Information Science

En la evaluación de resultados de analíticas de sangre y orina se comprueba habitualmente que el valor obtenido se encuentre dentro del “margen o rango admisible” que aparece al lado. Si este es el caso se da como bueno. Sin embargo, conviene conocer y se expondrán una serie de conceptos a tener en cuenta por parte del médico evaluador o del propio paciente, si este quiere asumir un cierto grado de responsabilidad de su propia salud, a fin de obtener del análisis una información más útil para un diagnóstico más certero y en consecuencia, poder adoptar medidas mitigadoras de las disfunciones con una nutrición adecuada, cuidando las emociones, etc. Estos son básicamente: -Criterios empleados habitualmente para determinar el “rango de laboratorio o admisible” y sus puntos débiles, y los empleados para determinar el “rango óptimo” que es el que debería tomarse como base para el diagnóstico. -Criterio de selectividad en la evaluación de los biomarcadores. En algunos de ellos, más que el valor hallado puntualmente proporciona más información la tendencia observada en una secuencia de análisis (gradiente). Se expondrán ejemplos -Biomarcadores a los que dedicar mayor atención y una frecuencia de determinación más alta, según el principio de la ley de Pareto. Se expondrán ejemplos. Conferencia a cargo de : Josep Castells, Ingeniero eléctrico, Máster en nutrición y dietética y Licenciado en filología alemana.

Si crees que la filosofía necesita diálogo, y que nosotros necesitamos de filosofía, este encuentro es para ti. El encuentro de Consulta Filosófica y Dialógica Colectiva en Barcelona te dará las herramientas para empezar a desarrollar una investigación filosófica capaz de abordar problemas y cuestiones colectivas o individuales que marcan tu y nuestra existencia. Un camino nunca experimentado en Barcelona, con el apoyo de un Filósofo del diálogo que se pone al servicio del descubrimiento, siempre imprevisible, de nuevas verdades comunes. Para descubrir cómo afrontar juntos lo que no somos capaces de comprender solos. Si vienes por Primera vez, es mejor llegar 10 minutos antes del encuentro. Para participar leer bien la descripción del grupo. Idiomas (español e ingles; catalán e italiano). Evento gratuito con abono libre a partir de 5 euro. Método dialogico: Por elegir If you believe that philosophy needs dialogue, and that we need philosophy, this meeting is for you. The first meeting of Collective Philosophical Consultancy will give you the tools to start developing a philosophical research capable of tackling collective or individual problems and questions that mark your and our existence. A path never experienced before in Barcelona, with the support of a Philosopher of dialogue who puts himself at the service of the discovery, always unpredictable, of new common truths. To discover how to face together what we are not able to understand alone. To participate, please read the group description carefully. Languages (Spanish and English; Catalan and Italian). Free event with free subscription (at least 5 Euros Dialogo al Method: To be chosen

Únete a nuestro grupo para un taller especial de autoconocimiento y crecimiento personal, donde exploraremos temas como desarrollo personal, gestión emocional y la conciencia sobre uno mismo. A través de la metodología Gestalt, dinámicas de movimiento, ejercicios prácticos y reflexiones, te invito a embarcarte en un viaje de exploración interna para descubrir tu potencial, abrazar tu vulnerabilidad y transformar patrones de comportamiento. En este espacio conectarás y compartirás con otros miembros que también buscan crecer y evolucionar en un ambiente seguro, de apoyo y confianza. **Regálate un espacio para tu bienestar emocional y mental.** TALLER REGULAR Todos los lunes De 19h a 21h Coste: 80€ al mes **EARLY BIRD: 60€/ mes hasta el 11 de ENERO**. En RAI Associació (Born) INSCRIPCIONES al correo: marinadecclesiis@gmail.com * INFO Pagina web: http://bit.ly/45WGgV3

