Software QA and Testing

Hi and welcome to 2026 and .NET Skåne again! This time we have the pleasure of inviting you to Turbine Studios at Malmö central station for yet another inspiring evening! This event is free to attend and there will be free drinks and food. We hope to see you there! **IMPORTANT:** If you have signed up to the event but can't make for some reason please cancel your spot in good time before the event so the spot is free for someone else to attend. **Agenda:** **How to build an engineering team using spec driven development** (Fredrik Hansson) In this session we’ll look at Spec-Driven Development and what it means for building teams in an AI-first world. In Spec-Driven Development, the spec is the main artifact: it makes intent, constraints, interfaces, and “done” explicit so implementation becomes predictable and reviewable. With AI in the loop, this matters even more - AI is only as good as the instructions we give it, and the spec becomes the contract between humans and code generation. **.NET API with Gen AI-prompted data in the real world** (Aimen Goitom) GenAI is everywhere right now… and with that comes a lot of noise. Around 95% of AI startups fail, but that’s not a reason to stay on the sidelines. It’s a signal that this is the right time to understand the technology, separate hype from value, and explore what actually works in real systems. In this session, I’ll share lessons from a recent real-world project at a client, focusing on how GenAI can be integrated into a traditional .NET API without overcomplicating things. We’ll look at two concrete and highly practical use cases: data matching and data enrichment. Each use case is demonstrated with a simple, relatable demo inspired by real production scenarios. You don’t need any prior experience with GenAI-APIs. This talk is designed to be accessible, pragmatic, and developer-focused. Along the way, we’ll explore some core behaviors and trade-offs of popular GenAI-APIs, and hopefully we’ll also have time to discuss where they fit (and where they don’t) in everyday backend development. **Making State Change Decisions** (Per Ökvist) As a follow-up to Pers previous session on deciders, we’ll dive deeper into how decisions about state changes are made. This talk explores collaborative state, concurrency, consistency, and constraints—along with the boundaries that shape these interactions. We’ll discuss practical ways to reason about data when making decisions, and how these concepts influence system design and reliability. **About the speakers:** [Fredrik Hansson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrikha/) (Turbine Studios) Fredrik is a technical visionary and serial entrepreneur with over two decades of experience building products, platforms, and companies. He has held roles such as CTO, Product Manager, and Solution Architect, and has co-founded several successful companies in software and digital services. His strength lies in combining deep technical expertise with strong leadership and the ability to build high-performing teams. [Aimen Goitom](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimengoitom/) (Turbine Studios) Aimen is a well-rounded software developer with over a decade of experience building and delivering production systems, primarily in .NET backend development. Since starting his career, he has worked across a wide range of domains including frontend development, Azure cloud solutions, data analysis, and data engineering using Databricks. [Per Ökvist ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/perokvist)(Forefront consulting) Per Ökvist is a technical architect consultant with Forefront consulting, based in Malmö. Focusing on Azure and event driven systems, Interested in collaborative software design and modeling, along with the overlap/collaboration withing the software cycle as product, platform, data and AI. **Host:** Our host of this evening is Turbine Studios. Turbine Studios is a technology consulting company based in Malmö, built for senior consultants who want to focus on lasting impact rather than short-term engagements without taking on unnecessary individual risk. Turbine exists for consultants who want to focus on their craft, be part of a shared context, and build something that lasts — together Join our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/w3gtJPjHUu) or our [GitHub repo](https://github.com/dotnetskane).

