Behavior Driven Testing

**Modern and Authentic kintsugi workshop in Utrecht.** Choose from three options: * 1-Day Modern Kintsugi workshop-€60 * 2-Day Modern Kintsugi workshop-€96 * 4-Day Authentic Kintsugi workshop -€180 For all details, please visit my website. [https://japanworkshopnet.com/upcoming-workshops/](https://japanworkshopnet.com/upcoming-workshops/) Location: **CLAY TO PLATE** [Biltstraat 55, 3572 AG, Utrecht](https://www.claytoplate.com/) **Booking is essential**. Please contact me if you would like to participate in the workshop. Email: info@japanworkshopnet.com Mobile:0616059840 Instagram:[@japanworkshop.net_ ](https://www.instagram.com/japanworkshop.net_/)

Op 18 januari (ja, een zondag) organiseren de Nederlandse QGIS gebruikersgroep, Openstreetmap gebruikers en OSGeo weer de traditionele nieuwjaarsborrel. We heten iedereen deze middag welkom in de Kargadoor in Utrecht. Aanmelden graag via [onze Pretix aanmeldomgeving](https://pretix.eu/foss4gnl/nieuwjaar/). Toegang is gratis, maar we weten graag met hoeveel personen we rekening moeten houden... ook voor de borrelhappen! We heffen deze middag het glas op het mooie open nieuwe jaar, en geven ook een podium aan mensen die wat over hun open project willen vertellen. Er is een scherm beschikbaar, maar het idee is wel dat we het leuk en luchtig houden. Kort en snel werkt het beste in deze setting. Dus als je iets wil laten zien: super. Mail even aan [bestuur@osgeo.nl](mailto:bestuur@osgeo.nl), dan weten we welke verhalen we kunnen verwachten. Aanvang 14:00 Formele programma 15:00 Einde 17:30. Ter plekke kijken we wie er na afloop mee wil nog iets eten (eigen kosten).

Maki-e is a traditional Japanese lacquer decoration technique. Techiniques are involved drawing pictures, patterns, and letters on the surface of lacquerware using lacquer, and then sprinkling and fixing metal powder, such as gold or silver, onto the surface. In our workshop, you have the opportunity to create maki-e designs using traditional Japanese patterns (wagara) or your own original designs. Then your canvas can be a glass cup or a glass picture frame. Join us for this unique Japanese art workshop in Utrecht. * Place: CLAY TO PLATE Biltstraat 55, 3572 AG, Utrecht * Price: three options you can choose from €56 pp(for a glass cup) €60 pp (for a glass picture frame) €76 pp (for a lacquerwares)Limited seats available. **Booking is essential for adequate preparations. If you've enrolled/registered on the Meetup app, we'll contact you through the app message. Kindly communicate with us accordingly, and refrain from showing up without prior contact. We appreciate your understanding** Website:[https://japanworkshopnet.com/ ](https://japanworkshopnet.com/) [MAKI-E workshop info](https://japanworkshopnet.com/maki-e-workshops/) Email: info@japanworkshopnet.com Instagram: [@japanworkshop.net_](https://instagram.com/japanworkshop.net_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) Mobile:0616059840

Come and join us for an evening of Buddhist meditation with like-minded people. The doors open at 7:00 PM, and meditation begins promptly at 7:15 PM. The meditation will last between 30 to 40 minutes, followed by tea and biscuits for anyone who would like to stay and chat. On some evenings, there will also be a short Dharma talk to provide some Buddhist context. The meditation space is down at the canal. To get there, you can take the stairs down. The meditation is offered on a donation basis. See our [website](https://utrechtbuddhistcentre.nl/) for more information.

