Self-Driving Vehicles

An inspiring, high-energy meeting of public speaking, connection, and personal growth in the heart of Berlin. **Mercury Toastmasters Berlin** invites you to our weekly meeting at our new home at **Das Center, Potsdamer Platz**, in the stunning **Historic Imperial Breakfast Hall**. *Experience the **power of prepared speeches** loaded with bold ideas, participate in our **dynamic Impromptu Session**, and **gain valuable insights** during our feedback segment.* *Leave with practical tools, fresh ideas, and renewed inspiration.* *Whether you want to speak up at work, boost your presence, or just meet inspiring people, you’ll feel at home at Mercury Toastmasters Berlin.* *** **[What to Expect:](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/find-toastmasters-meetings-in-berlin/)** ✨ A supportive space to speak, grow, and connect 🎤 Engaging prepared speeches ⚡ Fun, fast-paced impromptu speaking challenges 💬 Feedback session you can actually use 🌍 A friendly, international crowd (around 25–30 people) **Schedule** (times may vary) ⏰ 19:15 - Doors open & networking 🎙️ 19:30 - Prepared Speeches 🏓 20:35 - Impromptu Session (Guest welcome to join) ↩️ 21:00 - Constructive feedback 💬 21:30 - Food, drinks & relaxed socializing **No experience needed.** ***Come curious. Leave energized.*** *** **🤙 [Hear it from our members:](https://maps.app.goo.gl/eRtvR9DRNqU9WZQn7)** *“You can sharpen your public speaking skills and gain tons of confidence, while having fun and making new friends. Mercury is well-structured, fun, and affordable.”* — *Therese Pitt* *“Mercury gave me a safe place to speak, create, and grow. I love the multicultural vibe and supportive community. It’s the best place to learn and have fun.”* — *Krisztina Linka* *** **[Did You Know?](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/about-mercury-toastmasters-berlin/)** Toastmasters is where people go to get better at speaking—and grow into confident communicators and leaders. Today [Toastmasters ](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/about-mercury-toastmasters-berlin/)has 350,000+ members across 16,000 clubs in 143 countries. And [Mercury](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/find-toastmasters-meetings-in-berlin/) is one of the best places to experience it. So bring your curiosity, your energy—and just be yourself. Whether you’re just starting or ready to level up, there’s a place for you here. *** **[Wondering what you get as a member?](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/membership-mercury-toastmasters-berlin/)** Think expert feedback, real-world speaking practice, and a supportive crew that’s got your back. [See you Wednesday night! 🎉](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/find-toastmasters-meetings-in-berlin/)

