Cryptography

Join us at the next monthly London Security Engineering meetup! **🍕 6:00pm: Arrive** \- Kick off the evening with light refreshments and networking \(30 mins\) 🎤 **6:30pm:** **Main Talk** \- Kat Traxler\, who will be speaking on: "Azure's Unnamed Operators \- Threat Modelling Platform\-Level Identities\." **☕ 7:15pm: Q&A -** Questions and discussion **🍻 7:45pm: Pub** \- We usually go to a neighbouring pub for a drink after\! This event is a good opportunity to gain practical insights, meet fellow security professionals and discuss the latest trends in the industry. 📅 **When:** Wednesday 1st July 2026 *This event is made possible by the teams at Maze, MMC and Tracebit.*

This a BSL practice group for level 1 students and above. We will be meeting at the national theatre in southbank

Every year it’s a mad scramble to get in somewhere to watch the match but trust me - THIS IS THE BEST LOCATION TO WATCH THE FOOTBALL. Multiple screens that can be seen everywhere in the venue, cheap pints, Food & Drinks Deals. I've booked 2 tables in the outside area at front but DO ARRIVE before 5:00pm as it will be busy and tables will be first come, first served. It's FREE ENTRY so bring your friends, bring your foes, bring the flatmate that doesn’t really like football but still want’s to be part of the action because things are hotting up. Clearly, it’s coming home. Definitely. This time 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿😄🍻 NOTE: We'll then have the Live Music Gig Meetup downstairs from 7:30pm. \-\-\- 👀 Something is happening... The best way I can describe it is like one member said to me: 'Tim - It's like freshers week, every week, but better, with bands and stuff...' and that's how it's been over the last 7 years since we created this group. It's honestly the most fun we've had and I'm inviting everyone of you because something's been happening for a while now and you just don't know about it...It's a Showcase of some of the Best London bands playing their music in London - and it's also a MEETUP group, so you can watch the gig with a mix of regular members and newcomers. Feel free to come on your own or bring your friends and meet new people. Look for the 'MEETUP SIGN' or ask the Host on the Door when you arrive. It's an awesome line-up and at one of the Top Venues in London - Great place for a beer, meet new people and see some amazing unsigned bands! 🔥🔥🚒🍻 \* ‼️ THE ULTIMATE LONDON GIG MEETUP! ‼️ \* There aren't enough emojis for this, so I'll keep it simple: BE THERE. If you've been to the MEET-UPS over the last 7 years, you'll know what it's all about so come down, bring your friends, bring your foes, cancel your wedding, book Granny out of the retirement home. Whatever it takes, she won't want miss it 😄🍻 \* WHATSAPP GROUP: We're a friendly mix; English, French, Australian, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Japanese people so I'm sure you will meet someone that shares a passion for Rocking Music. Don't worry if attendance looks low, we are meeting other Meetup / WhatsApp / Facebook Groups and a lot of my friends don't RSVP. I can also add you to the Event's WHATSAPP GROUP if you are interested in joining - Just message me your number. \* DISCLAIMER: I work for the Venue / Promoters. It's just for fun nights and meeting people. We are not responsible for you or your belongings. By attending this event you agree to waiver liability for the Host :) Please bring ID to events as some are 18+. You may appear in photos/videos of the gig. Thank you \* All Gig Meetups here 👀‼️👇 [https://dice.fm/promoters/london-music-showcase-6ko3](https://dice.fm/promoters/london-music-showcase-6ko3) [https://www.instagram.com/londonmusicshowcase/](https://www.instagram.com/londonmusicshowcase/) [https://www.meetup.com/London-Music-Showcase-Gigs-Drinks/](https://www.meetup.com/London-Music-Showcase-Gigs-Drinks/) [https://www.facebook.com/LondonMusicShowcase](https://www.facebook.com/LondonMusicShowcase)

