Geek Culture

Hello All, Believe it or not, life is not just about hiking. The Lux Film Festival has one night showing music videos of local artists. It will be interesting. It will be weird. Certainly, you won't like all music. Same here. Still, why not giving it a try? Tickets are for free but pre-registration is required. Anyone with a ticket can join. Here is the link: https://luxfilmfestfilms.megatix.be/en/HO00006212 Hope to see some of you on Friday Jörg

🥾 Lee Trail Hike: Hoscheid → Kautenbach 🌲 Join us for another beautiful stage of the Lee Trail, one of the most scenic long-distance hiking routes in Luxembourg. This section takes us from Hoscheid to Kautenbach, through the rolling hills and deep forest valleys of the Éislek region. The trail offers a great mix of forest paths, panoramic viewpoints, and peaceful nature. Along the way we will pass through the dramatic landscapes of the Our and Clerve valleys, with several opportunities to enjoy stunning views over the surrounding hills. This hike is moderate but still sporty, making it ideal for people who enjoy a longer walk in nature. 📍 Hike Details • Start: Hoscheid -> bus stop „Kräizgaass“ • End: Kautenbach • Distance: ~15 km • Duration: about 5 hours (including breaks) • Elevation gain: ~430 m • Elevation loss: ~650 m • Difficulty: Moderate 🎒 What to bring • Good hiking shoes • Enough water • Snacks or lunch • Weather-appropriate clothing ℹ️ Additional information We will walk at a comfortable pace with short breaks to enjoy the scenery. Both Hoscheid and Kautenbach are accessible by public transport, and from Kautenbach there are convenient train connections back. Looking forward to a great day of hiking together! 🌿

The **Women Coding Community (WCC)** is wrapping up our Java Bootcamp with a high-energy, hands-on **Hack Hour** session. This isn't just a presentation—it's a community coding event where we build the future of our platform together. ***The Theme: "Building for the Community"*** We are focusing on practical Java projects that directly support the **Women Coding Community** mission. Whether you are a beginner focusing on core Java or an intermediate developer ready for Spring Boot, we have a path for you. **Choose your approach:** **\- The Architect:** Come with a specific Java project idea and your initial implementation. Use this time to pair program with mentors to solve bugs or add features. **\- The Catalyst:** Just bring an idea! Connect with other attendees, form a team on the spot, and spend the evening coding a prototype with us. ***AI Tools in Practice: Accelerate Your Java Development*** We'll explore how AI assistants can accelerate your Java learning and development. Live demos and discussion covering: • Using Claude, ChatGPT, and JetBrains AI for debugging and code generation. • Best practices for prompting AI when learning a new language • What to trust, what to verify, and when to push back on AI suggestions • Comparing tool strengths for different Java use case ***Project Inspiration*** All ideas are centered around enhancing the **WCC ecosystem**. Pick a level that challenges you: **Basic: Core Java & CLI Tools** * **WCC Member Directory:** Build a command-line tool to manage member profiles (name, skills, location) using Java Collections and File I/O. * **Event Attendance Tracker:** Create a system to track check-ins for our meetups using the Java Date/Time API. * **Coding Challenge Generator:** Develop a tool that randomly selects Java exercises for members to practice. **Intermediate: Spring Boot & APIs** * **WCC Job Board:** Create a REST API for members to post and filter tech opportunities. * **Community Blog Platform:** Build a backend that supports Markdown posts and author profiles for WCC contributors. * **Skill-Tracking Dashboard:** Develop a platform for members to track their learning journey and visualize progress. *Mentors will be on hand throughout the evening to guide you through the vibe coding process, answer questions, and help you get unstuck.* **To join register here: [Java Bootcamp Form](https://forms.gle/kw7fgyvwzwxsZPFX7)** **Schedule — March 13th, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (London Time)** **•** **AI Tools Showcase:** Claude vs. ChatGPT vs. JetBrains AI. (6:00 PM - 6:30 PM) • **HACK HOUR:** Pair programming and feature building with mentors. (6:30PM - 8:40PM) • **Closing & Networking** (8:40 PM - 9:00 PM) **Host:** **🎙️ Speaker Adriana Zencke Zimmermann \| Senior Software Engineer \| [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dricazenck/) \| [GitHub](https://github.com/dricazenck)** Founder & Director of Women Coding Community and Senior Software Engineer at Centric Software, with 15+ years specialising in backend systems, engineering leadership, and inclusion in tech. **🎙️ Speaker Sonali Goel \| Senior Software Engineer\, Tesco Tech \| [Website](https://sonaligoel.carrd.co/) \| [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonali-goel-tech/)** Women in Tech Award 2025 Winner, with 15+ years in large-scale e-commerce, cloud-native Java, and Agentic AI. A core leader at WCC passionate about mentorship and open source. **🎙️ Speaker Dr\. Ying Liu \| Senior Data Scientist\, Magic AI \| [Website](http://www.yingliu.site/) \| [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yingliu-data/)** Senior Data Scientist at Magic AI with a Ph.D. in Physics. Ying builds human pose estimation models from RGB and sensor data, specializing in real-time 3D pose estimation and end-to-end ML architectures. Outside work, she builds AI agents and tinkers with robotics. **👩🏽‍💻 About Women Coding Community** Our mission is to empower women in tech through education, mentorship, community, and career support. We run workshops and events, connect members with industry mentors, and champion more inclusive practices across the industry. **[Website](http://womencodingcommunity.com/) \| [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/103490940) \| [Slack](https://bit.ly/women_coding_community)** **👩🏽‍💻 Code of Conduct** All attendees are expected to follow our Code of Conduct: **[womencodingcommunity.com/code-of-conduct](https://womencodingcommunity.com/code-of-conduct)**

