Scaling Agile

Most of us are already using agentic coding in some form: Claude, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or whatever new thing shipped this week. This talk is about the next layer: where the industry is heading as agents take on larger chunks of software work, and what Java developers need to learn to stay ahead. We’ll focus on context management, token strategy, orchestration, Codex-style workflows, cost optimization, and the practical judgment required to use these systems without losing the plot. The goal is to move beyond intro demos and into the real skill stack: knowing what to delegate, how to frame goals, how to keep agents grounded in larger codebases, how to get more value from fewer tokens, how to catch drift before it becomes damage, and how to verify output in a way that actually protects quality. This is also a career talk, because the tools are improving too quickly for casual awareness to be enough. The developers who stay valuable will not just be the ones who “use AI”; they’ll be the ones who can direct, constrain, evaluate, and compound with agentic systems. P.S. Due to popular demand, the slick Keynote animations are coming back. **About the venue** Free Times Cafe has bistro-style seating and a full food and drink menu. Please consider helping to support the venue by planning to have supper during the talk. **Speaker Bio** Victor Szoltysek is a seasoned consultant and technologist, currently at RAVL, where he helps clients eliminate the inefficiencies of undifferentiated heavy lifting and focus on building solutions that drive real business value for their customers. With a career spanning notable organizations like Accenture, Pivotal, and ThoughtWorks, as well as numerous startups, Victor brings a wealth of experience in cloud transformations, DevOps enablement, and Agile software development. A dedicated Java enthusiast with a sharp eye for cutting-edge technologies, Victor’s work frequently intersects with AWS, where he strives to streamline workflows and help teams leverage the cloud without unnecessary complexity. Recently, he’s also ventured into the dynamic world of artificial intelligence, exploring ways to make programming more engaging, efficient, and rewarding. Victor is known for his humorous and sometimes controversial presentation style, ensuring lively discussions and thought-provoking takeaways. His disdain for overly complex tech solutions drives his mission to simplify the way we build and deploy software. Whether he’s sharing insights about Java, AWS, or AI, Victor’s talks are as energizing and satisfying as your favorite cup of coffee. Don’t miss his unique blend of wit, wisdom, and deep technical expertise at our meetup!

https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/8/b/f/600_466702719.jpeg Be part of a supportive community of regular people looking to improve their wellness, shed a few pounds and have some fun! Come to our introductory class and learn about our effective and informative 5 week program! Lose up to 10 lbs** in 5 weeks and have the opportunity to win prizes for losing weight! Best of all; learn how to keep the weight off! • Weekly Nutrition Class • Weekly Weigh-in • Personal Wellness Coach to help you! • Support and Motivation • Learn how to keep the weight off! ** As part of a healthy lifestyle you can generally expect to lose around half a pound to 1 pound per week!

**Durable Functions, Upgraded: Meet the Durable Task Scheduler** Durable Task Scheduler is the next‑generation execution engine for Durable Functions — faster, more reliable, and built to handle real‑world orchestration workloads at scale. In this session, we’ll look under the hood at what’s changed in the runtime, how the new scheduler improves performance and reliability, and why it represents the future of Durable Functions. You’ll also get a practical, developer‑focused walkthrough of how to upgrade your existing orchestrations, what to watch out for, and how to take advantage of the new capabilities right away. **Speaker: Callon Campbell** Callon Campbell is an Azure Architect, Developer and Microsoft MVP in Azure. With over 25 years of experience, he's been developing enterprise applications for web, desktop, mobile, and cloud-native applications using Microsoft Azure, .NET, ASP.NET, and SQL Server. He's passionate about learning new technologies and sharing his experience with fellow peers in the community. Callon is also the organizer of “Canada’s Technology Triangle .NET User Group” in Kitchener, Ontario. Callon can be reached on Twitter via [@Flying_Maverick](https://x.com/flying_maverick/), and has a blog at [https://TheFlyingMaverick.com](https://TheFlyingMaverick.com). **Schedule:** 6:00 - 6:30 - Meet 'n Greet with Pizza and Pop 6:30 - 6:45 - Introduction and Welcome 6:45 - 7:45 - Main Presentation 7:45 - 8:00 - Closing 8:00 - ? - (Optional - whoever would like to join) Continue our conversations at Bar 6ix, 201 City Centre Drive (3 minute walk) **Where to Find Us** Room 204 in the Hazel McCallion Central Library. 2nd Level. **Parking** There is a parking garage under the library. Parking is free from 6PM on.

