STEM

Do you want to relax and socialize in a quiet bar while playing some video games together? Do you dislike loud and smelly places like pubs? Have you been cooped up by yourself for too long and wants a change of pace? This is the event for you. Get ready to level up your social life at our exclusive Social Night! Join us for a fun-filled evening of friendly competition, great company, and good vibes at XP Tavern. Whether you're a seasoned PC gamer, a console enthusiast, or just love to unwind with some video games, this is the perfect chance to meet new people who share your passion for pixels and high scores. If you don't want to play any games, you can still enjoy the vibe, socialize at the bar and watch the others play. Two console gaming booths will be booked and we can share it together. There are also gaming PCs to enjoy. How many people are attending? The venue has a capacity limit of 50 guests, and due to the popularity of our events and the unique ambiance of the location, we anticipate this event will reach full capacity quickly. On the day of the event, you will experience a relaxing atmosphere with a hospitable and encouraging community. If you want to socialize and get drinks, the event is free. If you want to participate and play the games, you gotta pay £10.

As a reader, you may be familiar with your own historical context, but does that mean you have a clear understanding of the literature of your own culture? Read, for instance, *Middlemarch* by George Eliot, without understanding Victorian reform politics, class rigidity, and the slow transition from old to modern England, and it risks being misread as a purely psychological or moral novel. This is where colonialism, postcolonialism, and neocolonialism come into play when reading the world. Without a basic grasp of how the world has been shaped over the last hundred years, world literature cannot be adequately framed in its broader historical context. It is for this reason, and because I am preparing to enter SOAS University, that the theme of 2026 will focus on these areas. The alphabetical order will be interrupted, but as soon as I finish my MA, we will get back to Barbados. We left it off at Bahrain before we jumped to India, so from Bahrain I will be proposing the following reading list. I hope I can keep up with all this reading as I have to prepare for my course and the Spanish and French reading clubs, so just in case I cannot keep up, I would like to warn you beforehand that I am not promising anything. 2026 Colonialism/Postcolonialism/Neocolonialism To develop a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected themes of colonialism, neocolonialism, development, justice, and economics worldwide, I suggest the following sequence: 1-*Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction* by Robert J.C. Young 2-*Contested Modernity: Sectarianism, Nationalism, and Colonialism in Bahrain* by Omar H. AlShehabi 3-*Sultana’s Dream* by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain—Bangladesh 4-*The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China* by Julia Lovell 5-*Rickshaw Boy* by Lao She—China 6-*The* *Motorcycle Diaries* by Che Guevara 7-*One Hundred Years of Solitude* by Gabriel García Márquez—Colombia 8-*How Europe Underdeveloped Africa* by Walter Rodney 9-*Heart of Darkness* by Polish author Joseph Conrad—Congo 10-*The Wretched of the Earth* by Frantz Fanon 11-*Homegoing* by Yaa Gyasi—Ghana 12-*Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty* by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson Some texts such as *One Hundred Years of Solitude* and *Sultana’s Dream* exceed colonial explanation and draw heavily on local myth, narrative experimentation and internal class and gender dynamics. Acemoglu’s institutionalist economics often *clashes* with dependency theory and postcolonial critiques. This is to say that colonialism will not be the only lens through which we will discuss these readings. We will continue with these themes in 2027 and cover the Indian subcontinent, North America, Orientalism, Soviet imperialism, and other areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Spanish reading club: [www.meetup.com/gaia-libros](www.meetup.com/gaia-libros) French reading club: [www.meetup.com/gaia-livres](www.meetup.com/gaia-livres)

A 90-Minute Nervous System & Wellness Recharge Holosophy is a 90-minute immersive wellness experience designed to help you reset, recharge, and reconnect — mentally, physically, and emotionally. This is not a lecture or a retreat. It’s a guided wellness playground where you’ll explore modern biohacking, recovery, beauty, and nervous system regulation in a calm, supportive environment. Each session is intentionally limited to ensure a relaxed, personalised experience. What to expect Over 90 minutes, you’ll be guided through a thoughtfully designed sequence of experiences, rotating through different biohacking technologies and live demonstrations so everyone has time to explore, experience and integrate. * NeuroVIZR™ light therapy * Neurosound relaxation beds * Pulsed vagus nerve stimulation * PEMF mat therapy * Infrared light therapy (full body + precision panels) * Power Plate activation * CAROL AI bike sprint (optional micro-workout) Guests rotate freely between stations, guided by Holosophy staff, while enjoying light wellness snacks and beverages. Live experiences included BIOBEAUTY Facial Demo Led by Roberta Whitney, founder of BIOBEAUTY. Learn fascia-led, pro-ageing techniques, self-massage, and natural skincare practices designed to support glow and confidence. Qi Energy & Sound Session A guided introduction to energy optimisation, followed by a sound vibration meditation to support nervous system reset and integration. Holosophy Insight Session A gentle, no-pressure overview of how Holosophy supports long-term wellbeing, memberships, and personalised wellness pathways. Who this is for This experience is ideal for: * Wellness beginners * Biohacking enthusiasts * People experiencing stress, burnout, or low energy * Anyone curious about natural beauty and ageing well * Those wanting to try premium treatments before committing * People looking to improve sleep, recovery, mood, or performance If you’re curious about feeling better in your mind and body, you’ll feel at home here. Session times Available sessions (90 minutes each): * 12:00 – 1:30 PM * 2:00 – 3:30 PM * 4:00 – 5:30 PM Each session is capped at 30 guests. Tickets Donation of £20 per person Spaces are Limited! — Once a session reaches capacity, bookings close. [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/holosophy-wellness-recharge-showcase-a-new-year-a-new-start-tickets-1977785763459?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/holosophy-wellness-recharge-showcase-a-new-year-a-new-start-tickets-1977785763459?aff=oddtdtcreator)

