Data Mining

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 :)

In this talk, Sean Hoar will explore how AI assistants can accelerate different stages of software development. From idea generation and prototyping to coding, testing, and debugging, AI tools are transforming how developers work. He’ll provide practical examples of where AI can save time, reduce errors, and help teams focus on higher-level problem-solving. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to integrate AI into their workflow and stay ahead in the evolving tech landscape.

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

IMPORTANT PLEASE RSVP @ https://www.meetup.com/washington-dc-elastic-fantastics/events/312487028/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events \*\*\* **Agenda:** * 5:30 pm: Doors open; say hi, grab a seat, and eat some food. * 6:00 pm: Talk 1 * 6:30 pm: Q&A * 6:40 pm: Talk 2 * 7:10 pm: Q&A * 7:20-7:30 pm: Networking & refreshments **Sandon Jacobs, Sr. Developer Advocate** ***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!

**What makes one market a goldmine and another a money pit?** Success in real estate starts long before you make an offer. Choosing the right market and knowing how to analyze a deal are what separate confident investors from expensive mistakes. At this month’s meeting, we’ll talk about how to evaluate markets, spot demand drivers, and understand local fundamentals. We’ll also walk through how to analyze properties, run the numbers, and determine whether a deal actually makes sense before you move forward. Come for the training, stay for the networking! ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ **Did you miss it?** [Watch all GRID Reston event playback on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOTh5kxLLJI1G3VH6Pqhlhu0uTA8yrdpi) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ **Join the GRID Facebook Community** [Join the online GRID community here](https://www.facebook.com/groups/gridinvestor) to post deals, ask questions, and connect with other investors across the globe.

## **1 Million Cups Loudoun Workshop: How AI Can Work for Your Business** **Wednesday\, January 28 \| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM** **Venture X Loudoun – Ashburn** Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a buzzword — it’s a practical tool that businesses of all sizes can begin using today. Join **1 Million Cups Loudoun** for a special **workshop-style presentation** led by **Victor Meer of AI Prime** and **Jay Jay Billings of Band Gap AI**, designed to help entrepreneurs understand how AI can realistically support their business operations. This workshop will provide: * A clear, practical overview of what AI actually is * Real-world examples of how businesses are using AI today * Insight into where automation can save time and reduce friction * Guidance on how to start leveraging AI without needing technical expertise Whether you’re AI-curious, overwhelmed by the noise, or ready to explore automation in your business, this session will help you think clearly about where AI fits — and where it doesn’t. As always, coffee, conversation, and community are at the heart of 1 Million Cups Loudoun. ### What Is 1 Million Cups? 1 Million Cups is a national program powered by the Kauffman Foundation that brings together entrepreneurs and community members for weekly conversations that educate, support, and inspire. Loudoun’s chapter meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Join us on **January 14 at 9:00 AM** for coffee, connection, and a meaningful conversation about reimagining after-school education in Loudoun County. **We look forward to seeing you there.**