Hi folks! Welcome to our July Cloud Native London meetup! Join us to hear from our two speakers and network with your fellow techies over pizza and drinks, or alternatively chat and following along on Youtube or LinkedIn! 6:00 Pizza and drinks 6:30 Welcome 6:45 Architecting Safe Autonomy: High-Stakes Autonomous Agents Need Deterministic Checkpoints for Safety (Hossein Kakavand, Luther Systems) 7:15 Putting Open GitOps to the test (Steve Fenton, Octopus Deploy) 7:45 Wrap up See you there! Cheryl (@oicheryl) **Putting Open GitOps to the test (Steve Fenton, Octopus Deploy)** The Open GitOps principles sound plausible, but the world is full of surprising realities. Join Steve Fenton and explore the GitOps research to see whether GitOps delivers on its promises, based on an analysis of over 600 perspectives from roles like DevOps engineers, developers, platform engineers, and cloud infrastructure engineers. *Steve Fenton researches the socio-technical systems behind software delivery; how organizations, people, and technology actually work together (or don’t). At Octopus Deploy, he explores GitOps, Platform Engineering, Continuous Delivery, and compliance through a lens shaped by punk history, psychology, and the kind of genre fiction that asks uncomfortable questions about systems and society.* *He’s an eight-time Microsoft MVP (DevOps), a DORA Community Guide, a CD Foundation Governing Board member, and a contributor to the CNCF Platform Engineering Community Group. He’s written books on TypeScript, Octopus Deploy, and Web Operations Monitoring, and occasionally writes horror fiction.* *https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefenton/* *https://mastodon.social/@stevefenton* *https://bsky.app/profile/stevefenton.co.uk* **Architecting Safe Autonomy: High-Stakes Autonomous Agents Need Deterministic Checkpoints for Safety (Hossein Kakavand, Luther Systems)** The more freedom we give an autonomous agent, the more it drifts into hallucinations or policy violations, yet clamping it down with prompts kills the reasoning we want. Think Brownian Motion versus a Brownian Bridge: a random walk wanders anywhere, but pin it at fixed points and it moves freely between them while always landing where it must. Deterministic checkpoints are those pins. InsideOut applies this to infrastructure. It works with the user to shape a feature set, stack, config, Terraform and cost estimates, then deploys and manages the infrastructure in real time for monitoring, alerts and changes. Each stage must produce a structured artifact validated against fixed rules, and if a check fails only that stage repeats, catching errors before they propagate. High-stakes actions stay locked down by design: the agent can request a deploy by presenting a button, but never holds the cloud keys itself. The result is an agent that is more productive precisely because it is safely unconstrained. *Hossein Kakavand holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has been with several start up in AI, ML and Distributed Systems, with IPOs on NASDAQ and LSE. He is currently a Co-Founder of Luther Systems focused on solving the Enterprise Operations problem at scale. @HosseinKavavand* ***Check out [https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon](https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon) if you're interested in speaking or sponsoring.***

