Agnostic
Meet other local people interested in Agnostic: share experiences, inspire and encourage each other! Join a Agnostic group.
307
members
2
groups
Largest Agnostic groups
Newest Agnostic groups
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out agnostic events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the agnostic events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find agnostic events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Agnostic Events Today
Join in-person Agnostic events happening right now
Less Noise, More Signal: SBOMs + Agentic Observability
We’re excited to bring the community together for an evening of learning and connection. This time, we'll have a community member from Chainguard sharing a use case and, as usual, an Elastic employee sharing their expertise as well.
Come support your fellow developers, learn something new, and meet others who are passionate about search, observability, and security.
**Date and Time:**
Tuesday, May 19th, from 5:30-7:30 pm EDT
**Location:**
Elastic Arlington Office - 4100 Fairfax Drive, Ste 500, Arlington, VA 22203
**Agenda:**
* 5:30 pm: Doors open; say hi, grab a seat, and eat some food.
* 6:00 pm: The SBOM Pile in Your S3 Bucket: Turning Bills of Materials Into a Risk Dashboard; and Watching It Shrink with Chainguard, by Mike Barreta, Senior Manager, Engineering at Chainguard
* 6:30 pm: Q&A
* 6:40 pm: **Agentic Observability: Next-Gen Alerting and Auto-Detected Significant Events**, by Jason Rhodes,
Senior Manager, Software Engineering at Elastic
* 7:10 pm: Q&A
* 7:20-7:30 pm: Networking & refreshments
**Talk Abstracts:**
**"The SBOM Pile in Your S3 Bucket: Turning Bills of Materials Into a Risk Dashboard; and Watching It Shrink with Chainguard**"
Most organizations now generate SBOMs because someone — EO 14028, a FedRAMP auditor, an ISSM — told them to. They land in an S3 bucket, get versioned, and are almost universally never queried. This talk is about what happens when you finally do. I'll stand up a self-contained Elastic stack, pour in SBOMs (SPDX), SLSA provenance, Sigstore signatures, Grype vulnerability scans, the CISA KEV catalog, and OpenVEX adjudication for 30 container images, and show the queries that only become possible once SBOMs stop being compliance artifacts and start being telemetry: which packages I actually run right now, which CVEs are real exposures versus VEX-suppressed noise, what swapping a stock image for its Chainguard equivalent would buy me, and how much of my CVE list is just stuff I inherited from the base layer.
Then the cleanup. The same dashboards on Chainguard images show what disappears when the SBOM is small, the signatures verify, and the advisory feed is active: \~9,000 fewer CVEs and \~2.5 GB saved across 20 image pairs, KEV exposure dropping from 7 hits to 0, compliance pass rate going from 0% to 76.5% against NIST 800-218 / FedRAMP Moderate / SSDF.
**Bio:**
Mike Barretta leads Chainguard’s public sector solutions engineering team, focused on helping ensure the federal government receives its fair share of the future. Barretta has worked across civilian, defense and intel programs in a variety of roles—software developer, data scientist, solution architect—for a variety of organizations—system integrators, consulting companies, software vendors—with the common purpose of creating and championing technologies and techniques for simplifying the extraction and utilization of information from lots of data. Having witnessed the ever-increasing threats to those systems, Barretta is now focused on methods and mitigations to secure them
**Agentic Observability: Next-Gen Alerting and Auto-Detected Significant Events**
We're rebuilding Elastic's alerting engine to make alerts more flexible\, more powerful\, and more valuable as data\. Next\-gen alerting rules will run anything ES\|QL supports and capture whatever fields matter to you\, so alerts carry the context you need for real downstream analysis\. And if you'd rather not manage these rules yourself\, AI agents can help\, drafting them from natural language\, recommending tuning and configuration changes\, and reducing noise through deduplication\.
On top of this, we're also building a new Significant Events system which automatically builds a continuously updated knowledge base of your incoming data's own metadata. Using this deep understanding, our agentic tools will detect significant events from log patterns, anomalies, and predicted behavior — without you having to create a single rule.
