Redis

🎉 Come along to the London Scala Talks! 🎉 In this event you'll hear from Caroline Morton and Katrina Petrevice. **Agenda** 6:00pm - 🥤 Doors open. Come along and grab a drink! 6:35pm - 🗣️ Introduction 6:40pm - 🗣️ Katrina Petrevice: Caching in Scala using Ref 7:20pm - 🍕 Intermission: Join us for some free food and drinks! Vegan and vegetarian options are provided. Let us know if you'd like something special - we'd be happy to accommodate. 7:50pm - 🗣️ Caroline Morton: Accidental Functional Programming in Rust (From an Epidemiologist's Perspective) 8:30pm - 🥤 Socialising: Grab a drink and let's discuss the talks. 9:00pm - 🍻 Join us in a pub to discuss the talks! 🌐 **This event has a live stream** Join at **6:35PM** using this link: [https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/23161399678332?p=vEmQadbG1wErf3rGrk](https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/23161399678332?p=vEmQadbG1wErf3rGrk "https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/23161399678332?p=vEmQadbG1wErf3rGrk") **🗣️ Katrina Petrevice: Caching in Scala using Ref** Caching in memory is often one of the first strategies used to improve system performances. However, implementing caching in a purely functional way introduces unique challenges, specifically around state management and testability. In this talk, we will look at how to utilise functional programming principles with [Ref](https://typelevel.org/cats-effect/docs/std/ref), while maintaining clarity and composability. We will also deep dive into some common pitfalls and look into practical ways to test Ref effectively. ⭐ Katrina Petrevice ⭐ Katrina comes from a non–computer science background and was first introduced to Scala while working at JPMorgan. She credits much of her Scala knowledge to hands-on experience within her team, where she works on building and maintaining data pipelines and managing data systems. Since then, she has developed a strong interest in functional programming and now co-leads the Functional Programming Group at JPMorgan, where she helps share knowledge and foster a community around these ideas. **🗣️ Caroline Morton: Accidental Functional Programming in Rust (From an Epidemiologist's Perspective)** I don't have a background in functional programming - and I never set out to write it. But somewhere between writing trait-based epidemiological pipelines, composing data transformations, and leaning hard on Result, enums, and pattern matching, I started hearing from others: “That's pretty functional.” In this talk, I'll explore what it means to write “functional-ish” Rust as someone solving real-world scientific problems. I'll walk through the patterns I reach for - like chaining iterators, avoiding shared state, and embracing expressive types - and reflect on which functional programming ideas emerge naturally in Rust, even if you're not trying. I'll also share how designing for epidemiologists - most of whom are used to chaining functions in Python (like Pandas) or R - has pushed me toward creating ergonomic Rust APIs with Python and R bindings. These tools aim to feel familiar to scientists while leveraging Rust's power and safety under the hood. This is a talk for functional programmers curious about Rust, and for Rustaceans wondering if they've been functional all along. No formal theory required - just real code, real use cases, and a pragmatic perspective from someone building public health tools in Rust. ⭐ Caroline Morton ⭐ Dr. Caroline Morton is a medical doctor, epidemiologist, software engineer, and PhD candidate specialising in synthetic data, epidemiology, and Rust. With 60 peer-reviewed papers and two books on software, she combines deep technical expertise with a commitment to improving scientific workflows. Caroline co-founded the first [Women in Rust](https://www.meetup.com/women-in-rust/) group, fostering diversity and encouraging more women to explore opportunities in systems programming. She leads an open-source project improving codelist management in epidemiology using Rust, creating efficient, reliable tools for health data research. Her PhD focuses on synthetic data methods for epidemiology, particularly using Rust to generate large, realistic datasets. A strong advocate for open science and reproducibility, she contributes extensively to improving software practices through publications, workshops, and open-source projects. 🏡 **Accessing the building** The office space (125 London Wall) has two entrances: * ✅ Use the street level entrance, where the Elsevier volunteers we will be welcoming people (this is the easiest one to find, usually people arrive from there) * ❌ Do not use the entrance above that connects to the barbican walkways. Security guards should redirect you to the street level entrance if you find this one instead. Please try to arrive by 7PM, or the street level entrance will be closed. If you do arrive afterwards, let us know on [meetup.com](https://www.meetup.com/london-scala/events/314293345/) or [Discord #general](https://discord.gg/aRCVCHmHES), and someone will come to fetch you. ———————————————————— 🗣️ Would you like to present, but are not sure how to start? Give a talk with us and you'll receive mentorship from a trained toastmaster! Get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/zv5i9eeto1BsnSwe8) and we'll get you started 🏡 Interested in hosting or supporting us? Please get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/3SX3Bm6zHqVodBaMA) and we can discuss how you can get involved. 📜 All London Scala User Group events operate under the [Scala Community Code of Conduct](https://www.scala-lang.org/conduct/). We encourage each of you to report the breach of the conduct, either anonymously through [this form](https://forms.gle/9PMMorUWgBnbk1mm6) or by contacting one of our team members. We guarantee privacy and confidentiality, as well as that we will take your report seriously and react quickly.