**You are invited to join a deep healing group process that extends beyond us as individuals into the wider 'field' of historical/ancestral influences, where our family's past traumas are seen, acknowledged, and attended to, so that they do not limit our well-being today.** In these **short videos, our facilitator Illi Adato** explains the key aspects of the Systemic and Family Constellation approach to therapy and healing: [https://www.facebook.com/LondonFamilyConstellations/videos](https://www.facebook.com/LondonFamilyConstellations/videos) We shall meet at The Kailash Centre in St. Johns Wood, London NW8 for this month's group session, **open to all**. Issue Holder and Representative spaces are available: **For Representative (Participant) Booking £45:** **[https://calendly.com/illiadato/in-person-constellations-representative](https://calendly.com/illiadato/in-person-constellations-representative)**[ ](https://calendly.com/illiadato/in-person-constellations-representative) **For Issue Holder (Client) Booking £175:** If you wish to attend as an Issue Holder at this workshop and have your own Constellation done please email your request to: [ih@londonconstellations.uk](ih@londonconstellations.uk) **Please Note:** There are limited issue holder spaces available, please book early to avoid disappointment and wait for a confirmation email of your booking. This workshop provides a perfect opportunity to experience the deep and insightful Systemic Constellations process. A unique and powerful therapeutic method for self-exploration, understanding core behaviors, removing blocks, and reintroducing movement and growth. It is used as a major resource in working through trauma and it can assist in depression treatment. To read comments from participants in previous workshops click this link [https://bit.ly/33Asprs](https://bit.ly/33Asprs) **WHAT ARE SYSTEMIC CONSTELLATIONS?** The Systemic Constellations method is a unique therapeutic process of exploration of the forces that move us in life. Such forces often appear as difficulties or a sense of being 'stuck' in life, affecting our behavior, relationships, career, health/wellbeing, or even financial circumstances. This method provides a three-dimensional ‘map’ of one’s life as it is at present. It is a simple yet powerful way to explore entanglements and blockages in our personal life and in our family history. The method brings awareness and clarity into personal challenges by focusing the client on the root cause of such difficulties. Constellations provide an opening for a positive life shift and present ways for deep healing processes to occur. **WHAT HAPPENS IN A CONSTELLATION SESSION?** In Constellations work the ‘client’ is referred to as the ‘Issue Holder’. The method uses workshop participants as ‘Representatives’ to stand in for key people in the client’s life such as family members, colleagues, partners, ex-partners etc., sometimes ‘abstract’ concepts such as an emotion, country of origin, religion, or destiny are also represented. All participants are invited to take part as Representatives. Workshop participants often report (see reviews: [https://bit.ly/33Asprs](https://bit.ly/33Asprs)) experiencing profound insights into their own lives by simply witnessing the process, regardless of how they choose to take part. **WHY DOES THIS WORK?** Scientific research shows that the experiences of your ancestors can determine your behavior today and affect future generations.\*\* Recent scientific research into DNA reveals that a component named epigenetics is embedding the effect of a traumatic experience by altering the genetic structure. It means that some of our behavior patterns can be attributed to traumatic events in your family history. This notion has always been one of the guiding principles of Systemic / Constellations Therapy, a form of work that is dedicated to exposing and dealing with issues emerging from our family system. Our group provides a **safe space** where deep personal work is done and where maintaining confidentiality and respect for each other's privacy is paramount. **\*\* DNA research paper and news article links:** Discover - Grandma's Experiences Leave a Mark on Your Genes [https://bit.ly/3dLwEkK](https://bit.ly/3dLwEkK) BBC News - "Memories" pass between generations [http://bbc.in/1dNShPe](http://bbc.in/1dNShPe) **Facilitated by Illi Adato** MA Lon\. Inst\. SQHP\. Crt\(HYP\)\. Crt\(COACH\)\. C\-h\-a\-n\-g\-e\.co\.uk \- Systemic\, Organisational & Family Constellations member of ISCA \| Hypnotherapy Senior Member GHR \(UK\) & IHF \(USA\) \| Tune\-In Counselling \| Advanced NLP Therapeutic Specialist™ \| Looking forward to another moving encounter! ###### 💬**Personal one-to-one counseling** can be combined with group work. **Book here: [https://calendly.com/illiadato/1st-personal-session](https://calendly.com/illiadato/1st-personal-session)** **VIDEO COURSES** 📌 Watch anytime \| 📩 Instant access after payment Find all the videos here: https://www.meetup.com/london-family-constellations/events/ **Becoming a Bridge - Working with Death As a Key Resource In Constellations** £19 Explore the transformative power of death in Systemic Constellations with Illi Adato in this recorded 1.5-hour video course. Designed for facilitators, practitioners, and those drawn to deep experiential learning, this session offers practical insights into holding space for loss and transition. **Constellations, Systemic Principles & How They Affect Us - Video Crash Course** £6 Explore the hidden forces shaping your life with this **recorded mini-course** by Illi Adato. Learn the **Orders of Love**, uncover deep-rooted patterns, and experience a guided **HypnoConstellations™** process for personal healing. Have questions? Reach out: office@londonconstellations.uk