After lively discussions about bleak things, we were hungry for some brain candy and thus picked the book that seemed to be most cheerful. It's good to take a break from the mundane misery now and then - especially during festive holidays. We all know that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy - and I think we needn't fear the proverb saying that all play and no work makes Jack a mere toy. This is a cozy mystery that also wants to shed some light on generational differences and how tough it is to be a twenty-something today. I think that we have not read many thrillers/detective stories in this book club, so I'm sure we'll have some fun discussions after having realized how starved we've been for these! Goodreads sells the book as follows: \`\`A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery. Olivia Blunt doesn't want to be an assistant detective for the rest of her life. She's determined to learn everything she can from her mentor and renowned investigator, Aubrey Merritt, but the latter is no easy grader. After weeks of fielding phone calls from parties desperate for the world-renowned detective’s help, a case comes across Olivia’s desk that just might be worthy of Merritt’s skills. On the evening of her sixty-fifth birthday party, Victoria Summersworth somehow fell over her balcony railing to her death on the rocky shore of Lake Champlain. She was a happy woman—rich, beloved, in love, and matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family. The police have ruled it a suicide, but her daughter Haley thinks it was murder. Merritt is ever the skeptic, but Olivia believes Haley. Plus, she’s desperate to prove her investigative skills to her aloof boss. But the Summersworth family drama is a complicated web. Olivia realizes she might be in over her head with this whole detective thing... or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one she’d started with.\`\` The hardcover book, published by Barkler, is 400 pages, while the audiobook, published by Penguin Audio, is four minutes short of twelve hours. Marry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fulfillment. Joy. – Do you know what it is? Do you feel it now? Many of us are living lives that have “just sort of happened”. We had a dream, a vision (maybe we still do) for what we wanted our lives to look like. Somewhere along the way, life took over and something else ended up happening. We made decisions, took a turn down a path, and now our life isn’t what we thought it would be. Or we’re living someone else’s life. Maybe it’s what our parent’s wanted for us. What we believe our partner or a potential partner might want. Or maybe it’s what we believe we need to do and have to be happy. I was one of these people. My life checked all the boxes for what I thought I needed in order to be happy. And still, I wasn’t. Join me for a coffee talk on what it means to live a Life By Design. Where your choices are deliberate and based on your authentic, true self. What you have to let go off to achieve this (hint: the notion that vulnerability is a weakness and feelings of fear and guilt) and who you will become in the process.

**Co-working for writers in Amager!** Join us for an hour of focused writing time. All writers and all experience levels are welcome and don’t worry, no one will see what you've written. This session is about getting your writing done and meeting other writers in the area. We meet in this lovely spacious café, chilled out, usually not very busy at this time, with an on-site bakery of delicious pastries. Once everyone is here and settled, I will lead a quick introduction, and then set the timer for our quiet and focused writing session. After the hour is up feel free to chat / take off / keep writing if you're on a roll. We often talk about our successes and challenges as writers, and it can be a great way to learn from eachother. **A note about the format** We don’t host critiques or readings. These events are a safe space for writers of all skill levels and genres to work on their craft, so no one will read or critique your writing. For our full event schedule, visit [https://shutupwrite.com](https://shutupwrite.com) **Practical Details:** WiFi name / password: Kasada / haveaniceday Travel / Parking info: Kasada is just a few minutes walk from Lergravsparken Metro Station. We will usually be at the (only) round table, with power outlets if you need one. Venue Guidelines: Please thank our hosts by purchasing something.

Hello

**Guests: Registration on email is required before attendance** Guests are most welcome to join our meetings, but attendance must be registered by email to [copenhagen@toastmasters.dk.](http://copenhagen@toastmasters.dk.%2A%2A/) Please come 10 minutes before the meeting start. We start at exactly 18:00. Welcome to ***Copenhagen Toastmasters Club*** Looking to improve your speaking and communication skills? Ignite your career? Gain the confidence to speak up? You’ve come to the right place. **Our meetings for 2026** • Wk 2: 6. jan. • Wk 4: 20. jan. • Wk 6: 3. feb. • Wk 8: 17. feb. • Wk 10: 3. mar. • Wk 12: 17. mar. • Wk 15: 7. april • Wk 17: 21. april • Wk 19: 5. may • Wk 21: 19. may • Wk 23 2. jun. • Wk 25 16. jun. **Our history** The *Copenhagen Toastmasters Club* was established in June 1996 by a group of dedicated people. We are the first Toastmasters club in Denmark. We are part of the Toastmasters International which is a nonprofit organisation that helps people to improve public speaking. **Our goals** *Copenhagen Toastmasters Club* will give you the skills and confidence you need to express yourself effectively in any situation. Toastmasters is the most efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication skills. You'll learn how to: * Formulate and express your ideas effectively * Be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations * Improve your one-on-one dealings with others At *Copenhagen Toastmasters Club*, you'll get to practice your skills by organising and conducting meetings and motivating others to help you. Become a better negotiator. Gain trust. Inspire your team. **Want to know more about *Copenhagen Toastmasters Club*?** [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CopenhagenToastmasters) , [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/2480522/admin/dashboard/) [Toastmasters International - global network](https://www.toastmasters.org/)

