Sociocracy

**Um was geht es dieses mal?** **Das Ende der Code-Ära: Warum Domain Modeling & Harness Engineering die wichtigsten Skills 2026 sind. - Benjamin Font Pera (codecentric)** "Die Ära, in der Softwareentwicklung primär durch das Beherrschen von Programmiersprachen und Frameworks definiert wurde, ist vorbei. Wer 2026 noch versucht, über reine Syntax-Kenntnisse Wertschöpfung zu generieren, hat gegen agentische KI-Systeme bereits verloren. Die eigentliche Herausforderung hat sich nach links verschoben: in die präzise Definition von Problemen und die Konstruktion von Leitplanken. In diesem Talk räume ich mit dem Mythos auf, dass KI uns das Denken abnimmt. Im Gegenteil: Die Verantwortung steigt. Ich stelle das Konzept des Harness Engineering vor – die Kunst, fachliche Anforderungen so in Test- und Evaluationsgerüste zu gießen, dass KI-Systeme darin verlässlich operieren können. Als Agentic Coding Engineer und AI Coach zeige ich auf, warum Fachlichkeit zur wichtigsten technischen Fähigkeit wird. Wenn die KI Code generiert oder “halluziniert”, ist das tiefe Verständnis der Domäne das einzige verlässliche Werkzeug zur Qualitätssicherung. Die Kernbotschaften: Problem-Definition als Hard-Skill: Warum die Fähigkeit, komplexe Fachlichkeit präzise einzufangen, das neue „Clean Code” ist. Harness Engineering statt Code-Fixing: Wie wir die Kontrolle behalten, indem wir das „Harnisch” (Evals & Guardrails) bauen, statt Zeile für Zeile zu reviewen. Shift Left zur Domäne: Warum Entwickler:innen 2026 mehr wie System-Architekten und Domänen-Experten denken müssen, um relevant zu bleiben. Lessons Learned vom AI Coach: Warum die größten Hürden dieser Transformation nicht technischer Natur sind, sondern im Mindset der „Lösungs-Produzenten” liegen. Dieser Vortrag ist ein Weckruf für alle, die Softwareentwicklung noch als Handwerk am Code verstehen – und ein Leitfaden für diejenigen, die bereit sind, die nächste Ebene der Abstraktion zu besetzen." **Hybrides Setup!** Wir freuen uns, euch bei uns in den Räumen der codecentric AG in Dortmund willkommen zu heißen. Vor Ort versorgen wir euch mit Snacks und Getränken und freuen uns gleichzeitig über interessante Diskussionen und einen guten Austausch. Für alle, die es nicht zu uns ins Office schaffen, werden wir das Meetup Hybrid durchführen. Der Stream beginnt ca. 10 Minuten später, damit wir vor Ort ausreichend Möglichkeit für persönliches Kennenlernen haben. Den Live-Stream findet ihr auf dem [YouTube-Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@codecentricAG) der codecentric AG. **Wichtig - Absage bitte rechtzeitig:** Wir bestellen das Essen bereits 3 Tage vor dem Meetup. Falls ihr doch verhindert sein solltet, bitten wir euch um eine rechtzeitige Absage. Das ist wichtig, damit wir nicht unnötig Essen verschwenden müssen. Vielen Dank für euer Verständnis! **Anreise:** Per Zug: Vom Dortmunder HBF sind es ca. 10 Minuten zu Fuß. Mit dem Auto: Rund um das Office gibt es einige Parkflächen, dazu befinden sich in dem Parkhaus der Thier-Galerie weitere Parkplätze.

**3D Workshop** * **Ontwerpen met Fusion360** * **Scannen in 3D** * **Het gebruik van 3D printers** **Je bent nu welkom in de nieuwe locatie NewTechPark** Je kunt ook online aan deze fysieke bijeenkomst deelnemen. De bijeenkomst is dan op de locatie te volgen. Als je [hier](w.j.put@hccnet.nl) vooraf een mailtje stuurt kun je dinsdagavond tussen 19.00 en 20.00 uur inloggen met Jitsi voor vragen, of ter kennismaking met hcc!3D. Online neem je deel aan de bijeenkomst met [https://wij.hcc.nl/3D](https://wij.hcc.nl/3D) [(Alleen toegang als je zichtbaar bent met voor- en achternaam. )](https://wij.hcc.nl/3d)

