OpenStack

Washington, DC is about to fill with global founders, investors, and operators for SelectUSA Investment Summit. But here’s the twist… This isn’t just about international companies entering the U.S. It’s also about **U.S. founders expanding outward.** Join us for a special edition of **Cigars & Startups DC**—an **unofficial, independent gathering** designed to connect: 🌍 **International founders** exploring U.S. market entry 🇺🇸 **DC-area startups and operators** looking to expand globally 💼 Investors, advisors, and ecosystem builders bridging both worlds When the conference ends for the day… the real conversations start here. 🔥 Expect: * Cross-border conversations (not just small talk) * Partnerships between U.S. and international companies * Insights on entering new markets—from both sides * A relaxed, off-the-record environment built for real connection 🎯 Whether you're: * Expanding into the U.S. * Taking your company international * Looking for capital or strategic partnerships * Or just want to meet high-quality people outside the conference halls You’ll find your people here. 📍 Location: Casa de Montecristo (DC) 💵 Entry: $25 🥃 Note: Because my company (Zccounting) is a bookkeeping and accounting firm, not a licensed tobacco dealer I will not be selling cigars and your ticket only includes "entry" to the VIP lounge and event, however, I'm super generous and will share as many cigars as you can smoke at the event from my personal collection for no additional fee whatsoever! ⚠️ This is an independent event and is not officially affiliated with or endorsed by SelectUSA.

Welcome to our new home at the historic Tivoli Theater! Please check our details for access to the space on [our website](https://www.hacdc.org/visit/). Join the discord for questions / help getting in (use channel #let-me-in) [https://discord.gg/dNjuNhNmeT](https://discord.gg/dNjuNhNmeT)

Every Monday Night (Rare Execeptions posted on NOVA BG website ) since the late 1980s, we are new to Meetup. https://sites.google.com/site/novabackgammon/ Register at 6:45PM Random Draw 7:00PM sharp. Results Usually Reported on Tuesday - via NOVA BG E-Mail Double-Elimination: Main & Consolation Brackets We follow USBGF Rules and the following options: - Legal Moves. - Use of two dice is Preferred over four dice. - Dice landing on checkers is legal. - Use of clocks is Preferred.

Doubles Volleyball - A level @Bluemont Park Let's get together to play some fun A level Doubles games at Bluemont. Format: Doubles COST: FREE Court Type: Outdoor grass Minimum Skill Requirements: A level (click [here](https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/1PojSi4qdlRsv1msCHhvpQ43iDc4FfzQwpWCc3kafVMY/mobilebasic) for details) Attention: 1. This event is not always on a first come, first served basis. Those who can bring a net and ball, may get priority over others on the waitlist. 1. Since skill levels are self-reported, some attendees may not meet the expected level in reality, so we encourage you to choose a partner you can enjoy the game with, and since this is a competitive event, it is okay if you make a strong team and win all the games. 1. Since people arrive at different times, each group of 4. Players will set up and claim a net as they arrive, and may continue playing without rotating until all nets are set. ——— Smiley Social documents: [Group Rules](https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/1HrG35p_0M08leRvCp8XWG3CMkr_GL928XFabl5T6Dvg/mobilebasic) [Liability Waiver](https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/1W2mq-7m99lmvd7gdWYaSUFtvVg4UGnzV6koafAbHmco/mobilebasic) [Volleyball Levels](https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/1PojSi4qdlRsv1msCHhvpQ43iDc4FfzQwpWCc3kafVMY/mobilebasic)

**Are you in the DMV and interested in the Banjo?** Join the [Black Banjo Reclamation Project](https://www.blackbanjoreclamationproject.org/) (BBRP) in celebrating the BLACK roots of the Banjo at our monthly meet-up! Learn about Black artists and musicians in the folk and old-time music space and get connected with other resources about the banjo and traditional Folk music…also don’t be shy– jam with us! **(All skill levels welcome!** ***If you have a banjo, bring it! If not, no worries–we can share!)*** We host meet ups in Baltimore but we are excited to expand our meet-ups to PG County! Huge shoutout to the the **[Archie Edwards](https://www.acousticblues.com/)** \*\*[Blues Heritage Foundation ](https://www.acousticblues.com/)\*\*for hosting our group in their amazing space. We meet EVERY 1st MONDAY from 6:30PM- 8PM!! **About the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation:** A volunteer-run Foundation in Hyattsville, Maryland dedicated to preserving the memory of Washington D.C. blues artist and barbershop owner Archie Edwards. Continuing his mission to keep acoustic Piedmont Blues music alive, the foundation hosts: * [Saturday blues jams](https://www.acousticblues.com/saturday-blues-jams) * Instrument and vocal workshops (they have done banjo workshops!) * Monthly Open Mics * Concerts AND MORE! As a thank you for offering their space for BBRP banjo meet ups, feel free to make a donation to the Archie Edwards Foundation, follow them, and attend their events!

