Information Science

We meet for informal chat about anything you like. Conversation is free flowing and friendly. We always leave knowing something new! So as to find us easily there will be a GREEN BALL on our table.

Join us at Craft Beer Co. Brixton for our structured Sci-Fi & Fantasy Feedback Session. A supportive, focused space where writers can share their work and receive constructive, thoughtful critique. These sessions are designed not only to help authors refine their writing but also to strengthen our community. Giving feedback is as valuable as receiving it: by learning to critique effectively, we sharpen our own editorial instincts and deepen our understanding of craft. Whether you’re submitting work or attending as a reader, this is a collaborative, growth-focused environment. **FOR THOSE SUBMITTING WORK** **We allow up to 4 people to submit their work** **for feedback. In order to submit please RSVP and send your submission to** **scififantasyauthors@gmail.com no later than the Sunday prior to the session** to give organisers time to review submissions and arrange critique groups in advance. *Priority for submission slots is given to those who have attended a previous session.* To ensure quality and fairness, submission guidelines are as follows: * **A short introduction (2–3 paragraphs max.) explaining:** * The context and status of the piece (early draft? polished?) * What kind of feedback you’re looking for * **An excerpt (chapter or short story) of up to 4,000 words of your work-in-progress** **FOR THOSE PROVIDING FEEDBACK** * Please RSVP and read the “How to Give Feedback” document that will be shared prior to attending. * Bring a device suitable for reading the submitted piece * There is no expectation to read anything in advance. All reading takes place during the session itself. We begin with dedicated silent reading time, ensuring that everyone engages with the piece equally and no one feels pressure to prepare outside the session. Just show up ready to read, think, and contribute. **SCHEDULE** Attendees will be placed into small critique groups of 5–6 people, each with an experienced facilitator to guide discussion and manage time. **6:30–6:45pm** – Arrival, drinks & group seating **6:45–7:30pm** – Silent reading & note-taking **7:30–8:00pm** – Structured feedback delivery **8:00–8:30pm** – Open roundtable discussion & author questions Each participant will have up to 5 minutes to share feedback during the structured critique section. Authors listen without interruption, with space for clarifying questions later in the roundtable. Whether you’re looking to polish a chapter, test an opening, or strengthen your editorial instincts, these sessions are an opportunity to grow together. RSVP early, as places are limited to ensure productive group sizes. If you can no longer attend, please update your RSVP.

"Climate change: I say the debate is over. We know the science, we see the threat and we know that the time for action is now" - Arnold Schwarzenegger Forget Skynet. Right now, AI's greatest threat to humanity is its demand for electricity. Anne Currie, co-author of O'Reilly's Building Green Software, will talk about why the energy demand from AI has exceeded anything we've seen before in tech; how that demand can and is being met using efficiency and flexibility by forward thinkers like Google and DeepSeek; and what you can do from your own desk that might have global impact on both the AI and the renewable power revolutions. Anne will be joining us remotely. Check out the Green Software Brighton [website](https://greensoftwarebrighton.co.uk/) for links to previous talks. Arrive from 18:00 for pizza and drinks. Talk will start at 18:30. We always head for a drink and a chat locally afterwards too. --- ***Thank you to Runway East for use of their space to host our events and to Silicon Brighton and the Green Software Foundation for supporting us.***

**Unleash Your Voice at Society Speakers** Whether you're pitching investors, cracking jokes at open mics, or giving a toast that doesn’t tank—**public speaking is your secret weapon**. And the only way to master it? Practice. (And ideally, not alone.) At **Society Speakers**, we give you the mic—and the *confidence* to own it. **Here’s what goes down:** * 3 prepared speeches (5–7 mins) * Lightning-round impromptu speeches (1–2 mins) * Constructive, empowering feedback * Laughs, insights, and mic-drop moments **As a guest:** You can chill and observe—or jump in with a mini speech if you're feeling spicy. **When & Where** Every **1st** and **3rd Wednesday** of each month 7PM (doors), 7:10PM (kick-off) 📍 Speak Up London, 139 Oxford St, London W1D 2JA 🍻 **Afterglow** We wrap at 9PM and head to the pub for drinks and debriefs. Great convos, zero pressure.