👀 Something is happening… The best way I can describe it is like one member said to me: ‘Tim - It’s like freshers week, every week, but better, with bands and stuff…’ and that’s how it’s been over the last 7 years since we created this group. It’s honestly the most fun we’ve had and I’m inviting everyone of you because something’s been happening for a while now and you just don’t know about it…It’s a Showcase of some of the Best London bands playing their music in London - and it’s also a MEETUP group, so you can watch the gig with a mix of regular members and newcomers. Feel free to come on your own or bring your friends and meet new people. Look for the ‘MEETUP SIGN’ or ask the Host on the Door when you arrive. It’s an awesome line-up and at one of the Top Venues in London - Great place for a beer, meet new people and see some amazing unsigned bands! 🔥🔥🚒🍻 \* ‼️ THE ULTIMATE LONDON GIG MEETUP! ‼️ LONDON MUSIC SHOWCASE Presents: **ULTIMATE SHOWCASE** **The PHOENIX in SOHO** July 1st WEDNESDAY [SCARLETT JESSICA](https://www.instagram.com/scarlettjessicaa?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) \- Headliner [PUNCH DRUNK PIRATES](https://www.instagram.com/punchdrunkpirates?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) [ZACHARY SPENCE](https://www.instagram.com/zacharypence04?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) [REN SHELTER](https://www.instagram.com/ren_shelter?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) \* There aren’t enough emojis for this, so I’ll keep it simple: BE THERE. If you’ve been to the MEET-UPS over the last 7 years, you’ll know what it’s all about so come down, bring your friends, bring your foes, cancel your wedding, book Granny out of the retirement home. Whatever it takes, she won’t want miss it 😄🍻 \* WHATSAPP GROUP: We’re a friendly mix; English, French, Australian, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Japanese people so I’m sure you will meet someone that shares a passion for Rocking Music. Don't worry if attendance looks low, we are meeting other Meetup / WhatsApp / Facebook Groups and a lot of my friends don't RSVP. I can also add you to the Event’s WHATSAPP GROUP if you are interested in joining - Just message me your number. \* ***IMPORTANT*** This is a TICKETED EVENT: If you would like to come, simply message me directly through this Group and I will send you the details on how to download a DISCOUNTED TICKET (Click my profile - there is an icon at the top for Private Messages) \* DISCLAIMER: I work for the Venue / Promoters. It’s just for fun nights and meeting people. We are not responsible for you or your belongings. By attending this event you agree to waiver liability for the Host :) Please bring ID to events as some are 18+. You may appear in photos/videos of the gig. Thank you \* All Gig Meetups here 👀‼️👇 https://dice.fm/promoters/london-music-showcase-6ko3 https://www.instagram.com/londonmusicshowcase/ https://www.meetup.com/London-Music-Showcase-Gigs-Drinks/ https://www.facebook.com/LondonMusicShowcase

**Join us in celebrating 10 years of building a poetry movement** **Would you like to be part of our 10 years poetry book and secure a spot at the open mic during the Newham Poetry Festival?** What’s included? 1.⁠ ⁠FREE co-creative poetry sessions 2.⁠ ⁠FREE tailored coaching to support your writing 3.⁠ ⁠Opportunity to be published in the anniversary book 4.⁠ ⁠Chance to perform at the festival open mic Dates Wednesdays from 13 May to 29th July 6.15 -7.45pm Stratford library (3 The Grove, E15 1EL) **Commitment Participants must attend a minimum of 9 sessions to be included in the publication and the open mic** **Register at newhampoetrygroup@gmail.com**

Taking inspiration from the exhibition at the V&A Photography Centre we will embark on a street and environmental photography workshop. Photographers currently on display are Elliott Erwitt, Robert Mapplethorpe, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston and the controversial Sally Mann amongst other giants. Come and learn a little history of the photographers and be surprised at who shot some well known music album covers! Afterwards we will head out and shoot street and environmental photography around South Kensington. EQUIPMENT * Any camera * Any lens * An open mind and fun attitude! TRANSPORT As usual check the TFL website for any disruptions that may delay your journey on the day. CONTACT Alex 07956 264049 **UPCOMING EVENTS** **VENICE PHOTOGRAPHY WEEKEND - Oct 2026** **[https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographicopa/events/313109095](https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographicopa/events/313109095)** **MONTHLY EVENTS** **[www.meetup.com/londonphotographicopa/events](https://www.meetup.com/londonphotographicopa/events)** Cover photo ©Elliott Erwitt

Register: [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ljc-meetup-at-neo4j-smarter-search-with-spring-ai-and-neo4j-tickets-1991379537804](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ljc-meetup-at-neo4j-smarter-search-with-spring-ai-and-neo4j-tickets-1991379537804) LJC Meet-ups is a series of events, aimed at giving all Community members an opportunity to present at an LJC event. We're excited to invite you to our next Meetup, co-hosted with **neo4j**! Join the London Java Community for an evening of technical talks, networking, and knowledge sharing hosted by Neo4j. This month’s meetup explores two of the hottest areas in modern software development: integrating Generative AI into Java applications and deploying Machine Learning models within Java ecosystems. Whether you’re a Java developer, architect, data engineer, or simply curious about the latest innovations shaping our industry, this session will provide practical insights and real-world examples from experienced practitioners.

