Behavior-Driven Development

**Welcome to our May UX Beers in Mechelen!** This time, we will host our event on Tuesday the 26th of May at [Buffl](https://buffl.be) in Mechelen. [Ariad](https://www.ariadgroup.com/) and [Creative Skills](https://www.creativeskills.be/) sponsor our events. Follow the event online? We stream live via [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqyTDAyQBw) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# UX TALKS **Talk 1: Research Reinvented** [Michiel Willekens](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michiel-willekens/), Productmanager @ BUFFL and [Seppe Stroo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seppe-stroo-843b82128/), Founding partner @ BUFFL In this presentation, BUFFL will demonstrate how rethinking research can drive real business results through a pragmatic case study. You’ll discover how to translate business objectives into the right customer questions and how to act on those insights immediately to accelerate growth and sales. By bringing the live voice of thousands of (potential) customers into the decision-making process, organizations can ask the right questions at the right time and turn insights into measurable business impact: from increased sales and customer loyalty/experience to stronger brand awareness and more effective activation strategies. **Talk 2: Synthetic Personas – real insights or digital illusions?** [Kate Foszcz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarzyna-foszcz/?locale=en), AI Product designer @ Ebay Can synthetic personas help us make better business decisions, or are we just interviewing very convincing imaginary friends? In this talk, Kate will explore where synthetic personas can actually bring value, from testing assumptions to speeding up research, and where they can quietly mislead us with biased, overconfident, or poorly grounded answers. Expect a practical look at how to design these systems responsibly, when to trust them, and when to go back to real humans. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# SCHEDULE 18:00 - Doors open. Drinks & snacks 19.00 - 19.15 - Introduction to UX Belgium Meetup, announcements 19.15 - 19:45 - Talk #1 19:45 -20:15 - BREAK 20:15 - 20:45 - Talk #2 20:45 - 21:30 - Socialize \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# SLACK CHANNEL We have our own UX Belgium slack channel. [Come join us and say hi!](https://join.slack.com/t/ux-belgium/shared_invite/zt-1bjpnuiog-T4Di4flXYPWgbT9KrZ53CA) \*\*\* \#\#\# YOUTUBE CHANNEL All our livestreams and talks are recorded and available on our [UX Belgium youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCno7V18T-EglYXprgrUZQ7A). \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# ABOUT UX BELGIUM UX Belgium is a growing community of User Experience (UX) professionals in and around Belgium. Look for these types of events: UX Beers Periodically, we gather at a different agency or venue to drink beers, network and listen to speakers on various themes in the world of UX and digital design. UX Antwerp: Each last Tuesday of the month UX Brussels: Each second Tuesday of the month, 4x per year UX Workshops Now and then we organize events to dive deeper into specific skills and techniques in UX. These are smaller, hands-on workshops designed to boost your UX toolbox. \*\*\* The UX Belgium Meetup Team

An Open Space for all things Software Crafting and Testing. Everyone welcome! Do you have a passion, interest or curiosity in software development and testing? Great, you're in! Whether you're a seasoned expert or just taking your first steps in the industry, we're pretty sure we've got something for you (and vice-versa). **Lightning talks** We start off with lightning talks, where you can give a 5-7 minute presentation about something cool you want to share. These are usually rather informal, so don't worry if you've never done this before - this is a great opportunity to give a talk in a friendly environment. **The Open Space itself** We have a couple of rooms where 30 minute sessions are run in parallel. A session can be an informal discussion in comfy chairs, a demo or presentation, practicing katas together, or anything in between. There are no requirements for you before you can join a session - just bring yourself, an open mind and your opinions. Before the Open Space starts, anyone can suggest sessions about something they want to learn about. Whether you're an expert on some topic, or you're just getting your feet wet, the only requirement to run a session is that you're there to host it. **A safe space as well.** Our meetup is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. To enable this, we expect everyone attending to follow the code of conduct at http://confcodeofconduct.com **Drinks** will be provided by our host of the evening: **10Work** **10Work** is the coolest coworking space in Tienen that wants to create a community with like-minded people and offer you a home away from home. Join us at https://www.10work.be.