This year’s films all revolve around the theme of “**choice**” – plenty of opportunity for philosophical exploration! **This month:** How much freedom do we really have when history is making choices for us? Set against a period of political upheaval and civil war, this powerful drama follows a group of people whose ambitions, loyalties, relationships, and ideals are tested by events far beyond their control. As the world around them fractures, they must decide what to hold on to, what to sacrifice, and whether conviction can survive catastrophe. A moving exploration of choice under pressure: when every option carries a cost, what does it mean to choose well? **Can you guess the film? Or come and find out on the day!** PFA Film Club hosts free screenings of thought-provoking films, followed by a discussion about the raised philosophical issues, for general public. In 2026 meetings are held every third WEDNESDAY of the month at the Cafe of St. Hilda's East Community Centre, 18 Club Row, London E2 7EY. The nearest station is **Shoreditch High Street** on the Overground. This screening will **start at 6pm** due to a longer film, and we need to vacate the building by 9:00pm. We offer complimentary light refreshments during the event. For the most up-to-date schedule of the upcoming film club events, visit our [website](http://pfalondon.org/#rec767601373).

In this session, we’ll explore how **AI** can enhance your **React app development** workflow. This workshop will introduce you to **best practices** for building **React applications**, including how to integrate **REST APIs**, manage app **state**, and structure your components for long-term success. You’ll also learn how to use **AI tools** to generate code snippets, troubleshoot issues, and automate repetitive tasks, making the development process faster and more efficient. 🧪 **What You’ll Learn:** * **React Development Best Practices**: Core principles for structuring components, managing state, and optimizing performance. * **REST API Integration**: How to efficiently connect React apps with REST APIs for dynamic data and functionality. * **State Management**: Best practices for managing app state and syncing data from APIs. * **AI Assistance**: Use AI tools like ChatGPT to speed up development, generate code, and improve overall code quality. * **Error Handling & Debugging**: Leverage AI to identify and fix common issues in your React apps. 💡 **Why It Matters:** * **Efficient Development**: Building React apps with AI assistance allows you to write cleaner, faster code while reducing errors. * **API Integration**: Mastering API integration is essential for creating dynamic and data-driven applications. * **AI-Powered Tools**: AI tools like ChatGPT enhance your productivity by automating repetitive tasks, debugging code, and improving your development process. 🕓 **Schedule:** * 18:15 - Networking * 18:30 - Program starts * 19:30 - Q&A - networking * 20:00 - End \-\-\-\-\- zero2hero Address: Unit 15 Castle Square, 40 Elephant Rd, London SE17 1EU WhatsApp: +447470914266

**Join us for an exciting AI agent engineering meetup where developers, architects, and AI enthusiasts come together to connect and learn from industry experts.** **We’re thrilled to welcome guest speakers from Snowflake.** **Jenny Zhou and Ioannis Doukas,** **experienced solution engineers who will share insights on Cortex AI and discuss practical approaches to building AI agents efficiently across different industries.** **The session will include:** * **Introducing AI and Cortex features in Snowflake** * **Agent use cases across different industries** * **Interactive discussion**

The discotheque gets disco-technical at **Rock The Docs**! This double headline bill sees **[Marco Spinello](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-spinello/)**, Technical Writer at [Booking.com](http://booking.com/) showing us how music theory can be applied to documentation, using examples from both his professional and creative life. Following this act, **[Jerry Bartlett](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-bartlett-content-pro-tech/)**, founder and principal at [Content Pro Tech](https://www.contentprotech.com/) will demonstrate how the fundamentals of technical writing can be applied to gathering and organising metadata for digital music libraries. These presentations will cover: *Why Git is like a metronome - Why managing stakeholders is not unlike managing band members *Why recording an album is not unlike delivering an MVP - How metadata underpins the algorithms of streaming services *How curating metadata is a key aspect of technical writing work - The difference between descriptive metadata and management metadata **Marco Spinello** tells the story of a disco band that shrank from eight members to a power trio, not unlike a company reorganisation with a built-in product pivot. Music and technical writing have more in common than meets the eye; music theory maps the territory like information architecture, a metronome enforces discipline like git, and song dynamics prevent the "wall of text" effect of very long, very dense docs. **Jerry Bartlett** discusses how uploading his music collection to a NAS drive found him drawing on skills honed during his day job as a technical communicator, and working on striking a balance between the right level of granularity, while making sure to not have ‘too much’ metadata. This event is kindly hosted by [Wise](https://wise.com/). **📅Agenda** **When:** Thursday, 18 June, from 6:30pm **Where:** Wise, 65 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4JE **What:** **18:30 - 19:00** Arrival **19:00 - 19:15** Welcome & Housekeeping **19:15 - 19:20** Short introduction to Wise **19:30 - 20:00** Rocks the Docs by Marco Spinello **20:00 - 20:30** Jerry's presentation **20:30 - 21:00** Networking **📍How to find us**: Please head to Wise, 65 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4JE, from 6:30pm onwards -- one of the friendly Write The Docs London team will be checking guests in. 🌎 **Google Maps**: [https://maps.app.goo.gl/r6zdmeDKhyAbLbaf7](https://maps.app.goo.gl/r6zdmeDKhyAbLbaf7) 📜 **What3Words**: [///lift.send.curiosity](https://what3words.com/lift.send.curiosity) 📷 **Photos:** Please note that the organisers may take some photos for the WTD group.

