Empty Nesters

Sofia's social scene needs you on Monday. We're hosting a casual Sofia Expats meetup – a relaxed evening for locals and expats to meet, chat, and just enjoy good company. * Monday, 25 May * 19:00 * Edin Bar, Graf Ignatiev 24 Join the event on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/3061894383995653 Whether you moved here last week or you've been calling Sofia home for years, this is your chance to expand your circle a little. Come meet someone who's been through the same bureaucratic nightmare you have. Get a restaurant recommendation from a local. Or just have a fun Monday evening. We'll be somewhere central in Sofia. Exact location dropping soon – RSVP so you don't miss it. See you there! 🙋‍♀️ Coming solo? Don't worry. Maria and Liliya will be welcoming guests so you don't have to feel alone or awkward. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* [www.SofiaExpats.com](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.SofiaExpats.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExd3hHT2kwT0hYM1FJUVBqVHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4rvS_PRHmgSC7UU9UYlc-BPWM9KMuZiK56bB9rt7jEFcc0TkeZcoU4W66GwA_aem_FqS6xhLF7_vVzoLVjpptqg&h=AUCS35FfpViN9L_zstBoH9Kmyry7hnT_QM_RQnX_5ksaKMLJsnJA71iWkywvMisjH7MFCMVhwZxpki9iPopG677ADnR5MPEbBQl3AQzCUShitSjyy_c1ZZdPANmjbw60zGD7zOCSu2FrmZDIVH8&__tn__=q&c%5B0%5D=AUDP8EuZzbYxR3zlgOCMIfPqvxafb0aHHkC_-BxUbPdmnPqIrHOcUac9Tzd6NzkU1CHKRi0qGmkrJKdsn6Z51O2rr8-_rPbI2CaWLk81QOPR6wFrf8iiS8sTCs-KzIe8J2JLqkkKbjGy044mfEbxDNd9kBYNng) is your not-boring weekly newsletter for English-friendly events, activities and cultural tips. Subscribe to receive it every Monday. 📸 Keep in mind that pictures will be taken during the event for marketing purposes.

Combinatorial optimization problems arise across logistics, scheduling, and engineering, and C++ remains a language of choice when performance matters. This lecture takes a practical look at solving such problems in C++, using the Electric Vehicle Routing Problem as a running example. We begin with an exact solver, formulating the problem as a mixed-integer program and trying to solve it through GLPK's C API directly from C++. Exact methods, however, quickly hit their limits on real-world instances. The second half of the talk turns to metaheuristics: how they are designed, why C++ is particularly well suited for implementing them, and what design choices matter most in practice. We'll walk through a concrete implementation, touching on data structures for fast neighborhood evaluation, generic algorithm design with templates, and the performance considerations that separate a prototype from a production-ready solver. The goal is not to advocate for one approach over another, but to show how C++ supports the full spectrum of optimization techniques. # About Speaker Luka Matijević is a researcher at the Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, whose work bridges academic research and freelance engineering. He's drawn to identifying the right algorithm for a given problem — and to the kind of careful optimization captured by one of his favourite Futurama lines: *"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all."* ## 📅 Event Details | | | | --- | --- | | 👤 **Speaker** | **[Luka Matijević](https://www.linkedin.com/in/luka-matijevic/)** | | 🕕 **Date & Time** | **27th of May (Wednesday), 6 pm** | | 📍 **Location** | **Beograđanka, Vidikovac, 22nd floor** | | 🏢 **Address** | **Masarikova 5** | | 💻 **Online** | **[C++ Serbia YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@cppserbia)** | See you!