Join our fun and challenging **upper intermediate coaching sessions**—perfect for players looking to improve their volleyball skills in a supportive and energetic environment. Each 2-hour session includes a structured warm-up, high-intensity drills, and game play. Participants should be comfortable with the 5-1 rotation, though exceptions may be considered. **Location**: Bacon's College, Canada Water **Time**: Wednesdays, 18:00 – 20:00 **Price**: £13 (Pay As You Go) *Pay by card or tap after the session* **Cancellation Policy**: Cancel by Tuesday at 18:00 We’re proud to be part of the **SQUAD Volleyball** family. These sessions offer players an exciting opportunity to grow, develop their game, and potentially join a SQUAD team competing in the London Volleyball Association leagues.

Register: [https://luma.com/hack-night-tessl-may13-2026?utm_source=neo4j](https://luma.com/hack-night-tessl-may13-2026?utm_source=neo4j) ## What's Hack Night? ​Five hours. One room full of builders. Zero fluff. As many demos as we can. ​Hack Night at Tessl is a London evening for people who would rather build than posture. You show up with an idea, find a team if you want one, spend a few focused hours shipping with a DJ in the background, and demo what you made before the night ends. Then we head to the pub. ​**When**: May 13\, 2026 \| 4:00 PM \- 8:45 PM BST **Where**: Tessl office, London ## Here's How It Works ​**4:00 PM - Doors Open** Check in, grab food, meet other builders, form groups, (or solo hack if you want) and decide what you're making. ​**4:30 PM - Opening Context** Quick welcome from the host and venue partner so everyone knows the flow for the night. ​**5:00 PM - Short Technical Remarks** If there are host or sponsor remarks, they stay short. The point is to get useful context, then get people building. ​**5:30 PM - Build Time** Heads down. Music on. Ship something. Use the time to test an idea, explore a tool, or finally build the thing you've been sitting on. ​**7:30 PM - Demo Time** Show what you made. Get feedback. See what everyone else shipped. ​**8:45 PM - Wrap Up** Final demos, shout-outs, and a clean finish to the night. And of course, Pub! We're heading to a pub nearby for a pint and a proper debrief. Come if you want to keep the conversation going.

Low Stakes Comedy is a weekly stand-up night in Streatham Hill. Every Wednesday at The Hamlet, a mix of new and experienced comedians perform short sets in an intimate basement room. 📍 The Hamlet 10 Streatham High Road London SW16 1DB 🕖 Doors 7:00pm 🎤 Show 7:30–9:30pm 🎟 Free entry at the door — limited capacity £2 to reserve a seat 👍 Reserve here: lowstakescomedy.eventbrite.co.uk What happens at Low Stakes Comedy stays at Low Stakes Comedy. 🍅

Something's shifted. The people who've spent years deep in data - the analysts, the engineers, the consultants - are building with AI agents now. **And it's the most exciting thing in a decade.** New tools. New workflows. Whole new ways of thinking about what data work even means. Everyone's experimenting. Everyone's learning. **Nobody's done this before.** We couldn't find a community in the UK for people doing this work. So we're starting one. In pubs, with laptops, sharing what's actually working. No slides. No pitches. No lanyard energy. Just people who build things, showing each other what they've built. **Bring your terminal. Bring your questions. Bring the thing that's half-working and you can't figure out why.** More at [swarm.org.uk](https://swarm.org.uk/)

Simple morning mindfulness meditation class at the School of Meditation, in Holland Park. No experience is required, and session is available to everyone...Simply RSVP or just turn up 5 minutes before the start of session to 158 Holland Park Avenue W11 4UH. Discover a deep, inner rest - an enduring part of the mind, beyond our normal cares and worries.

