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BSD Events Today
Join in-person BSD events happening right now
Weds British sign language (BSL) practice at the National Theatre, Southbank
This a BSL practice group for level 1 students and above. We will be meeting at the national theatre in southbank
Cloud Native London, March 2026
Hi folks!
Welcome to our March Cloud Native London meetup! Join us to hear from our three great speakers and network with your fellow techies over pizza and drinks, or alternatively chat and following along on Youtube!
6:00 Pizza and drinks
6:30 Welcome
6:45 Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike)
7:15 Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies)
7:45 Break
8:00 eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed)
8:30 Wrap up
See you there!
Cheryl (@oicheryl)
**Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike)**
Modern systems are challenged by volatility. Traffic patterns shift without warning, workloads evolve continuously, and failures are no longer exceptional events. In this environment, average performance is meaningless. What matters is whether systems behave predictably when conditions change.
This session explores how system design choices determine behavior under volatility. We will discuss why many modern architectures rely on fragile assumptions about steady-state workloads, cache locality, or predictable growth, and how those assumptions break down in real production environments. Through concrete examples and architectural discussion, we will examine what it means to design systems that remain predictable as load, access patterns, and scale evolve.
The goal is not to showcase tools or benchmarks, but to build a shared mental model for thinking about predictability as a first-class system property.
*Behrad Babaee is a software engineer who leads Product Marketing at Aerospike, shaping positioning and go-to-market strategy for real-time data systems in the AI era.*
*He began his career building scalable, distributed applications for organisations including Barclays and Credit Suisse, before moving into architecture and field leadership roles at Aerospike and DataStax.*
*Today, he combines deep engineering expertise with strategic product leadership, focusing on how organisations design systems that remain predictable, resilient and performant under real-world volatility.*
**Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies)**
Is it the network, the app, or the database? In complex microservices environments, "mean time to innocence" is a critical metric for platform engineers. HAProxy sits at the convergence of these traffic flows, providing a unique vantage point to answer the ultimate observability question: "WTF is going on?".
We'll do a deep dive into the metrics that matter, so you can detect anomalies before users complain. You will learn:
* The difference between monitoring and observability in a reverse proxy context.
* How to access HAProxy’s detailed logs, stats, and stick-tables.
* How to analyze the "life of a request" using precise timers to pinpoint latency sources.
* How to use HAProxy’s observability features to fix real-world issues (demo)
* How HAProxy Fusion provides centralized observability and automation for enterprise deployments at scale.
*Baptiste Assmann is Director of Product at HAProxy Technlogoes. He spent his carreer on networking and high performance architecture. Today, he plays a key role on HAProxy's ecosystem evolution: from bare metal to Kubernetes and from load balancing to advanced security at scale and always looking forward for what's next!*
**eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed)**
eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security from the Kernel Up
Cloud-native architectures have fundamentally broken traditional security models. While 67% of organizations now delay deployments due to Kubernetes security concerns, conventional tools remain blind to the dynamic, ephemeral nature of containers—operating from the outside looking in, missing critical kernel-level threats until it's too late.
This session reveals how eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) is transforming cloud-native security by moving visibility and enforcement directly into the Linux kernel. Through real-world case studies from Meta, Google, and Cloudflare—where eBPF processes billions of packets per second and mitigates multi-terabit DDoS attacks—you'll discover how this technology delivers 10x performance improvements with <1% CPU overhead.
We'll explore the production-ready CNCF ecosystem (Falco, Tetragon, Cilium) and demonstrate practical security observability patterns: process execution monitoring, network correlation with Kubernetes context, file integrity tracking, and syscall anomaly detection. No kernel modules. No code changes. Complete visibility.
Whether you're battling container escapes, cryptojacking, or compliance gaps, this talk provides the architectural blueprint for security that matches the speed and scale of cloud-native—without sacrificing agility.
*Alam Ahmed is a Junior Cloud & DevOps Engineer with NOC operations experience and a focus on cloud security. He has spoken at Elastic London and Yorkshire DevOps on Security as Code practices, contributes to open-source projects including Envoy AI Gateway, and is passionate about kernel-level observability and cloud-native defense.*
***Check out [https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon](https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon) if you're interested in speaking or sponsoring.***
dbt Global Circuit: London
dbt Meetups are networking events open to all folks working with data! Talks predominantly focus on community members' experience with dbt, however, you'll catch presentations on broader topics such as analytics engineering, data stacks, data ops, modeling, testing, and team structures.