Is public speaking something you’ve always wanted to learn? Then you’ve come to the right place! Experience a safe and playful environment at U-Speak Toastmasters where you can develop your public speaking, communication, and leadership skills! ## **Welcome to U-Speak! Toastmasters** Join our vibrant community at U-Speak!, where internationals and Dutch locals from Utrecht and its surroundings come together. U-speak! Toastmasters is a welcoming, safe, supportive and playful environment where you can work on your public speaking, communication and leadership skills! ## **Discover our meeting experience** Curious about what happens during our meetings? Here’s a glimpse into a typical evening at U-Speak! Our gatherings feature a lineup of three prepared speeches, engaging evaluations and impromptu speaking sessions. At U-Speak!, every member gets their chance to shine. Whether you’re delivering a speech, providing feedback, or stepping up for impromptu speaking, our supportive environment ensures that everyone’s voice is heard and valued. * ⏰ Time: 19:15 - 21:30 (7.15pm to 9.30pm) Walkin at 19:15; Start of the meeting at 19:30 * 🌐 Venue: Room 8, Top Floor, Pub Florin, Utrecht * 🙋🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️Attendance: Typically, 15-20 people attend each meeting Many of our club members are not on Meetup, so the number of people attending as indicated here is not reflective of the actual number of people attending on a night. * 🙋🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ Guests are welcome; rsvp is encouraged

Join us for an evening of good vibes! Whether you’re a local or an expat, Mingle Mania is the perfect place to socialize and make friends or even to practice languages. 🤝🤼‍♂️💬🙋‍♂️🫂 👉 Join [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GopSuzuFKRBKeYVKQrX4pE](https://chat.whatsapp.com/GopSuzuFKRBKeYVKQrX4pE) The group has many regular members, we intend to do various type of events, the goal is to build a strong community for all sorts of activities. If you have an event idea that you would like to see happen, let us know. We generally have about 20 participants, the age is between 20 and 60 averaging somewhere around 30, language exchange is not strictly enforced, culture exchange happens naturally. **mingle** (verb, intransitive): to move among people and talk to them, especially at a social event. 📍 **What We Are:** * A diverse group of locals and expats * ...going out at least every Tuesday 😊 🆓 **Event Details:** * It is free to join and operated on a voluntary basis! * Please honor the bar by ordering at least one drink.

Hi Everyone, This is our weekly open hackerspace evening! Usually from 19:00 :-) Feel free to drop by, come and nerd with us! See this Tuesday! We're in room 126, ring the room number and we'll open the door. We're located on the first floor

Every Tuesday, the group 024 Waalrunners go for a run at a distance of between 7km - 10km depending on the group. Everyone is welcome to join, you just need to turn up at 20:00 on Tuesday in front of Cafe De Hemel. There are different routes every time, and the group welcome all new people to join them. [https://www.facebook.com/024waalrunners-710731759317504](https://www.facebook.com/024waalrunners-710731759317504)

Our sister company FrontValue is organizing a great meetup which might be of interest for you as well! Same location as you're used to. **RSVP via** https://www.meetup.com/frontvalue/events/314972778/ We are back with two great speakers! 💡 First on stage is **Bart Waardenburg**, the creator of the tool **Fallow.** His tool gained significant traction after it was discussed on the web development podcast Syntax. **Vibe Coding Doesn't Scale: Deterministic Tooling for Agentic Engineering** *AI Slop Is a Tooling Problem* Most AI coding fails in the same way. The model writes plausible code, but it has no deterministic way to check whether the change made the codebase better or worse. We compensate with prompts like "make no mistakes", "follow best practices", or "act like a senior engineer". In his talk, Bart shows where the line runs between AI slop and real agentic engineering. Using Fallow as the case study, he walks through how an agent calls deterministic codebase-quality checks through CLI, MCP, and agent hooks, so engineering standards live in the loop itself instead of in wishful prompts. The agent generates code, inspects the repository, detects dead code, duplication, complexity hotspots, and boundary violations, optionally combines that with runtime evidence, and uses those signals to refactor or self-correct before a human reviews the diff. The core idea is simple. The biggest productivity gains do not come from telling the model to be smarter. They come from giving it a better harness. For frontend teams, that is the difference between vibe coding and scalable, reviewable engineering. [https://fallow.tools/](https://fallow.tools/) 💡 After the break, we welcome **Sander van Surksum** on stage. Sander is a web performance specialist who works with global brands to build fast, stable and world-class digital experiences. **Vibe coding made the web sick. Now it can fix it.** Since ChatGPT went live in November 2022, the median mobile web page has been getting heavier three times as fast as before. AI didn't invent bloated front-end code; it learned from a "lost decade" of bad patterns and industrialized them. Sander follows the evidence: the public HTTPArchive data that marks the inflection point, and Alex Russell's *Performance Inequality Gap*, which asks the question most teams never do — **whose device are we actually testing on**? Spoiler: the bill isn't paid by the developer on a MacBook Pro and fibre. It's paid by the user on a €300 Android, 9 Mbps. The same code, two completely different realities. Today's median page is already bigger than the entire game DOOM. The talk ends with good news. The same AI that made the mess can help clean it up, once you give it eyes. We'll look at the 2025–2026 tooling (Chrome DevTools MCP, Google's Modern Web Guidance) that finally lets AI agents measure real performance and ship lighter code, and close on the one question every engineer should answer before their next prompt: **who are you building for**? **📍 Location** We welcome you to our office in Utrecht: Studio N in the Werkspoorkathedraal. The address is Tractieweg 41. We have plenty of free parking space available. We will have dinner ready for you at 18.00! **🕔 Agenda** **18:00** Walk in & food **18:30** First talk **19:30** Break **20:00** Second talk **21:00** Drinks & Bites Both talks are in English. RSVP now for an evening of learning and fun. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to learn and connect with our community of frontend developers!