Register: [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ljc-unconference-2026-tickets-1989306131189](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ljc-unconference-2026-tickets-1989306131189) LJC Unconference 2026 is a chill, in-person meet-up where Java lovers share ideas and hack together. **About the event:** The LJC is delighted to announce our 20th Unconference! Join us for a full day of discussions, knowledge sharing, learning, and networking with other developers in the industry. There will be an opening keynote session followed by breakout discussion groups on the topics which are important to you. Catering is of course included, with a steady stream of coffee as well as breakfast on arrival, lunch and even afternoon tea.

Roll up your sleeves: we're teaming up with DevOps Society for our very **first London hack night**! Come along with your laptop and get ready to win a prize 🏆 👉 **Limited spots** available so make sure you got yours by arriving on time. The event attendance will run on a first comes, first served basis. This time, we’re doing something a little different, a hands on hack night where you’ll get stuck into real-world observability, OpenTelemetry. and AI-powered workflows. 📍 **Location** Elastic office, Davidson Building, 1st Floor, 5 Southampton St, London, WC2E 7HA Note: please use Exeter St entrance as the main entrance is closed after 6pm. The hack night will happen in the Galactus room. This isn’t your typical meetup, you’ll be building and exploring in real-time: * Spin up a demo microservices app using Docker * Connect it to Elastic Observability * Explore logs, metrics, and traces using OpenTelemetry * Build and interact with AI-powered observability agents using Elastic MCP + Claude Whether you’re deep into DevOps or just getting started, there’s something here for everyone. **🛠️ You will need** 1. Your laptop! 2. The following software installed on your laptop: 3. ​[Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/get-docker/?utm_source=luma) 4. [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/?utm_source=luma) 5. ​[Claude Code](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop?utm_source=luma) 6. ​`kubectl` and `minikube` as per the [Kubernetes install tools guide](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/?utm_source=luma) ​**Setup** ​The full setup instructions for the hack night are available [here](https://github.com/carlyrichmond/devops-society-elastic-hack-night?utm_source=luma). ​**Tools to be used** * ​[Elastic Observability](https://www.elastic.co/observability?utm_source=luma) * ​[Elastic Agent Builder](https://www.elastic.co/docs/solutions/observability/get-started?utm_source=luma#create-an-obs-serverless-project) * ​[Elastic Observability MCP App](https://github.com/elastic/example-mcp-app-observability?utm_source=luma#quick-start) * ​*Note: you will need a local Claude Code installation to use the MCP App* **📆 Agenda** 6:00pm – 6:30pm — Networking on arrival with food and drinks provided by Elastic 6:30pm – 6:50pm — Challenge and tools demo 6:50pm – 8:30pm — Hacking time 8:30pm – 9:00pm — 5-minute lightning demos 9:00pm — Close and networking at a nearby pub 🎙️ **Hosts & Sponsors** Hosted by Steve Wade and Carly Richmond ⚠️ **Heads-up:** we also have a [mirror event with DevOps Society on Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/devops-society/events/314769583/). To keep things tidy on our side, please make sure you only sign up on **one** of the event pages — not both. Thanks!

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.

**Latest Dojo Location!** **Knotty Pine Brewing** 1765 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 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 speakers for our Monthly Meetups! Fill out the form if you are interested in presenting to the Python Community. https://forms.gle/ehSfUAC2WgR34Crq9

## 🤝 Host Information A co-hosted event by ProductTank Columbus & Women in Product Columbus 💡 About the Workshop AI adoption is stalling across organizations — not because of a lack of motivation or tools, but because it's fundamentally a behavior design challenge. This hands-on workshop applies proven Behavior Design models and methods to help you move from a vague organizational wish to boost AI adoption to 3-5 concrete, testable interventions you can act on starting tomorrow. Whether you're a product manager, on a product team, or just someone trying to get AI to actually stick at work, you'll leave with a clear picture of what's worth focusing on, what to ignore, and how to drive real, sustained adoption — no guesswork required. 🛠️ What to Bring Laptop: Fully charged and ready to go. AI Assistant: Have your favorite AI assistant pulled up. (Dom will be using Claude, but feel free to use whichever assistant you prefer!) 🍕 Logistics & Perks Food & Drink: Pizza and drinks provided! Parking: Plenty of free spaces available on-site. ###