**❄️ It’s snowing outside, and it’s the perfect time to warm up with paint!** **Kick off the year with our first winter workshop in a small group of five only— “Winter Landscape in Watercolours.”** **Join us for our first workshop of the year - “Winter Landscape in Watercolours.” This calm, winter-themed watercolour session is an invitation to slow down and paint simple with limited palette, peaceful winter scenes. We’ll focus on the wet-on-wet technique and a limited colour palette to capture soft light, misty skies, and quiet snowy landscapes.** **Workshop Details** **📅 Sunday, 18 January** **🕚 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM** **📍 Schepenbuurt, Utrecht** **💶 €75 (all artist grade materials included)** **✨ Early booking offer:** **Use the code SAVE15 to receive €15 off your ticket.** **🎟 Reserve your spot:** **[https://eventix.shop/jwj79yxy](https://eventix.shop/jwj79yxy)** **What We’ll Learn & Create** **During this workshop, you’ll create two winter paintings while learning how to:** * **Use wet-on-wet techniques for soft skies and snowy surfaces** * **Mix and pour diluted colours for natural tonal variation** * **Create grainy, foggy textures for a quiet winter mood** * **Work with a limited palette to keep compositions simple and balanced** **I’ll begin with a short demonstration, after which we’ll paint together at a relaxed, easy pace.** **Materials :** **All artist-grade materials are provided - just bring yourself.** **Refreshments** **Tea, coffee, and light snacks will be served. (Feel free to bring your own lunch during 15 min break)** **Parking** **Free street parking is available.** **Stay connected for future workshops:** **[https://www.instagram.com/rangartbypooja/](https://www.instagram.com/rangartbypooja/)** **[https://www.instagram.com/poojavermastudio/](https://www.instagram.com/poojavermastudio/)** **I am looking forward to starting the year creatively with you.** **Warmly,** **Pooja**  **email address - [poojavstudio@gmail.com](mailto:poojavstudio@gmail.com)**

**WE'RE MEETING IN A NEW PLACE!** **Bunk Hotel - Long table on the first floor** Join in for a morning of crafting & chatting over a drink. Just bring your own project and payment for drinks. Meet fellow crafting enthusiasts, whether it's knitting, crocheting, stitching, origami, or something more unique! We talk about our projects, exchange tipps, but also just get to know each other and enjoy a relaxed Sunday morning in good company. All ages, levels and crafts welcome! And don't be shy, we have newcomers most weeks! **We have limited space at the café, so if you've RSVPd and can't make it, please cancel as early as possible so another person can join!** We now also have a WhatsApp group, where we want to organise get-togethers and other events. Ask one of the organisers at the next Meetup you join for more information and access.

🍂 **Weekly Anime Night Autumn Season 🍂** Your friendly neighborhood animeclub continues! We’re diving deeper into **Let’s Play**, so get comfy, bring snacks, and let’s see what chaos and feels await us next. *** 📅 **Event Series Details** **Date: January 18th** **Time: 19:00–21:00** **Location:** Buurtcentrum De Speler, Thorbeckelaan 18, 3551 BR, Utrecht A spacious space to share and watch our favorite anime. *** 🎬 **What’s the Plan This Week?** Check-in & Meet & Greet – New faces and returning fans, let’s connect! **Let’s Play – Episode 7** Break – Grab a drink, chat, and stretch those legs. **Let’s Play – Episode 8** Break – Grab a drink, chat, and stretch those legs. **Let’s Play – Episode 9** Closing & Hangout – Bring your reactions, takes, jokes, and chaos energy to the hangout afterwards! *** 🎒 **What Should You Bring?** * Your favorite snacks and drinks (not provided) * Your love for anime * Friends, or just your awesome self – all are welcome! *** 🎟️ **Free & Open to All!** This is a **non-commercial, community-driven event** created by fans, for fans. Whether you’re new to anime or a seasoned otaku, there’s a seat on the couch for you. *** 🔍 **Questions?** Drop them in the event chat – we’re happy to help! Come for the anime, stay for the laughs, theories, and the awesome people. This is your Sunday night plan. See you there! ✨🎥🍿

Attention all sword-fighters and adventurers, from budding enthusiasts to seasoned practitioners! Are you seeking to embark on an exhilarating journey that will transport you back to epic medieval battles? Look no further! Come and gather for a session of theory and practice, where you can meet like-minded individuals who share a love for the artistry and discipline of this age-old arcanum. It will be a great opportunity to delve into the intricacies of the sport; from basic footwork to advanced counter-strikes, this event will equip you with the tools you need to dominate the battlefield. But theory alone is not enough! Prepare yourself for a bout of hands-on sparring, where you'll get to put your knowledge into action, and practice dodging, parrying, and striking with lightning efficiency. Solid-core foam-padded boffers will be provided, keeping the experience fun and safe for everyone. Engage in gauntlets against your contemporaries, hone your reflexes, enhance your combat prowess, and get a great work-out at the same time!