Join the Dutch Outdoor and Hiking Group for a day hike and enjoy Beautiful shell path along the Lower Rhine and visiting De blauwe Kamer and hiking on the Grebbeberg * We **start at 11:00** from the train station in Rhenen https://maps.app.goo.gl/CrbeFtQPutUSYWFp7 * Length: \~18 km (4 - 5 hr hiking) * What to bring: lunch, water, snack. * For whom: As always, sporty folks that like to combine social event with being active in nature. **Getting there by Train:** * To train station in Rhenen. https://maps.app.goo.gl/CrbeFtQPutUSYWFp7 **Getting there by Car:** * Free Parking: Stationsplein, 3911 AP Rhenen https://maps.app.goo.gl/qVrH9pA5JK2prQPg9 **Note:** * Please **pay a small fee (3 euro)** to help us cover the (increased) yearly Meetup contribution of 240 euro. We'll ask you to pay before the start of the hike (can be on the day itself). No refunds, but in the unlikely event that hike would be cancelled and you already paid, you don't need to pay for your next hike. Thank you so much! Use the **safe link** here: https://www.ing.nl/payreq/m/?trxid=WrVKENccZiV4tdRSPrVbFG4WVyikUVQn * Keep in mind that the hike can be canceled when the weather is very bad (**always check the event before you go**). * If you RSVP 'yes' we expect you to show-up. Please do not cancel less than 24 hours before the hike. **No-shows** will lead to your removal from the group. Thanks for the understanding. * By signing up for this event, you agree to release the organizers from any responsibility and liability in all claims. As the participation is strictly voluntary and you freely choose to join, it is the responsibility of individuals participating to ensure that they are fit enough and have adequate coverage to protect themselves.

**We have limited space at the café, so if you've RSVPd and can't make it, please cancel as early as possible so another person can join!** Join in for a morning of crafting & chatting over a drink. Just bring your own project and payment for drinks. Meet fellow crafting enthusiasts, whether it's knitting, crocheting, stitching, origami, or something more unique! We talk about our projects, exchange tipps, but also just get to know each other and enjoy a relaxed Sunday morning in good company. We now also have a WhatsApp group, where we organise get-togethers and other events. Ask one of the organisers at the next Meetup you join for more information and access.

I'm excited to host the 24st edition of *Strangers to Friends*! Every event so far has been warm, fun and full of great connections. So we’re doing it again! Curious about our previous events? Check out our photo albums (only visible on the laptop version of Meetup). **What to expect** * A safe, relaxed environment to meet both locals and expats, whether you want to meet new people, experience an international atmosphere or talk about business, it’s all possible. * Start the evening with a few rounds of conversation cards: pair up with someone you don’t know, answer meaningful questions and rotate every 10 minutes. Within just one hour, you’ll get to know several people really well and enjoy meaningful conversations. * Everyone comes on their own, so it’s easy to connect. **Practical details** * Doors open at 20:00, after 30 minutes we start with conversation cards * Venue: Boekencafé Libertas, Klarendalseweg 477-1, Arnhem * 20 min walk from Arnhem Central * 7 min walk from Arnhem Velperpoort * You’ll receive 1 drink token for (beer/wine/soft drinks) and snacks all night! * Find us on the right side of the café at the bar, by the window and garden Bring a smile and join us for an evening where friendships grow, business ideas spark and real-life connections happen. Back to basics, away from screens, meeting face-to-face. Warm regards, Julia