IF YOU FEEL LIKE DOING SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE THIS SATURDAY, WHY NOT **COME** TO THE KNOWLEDGE BOOK REFLECTION FOCAL POINT? YOU WILL BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE AND RECEIVE THE BETA COSMIC ENERGY, THE FREQUENCY OF WHICH IS THE ACTIVATOR OF OUR GENETIC POTENTIAL AND THE CONNECTION WITH YOUR ESSENCE ARCHIVES. IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT, EXPERIENCE OR QUESTION, PLEASE **COME**. For more information call Milena 07808222959

We are lucky enough to have the brilliant Richard Barnett as a LoMAZ Member, who has generously offered us to lead one of his epic history Walks. A medic by original training and author and speaker by trade. [https://richardbarnettwriter.com/about_me/](https://richardbarnettwriter.com/about_me/) Aimed at regular LoMAZ attendees for the moment! Please join us for….. More than three hundred thousand people work in the Square Mile each day, but their numbers are dwarfed by the dead beneath their feet. London is a great city of the departed, its oldest districts – Holborn, Fleet Street, the ancient City itself – built on two thousand years of bodies, bones and dust. From murderers dancing the hempen jig at Newgate to plague victims dumped in mass graves at Charterhouse Square, *Last Rites* tells the shockingly lively story of London’s nameless dead and their part in the making of the modern city. **RAIN OR SHINE -** **MEET DETAILS:** 12:45: Meet Close to Holborn Tube (exact location tbc) ***1.00pm: Walk commences - on time. If you’re late You’ll be able to follow the group on our location pin on whatsapp event group, but we’ll not be answering messages, so we can enjoy the walk ourselves!*** **3.00pm: Walk concludes close to St Paul’s Tube** Just after - head to a pub for a social very close by (Pub details to be be provided in the whatsapp group only). If we can make sure Richard doesn't need to put his hand in his pocket all evening, please, as he’s running this as a freebie for us, if you can! **TICKETS:** **No tickets needed for this event, but numbers are limited on meetup. Please, please, can we ask that you don't placehold for this event !** **GETTING THERE:** TUBE - Holborn, Tottenham Court Road TRAIN - Elizabeth Line to Tottenham Court Road. BUSES - Lots around Holborn. Please see TFL journey planner for help. **EVENT WHATSAPP GROUP:** please join the event WhatsApp group to help you find the group on the day. Link: tbc the week before in the chat for ‘attendees’ only. If you are on the **waitlist**, please join the whatsapp group ONLY if/once space frees up and you are moved to the 'going' list. Please let us know if your Whatsapp name is different from your Meetup name, otherwise we'll assume you are a spammer, and not accept your request to join the group. *Joining this WhatsApp group will make your phone number visible to other members in the group.* **IMPORTANT NOTES:** **\*This is a standing event, where we'll move around on a guided walking, stopping at various spots for 2 Hours. It's a longey! Please be aware of this before RSVP ing ! Personally, I'll be bringing one of those museum seat things as we go around!** \*Please take responsibility for yourself around street furniture as we move as we'll be in public spaces, with lumps, other people outside of our group etc. * LoMAZ events are run by volunteers. We have an attendee limit to help the host manage the event. We prefer a smaller, friendlier group. * If the event is Sold Out, Meetup adds you to the Waitlist. If someone drops out, waitlisted attendees are automatically moved to the 'Going' list by Meetup in order of priority. * **If you can no longer attend please change your RSVP to 'Not Going' as soon as possible.** This lets someone on the waitlist take your place. **We remove members from the LoMAZ Meetup group who:** * **RSVP as ‘Going' but then do not show up three times in a row.** * **RSVP as ‘Going' but then change their RSVP to 'No' five times in a row.** * **Have not RSVPd to the event, but turn up anyway (or a combination of the above).** **Thank you! – The LoMAZ Admin Team** Image Credit: Historical Image - source not needed.