**Bio:**
Jason Rhodes is a software engineering lead at Elastic, where he works on alerting and observability features. Based in the DC area, he has over 15 years of experience in software development and has been an active contributor to the local tech community — creating and organizing Baltimore NodeSchool and charmCityJS. When he's not writing and reviewing code, he's probably watching too many movies.
**Parking:**
* The building’s parking garage is operated by Colonial Parking and is located off N. Randolph Street
* Book a spot on[ SpotHero](https://spothero.com/search?kind=address&latitude=38.8818514&longitude=-77.1095268&search_string=4100+Fairfax+Dr+%23500%2C+Arlington%2C+VA+22203%2C+USA)
* A Metro Station is located across the street
SRF is offering ONLINE MEDITATIONS in today's climate
PLEASE CHECK THE ONLINE MEDITATION CALENDAR FOR DETAILS OF THESE MORE THAN 50 SERVICES A WEEK- https://onlinemeditation.yogananda.org/calendar/
Tuesday Study
Weekly Bible study currently reading through the Gospel of Luke.
We meet at Teaism in Penn Quarter. You can find us in the downstairs seating area!
CREATIVE HAPPY HOUR 5/19/26 from 5-7pm
This CREATIVE HAPPY HOUR is for creative people and folks who appreciate creativity. Whether you attend, produce, appreciate, or promote, you are welcome to join us on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from 5pm-7pm for CREATIVE HAPPY HOUR at Silver Branch Brewing Co in Silver Spring, MD. Register on Eventbrite at [https://HappyHour5-19-26.eventbrite.com](https://HappyHour5-19-26.eventbrite.com).
Come meet, network, and enjoy. Only those ages 21 and up can attend. Happy Hour specials are from 5pm-6pm: $5.95 beer and select drinks. Entrance is free. This is a casual event.
Register on Eventbrite at [https://HappyHour5-19-26.eventbrite.com](https://HappyHour5-19-26.eventbrite.com).
Enjoy delicious craft beers, tasty snacks, and great company in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether you're a beer enthusiast or just looking to unwind after a long day, this event is perfect for you. Don't miss out on the opportunity to kick back and relax with us at Silver Branch Brewing Co. Use the QR codes at the table to order food and drinks, and be prepared to mingle. Check out the[ Silver Branch Brewing Company's Menu](https://www.silverbranchbrewing.com/lagerhaus-biergarten/).
PARKING: Paid parking available one block away at the county's Cameron Street Garage on 8530 Cameron Street (Better pricing than street or private parking.)
See you there on 5/19/26! Register on Eventbrite at [https://HappyHour5-19-26.eventbrite.com](https://HappyHour5-19-26.eventbrite.com).
This event is produced by in partnership with, [ ](https://reelabilities.org/greaterwash/)[ReelAbilities Film Festival: Greater Washington](https://reelabilities.org/greaterwash), [ TIVA](https://www.tivadc.org/) (Television, Internet, and Video Association of DC),[ WIFV](https://www.wifv.org/) (Women in Film & Video),[ Wheaton Film Festival](https://www.wheatonfilmfestival.com/),[ Docs in Progress](https://www.docsinprogress.org/), DC Media Makers Group, etc.
Sponsored by[ Brian Frankel Law Firm PLLC](https://brianfrankel.com/),[ Creative Colony Spaces](https://www.creativecolonyspaces.com/membership/overview), and Adobe Software.
Profs & Pints DC: Demography as Destiny
[Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Demography as Destiny,”** on understanding the links between population trends and world events, with John Rennie Short, geographer, professor emeritus of public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and author of *Demography and the Making of the Modern World: Public Policies and Demographic Forces.*
[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-demography-destiny](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-demography-destiny) .]
The size of a family doesn’t just affect food and clothing budgets and space needs. If it reflects a broader trend in birth rates, it also can have a profound impact on politics, the economy, and world affairs.
