Embedded Systems

I'm excited to announce another meetup! If you're interested in give a talk, feel free to reach out to me at marcel.drechsler@andsafe.de \-\-\- All talks will be **presented in English**, to ensure that as many people as possible can participate and engage at this event. **If you want to attend, please RSVP to secure your spot - this will make organizing easier. Thank you so much ♥️** **Location:** Spiced Academy, Ritterstrasse 12, 10969 Berlin, 2. Hof \-\-\-\-\-\- **🏠 18:00 - Arrival: Networking, Drinks & Snacks (30 min.)** Grab yourself snacks & drinks and say hello to everybody else! **📅 18:30 - So you want to observe an Event Driven System? (45 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Roman Boiko, Enterprise Sales Engineer @ [Datadog](https://www.datadoghq.com) Event-driven architectures offer powerful decoupling, but they often shatter traditional monitoring strategies. When a single business process jumps across multiple queues, buses, and microservices, tracing the line between cause and effect becomes a complex puzzle. This talk bridges that visibility gap by exploring practical observability strategies using OpenTelemetry. We will navigate the critical architectural decisions behind distributed tracing - specifically choosing between Span Linking and Parent-Child relationships - and master context propagation to ensure no transaction is lost in the noise. Join us to learn how to connect low-level technical data with high-level business metrics, turning asynchronous complexity into a clear, manageable system. Roman Boiko is a Senior Enterprise Sales Engineer at Datadog, where he helps developers and architects build reliable, observable, and scalable systems. With a strong background in serverless and cloud-native architectures, he’s passionate about bridging the gap between engineering and operations to help teams move faster with confidence. Roman frequently speaks at tech events, sharing practical insights on observability, distributed systems, and modern application design. He enjoys exploring how developers can simplify complexity and deliver better software through data-driven decisions. **📅 19:15 - Datadog at Zendesk - a solid foundation for scalable, reliable and cost efficient systems (30 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Anatoly Mikhaylov, Principal Software Engineer & Datadog Ambassador @ [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.de/) Anatoly will share practical and valuable lessons what value Datadog brings and what role it plays at Zendesk. They customized and encorporated observability triad (APM, Logs and metrics) within a large volume of systems and applications. Zendesk made it work very well at scale and so that Datadog became a common language engineers and product teams can speak to one another. A single picture often helps to narrow down the issue, surface the problem, brings the solution and be confident remediation is applied successfully. Zendesk teams are fluent using complex Datadog tools and drive necessary changes. **📅 19:45 - Continuous Profiling with Datadog (30 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Felix Geisendörfer, Senior Staff Engineer @ [Datadog](https://www.datadoghq.com) Instrumenting systems with logs, metrics and traces is a great way to make them more observable. However, the resulting map is not the territory, and only allows indirect reasoning about the code it represents.Continuous profiling fills this gap by allowing software developers and operators to directly understand the CPU, Memory and Latency trends of their systems using stack traces that break down problems and opportunities in terms of files, functions and line numbers. This presentation will demonstrate the value of this capability by live-debugging an incident caused by an AI assisted refactoring using Datadog’s Continuous Profiler product. Additionally the presentation will give an overview of other capabilities as well as the work we’re doing upstream to add profiling as the fourth signal of OpenTelemetry. **🥗 20:15 - Drinks, Food & Networking** Enjoy refreshments while networking with community peers! **👋 21:00 - Goodbye, see you next time!**