Organizer: Ed Hayter, Nathan Purvis & James Charnley
Venue Host: The Information Lab (25 Watling St, London EC4M 9BR)
Catering: Pizza & Refreshments
**To attend, please read the Health and Safety Policy and Terms of Participation:** [https://www.getdbt.com/legal/health-and-safety-policy](https://www.getdbt.com/legal/health-and-safety-policy)
Agenda
* 17:45 \- 18:30 \| Check in/Registration\, Food and Refreshments \(45 min\)
* 18:35 \- 18:40 \| Welcome Remarks by Meetup Host \(5 min\)
* 18:40 \- 19:00 \| Presentation 1 \(15 min\)
* 19:00 \- 19:10 \| Presentation 1 Q&A \(10 min\)
* 19:10 \- 19:25 \| Presentation 2 \(15 min\)
* 19:25 \- 19:35 \| Presentation 2 Q&A \(10 min\)
* 19:35 \- 19:40 \| Closing Remarks by Meetup Host \(5 min\)
* 19:40 \- 20:00 \| Reception \(20 min\)
️Presentation #1:
Description: dbt Efficiency in a lean data team
Speaker: Pablo Fernandez
\-\-\-
️Presentation #2:
Description:
Speaker:
\-\-\-
EVENT DETAILS:
The doors open at 5:45pm. Presentations begin at 6:40pm. Food and refreshments will be provided.
Our venue has capacity limits, so please only RSVP if you intend to come. If you need to cancel at the last minute, please change your RSVP status on this page to "Not Going." Message the organizer if you need help doing this.
Check in at the office reception and proceed to floor 1.
➡️ Join the dbt Slack community: https://www.getdbt.com/community/
Join the #local-\ channel in dbt Slack ([https://slack.getdbt.com/](https://slack.getdbt.com/)).
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-
Since 2016, dbt Labs has been on a mission to help data practitioners create and disseminate organizational knowledge. dbt is the standard for AI-ready structured data. Powered by the dbt Fusion engine, it unlocks the performance, context, and trust that organizations need to scale analytics in the era of AI. Globally, more than 60,000 data teams use dbt, including those at Siemens, Roche and Condé Nast.
Learn more at getdbt.com, and follow dbt Labs on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dbtlabs/mycompany/), [X](https://x.com/dbt_labs), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/dbt_labs/), and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/dbt-labs).
Hands-on with Agent Development Kit (ADK)
Agenda
6.30PM Registration
7.00PM Welcome
7.15PM Workshop (1hr 45min)
9.00PM till 10.00PM Networking, pizza and drinks
Speaker & Content
Wietse Venema
Senior Developer Relations Engineer, Google
Title : Hands-on with Agent Development Kit
Description : Get hands-on with Google Agent Development Kit (ADK), Google’s framework for building, evaluating, and deploying AI agents. You'll progressively learn to design advanced agents and train them to play the text-based adventure game “The Garden of the Forgotten Prompt”. Get ready to explore a mysterious world, solve puzzles, and uncover secrets! Ideal for developers and architects aiming to build next-generation, intelligent applications.
Disclaimer
Participants are required to bring their own, charged laptop.
Please note that registration is needed to enter the event - We will not be able to grant access on the day without a ticket. Please show proof of ticket confirmation upon arrival.
Please ensure you register with your full legal name - We are unable to accept registrations without surnames or name abbreviations.
Agenda
---
Hosted By
Amanda Cavallaro, GDG Organizer
I'm an Aikidoka, Developer Advocate, Software Developer, Google Developers Expert, Linkedin Learning Author and a Full Stack Web Development Specialist.
Saverio Terracciano, GDG Organizer
Stefano Le Pera, GDG Organizer
Lorenzo Turrino, GDG Organizer
Natalie Godec, GDG Organizer
Systems/DevOps/Cloud engineer and a resident GCP expert. Women TechMakers Ambassador, Google Developer Expert in Cloud and Champion Innovator. I photograph, drink tequila and collect designer handbags ✨
Kubra Harmankaya, Android Developer
Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-cloud-london-presents-hands-on-with-agent-development-kit-adk/.
Aerospike / Cloud Native London
**\*\*\*Important Note: Please register [here](https://www.meetup.com/cloud-native-london/events/312298108/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events)\*\*\***
We're thrilled to be speaking at the March edition of Cloud Native London!
Join us for an evening of deep-tech insights and networking with the local cloud-native community. If you can’t make it in person, you can still catch the livestream and chat with us on YouTube.
