Free Software and Hardware

Hola good people, We are thrilled to announce our next GreeceJS meetup, happening on 18th of March, from 18:00 to 20:30, at a brand new venue in the center of Athens hosted by Yodeck! ⚠️ **Important:** This venue is new for our community and has a **capacity of 50 people**, so make sure to **secure your spot early**. 📍 **Location:** **Starttech Ventures — 1 Lykourgou Street, Athens 10551** Just a short walk from **Omonia Square**. Please note: the talks in this meetup will be conducted in **Greek (EL)**. Our speakers this time are **Thanos Karagiannis** and **Spiros Martzoukos**, two engineers with decades of combined experience across the JavaScript ecosystem, product engineering, and modern web architectures. Our event is proudly sponsored by **Yodeck** — a fast-growing SaaS company revolutionizing digital signage. As always, the event will be live-streamed via our YouTube channel, and we’ll be sharing the link in our Slack / Instagram, so make sure to join us there! We look forward to seeing you **@ Yodeck** 🎉 **Event Agenda** **18:00 – 18:30** **Networking & cold beverages** Come early, grab a drink, and meet the community! **18:30 – 19:15** **Thanos Karagiannis – “I Was Wrong About AI Coding” (EL)** **Staff Engineer at Causaly \| GreeceJS Co\-organizer** Thanos is a software engineer with 15+ years of experience, fluent across the JavaScript stack — from React frontends to Node.js services. He currently works as a Staff Engineer at Causaly, focusing on backend systems. He’s also a GreeceJS co-organizer. Outside of work, you’ll find him fueled by coffee and out on his bike. Most of us started with AI coding tools the same way — autocomplete, boilerplate, small refactors. Helpful, but not transformative. It was easy to be skeptical. But something shifted. This talk is a personal journey — from dismissing AI coding as “fancy autocomplete” to integrating it into real engineering workflows. Thanos will share what actually works, what doesn’t, and why the engineers who benefit most from AI aren’t the ones who write code faster, but the ones who make better decisions faster. **19:15 – 19:30** **A word from our sponsor: Yodeck** Yodeck is a fast-growing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company that is laser-focused on disrupting the $23B digital signage industry. Yodeck’s affordable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich solution has been developed to democratize digital signage and empower any and every business around the world. Yodeck was first introduced in 2016 and now powers over 220,000 screens across every type of business — from restaurants and retail stores to schools, stadiums, and conference halls. **[Check out their openings](https://2ly.link/25ysK)!** **19:45 – 20:30** **Spiros Martzoukos – Local-First Apps: Instant UX without the Spinner** Spiros Martzoukos is a Senior Product Engineer at Checkly with 20+ years of experience spanning full-stack engineering, product design, and product management. He has worked across startups and scale-ups including Contentful, Prisma, and Clerk, and is the founder of Makkuro, a next-gen project management tool for digital product teams. He is passionate about building lean, user-first products end-to-end — and making sure your AI apps work reliably well. In this talk, Spiros shows how local-first architecture can eliminate every spinner from your app, delivering instant sub-100ms interactions that feel like magic while dramatically reducing infrastructure costs. He will break down the seven principles behind this approach and share practical lessons about where it shines (B2B SaaS and productivity tools) and where today’s tooling still needs to mature. **21:00** **BeerJS 🍻** We’ll wrap up with informal chats over beers at a nearby place — details will be shared via **Slack**! **Venue Information** **Starttech Ventures** 1 Lykourgou Street, Athens 10551 **Doorbell:** 03# Starttech Ventures 🚨 **Important reminder:** The venue fits **50 attendees**, so please **RSVP early**. **Getting There** **By Metro** Take **Metro Line 1 (Green)** or **Line 2 (Red)** to **Omonia Station**. Exit toward **Panepistimiou / 3rd Septemvriou**. From the exit, it’s about a **2-minute walk**. **By Bus** Multiple bus lines stop at or near **Omonia Square**. From there, follow the short walking route to **Lykourgou Street**. **By Taxi** Ask to be dropped off at **“Lykourgou 1, near Omonia Square.”** Don't forget to **follow us on our socials** for more news about the event, updates, and prizes! 🎉

