Algorithms

The TAICO team is happy to announce our next meetup at the Adaptavist office in Toronto. Much thanks to [Adaptavist](https://www.adaptavist.com/) for hosting! **Wayfinding** * *Please be careful when using maps features on phones, some people have been redirected to a completely wrong address. The event is near Winners on Front St, which is just south, across the street, from Berczy Park (where the dog fountain is) so if you are not near that area, you are in the wrong place.* **Registration and Event Details** Our goal is to bring artificial intelligence and cybersecurity together. To do that, we need to explore what's happening in AI and what's happening in cybersecurity, and where the two intersect and collide. We're also working to understand how we solve problems in these areas, what that looks like, and how Canada can and will participate. With that in mind, we're pleased to announce our speaker and the agenda for our next meeting! **Sponsors** And thanks to our host, [Adaptavist](https://www.adaptavist.com/)! **Notes** * *Unfortunately, we won't have pizza at this meetup due to a gap in sponsorship. We're actively working on securing sponsors for future events.* **Agenda** **Doors Open: 5:30PM** **Event Start: 6:00PM** * 👋 **Welcome and introductions** * 🙏 **Thank you to our amazing hosts and sponsors!** 🎉 * 🎙️ **Speakers** 🎤 **Speaker #1: Curtis Collicutt** *Title: Stegalographer* *Abstract:* ***They said never write your own encryption. They didn’t say anything about steganography!*** *What if the best place to hide a secret message was in something so boring that nobody would ever look twice at it? Stegalographer is a tool that embeds data in legitimate-looking application logs by encoding information in the choices that generate the logs, rather than encrypting them. The template used, the number of trailing spaces, whether the log says 'error' or 'failure', and even the microsecond variations in timestamps can all carry hidden bits. The output isn't logs with secrets stuffed inside, but real log structure with your data silently riding along.* *This talk will explain how Stegalographer works, from analysing existing logs to extract templates (using the Drain algorithm from log analytics research), to the encoding process that turns your message into a stream of plausible entries. We will explore practical use cases such as covert channels in penetration testing, watermarking logs to trace leaks and censorship-resistant publishing disguised as 'sample data'. However, we will also be honest about the limitations: this is steganography, not encryption, and statistical analysis can potentially detect anomalies at scale. Whether you're interested in security research or information theory or privacy, or want to know more about building security tools, come and see how the most mundane part of any system can become a covert communication channel.* *We'll also touch on the experience of building security tools like this one using AI-assisted programming tools like Claude Code.* 🎤 **Speaker #2: Ads Dawson** Title: *Q&A with Ads Dawson* *Ads Dawson is an Offensive security engineer, penetration tester and red teamer with over thirteen years of experience breaking, testing, and securing applications and infrastructure across startups and large enterprises. Skilled in web application security, DevSecOps, and large-scale hybrid cloud environments, with a strong focus on offensive engineering, red team operations, and vulnerability research. Active bug bounty hunter and researcher in AI and LLM security, specializing in uncovering and mitigating attack vectors such as prompt injection, unrestricted model inference, and backdoor attacks. Experienced in leading incident response and simulating advanced adversaries to expose weaknesses before real attackers do.* *He works with organizations like OWASP and was Technical Lead for [OWASP’s Top 10 for LLM Applications](https://owasp.org/www-project-top-10-for-large-language-model-applications/assets/PDF/OWASP-Top-10-for-LLMs-v2025.pdf).* *This is your chance to ask Ads anything you want about AI and cybersecurity so come armed with your questions!* **⚡ Lightning Talks and Demos** Lightning Talks - 5 to 10 minutes long 1. Elshad Humbatli - Repo Health software project 2. **You?** \- Please reach out if you'd like to do a lightning talk or demo Please reach out to us if you'd like to present at the meetup. We are looking for people to talk about what they are working on, what they are building and learning, and are open to any level of experience and technical depth. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, we want to hear from you! We're all just out here building and learning. 👋 **See You There!** Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you at the meetup!