For our May meetup, we're delighted to be back at the fabulous Accurx offices. We have two amazing talks lined up and the agenda will be: * 6:30pm - arrive, drinks, networking * 7:00pm - Welcome & Housekeeping * 7:15pm - **Talk** **1: "A practical guide to inner sourcing your IDP"** Bridging the gap between developers and platform teams is hard. Scattered documentation, fragmented language and hidden knowledge leave developers frustrated, while platform teams struggle to understand what devs really need. Treating platforms as products is a start, but treating them like open source projects unlocks real collaboration, allowing developers to contribute and maintain features. In her roles as Developer Advocate and platform engineer, Lian has years of experience working with highly bureaucratic organisations helping to improve developer experience and adoption. In this talk, she’ll share concrete steps to identify contribution opportunities, set up maintainable processes, and measure engagement. You’ll leave inspired with ideas to boost adoption, reduce friction, and turn your platform into a collaborative, thriving ecosystem. **Speaker:** Lian Li, Cloud Native Human *Lian always wanted to save the world. After leaving law school, she decided to work with computers instead. While in Web Dev, she started attending tech events, and soon fell in love with the community. In her roles as Consultant and DevRel, Lian combined technical knowledge with a focus on the human side.* *Currently, Lian works as freelance Platform Engineer in Amsterdam and is the Chief Karaoke Officer for Kuberoke, the first and only Kubernetes Karaoke Community. She also enjoys performing in musical improvisation theatre and standup comedy shows.* * 7.45pm - food, more drinks & networking * 8.00pm - **Talk** **2: "The Humans Behind the Platform: Structuring Teams for Culture and Capability**" It’s easy to focus on the tech when building a Platform team, and that’s tremendously important, but it’s often the people and how they work together that determine success. Over the past couple of years, Claire has led a Platform Engineering Team through different formations, migrations, and tooling adoptions. Whatever shape the team has taken, whatever they're working on, the constants have been a need for clear purpose and a culture where people can thrive, this takes work, and has sometimes been tricky to get right. In this talk, she’ll share what she's learned from shaping and supporting platform teams: what’s worked (and what hasn’t) when it comes to team composition, balancing seniority, and supporting career growth. Collaboration is central to how to operate, so she’ll talk about how her team works with and supports internal customers, and what’s helped to navigate complex, knotty migration projects. She’ll also cover how they built a culture that gives engineers space to lead. We want engineers at every level to feel confident taking ownership, and that takes deliberate effort. If you’re figuring out how to shape your platform teams to enable others as well as deliver, this talk will offer practical ideas, and maybe a few things to rethink. **Speaker:** Claire Reckless, Engineering Manager *Claire is an Engineering Manager and leads a Platform Engineering Team. With a background spanning Tech Support, Testing, and QA across sectors like Finance and Security, she brings a deep appreciation for resilient systems and collaborative teams. Claire is passionate about learning and development, and she’s especially proud of her past work coordinating an apprentice programme, an initiative that’s helped build a more diverse and sustainable pipeline of engineering talent. She’s energised by helping engineers at all levels grow their confidence, take ownership, and shape the future of their teams.* * 8.30pm onwards - drinks and networking. So, please come and join us, we look forward to seeing you there. The LOPUG team. * Food and drinks provided * Good time will be had by all