Hey Everyone! 👋 **Location:** \- On\-site: INDUSTRIEMUSEUM Minnemeers 10 9000 Gent \- Online: TBA **Practicalities for the evening on Tuesday, May 26th:** \- 18:00: Doors Open\, snacks & drinks \- 19:00: Speaker Talks \- 20:30: Networking & Drinks **Transport:** * **Parking:** Paid parking at Dok Noord * **Arriving by Train:** Minnemeers 10 in Gent is an easy **10 minute walk** from Dampoort Gent Station. **Note:** As this is an invite‑only event, you may be asked to show your calendar invite upon arrival. **Welcome to edition 15 of the Generative AI Belgium Meetup! 🚀** This time, we look at how AI is changing the Way We Work. For a long time, work was built around a simple exchange: time for money. You showed up, spent hours on tasks, and value was measured by effort, output, and expertise. Generative AI is starting to question that model. AI agents are no longer just tools for writing better emails. They are entering workflows, taking over tasks, writing code, coordinating information, and becoming part of how teams operate. Tools like Claude Cowork & Microsoft Copilot are already omnipresent in our daily work and expectations to use them are rising quickly. At the same time, robotics is making the story physical again. Machines are not only thinking with us behind a screen. They are starting to move through factories, labs, hospitals, warehouses, and most importantly homes. This raises a new question: what happens when AI becomes both a colleague in your browser and a body in the room? In this edition, we are inviting: * Startups building the tools, agents, and workflows that make this future happen * Researchers exploring human-machine interfaces and robotics * A broader discussion on what a “union of the future” could look like when work is shared between people, software agents, and machines Let's see what meaningful work, when intelligence becomes abundant. Join us on May 26th! **Line-up:** 🤙 Tom Pluym (Wonderful) — on why cracking enterprise AI demands a new type of engineer 🤖 Ruben Janssens (Ghent University) — on socially interactive robots as the next frontier of human-machine collaboration 🛡️Jarno Goossens (Aikido Security) - on what happens when security becomes the default and software starts securing itself Big thanks to Stad Gent for hosting us and to our sponsors: In The Pocket, BruCON, Red Hat, Collibra, Plainsight & Volta Ventures for supporting the community.

Would you like to improve your language skills and networking in a casual atmosphere? This event is for you! All languages welcome! Everyone is welcome! The aim is to speak with native/fluent speakers of your target language(s). You'll be around all types of people throughout the whole event. We will be in a private area. A great atmosphere is guaranteed! You'll have to order a drink to attend the event 😀 Don't hesitate to contact us for any further information

**TechTalk - AI voor jouw KMO: van buzzword naar business case** → **Ferdinand Casier ([Agoria](https://www.agoria.be/nl))** licht het StartAI-traject toe: wat houdt het in, voor wie is het, en hoe schrijf je je in? → **Jonas Douwen van [Orakel Group](https://orakel.com/nl-be),** een toonaangevende internationale producent en leverancier van evenement materialen, deelt zijn ervaring met het StartAI-traject → **Ixor** toont aan de hand van een concrete use case welke vervolgstappen mogelijk zijn na het traject **Wat is Start AI?** [StartAI](https://www.ixor.be/start-ai) is een initiatief van het Vlaams Industriepartnerschap, gedragen door Agoria en VLAIO. Je krijgt als KMO een individueel begeleidingstraject van 3 dagen met een ervaren AI-expert. Samen identificeer je de meest haalbare AI- en data-opportuniteiten voor jouw bedrijf, en krijg je een concreet actieplan mee. Het traject wordt grotendeels gesubsidieerd door de Vlaamse overheid. ‍ **Wat neem je mee naar huis?** → Een helder beeld van wat AI concreet voor jouw KMO kan betekenen → Inzicht in het StartAI-traject en hoe je je kandidaat stelt → Een eerlijk verhaal van een KMO die het traject doorliep → Concrete handvaten om morgen mee aan de slag te gaan **Datum** Dinsdag 26/05/26 **Locatie** [Ixor, Schuttersvest 75, 2800 Mechelen](https://www.google.com/maps?sca_esv=3d16839f334d68f5&rlz=1C5CHFA_enBE1133BE1133&sxsrf=ANbL-n41HRp_bji2meG1ikVLAPIz93Cunw:1769513461367&kgmid=/g/1pxwt4kls&shem=bdsle,ptotple,shrtsdl&shndl=30&kgs=61800e9c5aeb0c1b&um=1&ie=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=be&sa=X&geocode=KcOEjoHS5cNHMa9y5riKRn8U&daddr=Schuttersvest+75,+2800+Mechelen) **Timing** *Welkom vanaf* \- 18:00 *TechTalk* van 18:30 tot 19:30 *Netwerken en vragen* tot 20u30