(English below) \>\> der Event findet statt\, wenn sich bis 18:00 mindestens 4 Personen angemeldet haben\, sonst nicht << Worum es geht: "Kann ein Walfisch ein Wellensittich sein?" \~> Natürlich nicht, denn Säugetiere sind niemals Vögel. "Kann ein Fenster ein Getränk sein?" \~> Jeder weis, das ist unmöglich, denn Festkörper sind keine Flüssigkeiten. ABER: "Kann eine Demokratie eine Republik sein?" "Kann eine Vermutung eine Meinung sein?" "Ist etwas zu begreifen das Selbe wie etwas zu verstehen?" \~> Tja, jetzt wird's schwierig! Und es wird spannend... Nichts regt dermaßen zum nachdenken an wie dieses neue Gesellschaftsspiel. Die Spielregeln: 1. Jeder schreibt einen Begriff auf einen Zettel. 2. Die Zettel werden paarweise gezogen. 3. Per Beamer werfen wir die Bedeutung der zwei Wörter an die Wand. 4. jeder kann per Laptop (zur Not auch per Smartphone) die Bedeutung ergänzen / editieren, muss dafür ggf. Beispiele angeben warum etwas gleich sein können soll, oder nie gleich sein kann. 5. nach einer Zeit fällt niemandem mehr etwas ein. Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den beiden Begrifflichkeiten sind deutlich herausgearbeitet. Dann wird der Punktestand gezählt: (+1) Jeder verbliebene neue Beitrag in der Bedeutung ergibt einen Pluspunkt (-2) aber jeder wieder gelöschte neue Beitrag gibt zwei Minuspunkte. (+5) jede Verbesserung der bisherigen Bedeutung in Reclue ergibt plus 5 Pluspunkte Die Auffassungen aller Mitspieler werden viel klarer, erst recht wenn man häufig mitspielt. Ziel des Spiels ist nicht, dass irgendwer am meisten Punkte sammelt, sondern, dass alle zusammen überhaupt auf mehr als 50 Punkte kommen. Das Spiel funktioniert auch mehrsprachig. Man kann auch von Zuhause aus online mitmachen. Den Zugang können wir dann über die Kommentare hier organisieren. Bring deinen Laptop mit, dann wird es einfacher... Warum macht das Spiel klug? Schach trainiert das Konzentrationsvermögen. Aber es hat mit der Wirklichkeit nichts zu tun. Dieses Spiel hingegen schon, denn genau mitdenken zu können setzt voraus genau zu unterscheiden. Andernfalls assoziiert man das eine sprunghaft mit irgendetwas anderem. Aber ob die Assoziationskette notwendiger Weise der Fall ist, ist nicht klar - und andere Aspekte sind vll. viel wichtiger. Und dann irrt man in wirren Assoziationen, entscheidet wenig optimal, verliert Zeit, usw. Mit der Übung über dieses Spiel nicht mehr! Wer die Bedeutung der Wörter sauber ausdifferenziert wird immer klüger. \*\*\* english version \*\*\* "Can a whale be a parakeet?" \~> Of course not! "Can a window be a drink?" \~> Everyone knows that's impossible. "Can a democracy be a republic?" "Can a conjecture be an opinion?" "Is grasping something the same as understanding something?" \~> Well, now it gets tricky! And it gets exciting... Nothing stimulates thought quite like this new party game. The rules: 1. Everyone writes a term on a slip of paper. 2. The slips of paper are drawn in pairs. 3. We project the meaning of the two words onto the wall using a projector. 4. Everyone can add to/edit the meaning using a laptop or smartphone, and must provide examples of why something could be the same, or could never be the same. 5. After a while, no one can think of anything else. The differences and similarities between the two words are clearly highlighted. Then the score is tallied: (+1) Each new entry adding meaning earns one point. (-2) However, each deleted entry deducts two points. (+5) Each improvement on the existing meaning in Reclue earns five points. The understanding of all players becomes much clearer, especially with frequent play. The goal for the entire group is to reach at minimum 50 points. The game also works in multiple languages. You may join us from home using the internet. Comments in meetup-app will be used to organize that it works. The location (somewhere in Prenzlauer Berg) will be published the day when it takes place.

We are very excited to announce another Search Tech Berlin Meetup. The meetup will be hosted and sponsored by Zalando (thank you!). **Agenda** 18:15 - Doors open 18:45 - Introduction 19:00 - **Talk: Samay Kapadia: Multi-Modal Embedding Search with modern VLMs** 19:40 - Networking, food & drinks 20:00 - **Talk: David Fennesey: Automating the tedium of golden sets with agentic flows** 20:40 - Let’s socialize and grab some drinks 21:00 - Doors closing **Talks** **1) Multi-Modal Embedding Search with modern VLMs** Samay Kapadia, Principal ML Engineer, Zalando Creating a state-of-the-art search embedding model for products, that supports both text and visual inputs. Since there are no open-weight multimodal embedding models, we will convert VLMs like Qwen3 and Ministral 3 into embedding models using LoRA (Low Rank Adapters). **2) David Fennesey: Automating the tedium of golden sets with agentic flows** David Fennesey, Principal Engineer, Flink Search relevancy optimization, such as taxonomies, labeling, and query classification, is expensive to build and painful to maintain. Modern reasoning LLMs, with a small agentic framework around them are easily capable of exploring, evaluating, and iterating through your data. This talk builds that workflow from scratch: tool calls for strategic exploration and guardrails to keep it in check. See you at the event René & Roman

Join us for a thrilling and empowering Martial Arts Training hosted by the **Juk Cheon Do** \- Self Defense and Martial Arts group\! Our wednesday training is focused on **Striking and Weapon training as well as the sparring in those disciplines**. This event is perfect for adults looking to enhance their self-defense techniques, improve fitness, and learn this unique Korean German Martial Arts. Whether you are a newbie or have experience in MMA Mixed Martial Arts or Weapon fighting Styles like FMA, this training will offer valuable insights and practical training exercises to bring your skills to another level. Get ready to boost your confidence, strength, and agility while embracing the physical and mental challenges of this martial arts training and enjoy this fantastic opportunity to make new friends within the community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for martial arts. We are not a huge group and like to train in a nice atmosphere with each other. Everybody is welcome weather you are a total beginner or experienced martial artist, weather your are top fit or you want to be it. Don’t be afraid and never forget, everybody starts at one point as a beginner. Important is the will to start. So no excuses! Start today! And of course we are also open to females, males and whatever. Here everybody is equal to share the same fun and pain. ;) Languages: German, English, Korean, Japanese. If the door is closed or you can’t find us, please call me: 01781830004 !

