Science Fiction

What is a claim you’re willing to defend—at least for 15 minutes? In this meetup, participants come prepared with a clear philosophical thesis (for example: *“Abortion is morally permissible,”* *“Free will is an illusion,”* or *“Art has no objective value”*). One at a time, a participant will “die on their hill” by defending their thesis against objections from the group for a focused 15-minute exchange. You may choose a position you genuinely believe—or deliberately take on a stance as a devil’s advocate. Defending a claim is not required. You can listen and ask questions of others dying on their hills. The goal is not to “win,” but to clarify ideas under pressure: to see what actually follows from a claim, where it breaks, and what it commits you to. **Format** * One participant presents a clear thesis. * 15 minutes of objections, challenges, and probing questions from others. * The defender responds in real time, refining or holding the line. * Brief reflection before moving on to the next hill. **Why this format?** * It trains intellectual courage and charity. * It exposes hidden assumptions. * It sharpens argumentation far more than abstract discussion. * It’s serious philosophy—but also playful and experimental. No prior expertise required—just a willingness to think clearly, listen carefully, and defend a position under fire. Come prepared to die on a hill… or discover you shouldn’t have chosen it in the first place. **Description by ChatGPT**

Pay the **5 € board gaming fee** to the bar at the counter when you arrive. You must be at least 18 years old to enter [Arkade](https://www.arkade.fi/). We play in English and the game rules are taught before starting play, unless everyone is already familiar with the game. No previous experience with board gaming required. The venue has a great board game library, the host and other players usually bring their own games too: our selection varies weekly. We're a very casual group so you're welcome to arrive early or late and join whatever game is starting up, there is no attendance tracking, or welcoming process. The bar has alcoholic drinks, mocktails, and soft drinks available as well as some snack foods. They've been okay with people ordering food to the bar with meal delivery services. If you are feeling sick, please stay home.

Hosted by Vivicta ([https://www.vivicta.com/](https://www.vivicta.com/)) Finding Vivicta: https://devopsfinland2026.blob.core.windows.net/devops2026/Finding-Vivicta-Oy.pdf \*\*\* NOTE: PLEASE HAVE A PHOTO ID WITH YOU IN ORDER TO GET IN \*\*\* **Agenda** 17:00 Doors open - **registration at lobby (quick)**, please bring some kind of ID. 17:30 Welcome / DevOps Finland & Vivicta 17:45 Lights On! Why observability matters in DevOps? / Janne Olkoniemi, Senior Solution Consultant @ Vivicta 18:30 \*\*\* break \*\*\* 18:45 Experiences with AI assisted IaC / Pasi Niemi, VP of R&D and Principal Cloud Architect @ Nitor 19:30 Free discussion 21:00 Doors close **Lights On! Why observability matters in DevOps?** This session will explore why observability is a foundational pillar of modern DevOps and how it enhances reliability and performance. We’ll also dive into the Ops perspective, uncovering how and why observability simplifies operations and makes life easier for teams managing complex systems. Over the past years, I have been strongly focused on application performance and observability. It's an area that still excites me, and I'm currently spending time learning how to build visibility using Grafana, Prometheus, and OpenTelemetry. I have a proven track record at OP Financial Group and Fujitsu in enhancing application visibility and performance. **Experiences with AI assisted IaC** Real-world experiences with developing infrastructure with the assistance of AI coding tools. Pasi has over twenty-five years of experience in the software business as a developer, architect and team leader. He also sports the original Nitor logo on his calf! **Streaming:** no **Join our slack:** [http://www.devopsfinland.org/](http://www.devopsfinland.org/) **LinkedIn:** [https://www.linkedin.com/company/102919614](https://www.linkedin.com/company/102919614)