*Please note: this meetup will be held in English.* In this first meet up, you will be shown a set of immersive artistic and design research experiments. Project Thuis conducts two years of artistic and design research into immersive experiences that place the body at the centre. The central question is: "How can immersive experiences in (semi-)public spaces contribute to a sense of connection, belonging, and 'feeling at home'? To explore this, a multidisciplinary consortium consisting of [Fillip Studios,](https://www.fillipstudios.com/) [affect lab,](https://www.affectlab.org/) [Introdans,](https://introdans.nl/) [Utrecht University,](https://www.uu.nl/staff/SPonzanesi) and the [Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences,](https://civicinteractiondesign.com/) has embarked on a creative journey together. Within the context of Project Thuis, this meetup will focus on artistic and design research forms applicable across various disciplines. **Programme:** 16:00 - 16:15: Opening 16:15 - 17:15: Interactive session 17:15 - 17:30: The role of the maker in the future of immersive experiences 17:30 - 18:00: Networking and drinks (including presence of [CIIIC](https://us2.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ciiic.nl%2F&xid=f4ced03a90&uid=2313462&iid=e62065ab18&pool=cts&v=2&c=1780312609&h=0b99fb0b79b5fe3d2625a4891bea9d8bc6ef045db3b8ee6ffe56d6cfc6e501c4)) Within the context of Project Thuis, this meetup will focus on experiments that you, as a maker, can use to conduct artistic and design research across various disciplines. *[This event marks the first in a series for Project Thuis (Home). Ontwerp Platform Arnhem has been invited to organise the meetups. We strongly endorse the importance of initiatives like this, and are highly committed to connecting designers with these themes and consortia](https://www.ciiic.nl/)***[.](https://www.ciiic.nl/)**

Bakery Walk: A Sunday Girls Stroll Let’s romanticize our Sundays in Amsterdam. ☕🥐 We’ll meet and start with a relaxed city walk for coffee & pastries. Between stops, we’ll: ✨ Mix & match conversation buddies ✨ Use fun conversation cards (no awkward small talk) ✨ Get our steps in (pastries taste better after walking 😉) Perfect for new expats and women looking to build genuine friendships in Amsterdam. Come solo. Leave with new connections Please note: everyone buys their own pastries & drinks at the bakeries. That way you can pick what you like best! **Join our WhatsApp group💕** https://chat.whatsapp.com/JFgvbHvRLoP5P9K3GtwGlU?mode=gi_t

Who says games are just for kids? Remember playing games when you're a kid with no need for a manual and no responsibiliies? That's what we're doing. Tag, Cops and Robbers, Ninja... Stir up the memories of what made you happy and bring that pure joy out. Sign up through this [1 question form.](https://forms.gle/XWHNG63iyzuumEon8) To make our inner child completely satisfied, we'll reward ourselves with a hangout and pancakes at Teahouse Rhijnauwen after! 💵 Price : Free 👝What to bring: water, sunscreen, comfortable shoes, an open mindset

Calling all Queer Families! Kinship Commons is hosting our first Queer family hang out! *Pride Month seems like a great time to find your people.* A casual space to meet other queer / trans families - who get it. Let the kids play, build community alongside each other or just rest and snack. Come for a little while or stay for the whole time. Come as you are or bring a snack to share. 20 June @ 2pm In an effort to keep us safe - Send a DM for location Official Language: English All ages and stages of family welcome! Happy Pride! ***Caring Community Agreements:*** *Kinship Commons gatherings are BIPOC centered, queer-affirming, family-friendly, community spaces built around care, mutual respect, and shared responsibility for the space.* *Many people who come to these spaces are navigating stress, burnout, grief, trauma, parenting, isolation, or major life transitions. We try to create spaces where people can arrive as they are, without needing to perform or explain themselves.* **Consent:** Please ask before hugging, touching, picking up children, taking photos, or sharing someone else’s story. No is a complete sentence. **Children:** Children are welcome in this space and are at the center of our ecosystem. We understand that children make noise, move around, and have big feelings - these are all normal ways to be a growing human. Adults are responsible for their own children, and as a community, we approach all children with patience and care rather than discipline or correction unless safety is involved. At one of our events, if you see a caregiver on their own with children that needs support, please offer a helping hand. **Photos and Social Media:** Please ask before taking photos that include other people or their children. Not everyone is safe being online. **Stepping Away:** You are always welcome to step outside, sit quietly, leave early, arrive late, or take space. You do not need to explain. **Food:** We come from many cultures and backgrounds where food is often the centerpiece of connection in community space. If food is shared, please label common allergens. People are welcome to bring their own separate food if they have dietary needs. **Access:** We try to choose spaces that are close to public transport + parking, accessible for strollers, mobility aids, and different body needs when possible. If you have a specific access need, please reach out ahead of time so we can meet your needs. **Conflict and Harm:** Community spaces are not perfect and misunderstandings happen. We approach conflict slowly, with conversation, curiosity and care, rather than public calling out or shaming. Accountability and repair are part of community. **Shared Responsibility:** This space exists because people help make it exist. This might look like helping set up, cleaning up, bringing snacks, sharing skills, checking in on someone, or simply showing up regularly. You are welcome here whether you are outgoing or quiet, whether you know many people or no one, whether you come once a year or every week. There are many ways to belong to a community.