Hi and welcome to our next Socrates Café philosophy meetup! Do you have a hunger for deeper understanding of yourself and the world? Do you value deep, honest and respectful dialogue? If yes, then this meetup will be very interesting for you. • WHAT IS A MEETUP ABOUT? We ask, answer and discuss questions and ideas to stimulate critical thinking and to widen our perspectives with new concepts and thoughts. The main purpose of these meetups is to enrich ourselves with the perspectives of others, not to convince others about our own perspectives. Our meetups are about our own philosophies of life and not necessarily what the great philosophers and academics have said or written. It is not a debating club or a platform for proselytizing. Instead, we place the emphasis on questioning, open mindedness and challenging our own assumptions while listening to and respecting the views shared by others. A Socrates Café meetup is considered a success when participants leave a discussion with many more questions than they had at the beginning. • WHAT TOPIC IS DISCUSSED AT THE MEETUP? Participants suggest topics at the beginning of each meeting. We then vote and choose that event's most popular topic for discussion. No academic training in philosophy necessary; just enthusiasm for exchanging ideas and points of view. Some examples of subjects chosen on previous meetups: * What ideals are worth dying for? * Why are we never satisfied? * Why is it that human beings know that the society is going wrong, leaders are well informed about it and things continue as is? * Is identity necessary? * How can it be that people in democratic societies are so obsessed with power? (Desire to be different, better, stronger than others) * What is friendship? • WHO PARTICIPATES AT THIS MEETUP? Anybody is more than welcome to join our meetups. Our events gather people from different backgrounds, different cultures, while no philosophical background is mandatory. Our usual participants are people that have a hunger for deeper understanding of themselves and the world. People that value deep, honest and respectful dialogue. The inspiration for Socrates Cafe originates with the book of the same name, written by the philosopher Christopher Phillips. (Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy, 2002). Phillips felt that the Socratic method of dialogue and discussion should be practiced not just in academic settings, but among everyday people interested in examining deep questions together. Hundreds of Socrates Cafe groups now exist around the world. To learn more, visit [https://socratescafe.com](https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsocratescafe.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C1b245fc060a24a1b22c508dd324f736a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638722038989360624%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pLtcEu25qgDHP1XvhFs5Cx4L1rRDYmqwnNWgxalKovY%3D&reserved=0 "Protegido por Outlook: https://socratescafe.com/. Haga clic o pulse para seguir el vínculo.").

**CLASES REGULARES DE CAJÓN DE NIVEL INICIAL.** En nuestras clases aprendes la técnica del instrumento, diversos ritmos o 'palos' del flamenco y otros ritmos como el funck, samba, rock... Aprovechando así el cajón como instrumento multi rítmico. * Estamos al lado del metro de la Verneda, Barcelona. Y se puede aparcar en frente de la puerta del local. * Clases grupales.​ * Técnica del Cajón, recursos y técnica de estudio. * Diferentes ritmos como el funk, samba, rock... * Estudio de patrones de improvisación que permitirá expresarse con el instrumento.​ * Enfocado a alumnos de nivel inicial. * ​Nosotros facilitamos los instrumentos necesarios. * Actividad para adultos. * ​Clases regulares semanales de 1 hora y 30 minutos. * Precios: [https://www.tocartpercusion.com/clases-horarios-precios-escuela-tocart](https://www.tocartpercusion.com/clases-horarios-precios-escuela-tocart) * Para contratar y asistir a las clases lo puedes hacer directamente desde este link: [https://www.tocartpercusion.com/reserva-clases-escuela-tocart](https://www.tocartpercusion.com/reserva-clases-escuela-tocart) * Para cualquier duda puedes entrar en contacto con el organizador (Marta 601503543). Una manera divertida de aprender estos apasionantes ritmos y de conocer y compartir con gente con las mismas inquietudes.​ [https://www.tocartpercusion.com/clases-curso-cajon-barcelona](https://www.tocartpercusion.com/clases-curso-cajon-barcelona)