**Agenda**
6:00 Pizza and drinks
6:30 Welcome
6:45 Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike)
7:15 Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies)
7:45 Break
8:00 eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed)
8:30 Wrap up
See you there!
**Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike)**
Modern systems are challenged by volatility. Traffic patterns shift without warning, workloads evolve continuously, and failures are no longer exceptional events. In this environment, average performance is meaningless. What matters is whether systems behave predictably when conditions change.
This session explores how system design choices determine behavior under volatility. We will discuss why many modern architectures rely on fragile assumptions about steady-state workloads, cache locality, or predictable growth, and how those assumptions break down in real production environments. Through concrete examples and architectural discussion, we will examine what it means to design systems that remain predictable as load, access patterns, and scale evolve.
The goal is not to showcase tools or benchmarks, but to build a shared mental model for thinking about predictability as a first-class system property.
***Behrad Babaee*** *is a software engineer who leads Product Marketing at Aerospike, shaping positioning and go-to-market strategy for real-time data systems in the AI era.*
*He began his career building scalable, distributed applications for organisations including Barclays and Credit Suisse, before moving into architecture and field leadership roles at Aerospike and DataStax.*
*Today, he combines deep engineering expertise with strategic product leadership, focusing on how organisations design systems that remain predictable, resilient and performant under real-world volatility.*
**Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies)**
Is it the network, the app, or the database? In complex microservices environments, "mean time to innocence" is a critical metric for platform engineers. HAProxy sits at the convergence of these traffic flows, providing a unique vantage point to answer the ultimate observability question: "WTF is going on?".
We'll do a deep dive into the metrics that matter, so you can detect anomalies before users complain. You will learn:
* The difference between monitoring and observability in a reverse proxy context.
* How to access HAProxy’s detailed logs, stats, and stick-tables.
* How to analyze the "life of a request" using precise timers to pinpoint latency sources.
* How to use HAProxy’s observability features to fix real-world issues (demo)
* How HAProxy Fusion provides centralized observability and automation for enterprise deployments at scale.
***Baptiste Assmann*** *is Director of Product at HAProxy Technlogoes. He spent his carreer on networking and high performance architecture. Today, he plays a key role on HAProxy's ecosystem evolution: from bare metal to Kubernetes and from load balancing to advanced security at scale and always looking forward for what's next!*
**eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed)**
eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security from the Kernel Up
Cloud-native architectures have fundamentally broken traditional security models. While 67% of organizations now delay deployments due to Kubernetes security concerns, conventional tools remain blind to the dynamic, ephemeral nature of containers—operating from the outside looking in, missing critical kernel-level threats until it's too late.
This session reveals how eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) is transforming cloud-native security by moving visibility and enforcement directly into the Linux kernel. Through real-world case studies from Meta, Google, and Cloudflare—where eBPF processes billions of packets per second and mitigates multi-terabit DDoS attacks—you'll discover how this technology delivers 10x performance improvements with <1% CPU overhead.
We'll explore the production-ready CNCF ecosystem (Falco, Tetragon, Cilium) and demonstrate practical security observability patterns: process execution monitoring, network correlation with Kubernetes context, file integrity tracking, and syscall anomaly detection. No kernel modules. No code changes. Complete visibility.
Whether you're battling container escapes, cryptojacking, or compliance gaps, this talk provides the architectural blueprint for security that matches the speed and scale of cloud-native—without sacrificing agility.
***Alam Ahmed*** *is a Junior Cloud & DevOps Engineer with NOC operations experience and a focus on cloud security. He has spoken at Elastic London and Yorkshire DevOps on Security as Code practices, contributes to open-source projects including Envoy AI Gateway, and is passionate about kernel-level observability and cloud-native defense.*
**\*\*\*Important Note:** Please register [here](https://www.meetup.com/cloud-native-london/events/312298108/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events)\*\*\*
DevOps The Next Generation: Data's revenge
We're holding the first of our 2026 London MeetUp events on **Wednesday, 4th March @ 6pm**, courtesy of our hosts [Fivium](fivium.co.uk) and [Tarmac IO](www.tarmac.io).
We'll take care of the pizza, drinks and two great presentations. You just need to bring you.