**🚶🏽‍♀️‍➡️ Join us for Multi-Sensory Meditative Walking 🚶🏽‍♀️‍➡️** Are you looking to hone your mindfulness practice? This is a fun way to explore meditative walking and beat the winter blues ❄️☀️ Come away with your own personal on-the-go wellness tool. Walking Meditation can help with stress, depression, and anxiety. And believe it or not, the buzz and energy of a busy place can enhance our focus and ability to get into that special state of mind so important to wellbeing. Multi-sensory objects of attention guide us through the meditation journey. **Immersive sessions exploring different sensory anchors and philosophical aspects of mindfulness practice.** All levels welcome! 🧘Let's build the capacity to find our bliss everywhere we go 🧘🏼 *In a distracting world that already has us sitting too much, this is the perfect approach to meditative practice. Benefit from the mindful stance exactly wherever and whenever we need it. Nurture another state of mind that brings joy to our soul and resets our nervous system.* **What are the unique benefits multi-sensory meditative walking?** * An alternative way to access meditation for those who prefer not to sit * More variety in terms of objects of attention * Conveniently turn things in your immediate environment into a type of meditation * Benefit from mindfulness practice while you get in some movement * Reset your mind wherever and whenever you need to * Turn mindfulness practice into a regular part of your lifestyle **What are the general benefits of all forms of mindfulness practice?** * Experience more calm and more time in a special state of stillness * Experience more time in another mental realm associated with increased sense of acceptance, presence and meaning * Experience more peace and sense of control over your non-stop thinking mind * Experience more clarity and creative breakthroughs * Experience more tolerance and comfort when it comes to life's adversities **What else will be provided?** * Meeting location (please check your email) * Guidance on the practice of multi-sensory meditative walking * Guidance on principles of mindfulness practice * Each session explores a specific sensory anchor and philosophical focus * Participants will be asked to complete a brief participation agreement before attending * Session is followed by (optional) coffee☕with other participants, not covered by event fee ***Tickets are limited and will go quickly. ([See More Events](https://juliewellness.ca/multi-sensory/)).*** These are small-group events allowing for high quality engagement and connection. **See you there 😊** *-Julie*

In 2026 you need to do more than build and hope they will come - you need a repeatable growth engine. Join Startup Grind Toronto at The Village Hive, Yonge and Eglinton for a deep-dive into the playbooks driving customer acquisition today. What we’ll cover: What’s actually delivering ROI right now. Tactical growth for startups without a VC-sized budget. Turning cold leads into loyal users. The Agenda: 6:00 PM: Doors Open & Pre-Panel Networking 7:00 PM: Expert Panel & Audience Q&A 7:45 PM: The Mixer (Drinks, snacks, and curated networking) Who should attend? Founders, funders and growth operators looking for actionable tactics and high-level connections in the Toronto ecosystem. Join us to fuel your growth. Special Thanks to Our Event Sponsor We are excited to welcome SwiftAds.io as our official event sponsor. SwiftAds is an AI-powered marketing copilot designed specifically for startups and agencies. By automating the heavy lifting of ad creation and campaign optimization, SwiftAds helps founders scale their growth without the overhead of a traditional agency. About Our Venue Partner The Village Hive is a community-driven coworking and event space for founders and startups. With three GTA locations (Markham, North York, and Midtown), they offer memberships, professional offices, and meeting spaces designed to spark collaboration and support business growth at every stage. Agenda --- Moderators Ankur Sethi - Winner Capital (Founder and General Partner) Ankur Sethi is the Founder and General Partner of Winner Capital, a Toronto-based early-stage venture fund backing the next generation of North American consumer technology companies. He has over 17 years of experience as a consumer tech operator, having built and scaled three companies from inception to $100M+ in revenue, with one reaching a valuation above $2B. His investment the… Daria Tilikanova - Winner Capital (Startup Coach and Mentor) Daria Tilikanova is a business and startup coach who helps founders and service-based entrepreneurs build scalable businesses with clear strategy, strong positioning, and predictable revenue systems. Originally from Russia, she founded and sold two education companies before moving to Canada, where she shifted into full-time mentoring for early-stage and growing foun… Host Lydia Emanuel - Startup Grind Toronto (Events Lead) --- Global Partner Carta (http://www.carta.com/launch?utm_campaign=20240423-nam-general-smb-startup_grind_partnership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=startup_grind) Carta helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Carta Launch is the only free cap table product, helping new founders get started. The company is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 funds and SPVs, and over two million equity holders to manage cap tables, compensation, valuations, liquidity, and more. For more information, visit carta.com. Partners Winner Capital (https://winner.capital) Winner Capital is an early stage to growth stage syndicate fund investing across North America The Village Hive (https://www.thevillagehive.ca/) The Village Hive is a premier coworking and event space designed for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote teams who value community over cubicles. Offering a mix of flexible hot desks, private offices, and professional meeting rooms, the Hive provides a high-energy environment that fosters collaboration and growth. --- Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind. --- Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-toronto-presents-growth-decoded-winning-customers-in-2026-panel-discussion-amp-mixer/.