**\*\*\* NEW LOCATION! \*\*\*** Join us for a relaxed, social evening exploring the basics of vibe coding. This time with a focus on automation workflows using **n8n** (n8n.io). This time at the awesome **Electric** **Social** Bar, with good vibes, good music, and great drinks. This event is for everyone. Especially beginners and anyone curious about AI and the latest tech. No prior experience needed. Just bring a laptop or tablet and an open mind. **Hosted by:** * **[Marcel Claus-Ahrens](https://www.linkedin.com/in/geckse/): n8n Ambassador and Leading Automation Expert** * **[Ridvan Sibic](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ridvan-sibic-300b5512a/): AI Engineer and Founder** **Who Is This For?** * Complete beginners and the coding-curious * Anyone wanting to learn something new in a relaxed group setting * Students, creatives, hobbyists, and professionals * Anyone with a cool app idea * If you ever wanted to know how to automate a process * People who enjoy learning with others **What to Bring:** * A laptop or tablet (as this is a hands-on event) * A curious mind * Good vibes **Schedule (19:00–21:00 + Open Session)** * **19:00 – Arrival & Drinks** * **19:15 – Vibe Coding Introduction by** **[Ridvan Sibic](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ridvan-sibic-300b5512a/)** * **19:20 – n8n Introduction by** **[Marcel Claus-Ahrens](https://www.linkedin.com/in/geckse/)** * **19:30 – Hands-on Kickoff** * **20:00 – Break & Social Time** * **20:10 – Working Session** * **20:40 – Lightning Presentations** * **21:00 – Wrap-Up & Open Session** Stay for drinks, conversations, and freestyle exploration for as long as you like. **Where:** At the Electric Social - Grunerstraße 13, 10179 Berlin **Price:** It's for free.

Let's talk Android! This time we have two amazing talks prepared: Shaders on Android by Nicole Terc In this talk Nicole will introduce the totally not shady world of programming Shaders on Android. What are they? What do they want? What can they do? What can you do with then? How much do they cost and do they have a dog? These are only a few questions answered by this talk. Python on Android by Mario Bodemann Snakes. Don't be afraid of snakes. Especially not the programmable ones! Mario will talk us through 3 different way to integrate the snake taming language in your Android application. Ever wanted to run snake on your phone? This talk is your chance to learn how. 🎉🎉 Happy new year everyone, we're happy to host you at c-base again this year.🎉🎉 Join for some healthy discussions about our favorite mobile operating system ("Android") and maybe learn or teach a thing or two. Agenda --- Hosted By Mario Bodemann, GDG Organizer 🧑‍💻 Louis Tsai, Android Developer Matthias Geisler, "Geißler" Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-berlin-android-presents-berlindroid-monthly-meetup-2026-01-28/.

Join us for another evening with the Product Management Society Berlin! We’re bringing together product designers, product managers, founders, and engineers for a relaxed night of networking. This time, we're introducing a light activity designed to connect beginners and more experienced product people. Using a question deck, we’ll open up discussions, listen to refreshing perspectives and learn from each other. No pressure, no panels. Grab your tea and join in! If you're in the product world or want to be, come connect with your community. Anyone interested in Product Design or Product Management is welcome - especially if you work between fields, are switching roles, or are simply curious about how others approach their work. As always, the event follows a relaxed format at a casual, after-work venue, giving participants plenty of time to meet fellow product people and exchange ideas. See you there! ☕️