Come to Washington D.C.’s Penn Social for a fascinating look at how demographic forces shape the modern world and have driven developments such as the Arab Spring, political unrest in Sri Lanka and Nepal, economic growth in Vietnam and India, the budget crisis in the United States, and the rise of nationalist populism in Europe.
Dr. John Rennie Short, who has written several acclaimed books on world trends and gives excellent Profs and Pints talks focused on geopolitical affairs, will break down how various demographic changes can alter nations’ destinies.
You’ll learn how baby booms can dampen economic growth, as has occurred in central Africa, and how a “youth bulge” caused by the aging of a baby boom provides tinder for social unrest, as happened in the United States of the 1960s and 1970s and is the case today in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
We’ll look at the “demographic dividend” reaped when a youth bulge ages enough to become economically productive and the roles that such dividends played in periods of sustained economic growth in Japan, China, and, most recently, Vietnam. We’ll look at how the aging of a demographic bulge into retirement years can strain national budgets and strengthen the appeal of conservative or populist political movements.
You’ll emerge from the talk better equipped to make sense of political and economic developments in the United States and elsewhere around the world. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image by Canva.
Agnostic Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
Aristotle's Café
Come join us for in-depth discussions on topics relating to moral and political philosophy. This is a group for members who are comfortable discussing topics that are often anxiety producing and controversial.
*"Aristotle was a realist who believed that reality and knowledge are found in the physical world, accessible through sensory experience and logic. This led to contrasting views on ethics, politics, and the nature of reality itself. Plato emphasized abstract, ideal concepts, while Aristotle prioritized empirical observation and the study of the natural world."*
\- Google Gemini
Following Aristotle's lead, this group will lean heavily on empirical data to make arguments. The Socratic method is still the preferred way to engage in conversation, and Platonic Idealism is still relevant to the conversation as points of reference.
First Group Event: Meet and Greet
First event!
Let's get together and set some ground rules for the group.
21 and up for this event.
Low-Key Happy Hour
*Sometimes we invite Neurodivergent District members to join a virtual event from our Constellations community. We’re glad you’re here.*
*Just to clarify, attending this event doesn’t include access to the Constellations member portal or membership. If you’d like ongoing access to events like this, along with curated member introductions for friendship or dating, you’re welcome to explore joining [Constellations](https://www.harringtonmatchmaking.com/constellations-membership).*
Join us for a low-pressure in-person meetup at [Upside on Moore](https://upsideonmoore.com/) food hall.
Located on Level “M2” at 1700 N Moore St, Level M2, Arlington, VA 22209.
We’ll be meeting in the back near Ghostburger.
If you’re sensitive to crowds or louder environments, this may not be the best fit.
Click **[here](https://harringtonmatchmaking.as.me/schedule/0cfadc2d/?appointmentTypeIds[]=92645326)** to RSVP.
Mostly Romance Book Club
Hey all!
My name is Sarah, I'm a romance girlie in my twenties, and welcome to the Mostly Romance Book Club! I am a big mood reader so assigned books at book clubs don't really do it for me. I wanted to create a space where anyone can come with whatever book they want, meet new friends, and chat about what they've been reading.
When:
First and third Thursday of every month.
7-8:30 pm.
Schedule:
First 30 minutes: Introductions and chat about all things books
Next 45 minutes: Silently read your personal physical book, ebook, or audiobook (yes audiobooks count :))
Last 15 minutes: Chat some more and wrap up the meeting
Check the home page for zoom links. Up to 100 attendees so still join the zoom even if you can't sign up for the event.
YES!! FREE HUGS on the National Mall - YES!!