(If you are interested in hosting, we would love to hear from you. Please write a quick message to Dan at ‪+44 7715705005‬ and let's chat. Are you someone who is local (or a westerner who has lived in the city for a while, understand the local culture and speak the local language) and are confident when meeting new people of different backgrounds and cultures? We’re looking for a lively friendly host to manage some of our weekly Fastfriends meetups in your city. As a host, your role would be to: ✨ Welcome members and make them feel comfortable ✨ Encourage conversations and help people connect \- direct and manage our fastfriending socialising format ✨ Keep the energy positive and the fast friending event flowing smoothly \- manage the event relationship with the venue What is in it for you? \- this is a volunteer role but we give you an expense allowance to cover some of your expenses\. \- ⁠you get exposure to the local and international community and can make a positive contribution \- ⁠you get experience with meeting new people\,running social events and managing groups\. We would love to hear from you. Please write a quick message to Dan at ‪+44 7715705005‬ and let's chat.

EN (FR en bas): We're still accepting people in our classes. Join us!​ -step 1: Book here! -> [https://www.danceproject.be/reservations.html](https://www.danceproject.be/reservations.html) -step 2: Show up! [Schedule](https://www.danceproject.be/classes.html#schedule) Fees : [All info on trials, packs, subscriptions here](https://www.danceproject.be/classes.html#fees) Locations: -Rue Brialmont 7, Brussels Metro/Tram: Botanique Salsa, Bachata, Lindy Hop, Forró Intro - 1: From base to the dancefloor! When you come for the first time we go over the base & rhythm with you. Then you are included in the group and everybody learns the same new steps for which you just need the base. Practice makes perfect: just relax and enjoy Salsa, Bachata, Lindy Hop and/or Forró! Our group is very welcoming and looking forward to meet new dancers! Salsa, Bachata, Lindy Hop, Forró Roots I - 2: Ready to go deeper on Salsa, Bachata, Lindy Hop &/or Forró? Let's go! [https://www.danceproject.be/classes.html#improvers](https://www.danceproject.be/classes.html#improvers) Salsa, Forró Roots II - 3: Looking for #SalsaChallenge? Already familiar with Forró Root? We've got your back! [https://www.danceproject.be/classes.html#intermediates](https://www.danceproject.be/classes.html#intermediates) More info: -Web: [https://www.danceproject.be](https://www.danceproject.be) -Whatsapp: +32 493 16 41 10 -Mail: brussels.salsa.project@gmail.com -[Facebook](https://facebook.com/brussels.salsa.project) -[Instagram](https://instagram.com/brussels.salsa.project) \-\-\-\-\- FR: Nous acceptons encore de nouvelles personnes dans nos cours. Rejoins-nous ! -1ère pas : Fait ta réservation ! -> [https://www.danceproject.be/reservation.html](https://www.danceproject.be/reservation.html) -2ème pas : Vient danser ! [Horaire](https://www.danceproject.be/cours.html#horaire) Les prix : [Toutes les infos sur les essais, packs, abonnements ici](https://www.danceproject.be/cours.html#prix) Endroits : -Rue Brialmont 7, Bruxelles Metro/Tram: Botanique Salsa, Bachata, Lindy Hop, Forró Intro - 1 : De la base à la piste de danse ! Lorsque tu nous rejoins on voit la base et le rythme avec toi. Ensuite, tu es inclus dans le groupe et tout le monde apprend les mêmes pas pour lesquelles tu as juste besoin de la base. C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron : détend-toi et profite la Salsa, de la Bachata, du Lindy Hop et/ou du Forró ! Notre groupe est très accueillant et a hâte de rencontrer de nouveaux danseurs ! Salsa, Bachata, Lindy Hop, Forró Roots I - 2 : Prêt à approfondir la Salsa, la Bachata, le Lindy Hop &/ou le Forró ? Allons-y! [https://www.danceproject.be/cours.html#inities](https://www.danceproject.be/cours.html#inities) Salsa, Forró Roots II - 3 : Tu cherches #DefiSalsa ? Tu connais déjà Forró Roots ? Nous sommes là pour toi ! [https://www.danceproject.be/cours.html#intermediaires](https://www.danceproject.be/cours.html#intermediaires) Plus d’info: -Web: [https://www.danceproject.be/fr.html](https://www.danceproject.be/fr.html) -Whatsapp: +32 493 16 41 10 -Mail: brussels.salsa.project@gmail.com -[Facebook](https://facebook.com/brussels.salsa.project) -[Instagram](https://instagram.com/brussels.salsa.project)