\*\*\*DEUTSCHE VERSION UNTEN STEHEND\*\*\* 🌟 Calling all Soulful and Energetic Voices that wanna tell stories! 🌟 Hey there, vibrant souls! 🎤 Are you ready to ignite the stage with your youthful energy and passion for music? Join our electrifying urban pop & musical ensemble, where voices come together in a celebration of song and joy! 🎶 Picture this: a dynamic fusion of historic and contemporary pop, musical hits, and soulful melodies, all brought to life by voices bursting with youthful exuberance! 🎵If you're between 15 and 45 and crave the thrill of harmonizing with fellow music lovers, this is your golden ticket! 🌈 Rehearse with us every Thursday from 7:30-10 pm in the heart of Kreuzberg, and experience the sheer exhilaration of making music with kindred spirits! 💃🕺 So, what are you waiting for? We're on the lookout for singers who bring their prior solo and ensemble experience to the mix – voices that stand out and harmonize seamlessly with the sound of the ensemble. 🌟 Are you ready to add your voice to our chorus of excitement? Send us a private message expressing your interest, vocal range, and any singing experience you bring to the table. Let's turn up the volume on fun and create memorable musical moments together! 🎉 🎶 **Day doesn't fit, too little singing experience, or not in the required age group? No problem!** I conduct several choirs with different profiles: **Shabach! *– the choir not only for shy people*** (https://www.meetup.com/de-DE/shabach-berlin-the-choir-not-only-for-shy-people/) **DEUTSCHE VERISON:** Liebe Nachbarn, wir haben 2023 das neue urbane Pop- & Musical-Ensemble "SHOWTIME!" in Kreuzberg 61 ins Leben gerufen, Altersspanne ca. 15-45 Jahre, in englischer und deutscher Sprache. Wir singen Popsongs, Musicals, und Filmmusik. Das Level ist für Fortgeschrittene und die Sänger\*innen sollten über eine gewisse Gesangserfahrung verfügen. Der Chor probt **jeden Donnerstag von 19:30-22:00 Uhr im Gewölbekeller der Kapelle-am-Urban, Grimmstr. 10, Berlin-Kreuzberg.** Falls es Dich interessiert mitzumachen: Schreib mir bitte vorab Dein Interesse und Deine Stimmgruppe / Erfahrung kurz per Privatnachricht. Danke. **Keine Zeit an dem Tag, zu wenig Gesangserfahrung oder außerhalb der Altersgruppe? Kein Problem!** Ich leite Chöre mit verschiedenen Profilen: **Shabach! *– der Chor nicht nur für Schüchterne*** (https://www.meetup.com/de-DE/shabach-berlin-the-choir-not-only-for-shy-people/)

