Organisation Design

Event Organizers Wanted for this group. Let us know what it is you wish to Organize from time to time. RSVP yes for this meetup or contact the groups Organizer.

Are you a mother estranged from your daughter diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder? icuibu is a unique monthly gathering created just for you. This is not a traditional support group. Instead, icuibu is a space for recognition, not repair, a place where your resilience is seen and celebrated. Here, you don’t have to fear judgement or rejection because of your circumstances. You are invited to show up as your genuine self and be seen by women who understand the complexities of your journey. What to expect: * A welcoming environment where you can simply be. * No pressure to share or explain, just the freedom to exist authentically. * Opportunities to connect with others who “see you” and “be you,” recognising the strength it takes to walk this path. First meeting: 20 January 2026 Where: Bridge Road Brewers 137/141 Nicholson Street Brunswick East Time: 7:00 – 8:00 pm Cycle: The third Tuesday of every month Contact: Di 0417 001 502 If you’re looking for a space to breathe, reflect, and be recognised for your resilience, icuibu welcomes you.

The MLAI Meetup is a community for AI researchers and professionals which hosts monthly talks on exciting research. Our format is: * 6:00 - 6:20: Socializing * 6:20 - 6:40: Announcements and AI news * 6:40 - 7:40: Talk(s) and Q&A * 7:40 - 8:00 Networking * 8:00: Head to the nearest pub for dinner **Long Dang & David Rawlinson: "The surprising efficiency of recurrent reasoning models"** **Abstract:** Large Language models (LLMs) still struggle with reasoning problems, defined as devising and executing complex, goal-oriented action sequences. Current solutions, such as Chain-of-Thought (CoT) and Test-Time Compute (TTC) techniques, can suffer from brittle task decomposition. In addition, auto-regressive output generation is prone to errors, which usually cannot be rectified. In 2025 the Hierarchical Reasoning Model (HRM) was introduced by Wang et al (1). On 3 reasoning problems (Extreme-Sudoku, Maze navigation, and ARC-AGI tasks) HRM demonstrated performance comparable to large, pre-trained LLMs with orders of magnitude fewer trainable parameters and no pre-training. HRM uses a process of repeated recurrent convergence between two modules to produce a latent representing a problem solution. Shortly after, Jolicoeur-Martineau released a pre-print (2) describing a thorough ablation of the ideas in HRM and her derivative model, known as the Tiny Recursive Model (TRM). TRM uses a similar recursive convergence process, even fewer parameters, and yet obtains 45% test-accuracy on ARC-AGI-1 and 8% on ARC-AGI-2, higher than most LLMs (e.g., Deepseek R1, o3-mini, Gemini 2.5 Pro) with less than 0.01% of the parameters. Finally, Dang and Rawlinson’s 2025 preprint explores HRM as a reinforcement learning Agent, allowing it to be applied to dynamic, uncertain or partially observable reasoning problems, or where the “correct” action is undefined (HRM and TRM use supervised learning). They demonstrate that computation from previous environment time-steps can be re-used during execution of a plan, crucial to efficiency and continuity of thought. **References:** 1- Hierarchical Reasoning Model by Guan Wang, Jin Li, Yuhao Sun, Xing Chen, Changling Liu, Yue Wu, Meng Lu, Sen Song, and Yasin Abbasi Yadkori (2025) [https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.21734](https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.21734) 2- Less is More: Recursive Reasoning with Tiny Networks by Alexia Jolicoeur-Martineau (2025) [https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.04871](https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.04871) **3- HRM-Agent: Training a recurrent reasoning model in dynamic environments using reinforcement learning** by Long H Dang and David Rawlinson (2025) [https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.22832](https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.22832) **Speaker bios:** **Long Dang** is currently working as Data Scientist in WSP after graduating with a Bachelor in Computer science from Monash University. He is interested in understanding how neural networks work and how we can do interesting things with them. His current hobbies are learning Japanese and watching youtube. **David Rawlinson** has worked in ML and AI R&D for over 25 years. He has a BSc in Computer Science and AI from Sussex University in the UK and a PhD in robotics & computer vision from Monash University in Melbourne. Currently, he works as a Principal Data Scientist for WSP, an engineering consulting company. He also maintains Causal Wizard ( [https://causalwizard.app](https://causalwizard.app/) ) a ML software application to help people apply causal inference to their data.

