Play Framework

Come to check out our hackerspace, talk to people and learn some new things, maybe use the tools for a short while, or just sit down with a laptop and do some work in a quiet place. Also a good time to sign up for a membership! We will have tea and coffee, likely also cookies. Come whenever from 19:00 till 22:00 - we might even be open until 24:00! If there's a problem (i.e. doors not open), call 28701072.

📌 Let's meet in **Riga** on **May 7th, 2026** for an interactive conference and an enriching networking session! Come and discover Odoo, the all-in-one integrated software that will simplify your day-to-day business. Say goodbye to double coding, lost invoices and budgets; create your website in a few clicks... Odoo offers you a wide range of tools built for IT.🧐 🔎 **AGENDA** 🔍 14h00: Welcome 14h15: Conference - Interactive demo & tips to digitize your company. 16h00: Networking - Snacks and drinks. ➡️ Are you convinced? You can subscribe at the following link: https://www.odoo.com/r/RAZ2 The event is free, but registration is mandatory.❗ **Important:** 📍 Where? Tallink Hotel Riga 📅 Date? May 7th, 2026 📝 Registration? https://www.odoo.com/r/RAZ2 💰 Price? FREE! Hope to see you soon!

Join Latvia DevOps & AI Communities' 31st event on May 5 at [Workland](https://wrkland.com/lv/locations/riga-telegraph). Doors open at 18:30, talks start at 19:00. ✨[Janis Rozenblats](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janisr/). Janis is a product leader with 17+ years in B2B SaaS, founded Mailigen (acquired by Pipedrive), scaled product at Pipedrive during its unicorn growth phase, and most recently built the product organization from zero at Aerones, a deep-tech robotics company in the wind energy space. He is passionate about AI-first product development and rethinking how product teams are structured in the age of AI dev tools. **Talk name:** *From Zero to AI-First: How We Reinvented Product Roles at a Deep-Tech Startup*. Most companies talk about adopting AI tools. Few talk honestly about what happens when you try to rewire an entire organization around them — the resistance, the role confusion, the wins, and the spectacular misfires. At Aerones, Janis built the product org from scratch for a company that maintains wind turbines with robots. Along the way, two new roles were introduced — Product Builder and Citizen Builder — designed to push AI-assisted development beyond the engineering team and into the hands of product managers and domain experts. This talk covers the full journey: why these roles were created, how the enablement program was structured, what tooling and workflows actually worked, where things went wrong, and what would be done differently. It is a practitioner’s story — no vendor pitches, no hype, just lessons from doing it in a complex, hardware-adjacent environment. You will walk away with a practical framework for thinking about AI-assisted development roles, and an honest picture of what organizational transformation actually looks like when the PowerPoint slides meet reality. ✨ [Māris Švirksts](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maris-svirksts/) Māris Svirksts is a Lead Systems Engineer at EPAM Systems with 15+ years of experience in tech, ranging from boutique hotel booking platforms to cloud infrastructure for global corporations, and occasionally explains to stakeholders why “just make it work” is not a technical specification. He speaks Latvian, English, and sometimes Bash. The AI writing this bio was made by one of his employers’ clients, which he finds either impressive or slightly unsettling. **Talk name:** *THE DARK FACTORY / From Loom-Smashing to Prompt Engineering*. From the Luddite riots against the power loom to today’s robotic production lines, every automation wave has fundamentally changed how work is organized — and the software industry is living through the next one. While tools like Cursor and Claude have already introduced AI-assisted coding and autonomous agents, an LLM-driven dark factory for the software development lifecycle takes this further, stringing together the full cycle of planning, development, testing, and delivery with minimal human intervention. We will also have a **Lightning Talk** by: [Vija Kalniņa](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vijakalnina) is a lead researcher on the Business AI Ethics research initiative based at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. She is affiliated with AI Master Lab, an AI consulting firm based in Latvia, and teaches AI ethics to different audiences, including judges and law students. She is a Hubert H. Humphrey (Fulbright) alumna at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business (2024/2025). She has 15 years of experience in the legal field across the public and private sectors, including her most recent role as a judge at the Court of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, where she worked with white-collar crime cases and commercial disputes. She holds a PhD in European Union Law, is a published author on EU Law, and a freelance interviewer for Latvia’s leading legal journal, Jurista Vārds. This lightning talk uses AI chatbot doom loops - situations in which users are trapped in repetitive, unresolvable interactions - as a lens for learning how to examine AI incidents. By focusing on these failure patterns, the talk highlights how harm can emerge when AI systems fail. I will use a real-world example - a U.S.-based online payment and financial technology provider that relies on AI-powered chatbots for client services, and the incidents it experienced - to illustrate how issues such as insufficient human oversight, poor escalation design, and model or system limitations can lead to reputational and financial harm for companies, as well as frustration, lost time, reduced access to services, or even financial consequences for clients. The goal is to spark discussion and help the audience strengthen their ability to recognize AI-related risks and negative consequences as they arise, because understanding AI incidents is a necessary first step toward preventing them.. This time, the event is sponsored by: * [EPAM ](https://www.epam.com/)as Event Sponsor EPAM is a global leader in AI transformation engineering and integrated consulting, helping Forbes Global 2000 companies and ambitious startups to become AI-native enterprises, driving measurable value from innovation and digital investments. We are proud to be recognized by Forbes, Glassdoor and Great Place to Work as a Most Loved Workplace around the world. Learn more at  [www.epam.com](https://www.epam.com/) and follow us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/epam-systems/). * [Workland Telegraph](https://wrkland.com/lv/locations/riga-telegraph) as Event Partner Inspiring private offices and coworking spaces that support your productivity & creativity. **If your plans change**, please cancel your registration to free up your spot for others. Also, check out our Slack channel [Techies of Baltics](https://devops.lv/slack/). As always, you are welcome to check out [our YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKXmynfBPE9um6sMqFmlEEA), where we have previous meetup video recordings available. Your presence and active participation make our community vibrant and inspiring. To secure your spot, RSVP on our [Meetup.com](https://www.meetup.com/devops-and-ai-latvia/events/314069589/) page. See you there! *\*Please note that photographs and footage will be taken throughout this event without a warning. These can be used by the Community for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and in social media, or any third-party publication.*