**AGENDA**
* **18:00:** Doors Open, networking, drinks & pizza
* **18.45:** Official Welcome
* **18.50:** A data hoarder's guide to surviving cloud bills -- Darko Klincharski, DevOps Lead @ Tarmac.io
* **19.20:** You are the role model -- Beverly Clarke MBE, Tech Education Expert
* **19:50:** Close
* **20:00:** Networking and drinks
**LOCATION**
[Fivium ](https://www.fivium.co.uk/)
15 Adam St,
London
WC2N 6AH
**what3words Address:** ///trim.most.other
**HOW TO GET THERE**
**Tube:**
Embankment (5 mins) - District and Circle, Northern, Bakerloo
Covent Garden (5 mins) - Piccadilly Line
Temple (8 mins) - District and Circle Line
Spanish Conversational Club in London!
Please read the full description!
**Spanish Conversational Club**
**Club de conversación en ESPAÑOL**
**How does it work?**
The Spanglish club is for all people wanting to improve their Spanish outside of a class room. Depending on numbers, there are going to be groups of max 6 people, the groups will be Beginners (A2), Intermediate and Advance. Each group will have a Spanish native speaker who can help you with your Spanish :) We will first meet our table amig@s and socialise, then we will make a fun and interesting activity for you to have a better Spanish speaking experience. Please book only if you are 100% sure to attend as there will be other Spanglishers waiting for you.
**Where? Time?**
Royal Festival Hall
Riverside Bar
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX
19:30 to 21:00
**Google Maps:** **[https://maps.app.goo.gl/8ZY6zDymAM7M6Lju5](https://maps.app.goo.gl/8ZY6zDymAM7M6Lju5)**
**Note:** We will be at the front of the Riverside Bar. Although, this might change depending on tables’ availability. Please look for Spanglish Flag/t-shirt or simply call us +447870776718. We don’t have a private area, we’ll be at a public space. There will be public noise. You can join the **Whatsapp [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LSUpj7m1tCZ2Vj86dmJR76](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LSUpj7m1tCZ2Vj86dmJR76)** for the latest updates.
**How much does it cost?**
£10
Your attendance is confirmed once you have booked in this website and paid in our online store.
Store: **[https://www.spanglish-lc.com/page/events](https://www.spanglish-lc.com/page/events)**
FREE for Native Spanish Speakers. Únete! No pagas por el evento :D
**Why should I come?**
You should come if you want to be immersed in a Spanish conversation with native speakers for 90 mins and more! You should also come if you want to make new friends and learn about different cultures at the same time.
**Can we have a drink during the session?**
Of course, it is all about feeling comfortable and we all know that a drink help us with fluency, there is a coffee shop and a bar at the center.
**Can I suggest topics or just make an open suggestion?**
Of course, just bring your suggestions to the session or send us an email. Your event planner will ensure your suggestion has the right execution. We are here to help and provide you guys with the best environment possible for you to have fun and improve your Spanish speaking.
**Note:** This event is not suggested for beginners A1 Zero Spanish learners. Please get in touch if you need some lessons.
**Suggestions or Qs**
Just drop me a WhatsApp, message or email.
Our events are advertised on different platforms. For this event we expect around 20 people.
**[Whatsapp](https://wa.me/message/VHD2GRUCYYBDP1),** Calls or MSNs **[+447870776718](https://wa.me/message/VHD2GRUCYYBDP1)**
**Instagram** and **Facebook** as **[@spanglishlc](https://www.instagram.com/spanglishlc/)**
We have more events and great teachers to enhance your learning, check all our **[events](https://www.spanglish-lc.com/events), [courses](https://www.spanglish-lc.com/learning)**[ ](https://www.spanglish-lc.com/learning)and **[teachers.](https://www.spanglish-lc.com/learning)**
BSD Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
Error-handling in C++26
This month we have a visiting speaker from think-cell, Sebastian Theophil, who will talk to us about error handling in C++26 (with sprinkles of C++23).
We also have space for a shorter talk, or lightning talks. If you would like to speak - even for just five minutes, please drop something into cppldn.uk/speak.
**think-cell** will also be supporting the group by providing pizza and drinks - thanks **think-cell**!
Thanks, also, to **Maven Securities** for hosting us again, this month.
**As usual we'll need your full name for the door list, so we'll be asking for this on registration** (as this may be different to your username).
This data will only be used for the door list/ registration and not published anywhere or used for other purposes.
If you'd like to speak at a future event please get in touch at [cppldn.uk/speak](http://cppldn.uk/speak).