Full Circle is a community of practice where mental health and wellbeing professionals come together to learn, share, and grow. ​If you’re a mental health or wellbeing practitioner who thrives on shared wisdom and community, Full Circle offers a space where you can connect, grow, and bring fresh insights back into your client work. ​**Full Circle is for professionals who work with clients in mental health or wellbeing** (e.g. psychotherapists, counsellors, art therapists, coaches, and others integrating mind–body approaches) . ​A community of practice is a space where we come together as professionals to share our experiences, challenges, and insights, not to be taught, but to learn from each other. Full Circle is about connection, not workshops. It’s a circle of peers, not a classroom. ​**By registering for this event, you agree to stand by our shared principles:** * ​Confidentiality: What is shared in the circle stays in the circle. * ​Presence: We give our full attention to each other, listening deeply. * ​Respect: Every voice matters; we value different perspectives and approaches. * ​Curiosity: We come to explore, not to give definitive answers. * ​Contribution: Everyone is encouraged to share practices, cases, and reflections. * ​Commitment: We show up consistently, knowing the community grows through regular participation. ​**How our gatherings work**: ​We gather **once a month** in person, and every time we move through the same process: * ​*Check-in*: We begin by going around the circle, with each person sharing what’s present for them in the moment. * ​*Shared practice*: One member of the community leads the group through a method, exercise, or embodied practice from their own field. Everyone experiences it first-hand. * ​*Integration dialogue*: Together, we explore what the practice brought up and how it might be woven into our client work. * ​*Check-out*: Each person shares one insight they will carry with them.

Learning Finnish in Finland can be difficult because Finns tend to switch to English. That is one of the reasons people like our Finnish language café: you get to practice Finnish with Finns :) The events are completely free and there is always a native speaker to facilitate the conversation and to help find the right words. The coffee is good too ☕😋🇦🇹 Tervetuloa! When? ⏰ Usually Tuesday to Friday from 15:00 - 16:00 Where? 📍 In a cozy Viennese coffee house: The Good Coffee Company, Eerikinkatu 33, Helsinki The Good Coffee Company A Taste of Vienna 🇦🇹 Eerikinkatu 33, 00180 Helsinki Please visit our Facebook page for updates and changes: https://www.facebook.com/TheGoodCoffeeCompany/events

Here’s an opportunity to learn Swedish over a good cup of coffee or tea ☕😋🇦🇹 for free! The events are free and there is always a native speaker to facilitate the conversation and to help find the right words. In addition, we offer free (yes, free) coffee, tea, and biscuits to participants! På svenska, men på olika sätt Att prata med folk på café kan vara både nöje och utmaning. Hos oss serverar vi kaffe med mycket glädje och inspiration. Tillsammans lyssnar, pratar, läser, berättar eller skriver vi nyfiket och glatt oavsett om du har den finlandssvenska kulturen redan i blodet eller vill bekanta dig med den. Vi erbjuder deltagarna gratis kaffe eller te med lite tilltugg. When? ⏰ Usually Thursdays at 16:00 Where? 📍 In a cozy Viennese café: The Good Coffee Company, Eerikinkatu 33, Helsinki Välkommen! **The Good Coffee Company** **A Taste of Vienna 🇦🇹** Eerikinkatu 33, 00180 Helsinki Please visit our Facebook Page for updates and changes: **[https://www.facebook.com/TheGoodCoffeeCompany/events](https://www.facebook.com/TheGoodCoffeeCompany/events)**

