Cartography

These are our regular Monday evening electronics nights. Everyone from absolute beginner to experienced is welcome. These evenings are not classes or tutorials, rather a very friendly informal evening. We have a wide range of people who come. Some are absolute beginners who do not even work or study electronics, but are interested to know more. Others have something that they are already working on. We almost always have some first time visitors and we always give them a tour of the space. Come in with your Pi, Arduino, or whatever you have. Bring your laptop. Maybe you want to make something, solder, breadboard or use our electronic gear. Maybe you have some vague ideas and just want to get started. Or maybe you’re just curious……if so, it’s fine to come along and just see what others are doing. If you would like to get even more involved and have the full use of our space, we would be delighted to have you as a full member. Membership brings many benefits. We are located behind Mr Price and the Bright Lights store on Kylemore Road. We have lots of free parking available.

Join us to **practise and improve your target language with native speakers on Monday in River Bar**(1 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2) from **6.30pm to 8.30pm**. **Our system:** **• You sit opposite a native speaker of the language you're learning** **• You speak 5mins English, 5mins other language, then change table** This ensures everyone gets an equal opportunity to practise the language they're learning. Our team seats people, controls the time, organises the table changes etc. What to expect: • Relaxed easy going atmosphere • Professional and quality service • Great networking opportunities • All levels welcome from absolute beginner to fully fluent • A big mix of ages with attendees at each event from 18 to 70+ years old • Topic cards on the tables to help start conversations Languages: We usually have **native speakers of English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese** and more depending on who shows up. **Admission fee €7** (€6 for student card holders). **No pre-registration required, just show up**. Loyalty card system: Come to 5 events and the 6th is free. Over 150,000 people since 2012 have attended our language exchanges to practise and improve their target language - you can too! Everyone is welcome! For more news and info check: Website: [www.languageexchangeireland.com](http://www.languageexchangeireland.com/) FB: [www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland) Instagram: [www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland) NOTE: The MeetUp attendance does not reflect actual attendance. There are usually around 100 people at each event. We are also in the River Bar every Thursday at 6.30pm

Join us to **practise and improve your Spanish/English with native speakers every Monday at River Bar** at 1 Burgh Quay (Dublin 2) from **6.30pm to 8.30pm**. **Our system:** **• You sit opposite a native speaker of the language you're learning** **• You speak 5mins English, 5mins Spanish, then change table** This ensures everyone gets an equal chance to practise the language they're learning. Our team seats people, controls the time, organises the seat changes etc. What to expect: • Relaxed easy going atmosphere • Professional and quality service • Great networking opportunities • All levels welcome from absolute beginner to fully fluent • A big mix of ages with attendees at each event from 18 to 70+years old • Topic cards on the tables to help start conversations **Admission fee €7** (€1 off for student card holders). **No pre-registration required, just show up**. Loyalty card system: Come to 5 events and the 6th is free. Over 100,000 people have attended our language exchanges to practise and improve their target language - you can too! Everyone is welcome! For more news and info check: Website: [www.languageexchangeireland.com](http://www.languageexchangeireland.com/) FB: [www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland) Instagram: [www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland) We also have the events every Thursday at River Bar on Burgh Quay at 6.30pm.

This time of year can stir a lot. Even when life looks fine on the outside, many of us carry things quietly: tension, questions, old patterns, or a sense of doing it all alone. Gay Men’s Circle is a grounded space connect with other men without pressure to perform, explain yourself, or have it all figured out. You don’t need to be “good at sharing.” Listening is just as welcome as speaking. You’re welcome to: * Share what’s present for you - or simply listen * Speak from your lived, present-moment experience * Name things that don’t often get said out loud * Feel less alone with what you’re carrying * Leave feeling more settled, connected, and resourced The circle is lightly facilitated to support safety, respect, and clear boundaries. You’re always free to share as little or as much as feels right. No prior experience with men’s work or circles is needed. ### **Practical details** * **Please bring €5** to cover the cost of the room * **No entry 10 minutes after the start time** (doors will close) * We meet downstairs in the **Theatre Room** * Ring the front door to get in, as the café is closed on Mondays * Please read the agreements before signing up ### **Agreements** * Confidentiality * Speak from your own experience * No fixing or advising * Arrive on time and stay until the end * No hooking up on the night (to support safety and continuity)