**In a time of division and isolation, come be part of the community that's rebuilding the town square, one table at a time.** **This dinner in particular will be very special as we celebrate America's 250th birthday. How better to honor a semiquincentennial of democracy that spending an evening practicing it?** In BreadBreakers, we use the common space of the dining table to have conversations where neighbors can **hear, be heard, and know one another.** If you're hungry for good conversation and deeper community, join us for a Community Dinner in Reston and help blaze the trail to a healthier, more connected society and democracy. Here’s how it works: For just two hours, multiple tables of people set aside the need to "win" and instead focus on sharing, listening, and connecting. Guided by experienced table hosts, we'll tell our stories, try to understand each other, and practice being in community with those with different views or backgrounds. **At this dinner, participants will get to choose between three different topics, including some current events.** Topics range from the political, to the "slice of life", to the spiritual, to the philosophical, to the off-the-wall - but no matter which table you choose to sit at, you can be sure it'll be like no dinner conversation you've had before! You can also **suggest a topic** by emailing us at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com. Food will be provided for free. For those who wish to provide a donation to help fund BreadBreakers, you can [give here](https://pushpay.com/g/restorationrestonumc?fnd=pO6G-N7oO7FH7Mp1u-x6mA&fndv=Lock&r=No&lang=en&src=pcgl) or at the event. We'll have vegetarian and gluten-free options available. If you have any additional dietary restrictions (Celiac Disease, vegan, etc.) please let us know at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com so that we can implement the appropriate food handling procedures. **Join us, invite a friend, and be a part of the movement to mend our fractured society and normalize a better way of talking with one another.** BreadBreakers, an initiative by [Restoration United Methodist Church](https://restorationreston.org/breadbreakers) in Reston, VA, is a religiously inclusive community. We are a collaboration between people of all faiths and stripes. Our leadership, volunteer team, and community include people who attend Restoration and people who don't.

**\*\*\* Date Change - Thur June 18, 2026 @ 5pm\*\*** This place could not accomodate our large group on a Sat night, and we wanted to include everyone to this chill place! so the date changed. Hope to see you there. SSB Happy Hour isn’t just drinks, it’s where strangers become regulars and regulars become friends. Every HH, we’re building something simple but real: good people, great conversation, and a table that always has room for one more. Pull up. Feel the difference.

Join us at Crafthouse in Reston Town Center for Libertarian Happy Hour! Connect with fellow Libertarians in Northern Virginia and the wider DC area for good conversation, drinks, and food! We will have a reserved table at Crafthouse. Look for the LPNOVA sign. The Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia is your local affiliate of the national Libertarian Party. Since 1971, the Libertarian Party has been fighting for personal freedom, economic freedom, and peaceful foreign policy. We run candidates for office, advocate for liberty in our community through our presence at local fairs and festivals, and connect fellow DC area libertarians through events like these.

Socrates Cafés are gatherings around the world where people from different backgrounds get together and exchange thoughtful ideas and experiences while embracing the Socratic Method; the idea that we learn more when we question, and question with others. Although this may be considered a "philosophical" group, there are no rules as to what is discussed. Those attending decide upon the questions of the night. Usually, the topics revolve around social concerns, moral issues, and the first principles of things. Prior to each meeting we vote online for the questions we will discuss. That way, we will have enough time to ruminate on them and have more in-depth conversations. If you RSVP to a meeting, you may post your question in the event comments section below. I'll send out a survey for voting a few days prior to the meetup. We discuss two questions each night. So you will get to cast two votes in the survey. When we meet, we break into smaller groups of five to seven to discuss the top two vote-getters. Each group discusses one question for around 45-50 minutes, and we then take a short break. After reconvening, each group moves on to its second question. Hope to see you there! -Brian