**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?** Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎 Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic. The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌 **📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?** Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LAtygOTKzmf1SnQKzJl68Z), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going. When groups get bigger than 6-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture. **General Meeting Agenda** Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline: * 19:30-19:45 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start. * 19:45-19:55 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines. * 19:55-21:15 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them. * 21:15-21:30 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo. * 21:30 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other. **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend! At the Barcelona group, we often meet in a friends house. In this case, we ask that everyone bring a snack or a drink to share! **💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY** **🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam 🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel **🤓 FAQ** * **​What will we talk about? What's the topic?** **​**The topic for the week is shared every Sunday in the Whatsapp group. We try to add the topic to the comment section on this event page as well but if you don’t see it, the topic and the jump-off points will be in our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LAtygOTKzmf1SnQKzJl68Z). * **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?** No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what YOU think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it, but it's not required. * **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?** The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school. * **Is it mostly men that attend?** Surprisingly, no! Although philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms. * **Can I come alone?** Of course you can, we encourage it :) * **Can I be late?** Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation. * **Where do you meet?** The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LAtygOTKzmf1SnQKzJl68Z) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/). **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨** We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 20+ chapters in over 15 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ **\*\*\*** **Join our [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LAtygOTKzmf1SnQKzJl68Z) 👈** **Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈** **Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**

At InnoIT Consulting, we are delighted to invite you to our upcoming meetup, organized in collaboration with Back Market, on **January 28th at 6:30 PM**. 🎙️*Applied AI beyond the hype* Two talks on taking AI from theory to real impact: first, a case study on **AI Grading** in the Back Market app—how AI reduces uncertainty during device grading and helps customers price trade-ins more accurately, with key product decisions and lessons from shipping in production. Then, a clear breakdown of what’s behind **GenAI**—LLMs, memory, embeddings, retrieval, agents, and evaluation—plus why **observability, hallucination control, and security** matter to build reliable systems. **SPEAKERS** * **[Estíbaliz Torralbo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/etorralbo/)** (Senior Android Engineer at Back Market) * **[Alessandro Canino](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandro-canino-1a4b91191/)** (Senior AI Engineer at InnoIT) **SUMMARY** **🎙️ AI Grading - Enabling Customers with AI-assisted Quality Assessments,** Estíbaliz Torralbo In this talk, we’ll share how we built **AI Grading, the first AI-powered, customer-facing** feature in the Back Market app, designed to **reduce uncertainty** during the grading step and help users **price their devices more accurately**. We’ll walk through the journey from **product intent to real-world impact:** why **AI grading** mattered, how it supports **customer trust, partner differentiation**, and **growth**, and what it took to bring AI into an existing **trade-in flow without disrupting the experience**. Rather than diving straight into **low-level implementation details**, the focus is on the **practical decisions** and **lessons learned** from **shipping AI in production.** **🎙️ Behind the GenAI Buzzwords**, Alessandro Canino In this talk, we unpack **what really happens behind today’s AI systems**. Starting from the differences between **traditional ML** and **Generative AI**, we’ll clarify how **large language models** use and access information, including different **memory mechanisms**. We’ll then explore **embeddings**, **retrieval**, **agents**, and **evaluation** **strategies**, showing why observability, hallucination control, and security are now first-class engineering problems. The goal is clarity: understanding what GenAI can do well, what it cannot, and how to use it responsibly in real systems. With time for a dynamic **Q&A session and, of course, our networking with food 🍕 and drinks 🍻.** **👥 Do you want to come along?** Share this invitation with all your contacts, or click the "share" button below. **WHEN:** January 28th at 6:30 PM **WHERE:** Oficinas InnoIT Consulting, [C/ Diputació, 280, Bajos 2ª, 08009, Barcelona](https://maps.app.goo.gl/zC6Sf2jUogxauX317) **LANGUAGE:** English 📝**Join our [newsletter](https://www.inno-it.es/newsletter/)!** Don't miss out on upcoming events, exciting news and special job offers. *InnoIT Consulting, Back Market*