**☁️ AWS Community GameDay Europe is coming! ☁️** We will join \~**50 User Groups across Europe** for a unique event: an **international, synchronized AWS Community GameDay**, powered by the European AWS community. Join us for an intense evening combining learning, collaboration, and competition — get hands-on with **AI, security, and cloud-native** challenges — no slides, no tutorials. This large-scale, synchronized event is a unique opportunity to test your AWS skills in a fun, engaging, and hands-on environment. Come with a friend, a team, or solo - we’ll form teams of **2 to 4 people on site**. **🧩 What is an AWS GameDay?** An AWS GameDay is a gamified learning event where participants are challenged to use AWS solutions to solve real-world technical problems as a team. Unlike traditional workshops, GameDays are open-ended and non-prescriptive, giving participants the freedom to explore and think outside the box. **🔧** Practical information: * Teams: 2 to 4 players — come with your team, or we’ll form one on site * Equipment: **Your trusty laptop** (internet connection provided) * AWS account: Provided on-site, no personal account required * Game duration: Around 2 hours of competition between local and international teams * Timing: This is a synchronized international event connected via a shared live stream across all participating locations. To ensure a smooth experience, **the GameDay will start on time.** **🎯 Who is this for?** The event is open to anyone with a general knowledge of AWS — no expert level required! **🕒 Agenda** * 18:30 – 19:00: Arrival & team formation * 19:00 – 19:20: GameDay introduction on the stream * 19:20 – 21:30: Game play * 21:30 – 21:45: European closing ceremony — prizes for the top teams Check the participating User Groups here: [https://www.awsgameday.eu/](https://www.awsgameday.eu/) **🎥 Photo & video recordings** Please note that photos and recordings taken during the event may be used for future promotional purposes. We look forward to seeing many of you there! And of course there will be drinks and 🍺 and food 🍕 provided 😃 **Sponsors** Dialectica provides the food 🍕 and event venue. Dialectica is a global information services company that helps businesses access the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

Παρασκευή 20 Μαρτίου, από τις έξι το απόγευμα μέχρι αργά, σας περιμένουμε στο Μουσείο Μπενάκη της οδού Πειραιώς για καφέ και ατέλειωτο startup networking! Επί σκηνής θα βρεθούν: – Ο [Άγγελος Τσερέκλας](https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelos-tsereklas-zafeirakis-67823167/), Διευθύνων Σύμβουλος, θα παρουσιάσει την [Sotiria Technology](https://www.sotiria.tech/). H εταιρεία αναπτύσσει συστήματα υποθαλάσσιας νοημοσύνης για εφαρμογές εθνικής ασφάλειας, ωκεανογραφίας και γεωφυσικής. – Ο [Ελευθέριος Καραμπατσάκης](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekarabatsakis/), συνιδρυτής και CEO, θα παρουσιάσει την [PlugSecure](https://plugsecure.com/). Η εταιρεία, με αρχική χρηματοδότηση 720 χιλιάδων ευρώ, διασφαλίζει την λειτουργία κρίσιμων υποδομών ενέργειας έναντι κυβερνοαπειλών. – Οι [Αλέξανδρος Χριστοδουλάκης](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandros-christodoulakis/) και [Κωνσταντίνος Φαλιάγκας](https://www.linkedin.com/in/konstantinos-faliagkas/), συνιδρυτές, θα παρουσιάσουν την [Wealthyhood](https://wealthyhood.com/). Η εταιρεία, με συνολική χρηματοδότηση 10 εκ. ευρώ, παρέχει μια πρωτοποριακή επενδυτική εφαρμογή που καθιστά τις χρηματοοικονομικές επενδύσεις εύκολες και προσιτές για όλους. Η προσέλευση ξεκινά στις 6 το απόγευμα, για καφέ και catchup στο μπαρ του Μουσείου Μπενάκη, Πειραιώς 138. Οι παρουσιάσεις στο αμφιθέατρο ξεκινούν στις 7. Αμέσως μετά, επιστρέφουμε στο μπαρ για networking ως αργά. Η είσοδος είναι δωρεάν και ελεύθερη για κάθε ενδιαφερόμενο. Μπορείτε να δηλώσετε τη συμμετοχή σας και να δείτε τη λίστα συμμετεχόντων εδώ & [εδώ](https://www.linkedin.com/events/7435243238082551808/). Συνδεθείτε από πριν με άλλους που θα είναι εκεί! Από το 2007 έως σήμερα, το Open Coffee έχει καθιερωθεί ως το σημείο συνάντησης της startup κοινότητας. Κάθε μήνα, entrepreneurs και startup enthusiasts ανανεώνουν το ραντεβού τους με σκοπό να γνωριστούν, να ανταλλάξουν εμπειρίες και επαφές, εν τέλει να συνεργαστούν στην επόμενή τους προσπάθεια. Πείτε το στους φίλους σας και να είστε εκεί!