### 🚨 **Important**Registration will be handled via **Luma**👉 **Registration link:** [https://luma.com/pn05sdyw](https://luma.com/pn05sdyw) 🤖 **AI Meetup @ Ojin AixHaus** Join us for an evening at **Ojin AIxHaus**, a collaborative community where scientists, machine learning engineers, founders, creators, and AI enthusiasts come together to build the future of AI. This meetup is designed for hands-on builders and curious minds alike, offering real-world insights, practical experiences, and open conversations around how AI is shaping **products, platforms, and people**. Whether you’re deep in development or just starting your AI journey, expect meaningful discussions, strong community energy, and perspectives from practitioners working on real systems in production. 📍 **Venue** Hosted at **Ojin AIxHaus - Powered by Journee** Berlin’s home for builders, creators, and AI practitioners. Chausseestraße 36, 10115 Berlin 🗓 **Agenda** **17:30 – Doors Open** Arrive early, grab a drink, and connect with the community before the talks begin. **18:15 – Designing Real-World Multi-Agent AI Systems** *by Asad Ullah Khalid* Senior Frontend Engineer @ Mercedes-Benz.io *Have you been scrolling through social media and seeing everyone launching apps powered by AI. The apps that talk to databases, call third-party APIs, or use MCPs to handle tasks? Are you wondering: How are they building this? How does AI actually fit into that workflow?* *This talk is designed to answer those questions. I’ll walk you through what an agent is, how to create and connect multiple agents, and how to enable them to communicate with external resources. Together, we’ll see a AI multi-agent design system that is simple to build, secure, and scalable.* *If you’ve been curious about how AI agents actually work under the hood, this talk will provide the answers you've been looking for.* 🍕☕ **Break – 15 min** **18:55 – 19:10** **19:10 – AI in CyberSec** *by Sam Khawase* Engineering Manager @ Cloudflare *Talk description coming soon.* 🍕☕ **Break – 15 min** **19:50 – 20:05** **20:05 – Applying AI to Software Verification: Languages, Tools, and New Workflows** *by Aaron Elligsen* Senior Full Stack Engineer @ Seen Software verification is evolving rapidly as AI-assisted reasoning, synthesis, and proof tooling enter the mainstream. This talk explores how AI can amplify formal methods, the emerging languages and frameworks in this space, where the hard problems still remain, and what real-world workflows look like today. We’ll examine both the opportunities and the limitations—and discuss where the field may be heading next. 🕺 **Networking from 20:45 until 21:30** 💃 Continue the conversation with speakers, organizers, and fellow AI & cloud enthusiasts. **☁️ Google Cloud Credits** We’re planning to offer **Google Cloud credits** to attendees so you can explore and experiment on GCP after the event. Activation details and instructions will be shared on-site. 🙏 **Thanks & Credits** A big thank you to **Ojin AixHaus** for hosting this event. **Ojin AixHaus** is powered by Journee - The Human AI company. A new, collaborative community space in Berlin Mitte, where scientists, machine learning engineers, founders, creators, and AI enthusiasts come together to build the future of AI\*\*.\*\* Ojin AixHaus is free to join and is currently curating their 2026 events calendar. If you have a burning idea for an event, meetup or hackathon - bring your fire, they bring the space! Find out more & reach out for collaborations https://ojin.ai/community Special thanks to the team at Oji AixHaus and Journee - the Human AI company. And a huge thanks to everyone in the community who helps make these events possible 💙

✌︎ HELLO WEEKEND — HELLO SELF-CARE Beginne deine Wochenende genau so, wie es sein soll! • YOGA This yoga practice is suitable for all levels. With individual support, adjustment/alignment of your asana practice. Flowing sequences of asanas will energise your body, release tension and activate the whole system to wake up and start your weekend in a positive way. • HOW CAN YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS …if you don't have one with yourself? We must revolutionise the rules of society that have us believe self care is selfish. In your practice we create more room for yourself to stay whole, healthy and happy. • LIMITED to 12 SPOTS • • The balance recommended: Donation-Drop-In 15€ 5 x Donation-Card 70€ 10 x Donation-Card 140€ 20 x Donation-Card 240 € Hugs (0€ pro Klasse)Free USC (M, L, XL) • USC Members Welcome: M, L, XL • 90 Min. Class • LOCATION YOGA at Lobe Block Böttgerstraße 16, 13357 Berlin right elevator, ring bell • HOW TO GET THERE 5 Min. walk from Gesundbrunnencenter near Magic Mountain Kletterhalle U8 Gesundbrunnen S42/41 & S1 BUS N7, 247, RE5 GOOGLE MAPS: https://tinyurl.com/yal3wf2x How can you have relationships with others, if you don't have one with yourself?