🌀 Introducing Wild Silence Circles at MIITTI. Join us once a month to reconnect, reflect, and root yourself in your inner knowing and the relation with the rest of life (nature). Together we will connect with the spiral of transformation —rooted in the Work That Reconnects, yoga and chakra wisdom. 👉🏼What to bring? Comfy clothes to move in for the asanas and your journal for the writing prompts. A safe space where presence, creativity, and community meet. For whom: All hearts with a quiet curiosity, from first-timers to seasoned practitioners. Our circle begins on Sunday 21st of September with an invitation to explore the entire Spiral in our Opening Gathering, where we explain and experiment the full journey. Over the next four sessions, we'll dive deeply into each stage of the Spiral of Joanna Macy. 🌀Cultivating Gratitude 🌀Honoring our pain for the world 🌀Seeing with New Eyes 🌀Setting Forth (finding grounded action) WHEN: • Session 1 (Full Spiral) 21st of September • Session 2 (Cultivating gratitude) 26th of October • Session 3 (Honouring our pain for the world) 23rd of November • Session 4 (Seeing with New Eyes) 14th of December • Session 5 (Setting Forth) 25th of January (Make sure to reserve a spot for each date you wish to participate in) At 10.30-12.00 WHERE: Tallipääty, MIITTI office Lapinlahden Lähde Lapinlahdenpolku 8 00180 Helsinki We will host one session per month. Stay tuned for any changes on the dates. Just bring your heart, curious eyes and a journal to write. If you want to be part of the MIITTI community, follow us on our other platforms: IG: [instagram.com/miitti1](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Finstagram.com%2Fmiitti1%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwaVA0d0dyMGJWdjVhOE0yWAEeFKlFvjx74fspRnZuSZ42BgPuGmwJgkUjE53qy4QuFZ6zNOA3Ia-3WWtkuHk_aem_jnLMzLk2saohRsggxZ9fdw&h=AT2Li_GXkL3AgkruNQffAfZ1NUu19Kd1vHzQ7t60hsHEyOaPG9QmGmD1WyvwWImUhNqkJ4XL8PRETFL3O0qhcot3AWgFVvUT39uFwjZfweUyNwFlg4RLWeZqF5T_VUsPMph0TJLvDQakmoSl3JzMEIXWzl6Inx2FKPM&__tn__=q&c%5B0%5D=AT0lKE5cqMGpt98iCuE9QdOkvXraA0ULQInYzwgfxQ0D1Ls8-cXqGq_IixZDO1hWJZRy1fXTHhI3MeI5lUkiYjChJlnLsK9w_y0NidVIe6ILyUNJ9r00etRz0C5doOQNCbLd9ZXfjjvSvPT6JKmenMs0STa2639l5Q4) Facebook: [facebook.com/miitti1](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmeetup.com%2Fmiitti1%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwaVA0d0dyMGJWdjVhOE0yWAEe6kFvruNNC8UoCqa83YzsSEui58LWfEeSq78b2PAWbdSQHjBqyUe2pnv8nKI_aem_J8CeuiC7PooGCwbApRy2FA&h=AT2FVwdUpCTvxppRuiUBa7b_PQfkyo3vRQycQ_hBUWKn3tLAepxdCQzBIs74al1t0GpTz-KR-R_Chedg35DbEJJ0wAxRbLnCilJJdk_yWAn_YIRQ5wczWVkkY7c_ChA9hj8DIuhqP1iCquDNjwwww8otM5m66BEEo4w&__tn__=q&c%5B0%5D=AT0lKE5cqMGpt98iCuE9QdOkvXraA0ULQInYzwgfxQ0D1Ls8-cXqGq_IixZDO1hWJZRy1fXTHhI3MeI5lUkiYjChJlnLsK9w_y0NidVIe6ILyUNJ9r00etRz0C5doOQNCbLd9ZXfjjvSvPT6JKmenMs0STa2639l5Q4) Web: [lapinlahdenlahde.fi/projekti/miitti](http://lapinlahdenlahde.fi/projekti/miitti?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwaVA0d0dyMGJWdjVhOE0yWAEexcoCH_E-Fe17kwM_HkSZ0MjzDQRZgmf8w_BUkX5FSNRuSopMHAjlD1TGmoY_aem_MT1yXq-Rc3FvrE3bniKlgQ) Whatsapp: Join our Whatsapp community network to join your favourite group and stay connected with the other members! When you participate in one of our groups or events, just ask the group facilitator to add you to the community!