MCP is changing how developers build with AI, but we're just scratching the surface. Join us for an evening of talks that go beyond retrieval to explore what's actually possible when you give agents real tools, real constraints and real APIs. **Agenda** ​6:00 PM - Doors open, registration and networking ​6:10 PM - Welcome (Upsun & Cloudflare) ​6:20 PM - MCP: Context is Everything! - Carly Richmond, Elastic ​6:45 PM - Sandboxes: how to limit agents so we can use them more - Patrick Dawkins, Upsun ​7:00 PM - Break (Food & Drinks) ​7:30 PM - Cooking with MCP in VS Code - Liam Hampton, Microsoft ​7:55 PM - Efficient tools with MCP code mode - Confidence Okoghenun, Cloudflare ​8:15 PM - Open networking and drinks ​9:00 PM - Close 🗣️ ​**Talks** ​**MCP: Context is Everything! - Carly Richmond (Developer Advocate Lead, Elastic)** ​MCP is a powerful tool for giving LLMs capabilities to not just retrieve information, but to automate key actions based on relevant data. Let’s see how it can be used for retrieving relevant context and other activities such as observability. ​**Efficient tools with MCP code mode - Confidence Okoghenun (Senior Developer Advocate, Cloudflare)** ​Traditional MCP approaches choke on context windows: Cloudflare's 2,500+ endpoint API would require 1.17 million tokens. Code Mode flips the script by having LLMs write code against typed APIs instead of making direct tool calls, achieving 99.9% token reduction. Come learn how code mode works and how to optimize your MCP tools with it. ​**Sandboxes: how to limit agents so we can use them more - Patrick Dawkins (Principal Engineer, Upsun)** ​We want our agents to run longer and use more tools, but we're hampered by constant prompts for approval. Sandboxes are the practical middle ground: isolate the agent so you can stop watching every command and let it work. This talk covers what "sandbox" means, who provides them today and the Linux primitives that let you build one yourself. ​**Cooking with MCP in VS Code - Liam Hampton (Senior Cloud Advocate, Microsoft)** ​In this session Liam will show you how VS Code is fully supporting the MCP spec, from MCP Apps to sandboxing and elicitations. 📅 **Date and Time:** Thursday, May 14, from 6:00-9:00 PM 📍 **Location:** Cloudflare Address: 6th Floor, County Hall/The, Riverside Building, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 7PB, UK 👉 You can also register here: https://luma.com/eb8j6lhu ⚠️ Please make sure you provided your full name (no nicknames or abbreviations will be allowed) and to bring your ID card as it will be mandatory to show it upon check-in to security. Entry will be first come, first served. We recommend arriving early to make sure you get in. **⚡️ Interested in giving a talk? ⚡️** Have you ever considered presenting on your Elastic use case? We welcome 5-10 minute lightning talks, 45-minute deep dives, and everything in between. If you're interested, please submit via our [CFP](https://sessionize.com/elastic-meetups/) or send us an email at [meetups@elastic.co.](http://meetups@elastic.co./)

Free On-going 10 Week Sahaja Yoga Mediation Course - Hello there! - We'd like to welcome you to Free weekly meetings hosted by Manohar, Sat , Cristina, Tim, Larissa, Matthew - Learn to Meditate - Join us for weekly meditation sessions in Wanstead Community Hall on Thursday evenings from 7.30pm until 9.00pm - Wanstead Community Hall, 21 The Green, Wanstead, London, E11 2NT **Thursday evenings from 7.30 pm until 9.00 pm** \- Please come in good time as doors close at 8 pm and might be difficult to get in\. Sahaja Yoga is a unique form of meditation that will enable you to connect with your deeper self, establishing a higher awareness within you resulting in a deep feeling of peace, calmness, balance, and joy. It is a tangible practical experience: Sahaja Yoga is “Subtle, Simple and Real”. It was founded by HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi ( 1923-2011) and has at its core the process of Self Realisation: connecting with your real Self through the awakening of the dormant energy in our sacrum bone called Kundalini who takes us into the deep peaceful state of thoughtless awareness. In the class, we will go through the process of Self Realisation and learn how to achieve the state of meditation effortlessly. Also, we will learn about balancing our subtle system, how to diagnose and solve our problems, and how to meditate at home. Sahaja Yoga helps all aspects of our life: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, it is an extraordinary method, unique from any other types of meditations as it uses our own energy Kundalini who can correct our chakras, balance us, and take us to a much higher and deeper state of awareness. We do not need mats, we sit on chairs, it is easy and simple, Sahaja means spontaneous in Sanskrit, it is for all cultures, ages, religions, and backgrounds. There are free meetings all over London and the UK and also in more than 100 countries. If you are looking for well-being, harmony, and solving your problems, you want to get out of confusion, and mental health problems you are looking for answers then you are in the right place. Come along and try, no need to sign up, beginners are welcome anytime. **“Sahaja Yoga is a method by which our Pure Desire is fulfilled“ (from the founder Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi)**