For the first meeting of 2026, we will read Andy Weir's 2022 novel, *Project Hail Mary*. 'Set in the near future, it centers on school teacher and former biologist Ryland Grace, who wakes up aboard a spacecraft afflicted with amnesia.' (Wikipedia) ''Charting the desperate last-chance mission of a lone astronaut to safeguard our planet, *Project Hail Mary* is a riveting interstellar adventure from the bestselling author of *The Martian*." -Waterstones https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary The meeting will take place at The Folly on Gracechurch St (the weekend vibe there is quite different from the weekday evening one...). Join us for a delicious brunch/lunch as we dive into this sci-fi thriller! N.B. We will be charging an event fee of £3, non-refundable, to discourage no-shows and contribute to the running costs of the group. Please only sign up if you intend to come along as space is limited to make for an effective discussion!

## Learn Infrastructure-as-Code (the FUN Way) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: Azure CBUS × Columbus HashiCorp User Group × DevOps Columbus** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint Azure CBUS, Columbus HashiCorp User Group, and DevOps Columbus meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. ### What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time ### Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐 Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/

WQC has weekly Thursday night social nights at the Westerville Java Central. Come and grab a coffee and connect with the community: low stakes, chill environment, and tasty drinks. No registration is required; come as you are.

**NEW LOCATION: Improving Office in Franklinton** Physical location: Improving Office 330 Rush Alley Suite #150 Columbus, OH 43215 Schedule: * 6:00 p.m.: Socialize, eat, and drink. Improving will be providing pizza and beverages. * 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Main meeting and presentation(s). For this first meeting of the year, we will be reviewing submissions for the [Your Program is Hideous and Obfuscated Challenge (YPHOC). ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/13zbxwElpJqPMuAN4Ele2hUgsqtFKzH3OCTL5NEeiLKQ)Submissions for this challenge are due by January 12th, 2026. The details can be found here: or on our website http://www.cohpy.org See Our [Parking Map](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1u2A4fLNlxwLJn0KA_hKc8bnFlFHLvsHBDh-_8wzX_tk/edit?usp=sharing) We meet on the last Monday of each Month. Presentations are given by members and friends of this group. If you would like to do a presentation (small or large) on a python topic, please contact centralohpython@gmail.com

Volunteer with Westerville Queer Collective and the Neurospicy Meetup to build care packages for local unhoused folks, which will be distributed throughout local camps and neighborhoods via Heer2Serve (501c3). Will you donate any items? If so, comment what will you bring Please make sure clothing items are clean and if you’re donating food, ready to be eaten without a stove or microwave. We expect to assemble around 50-100 packages, so if you’ll purchase items, please consider that amount (ie bulk individually packaged candies etc.). Fun and interesting book or entertainment item donation also welcome! Package assembly will take place on January 17th from 10-12 am. Location TBA but will be in Westerville, Ohio.

2026 may be the last year many developers write code by hand. We need coding agents to solve complex problems in production codebases, but vibe coding alone won’t get us there. Vibe coding is all gas, no brakes. It burns up the context window until the agent slips on its own slop. You can go fast at first, but the more you stuff into the context window, the more tangled its outputs get. While the industry is rapidly increasing code generation speed, we still have to understand, review, merge, and maintain what gets shipped. This talk featuring Michael Geiger will outline how coding agents (Claude Code + Gas Town) work and a framework for orchestrating them to solve complicated problems in complex codebases. It’s about steering the model: doing the research to align intent, planning the approach up front, implementing in parallel steps, and breaking early. Human judgment still matters, but it should be spent on high-leverage decisions: what to build, what to forbid, and “what is quality?”, not cleaning up slop. Attendees will leave with a checklist to identify workflow and environment gaps that hold agents back, so you and your team can ship higher-quality software starting tomorrow.

**We are expanding our creative programming opportunities with Queer Quills, a quiet writing and sharing space. Queer Quills features some prompts, supplies and friendly faces to help get some inspiration or feedback for your writing. Hope to see you there!**

## Learn Infrastructure-as-Code (the FUN Way) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: Azure CBUS × Columbus HashiCorp User Group** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint Azure CBUS and Columbus HashiCorp User Group meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. ### What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time ### Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐 Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/