Hello! Meeting place: outside the Italian Cultural Institute. Have your ticket ready for inspection by the staff working there. Meeting time: I'll be there at 545pm taking my seat. We can chat before it starts at 6pm. Please get your ticket ASAP as this is likely to sell out soon! Thanks! Alan LUNEDÌ AL CINEMA - Screening of "La finestra di fronte" ITA sub ENG Date: 12 jan • 18:00 https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/lunedi-al-cinema-screening-of-la-finestra-di-fronte-ita-sub-eng-tickets-1979889969195?aff=ebdsshother&utm_share_source=listing_android&sg=aa3360161324b058e17050be574c8f26674c63726438c66c4ea0c19ae9be9a0bb63b95052c68f3d8d7abf9b0a2881ef64320fd0d08c254115ccbc22e6f75f45cdf678fe758fe9333cda2c34b43

After all the Christmas festivities you might like some medieval culture for a change? I have booked two dates in January for our members - *Free* entry and I will give a guided tour lasting about 1 hour. (I'm a longtime volunteer here so I know all the gossip!) I love this old picture showing cattle being herded along Patrick Street in front of the Cathedral Burial place of Jonathan Swift (in the floor) - and about 500 others (inside the walls), also very much associated with the Knights of St Patrick, the Guinness family and the lovely musical tradition of the Choir School. Numbers limited to a manageable 15 - we'll meet at the main gates and go in as a group to avail of free entry - so 11.50 meet for 12 noon tour. We could have tea'n buns locally afterwards if you have time. Second date for this event is Wed 28 Jan - at 2pm

Explore Carton Demense and Rye Water Loop, County Kildare, Maynooth. We will be meeting inside Connolly Train Station for 12:00, beside Pret A Manger, there are toilets in the Train Station. At 12:17, We are going on the Train to Maynooth, the journey is 43 Minutes Stops (Serving, Drumcondra, Broombridge, Pelletstown, Ashtown, Navan Road Parkway, Castleknock, Coolmine, Clonsilla, Leixlip Confey, Leixlip Louisa Bridge) and making it to Maynooth for 13:00. When we arrive to Maynooth there is a couple of shops and cafe nearby for those who want to get some food and coffee before or after. The loop is around 2 hours long, we will be walking by a hidden forest, the River Rye Water, a golf course, Tyreconnel Tower, the Duke of Leinster used to live in Carton House Demense, there is also a boathouse too. Bathroom are also nearby. When coming back to Dublin, we can get the C3 or the InterCity Train back.

The classical schools of philosophy consider that the human being is a mystery – in Egypt they call the mysteries related to the human being the small mysteries and to the universe, the great mysteries. What are we, in the deepest part of ourselves? What is in each of us that differentiates us from each other? The classical schools agreed that our essence is perhaps a mystery, and they also agreed that the human being can improve. We are not a finished product and we have not reached the end of our evolution What is our purpose or our direction in life? What are the real intentions that drive us and our actions and choices? Both Eastern and Western philosophies offer reflections and the vision of the human being in the spirit of becoming. Finding the driving force in us that not only connects us with our own spirit of overcoming, but also connects us with others. *There will be a break with tea, coffee and cakes.*

To meet regulatory standards like Solvency II and LDTI, reinsurance firms must simulate how thousands of insurance policies perform under thousands of potential economic futures. In data terms, this creates a **"Cartesian explosion"**—multiplying two manageable datasets creates a result set of billions of rows. This massive computational workload frequently overwhelms traditional on-premise infrastructure. In this session, [Zsolt Revay](https://www.linkedin.com/in/zsoltrevay/) and [Thomas Mager](https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-mager-71916716/) detail the engineering behind **"Overlay,"** the internal data application PartnerRe built to solve this scaling challenge. Overlay’s architecture decouples business logic from compute power. We use **Datavirtuality** as a semantic orchestration layer, while leveraging **Snowflake** strictly as a heavy calculation engine. By using an aggressive **SQL push-down strategy**, we treat the database as a compute cluster. This allows us to process that Cartesian explosion of policy data and stochastic scenarios right where the data lives—without moving it across the network. **Key Technical Discussion Points:** * **Optimisation:** Handling massive joins via parallel processing and strategic table materialisation. * **Performance:** Using Elastic Virtual Warehouses to achieve linear scaling, reducing processing time from **hours to minutes**. * **Economics:** Using Auto-Suspend and Resource Monitors to keep this massive compute power cost-effective. Attendees will learn how to architect a solution that balances the auditability required by regulators with the on-demand agility required by actuaries. **Event Details** 📍 **14th January \| Clayton Hotel** **18:00** \| Food & Drinks 🍽️🥂 **18:30** \| Scaling Reinsurance Compliance: The Engineering Behind PartnerRe’s "Overlay" **19:15** \| Drinks & Networking 🍻 Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow data professionals and gain valuable insights into efficient Snowflake use, Gen AI applications, and proving the value of solid data modeling! See you there! Speakers: [Zsolt Revay](https://www.linkedin.com/in/zsoltrevay/) \- Head of Data Engineering [Thomas Mager](https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-mager-71916716/) \- Head Data and Analytics Platforms