The Venue is a room in Lauderdale house set on the entrance of the magnificent Waterlow park in Highgate (nearest tube is Archway, on the northern line. Waterlow park is less then 10min walk up highgate hill) A very beautiful location to be after such a energizing and emotionally cleansing experience! Doors open 0830am Instructions 0900am Meditation -915am-1015am (no admission after 915am) There is a cafe downstairs for you to drink, eat and connect together afterwards or you may feel drawn to wander alone into the majestic park, soaking up the beauty of the trees, lakes and landscape...whatever is right for you! Active meditations were designed by Osho with us westerners in mind. It can be challenging with our hectic lifestyles, full of stimulus to just sit down and switch off into silence. How many times have you heard people say' I just can't meditate, my mind is too busy, my body cannot be still etc...' Active meditations were designed by Osho to use the body and breath first, enabling us to 'empty our vessel ' through physical movement. By doing this we release pent up emotions and tension in the body so that we are more able to reach inner stillness, silence and meditation. We will commence with the dynamic meditation for a series of weeks then rotate to try other active meditations designed by Osho. What is the dynamic meditation? A complete work out for mind, body and soul; It is the mother of all emotional cleansers!! More detailed instructions for new comers given at 845am(optional attendance if you know this meditation well). Meditation starts 9am sharp. Doors will have to close then. This technique is in 5 stages that flow together beautifully to make up the complete meditation. It is done with the eyes closed so no need to feel self conscious; no one is looking at you! Stage 1)chaotic breathing. Completely takes you out of the mind, energizes, detoxifies and oxygenates the body in preparation for the next stage Stage 2)Catharsis-emptying your vessel! How often will you get the the opportunity to release on such a spectacular level. Your endorphins will be flying as you act out, scream, cry, shout, play madness as best you can. Doing this regular will release stress and tension on all levels; It could keep you sane:) Stage 3)''Hoo'' phase. Grounding the energy Stage 4)Silence...drop inside and really experience the witnessing self. Meditation will come easily now. Stage 5)Dance. Celebrate your experience like a new born you Meditations will start at 9am (running for one hour )on Saturday mornings. New comers please arrive at 845am if you want to go over the instructions... Cost is on a sliding scale depending on your wage or situation- £20/15 (please pay by cash, paypal or eventbrite. Correct money if paying cash please) https://paypal.me/moveandmeditate?locale.x=en_GB https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/osho-dynamic-meditation-tickets-164956387997 If money is a problem please speak to Tara, all are welcome This meditation can be done alone but the more the merrier for a real energy blast. I know it's early but get up and JOIN IN!!! Trust me you will feel amazing afterwards.... Ideally this is best done on an empty stomach(certainly not a full one). As I said there is a cafe downstairs so you won't go hungry or you can always picnic in the park! Come alone or come with friends. Bring a bottle of water and an open mind! FREE PARKING ON HIGHGATE HILL SATURDAYS :0 Additional info:- Lauderdale House Waterlow Park Highgate Hill London N6 5HG Lauderdale House is a white house behind the gates to Waterlow Park on Highgate Hill. It's on the left hand side heading north up from Archway tube, ( just past St Joseph’s Church on the corner of Dartmouth Park Hill). It faces Highgate Hill and is easily visible from the pavement, backing onto Waterlow Park.