If you’ve already learned the basics of volleyball and want to keep improving your skills while having fun, this event is for you! **How to find us:** Park in the South Bluemont Parking Area and walk toward the south end of the lot. Near the end, you’ll see a bridge on your left—cross it. We’ll be on the field to the left of the picnic pavilion. **Skill Level:** Advanced Beginner (click [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PojSi4qdlRsv1msCHhvpQ43iDc4FfzQwpWCc3kafVMY/mobilebasic) for details). **Reminders** 1. Attendance: We’ve noticed that the waitlist is growing, so please make sure your name is on the Going list if you plan to play. Our number of nets is limited so this helps avoid too many rotations. If your name is on the list but you don’t show up, it will count as an absence according to Smiley Social rules. Please update your RSVP at least 12 hours in advance if your plans change. 2. Injuries: Play safely and be mindful of others on the court. Respect positions and avoid risky moves that could lead to injury. If you’re not sure the ball is yours, call it before going for it to avoid collisions. 3. Game Rules: Let’s follow the basic volleyball rules, especially the three-touch rule so we can play properly and improve as a team! **Smiley Social documents:** 1. [Group Rules ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HrG35p_0M08leRvCp8XWG3CMkr_GL928XFabl5T6Dvg) 2. [Liability Waiver ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W2mq-7m99lmvd7gdWYaSUFtvVg4UGnzV6koafAbHmco) 3. [Volleyball Levels](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PojSi4qdlRsv1msCHhvpQ43iDc4FfzQwpWCc3kafVMY/)

This meetup is designed to be an open forum amongst our community. We intend for it to be an opportunity for members to showcase what projects we've been working on this year related to Linux and AWS. If you are a current (or aspiring) professional looking for a practical way to build your experience with Linux and cloud computing, this event is for you! About us: Respect The Tech is an organization focused on information technology education and innovation. Our mission is to innovate technology education through virtual labs and gamified training. All of our team members are experienced professionals in the cybersecurity and cloud computing field. We are based out of the DMV and aim to serve the DMV with the same tools that enabled us to be successful with technology. ______________________________ Requirements: A functional laptop AWS account created and ready to use (free tier recommended)

GM Jason will run an Ultraviolet Grasslands session. Stay with me, here: what would happen if we mashed up Oregon Trail with Dying Earth with Mad Max? Well, UVG answers that question (that nobody ever asked) with this heavy metal psychedelic fantascience pointcrawl game. Please the horned catlords by hitching your lime green fox-ocerous pony to your wagon and heading west to see if you can’t trade all this vampire wine for some profit! None of those words will make any more sense to you after playing, probably, but we’ll have an amazing time exploring! This might be the first session in a mini-campaign, so we will start with rolling up new characters! New players welcome! No prep needed! **Where**: Your Hobby Place in Old Town Alexandria Looking for a place to play in-person RPGs and make new friends? Burnt out on internet D&D? Interested in trying games like Shadowdark and Dungeon Crawl Classics? Look no further than DMV RPG - Open Table! Whether you're a seasoned player or just getting started with tabletop role-playing, our group offers a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for all gamers to gather and embark on epic adventures together. From Dungeons & Dragons to sci-fi sagas, there's something for everyone here. Join us for regularly scheduled meetups, make new friends, and unleash your imagination in a fun and collaborative setting. Let the games begin! **Rules**: always teachable at the table **Gaming is for everybody**: Welcoming, inclusive, and safe **Pregens**: the GM will have pre-made characters so you can jump right in **Game**: Old School & New School, but likely lightweight **Multiple GMs**: We run games in a rotating GM format, so come to play and make friends, but we'll be looking for your interesting one-to-three shots to try.