**YES! YES!! YES!!!**
**FREE HUGS on the National Mall are happening again!!**
**"Spreading More Love"**
Here are two videos of past FREE HUGS gatherings:
[FREE HUGS October 2017. 32 sec.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh7v3zucDas)
[FREE HUGS Veterans Day 2016. 58 sec.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebTt9Q177zQ)
**HEY EVERYONE!**
Now that the Flu, COVID and RSV have subsided, we are
**RESUMING OUR MONTHLY FREE HUGS GATHERINGS!!**
FREE HUGS gatherings generate so much excitement, joy, appreciation, connection, peace, love, smiles, “Thank you’s,” lots of laughter and such positive energy!!
Our FREE HUGS movement is all about "Spreading More Love" regardless of political, religious, racial or gender identification or any other identification.
**!! IMPORTANT !!** We meet OUTSIDE of the National Museum of Natural History on the NATIONAL MALL SIDE OF THE MUSEUM near the Refreshment stand.
ADDRESS: 1306 Madison Dr. NW · Washington, DC
**PARKING:** On the street parking OR [Nearest Parking](https://washingtondc.bestparking.com/destinations/national-mall-parking)
**METRO:** Smithsonian National Mall Metro Station (NOT Independence Ave.)
**We hope you will join us for an AWESOME time!**
**Lots of Hugs...jeff**
301-885-8259 (c)
\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*
Note 1: if you agree to participate in any FREE HUGS Event, you agree to the following terms: By choosing to attend this event, you are acknowledging the risks involved (COVID, etc.), and you are committing to participate nonviolently and in accordance with the law.
You agree:
(i) not to engage in any act of violence or violation of any applicable law
(ii) to obey the orders of authorized event marshals and law enforcement authorities
(iii) that any Meetup group will not be responsible to any injury or damage to your person or property resulting from or occurring in the course of your participating in the Event; and
iv) to release and forever hold harmless Jeff Maurer, Meetup group and their respective employees and volunteers from liability for any such injury or damage.
Note 2: FREE HUGS gatherings are
1. NOT for advertising our businesses;
2. NOT about promoting political or religious or racial or gender issues or any other issues.
🇫🇷 'FRENCH HAPPY HOUR
Venez apprécier l'ambiance chaleureuse d'une conversation en français autour d'un verre de vin et d'apéritifs à moitié prix. C'est ouvert à tous quelque soit votre niveau, que vous soyez débutant ou bien que le Français soit votre langue maternelle.
It is irresistible, to enjoy French convo with half-priced appetizers, glass of wine and rail drinks. The Event is open to all levels of French language, from beginners to native fluency.
Agnostic Events Near You
Connect with your local Agnostic community
COUNT Discussion Meeting: Topic: Current Events
We may pick a specific topic and post in advance or may discuss current events and various ad hoc topics . We would love to spend time hanging out and getting to know one another.
Atheist, agnostics, other non-theists, and atheist-friendly people are welcome to join us.
Note: COUNT operates a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions (http://www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions/) to promote discussions among members and visitors.
ASH UU Topic: TBD
ASH is Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists of First Unitarian Universalists of Columbus Ohio
TBD
Snacks are usually available, and you are welcome to bringing something to share!
Drunken Philosophy: What’s up with all the AI hate?
**Welcome to Drunken Philosophy** a casual, curious social discussion
**Optional topic for this meetup: What's up with all the AI hate?**
A recent survey found that 74% of Americans have a negative view of AI, and I want to know why. Come out and debate whether AI is good or bad.
My hot take: a labor-saving tool that could potentially help cure cancer gets called dangerous because it might raise unemployment or cause a speculative investment bubble, that tells you a lot more about capitalism and the economic system we live under than it does about the tool itself. As a computer programmer, I think AI is a wonderful tool that has increased my productivity by at least an order of magnitude. I'd go so far as to say Claude Code is the best tool I have ever used. Debate me and name a better one.
Is AI potentially dangerous? Yes, but so are a lot of tools. Chainsaws. Steam engines (early ones would occasionally explode and kill everyone in the room). Do you think cavemen sat around debating whether fire could be used as a weapon or for self-harm, and decided not to discover it?