🎲✨ Your next favorite person might be one game night away. ✨🎲 Athens people, join us every Tuesday at 8PM at Yellow Square Athens. Whether you’re new in town or a seasoned local, this is your midweek reset — laughter, easygoing vibes, and board games for every level (no experience needed). 🎯 Tons of fun games 🍹 Drinks & tasty bites 🌍 An international crowd 😄 Guaranteed good energy Come solo or bring a friend — either way, you’ll leave with more than you came with. See you on there. ♟️✨ #AthensExpats #BoardGameNight #MeetNewFriends #ExpatLifeGreece #FunInAthens #GameOn

🗓️ Το **Causal Data Science Meetup της Αθήνας** σας περιμένει στις **19 Μαρτίου, 7:00 μμ** για την 6η συνάντησή του! Καλεσμένος μας ο **[Christos Diou](https://diou.github.io/)**, ο οποίος θα μας μιλήσει για **"Causal Representation Learning: From Pattern Matching to World Models"**. Στην ομιλία αυτή θα δούμε πώς το representation learning μπορεί να εμπλουτιστεί με αιτιώδη δομή. Μέσα από τη θεμελιώδη αρχή των ανεξάρτητων αιτιωδών μηχανισμών και αναφορές σε καθοριστικές εργασίες του πεδίου, θα παρακολουθήσουμε την εξέλιξη του causal representation learning από θεωρητική ιδέα σε ενεργό ερευνητικό ρεύμα που επηρεάζει τη σύγχρονη μηχανική μάθηση. Θα γίνει επίσης μια εισαγωγή στη νέα βιβλιογραφία των *world models*, που στοχεύει σε συστήματα AI ικανά όχι απλώς να προβλέπουν, αλλά να προσομοιώνουν και να συλλογίζονται για το πώς αλλάζει ο κόσμος. Το event θα περιέχει Q&A, networking και τα σχετικά συνοδευτικά. Ραντεβού **στο Impact Hub την Πέμπτη 19 Μαρτίου** στις **7:00 μμ**. Ευχαριστούμε για την υποστήριξη την **Plum**, την **Intelligencia AI** καθώς και το **κέντρο Beyond του Εθνικού Αστεροσκοπείου Αθηνών**. 🚀 Κάνε **RSVP** και μη χάσεις την ευκαιρία να βρεθείς στην 5η συνάντηση της Causal Data Science κοινότητας της Αθήνας! Η πλήρης περιγραφή της ομιλίας στα Αγγλικά: *Modern AI systems have become remarkably good at recognizing patterns, however statistical pattern matching alone is not enough to build systems that are robust, generalizable, or capable of reasoning about cause and effect. In this talk, we explore how representation learning, which aims to equip machines with structured internal models of their inputs, can be enriched with causal structure to produce more reliable and interpretable AI. We will begin with an introduction to representation learning and its limitations, then examine how incorporating the principle of independent causal mechanisms changes the way models represent and respond to their environment. Drawing on landmark papers in the field, we will trace how causal representation learning has evolved from a theoretical idea into a practical framework shaping modern machine learning research. We will also touch on the recently emerging world model literature, which envisions AI systems that go beyond reactive prediction to simulate and reason about how the world changes. The talk concludes with a forward-looking discussion of where this field is headed and what it may mean for the future of reliable, trustworthy AI.*