A small and exclusive group of friends running 5 km every Sunday at 10 am. Bring yourself, your running shoes and maybe a friend. We start in the center, medium pace run, then end up at a coffee shop. => Once you go on the waiting list, the moderator will approve/reject Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/rigasundayruns Whatsapp=> [https://chat.whatsapp.com/CF24r42CTn3GKtsNjdpEjG?mode=gi_t](https://chat.whatsapp.com/CF24r42CTn3GKtsNjdpEjG?mode=gi_t)

Wednesday is karaoke day. Every Wednesday we gather to sing. Come with a friend or alone, with or without a voice. The format is simple: show up, grab a microphone, and sing whatever you want. Or don't sing, just support others. As usual, the meeting place is Top Club. If you haven't been before, you can get to know the space at the same time. We're looking forward to seeing you this Wednesday. See you there! Trešdiena ir karaoke diena. Katru trešdienu mēs pulcējamies dziedāt. Nāc ar draugu vai viens, ar balsi vai bez. Formāts ir vienkāršs: nāc, paņem mikrofonu un dziedi, ko vien vēlies. Vai arī nedzied, vienkārši atbalsti citus. Kā parasti, tikšanās vieta ir Top klubs. Ja iepriekš neesi tur bijis, vari vienlaikus iepazīties ar vietu. Gaidīsim ciemos šajā trešdienā. Tiekamies tur!