**Here's the approximate schedule:**
**18:30** *Doors open*
**19:00** "Intro and news" - *Phil Nash*
**19:10** *"compile_assert - Compile time C++ assertions" - Jonathan Grant*
I present compile_assert(expression, message), a new C++ keyword proposal for enforcing assertions at compile time within ordinary (non-constexpr) functions.
compile_assert provides advanced asserts at compile time, not runtime. Used for bounds checking, parameter validation and data validation at compile time. All three major compilers (GCC, Clang, MSVC) are supported with a sample implementation. The example implementation does this by using GCC’s attribute error which works with Clang.
**19:25** "Compile-Time Data Layout Transformation with C++26 Reflection" - *Arturs Kalnins*
We’ll use C++26 static reflection and injection to convert an AoS into a SoA at compile time, live on the latest GCC, with zero macros and zero boilerplate.
**19:40** *break*
**20:00** "To Err is Human: Robust Error Handling in C++26" - *Sebastian Theophil*
A walk through the new error handling features in C++26 — including \`std::expected\`, \`std::stacktrace\`, contracts, and more — and how they can help us write more robust, maintainable code.
**21:00** *Conclusion, and moving on somewhere else*
\-\-\-
**About the speakers**
*Sebastian* has been working at think-cell since it was founded in 2002. In the last few years, among many other things, he has ported think-cell to run on macOS. He also maintains the typescripten project, which lets programmers call JavaScript libraries from C++ code compiled to WebAssembly in a convenient and type-safe way. He enjoys leaving his desk from time to time to talk at international C++ conferences.
*Jonathan* has been a Software Engineer since 2003, worked in the video games industry and also embedded space for a long time at Renesas in safety critical systems for the automotive sector in C and C++. He also develops bespoke machine learning software in C++. He has a BSc Computer Science and an MSc Software Engineering.
*Arturs* is a C++ software engineer with a background in aerospace engineering, where he developed a strong foundation in mathematics and systems thinking. He builds reliable, high-performance systems across embedded software, networking, and distributed platforms, with a particular focus on modern C++ (23/26), Rust, and performance-critical design. He enjoys tackling complex engineering challenges, designing clean abstractions, and contributing to the standards and practices that help teams deliver robust systems effectively.
AI Builders London
Register: [https://luma.com/london-mar5](https://luma.com/london-mar5)
**Join our meetup for AI nerds, engineers & founders!**
We share the latest insights about: *AI dev tools, Agent frameworks, RAG, vibe coding, and more!*
\*\*// FOR WHO\*\*
✅ Devs, Product peeps, Data lovers, ML engineers, Founders
✅ Anyone building with AI
⚠️ Some LLM knowledge required!\*
Neo4j Session:
**Living in an Agentic World (model) by Andreas Kollegger**
What if we onboarded AI agents the same way we onboard employees? That's the key insight of "context graphs" - giving agents access to why decisions are made improves their performance.
This leads to \*Agentic World Models\*: the convergence point where agent memory, knowledge graphs, and context graphs meet. Agents discover written policies and unwritten tribal knowledge, learn formal org structures and informal influence networks, and capture the \*decision traces\* that explain not just what happened, but why it was the right call.
We'll cover:
\- how to capture decisions traces
\- how to query the context graph when making decisions
\- a demo of what this looks like
Together, we'll put context in context.
Beyond Inclusion: Rethinking what truly accountable, inclusive design looks like
**Whose knowledge is centred in design? Whose voices are heard, and whose are overlooked?**
Join us for an interactive workshop that goes beyond surface-level inclusion to critically explore power, culture, and equity in design practice.
**What’s the event about?**
We want to create a space where we can talk honestly and practically about what it means to go beyond inclusive design — to question who design is for, how it’s done, and how we might do it differently.
It’s not a lecture, nor is it about having the “right” answers. It’s about exploring the topic together in a way that’s open, hands-on… and a bit of fun too.
This event will include an interactive activity designed to provoke thought and discussion about what it means to design beyond inclusivity, creating space for deeper shared reflection.
**Who’s it for?**
This is for anyone working in or around design — whether you’re in services, research, strategy, policy, or community roles.
You might:
• Be curious about the term “decolonising” but not sure where to start
• Feel a bit disconnected from this kind of conversation
• Be looking for a more grounded, less academic way in
• Just want to meet others thinking about design and equity in new ways
**What can you expect?**
• A hands-on group activity inviting you to explore an unfamiliar world, challenge assumptions, and think differently about power, culture, and design
• Facilitated group reflection and conversation on how we talk about — and act on — the idea of decolonising design in our work
• Informal conversations and networking at the pub to follow
What you’ll take away
• A practical framework you can adapt or reuse in your own work
• A more grounded sense of what “decolonising design” can mean in everyday practice
• A chance to connect with others exploring similar questions
Whether you're completely new to decolonising design or already working with these frameworks, you'll find space to reflect, learn, and connect with others navigating similar questions.