“The name Patricia Highsmith designates for me a sacred territory,” writes Slavoj Žižek, “a figure whose position among writers is comparable to the place Spinoza holds for Deleuze—the Christ among philosophers. When one speaks of Highsmith, one should tread carefully, for one is walking through my dreams.” — “[Immoral, and Yet Ethical!](https://slavoj.substack.com/p/immoral-and-yet-ethical)” For our book club meeting, I propose The Talented Mr. Ripley, the novel in which Tom Ripley first appears and in which Patricia Highsmith discovers what would become her most unsettling double. For her, Ripley is not just a character but a kind of externalized ego: Highsmith later signed her mail as “Tom (Pat)” and even appended his name to her own. Ripley is a man without qualities, yet with a perfect ear for the intonations of others. He can be anyone, because being himself is unbearable. To make our discussion even more interesting, I suggest reading the novel alongside its 1999 film adaptation by Anthony Minghella, starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It is not the only cinematic version of Highsmith’s work, but it remains the most celebrated—and perhaps the most seductive. We’ll discuss what changes when Ripley moves from page to screen: morality versus beauty, inner emptiness versus outward glamour, and the question of [why we want what Tom Ripley has.](https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/critics-at-large/why-we-want-what-tom-ripley-has) Links for inspiration: * Slavoj Žižek, [Immoral, and Yet Ethical!](https://slavoj.substack.com/p/immoral-and-yet-ethical) * The New Yorker podcast, [Critics at Large: Why We Want What Tom Ripley Has](https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/critics-at-large/why-we-want-what-tom-ripley-has)

Have you ever felt like love made you lose your senses… maybe even your mind? I definitely have. Join me for an open discussion on how love affects your brain. Share your story or vision and drink a cup of cafe. This interactive event offers a relaxed café atmosphere where curiosity is encouraged, questions are welcomed, and ideas flow freely. **Optional** * Interactive activity * Discussion on brain functions/chemicals related to love * Exploring the science behind love in an engaging, informal setting designed for learning, sharing, and meaningful easy going conversation

Hi everyone — we just recently passed the 20 members milestone. I'm super excited to discover there are so many people curious about Clojure and functional programming in Luxembourg! What I propose as our next steps is to try to schedule our Meetup #1 in the next 4–8 weeks (end of February - March, after-work/in the week-end, 60–90 min). In preparation, let's try to know each other: please reply to the event questions - or head to the discussion thread.