Circling and Transformational Connection - the practice of relational presencing Barcelona, Av Diagonal 345. 50 meters from Verdauger st. Press the button ' bajo' This group is about presence, authenticity, connection, aliveness and revealing the truth of the present moment. * Meeting meaningfully yourself and others in and trough the present moment - ☀️ This practice invites us for : -Slowing down. -Listening and landing. -Tuning into the present moment and the unique experience of it. \- Becoming aware and noticing how something "speaks" to you trough the unfoldment of the present moment\, within and in environment\. \- Revealing something meaningful for you from your felt sense and present moment experience to other/s\. \- Noticing how the presence of others impacts and 'speaks' to you\. \- Owning your bodily felt sense experience\. \- Trusting your experience\. \- Aiming to listen\, attune\, empathize and understand the other ones and to be with them in their experience\. ☀️This practice can be described as a relational meditation, or relational truth seeking. Aim is to gradually develop contemplative and reflective capacity towards all the nuances manifesting trough shared present moment experience. This can often create deep insights, meaningful moments in connection, and even altered states of consciousness. ☀️Some of the other skills which are developing trough this practice are : * awareness skills (body, emotion, energy) * communication skills * ability to stay in a present moment * connection skills * empathy, intuition, capacity to know beyond usualness * heart openness * trust to Life's wisdom * accuracy in articulation * ability to contemplate any life experience * The evening will unfold trough pair and group exercises. Practice evenings will be weekly, on Tuesdays at 18:30-21:00. Place : Barcelona Av Diagonal 345. 50 meters from Verdauger st. Press the button ' bajo' Questions and sign up +4530958904/ Petri Price of the practice evening : 10 €. Warmly welcome 😊

Fee is for a Brewdog Beer and to ensure that we decrease no shows. Join us monthly for a creative gathering of designers, design researchers, and AI innovators. This networking event unites professionals passionate about user experience, design methodologies, research insights, and AI-powered design tools to share knowledge, exchange perspectives, and build meaningful connections. Our collaborative atmosphere offers an ideal space to discuss design challenges, explore research methodologies, and discover how AI is transforming the design landscape. Whether you're looking to expand your professional circle, gain insights on emerging design practices, or explore the intersection of human-centered design and artificial intelligence, this monthly meetup is your creative hub. Expect inspiring conversations, practical insights, and opportunities to connect with fellow design professionals who are pushing boundaries and redefining what's possible through thoughtful design, rigorous research, and innovative AI applications.

*Nos sumergimos en misterios que aún desafían los conocimientos modernos, junto al egiptólogo Hasan Yousif Kamel.* **¿Sabías que las pirámides y otros monumentos del antiguo Egipto siguen desafiando a la ciencia moderna?** Únete a esta fascinante charla donde exploraremos los misterios tecnológicos y científicos que rodean a una de las civilizaciones más enigmáticas de la historia. El egiptólogo Hasan nos guiará a través de teorías, hallazgos arqueológicos y preguntas que aún no tienen respuesta: ¿Cómo lograron construir estructuras tan perfectas sin tecnología avanzada? ¿Qué secretos esconden sus conocimientos astronómicos y matemáticos? ¿Qué podemos aprender hoy de su legado? Charla impartida por: Hasan Yousif Kamel. 🎟️ Actividad gratuita ⚠️ Sé responsable con tu inscripción. Si no puedes asistir, por favor, cancela tu plaza para dar lugar a otra persona. Para cualquier pregunta, puedes contactarnos en el móvil 686 22 62 84 \*\*\* Para garantizar el buen funcionamiento de la actividad y evitar interrupciones, se ruega puntualidad. No se permitirá la entrada pasados los primeros 10 minutos de la actividad. Gracias por la comprensión.

This month's pick: The Wall by John Lanchester **[BUY THE BOOK HERE](https://backstorybookshop.shop/product/the-wall-2/)** Welcome to the *Cli-Fi Club*—a book club where climate meets imagination. This group explores the power of fiction to illuminate environmental themes, spark meaningful dialogue, and inspire climate action. **Instructions** 1. Swing by the shop to pick up a copy of your book 2. Read it 3. Come discuss it