**About the Ticket**
The ticket cost is to hold your place and ensure commitment from attendees. **All participants who attend the event will be offered a full refund of their ticket price.** This approach helps us plan effectively while remaining accessible to those with financial constraints.
Come ready to participate, question, and imagine design differently.
Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle: PART ONE [Chapters 1-3]
***"The spectacle is the existing order’s uninterrupted discourse about itself, its laudatory monologue. It is the self-portrait of power in the epoch of its totalitarian management of the conditions of existence. The fetishistic, purely objective appearance of spectacular relations conceals the fact that they are relations among men and classes: a second nature with its fatal laws seems to dominate our environment."***
**\- Guy Debord\, *The Society of the Spectacle***
Welcome back readers! By popular request, we're bringing back (for a new generation of LMRG readers) an old favourite: the always-relevant Guy Debord and his masterful *Society of the Spectacle*.
We'll kick off with the first three chapters. Find the next here: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm
Often maligned as theorymaxxed nonsense but little-read, this slim volume is certainly dense with ideas - all of which carry as much relevance today as those half-forgotten postwar years when the Situationist International made its mark on the world, if not more. With the rise of the Internet and social media, the decline of literacy and the closing of the mass mind, the endless doom-loop of doomscrolling and bed-rotting, increasingly performative protest, the commodification of everything, the Epstein-approved culture war, and the theatre of spectacular cruelty that is imperialist colonial policy from Gaza to Venezuela, we really are living an age where everything that was once directly participated in has passed into representation. Every hand-grip one searches for to get some kind of grasp on the world seems to be a mirage; "participation" in anything, from politics to culture, has been reduced to fandom - limited to nothing more than expressing approval or disapproval through totally mediated social media platforms.
Above it all stands an utterly corrupt, irresponsible elite class more and more transparent in how it relishes in conspiratorial play, power-games with unlimited stakes for us and no consequences for them. Such a world where power wears a shit-eating grin and keeps us off our balance by endlessly[ "flooding the zone"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_the_zone) (in Steve Bannon's terms) with distractions so intricate they short-circuit the collective brain is exactly what Debord not only predicted but described in frightening detail, with more than a little bit of humour.
So let's dig in and find out: just what can we do to unplug from the spectacle? Is the spectacle even un-plug-from-able? Debord haters, cope and seethe: as a much more orthodox Marxist than he ever gets credit for, there really are some strategies in here. We just need to be creative.
Take care and happy reading!
Hackathon: Agents & Knowledge Graphs (LangChain x SurrealDB)
## \*Please note - to be admitted to this event you must register for approval here: [https://luma.com/lcsqwmf3](https://luma.com/lcsqwmf3)
This weekend hackathon brings together LangChain and SurrealDB to explore how agents can move beyond demos by grounding themselves in structured, persistent context.
As agentic systems become more autonomous, their biggest failure mode isn’t model capability - it’s context. Agents struggle with accuracy, consistency, and reasoning when memory is shallow or unstructured. Knowledge graphs provide a powerful way to represent relationships, state, and history, enabling agents to reason over how things connect, not just what text is retrieved.
Over the weekend, you’ll build practical agent projects using the LangChain ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on knowledge graphs and real-world retrieval workflows, using SurrealDB as a unified data layer for graph, document, vector, and temporal data.
You’ll also have plenty of time to connect with both the LangChain and SurrealDB communities in London, collaborate with other builders, and get hands-on support from mentors.
***
## Schedule
**Friday**
* 18:00 - Doors open, check-in, pizza & drinks
* Hackathon kickoff, team formation & briefing (time TBC)
**Saturday**
* All day - Build, iterate, mentor support (details TBC)
**Sunday**
* Final build, demos & judging (details TBC)
* 15:30 - Closing, winners & wrap-up
Full challenge details and rules will be shared ahead of the event.