🎲✨ Your next favorite person might be one game night away. ✨🎲 Athens people, join us every Tuesday at 8PM at Yellow Square Athens. Whether you’re new in town or a seasoned local, this is your midweek reset — laughter, easygoing vibes, and board games for every level (no experience needed). 🎯 Tons of fun games 🍹 Drinks & tasty bites 🌍 An international crowd 😄 Guaranteed good energy Come solo or bring a friend — either way, you’ll leave with more than you came with. See you on there. ♟️✨ #AthensExpats #BoardGameNight #MeetNewFriends #ExpatLifeGreece #FunInAthens #GameOn

**Join our 381st Club meeting**! Improve your communication skills! Overcome your fear of public speaking! Experience the incredible journey of Toastmasters! Together, we will practice our public speaking and communication skills in an open, fun, and friendly environment! We meet Tuesdays, alternating between English-speaking and Greek-speaking meetings. This meeting will be held in **English**. Please arrive at 18:45 to ensure the meeting will start promptly at 19:00. **Guests**: Always welcomed! Simply RSVP here and attend! In 2024, Toastmasters International celebrated 100 years of self-paced, peer-assisted education and training in public speaking and leadership skills! Join our meeting and find out how to become a confident speaker!

Join us for an engaging panel discussion on **AI Agentic Coding** and how autonomous AI systems are transforming the way software is built. Experts in AI, software engineering, and developer tools will share insights on how agentic AI—systems that can plan, reason, and execute coding tasks—is reshaping modern development workflows. The discussion will cover topics such as AI-assisted development, productivity gains, challenges around reliability and governance, and what the future of software engineering may look like with AI agents as collaborators. Whether you’re a developer, tech leader, or AI enthusiast, this session is a great opportunity to learn, ask questions, and explore how agentic AI is redefining coding

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBA

**Presenter:** All of Us **Time:** Pizza at 6:00, Presentation Starts at 6:30pm Eastern **Location:** Theoris, 9000 Keystone Crossing, Suite 230, Indianapolis Let's have a fishbowl discussion about AI. Has it replaced you yet? Have you replaced it? Somewhere in between? How is AI impacting your career as a software engineer? Looking forward to seeing you there! ### What is a Fishbowl Discussion? [A ](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=00b4b265baa395dc4ad7b262d4d6e3b7b7c31b2195941076e51d2eca252c2d02JmltdHM9MTc2MjgxOTIwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=0e60c23d-2dbf-642d-0fd7-d4512c2b6597&psq=fishbowl+discussion&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvRmlzaGJvd2xfKGNvbnZlcnNhdGlvbik&ntb=1)**[fishbowl discussion](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=00b4b265baa395dc4ad7b262d4d6e3b7b7c31b2195941076e51d2eca252c2d02JmltdHM9MTc2MjgxOTIwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=0e60c23d-2dbf-642d-0fd7-d4512c2b6597&psq=fishbowl+discussion&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvRmlzaGJvd2xfKGNvbnZlcnNhdGlvbik&ntb=1)**[ is a structured format for dialogue that typically involves two groups: an inner circle (the "fishbowl") and an outer circle. The inner circle consists of a small number of participants who actively discuss a topic, while those in the outer circle listen and observe. This format encourages participation from all members, as individuals from the outer circle can join the inner circle by taking an empty seat when they wish to contribute.](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=00b4b265baa395dc4ad7b262d4d6e3b7b7c31b2195941076e51d2eca252c2d02JmltdHM9MTc2MjgxOTIwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=0e60c23d-2dbf-642d-0fd7-d4512c2b6597&psq=fishbowl+discussion&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvRmlzaGJvd2xfKGNvbnZlcnNhdGlvbik&ntb=1)