I'm excited to announce another meetup! If you're interested in give a talk, feel free to reach out to me at marcel.drechsler@andsafe.de \-\-\- All talks will be **presented in English**, to ensure that as many people as possible can participate and engage at this event. **If you want to attend, please RSVP to secure your spot - this will make organizing easier. Thank you so much ♥️** **Location:** Spiced Academy, Ritterstrasse 12, 10969 Berlin, 2. Hof \-\-\-\-\-\- **🏠 18:00 - Arrival: Networking, Drinks & Snacks (30 min.)** Grab yourself snacks & drinks and say hello to everybody else! **📅 18:30 - So you want to observe an Event Driven System? (45 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Roman Boiko, Enterprise Sales Engineer @ [Datadog](https://www.datadoghq.com) Event-driven architectures offer powerful decoupling, but they often shatter traditional monitoring strategies. When a single business process jumps across multiple queues, buses, and microservices, tracing the line between cause and effect becomes a complex puzzle. This talk bridges that visibility gap by exploring practical observability strategies using OpenTelemetry. We will navigate the critical architectural decisions behind distributed tracing - specifically choosing between Span Linking and Parent-Child relationships - and master context propagation to ensure no transaction is lost in the noise. Join us to learn how to connect low-level technical data with high-level business metrics, turning asynchronous complexity into a clear, manageable system. Roman Boiko is a Senior Enterprise Sales Engineer at Datadog, where he helps developers and architects build reliable, observable, and scalable systems. With a strong background in serverless and cloud-native architectures, he’s passionate about bridging the gap between engineering and operations to help teams move faster with confidence. Roman frequently speaks at tech events, sharing practical insights on observability, distributed systems, and modern application design. He enjoys exploring how developers can simplify complexity and deliver better software through data-driven decisions. **📅 19:15 - Datadog at Zendesk - a solid foundation for scalable, reliable and cost efficient systems (30 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Anatoly Mikhaylov, Principal Software Engineer & Datadog Ambassador @ [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.de/) Anatoly will share practical and valuable lessons what value Datadog brings and what role it plays at Zendesk. They customized and encorporated observability triad (APM, Logs and metrics) within a large volume of systems and applications. Zendesk made it work very well at scale and so that Datadog became a common language engineers and product teams can speak to one another. A single picture often helps to narrow down the issue, surface the problem, brings the solution and be confident remediation is applied successfully. Zendesk teams are fluent using complex Datadog tools and drive necessary changes. **📅 19:45 - Continuous Profiling with Datadog (30 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Felix Geisendörfer, Senior Staff Engineer @ [Datadog](https://www.datadoghq.com) Instrumenting systems with logs, metrics and traces is a great way to make them more observable. However, the resulting map is not the territory, and only allows indirect reasoning about the code it represents.Continuous profiling fills this gap by allowing software developers and operators to directly understand the CPU, Memory and Latency trends of their systems using stack traces that break down problems and opportunities in terms of files, functions and line numbers. This presentation will demonstrate the value of this capability by live-debugging an incident caused by an AI assisted refactoring using Datadog’s Continuous Profiler product. Additionally the presentation will give an overview of other capabilities as well as the work we’re doing upstream to add profiling as the fourth signal of OpenTelemetry. **🥗 20:15 - Drinks, Food & Networking** Enjoy refreshments while networking with community peers! **👋 21:00 - Goodbye, see you next time!**

UPDATE – Thank you & we're now at full capacity!🎉 Thank you so much to everyone who signed up – we truly appreciate your enthusiasm and support! New registrations are no longer possible and the sign-up form has been closed. If you have already successfully registered via meetup.com, please remember to confirm your attendance via the official event landing page: https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin This helps us ensure a smooth and quick check-in for everyone on the day. We’re really looking forward to seeing you there! React Universe Meetup is coming to Berlin <3 On January 29, 2026, we’re teaming up with Zalando to host an in-person React Universe Meetup at [Zalando SE – BHW](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rJeWdBWqzW1tDe267). Expect an evening built for experienced engineers who care about how things actually work in production, with time for both focused talks and unstructured conversations. The event is aimed at software developers, senior engineers, and architects working across full-stack and cross-platform applications, with an emphasis on sharing practical lessons, architectural tradeoffs, and production-ready approaches. It’s a space for teams working with React Native and related technologies to compare notes, learn from peers, and take ideas back to their own codebases. ## Agenda * **6:00 PM** Doors open * ‍**6:20 PM** Welcome * ‍**6:30 PM** *Building a video experience with React Native: Lessons from early adoption* by [Eugene Verichev](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugene-verichev-771058106/) (Zalando)**‍** * **6:55 PM** *LLM inference on-device in React Native: the practical aspects* by [Artur Morys-Magiera](https://www.linkedin.com/in/artur-morys/) (Callstack) * **7:20 PM** *How to optimize your health with React Native*, by [Tejas Kumar ](https://x.com/tejask)(IBM)**‍** * **7:45 PM** *Performance comparisons in Brownfield React Native Projects* by [Mohit Karekar ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohit-karekar/)(Zalando)**‍** * **7:55 PM** Q&A**‍** * **8:10 PM** Networking ## Learn more and RSVP: [https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin ](https://www.callstack.com/events/react-universe-meetup-x-zalando-berlin)