Здравейте, WordPress хора! Както знаете, благодарение на Matt Mullenweg и Mike Little, на 27 май 2003 г. един млад проект с отворен код направи първите си стъпки в света - и ето ни 23 години по-късно, все още влюбени в него. Двама души го създадоха, но хиляди доброволци, разработчици, дизайнери и ентусиасти по целия свят го превърнаха в това, което е днес. Затова на 27 май 2026 г. отново ще се съберем в София, за да вдигнем тост (и хапнем парче торта) за рождения ден на любимата ни платформа! Какво ни очаква? Среща с хора, които говорят на нашия език - този на темите, плъгините, къстъмизациите и късните нощи в WordPress редактора. Очакват ни разговори, хапване, торта и онова специално усещане, когато общността се събере на едно място. Докато ние празнуваме в София, хиляди WordPress ентусиасти по целия свят правят същото – а ние сме част от тази голяма картина. Без значение дали си разработчик с 15 години стаж, дизайнер, който прави първия си сайт, блогър, агенция или просто човек, който обича отворения код – има място за теб на тази маса. Малко повече инфо: 🎟️ Събитието е напълно безплатно. Единственото, което трябва да направите, е да се регистрирате в събитието в Meetup.com. 📍 Мястото? Добре познатото ни Sky Beauty Lab! 👕 Донеси любимият си суаг! Извади от гардероба най-готината WordPress тениска, шапката с логото, чорапите с Wapuu – каквото имаш. И не забравяй да публикуваш снимки с хаштаговете #WP23 и #WP23Sofia, за да покажем на света как празнува българската общност. Благодарности: Това парти нямаше да е възможно без партньорите ни, които стоят зад WordPress Sofia Meetup и общността ни вече години наред – [SuperHosting.BG](SuperHosting.BG), [Delta.BG](Delta.BG), [Jump.bg](Jump.bg) и [JetHost.BG](JetHost.BG). Благодарим ви, приятели! <3 Заредете доброто си настроение, отворете календара и си запазете датата. За тези, които не знаят: месечните срещи на WordPress Sofia Meetup събират десетки хора (независимо дали са професионалисти или абсолютно начинаещи), които по някакъв начин са свързани с най-използваната система за управление на съдържанието в света. Те са напълно безплатни и отворени за всички, които обичат WordPress - единственото нещо, което трябва да направите, за да присъствате, е да се регистрирате в събитията тук. Очакваме ви! Фори, Ники, Явор

Sofia's social scene needs you on Monday. We're hosting a casual Sofia Expats meetup – a relaxed evening for locals and expats to meet, chat, and just enjoy good company. * Monday, 25 May * 19:00 * Edin Bar, Graf Ignatiev 24 Join the event on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/3061894383995653 Whether you moved here last week or you've been calling Sofia home for years, this is your chance to expand your circle a little. Come meet someone who's been through the same bureaucratic nightmare you have. Get a restaurant recommendation from a local. Or just have a fun Monday evening. We'll be somewhere central in Sofia. Exact location dropping soon – RSVP so you don't miss it. See you there! 🙋‍♀️ Coming solo? Don't worry. Maria and Liliya will be welcoming guests so you don't have to feel alone or awkward. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* [www.SofiaExpats.com](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.SofiaExpats.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExd3hHT2kwT0hYM1FJUVBqVHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4rvS_PRHmgSC7UU9UYlc-BPWM9KMuZiK56bB9rt7jEFcc0TkeZcoU4W66GwA_aem_FqS6xhLF7_vVzoLVjpptqg&h=AUCS35FfpViN9L_zstBoH9Kmyry7hnT_QM_RQnX_5ksaKMLJsnJA71iWkywvMisjH7MFCMVhwZxpki9iPopG677ADnR5MPEbBQl3AQzCUShitSjyy_c1ZZdPANmjbw60zGD7zOCSu2FrmZDIVH8&__tn__=q&c%5B0%5D=AUDP8EuZzbYxR3zlgOCMIfPqvxafb0aHHkC_-BxUbPdmnPqIrHOcUac9Tzd6NzkU1CHKRi0qGmkrJKdsn6Z51O2rr8-_rPbI2CaWLk81QOPR6wFrf8iiS8sTCs-KzIe8J2JLqkkKbjGy044mfEbxDNd9kBYNng) is your not-boring weekly newsletter for English-friendly events, activities and cultural tips. Subscribe to receive it every Monday. 📸 Keep in mind that pictures will be taken during the event for marketing purposes.