***
## What you’ll work on
* Agent workflows built with LangChain
* Knowledge graph–driven context and memory
* Hybrid retrieval patterns (vector + graph)
* Persistent agent state and evolving context
* Practical, production-oriented agent use cases
***
## Prizes
* Swag and LangSmith credits from LangChain
* Swag from SurrealDB
***
## Why attend?
This is a hands-on opportunity to build credible agent projects in a single weekend, learn production-oriented patterns, and explore how structured context improves agent accuracy and reliability. You’ll collaborate with experienced builders, get direct support from the LangChain and SurrealDB teams, and connect with the wider London agent and AI engineering community.
**FAQs**
**Is the venue accessible?**
Absolutely! There is a lift that takes you up to Level 4 where the event is held.
**Is this event for me?**
SurrealDB events are for software engineers, developers, architects, data scientists, data engineers, or any tech professionals keen to discover more about SurrealDB: a scalable multi-model database that allows users and developers to focus on building their applications with ease and speed.
**Am I guaranteed a ticket at this event?**
Our events are tech-focused and in the interest of keeping our events relevant and meaningful for those attending, tickets are issued at our discretion. We therefore reserve the right to refund ticket orders before the event and to request proof of identity and/or professional background upon entry.
**Are there any House Rules?**
At SurrealDB, we are committed to providing live and online events that are safe and enjoyable for all attending. Please review our [Code of Conduct](https://surrealdb.com/legal/code-of-conduct) and [Privacy Policy](https://surrealdb.com/legal/privacy) for more information. It is compulsory for all attendees to be registered with a first **and** last name in order to attend. Any attendees who do not adhere to these requirements will be refused a ticket.
[Islington] 廣東話桌遊聚會 - Mar 7 (Sat)
**今次會帶嘅遊戲**:
Invention (Full)
Dixit, Cryptid, Faraway, Agricola, The Mind, Next Station: London, Quest, Codename: Pictures, Fuji, Azul, Lost Cities, Patchwork, Wingspan, Nine tiles Panic, Modern Arts 及其他遊戲...
and more...
(待定)
-可去此[相冊](https://www.meetup.com/kongfortable/photos/35791706/),睇睇我哋平時玩開咩 Games,見到想玩嘅可以留言話我哋知叫我地帶過嚟
-亦歡迎你帶你嘅愛game 過嚟同其他參加者玩
我哋會盡量每個月搞 1-2 次聚會,今次唔得閒記得下次嚟玩
**報名**︰
\- 場地可容納人數有限\(約30人\),請於 Meetup 報名
\-\- 如額滿可排 Waiting List
\- 我哋會在現埸用 meetup 點名,所有出席活動嘅人務必用 meetup 報名 RSVP
\- 報名時可留言你想玩的桌遊,我哋會盡量安排帶俾你玩 \(如果冇,會試下搵相同類型嘅遊戲俾你\)
**收費** (因 no-show 情況嚴重,將採取新收費安排):
\- 每位 £8 \(Visa\, Master\, AE\)
\- 經 Sumup 網上付費留位,請使用此[連結](https://pay.sumup.com/b2c/QX72107Q)
\-\- 請於付款時,在 Fullname 一欄填寫你的 **Meetup username** (不要填全名)
\-\- 付款後,在 Meetup Inbox [管理員 Terry](https://www.meetup.com/members/473473274/) 通知付款時間 ( 例: 我於 26/02 13:45 成功付款 - Kongfortable )
\- 如你有帶 Guest,請使用連結再次付款,其中注明 \[username\]'s guest
\- 排 Waiting List 人仕請不要先付款,如成功 RSVP 後會通知你去付款
\* 如報名者沒有在 Meetup 報名後24小時內付款留位,主辦方有權將你的報名移到 Not-going List 而不作通知
**遊戲類別** (包括但不限於):
\- 歐式/美式/戰棋桌遊 \(輕/中/重\)
\- Party Game
\- 合作遊戲
\- 身份遊戲
\- 每次 meetup 都會輪換遊戲,有特定 game 想玩可以問定!
**活動流程**:
\- 我哋會將閒置玩家聚集做 2\-5 人一枱玩
\- 唔識玩完全唔緊要,主辦人員 / Helper 會用廣東話教玩開Game
\-\- 中途有問題當然可以問點玩 \(但我哋唔會主動提供策略\)
\- 可以在現場睇下有咩遊戲想玩 \(如果冇足夠玩家開Game,我哋得閒嘅話會"戥腳"\)
**飲食**:
\- 場地提供樽裝水及含糖飲料\(收費\)
\- 場地不提供主食,只提供一款軟糖\(收費\)
\- 可自攜/外賣飲品食物
\- 避免進食沾污雙手的食物或謹記要洗手!