We’re still working to get more people into these Meetups, but our goal is to give PlayYourCourt members a few social tennis outings each week in addition to your practice sessions and Challenge League matches. These Meetups are co-ed, super laid back, and all skill levels are welcome. Post your skill level and a suggested court in the comments section so we can round up as many players as we can for some tennis fun! Also, if you’re looking to meet new practice partners or play some matches and you aren’t already in the PlayYourCourt Community, you can go here to see what we’re all about and sign up: https://www.playyourcourt.com/tennis-community/melbourne-vic/meetup/ If you love tennis, we’d love to have you! Be sure and watch the quick video that explains how everything works. Happy hitting! - Scott

Enjoy brunch at a new local fav.

Achieving fast flow—the rapid and reliable delivery of change—requires picking the right socio-technical architecture: a combination of software architecture and organizational structure suited to your context. To paraphrase Einstein, it should be as simple as possible but no simpler. Unfortunately, many enterprises fall into the trap of over-engineering their architecture while simultaneously misaligning their teams, resulting in unnecessary complexity and friction that slows delivery. In this presentation, I describe a strategy for starting with the simplest possible socio-technical architecture for your context and then incrementally evolving it to support fast flow. You will learn about the building blocks of socio-technical architecture. I explain how organizational structures, like architectural elements, exist to solve specific problems and must evolve as those problems change. You will learn to recognize the signals that indicate when your socio-technical architecture needs to change—and how to transform it accordingly. **About Chris Richardson** Once again we are delighted to welcome Chris back to Melbourne and our Platform Engineering Meetup. Chris is a software architect and serial entrepreneur. He is a Java Champion, a JavaOne rock star and the author of POJOs in Action, which describes how to build enterprise Java applications with frameworks such as Spring and Hibernate. Chris was also the founder of the original CloudFoundry.com, an early Java PaaS for Amazon EC2. Today, Chris is a recognized thought leader in microservices and speaks regularly at international conferences. Chris is the author of the book Microservice Patterns. Chris helps organizations improve agility and competitiveness through better software architecture. He delivers consulting and training that helps organizations successfully adopt and use the [microservice architecture](https://microservices.io/patterns/microservices.html). Chris is the [founder of a startup](http://eventuate.io/) that is creating a platform that simplifies the development of transactional microservices. He maintains a comprehensive set of [resources for learning about microservices](https://microservices.io/adopt/index.html).

**Join your local guides on the best pub crawl in Melbourne!** Meet at WAX Music Lounge on 250 Flinders St, and explore the best, most well-known venues with people from all over the world. With **4 free 'welcome shots'** upon entry to each bar followed by exclusive drink deals at each, you'll see just why Melbourne is known as the nightlife capital of Australia! Experience a range of Melbourne's most famous bars & pubs throughout the night, with **free entry** for all, and reduced entry/recommendations at the end of the event to keep your night going strong! Play games, **win prizes** and mingle with locals, travelers & everything in between on the most sought-after event in Melbourne! * **4 FREE SHOTS** * **4 BARS ALL WITH FREE SKIP-THE-LINE ENTRY** * **PLENTY OF GAMES AND PRIZES TO BE WON** * **UNLIMITED MEMORIES & CHANCES TO MAKE FRIENDS IN THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA!** Starting at 5:30PM at WAX Music Lounge on 250 Flinders St, you will receive your skip-the-line wristband, free welcome shot and mingle with other attendees before we introduce our games and prizes to be won throughout the evening. We then mix it up weekly, visiting some of Melbourne's most iconic and well-known bars with your pub crawl crew who have lived and breathed the city for most of their lives. **Make sure to lock in your spot ASAP as tickets often sell out!**