**Important:** This event will happen in real life in Copenhagen. **Venue:** Saga (boat), Havnegade 31Z – Kajplads 140, 1058 København K, [sagaboat.dk](https://sagaboat.dk) **Scaling in the Real World** *What the Playbooks Don’t Tell You* Real stories, messy trade-offs, and scaling lessons you won’t find in a framework. Most talks about scaling sound the same: clean diagrams, neat playbooks, and tidy case studies. This meetup is about everything that doesn’t fit on the slide. We’ll hear from product leaders who have scaled teams, products, and customers in the real world—with all the chaos, contradictions, and uncomfortable decisions that come with it. Expect candid stories about what actually broke as things grew: processes that didn’t survive contact with reality, “best practices” that backfired, and the trade-offs they’d make differently today. You’ll walk away with concrete, experience-based tactics you can apply in your own company right now: * How scaling really feels from the inside (not just in diagrams) * What to do when bigger customers and bigger teams pull you in different directions * How to choose which fires to fight, and which chaos you can live with * Where popular scaling advice misleads—and how to adapt it to your context Come if you’re in the middle of scaling, about to hit that stage, or just tired of polished stories that skip the hard parts. We will have two exciting speakers lined up, each offering a unique perspective on scaling products teams and surviving it. Speakers are: 1. **Morten Lundsby Jensen** – This Is Fine: Scaling through new stages of chaos Morten’s experience at Zendesk, Google, and major silicon valley companies – and now in Denmark working for Syndicate – has given him a front-row seat to the chaos behind scaling. Morten will unpack the gap between theory and reality, and talk about what really happens when growth leads to bigger customers, larger teams, and brand new problems. 2. **Pernille Trolle Brøgaard** \- Scaling Without Breaking Your Teams In this talk, Pernille shares concrete stories from leading product organisations through a major platform migration, acquisitions, and cross-market scaling — including the deliberate choice to accept a traffic drop on dba.dk to enable a more scalable future. She walks through how the org handled tension between teams and stakeholders, big differences in team maturity, and the constant pull between short-term delivery and long-term sustainability. Rather than theory or playbooks, this session focuses on practical decisions, real constraints, and what the teams actually did when things got difficult. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or a team member navigating high-speed product environments, this event will offer grounded, real-world insights into what it takes to succeed under pressure. Join us at **Product Loop** for an evening of honest talks, practical takeaways, and good conversations with fellow product and design professionals. The event is powered by [Learning Loop](https://learningloop.io/). Sponsored by [syndicate.dk](https://www.syndicate.dk/) – the only real product coaching company. **AGENDA:** * Intro (and who’s participating) * **Morten Lundsby Jensen** – This Is Fine: Scaling through new stages of chaos * Beer break * **Second speaker** * More Networking * Thanks for tonight **Keywords:** leadership, scaling, delivery focus, strategy shift, team alignment, sustainable pace, resilience, team topologies, product operating model, productivity, team collaboration, rapid prototyping, venture studios