**Founders Running Club** (FRC) brings founders, investors, tech, creative people and startup enthusiasts together for weekly easy runs and networking. We like to be comfortable when we run and finish with coffee and conversations. Choose your pace or follow a pacer—pets, friends, family, are welcome. 🗓️ Launched in San Francisco, July 16, 2022 🌍 Now in 35+ cities 📅 Running + Networking events + Community **Join the community** [http://foundersrc.com/chats](http://foundersrc.com/chats) **Stay updated**: Instagram [http://instagram.com/foundersrc/](http://instagram.com/foundersrc/) Podcast [http://podcast.foundersrc.com/](http://podcast.foundersrc.com/) LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/](http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/) Strava [http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC](http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC) Website [http://foundersrc.com/](http://foundersrc.com/)

*This event features presentations in both English and Bulgarian.* Силен старт на крипто лятото! Миналия месец се надявахме, че сме оцелели след дъното. Този месец видяхме токени, които се покачиха с до 50%. Изглежда не сме сгрешили. След месеци на спадове, несигурност и пазар, който дълго време изглеждаше изтощен, нещо най-после се размърда. И не само на графиките. Имаме три добри новини за този месец: Първо, пазарът показа зъби. Второ, САЩ продължават да бутат напред с добра крипто регулация. Трето (и може би най-забавното): Prediction Markets се оказаха толкова успешни, че България реши да ги блокира (за първи път още през февруари). Когато регулатор бърза да забрани нещо, обикновено това е знак, че там се случва нещо интересно. На следващия Sofia Crypto Meetup ще обсъдим: Кои токени се представиха най-добре и защо. Какво всъщност представляват Prediction Markets и защо толкова много хора (и държави) говорят за тях. Какво може да очакваме през лятото - кои са реалните сценарии, а не магическите прогнози. Никакви празни приказки, никакви обещания за бързо забогатяване. Просто разговор по същество, добър анализ и достатъчно време за въпроси и дискусия. Елате да го отпразнуваме заедно. Дъното е зад нас, лятото е пред нас, а разговорът ще бъде интересен. Очаквайте и много специален гост!