🔥 **THIS FRIDAY 29.05 — SUMMER GAMES PARTY @ JEUX D’HIVER 🔥** 🌿 *Bois de la Cambre • Brussels* **Friday night edition \| Jeux d'Hiver \| summer games party** Summer officially starts this Friday… and we’re kicking it off with a massive night at the iconic **Jeux d’Hiver** 🎉 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 **LINE-UP** We’re bringing a special selection of artists: ✨ UNREGULAR (We Can Dance, Tomorrowland) ✨ NEON (Tomorrowland) ✨ ELIS (Vibkes, Barmardi) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⏰ **EVENT INFO** 🕥 Doors open: 22:30 📍 Location: Jeux d’Hiver – Chemin du Croquet 1, 1000 Brussels 👗 Dress code: Dress to impress / Summer smart casual ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 💃 **WHAT TO EXPECT** ✔ A full night party in one of Brussels’ most iconic venues ✔ High energy summer vibes & great music ✔ Expats + locals + party lovers all together ✔ Dancing until late in the heart of Le Bois de la Cambre 🌿 ✔ Your dedicated team: ViBKES -JABKES - XiB (Expats in Brussels) + Supported by Just A Night ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎟 **TICKETS & LINKS** 👉 Facebook event: [https://fb.me/e/4BdAFqIWk](https://fb.me/e/4BdAFqIWk) 👉 Tickets available online or at the doors Online Tickets: [https://jabkesvibkes.eventsquare.store/nl/fdijm7gecjix/hyovqaya9pcf/](https://jabkesvibkes.eventsquare.store/nl/fdijm7gecjix/hyovqaya9pcf/) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ▼ VIP TABLE BOOKING: jan@vibkes.be ▼ 🔥 **SUMMER GAMES is more than a party** Gather your crew, dress up, and let’s make it a night to remember 💥 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ▼ ADDRESS ▼ Location : Jeux d'Hiver - Chemin Du Croquet 1, Brussels 1000

The Game Dev Group is a chilled, friendly place for anyone interested in game development to meet, learn and collaborate together. Speakers for this event - TBA If you're interested in bacomming a speaker please fill out the form below: https://forms.gle/hHqaB192jdoJzbT1A Structure: 6:30PM - Doors Open - Bar Snacks, Drinks, Networking/ Chatting 7:00PM - Introduction and Talk Begins 8:30PM - Talk Finishes, More Chatting, More Snacks, More Drinks 9:30PM - Last Orders Please let your game dev friends and colleagues know about this group too. We hope to build it into a great resource for the community over the coming months and years. 1 Mill Street is the incredible home of TheGDG, a place designed to blur the lines between work and play. For more information about the co-working facilities, podcast studio or event space, check out their website. Maverick Games is a UK-based independent video game studio, focused on creating premium open-world AAA titles for consoles and PC. The studio champions a developer-first culture that encourages creativity, bold ideas, and risk-taking to craft innovative gaming experiences. Playground Games are an award-winning studio based in the heart of Leamington Spa. They have built one of the biggest franchises on Xbox with Forza Horizon, and are currently building one of the most highly anticipated games of the decade: Fable. They are recruiting across both teams, so check their website to see if there is a role for you! Code Wizards Group – Code Wizards and Multiplayer Wizards – help studios build and run games that players love. Their company specialises in video game consulting services for backend elements, powering up gaming projects with expert gametech, esports-tech, and LiveOps services for game dev professionals and studios. Rebellion is an independent video games studio that also produces books, comics, TV, Film, board games, etc. They make great games such as the genre-defining Sniper Elite series and Zombie Army, and before 2010 have worked on multiple amazing external projects including the likes of Aliens vs Predator and Star Wars Battlefront. Creare Capital is a financial platform dedicated to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and freelancers in the creative industries by connecting them with tailored grants, loans, and investment opportunities. Their mission is to bridge the gap between finance and creativity, offering inclusive, flexible funding solutions that help creative businesses grow and thrive. Sorcery.gg is a jobs platform built by game devs, for game devs. The platform is one of the biggest in the industry, with over 15,000 roles listed. Sign up for an account and start your hunt. Black Cat Entertainment is an indie studio focused on supporting junior game devs get their chance in the industry. In order to show appropriate respect to the organisers, speakers, and your fellow community members, please ensure you attend if you RSVP! See you there! A disclaimer: This event is intended for an audience of people aged 18+ and alcohol will be present. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