\- 玩完可以一齊去附近晚飯
**交通**:
\- Northern Line Archway Station / Overground Upper Holloway Station 步行 5\-10分鐘
\- 場地提供專屬泊車位\(約6個位\),及場地對出後街星期六全日免費泊車,歡迎揸車嘅朋友!
**守則**:
\- 請各位參加者不要no show,會浪費人手和場地資源。因場地所限使參加人數有限,如果有人no show 就代表有人想來玩但結果位置被浪費
\-\- 如果你因事要取消行程,請於活動開始48小時前取消報名,否則以no show 論
\-\- 我們會將no show 者記錄在案
\- 請各位參加者盡量準時出席活動,方便主辦方管理及分配座位
\- 請於活動當日對主辦人員及其他參加者持良好態度,不要出作不當行為如騷擾、人身攻擊或作不雅言論等等
\- 所有 Boardgames 均由主辦人員、義工及其他玩家私人借出。全部Boardgames 均為心愛之物,請好好愛惜
\-\- 遊玩時保持雙手乾淨及枱面清潔
\-\- 不要屈牌或塗污版面
\-\- 完成遊戲後請檢查有否遺漏配件\(如跌在地下\)及按原狀收納好
**退款**:
\- 請於活動開始48小時前取消報名及於Meetup Inbox 通知 [管理員 Terry](https://www.meetup.com/members/473473274/) 要求退款,否則將不獲退款
**備註**:
\- 我哋只係向場地提供方租借地方,並非聯手搞活動
\- 主辦人員會於活動當日影低桌遊遊玩狀況作推廣用途,並會於上載前遮蓋拍攝到的個人特徵\(如面部\)
BSD Events Near You
Connect with your local BSD community
Cocoaheads
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/
CBusData - Discover the Power of Window Functions
Window functions have nothing to do with the Windows operating system but provide a “window” to a result set when used in SQL queries. They are powerful, set-based methods to view data in unexpected ways. Window functions provide easy, set-based solutions to solve some common problems:
* Using running totals
* Performing operations in intervals
* Identifying data gaps and islands
* Performing aggregates without losing detail
Many people are confused by window functions and do not know how to use them properly. This session will explore window functions, how they work, and how to use them. Demonstrations with several examples will solidify how window functions can simplify queries and make them more powerful.
IxDA Chat ‘n Pancakes
Join membersrs of the Central Ohio UX and digital design community for a casual monthly breakfast.
Sunday Brunch
Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!
Humanist Program: Fighting the Efforts to Insert Religion into Public Education
The Humanist Monthly Program is our longest running event and still a community favorite. In the old days it used to be called "Going to HCCO" and we still like to think of it as our flagship event.
Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk.
Our March speakers are Molly Gaines and Zack Parrish, co-organizers of the Secular Education Association:
They will share their story of how a small group of Ohio parents grew into a national organization tracking released-time religious instruction and other church–state issues in public schools. The presentation will cover SEA’s early wins and hard lessons, what we’re seeing nationally right now, and how local advocates can play a meaningful role in protecting public education. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the landscape — and practical ways to get involved.
Going forward our meetings will be hybrid. You can meet us in-person or attend online
Join Zoom Meeting
[https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1)
Meeting ID: 878 3656 4953
Passcode: 760812
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (New York)
+13017158592,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (Washington DC)
The formal presentation will start at noon
Columbus Code & Coffee 84 @ Improving
Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you!
**What to Expect at the Intro Circle**
\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~
Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup:
* Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics
Round 1 - (7 secs max):
* Your name
* What you're working on
* What you can help others with
Round 2:
* Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too.
Round 3:
* Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool.
After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!
Contra dance with Big Scioty on March 7 - First Congregational Church
**Caller: Frank Buschelmann**
**Band: The Rosenthorns**
**Big Scioty Contra Dance**
**temporarily returning to our long ago location for Jan-March - First Congregational Church, 444 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215**
WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing!
Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor.
Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 7:30 - 8:00, followed by dancing 8:00 - 10:30. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner.
Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot.
For more information contact me or check out our website: [www.bigscioty.com](http://www.bigscioty.com/)
Please bring your own refillable water bottle. Snacks to share are always welcome!










![Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle: PART ONE [Chapters 1-3]](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/6/7/e/highres_532689854.webp?w=640)

![[Islington] 廣東話桌遊聚會 - Mar 7 (Sat)](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/c/3/e/highres_532308190.webp?w=640)