Join us for the **first Berlin meetup of the year** as we bring together **Kong × Kafka × Grafana** for an evening focused on **real-time data, streaming, and observability** 🚀 This meetup is all about learning from practitioners, sharing experiences, and kicking off 2026 with the local data & platform community. As always, expect **high-quality technical talks**, **great conversations**, and **good vibes** — plus **pizza 🍕 and cold drinks** to keep things flowing. *** **🔐 Important** For security reasons, please provide your **Full name and surname** during registration. Our volunteers will verify your registration at the entrance — this is **mandatory** to access the venue. Your information will be used **only** for this purpose. *** **🗓️ Event Details** **📅 Date:** 29.01.26 *** **🕐 Agenda** **18:00 — Welcome & Snacks** Doors open! Grab a slice, meet fellow community members, and get settled. **18:30 — Opening Remarks** A warm welcome from the **Berlin community** and event partners. **18:45 — Tech Talks Begin** 📚 **Talk Details** ### **Talk 01: Keeping data private in real-time pipelines By Olena Kutsenko** **Abstract** We all love real-time data — clicks, payments, rides, messages — but most of it comes with a catch: it often includes personal information we’re not allowed to leak, such as names, emails, locations, or subtle clues that can identify someone. So how do we keep streaming data **useful** and **safe** at the same time? In this talk, we’ll explore practical approaches to protecting privacy in streaming systems using **Apache Kafka**, Apache Flink, and Apache Iceberg. We’ll cover: * Simple techniques like **masking and tokenizing PII** * Why “anonymous” data often **isn’t really anonymous** (the re-identification problem) * Privacy-preserving approaches such as **bucketing, k-anonymity, and adding noise** * How to **balance privacy and data utility** (because over-hiding can make data useless) *** ### **Talk 02: Blackbox Monitoring is Hard! (And Why That’s the Best Part) By Goutham Veeramachaneni** I’ve been experimenting with [Beyla](https://grafana.com/oss/beyla-ebpf/) and [eBPF-based monitoring](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-ebpf-instrumentation) since its inception. While it’s an incredible tool for getting started with zero-code instrumentation, making it work reliably at scale presents a unique set of hurdles. In this session, we’ll introduce Beyla’s architecture and show how it can kickstart your observability journey.But the real story lies in what happens next. Navigating the scaling challenges has been an absolute blast, and we’ve tackled each bottleneck unfazed—sometimes by leaning into the tech, and other times by resorting to white box native instrumentation to gain the granular insights we need.What you’ll learn: * • **The "How":** A technical deep dive into how Beyla works under the hood. * • **The "Real-World":** The specific challenges we faced when moving beyond the initial phase. * • **The "Trade-offs":** A transparent look at the limitations of different approaches, from pure blackbox eBPF to native instrumentation. * • T**he "Product":** Insight into the intricacies of building a new product in a rapidly evolving ecosystem. Whether you are an observability veteran or just starting with eBPF, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of your monitoring stack and the confidence to handle the limitations of the tools you use. ### **Talk 03: Securing and governing both external and internal traffic By Sven Walther** Modern enterprises must secure and govern APIs, event-driven systems, and internal services—without fragmenting control across multiple platforms. This talk shows how a unified management plane brings consistency, visibility, and security across the entire application landscape using Kong Konnect. The session will cover three key areas: * **External connectivity & event exposure** Securely connect partners and customers to your event-driven systems without exposing internal infrastructure directly. * **Internal service governance with Service Mesh** Apply security, traffic control, and observability across your internal network using a service mesh. * **Fine-grained Kafka governance** Enforce policies and security down to the individual message level for internal event streams. *** ### **🤝🏻 21:00 — Networking & Q&A** Connect with fellow developers, data engineers, platform teams, and observability enthusiasts. Share ideas, experiences, and maybe even exchange a LinkedIn connection or two. **21:30 — Event Wrap-Up** *** **📷 Photo Notice** By attending this event, you consent to being photographed. These photos may be used for future community and event promotions. Don’t forget to smile 😄 *** We’re excited to kick off 2026 with the Berlin community and can’t wait to see you there! If you have any questions or are interested in **speaking at future meetups**, feel free to reach out.

Kick off the new year with our first gathering of 2026! As the days get colder, we’re bringing the Flutter community together for an evening of fresh inspiration and cutting-edge tech. Join us at Knowunity for a night of learning, networking, and a deep dive into the future of user interfaces. **Schedule** **18:30 — Doors Open & New Year Welcome** Check in, grab a drink, and catch up with the community as we start the year strong. **19:00 — Opening Remarks** A greeting from Flutter Berlin and our hosts at Knowunity to kick off the evening. **Talk 1 — Joshua Greenwood: From Prompts to Pixels: LLM-Powered Interfaces using Generative UI** Imagine asking an LLM a question and instead of receiving a static wall of text, you receive a fully tailored interactive interface that's built on the fly, specific to your task. In this talk, we'll dive into Google's new Generative UI paradigm and how it can be applied with Flutter. You’ll learn what it's capable of today, how it works under the hood, and how you can start integrating Generative UI patterns into your own Flutter applications. **Talk 2 — Norbert Kozsir: Pushing the boundaries of Dart and Flutter** This talk takes you on a short but unconventional journey: from re-implementing core Flutter concepts from scratch in the terminal, to building a coding agent on top of it - and eventually making Flutter run inside Minecraft. Along the way, I’ll share the technical challenges, unexpected lessons, and finally reveal why I actually did all of this in the first place 🙂 **20:00 — Networking** Meet fellow Flutter devs, exchange ideas, and chat over snacks. **22:00 — Doors Close** We say goodbye and step back into the crisp January night.

