Decentralized Systems & Applications

**Take your skills to the next level!** Maybe you’re feeling ready to jump into Day 2. How are you feeling about the speed with which you draw icons, symbols, and figures? How do you introduce emotions into your posters? Would you like to improve your handwriting and lettering skills? Have you worked with mobile elements? Step into the opportunity to capture live conversations using a simple, elegant technique for creating visually appealing charts There’s so much to learn and integrate into your repertoire. ***NB: bikablo Day 1 training is a prerequisite for this program, as we will complete one review exercise of learning from Day 1, and then we will move into new territory!*** **Location:** **IN PERSON** at Brian's Lizard Brain Studio in Herndon, Virginia. Exact address to be shared with registered participants. **Cost:** $600, payable to Jill Greenbaum. Go to Jill's calendar [here](www.jillgreenbaum.com/calendar), to choose and register for this course. **You MUST register with Jill to attend!**

How much do we LOVE COLLECTIVE? So SO MUCH!!!! Come join us for a high energy Friday night on the rooftop in Tysons! The band starts at 6:30. We're going to try and get there early, but it's a work day... Collective returns for the 2026 rooftop season at Starr Hill Biergarten. Best of the 80s, 90s, 2000s and today across rock, pop, pop punk, alt and country music. Voted "Best Local Band" by readers of Arlington Magazine. Your assignment: bring friends - introduce them to our particular brand of fun, and let's get GO. We'll see you on the 11th floor!

Let us get together and plot to conquer the world!:) ***GRAB A DRINK AND YOU ARE ALL SET TO FLEX YOUR LANGUAGE CAPACITY. YOU NEED TO GET AT LEAST A DRINK OR FOOD:) To get the event going and show support. We know that you like our events. P.S. : We have non-alcoholic drinks as well.*** ***Tate has been doing crypto and investment for years and he will share his immense experience.*** We have a tiny venue and we hit capacity often and early arrival is suggested. We have the discretion to decide entry. Instead of silently doing research on your own, it is well known that when you are regularly connected with people of your own investment interest, you are likely to be more motivated, better informed and less likely to miss out on opportunities. Meet and discuss face-to-face. **HOW IT WORKS : We will try to assign tables for each represented INDUSTRIES/SECTORS/SPECIALIZATIONS and will direct attendees to their respective tables accordingly. All industries are welcome! However we don't guarantee the availability of a partner in that particular field, you would like to exchange experience. Space is limited and advance RSVP is required. PLEASE BRING BUSINESS CARDS (Hard/Soft Copy).** THIS IS NOT A SEMINAR or A PANEL EVENT AND THERE WILL BE NO SPEAKER. It is just a happy hour social event for those interested. In the past we had a great mix of developers, miners, investors, blockchainers and people who are completely new to cryptos. \- Come one\, come all OR FLY SOLO; this is the most friendliest event you have ever attended\! \- Feel free to invite your friends\. They don't necessarily have to be a member \- Event is 21\+ ***AFTER THE HAPPY HOUR, WE WILL HIT THE DANCE FLOOR AND DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY. BRING YOUR DANCING SHOES!*** ***N.B. : We have ZERO TOLERANCE for solicitation. We don't allow anyone to run their own agenda at the Event. If you are interested to promote/sponsor/collaborate; contact us via ([info@merevents.com](http://info@merevents.com/)).*** [)

[Book Your Classes by Clicking This Link! ](https://crowndancestudio.com/group-classes/) Friday: Advanced Expression End the work week with high-energy **Advanced Rhythm** from **7:00 PM to 8:30 PM**. This session dives deep into the technicalities of Latin and Ballroom styles like Rumba, Samba, or Mambo, designed for dancers who value precision and artistic expression. For $25, you'll receive intensive instruction that pushes your physical boundaries and refines your competitive or performance edge in a high-vibe atmosphere. **When: Every Friday** **Time: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.** **1 Dances per month:** **\*Please check the flyer on the group class page for the dance of the month. Or contact us to find out.** **Cost:$25 per person for 90 min.**

Join your HacDC Squad for a fun gaming session. Plan for 5/16/2026: Clone Hero (Guitar Hero clone) Deep Rock Galactic (on sale for $9 right now) L4D2 ($10) Last Train Outta' Wormtown (Free to join a lobby) Straftat (Free) Halo Infinite (Free) Suggested donation $10, NOTAFLOF Our Discord link is [https://discord.gg/YTeBg2fEgX](https://discord.gg/YTeBg2fEgX) Send a message to the #let-me-in channel upon arriving under the Gala theater marquee.