After just 6 weeks of 2026--are you in need of a refresher on Willpower and Procrastination?? !! I am. Learn how to focus and follow through on what matters... Personal, Work, Social, Health, Arts/Culture. **Ticket link is below**. $20-$30 option We attend 3-4 events each year with our great friends at Rotman/U of T!! ### Description **Agenda:** 5:00 pm - Check-in opens + light refreshments (coffee/tea/cookies) 5:30 pm - Presentation by author + discussion with moderated Q&A 6:30 pm - Meet-and-greet with the author + book signing **Book Synopsis:** Setting goals is easy. Finishing them is the challenge. In ***'Intentional* '--productivity expert Chris Bailey** reveals the surprising truth: **willpower isn’t enough**. The secret to accomplishing your goals lies in **being more intentional.** Bailey distills a decade of deep research on productivity to deliver a profound, practical, and counterintuitive roadmap to getting things done. Forget endless to-do lists and a never-ending workload. To reach your goals, you have to structure your daily actions around what’s most important to you—and let go of the rest. This way, getting things done becomes second nature. Integrating the science of desire, values, and procrastination with the wisdom of Buddhist monks, Bailey empowers us to build a life of true purpose and accomplishment. He offers practical strategies for following through on our goals, including how to: * Structure goals for maximum completion * Make unappealing, boring, or challenging tasks more attractive to tackle * Lower the chance of procrastinating on long-term goals * Create a framework for tracking intentions and progress * Know when a goal isn’t for you—and when it’s time to let it go Finishing what you start is more possible than you think!! **Ticket link here:** $30 Enjoy the Talk + Book + Tea/cookies $20 Enjoy the Talk + Tea/cookies https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/news-events-and-ideas/public-events/events-listings/2026/february-2026/feb-18-do-chris-bailey/ Either way--arrive by 5pm--and enjoy something hot to drink/snack! Please note: the Rotman Author talks start at exactly 5:30pm--and finish at exactly 630pm.

🧧LUNAR NEW YEAR REDUX 2026 🧧 We’re back with our SECOND ANNUAL Lunar New Year celebration at Zui Beer Bar in Koreatown! Get ready for a night of games, DJs, drinks, and unforgettable vibes. With Insta-worthy cyberpunk neon lights, killer cocktails, and crave-worthy Chinese street snacks, Zui Beer Bar is the ultimate spot to chill, sip, and party with your crew 🍸🍢✨ 🎟️ Tickets: Use our code for $5 discount: ‘CS05’ Advance tickets available here: https://www.event-space.net/event-details/lunar-new-year-redux-2026 Note: Admission cash price will increase closer to the date of event. What to Expect: ✅ Special Guest Emcee hosting fun games & keeping the energy high 🎤 ✅ DJ Keiko & Friends on the decks all night 🎧 ✅ ZuiBeerBar Kitchen & Bar — cocktails, drinks, and crave-worthy Asian Chinese street snacks flowing all night 🔥 ✅ Board Games for fun icebreakers 🎲 ✅ Meet New Friends & celebrate LUNAR NYE together 🥂 📅 Wednesday, Feb 18 ⏰ 6:00 PM – 11:30 PM 📍 Zui Beer Bar in Koreatown 693 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G 1L5 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zuibeerbar_ktown Pull up with your crew, bring that fresh-year energy, and let’s make this Lunar New Year Redux a night to remember 🧨🐉 CONTACT: Terry (Organizer): https://www.meetup.com/TorontoBabel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/torontobabel WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HniC6wAm1ADJZI15UDSlwp?mode=gi_t Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t.o.babel Check out the calendar: https://www.meetup.com/TorontoBabel/#calendar to see what other events we have coming up and to RSVP. #TorontoBabel #LanguageExchange #MeetNewPeople #TorontoEvents