**Meetups for Rebels of all kinds — to connect, learn and share** This is a Social Networking event with a Fireside Chat with [Jodie Cook](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodie-cook/) Founder of Coachvox AI Jodie Cook & her company has been featured in Forbes, Inc., New York Post, BBC News, and with top creators like [Ali Abdaal](https://www.youtube.com/@aliabdaal) & [The Futur](https://www.youtube.com/@thefutur) Her compnay, [Coachvox AI](coachvox.ai) helps coaches create a powerful AI version of themselves - AI You. Using the power of an AI replica, coaches can - optimize lead generation, improve user experience, fix ghosting & always reply back, understand your audience better, all with zero time. 📍 This Event is hosted at Natural Velocity AI Learning Centre, Docklands, 🍕 Free Pizza & drinks will be provided **Agenda:** * 5:45 - 6:30 PM (45 mins) - Get to know each other & Welcome * 6:30 - 7:20 PM (50 mins) - Fireside Chat & Q&A from Audience * 7:20 - 8:15 PM (55 mins) - More Social Networking There’s no dress code, no hard sales pitches, and no pressure — just great people and meaningful conversations 🙂 🌍 Est. 2013 – Rebel Meetups now run globally 🆓 This event is free thanks to our members, our partners, our volunteer hosts, and generous venues. **This event is hosted at [Natural Velocity AI Learning Centre](https://www.linkedin.com/company/natural-velocity/ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/natural-velocity/")** **— a venue generously supporting our community** Notice: We will be capturing content from the event, to post on our socials. Join us as we learn from a Serial Founder, network, and walk away with a bunch of takeaways. See you there! **Directions Help:** Up the Escalator, between 'Melbourne College of Hair & Beauty' and 'Gap Maps'. As shown in the red dots in the image below: [Directions Map](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fkcpXvzZrEs0kKMPEI_vXbUCz7OEPTzf/view?usp=sharing)

## **Hck4G#0x12 – Event Details** !!**Register here:** https://events.humanitix.com/hck4g-0x12-from-hacker-to-defender-what-real-cyber-security-jobs-actually-look-like From Hacker to Defender – What Real Cyber Security Jobs Actually Look Like A cyber security meetup for the community, by the community. Hck4G is an initiative focused on ethical pathways, real-world skills, and building defenders who understand context not just tools. This session is designed for students, early-career professionals, career switchers, and anyone questioning what cyber security roles actually look like beyond CTFs, hacking challenges, and online stereotypes. 📅 **Event Information** Date: 21 January 2026 Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM AEST Location: Building 80/435-457 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 300 Cost: Free (registration required) Catering: Food and drinks provided 🌍 **Livestream Watch Parties** Ghana Nigeria (Livestream links will be shared with registered attendees 24 hours before the event) **Talk** **From Hacker to Defender – What Real Cyber Security Jobs Actually Look Like** This talk cuts through the noise around cyber security careers. Rather than focusing on exploits, tools, or certifications alone, this session explores: * What day-to-day cyber security roles actually involve. * How technical skills translate into defensive, advisory, and architectural roles * The difference between lab-based learning and real organisational decision-making * Why judgement, communication, and ethics matter more than raw technical ability * How to think long-term about a sustainable career in cyber security This is a grounded, honest conversation about the industry; what it is, what it isn’t, and how to navigate it responsibly so you can win in 2026. 👤 **Speaker Bio – Jason Breytenbach** Jason is a cyber security professional with over 25 years of experience spanning security architecture, operations, consulting, and managed services. He has worked across deeply technical, advisory, and customer-facing roles, helping organisations make practical, risk-based security decisions in complex environments. With a background that bridges hands-on networking and security engineering, strategy, and communication, Jason is passionate about helping people understand what cyber security really looks like beyond tools and hacking challenges. His focus is on ethical pathways into the industry, human-centred security, and developing the judgement and thinking skills that matter over the long term. At Hck4G#0x12, Jason will share real insights into cyber security careers, how technical interests evolve into real-world roles, and what aspiring professionals should prioritise as they build their path into the industry. 💻**Hands-On Workshop -Powered by [CyLynk.com](http://CyLynk.com)** Practical Foundations: OvertheWire (Bandit) Challenges To reinforce learning through practice, attendees will participate in a guided, hands-on workshop solving OverTheWire Bandit challenges. This workshop is not about “hacking for hype”, it’s about: * Understanding Linux fundamentals used daily by defenders * Building problem-solving discipline * Learning how attackers and defenders think * Developing confidence navigating unfamiliar systems * The workshop complements the talk by showing how foundational technical skills support real defensive work. **What to Bring** Laptop with internet access At least 8GB RAM SSH client or terminal access Willingness to learn and ask questions 🏆 **Prizes & Community** Participants may receive: Sponsor giveaways Training or lab access opportunities Recognition for strong workshop participation Interested in speaking at a future Hck4G meetup? Email - **[speakers@hck4g.org](mailto:speakers@hck4g.org)** Disclaimer - By Registering for the event, you consent and authorise Hck4G LTD to take your photo and or video image. See our website for our privacy Policy Interested in volunteering? Visit our website [Hck4G.org](http://Hck4G.org)