Join StepMoms of the DMV for an in-person coffee meetup! This casual and supportive gathering is a space for stepmoms to share experiences, offer advice, and connect with others navigating similar challenges. Whether you’re a seasoned stepmom or just beginning your step-parenting journey, this event is open to all. Grab your favorite coffee, settle in, and let’s chat about the unique dynamics of blended families and how to thrive as a step-parent. Let’s celebrate StepMother’s Day together with people who truly get it — building community, encouragement, and connection along the way!

**\*TO ATTEND GET TICKET At** [https://www.socialevents123.com/event-details.aspx?id=13397#tix](https://www.socialevents123.com/event-details.aspx?id=13397#tix) (Multiple Meetup groups are co-organizing so the RSVP's shown are just a very small portion attending. We'll have at least 20 registered.) Our last online Bingo Night Party was such a BIG hit, we're doing it again! Do you like to play BINGO or want to just do something different?! Then you will LOVE this event! Here is your opportunity to have some fun playing our Live "Bingo" game. You will also get to socialize and make other friends from the comfort of your home. Prizes included Amazon gift cards, free future events and more! This completely online event will be LIVE and you will be able to see and hear the other participants while playing. You will either need to print or draw out your bingo cards. We will email you with how to get it after registering. You can have more than 1 person on your team as long as they're from your house and use same device. Friends/family around the country can also play. They would just need to also register for a ticket. This event will be held on Zoom which you would access through your computer/webcam, or via your phone/tablet. On day of the event, you will get a secured Zoom link and link to print out Bingo cards. \*RSVPS ON HERE ARE NOT REFLECTIVE OF ACTUAL ATTENDANCE as this is a multi group event. Cost: $15-$20 depending on how early you register. **\*TO ATTEND GET TICKET AT -** [https://www.socialevents123.com/event-details.aspx?id=13397#tix](https://www.socialevents123.com/event-details.aspx?id=13397#tix)

An open space for real conversation about how technology is shaping our world, and how we can respond with wisdom, purpose, and values. ## COMING UP: ## Life with Augmented Intelligence **Shaping how we live, work, and build in an AI-driven world** From assistants → to collaboration → to autonomous systems *** **A different way of thinking, working, building.** Most people are still using AI at the surface. Answers. Shortcuts. Quick help. But underneath, work is starting to look different: * systems instead of tasks * collaboration instead of commands * design instead of effort This is a space to step into that. Not a workshop. Not a panel. A place to see what’s emerging, hear how others are thinking, and explore what it means for your own life and work. *** ## Tech & Truth Café 📍 Greencourt Innovation Center 🗓️ May 10 & 17 🕐 1:30 – 5:00 PM 1:30 → arrive and connect 2:00 → ideas and conversation 3:00 → demos and exploration 4:30 → wrap up *** **WHO:** If you’ve been experimenting with something interesting, building something, or thinking differently about AI… reach out. We’d love to include you in the conversation. *** **Bring a laptop.** *** For people who feel like: “there’s more to this than what I’m currently doing with AI.” **Come be part of it.** **WHO** **For people who feel like:** "There's more to this than what I'm currently doing with AI." Come be part of it. **WHAT TO EXPECT**