Spec-driven development flips the traditional workflow on its head: instead of code being the source of truth, the specification becomes the backbone of design, collaboration, and delivery. In this session, we’ll explore how GitHub Spec-Kit enables teams to treat specifications as first-class artifacts—living documents that drive architecture, implementation, and verification. You’ll learn how Spec-Kit helps teams clearly express intent using structured, version-controlled specs that live alongside code. We’ll walk through a practical workflow that starts with defining system behavior and constraints, then progressively refines those specs into testable, automatable outcomes. Along the way, we’ll show how specs can reduce ambiguity, improve cross-functional collaboration, and make design decisions explicit before a single line of production code is written. This talk will cover: --What spec-driven development is (and what it isn’t) --How GitHub Spec-Kit fits into modern developer workflows --Using specs to align product, engineering, and AI-assisted development --Real-world examples of turning specs into implementations with confidence Whether you’re building greenfield systems, integrating AI into your stack, or trying to reduce costly rework, spec-driven development offers a scalable way to move faster without sacrificing clarity. Attendees will leave with concrete patterns and a clear mental model for adopting GitHub Spec-Kit in their own projects.

Pitch your idea, get feedback, give feedback, meet with a mentor and most importantly, take action. Come to the meetup with a specific issue you are stuck with. **10:30 am Introductions:** 2-minute pitches tell us who you are? What you're working on? and what you need help with? **11:00 am Problem Solving:** Let's figure out how we can help, and what action you can take today to move forward. **12:00 pm** Open Networking: Keep the discussion going and connect with other attendees. Bring yourself, notebooks, laptops and anything else you need to pitch your idea and get work done. Interested in joining the Studio? [APPLY NOW](https://unstucklabs.com)

# 🧠 **Build With Me #1: Prompt to Product (Live Demo Night)** 🗓 Wednesday \| 7–9 PM 📍 Venue: Martha Washington Library Ever had an idea… but no clue how to actually build it? In this session, we’ll take a simple idea and turn it into a real, working product — live. No slides. No theory. Just building. *** ## ⚡ What You’ll See * Idea → working app in real time * A project dashboard built from scratch * A landing page generated and refined live * How AI improves as it learns your context *** ## 🧠 What You’ll Learn * How to talk to AI effectively (prompting that actually works) * How to go from vague idea → structured build * How non-engineers can start building real tools *** ## 🎯 Who This Is For * People with ideas they haven’t built yet * Developers curious about AI workflows * Founders, operators, and side-hustlers *** This is your starting point. Come see what’s possible — and how fast you can get there.

To Attend: 1. RSVP; then 2. Register at: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-tie-fiesta-at-the-mexican-cultural-institute-tickets-1985820462460](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-tie-fiesta-at-the-mexican-cultural-institute-tickets-1985820462460) 3. * **The Majesty of Mexico City** * **The Charm of Acapulco** * **The Excitement of Cancun** * **The Mysteries of Guadalajara** On Saturday Night, April 12th, be transported into a world filled with the wonders of the Mayan legends and the beauty of Cancun’s beaches as we invite you to step onto Mexican soil for an upscale cultural evening. Put on your best dresses and tuxedos as we spend a royal evening in this multi-roomed, multi-leveled Mexican Cultural palace filled with rich art, history, music, dance, food, and much more! The Embassy’s Cultural Center is a unique and beautiful building, one of the best of its kind in the world. It contains several large floors, each displaying the charms of the different regions of our neighbor to the south. Beautiful gardens, city nightclubs, historic palaces, art galleries, and much more await you inside! **Featuring:** **LIVE MEXICAN DANCE SHOW AND MARIACHI BAND:** Experience a live costumed Mariachi troupe with music and dancing. Its members have origins from all over Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The traditional mariachi ensemble emerged in the 1800s in several western states of Mexico, including Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima, and Michoacán. It is found at weddings, birthdays, Saint’s Day celebrations, rural dances, and many other social occasions. The spirit of celebration is recreated through its music and dancing. Special dancers will be on hand to perform and teach traditional Mexican dancing, in addition to performing an amazing, authentic Mariachi dance performance with traditional costumes! **DJ AND LATE-NIGHT DANCING:** One of Washington, D.C.’s best D.J.s will rival the best nightclubs in Cancun with both American and Mexican pop music and dancing. Includes modern high energy, Retro, Salsa, today’s top 40 hits, and much more! **MEXICAN BUFFET:** Challenge your taste buds with an authentic Mexican buffet. Featuring: crispy and soft tacos; Mexican rice refried beans; pico de gallo; chips and salsa; spinach quesadillas; cheese quesadillas; enchiladas; flan and tres leches; and chile con queso dip. (Menu subject to change to equal or more substantial-quality). **OPEN BAR:** Enjoy an open bar featuring a wide array of Mexican beers, wines, and, of course, Tequila! **GREETING:** Meet members of the Institute and learn more about our neighbors to the south during a special welcome. **QUESTIONS – PLEASE CONTACT US (Not the Embassy)**: Although this event is taking place at the Mexican Cultural Institute (the cultural arm of the Embassy of Mexico), if you have questions about the event, please email events@thingstodoDC.com or call 301 519 8030. This event is not being organized by the embassy itself and the people who work there are not in a position to answer questions. Thanks. ## Suggested Attire Black Tie Optional. Minimum of a suit & Tie for Men, Cocktail Dresses for women. Casual wear, jeans, or sneakers are prohibited. To Attend: 1. RSVP; then 2. Register at: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-tie-fiesta-at-the-mexican-cultural-institute-tickets-1985820462460](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-tie-fiesta-at-the-mexican-cultural-institute-tickets-1985820462460)