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Can Artificial Intelligence ‘See’?”** A look at how humans and artificial intelligence systems interpret the visual world in fundamentally different ways, with Arryn Robbins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond and cognitive scientist who researches visual attention, perception, and category learning. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see) .] Artificial intelligence can now identify faces, categorize objects, describe scenes, and outperform humans on certain visual tasks. But does AI actually “see” the world the way that people do? Or does it arrive at correct answers using representations that differ markedly from human perception? Join Arryn Robbins of the University of Richmond for a fascinating exploration of how humans and AI construct meaning from visual information and a look at comparisons between human perception and AI that reveal just how dynamic and context-dependent our own visual systems really are. Dr. Robbins, who previously has given excellent Profs and Pints talks on flaws and biases in human visual perception, will draw from research in cognitive science, visual perception, and AI vision systems. She’ll explain how human perception is not merely a simple recording of the world, but an active process shaped by expectations, context, goals, and recent experience. You’ll learn how humans form flexible mental representations that allow us to recognize objects across changing environments and conditions, and why those representations continuously adapt as we interact with the world. Many AI systems, by contrast, learn visual categories through statistical patterns in data. They can produce impressive results, but sometimes they also produce strange and unexpected failures, and sometimes they classify images in ways that seem strange to us. Dr. Robbins will discuss what these differences reveal about the nature of perception itself, and why the mismatch between human and AI representations matters for technologies like self-driving cars, medical imaging, facial recognition, and automated surveillance. Important for anyone trying to understand the rapidly growing role of AI in daily life, this talk will explore one of the biggest questions in cognitive science and artificial intelligence: What does it actually mean to “see” and understand the world? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: “Eye Farm” by Nevit Dilmen (Wikimedia Commons).

Join us for a Friday evening of creative practice\* and cozy conversation! Please visit the group page for details on 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!

Join us for conversations that go beyond small talk, diving into topics like the shifting nature of spirituality, the challenges and joys of midlife transitions, the impact of culture and capitalism, and the search for meaning in art, travel, and daily life. Our gatherings are about genuine, thought-provoking dialogue, with no set leader or strict agenda—just an open space to share ideas, perspectives, and experiences that matter to us. The direction of the discussion is shaped by everyone who shows up, making each event unique and enriching. Come ready to share, reflect, and connect with others who are also seeking deeper conversations. Let the conversation flow from topic to topic. Optional questions are listed below.

Optional Questions: Life Stages & Transitions

1. What did you think you'd have figured out by now that you're still completely winging?
2. When did you realize your parents' advice was for a world that no longer exists?
3. What are you finally old enough to stop pretending to care about?

Optional Questions: Identity After the Roles

4. Who are you when nobody needs anything from you?
5. What dream keeps resurfacing even though the "practical" time has passed?
6. How do you handle having the freedom you always said you wanted?

Optional Questions: AI & Being Human

7. What human experiences will AI never truly understand?
8. If machines handled all your have-to's, what would you actually do?
9. What becomes more precious as everything becomes automated?

Optional Questions: Belief & Meaning

10. What certainties have you given up, and what rushed in to fill that space?
11. How has knowing someone who died changed how you live?
12. What do you believe now that would shock your younger self?

Optional Questions: The Modern Psyche

13. What anxiety do you carry that previous generations didn't have?
14. Which of your survival strategies are you ready to retire?
15. What uncomfortable truth about happiness did it take you years to accept?

Optional Questions: Work & Purpose

16. When did you stop believing that your job would complete you?
17. What would you do for work if money and status weren't factors?
18. How has your definition of "making it" changed over the years?

Optional Questions: Relationships & Connection

19. What relationship dynamic do you keep recreating, and why?
20. When did you realize your parents were just people trying their best?
21. What kind of loneliness doesn't go away even when you're with others?

Optional Questions: Time & Mortality

22. What are you running out of time to say or do?
23. How differently do you spend your time knowing it's finite?
24. What will you regret not trying, even if you fail?

Optional Questions: Society & Culture

25. What social convention do you follow even though it makes no sense?
26. Which generation do you understand least, and what might you be missing?
27. What aspect of how we live now will seem insane in 20 years?

Optional Questions: Personal Philosophy

28. What rule for life did you create after learning something the hard way?
29. When did you stop believing that everyone else had it figured out
30. What paradox about life have you learned to live with?