Discover Kiro, AWS’s innovative development environment that adapts to your workflow. Whether you prefer specification-driven development or a more intuitive, vibe-based approach, Kiro empowers you to build applications your way. In this session, speakers will explore Kiro’s core functionality and its evolution through re:Invent 2025, along with demonstrations of prompts used to create APIs, hooks, and steering documents. In the latter part of the session, watch as we build a complete example from scratch, showcasing Kiro’s agentic AI workflow in action for spec-driven development and vibe coding. What You'll Learn - Core Kiro concepts and development philosophy Feature evolution: pre and post re:Invent 2025 Practical examples: API creation, hooks, and steering docs Live coding demonstration with real-time problem solving Who Should Attend - Developers, solutions architects, and technical leaders interested in modern AWS development tools and AI-assisted coding workflows. **Speakers Bio:** Matthew Jorat: Matthew Jorat is a Customer Solutions Manager at AWS with nearly three decades of expertise in AI, cloud transformation, migration, modernization, IT, technology, and business. His career spans infrastructure engineer, solutions architect, security auditor, customer success director, support and services director, and operations officer. He was an early adopter of AWS services as a customer, and his current role at AWS uniquely blends his technical and business skills as he partners with executive teams to translate strategic priorities into measurable business outcomes through cloud adoption, AI implementation, and operational excellence. Matt leads end-to-end AI initiatives for enterprise customers, identifying high-impact use cases and maintaining relentless focus on measurable ROI. He holds eight AWS certifications and serves as Adjunct Professor at Franklin University teaching cloud computing and AWS architecture. His expertise encompasses GenAI, agentic AI systems, migration, modernization, and optimization strategies that drive transformation at scale. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/) Girish Bhatia: Girish Bhatia is a seasoned technology delivery leader with deep expertise in cross-domain program management. He holds multiple AWS certifications, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Generative AI Practitioner, and is also an AWS Community Builder. Girish brings over two decades of experience in the information technology industry. Throughout his career, Girish has led major technology-driven business transformation from modernizing on-premises applications to driving large-scale cloud migrations. His work includes API-based integration platforms, data-center and mainframe modernization, and enterprise cloud adoption initiatives. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Girish works at a tech-forward fintech company. He is passionate about AWS serverless architectures, Generative AI and emerging cloud technologies. An avid learner and builder, he continues to explore and apply the latest innovations in AWS to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/[https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/) **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

The emotional pain from past bad experiences easily lingers in the present, making it hard to enjoy life and create your future. Even when you think you've moved on, the negative emotions can be triggered, sending you back into the pain of that experience. And we are talking about pain; emotions such as grief, depression, anxiety, fear (or terror), boiling anger, simmering resentment, feelings of shame, blaming and regret can leave you incapacitated to a greater or lesser degree. In this local event we will be discussing the reasons why these past bad experiences have the power to affect you long after they occurred. We'll go over why the emotional pain can be so strong. We'll also discuss some simple solutions to overcome your emotional pain and be free to fully enjoy your life again. Examples of painful experiences include: * A broken relationship or divorce. * Death or loss of a loved one. * Death of a pet. * A sudden shock or bad news. * A betrayal. * Being part of an abusive relationship. * A bad injustice. * Loss of a job, position or business. * A grave illness or injury. The negative emotions from these experiences don't just go away on their own. But the good news is there is a way to clear them out of your way. Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. This group is sponsored the Dianetics & Scientology Self-Improvement Center.

**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). Topic: Type Annotations with John Cassidy 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 Central OH Python at centralohpython@gmail.com