AI is everywhere right now. It is writing emails, generating images, summarising meetings, planning campaigns, coding prototypes, and quietly reshaping how companies hire. --- For some people, it feels like they have gained a superpower. For others, it feels like a trap door slowly opening underneath their job. --- ​Most of us use AI daily without really knowing what it is, what it is not, and what it is actually doing under the hood. We talk about it like it is a mind. We fear it like it is a competitor. We sometimes trust it like it is a real life colleague. **[Tickets must be purchased on LUMA - Buy tickets here](https://luma.com/i6mp3thf?utm_source=meetupgroup)**. ​In this Growth Lab Live session, physicist, trainer and AI educator Ignacio Lirio offers a clear, non hype, non doom tour through the real mechanics of modern AI. You will learn how machine learning systems actually learn, why large language models can feel intelligent without understanding, and what most people miss about the way AI changes work. Not in five years, but right now. ​We will also look at the “hidden layer” of the conversation. The deeper psychological and philosophical pull of AI and why humans anthropomorphise it so fast. When does AI stop being merely “a tool” and become a vital extension of our brains? ​**About the speaker:** ​Ignacio Lirio (Barcelona, 1974) is a physicist (UAB), trainer and writer. He's been delivering training course about technology and multimedia design for more than 20 years, most of them through LinkedIn Learning platform. Specialized in Machine Learning and Data Science, now works in AI outreach for small companies. **\*\*TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE VIA THIS LINK - https://luma.com/i6mp3thf?utm_source=meetupgroup** **Agenda:** * Doors open - 1830h * Talk starts - 1900h * Q&A - 2000h * Drinks & Networking (upstairs at Bar Bailen) - 2030h \-\-\- **[Growth Lab: Unlock Your Potential](https://www.growth-lab.live/ "https://www.growth-lab.live/")** Join us at Growth Lab, where ambitious minds gather to explore ideas that fuel personal and professional growth. Each session dives into powerful strategies and insights across psychology, philosophy, longevity, economics, and cutting-edge tech — designed to help you unlock your best self. Expect thought-provoking talks, interactive discussions, and a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to bettering themselves. Whether you're seeking inspiration, new skills, or meaningful connections, Growth Lab is your space to grow. **Follow us on Instagram: [@Growthlablive](https://www.instagram.com/growthlablive/ "https://www.instagram.com/growthlablive/")** **Join our Meetup Group: [Growth Lab | Barcelona Talks & Events](https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-hkqcaxmp/ "https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-hkqcaxmp/")** **Venue: MOB Bailen** -Join us in a centrally located coworking space as part of the Makers of Barcelona family. A unique setting for our events with a seperate bar upstairs for drinks and networking.

## Details \#\# Learn Infrastructure\-as\-Code \(the FUN Way\) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: DevOps Columbus - Azure CBUS - Columbus HashiCorp User Group** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint DevOps Columbus, Azure CBUS and Columbus HashiCorp User Group meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. \#\#\# What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time \#\#\# Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐

I love my job and one of the main things I do is help customers get going with any of the data technologies at Microsoft. Right now there are a lot of my customers asking about Microsoft Fabric. It's hard to weave across all the shiny new options across the Fabric landscape, let alone figure out where it fits into your organization. In this session we'll focus on answering one question - how can I get data into Fabric? We'll talk through the "it depends" options and see some of the options in live demos.

**New Dojo Location!** **Draft Day Columbus** 1130 Dublin Road Columbus, OH 43215 We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead. We're looking for topic suggestions and people interested in presenting at our monthly meetings. To this end we've set up a survey form at [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc)

Join us for a special afternoon celebrating books, conversation, and community. **Who:** Jessica Strawser in conversation with Thirti Umrigar **When:** Sunday\, February 1 \| **2:00 p.m.** **Where:** Auditorium, Main Library 96 S. Grant Ave. **Event Schedule** **1:00 p.m.** – Library doors open & book sale begins (hosted by Prologue Bookshop) **2:00 p.m.** – Jessica Strawser in conversation with Thirti Umrigar **2:45 p.m.** – Audience Q&A **3:00 p.m.** – Book sale & author signing Come early to check out the books, settle in for the author talk, and enjoy a laid-back afternoon with fellow book lovers. We’d love to see you there!

### 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/)

## Learn Infrastructure-as-Code (the FUN Way) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: Azure CBUS × Columbus HashiCorp User Group × DevOps Columbus** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint Azure CBUS, Columbus HashiCorp User Group, and DevOps Columbus meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. ### What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time ### Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐 Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/