**Vous souhaitez améliorer votre prise de parole en public et développer vos compétences en communication et en leadership ?** ✨ Le **Club des Orateurs**, club officiel de Toastmasters International à **Bruxelles**, vous invite à une soirée d’apprentissage dans une ambiance conviviale et bienveillante. **Prochaine réunion** : **4ème jeudi du mois** **19h15 – 21h30** **Villa François Gay (salle au 1er étage)** **326 Rue François Gay, 1150 Bruxelles** Le bâtiment est situé dans un petit parc. **Pourquoi participer ?** ✔️ **Améliorez votre aisance à l’oral** grâce à des discours préparés et des interventions improvisées. ✔️ **Développez votre leadership** en prenant des rôles lors des réunions. ✔️ **Rejoignez une communauté dynamique** qui vous aidera à progresser à votre rythme. ✔️ **Une expérience immersive** avec des retours bienveillants pour évoluer rapidement. **Déroulement d’une réunion Toastmasters** : Nos réunions incluent des discours préparés, des exercices d’improvisation et des évaluations constructives pour vous aider à progresser. **Qui peut participer ?** Tout le monde est bienvenu, que vous soyez débutant ou expérimenté ! **L’entrée est gratuite pour les invités.** **Intéressé•e ?** Inscrivez-vous dès maintenant sur Meetup et rejoignez-nous pour une soirée enrichissante !

### 🌲 Disconnect. Challenge Yourself. Reconnect. Are you ready to step completely outside your comfort zone? Join us for an unforgettable **36-hour survival immersion** in a private forest near Mons — a raw, powerful experience designed to bring you back to the essentials of life. No screens. No city noise. No comfort bubble. Just nature, teamwork, and your own resilience 🌿 --- ## 🏕️ What Awaits You Under the guidance of a specialized survival instructor, you will learn practical skills that humans relied on for thousands of years: 🔥 How to make fire from scratch 🏕️ Build your own natural shelter 🧭 Navigate using terrain and basic tools 💧 Manage essential resources in the wild 🌲 Live fully outdoors — day and night 🤝 Strong group bonding through shared challenge This is not a demonstration — you will actively participate. --- ## 🌟 Why This Experience Is Special ✨ A rare opportunity to disconnect from modern life ✨ Powerful team spirit — you will go through this together ✨ Confidence boost & personal breakthrough ✨ Memorable stories you will tell for years ✨ Meet adventurous, open-minded people from our community Many participants describe survival experiences as **life-changing**. --- ## 👥 Who Should Join? ✔️ Curious explorers & adventure seekers ✔️ Beginners welcome — no survival experience needed ✔️ Open-minded people ready to try something different ✔️ Anyone craving a real reset from everyday life You don’t need to be super athletic — motivation matters more than performance 💪 --- ## 📍 Event Details 📍 Private forest in Frameries (near Mons) 📅 May 30–31, 2026 ⏱️ 36 hours in nature 👥 Very limited group: **max. 20 participants** --- ## ⚠️ Important to Know ✔️ Outdoor conditions — rain or shine ✔️ No modern comforts ✔️ Personal gear required (packing list provided) ✔️ Safety supervised by experienced instructor --- ## ❤️ The Sunday Vacations Spirit This is not just a course — it’s a shared adventure. Expect: ✨ New friendships ✨ Mutual support ✨ Genuine human connection ✨ A break from the fast pace of Brussels life If you enjoy our hikes and trips, this is the **next level**. --- ## 🌿 Are You In? Spaces are intentionally limited to keep the experience authentic and safe. 👉 Join us if you want something real, intense, and unforgettable.