Samen sporten, gewoon voor de fun, elke week een divers programma, met allerlei verschillende sporten. Je hoeft niet de beste te zijn, maar wel zin hebben om samen te spelen en te leren. Tijdens een training doen we verschillende spelletjes, basketbal, voetbal. volleybal, spikebal, honkbal. Kom je ook, de bal ligt bij jou!! Eerste keer meedoen is altijd gratis, daarna kan je beslissen of dit voor jou is, of niet!! Dus kom een keer proberen. Kan je niet op deze dag, we sporten ook op andere dagen nl Zondag om 9:30 of Maandag om 20:30 Stuur mij een berichtje als je op die dagen een keer wil proberen! The amount of people rsvp'd to this game doesn't match the real number of people at the event, as Meetup is only used for promotion purposes.

I update the booking as early as Thursday; 5.5 euro is charged. Pay and in Please make sure you can make it then sign up. Please do not cancel the last day.

Peony Girls is a safe and nurturing community where women feel free to talk about their cycle, menstruation, emotions, insecurities, and everything that lives within us. Different women+, shared values: support, self-care, self-acceptance, and deep connection. Being yourself is enough to belong. This women-only+ gathering is an empowering circle of support within our community. We’ll watch the film "13 Going on 30" together, share our feelings and reflections, enjoy tea, and spend time in a space where every woman is accepted, loved, and supported. Come as you are. You don’t need to pretend here or be somebody else. Be whoever you wanna be! Be our Peony Girl!

**Tickets only available via this [TicketTailor Link](https://buytickets.at/greencitywitch/1919237)** *Craft your own hand-bound book for spells, dreams, nature lore, and witchy notes. Using sustainable and magical materials, you’ll create a unique grimoire to take home — plus the know-how to make more.* Join me at my home to create hand-bound books for spells, dreams, nature lore, or your other witchy notes. Using old, recycled, handmade, repurposed, and natural materials, we’ll select, snip, glue, and stitch our unique grimoires. A grimoire is more than just a notebook – it’s a living companion for your magical practice, herbal knowledge, seasonal wisdom, and spiritual growth. Whether you fill yours with spells, dreams, or rituals, it becomes a reflection of your path. In this hands-on workshop you’ll learn simple bookbinding techniques using eco-conscious, local, herbal, and magical materials. No prior experience is needed. You’ll leave with your own handmade grimoire, a clear blueprint for creating more, and a complete tool kit to make as many more books as you like! This is not only about making a book – it’s about weaving creativity into your craft, and deepening your relationship with your magic. Materials provided \| Take\-home Kit \| Herbal refreshments included Booking essential – Only 6 places available Hosted by [Lynn Shore](https://www.instagram.com/urban.herbology/) – practicing witch, medical herbalist, and author of [The Green City Witch](greencitywitch.com). **Tickets only available via this [TicketTailor Link](https://buytickets.at/greencitywitch/1919237)** There is a 10 euro discount for Lynn's Urban Herbology course students. They will find the discount code on the [course website events page](https://urbanherbology.org/news/).

Gaming, AdTech, EdTech, Media Streaming, and FinTech are just a few of the workloads where high-availability cloud infrastructure matters. Whether you’re doing battle daily in one of these spaces or are just curious about ways to improve performance, meet us in Reston for an in-person discussion on bare metal cloud architecture. You’ll meet our product lead, James MacKenzie, who will walk through how modern bare metal serves as a control plane for hybrid and private cloud architectures. **What we will cover** * Ways to leverage bare metal, containers, and orchestration for better performance and predictable economics; * Real-world hybrid, disaster recovery, and data-intensive architectures; * Our approach to eliminating ingress and egress fees. **Who should attend** * Cloud architects and platform engineers; * DevOps professionals and infrastructure leads; * FinOps stakeholders managing data-heavy or hybrid workloads. **Why attend** This is a technical, architecture-first conversation. You will leave with a clearer understanding of high-availability cloud infrastructure and how organizations are scaling cost-effectively. Food and drinks will be provided. Space is limited to keep the discussion interactive.

HYBRID EVENT, VIRTUAL SPEAKER In this talk, Sean Hoar will explore the transformative journey of AI’s role in modern software engineering, from rapid prototyping (“Vibe Coding”) to strategic AI integration by skilled practitioners. It clarifies the distinctions between AI-assisted, AI-enabled, and practitioner-led approaches, offering insights into how developers can effectively adapt to and harness AI tools. The presentation also highlights recent advancements and practical strategies for leveraging AI in daily workflows and long-term development.