oin us for two talks and a Cafe Style dialogue. **Talk “Others: Independence & Solidarity”** Philosophy suggests to ask ourselves what do we really, truly want? Do we consider the others around us, who form part of our life? Freedom and independence, according to both eastern and western tradition, resides in the heart, which also seeks connection with others and the world. **Talk “The World: The purpose of Life”** Where is Life going, in which direction? Ancient philosophies suggest that there exists a sense of direction, meaning and purpose in each human being. It not only exists in the human being but in everything that exists in the universe. They suggest life moves forward and upward and to move as part of life we need to become more conscious of our actions and steps we take to participate in the movement of life. After the talks, we will have discussions around round tables, based on the talks and conclude with the reflections from each group. *There will be a break with tea, coffee and cakes.*

# Bohernabreena Reservoir Upper Loop 8.9 KM 2 Hour Long. Sunday Hiking Trail on 18th of Janruary. We are Meeting at Tallaght (Red Link) Luas Stop at 10:45 AM. How to get there ? You can get the Luas from Point Square or Connolly Train Station which is quick or you can get the S6 Bus or 27 Bus to Tallaght. Please bring some supplies with you like a packed lunch, water or snacks with you. We will be getting the 82 Killtipper Way Bus at Bus Stop (Number 4347) at Tallaght Square Shopping Centre, We will be on the Bus for 7 minutes (7 Stops), We will be getting off at Marlfield Drive Bus Stop. If you want to come earlier, there is earlier Bus 10-15 minutes earlier for those who chose to come early. Then we will be walking 25 minutes 1.8 KM to Bohernabreena, where we will be starting our trail. There is a Car Park too for those who choose to drive there. But it can get full so if you are parking I would reccomend parking in Tallaght. There is a Cafe called Cafe Woods in Kiltipper for those who want Coffee before the walk which is 12 Minutes Walk a way from the Car Park, also a Shop there too called Nearby. There is a lot of wildlife in Bohernabreena, please be careful. I hope to see you. Many Thanks Thomas

Looking for a co-founder or someone to help you turn your startup idea into reality? Join us for the first in-person event of the **Ireland Startup Community** — an evening designed to help founders, builders, and creative thinkers connect meaningfully. This event is perfect for you if you: ✅ Have an idea and need a technical or business co-founder ✅ Are an engineer, designer, PM, marketer, or operator who wants to join an early-stage startup ✅ Want to validate an idea or find collaborators ✅ Want to expand your founder network in Dublin ✅ Are curious about Ireland’s startup ecosystem *** # ✅ **What to Expect** **1️⃣ Founder & Builder Introductions** Everyone gets a quick 30–45 seconds to share who they are, their skills, and what they’re looking for. **2️⃣ Lightning Idea Pitches (Optional)** Up to 10 attendees can pitch a startup idea (60 seconds each). **3️⃣ Connection Circles** Meet people based on interest areas: • AI / SaaS • Fintech • Consumer / Marketplace • Healthtech • Social Impact • Design / Product / Engineering / Growth **4️⃣ Open Networking** Grab a drink, exchange contact info, and keep the conversations going. *** # ✅ **Event Details** 📍 **Venue:** The Food Hall, UCD Belfield 📅 **Thursday, 15 January 2026** ⏰ **6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Car Park is Free after 5 pm at the campus)** 🎟️ **In-Person Event — Free to attend** *** # ✅ **What to Bring** • Your LinkedIn / QR code • Your idea (even if rough) • Openness to connect • Good energy 🚀 This is where the next wave of Irish startups will meet.