**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?** Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎 Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic. Please note that RSVP via the meetup app is mandatory, including for any people you bring along with you so we and the venue have headcount and know who is with us. The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌 📓 **HOW DOES IT WORK?** Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B6fqS6HGujq8gb3a0kl5pS), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going. When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture. **General Meeting Agenda** Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline: * 14:00-14.15 - Arrive, take a seat so there is 4-7 ppl per table. Shuffle around if you want to sit at a different table to meet new faces, and do your table introductions. This is also when I check people in on the Meetup app. RSVP for you and any guests is mandatory. * 14:15-14:20 - Once everyone has been checked in on the Meetup app, I will give a short explainer on what PPC is about, read the guidelines, introduce topic’s jump-off points. * 14:20-15:20 - Kick off with general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them. * 15:20-15:30 - We typically take a group photo. If you don't want to be in the group photo, there's no pressure, it's just a way to close out the meeting. We occasionally have an unofficial social so the different groups can mingle afterwards too, usually in the park with a board-game or we continue out discussions and hear what members on other tables discussed! **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend, and we operate on donations. If you'd like to donate to support our running costs, that helps keep our group self-sustaining. Donations are 100% voluntary, but your contribution is appreciated! QR codes to donate will be present. Tea’s and coffees and are paid by the individual should they wish to have them. **💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY** 🗣 “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam 🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel **🤓 FAQ** * What will we talk about? What's the topic? The topic for the week is shared every week in the Whatsapp group before the session. We try to add the topic to the comment section on this event page as well but if you don’t see it, the topic and the jump-off points will be in our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B6fqS6HGujq8gb3a0kl5pS). * Do I need to study or read anything to attend? No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what YOU think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it, but it's not required. * Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on? The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school. * Is it mostly men that attend? Surprisingly, no! Although philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms. * Can I come alone? Of course you can, we encourage it :) * Can I be late? Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation. * Where do you meet? The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B6fqS6HGujq8gb3a0kl5pS) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/). 🤝**POLICY** To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment. **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY - Making Philosophy Available To All.** ✨ Practical Philosophy hosts weekly, in-person meetups in 25+ countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ \*\*\* Join our [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B6fqS6HGujq8gb3a0kl5pS) 👈 Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/?hl=en) 👈 Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club) 👈

When people know they are being watched, by governments, corporations, or even those closest to them, something shifts. They begin to self-censor, to soften their opinions, to avoid behaviors that might invite judgment. Gradually, the performance becomes the person. What starts as caution hardens into habit, and habit reshapes identity. Without privacy, people are not acting from genuine values or beliefs. They are playing to an audience they can never fully see. A society built on constant surveillance may appear orderly on the surface, but beneath that order lies something quieter and more corrosive: anxiety, conformity, and the slow erosion of the self. When we lose the ability to exist unobserved, we lose something essential about what it means to be free. Is privacy a right, or is it a luxury? Can you freely think if you know someone is watching? Would you trade your privacy for safety? Here is a video you may like: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7JWIhJG5Xw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7JWIhJG5Xw) *Please do your own research and share resources related to this topic in the comments below.* —————————————————————————————— **💛 Support The Examined Life** Enjoying the discussions? Please consider donating, it keeps us running. 👉 Donate here: [https://examinedlife.uk/donation/](https://examinedlife.uk/donation/) —————————————————————————————— **Join our Telegram group chat** Stay connected between sessions: [https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk](https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk) —————————————————————————————— **About the session** The Examined Life "Let's Discuss…" session is an open, welcoming discussion, no prior reading or expertise required. Format: * **13:15** Free-flowing group discussion on the topic * **14:00 (ish)** We split into smaller groups for deeper conversation on what interests you most * **16:00** Official end of the meetup. Most attendees stay on and keep chatting until around 18:00 —————————————————————————————— **Please RSVP accurately** Please update your RSVP if plans change, it helps us plan and frees up spots for others. —————————————————————————————— **Artwork:** The False Mirror 1929 by René Magritte