**Sprachlos war gestern** Stegreifreden sind unvorbereitet, spontan und kurz. Wir üben die Fähigkeiten, die du brauchst, um Stegreifreden souverän und witzig zu meistern. Damit du bei deinem nächsten Mal (bei Geburtstagen, Jubiläen oder im Job) nicht herumstottern musst. ✨ **Warum solltest du kommen?** Weil du hier nicht nur reden lernst, sondern auch **wertschätzendes Feedback bekommst**, das dich persönlich und beruflich weiterbringt. Und ganz nebenbei triffst du auf tolle, redefreudige Menschen mit ähnlichen Zielen. 📍 **Wo und wann?** Im Clubraum in der Trinitatis Gemeinde (1. OG Hinterhaus – durch den Hof). Unsere Treffen folgen einem klaren, motivierenden Ablauf, der dir Sicherheit und Raum zum Ausprobieren gibt. 📌 **Neugierig geworden?** Dann schau vorbei – wir freuen uns auf dich! Mehr Infos findest du in unserem Linktree (https://linktr.ee/meisterredner)

Tauche ein in technische [Deep Dives ](https://www.sva-events.de/event/f080c6fc-449f-45be-a3bb-e14980e2e708/summary)rund um **Automation, Infrastructure as Code, Kubernetes, Cloud Native, DevSecOps und Plattform Engineering.** Triff Gleichgesinnte aus der Branche, diskutiere aktuelle Herausforderungen und lass dich von unseren Expertinnen und Experten inspirieren. Sei unser Gast und werde Teil der Community! Natürlich ist auch für dein leibliches Wohl bestens gesorgt. Wirf doch gerne schon mal einen Blick in die [Themen](https://www.sva-events.de/event/f080c6fc-449f-45be-a3bb-e14980e2e708/agenda) vor Ort. **Wir bitten um Anmeldung über diesen [Link](https://www.sva-events.de/event/f080c6fc-449f-45be-a3bb-e14980e2e708/regProcessStep1).**

UPDATE – Thank you & we're now at full capacity!🎉 Thank you so much to everyone who signed up – we truly appreciate your enthusiasm and support! New registrations are no longer possible and the sign-up form has been closed. If you have already successfully registered via meetup.com, please remember to confirm your attendance via the official event landing page: https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin This helps us ensure a smooth and quick check-in for everyone on the day. We’re really looking forward to seeing you there! React Universe Meetup is coming to Berlin <3 On January 29, 2026, we’re teaming up with Zalando to host an in-person React Universe Meetup at [Zalando SE – BHW](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rJeWdBWqzW1tDe267). Expect an evening built for experienced engineers who care about how things actually work in production, with time for both focused talks and unstructured conversations. The event is aimed at software developers, senior engineers, and architects working across full-stack and cross-platform applications, with an emphasis on sharing practical lessons, architectural tradeoffs, and production-ready approaches. It’s a space for teams working with React Native and related technologies to compare notes, learn from peers, and take ideas back to their own codebases. ## Agenda * **6:00 PM** Doors open * ‍**6:20 PM** Welcome * ‍**6:30 PM** *Building a video experience with React Native: Lessons from early adoption* by [Eugene Verichev](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugene-verichev-771058106/) (Zalando)**‍** * **6:55 PM** *LLM inference on-device in React Native: the practical aspects* by [Artur Morys-Magiera](https://www.linkedin.com/in/artur-morys/) (Callstack) * **7:20 PM** *How to optimize your health with React Native*, by [Tejas Kumar ](https://x.com/tejask)(IBM)**‍** * **7:45 PM** *Performance comparisons in Brownfield React Native Projects* by [Mohit Karekar ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohit-karekar/)(Zalando)**‍** * **7:55 PM** Q&A**‍** * **8:10 PM** Networking ## Learn more and RSVP: [https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin ](https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin)

Wir treffen uns unten am Märchenbrunnen im Volkspark Friedrichshain und gehen von dort aus spazieren. Bringt gerne eure Hunde mit :)