Improvisation is not just for comedians. It is a practical skill you use whenever life does not follow the script: during a meeting, a job interview, a difficult conversation, a presentation, a Q&A session or an unexpected challenge at work. On **Saturday 30 May**, Atomic Toastmasters invites you to a practical workshop designed to help you **think on your feet, stay calm under pressure and respond with more confidence**. The workshop will be hosted by **Nayara**, an aviation expert who knows from professional experience what it means to adapt quickly, communicate clearly and make decisions when circumstances change. During this two-hour session, you will practise simple and effective techniques to: * respond more naturally when you are put on the spot * structure your thoughts quickly * speak with clarity even when you have little time to prepare * become more comfortable with uncertainty * use improvisation as a communication skill, not as a performance trick This is a hands-on workshop. You will not only listen. You will practise, experiment and learn in a supportive environment. No previous Toastmasters experience is required. Guests, beginners and experienced speakers are all welcome. ## Practical information **Date:** Saturday 30 May **Doors open:** 09:45 **Workshop:** 10:00 – 12:00 **Location:** Shopping Linthout **Address:** Rue Bâtonnier Braffort 2, 1200 Brussels **Public transport:** Close to metro Merode **Parking:** Paid on-site parking available **Price:** 10 € ## Agenda **09:45 – 10:00 \| Arrival and welcome** Participants arrive, check in and meet the group. **10:00 – 10:10 \| Opening** Welcome by Atomic Toastmasters and introduction to the workshop. **10:10 – 10:25 \| Why improvisation matters** A short introduction to improvisation as a practical communication skill, with insights from aviation and real-life situations. **10:25 – 10:55 \| Thinking on your feet** Exercises to practise quick thinking, active listening and spontaneous responses. **10:55 – 11:10 \| Short break** **11:10 – 11:40 \| Speaking under pressure** Practical activities to help you stay calm, structure your message and respond with confidence. **11:40 – 11:55 \| Applying improvisation in daily life** How to use these techniques in meetings, interviews, presentations, conversations and Toastmasters sessions. **11:55 – 12:00 \| Closing** Final takeaways and next steps.