Hello and welcome to our special joint meetup between **Cloud Platform Engineering London**, **Cloud Platform Engineering Leaders**, **Data & AI Leaders**, **AWS AI UG**, **Azure AI UG**, and **GCP London**. This crossover event brings together platform engineers, cloud architects, data and AI leaders, SREs, engineering managers, technology executives, and practitioners exploring how AI is reshaping modern cloud platforms, developer workflows, business transformation, and enterprise engineering. This is a special **Community Stack ecosystem event**, bringing together several of our cloud, platform, and data-focused communities for an evening of practical talks, senior technical discussion, and cross-community networking. A huge thank you to **[Arrows](https://www.arrowsgroup.com/)** for hosting and sponsoring this event, and for supporting the growth of the cloud, platform engineering, data, and AI community in London. Speakers and sessions: **Get a High Return-on-Investment from AI Business Transformation** **Nora Balla, Founder and AI Business Transformation Lead, Add Velocity** Nora Balla is the founder of Add Velocity, an AI-native business transformation and implementation consultancy. Nora has gained extensive experience across investment products, business transformation, finance operations, and regulated asset and wealth management environments. Previously a freelancer, she now operates in a collaborative delivery model, helping organisations scale AI and automation solutions in complex business settings. Her experience includes finance transformation at Harley-Davidson, reporting process improvements in commercial real estate funds, and supporting the Aladdin implementation at Royal London Asset Management. In this session, Nora will explore how organisations can achieve a stronger return on investment from AI business transformation. The talk will cover the opportunities and high-value use cases, the real risks organisations need to manage, the skills required for the agentic era, how to define and measure success, and practical tips for improving efficiency when working with AI systems. **Agents in the Fastlane** **Ryan Cormack, Principal Engineer, Motorway** **Luke Marrai, Engineering Manager, Motorway** Motorway has used traditional AI and machine learning for years to enhance and improve its systems. But how can those years of learning be applied to build the next generation of agentic systems for users? In this session, Ryan Cormack and Luke Marrai from Motorway will explore how they are enhancing the functionality of Motorway’s platform to provide more accurate search results for dealers looking to acquire stock through the online marketplace. The talk will cover how Motorway is using **AWS AgentCore** to run its agentic systems, and how evals are being used to ensure the system performs as expected. Ryan Cormack is a Principal Engineer at Motorway, the UK’s leading used car marketplace, where he leads technical strategy and drives AI-powered transformation across the engineering organisation. With over 14 years of experience building and scaling systems on AWS, Ryan specialises in turning architectural best practices into practical engineering outcomes, from cloud modernisation programmes to the adoption of agentic workflows and AI-native developer tooling. Luke Marrai is an Engineering Manager at Motorway, supporting engineering delivery and helping teams build effective, scalable technology for one of the UK’s leading automotive technology platforms. Agenda: **18:00** — Arrival, refreshments and networking **18:30** — Welcome and introduction **18:35** — Get a High Return-on-Investment from AI Business Transformation — Nora Balla **19:00** — Break and networking **19:20** — Agents in the Fastlane — Ryan Cormack and Luke Marrai **20:00** — Networking **20:45** — Close **Join us on June 11th:** We are also hosting the **Cloud Native & Open Source AI Conference** on **June 11th in London**, bringing together a fantastic line-up of speakers across AI, cloud-native, open-source, platform engineering, leadership, and modern infrastructure. You can view the full speaker line-up and event details **[here](https://www.communitystack.io/conferences/cloud-native-london)** **About the communities:** This event is jointly hosted across **Cloud Platform Engineering London**, **Cloud Platform Engineering Leaders**, **Data & AI Leaders**, **AWS AI UG**, **Azure AI UG**, and **GCP London**. Together, these communities form part of the **[Community Stack ecosystem](https://www.meetup.com/pro/generative-ai-uk-community/)**, bringing together technical practitioners, leaders, partners, and organisations across cloud, platform engineering, data, AI, and open technology. We are always keen to hear from speakers, hosts, sponsors, and community partners. If you would like to speak, sponsor, or host a future event, please reach out to **[Ethan Sumner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethansumner404/)** via LinkedIn. This event follows the **[Community Stack Code of Conduct](https://www.communitystack.io/code-of-conduct)** and **[Privacy Policy](https://www.communitystack.io/privacy-policy)**, ensuring a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all attendees.

