ReactJS

**Can R tame the LLM chaos? Let's find out. 🤖** Two talks. Two live demos. One evening that might change how you think about LLMs in R. Refreshments and networking from 18h00. **Agenda** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* 16h30 – 16h45 \| Welcome and News \- Handre Williams & Luis de Sousa \* 16h45 – 17h20 \| Handre Williams: **R as the orchestration + statistical validation layer for LLMs** LLMs are powerful but unreliable. R is rigorous but underestimated. This talk explores what happens when you combine the two — using R as the orchestration backbone and statistical validation layer for LLM workflows. Handre will show practical patterns for calling, chaining, and stress-testing LLMs from R, and how classical statistical tools can keep your models honest in production. Includes a live demo. \* 17h20 – 17h55 \| Luis de Sousa: **RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) in R** LLMs hallucinate. The fix? Give them better memory. This talk dives into Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in R — combining DuckDB's vector search capabilities with R's data ecosystem to ground LLMs in domain-specific knowledge. Luis will show how to build a RAG pipeline from scratch, turning your own data into a knowledge base that makes LLMs actually useful in practice. Includes a live demo. \* 17h55 – 18h00 \| Wrap up\, questions & close \* 18h00 \| Refreshments & networking — continue the conversation in person **Details** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ When: 14 April 2026 @ 16h30 to 18h00 (GMT+2) Where: Microsoft Campus in Bryanston, South Africa Location: https://goo.gl/maps/4ffcC3N6T7S2 Keen to speak at a future event? Submit your session abstracts at https://sessionize.com/johannesburg-r-user-group/ **Stay connected** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* Website: https://www.rusergroup.co.za \* Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/joburg-r-users-group \* Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHBRUserGroup \* GitHub: https://github.com/rusergroupcoza \* WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/3CeDifS

**Can R tame the LLM chaos? Let's find out. 🤖** Two talks. Two live demos. One evening that might change how you think about LLMs in R. Refreshments and networking from 18h00. **Agenda** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* 16h30 – 16h45 \| Welcome and News \- Handre Williams & Luis de Sousa \* 16h45 – 17h20 \| Handre Williams: **R as the orchestration + statistical validation layer for LLMs** LLMs are powerful but unreliable. R is rigorous but underestimated. This talk explores what happens when you combine the two — using R as the orchestration backbone and statistical validation layer for LLM workflows. Handre will show practical patterns for calling, chaining, and stress-testing LLMs from R, and how classical statistical tools can keep your models honest in production. Includes a live demo. \* 17h20 – 17h55 \| Luis de Sousa: **RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) in R** LLMs hallucinate. The fix? Give them better memory. This talk dives into Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in R — combining DuckDB's vector search capabilities with R's data ecosystem to ground LLMs in domain-specific knowledge. Luis will show how to build a RAG pipeline from scratch, turning your own data into a knowledge base that makes LLMs actually useful in practice. Includes a live demo. \* 17h55 – 18h00 \| Wrap up\, questions & close \* 18h00 \| Refreshments & networking — continue the conversation in person **Details** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ When: 14 April 2026 @ 16h30 to 18h00 (GMT+2) Where: Microsoft Campus in Bryanston, South Africa Location: https://goo.gl/maps/4ffcC3N6T7S2 Keen to speak at a future event? Submit your session abstracts at https://sessionize.com/johannesburg-r-user-group/ **Stay connected** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ \* Website: https://www.rusergroup.co.za \* Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/joburg-r-users-group \* Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHBRUserGroup \* GitHub: https://github.com/rusergroupcoza \* WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/3CeDifS

NOVA Code and Coffee is an inclusive, informal, co-working session. People of all skill levels are invited. The concept is simple, bring a laptop and ideas, we'll provide the coffee and donuts! Here's how it works: 1. At 10:15 everyone introduces themselves and briefly describes what brought them to Code & Coffee today (project, homework, networking, etc) 2. For the rest of the day, folks work in the communal space on their projects providing one another help and conversation as needed. Oh and they usually drink coffee and tea too! That's it! Hope to see you there! **Location** Our hosts are the Fairfax City Economic Development Building: [10300 Eaton Pl, Fairfax, VA 22030](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=d7298231ca2df594df822003f9a93517c788fceefe1fcbb79c8976696e341bc6JmltdHM9MTc1MzIyODgwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=180d0745-3b7f-69a1-23a2-11433a7868e5&u=a1L21hcHM_Jm1lcGk9MTA5fn5Ub3BPZlBhZ2V-QWRkcmVzc19MaW5rJnR5PTE4JnE9RmFpcmZheCUyMENpdHklMjBFY29ub21pYyUyMERldmVsb3BtZW50JnNzPXlwaWQuWU44NzN4ODI4MTk2Mjg0NTk5MDM4MTU0MiZwcG9pcz0zOC44NjE0NDYzODA2MTUyMzRfLTc3LjMwMjE3NzQyOTE5OTIyX0ZhaXJmYXglMjBDaXR5JTIwRWNvbm9taWMlMjBEZXZlbG9wbWVudF9ZTjg3M3g4MjgxOTYyODQ1OTkwMzgxNTQyfiZjcD0zOC44NjE0NDZ-LTc3LjMwMjE3NyZ2PTImc1Y9MSZGT1JNPU1QU1JQTA&ntb=1) Conference Room A- Large, Floor 1 This is a new venue for us, so give us some time to get more details about it. Driving is the best option. There is plenty of free on-site parking. Otherwise, we are a 22 minute bus from the Vienna Metro Station. Bicycling from Vienna is possible but difficult, though once you are here, there's a bike rack in the garage behind the building, and there's also a Capital Bikeshare dock 15 min walk away. **Sponsored by:** Thank you [Fairfax City Economic Development](https://gofairfaxcity.com/) and [Mason Enterprise Center](https://enterprise.gmu.edu/) for making this event possible! **Thank you so much to our wonderful sponsors!** Organized by [DMV Petri Dish](https://www.dmvpetridish.com/) **[Code of Conduct](https://github.com/NoVACodeCoffee/admin/blob/master/code-of-conduct.md):** We value the participation of each member of the community and want all attendees to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. To make clear what is expected, all delegates/attendees, organizers, and volunteers at any Nova Code & Coffee events are required to conform to our [Code of Conduct](https://github.com/NoVACodeCoffee/admin/blob/master/code-of-conduct.md).