🇫🇮 Aloita vuosi 2026 🎉 opettelemalla meditoimaan ja tue rauhallisempaa, tasapainoisempaa mieltä. Opettajat tarjoaa käytännöllisiä työkaluja ja selkeää ohjausta, jotta meditaatiosta voi tulla luonteva osa arkeasi. Mitä viikonloppu sisältää: 🌱 Meditaatiota 🌱 Lämpimiä, tietoisesti nautittuja aterioita 🌱 Metsäkävelyjä 🌱 Äänimaljameditaatio 🌱 Inspiroiva opetuspuhe / workshop 🏡 Paikka: Haaga, Helsinki 🗓️ Päivä: 24 - 25.1.2025 💰Hinta: 180 € / koko viikonloppu - tuo ystävä mukaan ja saatte molemmat 10 % alennuksen. 🔗 Varaa paikkasi tästä: https://forms.gle/CLUJsf71ZfJifooV6 Rakkaudella ja läsnäololla, Tyyniminä yhteisö \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Start 2026 🎉 by learning to meditate and support a calmer, more balanced mind. Teachers will provide practical tools and clear guidance so that meditation can become a natural part of your everyday life. The weekend includes: 🌱 Meditation 🌱 Warm, mindfully enjoyed meals 🌱 Forest walks 🌱 Sound bowl meditation 🌱 An inspiring Dharma talk / workshop 🏡Location: Haaga, Helsinki 🗓️Date: 24-25.1.2026 💰Price: €180 for the full weekend - bring a friend and receive both 10% off 🔗 Reserve your place here: https://forms.gle/rVfTMzspDkWBKcQT7 With loving-kindness, Tyyniminä Community

Perjantaisin 16.1.2026 alkaen klo 18 meditoidaan suomeksi Helsingissä, uudistetussa Sahaja Yoga -keskuksessa Kampissa. Tule kokeilemaan meditaatiota ja löytämään ajatukseton tietoisuus. Meditaatiokursseilla harjoitellaan löytämään meditaation tila, opitaan tuntemaan itseämme sekä sisältämme löytyvää rauhaa ja hiljaisuutta. Kurssi sopii sekä uusille että aiemmin osallistuneille. Mukaan voi tulla millä tahansa kurssikerralla. Miksi osallistua Sahaja Yogan meditaatiokurssille? • Löydät rauhaa, joka ei riipu olosuhteista • Meditaatio auttaa rentoutumaan ja vapautumaan stressistä • Opit käytännön harjoituksia, joita voit jatkaa kotona • Sahaja Yogan opetus on aina maksutonta • Ei vaadi kokemusta, sopii ensikertalaisille Vapaa pääsy, tervetuloa mukaan! **Aika:** perjantaisin klo 18.00 – 19.30 **Paikka:** Helsingin Sahaja Yoga -keskus, Kamppi, Salomonkatu 19 www.jooga.org

Join us on **Fridays, 18:00 - 19:30** at **Lapinlahden Lähde** for a free session where we’ll explore the topic of the week - **Embodied Emotions**. After 19:30, you're welcome to hang out with us. Depending on what the group decides, we sometimes: \- stay in\, enjoy tea and cookies and play board games \- go out for dinner ✅ Your **RSVP counts as your registration**, we expect you to **honour it**. 🤝 All conversations are confidential. What’s shared, stays in the group. 🌿 Small group, big heart: Everyone gets a chance to share. 🧘‍♀️ Come comfy, come curious. 💧 Bring water. Skip heavy meals & caffeine. 📍 **Tallipääty, Lapinlahdenpolku 8, Helsinki** (Through the gate, first door on the left!) **Kind reminder:** Last-minute cancellations or no-shows mean others miss out. To keep it fair, repeated cases may result in losing the spot in future sessions. If you want to be part of the MIITTI community, follow us on our other platforms: IG: [instagram.com/miitti1](http://instagram.com/miitti1) Facebook: [facebook.com/miitti1](http://facebook.com/miitti1) Web: [lapinlahdenlahde.fi/projekti/miitti](http://lapinlahdenlahde.fi/projekti/miitti) Whatsapp: Join our Whatsapp community network to join your favourite group and stay connected with the other members! When you participate in one of our groups or events, just ask the group facilitator to add you to the community!