**The Test Tribe 2nd Washington Meetup – Designing a Modern QA Organization: Structure, Skills, and Shared Ownership** AI is accelerating software delivery at an unprecedented pace-but speed without structure introduces serious risk. In today’s landscape, the traditional “testing bottleneck” isn’t just a delay-it’s a business liability. This session explores how Quality Engineering must evolve from a siloed function into a strategic, distributed capability-one that balances rapid AI adoption with strong human oversight. Moving beyond basic automation, this talk introduces the concept of Distributed Quality Governance, where quality becomes a shared responsibility across engineering, product, and leadership. Expect a practical, leadership-focused discussion that cuts through AI hype and addresses the real challenges of testing complex, AI-assisted systems-while ensuring accountability, trust, and long-term resilience. **Event Details** * **Date: 21st January 2026 (Wednesday)** * **Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT** * **Location: 1501 Langston Blvd. Arlington, Virginia** **Session: Designing a Modern QA Organization: Structure, Skills, and Shared Ownership** **Speaker: Alekhya Guduri** **About the Session** In an era where AI-generated code is accelerating delivery, quality can no longer be treated as a final checkpoint. Instead, it must be embedded, intentional, and governed. In this session, Alekhya Guduri presents a blueprint for building a modern QA organization that operates as a strategic business function. You’ll learn how to shift from centralized testing teams to shared ownership models, while introducing guardrails that ensure responsible AI use across the delivery pipeline. From defining a Materiality Matrix to identify where AI risks are too high to ignore, to implementing Human-in-the-Loop frameworks, this talk provides actionable guidance for leaders navigating AI-driven engineering environments. **Key Takeaways** * The Materiality Matrix: How to objectively prioritize AI risks based on business impact and technical complexity * Distributed Governance: Transitioning from centralized QA to shared ownership in AI-driven CI/CD pipelines * Responsible AI Guardrails: Practical Human-in-the-Loop frameworks to prevent bias, hallucinations, and silent failures **About the Speaker** Alekhya Guduri is a seasoned technology leader whose career sits at the intersection of engineering execution, operational excellence, and innovation. As Director of Engineering at Indeed, she focuses on building high-performing organizations that treat quality as a strategic advantage, not a last-mile activity. With deep experience scaling complex systems and leading cross-functional teams, Alekhya works at the forefront of shaping how AI and human judgment coexist within modern software delivery. She is a strong advocate for distributed governance, responsible AI practices, and the evolution of Quality Engineering into a trusted business partnership. **Why You Should Attend** * Learn how to design QA organizations for AI-driven delivery * Understand how to balance speed with responsibility in modern pipelines * Gain leadership frameworks for shared ownership of quality * Move beyond AI hype to practical, defensible testing strategies * Connect with Washington-area QA, engineering, and tech leaders **About The Test Tribe** **The Test Tribe** is the world’s largest software testing community, empowering testers globally since 2018. With 7**00+ events** and **150K+ members** across **130+ countries**, we bring testers together to learn, grow, and connect through meetups, conferences, cohorts, masterclasses, and more. By RSVPing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and consent to be contacted by The Test Tribe and our event partners.

Our local amphibians and reptiles are both susceptible to habitat destruction and pollutants and can often be victims of being misunderstood. Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for an introductory look at our local amphibians and reptiles, what our citizens can do to help protect their habitats, and what related programs are available through Loudoun Wildlife to help monitor populations and increase community awareness of these often overlooked and fragile species. This presentation takes place at Rust Library and is co-sponsored by the Loudoun County Public Library and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.

Join us for another session of our study group as we dive into the fascinating world of Large Language Models (LLMs) using the book **Build a Large Language Model from Scratch** from Manning. In this session, we will finish **Chapter 7: Fine-tuning to follow instructions**. In the last session, we talked about how to prepare the dataset for instruction fine-tuning and in this session we will perform the fine-tuning and evaluate the model afterwards. This isn't just a lecture! Come ready to ask questions, share insights, and code along. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, this is the perfect opportunity to build a strong foundation together. If you plan to work with the code on your own laptop during the session, try and set-up the environment ahead of time (https://github.com/rasbt/LLMs-from-scratch/tree/main/setup). We will be meeting at the North County Governmental Center this time that is across from the Reston public library.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy registration at [Birding Gilbert’s Corner - Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy](https://loudounwildlife.org/event/birding-gilberts-corner-january/) Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a bird walk at the relatively new [Gilbert’s Corner Regional Park](https://www.novaparks.com/parks/gilberts-corner-regional-park) in Aldie (see map below). With a combination of scrub, brush and meadow, this park is a great birding hotspot in southwestern Loudoun. *Limit 14. **Registration required.*** ***Questions:*** *Contact Joe Coleman at [jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org](mailto:jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org)*.