🍻 **Update: food and drinks are now sponsored!**

After a couple of months off for the holidays, we're back with our popular **"Ask the Brains"** event. The aim is to create a friendly environment for everyone to ask their *"that thing you've never understood but always been too afraid to ask"* type questions, plus any other topics you feel like talking about on the night.

We will be asking/talking/rambling about everything web-related - 5-10 minutes per topic, such as:

* Tabs or spaces for indentation?
* Is it okay to use "!important" in CSS?
* Is it better to have a light or dark theme for your IDE?
* Should you write comments in your code, or is it better to write self-documenting code?
* Should you use "camelCase" or "snake_case" for variable names in your code?
* Is it better to use single or double quotes in JavaScript?
* Is it "gif" or "jif"?
* Vim or Emacs?

You will be able to submit topics with event attendees voting for the topics they would like to discuss. We will run the discussion for about an hour after which you have the option to retire to a local brewery to discuss the night away.

The format works best when there is a diverse group of people and opinions in the room, so whether you consider yourself an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro, do come and join.

Put your thinking caps on and start thinking of some questions you would like to ask!

🍕🍻 Pizza and drinks will be provided thanks to sponsorship from [Puck - the open source visual editor for React](https://puckeditor.com/).

**In-person attendees**: Please arrive at Runway East (ground floor) between 19:00 and 19:15 for refreshments and socializing. Make sure you are registered to attend so we have an idea of numbers for catering.

**Remote attendees**: We only broadcast talks. Join the group to hear about future events and we hope you'll join us next time!

Don't forget to join the [Async Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/asyncjs/shared_invite/zt-1aguxx86q-XjF_yWcFoJ8fyYYzoqgDaQ) for updates.

Async (Web Tech Meetup)

Jake 'Sid' Smith

Alastair Lockie

Matt McCorry

Yorick Brown

Mark

Josh Bingham

Niall Coleman-clarke

Kostiantyn Semenenko

Cj Taylor

Joby Harding

Berker Erol

faolán/franc

cr0wbar

Good Ekwueme

Ed. E.

Ask the Brains, Feb 2026

Runway East Brighton

Holy moly (mole? 🥑) we're blazing into 2026 and February is fast approaching meaning PHP Sussex is back after our winter hiatus with an in-person talk from [David Liddament](https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveliddament/). *Booyah!*

Yannick met David at PHP UK some years ago so we were super excited when he offered to head over and deliver his talk **Test Suite Holy Trinity** ✨.

David is the Director of Lamp Bristol and co-organiser of [PHPSW](https://phpsw.uk/). He's also been giving interviews with prominent PHP figures ahead of the [PHP UK](https://www.phpconference.co.uk/) conference, for which you can still use the promo code **PHPUK_PHPSUSSEX** and get 10% off!

We’re not live streaming events anymore, so be sure to join us at [Runway East](https://runwayea.st/?utm_source=SiliconBrighton&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Event+Sponsorship&utm_id=Silicon+Brighton+RWE+Sponsorship+email) in Brighton from 6:30 pm (talk at 7 pm). There will be pizza and drinks – come have a chat before the talk! Afterwards we’ll head to [Unbarred Taproom](https://www.unbarredbrewery.com/pages/taproom), 2 minutes walk from our venue, to wind up the evening over a craft beer 🍻.

We're also looking for feedback on the future of PHP Sussex, we really believe Brighton should have a PHP meetup and want to build the community so please give 2 minutes to [take the survey](https://tally.so/r/rjOqkX) or talk to Yannick or Joby at the event.

**Test Suite Holy Trinity**

What would the perfect test suite look like? One that covers everything, runs fast and quick to write. Sounds great? But these goals pull against each other.

This talk explores testing at different levels (unit, integration and system). You'll learn how to get the most from each level, design code for testability, and strike the right compromises. We may not reach the mythical Test Suite Holy Trinity, but we’ll get pretty close.

PHP Sussex is supported by [Silicon Brighton](https://siliconbrighton.com/) and [Runway East](https://runwayea.st/?utm_source=SiliconBrighton&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Event+Sponsorship&utm_id=Silicon+Brighton+RWE+Sponsorship+email).

Runway East has been fighting boring offices since 2014. Members get team bliss guaranteed, space to scale and Big Desk Energy.