The discussion topic for this meetup will be identity and whether or not history is a necessary condition for consciousness as Dretske proposed. James

Smashing! Try something new Sunday This week - Speaker Lab - where everyone gets the chance to talk in small groups, and receive live feedback. Very interactive, great learning and non-stop action! Serious about improving your leadership - **Why mess, come to the best** Why is Smashing different to other speaking clubs? Passion!!! 1\. Fast\-paced\, energized and exciting meets 2\. We practice **bold, confident** and **dynamic** leadership! 3. **Everyone talks** multiple times during super-interactive workshops every meet - Plus the chance to speak on the big stage for those that are keen 4. **FAST LEARNING** **IMPORTANT: Be on time, as doors close when the show starts** Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth St (Opposite Queen Vic Market) Level 1, Purple Room (End of corridor) More to come...

## **1 Million Cups Loudoun Workshop: How AI Can Work for Your Business** **Wednesday\, January 28 \| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM** **Venture X Loudoun – Ashburn** Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a buzzword — it’s a practical tool that businesses of all sizes can begin using today. Join **1 Million Cups Loudoun** for a special **workshop-style presentation** led by **Victor Meer of AI Prime** and **Jay Jay Billings of Band Gap AI**, designed to help entrepreneurs understand how AI can realistically support their business operations. This workshop will provide: * A clear, practical overview of what AI actually is * Real-world examples of how businesses are using AI today * Insight into where automation can save time and reduce friction * Guidance on how to start leveraging AI without needing technical expertise Whether you’re AI-curious, overwhelmed by the noise, or ready to explore automation in your business, this session will help you think clearly about where AI fits — and where it doesn’t. As always, coffee, conversation, and community are at the heart of 1 Million Cups Loudoun. ### What Is 1 Million Cups? 1 Million Cups is a national program powered by the Kauffman Foundation that brings together entrepreneurs and community members for weekly conversations that educate, support, and inspire. Loudoun’s chapter meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Join us on **January 14 at 9:00 AM** for coffee, connection, and a meaningful conversation about reimagining after-school education in Loudoun County. **We look forward to seeing you there.**