**The next GeoDC will be held on Wednesday, May 6 from 6-9pm at Sudhouse DC (1340 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009) with the program starting at 7pm.** We’ve got 3 presentations scheduled for the evening– Please check out the program details below. Join us early from 6-7pm to grow your network, socialize and grab a snack. Our host, Sudhouse DC has a solid happy hour menu with reasonably priced food and beverage from 4-8pm. Please remember to [RSVP through the GeoDC Meetup page](https://www.meetup.com/geo-dc/), and we hope to see you in a few weeks. *If you’d like to present or sponsor a future GeoDC Meetup, please complete this [form](https://forms.gle/QbAXPfrDnX12GGaS8).* **Brian Davidson:** **Zero to Map: A 10-Minute Geospatial Speedrun with Gemini** * Think building a functional mapping application requires hours of boilerplate and API frustration? Think again. In this talk, we’ll race against the clock to build a live mapping app from scratch using Gemini and Antigravity. You’ll see how to leverage LLMs to handle everything from a mapping provider integration to complex coordinate rendering in minutes. Whether you’re a seasoned GIS pro or a curious dev, my hope is you'll leave with a better understanding of how to turn your idea into a working map before your coffee gets cold. **Noah Goodman**: **Voyager Solutions** * The Voyager platform has enabled customers to resolve data management issues, such as duplication, lack of governance & metadata. Demos of the Voyager platform capabilities and will discussion of a recent State DOT project. **Dr. Aditya Kapoor: Assessment of Inundation Dynamics in Nebraska Using AlphaEarth Foundations** **Embeddings** * This study demonstrates that AlphaEarth Foundation Embeddings (AFE) provide a highly efficient, "analysis-ready" framework for mapping regional surface water inundation without the computational burden of traditional multi-source data fusion. By applying Random Forest classifiers to AFE data across 901 Nebraska lakes from 2017 to 2025, I found that this method outperformed existing products like Dynamic World, which exhibited estimation errors of up to 43.8%. The analysis revealed a critical environmental trend: a mean inundation decline of over 6,600 m² per year, closely mirroring a regional rainfall reduction of 14.18 mm/year. Ultimately, the findings highlight AFE as a scalable tool for identifying hydrological instabilities, particularly in smaller water bodies, offering significant advantages for real-world water resource planning and flood risk assessment.