**Please note the only way to register for this adventure is on [our website.](https://www.wildernessunion.com/adventures/manitoulin-magic-3)** ***We’re heading to Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island anywhere in the world, for an incredible four day tour.*** You’ll join us on this carefully-crafted journey through Manitoulin's greatest natural treasures. The island is a special place filled with crystal clear waters, ancient limestone formations, breathtaking viewpoints and immersive night skies. You'll ***camp in a certified Dark Sky Preserve*** where stars blanket the sky above you, ***conquer the legendary Cup and Saucer Trai*l** with its 70-meter cliffs and panoramic vistas, ***stand behind the misty curtain of Bridal Veil Falls***, spend a day at the stunning **Misery Bay** and ***cruise across Georgian Bay on the iconic Chi-Cheemaun Ferry***. It's a perfect balance of adventure and relaxation, allowing you to truly disconnect and immerse yourself in Manitoulin life. There are very few trips organized to this magnificent place and we're thrilled to be running it for Wilderness Union members. Our journey begins in Toronto where you’ll be picked up by our driver who will be transporting you across the whole island in the coming days. Our base for the trip is a dark sky certified eco park centrally located on the island. Day 2 brings our most active day with a morning adventure to the gorgeous Bridal Veil Falls where you can actually walk behind the cascading water. There's plenty of time built in for swimming, exploring, or simply relaxing at this unique natural destination. In the afternoon, we’ll conquer the famous Cup and Saucer Trail with its breathtaking lookouts across the island's rolling landscapes. Day 3 will involve a full day of revelry and exploration at Misery Bay Provincial Park. This small inlet on the south-west part of the island has beautiful beaches and rocky platforms stretching into the sea Our final day features the perfect conclusion – crossing Georgian Bay aboard the legendary Chi-Cheemaun Ferry ("Big Canoe" in Ojibwe) from South Baymouth to Tobermory. This two-hour cruise across deep blue waters offers spectacular views on the way to the beautiful town of Tobermory where we stop for lunch and a quick explore before returning to Toronto later that evening. ‍**What's included:** - *Expert guides who will be with you throughout the entire journey* - *Professional transportation taking you all across the island* \- All camp meals\, cooking equipment and mess kits - *A cruise on the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry* *-All park access permits* **‍** **NB: Due to the logistical complexity of coordinating transportation between parties for a multi-day itinerary with limited cell reception, self-driving will not be available for this adventure.** ‍**Space for this Manitoulin adventure is strictly limited, so register early to secure your spot. This trip will fill quickly and won't be repeated this summer!** **Highlights** **Mesmerizing Nature -** Manitoulin Island is a landscape of ancient rock and turquoise water that feels a world away. You can hike the dramatic cliffs of the Cup and Saucer Trail or walk behind the freshwater curtain of Bridal Veil Falls. **Dark Sky Preserve Camping -** Stay at a designated Dark Sky Preserve where the stars are bright enough to cast shadows. The "no white light" rule ensures you witness the *unobstructed Milky Way*. **Sail the Chi-Cheemaun -** Our journey includes a crossing on the incredible "Big Canoe" ferry from Tobermory. Stand on the breezy upper deck to watch the shoreline disappear as you traverse *Georgian Bay*. **Event cost: $695+HST. Register [here.](https://www.wildernessunion.com/adventures/manitoulin-magic-3)** **About Wilderness Union** Wilderness Union is deliberate about building an outdoors community that connects you to the life-changing magic of the outdoors and helps you find your people. Members range from 20-40 years old. The group is a mix of GTA locals and newcomers to Toronto from within Canada and abroad. Attendance numbers on Meetup don't reflect our actual event attendance - we typically have 15-20 community members at each event. Large enough that there's someone new to meet but small enough that it's not overwhelming! ***Learn more at our website [www.wildernessunion.com](https://www.wildernessunion.com/)***