=== [Confirm your your presence](https://hipsy.be/event/213471-connect-to-your-joy-a-full-moon-cacao-drum-ritual) === === When life feels overwhelming or a season of transition leaves you feeling disconnected from your own body, finding your way back to center can feel like a heavy task. But returning to yourself doesn't always have to be hard work. Anchored by the comforting, rich warmth of ceremonial cacao, we will create a grounding space to help you land safely back in your physical body. From this place of deep, earthy coziness, we’ll use gentle rhythm to invite in a sense of lightness and simple, child-like play. This experience is designed to help you peel back the layers of stress and rediscover your "inner smile"—that stable, quiet joy that lives beneath the noise. If you are ready to shed some weight, reconnect with who you are, and leave feeling lighter, you belong here. ✨ ​This ritual is an invitation to pause, step out of the daily rush, and simply let yourself *be*. While cacao is traditionally known as a medicine of the heart and love, in this space, we will lean into its comforting warmth to help us gently relax and open up. It gently expands our capacity for inner listening, creating the perfect earthy foundation for joy to naturally arise. ​Supported by breath, sound, movement, and community, this ritual offers a safe, grounded space to: * release the physical tension of overwhelm * reconnect with your body in a gentle, nourishing way * embody inner joy—not as an abstract idea, but as a lived experience === [Confirm your your presence](https://hipsy.be/event/213471-connect-to-your-joy-a-full-moon-cacao-drum-ritual) === === ​🌿 What to Expect \| Ritual Flow **🕰️ Timing & Arrival** * **18:30** – Doors open (arrive, settle in, and get comfortable) * **18:55** – Doors close (to ensure a safe, uninterrupted container, no entry after this time) * **19:00** – Ritual begins ​The experience unfolds in a carefully held and progressive way: * **​Welcoming & arrival** Grounding into the space and the group * **​Breathing and somatic practices** To calm the nervous system and prepare the body * **​Guided cacao ritual** Drinking ritual-grade cacao, prepared with intention accompanied by a gentle guided meditation * **​Conscious dance** Allowing insights and emotions to move through the body while connecting to the joy * **​Drum meditation** A deep, rhythmic journey to support inner clarity and emotional release * **​Closing circle** Integration, sharing (optional), and grounding before returning to daily life ​No previous experience with cacao ceremonies, meditation, or dance is required. ​🤎 About the Cacao ​The cacao used in this ceremony is: * ​100% pure, ritual-grade cacao * ​ethically sourced * all ingredients used are vegan * ​prepared slowly and mindfully, with intention for the process and the group ​Cacao is not a psychedelic substance. Its effects are subtle, heart-opening, and grounding. ​⚠️ Important Health Information (Please Read) To ensure this space is as supportive as possible for your unique body, please note that cacao is generally safe for most people, but it is important that you inform the host before registering if you have any of the following: * ​serious heart conditions * ​uncontrolled high blood pressure * ​are taking antidepressants (especially MAO inhibitors) * ​are pregnant or breastfeeding ​If you are unsure, you are warmly invited to contact the host to check whether this experience is suitable for you. This helps ensure the ritual remains safe, respectful, and supportive for everyone. About your host: I support people in life transition and overwhelmed. https://livingbloom.life https://instagram.com/reginadgaia Join my WhatsApp Group for a 15% discount code: https://tinyurl.com/livingbloomgroup === [Confirm your your presence](https://hipsy.be/app/events/213471/ticketshop) === ===

This workshop series is a **follow-up to the ESP32 Robotics workshop**, but with a different concept. Here, there will be no subject set in advance, instead **all participants are welcome to join at any point and at any level, from beginner to expert**. Beginners will be guided though the basics (C programming, how to use measurement tools, soldering, PCB design, etc…) and can get advice on what tools and kits to start with, others can come with their own projects to get help or share some knowledge. ## Requirements * Bring your own laptop (Windows, Linux or Mac) * Any microcontroller/dev kit to develop your project(s). If you are a beginner and don’t know what to buy, come and we’ll find the best starter kit for you ! * A strong desire to learn stuff, good mood and some patience !

Join us for the first gathering of The Pause Collective — a supportive meetup for neurodivergent women navigating perimenopause, menopause, burnout, overwhelm, and life transitions. This will be a relaxed, low-pressure coffee shop meetup focused on connection and conversation. No need to prepare anything. No pressure to share. Come as you are. We’ll spend time getting to know each other, talking about what brought us here, and exploring what kind of community we’d like to create together. This space is neurodivergent-affirming, self-diagnosis-friendly, and supportive of different communication styles and energy levels.

**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** Like it or not, AI agents are now capable of turning a quickly written paragraph of requirements into a pull request that is ready to be integrated into real-world production applications and it's now our responsibility to make sure AI doesn't go rogue and take down prod - or corrupt our data by misunderstanding the requirements or our existing schemas. In this session we'll explore strategies to protect our codebases through unit and integration testing, documentation, and code review along with additional ways of providing context and guard rails to our AI agents as they carry out the work we've assigned them to do. By the time we're done, you'll have a firm grasp of the problem and understand some helpful options for protecting your codebase from vibe coding mishaps getting YOLOed into prod. **YouTube Link** https://youtube.com/live/BltmWMH1zG0?feature=share