Join us for an evening of French conversation at B Espresso Bar in the atrium of the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music (near St. George station)!
We welcome all levels of French, and it's free\*.
Venez pratiquer votre français! \*While there is no fee to attend this event, guests are expected to purchase something from B Espresso Bar, in accordance with RCM's restrictions on usage of the cafe atrium space. **Building location:** The Royal Conservatory is at 273 Bloor St W, between Varsity Stadium and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). There are entrances off Bloor St. and Philosopher's Walk. If you enter from Bloor St through the large glass doors, follow the hallway on the left beside the staircase and turn left at the end. (Closest TTC: St. George) **Notes and restrictions:** The host may or may not attend this event. Attendees are encouraged to seat themselves at two or more adjacent tables, as needed. Please form groups of 6 people at each table; do not rearrange chairs and tables to accommodate more people, as this obstructs the narrow walking space. Guests are expected to order something from the cafe, and are asked to please refrain from bringing outside food or drink. Attendees must leave the building at 8pm when the cafe stops serving. **Contributions:** If you are a regular with us and would like to support the group, please send any contributions by e-transfer to [diskutomeetup@gmail.com.](http://diskutomeetup@gmail.com.) The yearly donation goal and amounts received year-to-date will be tracked anonymously on [this google sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18GfqYsis8Cf2XGg4KsKQJsY_0Fv3bsSQHwJAxvC1Km8/edit?usp=sharing). Thank you so much for your support.

Let’s do some coding together at a cafe! No more working alone in the weekend. Here, we write code together. And I mean together together. Not occupying-the-same-space-but-separate together. Here’s how it works: Jennifer brings her mobile app project, tells everyone that it is like Pinterest for recipes and she’d like to work on the nav bar. Paul and Chloe think Jennifer's project is fascinating, and they join the group. They gather around Jennifer’s laptop and work on the nav bar for 2 hours. Jennifer is the one typing out the code while Paul and Chloe research, brainstorm, and offer suggestions. If you’re feeling stuck on your own project or need a motivation boost, bring it to mob programming! Want to learn by watching how others code and solve problems? Join someone else’s project at this event! Oh and we love your half-done projects that you are a bit embarrassed to share. Absolutely bring those to the event! **Discord**: We use Discord to share screen & code snippets during the event. Also feel free to share your projects here before the event! https://discord.gg/Da9fZFxPfs **Event policy**: * We have 0 tolerance for harassment. * We don’t allow the projects that are not meant to be shared in public such as school assignments, interview tasks, or trade secrets. * The goal is to write code. We discourage you from pitching business ideas here, doing code reviews, or spending the whole event on planning what to do. * Please buy a drink, and tip the barista well.