I have two friends who hate AI for opposite reasons: one thinks it's a fad and not useful, and the other thinks it's going to take over everything and cause human extinction.
Come out tonight, have a friendly debate, and make some friends.
No lectures. Friendly crowd. Drop in for one drink and stay if it's fun.
Must See Thursday: I LOVE BOOSTERS at the Drexel + GRAETER'S!
Join us as we get together to see the top-reviewed comedy-drama, I LOVE BOOSTERS! The film comes from writer/director Boots Riley and follows a group of shoplifters who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. Here are details, trailers and our plan for this event:
DESCRIPTION: The film follows a group of shoplifters who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It is written/directed by Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) and stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore.
BUZZ AND ACCLAIM: I Love Boosters was the opening film at this year’s SXSW Festival and premiered to rave reviews! It is currently earning a tremendous 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes where critics call it, “an unexpected celebration of friendship, community, and solidarity.” Others call the film “an exercise in radical empathy,” a “masterful” and “optimistic” film designed to “provoke discussion” while making the audience laugh.
TRAILER: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4lPRISgr9c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4lPRISgr9c)
SUMMER OF ICE CREAM: GRAETER’S! Established way back in 1870 in Cincinnati, this historic, family-owned brand is famous for their delicious small batch ice cream and any chocolate chunk flavors! They are currently the only commercial ice cream maker using the French Pot method that they’ve been using since they first opened! Plus, those chocolate chunks, oh my goodness! Vegan options are available.
PLAN: We’ll plan for a 7pm-ish showing and will meet in the lobby area about 20 minutes before the show. Advance ticket purchase not required for this theater but Showtime and complete details will be confirmed/announced as the date gets closer.
Look forward to seeing you there, Dan
Omnipresent Atheists Weekly Meetup (4th Tues)
Jimmy V's Grill & Pub in Grandview Heights. You are responsible for your own meal/drinks. We usually don't have any agenda other than eat, drink and talk. :) If the weather is nice we will be on the back patio, otherwise we are in the cigar room.
This group has been meeting every Tuesday evening for over a decade. Many attendees do not RSVP on meetup. Please don't let the small number here discourage you. Anyone/everyone is welcome to come. We'd love to have you join us.
COTA bus #5 comes to W. 5th and Wyandotte Rd. And it's a minute walk to the restaurant.
COUNT monthly event: Kitchen service at Van Buren Center's shelter
Come assist Van Buren Shelter (https://ymcacolumbus.org/locations/vanburen) staff in serving dinners and cleaning up on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Dinner for the women is 5-6 pm and for the families is 6:15-7:15 pm. There is ample free parking available in the shelter's lot. The recommended area to park is in green in the image above.
There will be a new entrance for the time being. We are asking all volunteers to enter through the Donation Dock door, the orange mark on the image above. This door is located between the Single Adults and Family Shelter. You will see 2 large garage doors with a large green trash compactor in the center. Please head to the closest garage door to the building wall, with a ramp leading up. There, you will see a door with a sign stating instructions on how to enter the building. Please ring the doorbell, and a staff member will come and escort you into the building. If a staff member takes longer than 5 minutes, please call the front desk at 614-689-2020. This is a new process for us, and we do not want to keep you waiting! We appreciate your patience as we navigate this temporary change.
The shelter needs a volunteer count the day before the event so sign-up ends Monday at 4:50 PM. Afterwards some of us go to the Omnipresent Atheists Weekly Meetup in progress to have a bit to eat or drink (http://www.meetup.com/omnipresentatheists/).
Volunteers must be 14 or older. Since we will be working around families, the YMCA does not permit volunteering by individuals with convictions for violent or sexual crimes. The YMCA reserves the right to run background checks on volunteers.
For questions, comment on this page or contact: Andrew, awhit12@yahoo.com, (614)937-5802 (cell). Please let Andrew know if you volunteer anytime other than our COUNT events so that he can count your hours toward our service record.




