**Wars, AI, Civilizations, and Competing Visions of Life...** We’re entering an era defined by a single, uneasy question: *who shapes the future of the world?* The rivalry between the United States and China is no longer just about trade or territory. It’s about technology, artificial intelligence, power—and, beneath it all, very different ideas about what a good life and a good society actually are. This is not a military briefing or a policy debate. It’s a philosophical conversation about what this global confrontation really means for humanity. *** **Topics we’ll touch on:** * Is this a new Cold War—or something fundamentally different? * AI as a strategic weapon: dominance, surveillance, autonomy, and control * Freedom vs stability: individual rights or collective order? * Can technology replace ideology—or does it secretly *become* ideology? * Is war becoming more likely, or just more invisible? * What do these two worldviews say about human nature, meaning, and purpose? * And ultimately… what kind of future are we drifting toward—and which one do we *want*? Casual discussion. No expertise required. Just curiosity, reflection, and a willingness to think beyond headlines and slogans. Whether you feel anxious, fascinated, skeptical, or conflicted—you’re not alone. Let’s look past the superpowers—and ask what kind of world they are quietly building for all of us.

Join us for an exciting evening at GDG Cloud Copenhagen's next event! We will be hosting two talks. Fake Data Generation: Speaker: Mike Williamson, Data Architect at Cellpoint Digital Title: Stop Using “Hello World” Data: Generate Data Directly from your Schemas Synopsis: Mike has made an open source tool to create fake data from protocol buffer schemas. He will walk through the purpose, a few examples of how to do it with different schemas, and interactively show the audience how to install it and do the same, if they wish. Vertex AI: Speaker: Yannis Mageiras, Analytics Engineer at Dreamdata Title: Automated Job Title Classification Using Multilingual Embeddings and Vertex AI Synopsis: Yannis will walk us through a machine learning pipeline that automatically classifies job titles into 26 role categories using multilingual text embeddings and logistic regression, deployed on Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform for scalable training and batch prediction. We will start at 16:00 and have dinner (Indian food) and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) in between the two talks. We will finish at 19:00. Agenda --- Speakers Mike Williamson - Cellpoint Digital (Data Architect) I will fill this in later Yannis Mageiras - Dreamdata (Analytics Engineer) Fill in later Hosted By Rubén Blázquez Cob, GDG Organizer Michael Williamson, Data Architect I'll add more. Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-cloud-copenhagen-presents-deep-dives-into-vertex-ai-and-fake-data-generation/.

**Hello everyone**, Join us for the January edition of CopenhagenJS, hosted by Famly! Kick off the new year with fellow JavaScript enthusiasts for an evening of great talks, networking, and community. **\#\# Schedule**: 17:00 Doors open 17:30 Welcome 17:45 **Alexey Taktarov - Let's Build a Vibe-Coding Agent!** 18:15 Break with food and drinks 19:00 **Returns Undefined - Michail Roditis** 19:30 Group photo 19:30 Raffle 19:50 Socialising - Meet the community 21:00 See you next time! **\#\# About CopenhagenJS** CopenhagenJS is a community group in Copenhagen for all JavaScript developers. We get together and share things we work on and like. We talk about various technologies that we either use daily or aspire to use. **\#\# Want to Present?** CopenhagenJS is for and by the community, so you are more than welcome to discuss topics that interest you. We will assist you with your speaking if you are new or have any difficulties. You can contact us by sending a private message or commenting here on meetup.com, or on any social network where you can find us. **Stay Connected** Follow us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/copenhagenjs/) **We're looking forward to seeing you at the event!** Best regards, Islam, Jonathan, Gojko and Svetlana