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** This tour debuted on September 5, 2020! Six years of storytelling! Toronto is a city of stories. It's also a city constantly reinventing and learning about itself. It has been for the last 300 years. The people of Toronto are the storytellers, and throughout its history, women have been at the forefront of change. Like Elizabeth Neufeld, Hester How, Mary Pickford, or Clara Martin stories that have shaped Toronto. Stories that have shaped the lives of people in Toronto today. Explore the lives of ordinary women of Toronto who have made extraordinary impacts on our lives. From the death and destruction of war to the magic of Hollywood, these women created their own endings. But for many in our city today these names and many others are forgotten, their accomplishments dusted over and buried in the mists of time, but not for long. These courageous Torontonians created one lasting story to be told: Their story! Toronto is a city of meaning and hidden stories indeed. Mary Pickford, the first great screen Hollywood star looks into the camera above. Born on University Avenue near College Street, she rewrote the Hollywood story and put Toronto on the film map. This walk is for all fitness levels. The meeting place for this important walking adventure is the Barbara Ann Scott Ice Trail behind College Park at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and College Street. We end our walk at the park adjacent to St. Lawrence Hall. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Let's meetup for some casual food and drink. Talk some Tech and Business and meet new contacts. Feel free to share the latest projects you are working on. Or just make some new friends to kick back within this great city.

New Rules: Starting now, we are asking that each person contribute $2 towards maintaining this page. Without our space here on MeetUp, there is no group. So we ask that you bring a tooney when you come to keep us operational. Thank you very much! Thank you to everyone who has ordered something to eat or drink. It's very important that we each make a purchase, even just a tea or coffee, to maintain our welcome. Mil veces, gracias!

Power grids run on protocols that were never designed to be secure. Modbus doesn't authenticate. MQTT trusts whoever connects. State estimation believes whatever data you feed it. This month, Parham Mohammadi shows what happens when you exploit all of that. **THE TALK** Parham built a full ICS attack simulation lab and ran real attack chains against it. False data injection into state estimation. Modbus register overwrites. MQTT broker takeover. Chained attacks against distributed energy resources. The operator dashboard stayed green the entire time. If Ukraine 2015 and Industroyer taught us anything, it's that this isn't theoretical. **THE SPEAKER** Parham Mohammadi — Postdoctoral Researcher, York University Parham spent six years at York doing his PhD on power systems simulation. The CPPS-SEC Lab he built for this research simulates real ICS attack chains against power grid infrastructure — the same lab he's demoing at this talk. ***ARRIVAL WINDOW — PLEASE READ*** Doors open at 6:15 PM and close at 6:40 PM. Our volunteer at the gate can only let people up during this window. After 6:40 PM, there will be no one downstairs to let you in. Plan accordingly. If you RSVP and can't make it, please update your status so someone on the waitlist can take your spot. Food and drinks sponsored by Stan. **CONNECT** [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/VDy69zgfc3) [Website]( https://defcontoronto.ca) DC416 is Toronto's DEFCON group. If you're into security, you're welcome here.

Python Toronto is back! Join us for our first meetup of 2026 in [The Adaptavist Group](https://www.adaptavist.com/) office at **43 Front St. East** on **Thursday Feb, 19th** at **5:30pm**! If you are interested in giving a talk, we'd love to have you! Please fill out this form - [Submit a Python Toronto talk](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpNKB0Sbs893xp72M4TxmYGrTyLm4Nh1SSXnCqChP9mx6_9A/viewform?usp=header)! Talks are typically short - typically 5 to 10 minutes, and up to 20 minutes if you've really got something say - and on any topic that would be interesting to a room of Python people - this can be a Python library that has helped you, a research paper you've enjoyed, or an interesting application of AI. The Python meetup is a casual, community oriented meetup hosted by companies that use Python in Toronto. Talks are short, informal, and sometimes ad-hoc. Space is limited! Register now to hold your spot! When/Where * **When:** Feb 19th, 5:30pm – 9pm. Doors open at 5:30, talks start around 6. * Come early to enjoy **snacks** and **drinks** provided. * **Address**: [The Adaptavist Group](https://www.adaptavist.com/) \- 43 Front St\. East\, Toronto\, ON\. For more information about our venue sponsor, [The Adaptavist Group](https://www.adaptavist.com/) , please check out their company website - [https://www.theadaptavistgroup.com](https://www.theadaptavistgroup.com) **Code of Conduct** Python Toronto is dedicated to providing a welcoming, harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for this venue, including talks, workshops, parties, Twitter and other online media. Meetup participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the meetup (without a refund where applicable) at the discretion of the meetup organizers. Please email elaine@eswong.ca to report any issues.