PLEASE NOTE!!! This event will be In-Person for our very 1st Improving collab! If you know the [Columbus Unity group](https://www.meetup.com/columbus-unity-user-group/) location, we'll be at the same place. This is our 1st event and are doing a soft launch with limited attendance. 1st come 1st serve. If you want to be there and we fill up, please email me at [info@thecogg.com](mailto:info@thecogg.com) and I'll be in touch. All street parking is free on Sundays but you can also pay to park in any of the local garages. See image of [parking map here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mr9_LFIggbs-0_Zd3AJTGNqEhgMf2TzQ/view?usp=sharing). \-\-\- On the last Sunday of the month, we're having our usual end-of-the-month social gathering with our GameDev Meetup meeting. There will be announcements and presentations followed by some social networking Let's continue the conversations with good vibes and friends. All are welcomed from all ages and backgrounds to this public event. If we can, we'll be streaming or uploading the video later via our COGG YouTube channel here: [https://www.youtube.com/@TheCOGG/streams](https://www.youtube.com/@TheCOGG/streams) (Also please do subscribe if you have not done so!) No game development experience required! If you are interested in doing a 20 minute game development related presentation, please fill out our form online here: [https://goo.gl/forms/lVdTJZiNJewlPJuj1](https://goo.gl/forms/lVdTJZiNJewlPJuj1) Or e-mail us at info@thecogg.com with the following: Your Name, Company/Affiliation, Name of Your Game/Topic, Description, Tech Needs, and Your Contact. Be sure to check out our Discord for real time news updates: [https://discord.gg/NrBhuNQ](https://discord.gg/NrBhuNQ)

**PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT NOTES:** 1. The dates for this series are simply placeholders at the moment. We are working on our 2026 schedule, and adjustments are forthcoming. 2. Each class in this series has an attendance fee. 3. Each class from BOTH a sign-up and fee perspective is a separate entity. **Introduction:** Our Page Building with Bricks web development class provides detailed instruction for using Bricks Builder, a visual site builder for WordPress, to create and manage websites. Widely considered by many of the world's leading web developers to be the most complete page builder on the market today, Bricks Builder offers a wide range of features and comprehensive tools. Our Bricks Builder web development class provides detailed instructions on utilizing the toolset. The series of courses covers the core features of Bricks Builder, enabling users to design and develop responsive, visually appealing websites. Moreover, the courses are oriented to reinforce a focus on professional, scalable web development. Throughout the series, we focus our page-building instruction on the semantic and structural integrity of the pages in a responsive world. By the end of the 10-class series, participants will have a fundamental understanding of proper web page and website development. **The breakdown of the 10-class series is as follows:** * Class 01 - Survey of Page Builders / What Bricksbuilder Does For You * Class 02 - Boxes, Boxes, Boxes / Sections / Containers * Class 03 - Static Units / Relative Units / Responsive Development And Math Functions * Class 04 - CSS Variables And DRY Development / Classes And Global Styling * Class 05 - CSS Grid And CSS Flexbox * Class 06 - Responsive Development / Breakpoints And Media Queries * Class 07 - Effective Use Of Color / Effective Use Of Images * Class 08 - Beginning To Think Dynamically / Using Templates And Components * Class 09 - Dynamic Styling / Data Attributes And Attribute Selectors * Class 10 - Pseudo Elements / Programmatically Styling With Pseudo Classes Throughout the class sessions listed above, we cover the following key areas of web development with Bricks Builder: * **Introduction to Bricks Builder Interface:** * Familiarization with the builder's layout, including the toolbar, panel, and canvas, and understanding how to navigate and interact with its various components. * **Visual Site Building:** * Techniques for creating layouts using Bricks' drag-and-drop interface, incorporating sections, rows, columns, and elements to build page structures. * **Styling and Design:** * Utilizing Bricks' styling options to customize elements, apply global CSS classes for consistent design, and leverage features like Flexbox and CSS Grid for responsive layouts. * **Dynamic Content and Custom Fields:** * Integrating dynamic content from custom post types and custom field plugins (like ACF, Meta Box) to build data-driven websites. * **Template Building:** * Creating and managing reusable templates for headers, footers, post type layouts, and other site-wide elements. * **Performance Optimization:** * Understanding how Bricks Builder contributes to fast-loading websites and implementing performance best practices. * **Advanced Features:** * Depending on the class level, it might delve into advanced topics such as conditional logic, interactions, and custom code integration to enable more complex functionality. The series aims to equip participants with the skills to efficiently build, customize, and maintain WordPress websites using Bricks Builder, catering to both beginners and experienced web developers.

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/

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.