Hello sporty population! Let's gather around and play some badminton together with people from around the world! IMPORTANT! Spots are limited, so make sure you reserver yours! If you are not registered on the list, you will be kindly asked to leave; this is to ensure fair access for everyone! If you do not cancel your spot, you will be **suspended from participating** for the next two sessions. We will play in Talihalli Huopalahti from 11.00-12.30 Court numbers are 9-12; you can come directly to the courts or meet us at the entrance a bit before 11.00. Please keep in mind that if you go directly to the courts, **do not enter them before our time starts!** MIITTI welcomes everyone to its events regardless of background or gender. You don't have to have any skills at all to come and play with us, and if you do, please come and coach us! Age limit: 16+ Event is free, but please bring your rackets and indoor shoes, or you can rent (racket) from the hall for 3€ each. After badminton, we'll enjoy Talihalli's sauna and maybe go to a local restaurant to grab some lunch after the game. Warm welcome! For questions and more information, please contact Alaa 040 5656096 If you want to be part of the MIITTI community, follow us on our other platforms: WhatsApp: Join our Whatsapp community network to join your favourite group and stay connected with the other members! When you participate in one of our groups or events, just ask the group facilitator to add you to the community! [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/miitti1) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/miitti1) [Website](https://lapinlahdenlahde.fi/en/projekti/miitti)

You're more than welcome to join us and meet some new friends! Let the evening unfold and people shape the course of the night 😎 Come share your best (or worst) comedic mishaps, stories, and gossip in a relaxed, conversational meetup at **Kallio Bar** (right next to Street Bar) in Hakaniemi, Helsinki. Beers from **€6.50** 🍺, wine bottles **€25** 🍾 — and there will very likely be extra discounts 😉 Later in the evening, we might head to a nightclub or karaoke together 🤗 Hope to see you there!

**Community Yoga – Take a Moment for You** Come move, breathe, and unwind with us in this all-levels yoga class designed to help you slow down and reconnect. Whether you're brand new to yoga or have been practicing for years, you're welcome just as you are. Each session will gently weave together elements of Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin yoga—varying by day—and conclude with a final relaxation accompanied by Tibetan singing bowls. The focus is on relaxing, tuning into your body, and simply enjoying a little time for yourself. No pressure, no expectations—just space to stretch, breathe, and feel good. \- Mats and pillows are provided \- Feel free to bring blocks or any extra props you like \- Please note: this class is not suitable during pregnancy Come for the movement, the stillness, or the good vibes—whatever you're needing most. We’d love to see you there! WHERE: Wanha Labra room (entrance from the cafeteria, 2nd floor) Lapinlahden Lähde Lapinlahdenpolku 8 00180 Helsinki If you want to be part of the MIITTI community, follow us on our other platforms: IG: [instagram.com/miitti1](http://instagram.com/miitti1) FB: [facebook.com/miitti1](http://facebook.com/miitti1) Web: [lapinlahdenlahde.fi/en/projekti/miitti/](http://lapinlahdenlahde.fi/en/projekti/miitti/) Whatsapp: Join our Whatsapp community network to join your favourite group and stay connected with the other members! When you participate in one of our groups or events, just ask the group facilitator to add you to the community!

Please join us as we discuss **CHILDREN OF TIME**, book 1 of *Children of Time* by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This novel won the Arthur C. Clarke award, and is of moderate length, at about 609 pages. Please keep your RSVP updated and accurate! Space is limited for this event. We are intentionally holding some RSVP slots for new members specifically, so if you’re new and the event is full, please get on the waitlist ASAP! You may bring your own food/drinks (no alcohol, please) or you may pick something up in Mosaic or at the farmers market before the meetup. We do ask that you pack your trash out with you. * **[KINDLE](https://a.co/d/a3Cy5hF)** * **[PAPERBACK](https://www.amazon.com/Children-Time-Adrian-Tchaikovsky/dp/0316452505/)** * **[AUDIBLE](https://www.audible.com/pd/Children-of-Time-Audiobook/B071Y9TTHC)** **BOOK DESCRIPTION:** ***Who will inherit this new Earth?*** The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare. Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth? *\*Since missing one of these meetups is taking a spot away from someone else who wants to go, we'll need to have a stricter attendance policy than normal. For book discussions, 3 no-shows in a rolling 3-month period will prohibit you from attending any other book discussion for 2 months after your last no-show. In order to avoid a no-show, please update your RSVP no later than 10pm two nights before a discussion. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation! If you need to drop off because of Covid symptoms or exposure or a positive test or any other illness, there will be no penalty to no-showing or dropping late.*

