Competition

We’re excited to bring the community together for an evening of learning and connection. This time, we'll have a community member sharing a use case and, as usual, an Elastic employee sharing their expertise as well. Come support your fellow developers, learn something new, and meet others who are passionate about search, observability, and security. **Date and Time:** Tuesday, February, 10th from 5:30-7:30 pm EDT **Location:** Elastic Arlington Office - 4100 Fairfax Drive, Ste 500, Arlington, VA 22203 **Agenda:** * 5:30 pm: Doors open; say hi, grab a seat, and eat some food. * 6:00 pm: "Streaming Context: Powering Semantic Search with Kafka and Elasticsearch", by Sandon Jacobs, Developer Advocate at Confluent * 6:30 pm: Q&A * 6:40 pm: "Agent Builder: Providing Relevant Context for Data Driven Agents", by Joe Gentsch, Senior Solutions Architect at Elastic * 7:10 pm: Q&A * 7:20-7:30 pm: Networking & refreshments **Talk Abstracts:** **"Streaming Context: Powering Semantic Search with Kafka and Elasticsearch"** As the de facto platform for event streaming, we’ve seen how data from Apache Kafka can easily empower basic keyword search. But let's be real, modern semantic search applications need *context* to interpret the real meaning and intent of a user's query. We could wait around for the next batch job to kick off and provide that context... *or* we could serve it up in near real-time right from our data streams. In this talk, we'll discuss how to leverage data streams from Kafka to power much smarter semantic search with Elasticsearch. We’ll follow a simple event from a Kafka topic and see how it transforms into a powerful vector embedding. Then, we’ll see this whole flow in action using a k-Nearest Neighbor search to instantly find similar items in milliseconds. While my code examples will be in Java or Kotlin using the Spring Boot and Spring AI ecosystem, FEAR NOT! The core concepts—getting data into a vector format via a stream—are totally language agnostic. Join us to grab a few practical ideas you can take and use in your next project! **"Agent Builder: Providing Relevant Context for Data Driven Agents"** What are agents? What is context engineering? Join us as we dive into the importance of context engineering for providing relevant information to agents, and how to build grounded agents using Elastic Agent Builder. **Parking:** * The building’s parking garage is operated by Colonial Parking and is located off N. Randolph Street * Book a spot on[ SpotHero](https://spothero.com/search?kind=address&latitude=38.8818514&longitude=-77.1095268&search_string=4100+Fairfax+Dr+%23500%2C+Arlington%2C+VA+22203%2C+USA) * A Metro Station is located across the street

I have been pretty quiet here for a minute, but recently started going to the weekly Commander night at Hobby Place and really enjoy it. The right balance of competitive and chill. They get a sizeable turnout, no entry fee (though I highly encourage buying a pack or two to thank the store for hosting). Format appears to be a range of difficulties, I know a few top tier decks are floating around, but most players seem chill and play say 3-7 range on a 1-10 scale. Its also nice to see a store hosting in this area. Its metro accessible and lots of parking on the block around it. From Braddock Metro: * Simply walk East on Wythe St for 10 minutes, the store is on your left. Driving: * Its at the corner of the N Washington St and Wythe. Get there and drive around the block to find street parking. I'm told they will stay open until after midnight for Commander. I've stayed as late as almost midnight, despite the store closing at 9pm. Big kudos to the store staff for being that cool.

We’re excited to continue building AI in Practice with our monthly social! 🎉 Each month, we’ll host an informal happy hour and dinner at Upside on Moore in Rosslyn. Come join fellow AI builders, professionals, and curious minds for a relaxed evening of conversation, connection, and community. Whether you’re working on AI systems, advising on responsible adoption, or just interested in how AI is shaping law, compliance, finance, healthcare, defense, software, mission-driven organizations, or public service — this is a chance to meet like-minded people and help shape what this community becomes. 🍸 Drinks and food are available for purchase at the venue. 🤝 No formal agenda — just introductions, networking, and sharing what excites us about AI in practice. We’re so grateful for the early enthusiasm, and we look forward to seeing you each month as this community grows! **Date, Time & Location** 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Thursday 23 October 2025 Upside on Moore 1831 Moore Street Arlington, VA 22209

Join us for a discussion and open play Tuesdays at 7pm Lamond Riggs/Huff Library 5401 South Dakota Ave., NE Washington, DC 20011 If you cannot see the flier and instead see the default photo, it means the censorship engine is working. Try [https://www.meetup.com/rockville-chess-meetup/photos/33350169/511337001/](https://www.meetup.com/rockville-chess-meetup/photos/33350169/511337001/) .