A weekly meetup for language lovers! Come practice new languages, meet great people, and enjoy a drink — whether it’s beer, tea, or coffee. Everyone’s welcome! 🤗 Main event platform is Facebook https://shorturl.at/DhtIR (so more people coming!) Address - Aldaru Street 9, FOB Bar

**Founders Running Club** (FRC) brings founders, investors, tech, creative people and startup enthusiasts together for weekly easy runs and networking. We like to be comfortable when we run and finish with coffee and conversations. Choose your pace or follow a pacer—pets, friends, family, are welcome. 🗓️ Launched in San Francisco, July 16, 2022 🌍 Now in 35+ cities 📅 Running + Networking events + Community **Join the community** http://foundersrc.com/chats **Stay updated**: Instagram http://instagram.com/foundersrc/ Podcast http://podcast.foundersrc.com/ LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/ Strava http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC Website http://foundersrc.com/

Try new games, meet new people, and find out what story games are all about! Explore the reaches of space! Witness kingdoms rise and fall! Create and explore tragedies! All within a single game night. We play story games like Fiasco, Kingdom, Polaris and Microscope that encourage everyone at the table to participate creatively. We also have one-shots of indie, OSR, and narrative-focused RPGs such as Apocalypse World, Dread, Lady Blackbird, and Old School Essentials! Everybody's welcome! It doesn't matter if you've never tried story games before or never played roleplaying games at all! Just bring your brain and a good attitude and come try it out! *** **IMPORTANT** * When you arrive look for the marked Story Games Columbus Tables. Each table will have a separate game. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. * If all tables are full, look for a Facilitator. We will find a way to get you into a game! * There is a flat $3 cover charge for events at Tabletop. *** **Facilitators!!** Please arrive early so that we can get you set up with a table. Please reach out to me ASAP if you would be willing to help facilitate. You can reach me on the SGC Discord here - https://discord.gg/jUTvWUu

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.

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

The Forge does have a full bar and kitchen. There is no cover charge but they do request all attendees to purchase a minimum of ~20 per person. Soft drink refills are 1 each. Please support our hosts so we can continue to provide great events for the group! The Forge has a large library of games available for us to enjoy. Hosts and regulars will also provide numerous popular games but please bring any games you would like to teach and/or play. Doors open at 6, and we expect gaming to be rolling by around 630. Please promptly end your games and clear out the space at 10pm when the bar closes. We encourage socializing but do not permit disruptive behavior of any kind. Thank you for your continued commitment to providing a fun and welcoming space to veteran, newbie, and rookie gamers in the Columbus area. Parking can sometimes fill esrly. There is additional parking lot behind the neighboring Mexican restaurant that is free and easy to walk from but it's a bit hidden.

FREE event [https://www.ccad.edu/chroma](https://www.ccad.edu/chroma) Friday, May 15, 3–7 p.m. CCAD campus, 60 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH Join Columbus College of Art & Design for *2025* *Chroma: Best of CCAD*, our annual campuswide exhibition showcasing outstanding student work from across the college’s academic programs. This faculty-juried show features select work from CCAD students of all class years, and is a can’t-miss end-of-year campus celebration recognizing their tremendous achievements. It’ll be a night of fun and entertainment, with interactive games, animation and film screenings, art symposiums, poetry and prose readings, and more (along with some of the best local food trucks). *Chroma* is free and open to all. Many exhibitions including... **Game Art & Design:** **DSB, first floor, Welcome Center lobby and Room 115**

**Building a great product is one thing—building momentum behind it is another.** Join **Senior Product Manager Adam Solaiman** and **User Experience Manager Tyson Smith** for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to turn complex ideas into scalable products inside large organizations. In this session, they’ll share how teams move from ambiguity to execution—navigating organizational complexity, aligning stakeholders, and continuously evolving products after launch. You’ll walk away with insights on how to: * Build and sustain momentum across teams * Adapt to changing priorities without losing direction * Scale products thoughtfully in complex environments Whether you're driving a new initiative or growing an existing product, this conversation will give you practical strategies to keep things moving forward. Come connect, learn, and swap stories with fellow product professionals. \-\-\- Food and drinks will be provided by Switchbox, our generous host. Free parking will be available at the front and back sides of the Switchbox Office.