Последно за сезона издание преди лятната ваканция! ☀️ И това ако не е повод да се видим! 🙂🎉 **Python Meetup @ Sofia** 🐍 е тук през май 🌸 с интересна тема 💡 и почерпка 🍻 преди така дългоочакваните летни месеци! Ще се съберем в края на май 📅, ще споделим опит 🤓, ще се почерпим 🍹 и ще си поговорим 💬, по стара пайтънмийтъпска традиция ;) **🗓️ Датата е 26-ти май, а мястото е 📍Barter Community Hub 🏢.** **Започваме в ⏰ 19:00ч.** 🎫 Събитието е напълно безплатно ✅, нужно е само да потвърдиш присъствие тук 🙌 📢 Тема: **Async Python: The (bright) future after the end of GIL** 👨‍💻 Лектор: **Ивайло Дончев** 💭 **За какво ще си говорим:** Когато говорим за асинхронното програмиране с Python 🐍, винаги изниква една мистична абревиатура - GIL 🤔. В лекцията ще говорим за това как се промени асинхронното програмиране в python през годините 📈, какво е GIL, защо беше нужен, защо беше нужно да се премахне ❌ и какво означава това на практика ⚙️. Лекцията ще бъде на български език! 🇧🇬 🎙️ **За лектора:** Ивайло Дончев е Senior Full Stack developer 👨‍💻 и Technical Team Lead 🧠 в Waracle (България). Има 10+ години опит с Python 🐍 и Django, лектор на EuroPython 2018, 2022 и 2023 🎤 и лектор на курсовете на HackBulgaria 📚. След лекцията продължаваме в networking частта 🤝 с традиционната почерпка 🍻 от нашите партньори от **[Waracle](https://waracle.com/)** 🙏. Разбира се, ще има и томбола 🎁. А след това ще се отдадем на заслужена лятна почивка 🏖️ и ще се видим отново през септември 🍂! Както се казва, да сме живи и здрави! 🙏 Очакваме те на 26-ти май в Barter Community Hub!📍 Започваме точно в 19:00! ⏰ \-\-\- Final edition of the season before the summer break! ☀️ If that’s not a reason to get together, we don’t know what is! 🙂🎉 **Python Meetup @ Sofia** 🐍 is back this May 🌸 with a great topic 💡 and some treats 🍻 before we head into those long-awaited summer months! We’re gathering at the end of May 📅 to share knowledge 🤓, grab a drink 🍹, and catch up 💬, just like in the good old Python Meetup tradition ;) 🗓️ Date: **May 26** 📍 Location: **Barter Community Hub** 🏢 ⏰ Time: **19:00** 🎫 The event is completely free ✅ - just make sure to RSVP 🙌 📢 Topic: **Async Python: The (bright) future after the end of GIL** 🚀 👨‍💻 Speaker: **Ivaylo Donchev** **💭 What we’ll cover:** When we talk about asynchronous programming with Python, a mysterious abbreviation always comes up - GIL. 🤔 In the lecture we will talk about how asynchronous programming in Python has changed over the years 📈, what GIL is, why it was needed, why it needed to be removed❌ and what it means in practice.⚙️ The talk will be in Bulgarian 🇧🇬. 🎙️ **About the speaker:** Ivaylo Donchev is a Senior Full Stack Developer 👨‍💻 and Technical Team Lead 🧠 at Waracle (Bulgaria). He has 10+ years of experience with Python 🐍 and Django, has spoken at EuroPython (2018, 2022, 2023) 🎤, and is also a lecturer at HackBulgaria 📚. After the talk, we’ll continue with a networking session 🤝, featuring complimentary drinks 🍻 kindly provided by our partners at **[Waracle](https://waracle.com/)**[ ](https://waracle.com/)🙏. And yes… there will be a raffle 🎁! Then it’s time for a well-deserved summer break 🏖️, and we’ll be back in September 🍂. Until then - stay awesome and take care! 🙏 See you on May 26 at Barter Community Hub!📍 We start right at 19:00 ⏰

Join us for a relaxing brunch at Shawnee Station Tap Room Kitchen! Come enjoy great food, good conversation, and a chance to connect with new friends in a fun and welcoming atmosphere. Whether you’re new to the group or a familiar face, we’d love to have you there! Grab your favorite brunch drink, meet amazing people, and spend a laid-back morning together. Please RSVP so we can plan seating accordingly. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Most people use AI like a search box: they type one sentence, hope for the best, and get frustrated when the answer is generic, wrong, or useless. But getting better results from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI systems is not about memorizing magic prompts. It is about learning how to give the AI better context. In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll break down how to make AI dramatically more useful by improving the way you communicate with it. You’ll learn how to give clearer instructions, provide examples, set constraints, ask for better output formats, and use follow-up questions to turn a mediocre answer into a genuinely useful one. We’ll cover practical techniques you can use immediately for work, learning, writing, coding, planning, research, and everyday problem solving. We’ll also touch on why these same ideas show up in more advanced AI systems, including RAG, agents, evaluations, and AI workflows. No technical background required. Bring your curiosity, your questions, and maybe one real task you wish AI was better at helping you with. **What you’ll learn:** * Why “better prompting” is really about better context * How to structure requests so AI gives more useful answers * How to use examples, constraints, and output formats * How to iterate when the first answer is not good enough * How these skills connect to more advanced AI workflows This meetup is for anyone who wants to move beyond basic ChatGPT usage and start getting more practical value out of AI. LOGISTICS AND PARKING: The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks! The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.

Westerville Pride Festival Sat\. June 6\, 2026 \| 5 PM \- 8 PM If you're thinking of attending, or being a sponsor, vendor, or volunteer, visit our website at https://www.westervillequeercollective.org/pride for more information! Location and other info will be announced soon :)