**Welcome to DSF Sandbox Sessions!** Top tech talks and masterclasses from the best in the industry. Every month, and completely free. The catch? There isn’t one. Just a monthly dose of epic content to power up your data passion! **Event details** 📆 **Date:** Tuesday 13th January 2026 ⏰ **Time:** 2:00 – 4:00 PM GMT / 09:00 – 11:00 AM EST. 💡 **Topic:** Optimizing EV Charging Stations: A Live Code-Along in Zerve 🗣️ **Speakers:** Greg Michaelson and Jason Hillary Join Greg Michaelson and Jason Hillary for a fully interactive, hands-on code-along where you’ll build an end-to-end optimization project from scratch using Zerve’s new notebook view. You’ll write code with us step by step, ask questions as you go, and learn how to model a synthetic city, generate EV charging demand, define an optimization objective, and use heuristic search to place charging stations efficiently. This session is designed for active participation: follow along, experiment, and get real-time guidance from two experienced PhD data scientists. Everyone who attends gets **free Zerve credits** so you can continue exploring and applying these techniques long after the workshop. **Key takeaways from attending this event:** * How to translate a real-world planning problem into an optimization objective (for example, constructing a weighted distance function and defining constraints like service radius.) * How to implement and iterate on heuristic optimization methods (such as k-medoids–style search) to improve facility placement without relying on packaged solvers. * How to build and visualize an end-to-end optimization workflow in Zerve, including generating synthetic spatial data, evaluating solutions, and comparing baseline vs optimized layouts. Please sign up for Zerve at **[https://www.zerve.ai/?utm_source=dsf-jan26](https://www.zerve.ai/?utm_source=dsf-jan26)** as this is the platform we’ll be using during the code-along. We’ll provide you with additional free credits at the session. Get ready to have some fun! **Registering for the event:** Click the 'Sign up here!' button on the specific event page following the link below. Once you have completed the registration form, you will be emailed a link to join the webinar. You will also receive a reminder link one week, one day and one hour prior to the event. **PLEASE NOTE: Clicking 'attend' on Meetup does not register you for the event. You will need to register for the event on the link provided below to receive a joining link. If you do not, you will not be able to join the event.** **[Click here to sign up for this specific event](https://datasciencefestival.com/session/optimizing-ev-charging-stations-a-live-code-along-in-zerve/)** Please note the time zone when you book this event.