**📅 Week 2 Focus: Image Processing Recap & Intro to Deep Learning** Each 7-week cycle focuses on a **small, well-defined part of a larger system**—and over time, these cycles build toward a complete, real-world project (covering data engineering, data science, and deployment). Feel free to join at any week and we will catch you up. There is no need to be at the beginning of the cohort to build. Complete beginners welcomed! 🧠 Current Project This cycle’s shared project is an **image-based knowledge extraction system** Last week, we kicked off our shared project by getting our hands dirty with OpenCV and exploring traditional image processing techniques. In Week 2, we’ll: * **Recap what we explored last week** and share cool experiments * **Look under the hood** of the OpenCV techniques we used * **Start exploring deep learning–based approaches** for text and object detection 📌 By the End of a Full Cycle, You should Have 🎯 A working project in your own GitHub repo 🎯 A small but real portfolio piece you can demo or write about 📅 When: Saturday, Jan 31 · 9:30–11:30 📍 Where: Torstraße 59, Forward Earth 💻 Bring: Your laptop, an idea—or just curiosity **👋 Who Is This For?** 🔹 Beginners who learn best by doing — no prior experience needed 🔹 Career switchers from product, engineering, design, marketing, or other fields who want to break into data 🔹 Analysts, engineers, and PMs looking to sharpen their skills or build real-world projects 🔹 Data professionals who want a creative playground outside of work 🔹 Anyone with big questions and a love for learning through experimentation \*\*\* **BUILD. LEARN. EXPERIMENT. OVER COFFEE.** Come hang out, meet like-minded people, and work on something fun. 📍 Based in Berlin – in-person meetups only (for now!) 💻 Laptops + ☕ highly encouraged Join our Discord → [https://discord.gg/dPnmzcCP8w](https://discord.gg/dPnmzcCP8w) Check out our program resources: [Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15DmZqD4bLBk2vU4zpvh1HiB3_5n09v-q?usp=sharing) \*\*\* ✨ Who’s Hosting? I’m Lindsey, a senior data scientist working on AI, causal inference, and data products. I’ve built models for fraud detection, uplift modeling, and LLM-based systems. I am always open to suggestion for different format for this meetup.

Berlin is one of the most vibrant hubs for Ethereum builders, researchers, and advocates of privacy, decentralization, and open-source technology. We're excited to welcome you to the Berlin Ethereum Meetups in 2026 and create more engaging community experiences together this year. Join us as we explore new ideas, collaborate on projects, and grow our community! Our next meetup is open to all - from those new to Ethereum to long-standing community members and developers. 🗓️ **Agenda** 🕕 6:30 - 6:45 pm - Arrivals 🕡 6:45 - 7:00 pm - Community Updates & Ecosystem News by Martin & Eniko (EF) 🕡 7:00 - 7:30 pm - Ethereum Roadmap Updates by Francesco, Researcher at the Ethereum Foundation 🕡 7:30 - Quick Open Call for BREW - Privacy Program 🕖 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm - Open discussions and community networking Whether you’re here to learn, contribute, or simply connect, join us as we continue building the next chapter of Ethereum in Berlin. The talks will be recorded and uploaded to our [Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@ethereumberlin). Subscribe to stay up to date. **Apply to speak at our future meetups:** [Speaker Application](https://forms.gle/5y9Y5ywZC7pSEqpV9) To learn more about Ethereum, go to [ethereum.org](http://ethereum.org/) (content available in many different languages).

**Important: In order to attend this event, please register on the [Callstack event page](https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin).** React Universe Meetup is coming to Berlin. On January 29, 2026, Zalando is teaming up with Callstack to host an in-person React Universe Meetup. Expect an evening built for experienced engineers who care about how things actually work in production, with time for both focused talks and unstructured conversations. The event is aimed at software developers, senior engineers, and architects working across full-stack and cross-platform applications, with an emphasis on sharing practical lessons, architectural tradeoffs, and production-ready approaches. It’s a space for teams working with React Native and related technologies to compare notes, learn from peers, and take ideas back to their own codebases. **Important: In order to attend this event, please register on the [Callstack event page](https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin).** ## Agenda * **6:00 PM** Doors open * **‍6:20 PM** Welcome * **‍6:30 PM** Building a Video Experience with React Native: Lessons from Early Adoption Speaker: Eugene Verichev, Zalando * **6:55 PM** LLM inference on-device in React Native: the practical aspects‍ Speaker: Artur Morys-Magiera, Callstack‍ * **7:20 PM** Talk 3 (details to be announced)‍ * **7:45 PM** Q&A‍ * **8:00 PM** Networking Additional talks and speakers will be announced closer to the event.