This is a weekly Commander event, at Nic's place in Alexandria. We are a chill semi regular group, most of us have been playing in the Meetup for over a decade and welcome new and veteran members. **Time**: starts at 6pm but show up any time after. We usually go to 10/11. **Format**: still experimenting with the new brackets. If you haven't updated your decks for brackets, thats okay - just let us know before we start. **House rules:** * 1 free extra mulligan, plus 1 extra for any zero or 6+ land hands (show us) * We use Partial Paris Mulligans beyond your free mulligans * We try to follow the bracket list for game changers and play 2 & 3 bracket mostly, but are happy to do house rules to accommodate something (full list and brackets [HERE](https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/commander-brackets-and-game-changers)) * Mana Crypt is permitted\*\*\* * Un cards and other funny non-legal cards can be rule zero/house ruled before the match starts, if you ask us * Proxies are okay, but must be readable * Alcohol is okay, but must use my cup holders and if you get too drunk or rowdy, you are out * I'll provide snacks and some basic drinks **Note**: Location is provided below, but know that you can easily reach my place via metro (King Street then take bus 31 or walk to my house) or from 395 take King Street exit.

**🐍 🛢️ How To Sell Snake Oil (& Your Best Ideas)** Persuasive Speech Patterns with Dr. Ed Tori ***‼️In person at room 401-D at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC*** **How do you get your ideas to land?** Have you ever heard phrases like “there’s no buy-in,” “they’re resistant,” or “this group will not move.” But what if resistance is not the problem? What if the issue is the way we communicate? In this lively, participatory workshop, **Dr. Ed Tori** will introduce you to a set of practical and surprisingly playful **persuasive speech patterns** drawn from his work in influence, hypnosis, storytelling, and behavior change. You will learn how people naturally shift into more persuasive communication when pressure is removed and creativity is sparked. At the center of the experience is a hilarious improvisational game inspired by the card game Snake Oil. Participants take on imaginative roles like zombies, pirates, or kindergarteners. Others must invent and pitch made-up products on the spot. The role-play creates immediate psychological safety and unlocks natural persuasive instincts you may not realize you have. Ed uses these moments to teach simple, powerful patterns you can apply to real conversations. **What you will explore** * Why people communicate more confidently and creatively when the stakes feel low * How persuasive speech patterns can transform conversations in facilitation, coaching, leadership, and team settings * Why resistance is often a signal of mismatched framing rather than unwillingness * How to speak to the human behind the role, label, or stereotype * How playful practice builds shared language, humor, and camaraderie among intact teams * How these patterns apply across contexts: healthcare, corporate environments, education, and family systems **What you will experience** * A fast-paced, interactive group exercise that helps you practice persuasive communication through play * Step-by-step teaching of speech patterns you can start using immediately * Opportunities to experiment, reflect, and compare approaches * Practical tools you can adapt for your own clients, teams, or classrooms **Who this is for** * Anyone who works with groups and wants their ideas to be heard. * Ideal for facilitators, coaches, consultants, organizational development practitioners, educators, designers, and leaders at any level. This session is especially helpful for people who work in environments where “resistance,” “lack of buy-in,” and “difficult stakeholders” are common refrains. **About the presenter** * Dr. Ed Tori is a physician, educator, and expert in influence and communication whose work blends behavioral science, improvisation, and hypnotic language patterns. He teaches leaders, clinicians, and teams how to help others think, feel, and act differently through ethical persuasion and intentional communication. His sessions are energetic, funny, experiential, and unforgettable. * NOVA Scribes has entered into a partnership with the IFVP: the International Forum of Visual Practitioners! This workshop is an IFVP Learning Lab. All IFVP members have access to Learning Labs at https://ifvpforum.circle.so/c/learning-hub/ This workshop will be recorded and posted on YouTube for anyone who cannot attend. You can find the YouTube link in the Comments section of this NOVA Scribes Meetup event once the workshop video has been uploaded to YouTube. You can find previously recorded videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJfInZHmS8prj2_DUaJ35CYY8n7SzoPMJ We’re not charging for this workshop, but we will be asking for donations! Donations cover the costs of hosting events on Meetup, to honorariums for new graphic recorders, and scholarships. Please be sure you are registered on Meetup! If your Zoom name doesn’t match your name on Meetup, you will not be admitted. (We’ve had Zoom bombers.)

Competition Night - OPEN – **THIS IS AN IN PERSON EVENT!!** Mark Nelson is an avid amateur since high school. Photography was a great outlet during the stress of graduate school, and a regular companion on my travels for work and pleasure over the last 40 years. Actively supporting our passion as officer of Tidewater Camera Club the last 5 years. Night Photography Definition: *Any photography taken during the night – after dusk and before dawn. The photo needs to show evidence of having been taken at night. Any lighting can be used or shown.* This is an IN PERSON EVENT!! *** The rules for competition and how to submit images can be found on the Silver Spring Camera Club website. (http://www.ssccphotography.org/official-competition-rules-and-awards/) Competition topic definitions can be found on the Silver Spring Camera Club website. https://www.ssccphotography.org/ *** About the Silver Spring Camera Club: We meet the first three Thursdays of every month, September – May, and one day on a weekend for a field trip to an interesting photogenic location in the area. More information about the Silver Spring Camera Club can be found on our website (http://www.ssccphotography.org/) regarding speakers, competitions, field trips, our monthly "A Closer Focus" forums, and a link to our award winning newsletter the "Cable Release". Visitors to the Club are always welcome to attend meetings, and we hope to see you soon! Membership is a very reasonable $50 for individual members, $80 for family and only $35 for students. Please see the link to our membership application, below, for available discounts. https://www.ssccphotography.org/online-membership-form/ Why become a member of the Silver Spring Camera Club? We are a diverse group of photographers who love field trips, competitions, opportunities to see the world captured by other people's viewpoints, and sharing our knowledge, experience and love of photography. Membership in the club gives you the opportunity to enter your photos in our monthly competitions, to receive our award-winning monthly newsletter the Cable Release, join our field trips without paying the $10 non-member fee, and more! Visit us on the web: http://www.ssccphotography.org/

