Gifted Adults and Children

Would you also like to be a speaker and present at our events? Please tell us about your topic in this online form: [aka.ms/AotearoaAzure/speaker](https://aka.ms/AotearoaAzure/speaker) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **TBC** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Why Attend?** * Learn some real-world perspectives on Azure capabilities * Network with Azure professionals across Aotearoa New Zealand * Free pizza and great conversations! **⚠️ CRITICAL: Building Access Requirements** **Please read carefully - many attendees miss this!** Microsoft House has strict security requirements. To **attend in person**, you **MUST**: 1. Fill out the Meetup registration form. This includes your email address. 2. You will receive a QR code at that address 3. Arrive before 5:30 PM (building doors close) 4. Check in at reception before 5:20 PM **No pre-registration = No building access** (online attendance still available) **Note**: QR codes are sent between 12 pm and 3 pm on the day of the evening event **To use the QR Code Scanner:** 1\. Find the QR Code Scanner on the far left\-hand side of the gates\. 2\. Set your phone’s brightness to 100%\. 3\. Hold your phone perpendicular to the scanner without resizing the QR code\. **Please note**: the QR code is for individual use only and should not be shared. **📅 Event Details** **Online Stream**: aka.ms/AotearoaAzure/stream **Agenda**: * 5:00-5:20 PM: Networking & Pizza * 5:20-5:30 PM: Welcome * 5:30-6:30 PM: Talks (TBC) * 6:30-7:00 PM: Q & A **📺 Can't Make It In Person?** * Join via live stream: aka.ms/AotearoaAzure/stream * Recording available on our YouTube channel within a week: aka.ms/AotearoaAzure/YouTube

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Come grab a drink and a seat at The Oracle. **Optional topic for this meetup: Where is everybody?** In 1950 the physicist Enrico Fermi was talking about aliens over lunch and asked a question that still has not gone away: if the universe is so vast and so old, and even a fraction of those billions of stars have planets, where is everyone? By the numbers the galaxy should be crowded with civilizations. Instead we look up and hear silence. That gap between "they should be everywhere" and "we see no one" is the Fermi Paradox. One of the most unsettling answers is the idea of a **Great Filter**: somewhere on the road from dead chemistry to a galaxy-spanning civilization, there is at least one step that is almost impossible to get past. Maybe the filter is behind us. Maybe life starting at all, or simple cells becoming complex, or intelligence ever evolving, is the freak accident, and we already cleared the hard part. Or maybe the filter is ahead of us, and advanced civilizations reliably wipe themselves out before they spread. Here is the part that messes with people. If we ever found life somewhere else, even pond scum on Mars, most people would call it the greatest discovery in history. But it might be the worst possible news. It would mean life is common, the early steps are easy, and the hard step is still in front of us. So the eerie silence overhead might actually be the best sign we could ask for. **Questions to wrestle with:** * Is it better to be alone? Would you rather we find alien life and learn we are not special, or find nothing and quietly improve our odds of surviving? * Where do you bet the filter sits, behind us or ahead of us, and why? * If it is ahead of us, what is it? Nuclear war, climate collapse, AI, something we cannot even picture yet? And can we do anything about a filter we cannot see coming? * Does any of this change how you live, or how humanity should be spending its time and money right now? As always the prompt is optional. Come for the conversation, stay for the drinks, and bring your own questions.

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia

☕ Coffee and Kaiwa: Casual Japanese Conversation Please purchase a beverage or snack to support the venue. Join us for a relaxed, informal hour of Japanese-English language exchange and cultural chat! Whether you are a native Japanese speaker, a fluent bilingual, or just starting your language journey, everyone is welcome. There is no set agenda—just grab a drink, pull up a chair, and practice speaking at your own pace. Who Should Attend? Beginners: Practice basic greetings and phrases. Advanced Speakers: Maintain your fluency. Native Speakers: Meet locals and share your culture.