Welcome to Sunday Tech Coffee. This is a **networking** event for those in the tech industry in Berlin. We are usually inside and to the right. Ask the barista/bartender if you can't find us.

**IMPORTANT PLEASE RSVP:** https://www.meetup.com/grafana-and-friends-berlin/events/312736114/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events **🕐 Agenda** * **18:00 — Welcome & Snacks** * Doors open! Grab a slice, meet fellow community members, and get settled. * **18:30 — Opening Remarks** * A warm welcome from the **Berlin community** and event partners. * **18:45 — Tech Talks Begin** **Talk 01: Keeping data private in real-time pipelines** **Abstract** We all love real-time data — clicks, payments, rides, messages — but most of it comes with a catch: it often includes personal information we’re not allowed to leak, such as names, emails, locations, or subtle clues that can identify someone. So how do we keep streaming data **useful** and **safe** at the same time? In this talk, we’ll explore practical approaches to protecting privacy in streaming systems using **Apache Kafka**, Apache Flink, and Apache Iceberg. We’ll cover: * Simple techniques like **masking and tokenizing PII** * Why “anonymous” data often **isn’t really anonymous** (the re-identification problem) * Privacy-preserving approaches such as **bucketing, k-anonymity, and adding noise** * How to **balance privacy and data utility** (because over-hiding can make data useless) ### **Talk 02: TBA** Details coming soon 👀 ### **Talk 03: TBA** Stay tuned for the announcement!

Unser Verein berlinCreators e.V. trifft sich jeden Freitag ab 18 Uhr im Makerspace. Wir haben Gruppen rund um Elektronik, 3D-Druck, Nähen, Programmieren, Retro Computer. Egal ob Anfänger oder Profi – hier seid Ihr Willkommen. Ihr könnt mit anderen fachsimpeln, Euch inspirieren lassen oder auch mit unserer Hilfe Eure ersten Projekte starten. Wenn Ihr Euch bei uns wohlfühlt und Mitglieder bei den berlinCreators werden möchtest, freuen wir uns. Kommt vorbei, lernt den Space, uns und die Möglichkeiten kennen.

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/

WQC has weekly Thursday night social nights at the Westerville Java Central. Come and grab a coffee and connect with the community: low stakes, chill environment, and tasty drinks. No registration is required; come as you are.

### Tools in your AI's Toolbox : An introduction to MCP Servers The generative AI revolution has unlocked unprecedented capabilities, but the next frontier is agency: empowering models to interact with, query, and act upon the world. The current challenge is the “N x M integration problem,” where every AI model requires a custom, brittle integration for each external tool or data source. This approach simply doesn’t scale. How can we give an AI access to our sales leads, code repositories, or IoT devices in a standardized, secure, and reusable way? This session introduces Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), the open-source framework designed to solve this challenge and become the universal connector—the USB-C port—for AI. MCP standardizes how AI models discover and use external tools, moving beyond simple function-calling to a robust, client-server architecture. We will dive into how this open protocol is creating a new ecosystem for building powerful, context-aware AI agents. Join this session for a developer-focused introduction where you will learn how to: Understand the core concepts of the open-source Model Context Protocol and its architecture. Utilize pre-built, open-source MCP servers to instantly connect AI to tools like Git, Slack, and databases. Build a custom MCP server to securely expose your own proprietary data and APIs as tools for any compliant AI. Move beyond bespoke integrations and contribute to a standardized, collaborative, and open ecosystem. Stop building one-off connectors and start building intelligent agents. This session will give you the practical knowledge to leverage MCP and create the next generation of AI that doesn’t just talk, but does. Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! [https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/](https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/)

Connected Westerville Night of Networking flips the script on networking, with surprises and connections that'll make you say, "Who knew networking could be this much fun?!"

**Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) TEAMS UP with The Central Ohio GameDev Group (COGG) for the 2026 Global Game Jam (GGJ)!!!** **GGJ SITE** [https://globalgamejam.org/jam-sites/2026/columbus-college-art-design-central-ohio-game-group-ggj-2026](https://globalgamejam.org/jam-sites/2026/columbus-college-art-design-central-ohio-game-group-ggj-2026) **REGISTRATION** Fill out this form >>> [https://forms.gle/J6sGDZJFTmZkC6pk7](https://forms.gle/J6sGDZJFTmZkC6pk7) <<< *PLEASE NOTE* \- We have limited capacity so us knowing In\-Person participation early on is critical for us to best accommodate everyone interested in jammin' \- We will also be providing Online teams & support via our COGG Discord bot [Jammio](https://jammio.xyz/)! **Registering for this MEETUP event DOES NOT gain you access to the main Global Game Jam event. Please register officially [here](https://forms.gle/J6sGDZJFTmZkC6pk7).** Every year the game department at CCAD hosts students (and this year local game group COGG!!) in the exciting challenge of developing a theme inspired title over the course of a weekend. The Global Game Jam is a cherished tradition, be it in-person or virtually, we are here for you! This is an excellent opportunity to connect with your peers, make new friends, network with local game makers and try your hand at low stakes game development! Want to know all the details? [Check out the official GGJ site](https://globalgamejam.org/faq) and be sure to use your existing account or create a new jammer [account](https://globalgamejam.org/user/register). \-\-\-\-\- **EVENT DETAILS** Listings subject to change and will be updated so check in periodically! An **[Event Details doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SOPkHxpRVD7qrfVnWVMsWPB7zQwC5wtJK51v6T3a2hQ/edit?usp=sharing)** can be read for all your info! **Building Hours + Security** available throughout the event **Parking:** See [parking spots highlighted in blue](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Me_JNpE8YaGqR54KxmJei7w6OZ3rhjeC/view). (see new as of last year) *All Locations:* **DSB 121**, The Game Lounge: informal space for people to decompress. Private bathrooms **DSB126**, Small Classroom / Break-out room **DSB127**, (large multi-use space, tables, projector, couches, bistro tables/chairs, etc) **DSB136**, Flex Space (meals / food, access to refrigerator / microwave, drop-power and tables/chairs). **DSB142**, Presentation room **DSB146**, Cintiq Laptop Docking Lab **VENUE TIME & SPACE** **Friday** 5:00pm - 12am Event launch - *DSB 142* [YouTube Live Stream @6pm](https://youtube.com/live/pV40YzllqoY?feature=share) **Saturday** 7am - 12am **Sunday** 7am - 7:00pm Event closing - *DSB 142* [YouTube Live Stream Ending Ceremony @6pm](https://youtube.com/live/stxxCCPzy2A?feature=share) **MISC. RESOURCES** **Wifi:** We will have access to the GUEST network \- To be provided for login to participants at the event Friday Jan 30th **Map** [CCAD Map](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Me_JNpE8YaGqR54KxmJei7w6OZ3rhjeC/view?usp=sharing) **Wavier** [Sign and Print or Email to info@thecogg.com](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KaKoz5sK5h1PdZ2rGNOCntyUxoXcGLXL/view) **Schedule** [Updated Regularly](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EONsxtr3S-bRvIp_s12os-JA-M7uEW207bi9MVfrvbM/edit?usp=sharing) **Event Details** [All in one spot for all event details](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SOPkHxpRVD7qrfVnWVMsWPB7zQwC5wtJK51v6T3a2hQ/edit?usp=sharing) **SPONSORS** Global Game Jam ([GGJ](https://globalgamejam.org/)) Columbus College of Art and Design ([CCAD](https://www.ccad.edu/)) The Central Ohio GameDev Group ([COGG](https://thecogg.com/)) [Jammio](https://jammio.xyz/) \- Discord game jam bot [GDEX](https://www.thegdex.com/)/[Multivarious](https://www.multivarious.com/) \- Midwest Premiere Gaming Expo

**PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT NOTES:** 1. The dates listed for this series are about 95% reliable. We are completing our 2026 schedule as we speak, so minor adjustments are still occurring. 2. Each class in this series has an attendance fee, though this first offering is free on a first-come, first-served basis. 3. Each class, from BOTH a sign-up and fee perspective, is a separate entity. **Introduction:** HTML5 is the foundational technology for modern web development, serving as the standard markup language for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. Developed through a collaboration between the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG), HTML5 provides a robust system of elements (tags) that tell a browser how to display text, images, and multimedia in a clear and meaningful way. It works in concert with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for presentation and JavaScript for interactivity, forming the core technology stack for virtually all websites and many web applications today. One of the significant advancements of HTML5 is the introduction of powerful new features and elements designed to improve functionality and simplify development. Key additions include native multimedia support via the \ and \ tags, allowing developers to embed media without third-party plugins. It also offers new form controls for better user input, such as date and email types, and introduces web storage capabilities to store data offline for enhanced performance. These features streamline the process of building rich, interactive web experiences. A significant focus of HTML5 is enhanced semantics and better structural organization of content. New semantic elements like , , , , and \ provide meaningful structure to documents, which aids in search engine optimization (SEO) and improves accessibility for assistive technologies. These elements define different parts of a webpage (e.g., a header for the top, a nav for navigation links, a footer for the bottom), making the code more readable and understandable for both developers and machines. This emphasis on clear structure helps in creating more logical and maintainable websites. Developing websites in today's competitive environment requires taking advantage of every technique you can to get the maximum exposure possible. Our HTML5 class will not only show you what's new in the HTML specification, but also the best way to develop optimized web pages that get the attention your client and/or company requires. **The breakdown of the four-class series is as follows:** **Class 1: Introduction to Web Structure and Basic HTML5** This class introduces the core concepts of web development, the history of HTML, and the fundamental structure of an HTML5 document. * **Topics**: * **Web Architecture Overview**: How browsers, servers, and web pages interact. * **HTML Fundamentals**: Understanding elements, tags, and attributes. * **Basic Document Structure**: Using !DOCTYPE html, html, head, and body. * **Text Formatting**: Headings (h1 to h6), paragraphs (p), and text-level semantics (e.g., strong, em, br). * **Lists and Links**: Creating ordered (ol) and unordered (ul) lists, and linking between pages using anchor tags (a). * **Activity**: Students create a basic personal webpage containing text, a list of hobbies, and a link to an external website. **Class 2: Semantic HTML5 and Multimedia Integration** Class 2 focuses on modern HTML5 elements that provide meaning (semantics) to content, improving accessibility and search engine optimization. It also covers adding images and multimedia. * **Topics**: * **Semantic Elements**: Understanding and implementing elements like header, footer, nav, section, and article. * **Images**: Adding images using the img tag and attributes like src, alt, width, and height. * **Multimedia**: Embedding audio and video content using the audio and video tags. * **File and Folder Structure**: Best practices for organizing project files and managing file paths. * **Activity**: Students refactor their Class 1 project to use a proper semantic layout and add an image and a link to a video file. **Class 3: Forms and User Input** This session is dedicated to building interactive HTML5 forms, which are essential for capturing user data and input. * **Topics**: * **Form Basics**: Using the form element, action and method attributes. * **Input Types**: Exploring various input types (e.g., text, password, checkbox, radio, date, submit). * **Form Elements**: Utilizing label, textarea, select, option, and button. * **Client-side Validation**: Implementing HTML5 validation attributes like required, minlength, and pattern. * **Activity**: Students build a complete contact form with different input fields, radio buttons, and basic HTML5 validation. **Class 4: Introduction to CSS3 and Basic Styling** The final class introduces Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to style the HTML content and make the web pages visually appealing and accessible. * **Topics**: * **CSS Fundamentals**: The role of CSS, selectors, properties, and values. * **Integrating CSS**: Using inline, internal, and external style sheets. * **The Box Model**: Understanding margin, padding, border, and content for basic layout. * **Basic Styling**: Changing colors, fonts, and text alignment. * **Accessibility Basics**: Identifying principles of web design usability and accessibility, including ARIA labels. * **Activity**: Students apply an external CSS file to their Class 3 form project to style the layout, colors, and fonts, culminating in a well-structured and styled webpage.

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