Top level Backgammon Tournament play. Have fun and improve your game. Free lessons to new and inexperienced players. Club been active over 30 years, posting on Meetup is new.

We will be meeting at Starbucks to learn together. Come with an online class you're already going through or an interest and we will try to connect you with a course where you can learn it. Already have a skill you want to contribute to a Kaggle Datascience competition? We will work on these too! Laptop required :)

Ready to build something amazing without writing a single line of code? Or want a front-row seat to watch it all come together? Join us for an AI-powered hackathon where you’ll create an app using **Lovable** – the no-code platform that turns plain English prompts into real products. This will be an interactive, high-energy event – not a sit-down lecture. Builders will be hands-on and products will be built! How it works: * We’ll form small AI building groups – no need to come with a team. * Bring a laptop to help your team build by adding features or testing your product. * Each group will collaborate to build an app and share it at the end. * The product brief will be revealed at the start – no prep required! * All Lovable credits are covered – no fees involved. Whether you’re curious about AI tools, eager to experiment, or just want to see how others build fast, this is your chance to experience the future of app creation. Since group spots are limited, please RSVP **only if you’re sure you can commit**. **Agenda:** * **5:00pm - 5:30pm – Arrival / Networking** * **5:30pm - 6:00pm – Hackathon brief** * **6:00pm - 7:00pm – Build time** * **7:00pm - 7:20PM – Networking / Shortlist** * **7:20pm - 7:50pm – Finalist demo, voting and prizes** * **7:50pm - 8:30pm – Wrap-up / Networking** This event will be held at Amazon’s HQ2 in National Landing, Arlington. Please bring a photo ID that matches your registration name to check in with security. There are metro stops (Pentagon City, Crystal City) and parking garages within convenient walking distance. There is also some street parking available in the vicinity.

Let’s try MILO this week. Back to our old stomping ground COLUMBUS RECREATION CENTERS require membership fee to play. Register & Pay at the desk when you arrive. $5 day pass is available for first time players. I have some extra pickle ball paddles and balls if you don’t have one. Definitely bring your own paddle if you have one and bring some balls if you have them. Legal Stuff: The event hosts/Organizers are just fellow member volunteers. By participating in any event, you assume all risks of liability and injury inherent in these activities. You are responsible for your own safety and for determining if you are in condition fit to participate. You are also responsible for knowing and abiding by all laws and rules during your participation in any event.
 Photos & or Video: by attending these events you acknowledge photos and or video may be taken and used on this and other platforms.

Whether you've never done improv before, or you've done it for so long you knew Del Close on a personal level, or anywhere in between, come join us! Swing by *Gresso's* for the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup** for some fun and games! The idea behind improv is to create entire scenes from scratch based on a suggestion from the audience. This can be done in game form, like *Whose Line Is It Anyway*, *ComedySportz*, or *Wild 'n Out*; it could also be done to tell stories, like *Middleditch and Schwartz*. Our meetup, which is central Ohio's longest running (and free!) weekly comedy event, brings the games (and occasionally different forms) for you to play in a safe, supportive, and compassionate environment. Not only is it a lot of fun, but you get to work on thinking faster on your feet, plus it's an excellent way to meet new people and make friendships that'll last a lifetime! Ask yourself if you want to join the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup**, and say "Yes, And" that you'll have fun!

Dale Gnidovec, Curator of the Orton Hall Museum of Geology at The Ohio State University, will be presenting a program he has wanted to share with us for a long time: Plate Tectonics. His description of his program: Continents on the move - Nothing in Earth history makes sense without moving continents - it tells us why mountains, volcanoes, minerals, and fossils are where they are. This talk examines the evidence for continental drift, why it was disbelieved, and explains how the more-encompassing theory of plate tectonics was developed and eventually proven. Dale is an energetic, incredibly knowledgeable, and very entertaining speaker and this will be another wonderful program by Dale. Hope to see you there! Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk. 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

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!

A very Midwest way to spend the night. 🖤 Euchre Night at TownHall Short North brings cards, cocktails, and community together for an easygoing evening of friendly competition. All skill levels welcome—confidence encouraged.