We have moved to guild.host. Look us up there. https://guild.host/events/buckeye-cocoaheads-rcavwd

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/a/9/6/600_348310902.jpeg Instructor - Crow, HPS Class fee is $30 at the door or approved exchange RSVP with Advance pay of $25 (discounted) by PayPal on the web or by contacting Enchanted Elements (614) 437-2642. Reservations made directly to Enchanted Elements will be added to the class list manually not online. Private Instruction ~ Closed to the Public ~ Initiated Members Only Please come prepared for ritual. Blessings ~ Crow

**Don’t miss your opportunity to learn from a duo with over 16 years of experience combined. During this demonstration event, you can expect to learn how to direct and guide your creative vision through lighting and communication to your model. We guarantee you will leave this event feeling more confident to try new lighting set ups to match up with your anticipated outcome. Finding the right way to express your vision is key to getting your model to pose accordingly, so we got you there too! To take this even further, think about signing up for a tutorial spot following the demonstration.** ***Note: this is a demonstration event only, you will not shoot your own images. However, if you bring your camera we can test it for compatibility with the studio lights.*** **Following the demonstration will be a tutorial/coaching event - sign up separately if you are interested at** https://calendar.app.google/ZcHb4CQB2rrV3U7j9 **Save and book both for $199 (discounted from $215; the discount will be applied on the Tutorial invoice).**

Most people use LLMs by feel: ask a question, read the answer, decide whether it “seems good,” and move on. That works for casual use. It does not work when you are building software, automating workflows, writing important documents, or relying on AI for anything that needs to be repeatable. In this talk, we’ll look at how to improve and evaluate the inputs and outputs of LLMs using practical measurement techniques. We’ll cover how prompt changes affect results, how to compare outputs, how to build simple evaluation sets, and how math-based methods like similarity scoring can help you move beyond guesswork. This will be beginner-friendly, so even if you don't know anything about AI, you should get something out of it. However, this will be a little more technical than our intro talks. You do not need to be an AI researcher, but programmers and technically curious attendees will get a lot out of it. We’ll cover: * Why “it looks good” is not enough * How to improve prompts by changing the input, context, and constraints * How to compare LLM outputs more systematically * Basic evaluation techniques for accuracy, consistency, and usefulness * How embeddings, cosine similarity, and scoring can help evaluate results * Where automated evaluation works — and where humans still need to stay in the loop By the end, you’ll have a practical mental model for treating LLMs less like magic and more like systems you can test, measure, and improve. LOGISTICS AND PARKING: The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks! The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.

Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/

You can sleep in on the Sesquicentennial (observed), we’re shifting to the following Friday. But join the local UX community for a chat and some biscuits to catch up. If you were in CA for Figma Config, tell us all the lines and you can tell me how I can animate an SVG without coding it by hand, and why I’d even want to. Thanks to the team at Nationwide of supporting the group.