**IMPORTANT:** This event is free, but you need to register here so we can provide access to the space: https://forms.gle/MwT2n74STmdTV6im7 Join the UXDX Copenhagen community for an evening exploring how design, product, UX and engineering choices shape the world we build. This event brings together two thought provoking talks on the political dimensions of UX and the human qualities that differentiate us in a tech driven era. ## **✨ Talks** ### **UX is Always Political** **Cecilia Fernández – Product Manager, Mastercard** Every button placement, every default and every so called intuitive flow carries an opinion. UX is rarely neutral. Cecilia will break down the hidden power structures behind everyday design decisions, from bias in AI interfaces to dark patterns that influence behaviour. You will walk away with a sharper lens on how design can empower or exclude and how to create more ethical, inclusive digital experiences. ### **Today I Experienced Something I Hope to Understand in a Few Days** **Caroline Ardvisson – Design Leader** Caroline explores what it means to stay human in a world increasingly shaped by technology. Drawing on her work and cultural references including Jørgen Leth’s *The Perfect Human*, she reflects on the analogue, emotional and interpretive aspects of being human that machines cannot replicate. The talk offers a grounded, optimistic view of the future of design and the enduring qualities that set us apart. ## **📅 Agenda** **16:45 – 17:20** Registration and welcome **17:20 – 17:30** Introduction from the UXDX Ambassador- Tasha Melchior **17:30 – 18:15** UX is Always Political – Cecilia Fernández **18:15 – 19:00** Today I Experienced Something I Hope to Understand in a Few Days – Caroline Ardvisson **19:00 – 19:30** Networking and close ## **About UXDX** UXDX helps teams shift from project based delivery to empowered, autonomous product teams. We host global conferences and over 150 free community events each year, bringing together UX, Product, Design and Development practitioners to share how real teams build better products faster.

​Creative AI is moving fast - the real challenge is no longer what's possible, but how to move from pilots to production-ready workflows that meet enterprise demands for quality, governance, and compliance. ​Join Virtuall and Engage Studios for a hands-on session exploring how Creative AI is being implemented inside organizations today: what works, what breaks at scale, and how teams navigate real-world constraints. ​**What you'll take away:** * ​How leading brands move Creative AI beyond experimentation * ​Where teams get stuck when scaling * ​Hands-on experience testing real use cases with Virtuall's platform * ​Clear next steps for your organization ​**Agenda:** 11:00 Arrival & Lunch \| 11:30 Introduction \| 11:40 Panel: Moving to Organizational Scale *(speakers announced in January)* \| 12:10 Hands\-On Testing & Use Case Exploration \| 12:50 Debrief \| 13:00 Event ends ​💻 Bring your laptop 🍽️ Lunch included ​**For:** Creative directors, content creators, marketing specialists, and visualization leads

Join us when Jakob Schmid takes us through the audio of antique video games. The early years of video games, the 1970s and 1980s, were an era of intense innovation in game hardware and software. Jakob always had a particular fondness for the games of this era, and has often used them as inspiration for his own projects. For instance, the 1981 arcade game Defender was a big inspiration for the music and sound of COCOON. Together, we will look at a selection of these video game antiques, from the time when sound effects, ambience, voice synthesis, and interactive and adaptive music were first invented for the medium. The implementation techniques were varied and unique - sound was produced from custom audio chips, software synthesis, discrete hardware components, cassette tapes, or even mechanical percussive devices. We will pick out a few examples of these techniques and go a little deeper into how they work. We hope the talk will inspire you to look at the earliest video games with new eyes - as inspiration for your future work. **Where:** Unity, Niels Hemmingsens Gade 24, 1153 Copenhagen **When:** Thursday, January 21st 2026, 18.30 – 21.30 **Schedule:** 18:00: Entrance with complimentary snacks and drinks 18:30: Presentation by Jakob Schmid 19.30: Break 19.45: Q&A 20:30: Drinks & mingle 21:00: Thank you for tonight. Voluntary afterparty at Wessels Kro This event is arranged by Game Audio Denmark & hosted by [Daniel Nielsen ](http://www.gminorscale.com)and [Nikolaj de Haan](http://audiobits.pro) Check out other events by [Game Audio Denmark](http://www.gameaudiodenmark.dk)

HYBRID EVENT, VIRTUAL SPEAKER In this talk, Sean Hoar will explore the transformative journey of AI’s role in modern software engineering, from rapid prototyping (“Vibe Coding”) to strategic AI integration by skilled practitioners. It clarifies the distinctions between AI-assisted, AI-enabled, and practitioner-led approaches, offering insights into how developers can effectively adapt to and harness AI tools. The presentation also highlights recent advancements and practical strategies for leveraging AI in daily workflows and long-term development.