✨🎊 Welcome to DSF Big Birthday Bash 🎊✨ THE TICKET BALLOT IS NOW OPEN! Click the link below to enter the ballot 👇 [Click here!!!](https://datasciencefestival.com/event/big-birthday-bash-2026/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=meetup&utm_campaign=bigbdaybash) Join us on Saturday 16th May 2026, for our 12th Festival, at our London home CodeNode, celebrating DSF turning 10, for one day only! Enter the ticket ballot to be in with a chance of attending. 600 lucky people will get to attend this event for free 🎟️ 40 speakers, 4 stream rooms, 14 partners, lunch, swag bags, and an entire day to learn, mingle, and be inspired! Event time: 08:15 AM - 18:00 PM Venue address: CodeNode, 10 South Pl, London, EC2M 7EB Nearest tube station: Moorgate or Liverpool Street Schedule and speaker details are updated weekly [here.](https://datasciencefestival.com/event/big-birthday-bash-2026/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=meetup&utm_campaign=bigbdaybash) Please note this event will not be streamed, so please ensure you apply for a ballot ticket to watch these sessions live. **PLEASE NOTE: CLICKING ATTENDING ON MEETUP DOES NOT GIVE YOU ACCESS TO THIS EVENT. PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK ABOVE OR BELOW TO REGISTER FOR TICKETS**. Ticketing: Due to the popularity of Data Science Festival events, we are now allocating event tickets via a random ballot. Registering enters you into the ticket ballot for DSF Big Birthday Bash on Saturday 16th May 2026. The ballot will be drawn throughout the month of April 2026. If you have not received a ticket by May 7th 2026, unfortunately, you have been unsuccessful in getting a ticket. Those who are randomly selected will then be e-mailed tickets for the event. Please read how the ticketing works in full here. ([[https://datasciencefestival.com/2024/01/01/dsf-tickets-101-mayday-2024/](https://datasciencefestival.com/2024/01/01/dsf-tickets-101-mayday-2024/)]([https://datasciencefestival.com/2024/01/01/dsf-tickets-101-mayday-2024/](https://datasciencefestival.com/2024/01/01/dsf-tickets-101-mayday-2024/))) Event details: 🎟️ Please bring your ticket (a paper copy or on your phone) to the event to check in with your QR code. Tickets are non-transferable. Arrive before 10:00 AM for guaranteed entry. ☕️ There is no breakfast at the venue, however, there is tea, coffee, and water provided throughout the day. Lunch is also provided. Soft drinks and alcohol can be purchased from SpaceBar at Code Node. ⌚️ Doors will open at 8:15 AM sharp and attendee registration will begin at this time on Saturday 16th May 2026. Speaker sessions begin at 9:00 AM, but please arrive at least 45 minutes before the conference begins, to make sure you enter the event on time. Arrive before 10:00 AM for guaranteed entry. 📛 Please pick up your badge, schedule and SWAG bag at the registration table on the ground floor. 🤝 There will be networking at the Spacebar from 17:00 - 18:00 PM so come and say hello! FAQ will be live in April 2026. Please take some time to review this ahead of the event. Check out last year's DSF Game On here: [https://datasciencefestival.com/event/game-on-2025/](https://datasciencefestival.com/event/game-on-2025/) We can't wait to see you back in person! 👋 **#DSFBigBirthdayBash**