**NEW LOCATION: Improving Office in Franklinton** Physical location: Improving Office 330 Rush Alley Suite #150 Columbus, OH 43215 Schedule: * 6:00 p.m.: Socialize, eat, and drink. Improving will be providing pizza and beverages. * 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Main meeting and presentation(s). See the handy Parking Map - we recommend street parking. [Street Parking Map](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1u2A4fLNlxwLJn0KA_hKc8bnFlFHLvsHBDh-_8wzX_tk/edit?usp=sharing) We meet on the last Monday of each Month. Presentations are given by members and friends of this group. If you would like to do a presentation (small or large) on a python topic, please contact centralohpython@gmail.com

We are excited to host Guided Meditations on Sundays at 6 pm in our Ashram/Gallery/Home! !! !! Everyone wants to know what kind of God we worship and what kind of meditation we do. We worship the GOD that LOVES US! We understand that god is an energy and it lives in us as us. Our meditations guide others to actually experience that energy! xoxo We don't just talk about peace, love and affection, we experience it :) Also we are a home not a business, so we enjoy building community one friend at a time. We always build in time for people to mingle & develop friendships! xoxo Much Love, Frank Tennyson Namaste, Frank Tennyson http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/f/9/9/600_447824953.jpeg

Join the Columbus AI community for our quarterly gathering — a casual, community-focused evening where everyone has a chance to share, learn, and connect. These open mic–style events give anyone in the community up to **5 minutes** to present a project, share a tool, pose a question, or offer a perspective on the evolving AI space. No slides required — just a welcoming space to exchange ideas and keep the local AI conversation moving. If you’d like to take the stage, message **Chris (the organizer)** with a **title and short description** of what you’d like to share. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services)

Rev. Steven Clevenger is an ordained spiritualist minister with over 40 years experience as a Spiritual Healer, Clairvoyant and Spiritual Teacher, educated and trained at the White Lily Chapel. Rev. Siobhan Wolf Shaffer is an ordained spiritualist minister and certified medium and healer with over 20 years experience. She began her development in 1988 in Pennsylvania and continued when she moved to Ohio in 1998 where she studied at Rays of Lights Church with Rev. Steven Clevenger. Our full worship services consist of an inspirational lecture, healing meditation, and messages from the spirit world that serve to demonstrate evidence of eternal life. Please visit our Official Church Website (http://raysoflightchurch.com) for more information.

Bring your work or your hobby, hang out, and code with us. Follow @buckeyecocoa for more information.

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** *Spec-Driven Development with GitHub Spec-Kit: From Intent to Implementation* Spec-driven development flips the traditional workflow on its head: instead of code being the source of truth, the specification becomes the backbone of design, collaboration, and delivery. In this session, we’ll explore how GitHub Spec-Kit enables teams to treat specifications as first-class artifacts—living documents that drive architecture, implementation, and verification. You’ll learn how Spec-Kit helps teams clearly express intent using structured, version-controlled specs that live alongside code. We’ll walk through a practical workflow that starts with defining system behavior and constraints, then progressively refines those specs into testable, automatable outcomes. Along the way, we’ll show how specs can reduce ambiguity, improve cross-functional collaboration, and make design decisions explicit before a single line of production code is written. This talk will cover: --What spec-driven development is (and what it isn’t) --How GitHub Spec-Kit fits into modern developer workflows --Using specs to align product, engineering, and AI-assisted development --Real-world examples of turning specs into implementations with confidence Whether you’re building greenfield systems, integrating AI into your stack, or trying to reduce costly rework, spec-driven development offers a scalable way to move faster without sacrificing clarity. Attendees will leave with concrete patterns and a clear mental model for adopting GitHub Spec-Kit in their own projects. **YouTube Link** TBA