Berlin is one of the most vibrant hubs for Ethereum builders, researchers, and advocates of privacy, decentralization, and open-source technology. We're excited to welcome you to the Berlin Ethereum Meetups in 2026 and create more engaging community experiences together this year. Join us as we explore new ideas, collaborate on projects, and grow our community! Our next meetup is open to all - from those new to Ethereum to long-standing community members and developers. 🗓️ **Agenda** 🕕 6:30 - 6:45 pm - Arrivals 🕡 6:45 - 7:00 pm - Community Updates & Ecosystem News by Martin & Eniko (EF) 🕡 7:00 - 7:30 pm - Ethereum Roadmap Updates by Francesco, Researcher at the Ethereum Foundation 🕡 7:30 - Quick Open Call for BREW - Privacy Program 🕖 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm - Open discussions and community networking Whether you’re here to learn, contribute, or simply connect, join us as we continue building the next chapter of Ethereum in Berlin. The talks will be recorded and uploaded to our [Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@ethereumberlin). Subscribe to stay up to date. **Apply to speak at our future meetups:** [Speaker Application](https://forms.gle/5y9Y5ywZC7pSEqpV9) To learn more about Ethereum, go to [ethereum.org](http://ethereum.org/) (content available in many different languages).

### The Question of Intelligence: Humans and AI Intelligence is one of the most fascinating and debated aspects of life. We admire it, study it, and try to measure it—but what does it truly mean? And how does human intelligence compare to artificial intelligence? Humans think, imagine, create, analyze, predict, and solve problems. Machines can do many of these things too—often faster or on a larger scale—but they do so without consciousness, emotions, or moral understanding. AI can process vast amounts of data and find patterns we might miss, but can it truly understand, be creative, or make ethical judgments? In this session, we’ll explore questions such as: * What makes human intelligence unique—and where does AI complement or surpass us? * How do learning, memory, and experience shape human and artificial minds? * Can intelligence exist without consciousness or awareness? * How do ethics, emotions, and imagination factor into the intelligence equation? * What can AI teach us about our own minds—and where should we be cautious? This will be an open, curious conversation where science, philosophy, and daily life intersect. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to think, understand, and be intelligent in a world shared by humans and machines. 📅 **Event Details** 🗓️ Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026 ⏰ Time: 14:00 📍 Location: Hardenbergstraße 10, 10623 Berlin 📱 WhatsApp (for prep materials and directions): 👉 **[Join Group Chat](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ba8ZAaH2Yuk6FGmD3LLO7H)**

**📅 Week 2 Focus: Image Processing Recap & Intro to Deep Learning** Each 7-week cycle focuses on a **small, well-defined part of a larger system**—and over time, these cycles build toward a complete, real-world project (covering data engineering, data science, and deployment). Feel free to join at any week and we will catch you up. There is no need to be at the beginning of the cohort to build. Complete beginners welcomed! 🧠 Current Project This cycle’s shared project is an **image-based knowledge extraction system** Last week, we kicked off our shared project by getting our hands dirty with OpenCV and exploring traditional image processing techniques. In Week 2, we’ll: * **Recap what we explored last week** and share cool experiments * **Look under the hood** of the OpenCV techniques we used * **Start exploring deep learning–based approaches** for text and object detection 📌 By the End of a Full Cycle, You should Have 🎯 A working project in your own GitHub repo 🎯 A small but real portfolio piece you can demo or write about 📅 When: Saturday, Jan 31 · 9:30–11:30 📍 Where: Torstraße 59, Forward Earth 💻 Bring: Your laptop, an idea—or just curiosity **👋 Who Is This For?** 🔹 Beginners who learn best by doing — no prior experience needed 🔹 Career switchers from product, engineering, design, marketing, or other fields who want to break into data 🔹 Analysts, engineers, and PMs looking to sharpen their skills or build real-world projects 🔹 Data professionals who want a creative playground outside of work 🔹 Anyone with big questions and a love for learning through experimentation \*\*\* **BUILD. LEARN. EXPERIMENT. OVER COFFEE.** Come hang out, meet like-minded people, and work on something fun. 📍 Based in Berlin – in-person meetups only (for now!) 💻 Laptops + ☕ highly encouraged Join our Discord → [https://discord.gg/dPnmzcCP8w](https://discord.gg/dPnmzcCP8w) Check out our program resources: [Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15DmZqD4bLBk2vU4zpvh1HiB3_5n09v-q?usp=sharing) \*\*\* ✨ Who’s Hosting? I’m Lindsey, a senior data scientist working on AI, causal inference, and data products. I’ve built models for fraud detection, uplift modeling, and LLM-based systems. I am always open to suggestion for different format for this meetup.