Bienvenue! We host a twice-a-month French conversation club at La Chatelaine on Lane. All levels welcome! Whether you're new to French or running for Président de la République you are welcome here! We often read plays together, play vocabulary games, and generally enjoy the delicious food available at La Chatelaine! We will be at the long table in the back of the restaurant. A bientôt!

**💫 Cape Coral Singles Night — Speed Dating Over Zoom** Spend an evening meeting Cape Coral singles face to face on Zoom, matched by age and personality before you arrive. **What to expect:** - Register and take a short personality quiz - Jump on Zoom when the event starts - Meet singles in guided one-on-one rounds - Get your mutual matches by email afterward **Pick the age range that fits you:** → **Ages 18-32** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Cape%20Coral&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=18-32&face_v=8.0) → **Ages 30-46** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Cape%20Coral&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=30-46&face_v=8.0) → **Ages 40-58** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Cape%20Coral&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=40-58&face_v=8.0) → **Ages 55+** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Cape%20Coral&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=55+&face_v=8.0) > Important: RSVP is not the same as registering. Use your age link below and complete the quiz to secure a place. Limited capacity. Your next great conversation is one click away. 🌷

Granville Land Lab 2025 Burg Street | Granville MEADOWS FOR MONARCHS PROJECT Learning Landscapes Tour + Community Science at the Land Lab Wednesday, July 1, 2026 9 a.m. - 12 noon: Program 12- 12:30: picnic lunch *meet at shelter house near Granville Intermediate School playground* Free. Registration Required so we know to expect you,[ click here https://www.lickingpollinatorpathway.org/land-lab-tour](https://www.lickingpollinatorpathway.org/land-lab-tour) Want to make your own wildflower meadow? Residents of licking county can sign up for this free program to receive free seed and training https://www.lickingpollinatorpathway.org/meadows **ABOUT THE EVENT** Join Pollinator Pathway for a morning at the Land Lab, a ~100-acre prairie and outdoor learning space just steps from Granville Intermediate School. This event explores how schools and other campuses can create living classrooms and contribute to community science. * **Tour the Land Lab:** Award-winning environmental science educator Jim Reding will lead guided tours through prairie, wetlands and other restored habitat, sharing the story behind this nationally-recognized space and the students and partnerships who helped make it happen. * **Contribute to Community Science with iNaturalist App:** Learn to identify and document plants, pollinators and other wildlife using iNaturalist. Dr. Karen Goodell, professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University at Newark and one of Ohio's foremost experts on native bees will share how to use this powerful tool to learn about the natural world while contributing to scientific research. * **Connect & Collaborate:** The morning program concludes with an optional BYO picnic lunch and networking at the Land Lab shelter house, overlooking the prairie. **🌸Anyone passionate about conservation and outdoor learning is welcome🌸** **WHAT TO BRING, WEAR & PREPARE** * **Download the iNaturalist app (the new one vs. the "classic" one) & create an account prior to the event if you don't have one already.** * **Sunscreen** * **Water bottle** * **Insect repellent** * **Hat** * **Comfortable closed-toe shoes suitable for uneven terrain** * **Light-colored clothing.** * **Long pants and socks are encouraged.** * **Please bring a reusable water bottle** * **Packed/picnic lunch.** **Picnic table seating will be available at the shelter house overlooking the Land Lab**

Most people still use AI like a search box: type one question, get one answer, repeat. But the next step is AI agents: systems that can take a goal, break it into steps, use tools, remember context, and produce useful work for a human to review. In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll demystify what AI agents actually are — without hype or jargon. We’ll walk through practical examples of how agents can help with research, planning, writing, coding, operations, and personal productivity. We’ll cover: * What makes an AI “agent” instead of just a chatbot * How agents break tasks into steps * Where agents are genuinely useful today * Where they fail, hallucinate, or need human review * How to design simple AI workflows for your own work * A live demo of an AI agent-style workflow from start to finish No coding experience required. This is for anyone who wants to understand where AI tools are going and how to use them more effectively right now. LOGISTICS AND PARKING: The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks! The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.