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“How AI Alters Thinking,”** on dealing with artificial intelligence’s capacity to change and undermine our thought processes, with Eli Alshanetsky, assistant professor of philosophy at Temple University, principal investigator at its Cognitive Integrity Lab, and author of an upcoming book on AI and freedom of thought. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-how-ai-alters](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-how-ai-alters) .] Doctors who give bad advice can be sued for malpractice. Teachers belong to a profession with set standards. When artificial intelligence guides you, however, that guidance comes with a disclaimer: Use at your own risk. Every day millions of people take that risk, and usually AI seems genuinely helpful. But even if AI gives us good answers, might its use over time do bad things to how we think? Explore the relationship between AI and our own minds with Eli Alshanetsky, whose Cognitive Integrity Lab studies how artificial intelligence changes how we think, learn, and build trust. Author of *Articulating a Thought* and the upcoming book F*reedom of Thought in the Age of AI*, he’s on the cutting edge of efforts to answer AI-related questions such as: How can we tell when work is truly our own? How can technology support rather than replace authorship and reflection? What does trust mean when AI mediates our relationships with others and with our own thoughts? To set up his discussion of potential consequences of AI, he’ll describe how social media’s impact on society serves as a preview. Social media didn’t just give people what they wanted to click on, it actually changed what they regarded as click-worthy. It broke attention spans and fueled radicalization across millions of very different people. It left us with people who doom-scroll for hours, who can’t focus, who don’t know what to trust anymore. If you’d shown people this version of themselves ten years ago, would they have chosen it? Artificial intelligence is making a similar deal with us, but the stakes are higher. It isn’t chasing clicks. It’s optimized for giving you the most satisfying response to whatever is on your mind right now. The risk over time isn’t just that you’ll get lazy. More profoundly, even when you think hard, your sense of what counts as good thinking—as well as what sounds like you—will shift to match what AI has been feeding you. We’ll consider what kind of person this produces and whether this is someone we want to be or want children to become. Professor Alshanetsky will lay out a practical framework, which he calls “the interaction layer,” for using AI without letting it replace the thinking it’s supposed to support. He’ll also talk about what AI-related concerns should be the focus of parents and educators. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Illustration by David S. Soriano / Creative Commons.

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBD

In this local meeting, you will discover knowledge that you can use to get over the past. The key to improving your personal motivation, self-confidence, and happiness is to get over your painful memories. When you become free of your past, you will be free from stress, anger, anxiety and depression. Studies show that negative emotions can affect your health. By being free of negative emotions, believe it or not, you will most likely even look younger, feel more energetic, and become healthier! Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. This group is brought to you by the Dianetics and Scientology life improvement center.

Customer identity resolution becomes increasingly complex as organizations scale across multiple systems, regions, and data formats. Traditional rule-based approaches often fail to keep up with data variability, require constant manual tuning, and struggle with real-time processing needs. This session presents a practical approach to building a scalable identity resolution pipeline using AWS services and modern AI techniques. The architecture combines data ingestion through Amazon S3 and AWS Glue, transformation pipelines using Spark on EMR, and machine learning models deployed via SageMaker for entity matching and standardization. Graph-based relationship modeling is implemented using Amazon Neptune to improve resolution accuracy by incorporating household and shared attribute context. We will walk through how machine learning models can be used for name and address normalization, how intelligent blocking strategies improve matching efficiency, and how feedback loops can be introduced to continuously improve accuracy. The session also highlights how serverless components such as AWS Lambda can be used for orchestration and real-time processing. **SPEAKER BIO** Mosaic Syed is a Senior Data Engineering and Cloud Solutions Architect with over 20 years of experience designing and delivering scalable, secure, and high-performance data solutions across global enterprise environments. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosaic-basha-syed-92300856 **CALL FOR SPEAKERS** Learn more: [https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/](https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/) **THANK YOU** *VEEAM* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Veeam*, please visit their website: [https://www.veeam.com/](https://www.veeam.com/) **DIRECTIONS** 8800 Lyra Dr #450 · Columbus, OH go to 4th floor. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

We will show how to build custom agents with Microsoft Agent Framework. Attendees will learn how to build and custom host agents when Microsoft Foundry is not a viable option.

Join the CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group for a dynamic afternoon of B2B networking! This event is perfect for professionals looking to expand their business connections, share insights, and foster collaboration within the community. Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this event offers a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and grow your network in a supportive environment. Connect with like-minded individuals, explore potential partnerships, and discover new opportunities for professional growth. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your business network and take your career to the next level with CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind Group! We meet the 4th Monday of every month from 11am-1pm. Welcome and general networking from 11am - 11:30am with core meeting 11;30 - 12:30 and a final round of networking from 12:30 - 1pm.

Join the Columbus AI community for our quarterly gathering — a casual, community-focused evening where everyone has a chance to share, learn, and connect. These open mic–style events give anyone in the community up to **5 minutes** to present a project, share a tool, pose a question, or offer a perspective on the evolving AI space. No slides required — just a welcoming space to exchange ideas and keep the local AI conversation moving. If you’d like to take the stage, message \*\*Chris (the organizer)\*\*with a **title and short description** of what you’d like to share. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.linkedin.com/company/transformlabs/) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/transformlabshq)