### Tools in your AI's Toolbox : An introduction to MCP Servers The generative AI revolution has unlocked unprecedented capabilities, but the next frontier is agency: empowering models to interact with, query, and act upon the world. The current challenge is the “N x M integration problem,” where every AI model requires a custom, brittle integration for each external tool or data source. This approach simply doesn’t scale. How can we give an AI access to our sales leads, code repositories, or IoT devices in a standardized, secure, and reusable way? This session introduces Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), the open-source framework designed to solve this challenge and become the universal connector—the USB-C port—for AI. MCP standardizes how AI models discover and use external tools, moving beyond simple function-calling to a robust, client-server architecture. We will dive into how this open protocol is creating a new ecosystem for building powerful, context-aware AI agents. Join this session for a developer-focused introduction where you will learn how to: Understand the core concepts of the open-source Model Context Protocol and its architecture. Utilize pre-built, open-source MCP servers to instantly connect AI to tools like Git, Slack, and databases. Build a custom MCP server to securely expose your own proprietary data and APIs as tools for any compliant AI. Move beyond bespoke integrations and contribute to a standardized, collaborative, and open ecosystem. Stop building one-off connectors and start building intelligent agents. This session will give you the practical knowledge to leverage MCP and create the next generation of AI that doesn’t just talk, but does. Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! [https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/](https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/)

This is an in-person meeting. Would you like to know the Real You, not just a shadow of yourself? Does your life energy feel somehow trapped within? Does your self-confidence get easily shaken? Do you get in the way of your own goals? We will discuss the real source of all this, what holds you back in life, and how to handle it so you can achieve more successful and happier living. Perhaps you get weighed down with negative emotions you can't seem to shrug off. Or find yourself doing strange and irrational things - not really being yourself. We will cover why that is and tools that work to help you unearth your self, your self-confidence and motivation. This meeting will help you learn about how to effectively overcome: -Out-of-control unwanted emotions -Low self-esteem -Anxiety -Negativity -Stress -Irrational fears -Traumatic or painfully emotional incidents -Breakups -Betrayals -Feeling like you're not really yourself -Self-doubt... We will discuss how to unleash the inner you and tap into your true potential. So come to this online meetup! This meeting is sponsored by the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation of Central Ohio

Join us every Saturday of January for a day of boardgaming !!! You first visit is free and if you were not a member in 2025 you can join for the rest of the year for only **$40!!!**