Join us for a Friday evening of creative practice\* and cozy conversation! Please visit the group page for details on event structure and what to expect: https://www.meetup.com/the-evening-art-society/?eventOrigin=your_groups Guests are welcome, though we request that you please let us know how many to account for. We don't want to run out of snacks! Kids are also welcome, with the understanding that this is a shared space intended to be comfortable for all and conducive to creative work. Reach out if you have any questions. We can't wait to see you! \*Because we ultimately just want to provide a safe, warm space for our community to enjoy on a weekly basis, our definition of this is pretty broad. Want to curl up with a good book? Working on the next great American novel? Looking for a café-like hum as the backing track to doing your taxes? You're also welcome here!

(2024) by Christof Koch, 288 pages [Psychology] • Hardcover • Kindle • Audiobook • Library: https://fcplcat.fairfaxcounty.gov/search/title.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.1&pos=1&cn=613100 Check the How To Find Us section for Zoom Link **(Remember, the Zoom Link is different each month, do not bookmark)** ### Review "A wonderful book."―Sam Harris, Making Sense with Sam Harris “a fun introduction to a number of debates… Mr. Koch’s book provokes questions… and counterarguments, but that’s what gives it life.” ―The Wall Street Journal “Easily the most current, thorough, and helpful exploration of consciousness available. Koch’s light, simple, yet authoritative writing style will appeal to general audiences as well as scientists and researchers. An essential, highly recommended purchase.”―Library Journal “magisterial… charming, sometimes beautiful, and almost always illuminating” ―Science Magazine “an impressive and sometimes exuberant work, showcasing decades of [Koch’s] research”―New Scientist “Koch’s adept use of analogies and entertaining anecdotes — complete with his own near-death experience and psychedelic drug trips — make the book a compelling and surprisingly light read.” ―Science News “undeniably compelling… a smoothly written must-read for anyone interested in a detailed introduction to the relationship between the brain, consciousness, and transformative experiences” ―Ars Technica “Expertly weaving in personal experience with science that few, if any, can speak more authoritatively about, Koch leads us on an amazing journey of consciousness—from birth to death. Deeply personal and infinitely digestible, Then I Am Myself the World is a remarkable must read for anyone interested in knowing their mind.”―Judson Brewer MD, PhD, New York Times–bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety “Koch’s latest book brilliantly navigates the intricate landscape of our mind and our brain, offering insightful perspectives on the nature of conscious experiences, both ordinary as well as extraordinary ones.”―Hartmut Neven, founder and lead of Google’s quantum AI lab “Then I Am Myself the World is the new record of note for the scientific understanding of consciousness. This is an elegant tableau, a travelogue of subjective experience grounded in the latest neuroscience and philosophy traversing religion, science, and a life dedicated to the biggest questions. Filled with crystalline prose, lucid explanation, and revelatory honesty, this book will continue to be read centuries from now.”―Patrick House, author of Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness “What would happen if a hardcore neuroscientist, with encyclopedic knowledge and four decades of experience in his field, were personally confronted with transformative mystical experiences carrying inevitable metaphysical implications? What would happen if the neuroscientist in question were open-minded, humble, but remained rigorously grounded in reason, evidence, and his hard-earned understanding of how consciousness relates to brain structures and function? What would he, the most preeminent professional of his generation, make of his extraordinary experiences? And what if, in addition, the neuroscientist was a modern renaissance man versed in physics, philosophy, the arts, the classics, and could pluck irresistibly evocative metaphors from the Western literary and artistic canon as if leisurely picking apples in early fall? This is what you will find in this treasured book, a whirlwind ride of insight after insight—so many they can’t possibly be all documented in footnotes—that will surprise and delight you from the get-go. ‘Primacy goes to consciousness, not to the objective world,’ he boldly states already on page two, in a prelude of things to come. ‘Everything else follows from there, including the realist assumption of the existence of objects, out ‘there,’ independent of my experiencing them.’ The book embodies the ever-evolving wisdom of a man whose intellectual prowess is only matched by his intellectual honesty. And this man, in the seventh decade of his scintillatingly productive life, has a lifetime of learning to share with you.”―Bernardo Kastrup, executive director, Essentia Foundation “Koch’s first book was entitled The Quest for Consciousness. And such has been Koch’s life, an adventurer’s pursuit of a distant goal, undeterred by the prevailing winds. The reader will learn where this quest has led and, like the author, will be enriched by it. Koch, one of the most accomplished scientists of our time, a mind singularly open to learning and changing, here opens his soul, revealing his vast, scintillating appreciation of nature in all its forms. It is a touching, profound book. Which is as it should be, since consciousness touches everything and is everything we touch.”―Giulio Tononi, University of Wisconsin-Madison ### About the Author Christof Koch is a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute and at the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, the former president of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and a former professor at the California Institute of Technology. Author of four previous titles, Koch writes regularly for a range of media, including Scientific American. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st- through 2nd-level characters, playable in 2-3 hours. From their newly founded lodge in the Sloughscar Hills, the Starfinder Society studies the Wreck of the Returned, a massive crashed starship the Starfinders believe was dispatched by the long-lost First Ones. Recent excavations into other First Ones sites uncovered powerful weapons, dangerous technology, and volatile magic—incredibly valuable discoveries capable of causing immense harm should they fall into irresponsible hands. While the Starfinder Society would love to enter the Wreck of the Returned directly, the Wreck’s automated defenses and networked robotic servitors make such an expedition incredibly dangerous. Fortunately, the Starfinders have discovered a nearby site of interest: a sizable piece of wreckage which detached during the crash and landed off-site. Eager for answers, the Starfinders dispatch a team to the crash site to investigate. Unfortunately, Hellknights from the Order of the Eclipse are already inside the wreckage, and their mandate to control, suppress, or destroy dangerous information and technology means they have no intention of sharing anything they uncover. It’s up to the Starfinders to explore the wreckage and gather information, before the Hellknights systematically seize, censor, and destroy everything in their path. This is an adventure in the ongoing Invasion's Edge metaplot. Written by Shan Wolf.