Customer identity resolution becomes increasingly complex as organizations scale across multiple systems, regions, and data formats. Traditional rule-based approaches often fail to keep up with data variability, require constant manual tuning, and struggle with real-time processing needs. This session presents a practical approach to building a scalable identity resolution pipeline using AWS services and modern AI techniques. The architecture combines data ingestion through Amazon S3 and AWS Glue, transformation pipelines using Spark on EMR, and machine learning models deployed via SageMaker for entity matching and standardization. Graph-based relationship modeling is implemented using Amazon Neptune to improve resolution accuracy by incorporating household and shared attribute context. We will walk through how machine learning models can be used for name and address normalization, how intelligent blocking strategies improve matching efficiency, and how feedback loops can be introduced to continuously improve accuracy. The session also highlights how serverless components such as AWS Lambda can be used for orchestration and real-time processing. **SPEAKER BIO** Mosaic Syed is a Senior Data Engineering and Cloud Solutions Architect with over 20 years of experience designing and delivering scalable, secure, and high-performance data solutions across global enterprise environments. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosaic-basha-syed-92300856 **CALL FOR SPEAKERS** Learn more: [https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/](https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/) **THANK YOU** *VEEAM* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Veeam*, please visit their website: [https://www.veeam.com/](https://www.veeam.com/) **DIRECTIONS** 8800 Lyra Dr #450 · Columbus, OH go to 4th floor. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

(Note: RSVPing here on meetup does NOT reserve your seat. To do that, you’ll need to register at our website, [HERE](https://www.coreerocks.com/Events.aspx?ID=2026-Central-Ohio-Real-Estate-Investing-Expo-14-5-5-2026).) We’re serious about helping you succeed in real estate. That means not just teaching you—but putting you in the room with the people who help you get deals done. Every deal depends on people. The agent or wholesaler. The lender. The contractor. The title company. The insurance agent. The problem is that most investors meet those people slowly. This event fixes that. One room full of: • Lenders • Contractors • Title companies • Insurance providers • Property managers • And active local investors A place where you can: • Build your team • Find funding • Solve real problems • Make connections that lead to deals If you’re serious about real estate, this is a smart room to be in. Members and non-members at any level of knowledge and experience are welcome. This event is free. Remember, to actually reserve your seat, you have to go [HERE](https://www.coreerocks.com/Events.aspx?ID=2026-Central-Ohio-Real-Estate-Investing-Expo-14-5-5-2026) and register on our website!

We will show how to build custom agents with Microsoft Agent Framework. Attendees will learn how to build and custom host agents when Microsoft Foundry is not a viable option.

We meet at lunch each week and each meeting follows a fairly organized agenda. First all participants pass their business cards around. Then each member and guest is invited to give a one-minute overview of their company and what is a perfect referral for the week. We always have a 10 minute presentation from one of the members about their business in more detail. And finally we pass referrals. You're welcome to visit. Nobody is ever put on the spot. Bring plenty of cards!

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/

**Join Katie McCartney, SRES®, for a clear and easy‑to‑understand update on what the 2026 Central Ohio housing market means for seniors and their families.** Whether you’re planning ahead, helping a parent make decisions, or simply trying to understand today’s market, this session offers reliable insights without pressure or overwhelm. During this free class, Katie will break down the trends shaping housing for older adults in Central Ohio, explain what families should realistically expect in 2026, and answer your questions during an open Q&A. This is a supportive, information‑focused workshop designed to give you confidence and clarity — no sales pitch, just helpful guidance. *** **Ideal for:** * Seniors considering future housing options * Adult children supporting aging parents * Anyone seeking a calm, trustworthy source of market information *** **What You’ll Learn:** * A senior‑friendly look at the 2026 Central Ohio housing market * Personalized answers during an open Q&A You’ll leave with a better understanding of your options and your next steps. *** **Hosted by:** **Katie McCartney, Broker & Senior Real Estate Specialist® (SRES) with** Pillar Realty, LLC Compassionate guidance for seniors navigating housing transitions in Central Ohio. *** **Location:** Columbus Metropolitan Library: Dublin Branch 75 N High St, Dublin, OH 43017 ([https://maps.app.goo.gl/GL2vbJgUHqTncbHZ9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/GL2vbJgUHqTncbHZ9)) Meeting Room 1 **Doors Open:** 1 PM **Seats:** Limited Seating (first come, first served) **Cost:** Complimentary

Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you! **What to Expect at the Intro Circle** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup: * Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics Round 1 - (7 secs max): * Your name * What you're working on * What you can help others with Round 2: * Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. Round 3: * Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool. After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!