**\*This is an in-person event\*** Most people hold their ideas too tightly. They refine too early, hesitate to share half-formed concepts, and wait for “perfect” before putting anything in front of a user. Frankie Abralind works the opposite way and that mindset is a big part of why his projects succeed. In this session, Frankie walks you through his real creative process: messy drafts, discarded versions, surprising user reactions, and the moments when he threw out something he loved because the evidence pushed him in a new direction. You’ll see firsthand how treating ideas as *disposable, not precious* accelerates learning and leads to better outcomes. You’ll also get to examine real artifacts from the development of his games **BrainSpin**, **DIEKY**, and **eckso**. Explore prototypes, dive into design dilemmas, and hear candid stories of iteration, failure, and breakthrough that have earned former DT:DC director Frankie Abralind a reputation as an “entrepreneur who ships.” **What you'll learn** • What you need to test an idea quickly • Where to find real users (beyond friends and family) • How to ask non-leading, non-biasing questions • User-testing methods that uncover meaningful insights • Best practices for rapid iteration • How to log feedback, share modifications, and track updates • How to receive feedback with openness and use it productively • How to build, and reward, a network of testers and supporters **Agenda** **6:00pm** – Snacks & connection **6:30pm** – Case Study 1: *BrainSpin* — finding user testers **6:50pm** – Case Study 2: *DIEKY* — play tester appreciation **7:10pm** – Case Study 3: *eckso* — rapid prototyping **7:30pm** – *Zenmo* — live user testing **8:00pm** – Debrief & questions **8:30pm** – Adjourn **About our presenter** **Frankie Abralind** is an experience designer, artist, and neurodiversity advocate. He earned his MBA from the University of Maryland, where he has taught “Innovative Thinking” to graduate students since 2014. He also served as co-director of the Innovation Hub at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital. In 2018, Frankie co-founded **The Good Listening Project**, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening psychological safety in healthcare. He is the inventor of the bestselling game **BrainSpin**, which showcases the power of divergent thinking and collaboration. Today, he leads the stealth startup **Zenmo**, which helps people connect through color. He’s Autistic (and proud!)

Gaming, AdTech, EdTech, Media Streaming, and FinTech are just a few of the workloads where high-availability cloud infrastructure matters. Whether you’re doing battle daily in one of these spaces or are just curious about ways to improve performance, meet us in Reston for an in-person discussion on bare metal cloud architecture. You’ll meet our product lead, James MacKenzie, who will walk through how modern bare metal serves as a control plane for hybrid and private cloud architectures. **What we will cover** * Ways to leverage bare metal, containers, and orchestration for better performance and predictable economics; * Real-world hybrid, disaster recovery, and data-intensive architectures; * Our approach to eliminating ingress and egress fees. **Who should attend** * Cloud architects and platform engineers; * DevOps professionals and infrastructure leads; * FinOps stakeholders managing data-heavy or hybrid workloads. **Why attend** This is a technical, architecture-first conversation. You will leave with a clearer understanding of high-availability cloud infrastructure and how organizations are scaling cost-effectively. Food and drinks will be provided. Space is limited to keep the discussion interactive.

**Important! Please register on [Luma Page](https://luma.com/n7h7ynr4)** This event is organised by Projector Institute community and Ukrainian Tech Space DC MD VA Join us for an exclusive evening dedicated to exploring what it truly means to be a Product Designer — and how to manage this role more effectively in today’s fast-changing digital landscape. ​ During this session, we’ll dive into: • The pros and cons of working in product vs. non-product companies • Communication as one of the main design tools • Business-oriented approaches to product design • Practical insights for both junior and senior designers • The use of AI tools and workflows — backed by real-world examples ​ Speaker: [Misha Rybachuk](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-rybachuk/) — Co-founder of [Projector Institute](https://prjctr.com/en/about), Art Director at [Lezo.io](https://lezo.io/en), and former designer at Accenture. With over 10 years of experience in interface design, Mike has helped build impactful digital products by merging creativity, strategy, and technology. ​ This event is your opportunity to connect with fellow professionals, gain hands-on insights, and see how design bridges creativity, communication, and business success.

Federal Executive GovCon - "Supporting Government Efficiency with Thought Leadership" When: Thursday, January 22, 2026, 5:30 – 8:00 Location: Lost Rhino, 21730 Red Rum Dr, Ste 142, Ashburn, VA 20147 (\*\* NEW LOCATION \*\*) Come network with other local GovCon Executives and enjoy a few free beers on us and engage with our sponsors and Industry speakers. Please register here for your spot and please enter full name and company so a badge will be waiting for you. Sponsorships: 1 of 2 spots are available. DM me to claim the 2nd sponsorship to highlight your company to an invitation-only executive audience.