### Each Crossroads & Connections workshop is a fast, friendly mash-up: short demos, paired practices and intentional reflection. We keep it light, embodied, and social—so wisdom lands in your muscles and your circle, not only your mind. There isn’t one technique that fixes everything, for everyone, in every situation. ### What is it? We pair complementary domains to spark shared flow, fresh insight, and unforgettable “aha!” moments. You leave with lived skills, not just notes. * **Dialogue** gets you out of solo spin: small-group formats expose blind spots and sharpen “shared reality,” so your next move matches *this* person and *this* moment. * **Imaginal** practice is guided “as if” rehearsal you look *through*, not *at*: walking the beats before the scene means your body recognizes turns when stakes rise. * **Mindfulness** steadies the camera: attention stops jerking around, drama gets de-amplified, and you can catch the instant you’re narrating motives and swap in one honest question. * **Embodiment** makes it actionable through direct, non-verbal experience and how your inner experience matches your outer expression. Facilitators: Varies Fee: $30USD - Or a 10-pack for $200USD [Please visit here](https://awakentomeaning.com/crossroads-and-connections/) for registration and more information.

Every Wednesday Night! Free Magic The Gathering Commander games at Hairy Tarantula, hosted by Toronto Gaymers! Please note: Masks are required in store! For more information and to RSVP please over to harryt.com/events

RSVP here: https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-labs-data-cloud-toronto Join Google Cloud Labs for an immersive, hands-on workshop designed to deliver the practical skills and architectural patterns needed to bridge the gap between traditional data analytics and the new frontier of Agentic AI. Please fill out the registration form on Google's RSVP page to express interest in joining the event! Capacity is limited and registration is required.  Welcome to The Data Cloud workshop!  This hands-on workshop delivers the practical skills and architectural patterns needed to bridge the gap between traditional data analytics and the new frontier of Agentic AI. This is not a lecture! You'll spend the day with Google engineers who will guide you through a series of live labs. You’ll build governed pipelines with Spark and Knowledge Catalog, unlock multimodal analytics using GenAI in BigQuery, and scale vectorized search with AlloyDB. Finally, we'll bring these pieces together using BigQuery Graph and ADK (Agent Development Kit) to build agentic workflows powered by your data. Note: To participate, you must bring your own laptop and power cable. The activities require a laptop and cannot be completed on a tablet or phone.    Who Should Attend? Whether you're a Data Analyst, Engineer, or Data Scientist, we welcome all practitioners responsible for building the platforms that power AI. We recommend this workshop for anyone with a strong data foundation who wants to dive deeper into applied AI. What You Will Learn: Master Governed Data Ingestion: Build a unified data layer with BigQuery and Knowledge Catalog across multi-cloud sources. Architect Multimodal Intelligence: Use Gemini in BigQuery to extract insights from unstructured data like images and logs directly in your warehouse. Scale Vector Search: Deploy AlloyDB AI to find anomalies in massive datasets with sub-second latency. Engineer Agentic Workflows: Build autonomous AI agents using the ADK and MCP to move from dashboards to action. Uncover Hidden Relationships: Use BigQuery Graph analytics to map complex networks and find hidden links. Optimize Data Operations: Right-size your environment to cut costs and latency for performant AI apps. Agenda --- Hosted By Solomon Hsu, GDG Organizer I believe in one mandate in the digital space: Crafting Authentic Digital Experiences for All People. With that vision, I value digital accessibility and user centric design as the core foundation for all my projects. It is within the users' insights and needs that allow us to build great apps. Hiral Thaker, Co-organizer Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-toronto-presents-google-cloud-labs-data-cloud/.