Shaping our future with AI. Creating opportunity through AI fluency, connection and community. No jargon. No hype. No confusing terminology. NOTE: This event will be focussed on the changing shape of software development. Everyone is welcome to attend but the content will be somewhat technical. **Join us for our next in-person meetup in London on Thursday May 14th.** Our theme for this meetup is **Reimagining Software Development with AI.** We're going to take a step back and think about the role we, the humans, play in the software development process now that coding agents have arrived. This event provides a small glimpse of the future, from the innovators who are challenging everything and rebuilding the process of software development from the ground up, with humans at the centre! **Where and When?** * Thursday, May 14th * Doors open at 18:00 * Talks start at 19:00 * AutogenAI, 123 Pentonville Rd, London N1 9LG **Talk 1: The Validation Gap: We Need A Better Way To Review AI Generated Code** (Robert Werner, Co-Founder & CTO Leapter) AI coding is fast. We're generating more code than ever. But more code means more code to verify, and agentic workflows are scaling that gap faster than review processes can keep up. The bottleneck didn't disappear. It moved from writing code to verifying logic. For most generated code, you can ship, test, and iterate. But what if we need to be sure? What about the code that runs our financial systems or decides if you qualify for a loan? It has to be right. Hope is not a strategy, we need to better ways to review code. In this talk Robert will share his recent innovations, experiments and insights with you. **About Robert:** Robert Werner is the CTO of an AI startup dedicated to shaping the future of AI-native software development. He has over 20 years experience focussed on Software Engineering, Developer Experience and Transformational Platform Engineering, across Fortune 500 companies and FinTechs. **Talk 2: Narrative Engineering: What Cognitive Science Actually Tells Us About Building with LLMs** (Sal Kimmich, Security Architect at Gadfly AI) We keep treating LLMs like search engines that hallucinate. That is the wrong category, and it produces the wrong engineering. LLMs are narrative generators. They do not retrieve facts or execute logic. They complete stories. That distinction is not philosophical. It determines what kind of system you can build with them and what kind you cannot. Neuroscience has been studying probabilistic, distributed, narrative-generating systems for decades. Most of the LLM engineering field is ignoring that work. This talk walks through cyberneutics, an open source methodology and repository built on the premise that we need a new engineering discipline for narrative computing the way software engineering emerged from symbolic computing. The theoretical foundations come from second-order cybernetics, distributed cognition, and Minsky's Society of Mind. The empirical validation comes from 2025 mechanistic interpretability research showing that reasoning models internally simulate multi-agent dialogue to reason better. The practical techniques come from iterative practice: adversarial committees, pipeline algebra with formal quality propagation, observer-aware interaction design. Three real lessons for practitioners building agentic systems: reliability is a property of the pipeline, not the prompt; repetition is latent space exploration, not failure; and if you want auditable AI reasoning, you need to externalise the dialogue structure, because the transcript is the explainability artifact. The discipline does not exist yet. This is what building it looks like. **About Sal:** Sal is a developer advocate for open source and passionate about helping engineers, ethical hackers and digital enthusiasts understand the complexity of modern software development. With over a decade of experience as building cloud-native machine learning pipelines in the healthcare and tech for good sectors, their work is now focused on filling the cracks in the open source software supply chain to build a better digital future for all of us. **Thanks!** We'd like to thank our sponsors [Leapter ](http://leapter.com/)and AutogenAI for making this event possible. **Code of Conduct** This event has a code of conduct that you can [review here.](https://aifortherestofus.live/code-of-conduct) By joining the community and registering for this event you agree to abide by our code of conduct. **Providing Your Name and Email** To register for this event you'll be asked to provide your email address. After the event you will be automatically subscribed to the newsletters from *AI for the rest of us* and Leapter GmbH. You can unsubscribe at any time (But why would you? They are really very good!)

Join us for an informal evening of experimenting, building, and sharing ideas around Umbraco and AI. Whether you're curious about AI-powered content generation, the Umbraco MCP Server, AI-assisted development workflows, or other AI innovations in Umbraco - this is your chance to experiment, learn, and build alongside fellow community members in a relaxed, supportive environment. Bring your laptop, your curiosity, and anything you’ve been meaning to try. You can come with a specific idea, jump into something with others, or just tinker and learn as you go. There’s no strict agenda, just a relaxed space to collaborate, swap ideas, and make progress together. We’ll kick things off with a quick intro, then open the floor for hacking, discussion, and demos. If you end up building something cool (or even just interesting), you’ll have the chance to share it with the group at the end. **EVENT HOSTS** [Novicell](https://www.novicell.com/uk/services/software-development/umbraco/) (Umbraco Gold Partner) have kindly agreed to provide refreshments and host us for the evening in their offices in Shoreditch. If you think you will be making it, please sign up ASAP. Novicell's offices are 21-33 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3EJ in a building called Fora, approximately an 8 min walk from Liverpool St and Old St stations. If you arrive between 6:00 and 6:15pm there will be someone to meet you in reception with instructions. If you arrive later you might need to phone us to be let in: we shall email all attendees with the contact numbers on the day. **CODE OF CONDUCT** Please read the [Code of Conduct](https://bit.ly/UmbLondonCodeOfConduct) for all our events.