**In a time of division and isolation, come be part of the community that's rebuilding the town square, one table at a time.** In BreadBreakers, we use the common space of the dining table to have conversations where neighbors can **hear, be heard, and know one another.** If you're hungry for good conversation and deeper community, join us for a Community Dinner in Reston and help blaze the trail to a healthier, more connected society and democracy. Here’s how it works: For just two hours, multiple tables of people set aside the need to "win" and instead focus on sharing, listening, and connecting. Guided by experienced table hosts, we'll tell our stories, try to understand each other, and practice being in community with those with different views or backgrounds. **At this dinner, participants will get to choose between three different topics, including some current events.** Topics range from the political, to the "slice of life", to the spiritual, to the philosophical, to the off-the-wall - but no matter which table you choose to sit at, you can be sure it'll be like no dinner conversation you've had before! You can also **suggest a topic** by emailing us at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com. Food will be provided for free. For those who wish to provide a donation to help fund BreadBreakers, you can [give here](https://pushpay.com/g/restorationrestonumc?fnd=pO6G-N7oO7FH7Mp1u-x6mA&fndv=Lock&r=No&lang=en&src=pcgl) or at the event. We'll have vegetarian and gluten-free options available. If you have any additional dietary restrictions (Celiac Disease, vegan, etc.) please let us know at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com so that we can implement the appropriate food handling procedures. **Join us, invite a friend, and be a part of the movement to mend our fractured society and normalize a better way of talking with one another.** BreadBreakers, an initiative by [Restoration United Methodist Church](https://restorationreston.org/breadbreakers) in Reston, VA, is a religiously inclusive community. All faiths and all stripes are welcomed. Our leadership, volunteer team, and community include people who attend Restoration and people who don't.

Hey, adult Gamerinos! Join the Dulles Area Gaming Group for a fun-filled day of gaming [Eurogame](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurogame) and [Amerithrash](https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Ameritrash) style at the Herndon Library! This game day promises to be a fantastic opportunity to connect in-person with fellow adult board game enthusiasts in the Dulles Area. Our group is passionate about board games and excited to welcome new adult members for a day of friendly competition and camaraderie. Bring your favorite games or try out one brought by another player. Whether you're a seasoned gamer or new to the tabletop world, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. Don't miss out on this chance to roll the dice, strategize your moves, and have a blast with Dulles Area Gaming Group! We advise players arrive 10 minutes before the start time, since selection of games and instructions begin shortly after. Late arrivals will most likely have a hard time joining a game already in progress. This event is for adults age 18+. There is free parking and free Wi-Fi at this location. We look forward to having you join us!

Come join us atthe Pickle & International Food Festival in Sterling, VA. There will be pickle inspired foods, international cuisine, craft beer, and live music. THIS IS NOT A TICKET: Tickets can be found on the link below and general admission is $5 + credit card fee Buy ticket here: https://www.crookedrunfermentation.com/pickle-international-food-festival-2026

Nervous about reading for others? Or just want to learn how? Do you want an opportunity to practice in a supportive environment? Join Gypsy Dervish as he leads us through the basic practice of reading the Tarot. Ask questions , participate in group readings, and read for other participants. For those of you taking the Tarot 101 classes, this will also be a chance to put into practice what you learned there. ($5 discount on this class, if you take both, making a $10 total discount. Remember to register for both classes individually. You do not need to take Tarot 101 to participate in the practicum.)

**Agenda :** * 4.45 to 5.00 PM ET: Food and Networking * 5.00 to 5.50 PM ET: "Hands-On : GitHub Copilot SpecKit" Hello Everyone! Please join us for our April 14th edition of the AI-ML MeetUp. **Please note this is an in-person meeting and light refreshments/food will be provided. You will need a government-issued ID to enter the facility.** **Title:** Hands-On : GitHub Copilot SpecKit **Description:** Spec-Driven Development **flips the script** on traditional software development. For decades, code has been king — specifications were just scaffolding we built and discarded once the "real work" of coding began. Spec-Driven Development changes this: **specifications become executable**, directly generating working implementations rather than just guiding them. In this hands-on lab, we will be covering building your application using SpecKit. Pre-requisites: VSCode v1.107, GitHub Copilot, Python 3.13 + uv, Git installed. **Location:** The meeting will be hosted in the Applied Information Sciences ( AIS ) office in Reston, at 11440 Commerce Park Dr # 600 · Reston, VA. The location is also right off the Silver Line metro's Wiehle-Reston Metro Station. **Parking:** Parking is paid and can be validated at the AIS office reception. We will meet in Room Lake Anne. We hope to see you all there!!!!