**History** [Blacklick Woods Metro Park](https://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/blacklick-woods/), established in 1949, holds the distinction of being the first Columbus Metro Park. Its creation stemmed from a post-World War II push to preserve natural areas amid rapid suburban growth. The land, originally farmland and woodlots along Blacklick Creek, was acquired by the Columbus Metropolitan Park Board through donations and purchases. Early efforts focused on basic trail development and reforestation to combat erosion. The park's name derives from the creek, which early settlers called "Black Lick" due to its dark, mineral-rich waters. By the 1950s, it served as a model for the expanding Metro Parks system. In the 1960s, Blacklick Woods expanded significantly with additional land acquisitions, reaching over 600 acres. A golf course was added in 1964, one of the first public courses in the region, designed to generate revenue for park maintenance. Native American artifacts, including arrowheads from the Adena culture, were discovered during construction, highlighting the area's prehistoric use as hunting grounds. The park introduced interpretive programs to educate visitors on local ecology and history. Flood control measures along the creek became a priority after heavy rains caused damage. These developments solidified its role as a recreational hub. The 1970s and 1980s brought environmental awareness, leading to habitat restoration projects at Blacklick Woods. Invasive species were removed, and native wildflowers were planted in the meadows. A nature center opened in 1976, featuring exhibits on wetlands and forests. The park's slate-covered bridge, a remnant of 19th-century infrastructure, was preserved as a historic feature. Birdwatching gained popularity with the addition of observation decks. Community volunteers played a key role in trail maintenance and cleanups. During the 1990s, Blacklick Woods underwent major upgrades, including paved multi-use trails for biking and hiking. The Walter A. Tucker Nature Preserve, a 53-acre old-growth forest within the park, was dedicated in 1995 to protect rare beech-maple woodlands. Educational partnerships with local schools introduced field trips on topics like stream ecology. The golf course was renovated to improve playability while minimizing environmental impact. Annual events, such as the fall festival, drew thousands to celebrate the park's natural beauty. These enhancements balanced recreation with conservation. In the 21st century, Blacklick Woods has adapted to increasing visitation with sustainable practices. Solar panels were installed at facilities in the 2010s to reduce energy costs. The park now spans 643 acres, offering diverse habitats from wetlands to uplands. Recent initiatives include pollinator gardens and prescribed burns to maintain prairie areas. It remains a flagship for the Metro Parks, inspiring similar preservations system-wide. Ongoing archaeological surveys continue to uncover traces of early inhabitants. **Map of the Park** Here is a [map of Blacklick Woods](https://www.metroparks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BLK-map-May-2025-with-extended-greenway_1980px.jpg). **Summary** For this event, we will hike about 4.5 miles by doing a couple loops of the Buttonbush, Tucker, Maple Loop, and Beech trails. Blacklick Woods is a very nice park, but it is generally flat and not strenuous, so this will be one of the easier hikes that we do. **Where We'll Meet** Drive all the way to the back of the park to the parking lot that is nearest the Nature Center. There are restrooms here next to the Canopy Walk. We'll meet near these restrooms. Speaking of the [Canopy Walk](https://www.metroparks.net/blog/canopy-walk-is-your-gateway-to-the-sky/), it's not officially part of the event this time. However, if interested people want to freelance and check it out after the hike (before heading to the brewery), that's okay. **After the Hike** After we're done with the trails, we'll head to [Prost Beer & Wine Café](https://prostcafe.com/) for drinks and [food](https://prostcafe.com/reynoldsburg-prost-beer-and-wine-cafe-food-menu). The actual address of the brewery is [7354 E Main St, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068](https://www.google.com/maps/place/7354+E+Main+St,+Reynoldsburg,+OH+43068/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x8838648cfb8d2dbb:0x545274bab130e9bb?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111), and we should be there by 5:00 if you just want to do that and skip the hike.

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Optional topic for this meet up: Is life a dream? Dreams feel real while they last. Could life work the same way? How do we know we’re awake, and what follows if we can’t be sure? Let’s kick that around over a around of drinks: • What makes something feel real: continuity, shared evidence, or meaning? • How would you tell you’re awake (reality checks, memory, other people)? • If life is dreamlike, what becomes of free will and responsibility? • Is identity a story we keep telling—who’s the narrator? • Are we author, actor, or audience in our dreams and how would you tell? • Does art/film reveal reality or replace it? No lectures. Friendly crowd. Drop in for one drink and stay if it’s fun.

Join us at the Pickerington Public Library for an afternoon board game party. This all ages event will meet in the front meeting room, with kids games and light/medium weight adult games for the grown ups. Come and make new friends while playing some favorites like Uno, Carcasonne, Catan, Ticket to Ride, or whatever your favorite games are! You can bring snacks to this room, and can check out games from the library's game collection.

## Learn Infrastructure-as-Code (the FUN Way) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: Azure CBUS × Columbus HashiCorp User Group** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint Azure CBUS and Columbus HashiCorp User Group meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. ### What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time ### Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐 Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/

**(‼️‼️*Important:* You must sign up through this link [HERE](https://calendly.com/movewithcouragecoaching/live-workshop-career-visionboard) to be enrolled in the workshop. Signing up on Meetup won't fully register you!‼️‼️)** **WHAT:** An online workshop with included workbook to design your career vision, and bring it to life in a vision board. * Anyone ready to change something in their career, but unsure where to start * Anyone considering upgrading their career, and ready to take a small step forward * Anyone who can’t answer “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” **WHY?** ⭐️ Revitalize your career vision and goals 💪 Reconnect with your inner leadership 📈 Make informed decisions and actions aligned to your desires 🖼 Build a visual reminder of your unique career vision, to motivate you as you move forward. **COST:** Only $25. Includes immediate download of recorded workshop and editable workbook, in multiple formats. **DON'T Want to wait?** Purchase the pre-recorded workshop and do it today [HERE](https://movewithcouragecoaching.com/career-vision-board-workshop-sign-up) **QUESTIONS?** Email contact@movewithcouragecoaching.com

Our monthly PHP meetup. A virtual shindig courtesy of Zoom. Check back here for the details around 6:15 pm