**Bites & Bytes #1 - DevOps Talks, Networking & Snacks** Join us for the first **Bites & Bytes**, a casual DevOps-focused community evening in central London. This event brings together engineers, tech leads, and anyone interested in DevOps to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and connect with others in the space. **What to expect** * Practical technical talks * Real-world DevOps experiences and demos * Opportunity to network with other engineers * Food and relaxed atmosphere **Confirmed speakers** 1\. Moustafa Mneimneih \- Shift Down to Speed Up 2\. James Williams \- Syonara Ingress Nginx **Who should attend** * Engineers working with DevOps, cloud or platform engineering * Tech leads and engineering managers * Anyone interested in modern software delivery practices.

We will be meeting at Starbucks to learn together. Come with an online class you're already going through or an interest and we will try to connect you with a course where you can learn it. Already have a skill you want to contribute to a Kaggle Datascience competition? We will work on these too! Laptop required :)

Attendance is $35 (cash, credit/debit card, or ApplePay - paid at the door), which includes water/soda/coffee, bread, choice of a plated lunch entrée, and a dessert assortment. Parking is also validated in the Reston Station garages (3 hours of validation). Join one of Northern Virginia's most successful business networking groups (part of BNI). Open to the public and is typically attended by business owners, business developers, and entrepreneurs. Meetings are typically attended by 30-40 members and guests. \*\*\*PLEASE RSVP here: [REGISTER HERE](https://square.link/u/0WvC6Eir) \*\*\*If you do not register on the BNI website, there may not be a seat available for you.

This is an in-person event hosted by Sahaja Yoga meditation. We offer free meditation sessions and everyone is welcome to join and experience the peace within!

This popular and accomplished Toastmasters club (#4787) is open to everyone, with an average of 25 people per meeting, mainly business professionals from the Reston/Herndon area. Meetings are held on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesdays of the month from 6pm to 7:15pm at Conference Room #2 of the Reston Community Center: 2310 Colts Neck Rd, Reston, VA 20191. Some of the group's members are accomplished professional speakers, while others are just starting down their path of improved public speaking, including many non-native English speakers. Whether you're just starting out and looking to improve your speaking or overcome some nervousness...or looking to gain connections and sharpen your skills, you'll feel connected with the members of Reston Town Center Toastmasters. Stop by. Check us out! Chances are you'll like us so much that you'll be back! For more information: http://towncentertoastmasters.toastmastersclubs.org/

This is an in-person event hosted by Sahaja Yoga meditation. We offer free meditation sessions and everyone is welcome to join and experience the peace within!

**ProductTank NoVA is back!** After a brief hiatus, we are relaunching the chapter with a format that cuts out the fluff and gets straight to the reality of building. Every product feed is flooded with AI hype right now, but what does it actually look like on the ground? Instead of a polished keynote, we are hosting **0 to 1 with AI: Real Product Talks**—a "Show & Tell" featuring 3–4 lightning talks focused on the intersection of AI and product. The framing for the talks is simple: *"Here is what I'm building, and here is what I'm stuck on."* We want to look at the messy, 0-to-1 reality of integrating AI into your workflows and products. *(Want to share what you are working on? Reach out! The bar is low-pressure, just 10–12 minutes to talk about a real AI problem you are trying to solve.)* **Agenda:** * **5:30 PM - 6:00 PM:** Doors open, networking, & name tags * **6:00 PM - 6:10 PM:** Welcome + Chapter Relaunch Intro * **6:10 PM - 7:30 PM:** Lightning Talks (Three 12-min talks + 5 mins Q&A each, with a 5-min stretch break) * **7:30 PM - 8:00 PM:** Open networking * **8:00 PM:** Soft close **Location & Logistics:** Herndon Fortnightly Library (Extended Hours Meeting Room) 768 Center St, Herndon, VA 20170 * **Parking:** We'll meet at the library, located just behind the Herndon Municipal Center. There is plenty of free public parking available around the municipal center. * **Metro & Bus:** Take the Silver Line to Herndon Metro Station, then connect via Fairfax Connector Route 921 or 950 to Historic Downtown Herndon. * **Driving (via VA-267/Dulles Toll Rd):** Take Exit 10 North (Centreville Rd, which becomes Elden St). Turn left onto Station St or Lynn St. * **Driving (via VA-286/Fairfax Co Pkwy):** Take the Elden St West exit. Turn right onto Lynn St. Looking forward to seeing everyone again and getting back to building!