PHP Sussex

Silicon Brighton

Yannick Chenot

Nehad

Simon Player

Carl Curtis

Claire McEvoy

Sami Leino

Joel Perry

hannah harvey

Peter Fox

Malcolm Elsworth

Jason Donoghue

Jim Dixon

Andrew Hancox

Karl Robinson

andy broomfield

The Test Suite Holy Trinity

Runway East

Welcome to Datacove's Data Story-telling Seminar - the third in our series!

**Contents**
In this hour and a half, you can expect to:

* Understand how to turn data into actionable insights
* How to transform numbers into a story that resonates
* Grasp some common frameworks to refer to
* Have a chance to ask an expert of over 20+ years experience for advice!

**Introducing Datacove**
Datacove are a Data and Analytics Consultancy Team based in Brighton, with experience in founding many well-attended R & Python events. Plus, home of the EARL Conference! We work across multiple streams - from marketing and consumer analytics, to bespoke dashboards, process automation, and training! :)

**How to Join**
Once you have RSVP-ed on this event, a link will be released to you below.

We look forward to welcoming you then!

Brighton Py

Abbie Brookes

Sophie Desouza

Maddalena

Alice

oskar holm

Stuart

Vadim Epstein

FREE Data Story-telling Seminar

Online event

Welcome to Datacove's Data Story-telling Seminar - the third in our series!

**Contents**

In this hour and a half, you can expect to:

* Understand how to turn data into actionable insights
* How to transform numbers into a story that resonates
* Grasp some common frameworks to refer to
* Have a chance to ask an expert of over 20+ years experience for advice!

**Introducing Datacove**

Datacove are a Data and Analytics Consultancy Team based in Brighton, with experience in founding many well-attended R & Python events. Plus, home of the EARL Conference! We work across multiple streams - from marketing and consumer analytics, to bespoke dashboards, process automation, and training! :)

**How to Join**

Once you have RSVP-ed on this event, a link will be released to you below.

We look forward to welcoming you then!

Brighton R: Data Intelligence Network

Online Data Story-telling Seminar

Four makers share their projects in embedded systems, robotics, and microcontroller electronics. Come, listen, ask questions, and learn in a friendly and entertaining environment. Demo's can go wrong, so enjoy the jeopardy as our presenters tell their story.

* **Fun with Furbies**: [Mike Brewer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/magarimike/)
* Mike brings us back to the 1990s Furbies craze but hacks them to bring them under his control
* **When Machines Sing**: Designing a Robot Choir: [Richard Vahrman](https://www.youtube.com/@RichardVahrman/videos)
* A short talk and live demo exploring the Robot Choir: an experimental performance system that treats robotic voices as a choir rather than an instrument.
* **Drifting with Dignity**: My Macanum Drive Journey: [Jon Durrant](https://youtube.com/@drjonea)
* From a custom RP2040 quad motor control to Inverse Kinematics and the Robot Operating System control. Lets start the journey
* **Breaking Breadboards at Evolve26**: [Mike Brewer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/magarimike/)
* We will have an area again at Evolve26 on 26-Jun-26 at the Brighton Centre. We would like your thoughts on how to make this a truly community event. Remeber you can book your ticket with 50% off by using the code **`BREAKINGBREADBOARDS`** [https://evolve.siliconbrighton.com/](https://evolve.siliconbrighton.com/)

Timeline:
18:30 Pizza, soft drinks and networking
18:50 Introdutions
19:00 **Fun with Furbies**
19:20 **When Machines Sing**
19:40 **Drifting with Dignity**
20:00 Q&A With the Panel
20:10 **Breaking Breadboards at Evolve26**
20:30 Close

Thank you to all the companies who help us put these events on:

* [Yair Energy](https://yair.energy/) for helping us fund the event
* [Sopro](sopro.io). for helping us fund the event
* [Freedom Works](https://www.freedomworks.space/) for hosting us
* [Silicon Brighton](https://siliconbrighton.com/) for helping us run, marketing and AV support

If you would like to present your project, please get in touch with our organisers. Or why not bring a project along for our show-and-tell table?

Breaking Breadboards

Chetan Padia

Jon Durrant

Mike Brewer

Nikhil Dabas

Anna

reyreyunltd

Solomon Ngotho

Veronica

Richard Vahrman

Jack Allen

Keith

Michael

Maker Projects at Breaking Breadboards

Freedom Works Brighton, Barts House

SiliconBrighton

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