Let’s meet in the middle of March for a gentle, warm, and slightly unpredictable afternoon together. As winter slowly gives way to spring — a season when everything begins to awaken again — we’ll take a moment to reflect on the question: What Are You Growing Into This Year? 🌱 🌟 What to expect A small circle of open-minded people, with tea, coffee, or food in hand, sharing reflections, philosophy, psychology, or simply ideas and inspirations that arise naturally in the moment. The topic is suggested above, and the conversation will flow organically. 🪄 We’ll explore the questions step by step, from light to deeper, in a roundtable format. For example: • What’s your name, where are you from, and what are you doing in Luxembourg? • What is something new you have started exploring this year? • If this year had a theme for you so far, what would it be? • What small change in your life has already made a difference this year? • Is there a skill or quality you would like to develop more this year? • What are you currently investing more time or energy in? • Is there something you are slowly letting go of this year? • What kind of person do you feel you are slowly becoming? • What has helped you grow the most in recent years: people, challenges, or experiences? • If this year goes well for you, what might look different by the end of it? • What is one quiet intention you have for the rest of this year? • …and whatever else naturally emerges. There’s no pressure to share deeply — listening is just as welcome as speaking. ✨ 📌 Practical details 📍 Venue: Le Quai Steffen – Gare de Luxembourg | Restaurant 📅 Date: Sunday, March 15, 2026 🕒 Time: 15:00 – 17:00 👥 Group size: Up to 12 people ☕ Food & drinks: Everyone orders and pays individually Since this is a rather specific topic, the group will stay small. If you find that you can’t attend, please cancel your spot so someone else can join. If you enjoy authentic connection, gentle humour, openness to different perspectives, and curiosity about others — not just what they do, but who they are — you’re very welcome to join. 🫶

**Update (13 March):** Due to the forecast of snow and rain in Diekirch, the hike has been cancelled. Instead, we will meet directly for **Mexican brunch at Café Miche at 12:45 PM**. 📍 Café Miche – [https://maps.app.goo.gl/3MYHenvqihHQzvgj6](https://maps.app.goo.gl/3MYHenvqihHQzvgj6) 🕒 Time: 12:45 PM 🚗 Parking: Street parking is available nearby, and there is also a parking garage here: [https://maps.app.goo.gl/9QWNrGbBHXXcBxqB8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/9QWNrGbBHXXcBxqB8) A reservation has already been made for our group, and we look forward to meeting everyone for a relaxed lunch together. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Join us for a fun and welcoming Hike & Mexican Brunch in Diekirch on Saturday, 14 March 🌿🥾 We’ll start the day with a refreshing hike in and around Diekirch, enjoy the spring air, good conversation, and beautiful scenery, and then head to Cafe Miche for a relaxed brunch together. This is a community event organized by the Vegan Society Luxembourg, and everyone is welcome, whether you’re vegan or not. The goal is simply to spend a lovely day outdoors, meet kind people, and share a good meal. Pets are welcome too 🐾 Well-behaved pets are welcome to join us for the hike and at the restaurant. Brunch price: * 35€/person (1 mimosa or hot chili chocolate included) * Kids from 8 years old : 15€/person (1 hot chocolate included) Price to be paid directly to Cafe Miche We also understand that plans can change. If you can no longer make it, we kindly ask that you inform us and cancel your ticket at least 24 hours before the event, so we can plan responsibly and manage the group size. We’re looking forward to seeing you there! Team Vegan Society Luxembourg

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who want to discuss international travel and culture, and anyone who enjoys getting together for good conversations."

This month, we are in-person at GameArena!!! We will also be joined by students and their games from [Shawnee State](https://www.shawnee.edu/game-design-programs)! \-\-\- Join us for our our monthly COGG Prototype and Play event @GameArena! Come to play and showcase your games. We're back in the upper levels of the catwalk mezzanine area. It'll be packed with lots of camaraderie playing your game(s) and other's games on the 2nd floor as well as the 1st floor in the gaming room below the mezzanine. Light snacks and water provided but you can buy food and drinks at the bar (alcoholic drink ID required). [https://www.game-arena.co/menu](https://www.game-arena.co/menu) **Attendees:** Don't have a game to show? Not a problem! All are welcomed and invited from all ages and backgrounds. The more we can have to play test our games the better! **Developers:** Do you have a game that you would like to get critical feedback on? Would you like an excuse to work on a game with other talented artists, programmers, musicians, designers, and writers? Digital, table-top, non-experienced developers, and the like are welcomed! We'll provide signage for your game to help others learn more about your work. Wifi, outlets, tables, and seats (though standing tables also) are available. Come to the Prototype and Play workshop to collaborate and meet local game developers for an evening of epic and raw game play fun! Play works-in-progress, show off your own game, work with others to add polish to a game, or even lend your talents to other fellow developers. Can use South Garage at the Gateway with a $5 voucher on your way out. 75 E 11th Ave, Columbus, OH 43201 [https://maps.app.goo.gl/UwgveUYG37Jy7RtS9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UwgveUYG37Jy7RtS9) If you have any questions or comments, as always, feel free to reach out to us at [info@thecogg.com!](http://info@thecogg.com!/)