7. The Human Science /197 end p. 224.

A Star Trek convention

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Venezuela’s Future—and Ours,”** an analysis of how the Trump administration’s intervention in Venezuela will affect that nation, the U.S., and the rest of the world, with Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab at American University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-venezuela-future](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-venezuela-future) .] On January 3rd, after a long military buildup, the United States used special forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in Caracas, Venezuela to stand trial here on criminal charges. The development marked a major turning point in our relationship with Venezuela and the rest of Latin America and raised a host of complex questions, not just for Venezuelans living inside and outside that country but for American citizens and other nations of the world. Coming to the stage to break down what all of this means is Ernesto Castañeda, a scholar of Latin America who has given several excellent Profs and Pints talks on immigration policy and has given dozens of interviews to media outlets around the world in the wake of the U.S. raid. In a talk offering informed perspective on the latest news developments, Professor Castañeda will discuss various theories about why the U.S. conducted the operation to get Maduro out of Venezuela. He’s put our nation’s current plans for Venezuela into context by touching on previous U.S. military interventions in Latin America and beyond. Professor Castañeda will look at the implications of recent events for U.S. politics and U.S. citizens and what such developments tell us about the balance of power in the United States. He’ll examine the distance between decisions made by the White House and public priorities, touching on how it all relates to our immigration policies and our views about peaceful protest and democracy. He’ll consider how the Venezuela raid and our actions since have altered relations between the U.S. and other nations and provide scenarios about what the future might hold. (Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.