Do you want more motivation and confidence to build Lasting Relationships? This is a free, in-person meeting on the subject of betrayals, losses and how to get over them so you can build lasting relationships. Are you burdened by a stressful relationship? Unhealthy relationships can trigger feelings of anger, despair or self-doubt. They can create dwindling spirals of fights and seeking to make-up, or trying to “pin the blame” on someone or something. If you don’t find the RIGHT reasons, or select the correct sources of the problem, the problem can just get worse and worse. Whether in love or personal ties, with friends or at work, our life really IS affected by the quality of our relationships. Good ones can promote pleasure and survival, while less optimum ones can lead to annoyance, anger, self-doubt, stress, or even affect our health and ability to survive well. Whether you are suffering from a divorce, or a painful break-up, don’t know who to trust (or who to CHOOSE) as a partner, friend, boss or employee - the anxiety of relationship troubles can really make a mess of things. Maybe you’ve suffered a betrayal, or are dealing with hostility or criticalness or invalidation. Dwindling relationships can involve destructive behavior, where we hurt those we love, or start succumbing to self-destructive thoughts, attitudes or behaviors that spiral out of control and affect much more than our immediate relationship. Past losses in love or life can affect how we act or react to new people and situations and hold us back from even starting to create new, possibly great relationships! How can one get back onto a saner course of action? Come to our Meetup, where we can introduce you to some of the knowledge, tools and techniques of the breakthroughs in the field of the mind that we can apply to this ever important area of life: human relationships! Break free from self imposed limitations Here we will discuss: • How to “erase” the trauma of past hurts and betrayals so that one isn’t always repeating past mistakes. • Why and how do the negative emotions of others affect you? • Why is my partner withdrawing and what can I do about it? • Why do we sometimes feel compelled to hurt the ones we love? • Fights & arguments - what's really behind them? • What underlies “corrosive criticism” or the need to invalidate self or others? • How one can stably change one’s outlook on life so they can affect positive change? • Where do compulsive destructive behaviors come from and what can be done about them? • How to form closer bonds & keep growing the relationships with the people you care about? • How to enhance one’s own ability to survive and create positive healthy relationships whether in love, family & friendships or in work, business or one’s career? Relationships can be hard and life itself IS challenging. Why not arm yourself with the knowledge and breakthroughs that have been made about the mind, mental reactions & interpersonal relationships, so that one has better awareness and control over themselves and life in general. Learn where painful experiences are “stored” and how they can unknowingly affect us. You will also find out how one can “erase” those past painful experiences so that one is free to move forward without being tripped up by the past. Learn too, about what can lead some people to become “toxic” personalities and how to identify those traits in others so you won’t be tripped up trusting the wrong person. Our free Meet-ups occur in a safe environment where one can learn, without fear of judgment or criticism, and without the recommendation of harmful mental techniques or therapies, just how YOU can get yourself onto a happier & more successful path: in love & in life. Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. This class is held at the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center.

## 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/

Join us for this free, in person meeting on the subject of betrayals, losses and how to get over them so you can build lasting relationships. Do you want more motivation and confidence to build lasting relationships? Are you burdened by a stressful relationship? Unhealthy relationships can trigger feelings of anger, despair or self-doubt. They can create dwindling spirals of fights and seeking to make-up, or trying to “pin the blame” on someone or something. If you don’t find the RIGHT reasons, or select the correct sources of the problem, the problem can just get worse and worse. Whether in love or personal ties, with friends or at work, our life really IS affected by the quality of our relationships. Good ones can promote pleasure and survival, while less optimum ones can lead to annoyance, anger, self-doubt, stress, or even affect our health and ability to survive well. Whether you are suffering from a divorce, or a painful break-up, don’t know who to trust (or who to CHOOSE) as a partner, friend, boss or employee - the anxiety of relationship troubles can really make a mess of things. Maybe you’ve suffered a betrayal, or are dealing with hostility or criticalness or invalidation. Dwindling relationships can involve destructive behavior, where we hurt those we love, or start succumbing to self-destructive thoughts, attitudes or behaviors that spiral out of control and affect much more than our immediate relationship. Past losses in love or life can affect how we act or react to new people and situations and hold us back from even starting to create new, possibly great relationships! How can one get back onto a saner course of action? Come to our Meetup, where we can introduce you to some of the knowledge, tools and techniques of the breakthroughs in the field of the mind that we can apply to this ever important area of life: human relationships! Break free from self imposed limitations Here we will discuss: • How to “erase” the trauma of past hurts and betrayals so that one isn’t always repeating past mistakes. • Why and how do the negative emotions of others affect you? • Why is my partner withdrawing and what can I do about it? • Why do we sometimes feel compelled to hurt the ones we love? • Fights & arguments - what's really behind them? • What underlies “corrosive criticism” or the need to invalidate self or others? • How one can stably change one’s outlook on life so they can affect positive change? • Where do compulsive destructive behaviors come from and what can be done about them? • How to form closer bonds & keep growing the relationships with the people you care about? • How to enhance one’s own ability to survive and create positive healthy relationships whether in love, family & friendships or in work, business or one’s career? Relationships can be hard and life itself IS challenging. Why not arm yourself with the knowledge and breakthroughs that have been made about the mind, mental reactions & interpersonal relationships, so that one has better awareness and control over themselves and life in general. Learn where painful experiences are “stored” and how they can unknowingly affect us. You will also find out how one can “erase” those past painful experiences so that one is free to move forward without being tripped up by the past. Learn too, about what can lead some people to become “toxic” personalities and how to identify those traits in others so you won’t be tripped up trusting the wrong person. Our free Meet-ups occur in a safe environment where one can learn, without fear of judgment or criticism, and without the recommendation of harmful mental techniques or therapies, just how YOU can get yourself onto a happier & more successful path: in love & in life. We look forward to having you join us! This class is held at the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/