**The Test Tribe 2nd Washington Meetup – Designing a Modern QA Organization: Structure, Skills, and Shared Ownership** AI is accelerating software delivery at an unprecedented pace-but speed without structure introduces serious risk. In today’s landscape, the traditional “testing bottleneck” isn’t just a delay-it’s a business liability. This session explores how Quality Engineering must evolve from a siloed function into a strategic, distributed capability-one that balances rapid AI adoption with strong human oversight. Moving beyond basic automation, this talk introduces the concept of Distributed Quality Governance, where quality becomes a shared responsibility across engineering, product, and leadership. Expect a practical, leadership-focused discussion that cuts through AI hype and addresses the real challenges of testing complex, AI-assisted systems-while ensuring accountability, trust, and long-term resilience. **Event Details** * **Date: 21st January 2026 (Wednesday)** * **Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT** * **Location: 1501 Langston Blvd. Arlington, Virginia** **Session: Designing a Modern QA Organization: Structure, Skills, and Shared Ownership** **Speaker: Alekhya Guduri** **About the Session** In an era where AI-generated code is accelerating delivery, quality can no longer be treated as a final checkpoint. Instead, it must be embedded, intentional, and governed. In this session, Alekhya Guduri presents a blueprint for building a modern QA organization that operates as a strategic business function. You’ll learn how to shift from centralized testing teams to shared ownership models, while introducing guardrails that ensure responsible AI use across the delivery pipeline. From defining a Materiality Matrix to identify where AI risks are too high to ignore, to implementing Human-in-the-Loop frameworks, this talk provides actionable guidance for leaders navigating AI-driven engineering environments. **Key Takeaways** * The Materiality Matrix: How to objectively prioritize AI risks based on business impact and technical complexity * Distributed Governance: Transitioning from centralized QA to shared ownership in AI-driven CI/CD pipelines * Responsible AI Guardrails: Practical Human-in-the-Loop frameworks to prevent bias, hallucinations, and silent failures **About the Speaker** Alekhya Guduri is a seasoned technology leader whose career sits at the intersection of engineering execution, operational excellence, and innovation. As Director of Engineering at Indeed, she focuses on building high-performing organizations that treat quality as a strategic advantage, not a last-mile activity. With deep experience scaling complex systems and leading cross-functional teams, Alekhya works at the forefront of shaping how AI and human judgment coexist within modern software delivery. She is a strong advocate for distributed governance, responsible AI practices, and the evolution of Quality Engineering into a trusted business partnership. **Why You Should Attend** * Learn how to design QA organizations for AI-driven delivery * Understand how to balance speed with responsibility in modern pipelines * Gain leadership frameworks for shared ownership of quality * Move beyond AI hype to practical, defensible testing strategies * Connect with Washington-area QA, engineering, and tech leaders **About The Test Tribe** **The Test Tribe** is the world’s largest software testing community, empowering testers globally since 2018. With 7**00+ events** and **150K+ members** across **130+ countries**, we bring testers together to learn, grow, and connect through meetups, conferences, cohorts, masterclasses, and more. By RSVPing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and consent to be contacted by The Test Tribe and our event partners.

Dulles Code & Coffee is a collaborative community of software and technology enthusiasts seeking to learn, grow, and help each other. All skill levels are welcome. The concept is simple. Bring a laptop and ideas. We’ll provide coffee, tea, and donuts. Thank you to [BTI360](https://www.bti360.com/) for sponsoring this event. ## **Event Format** 1. At 9:15 everyone introduces themselves and briefly describes what brought them out this morning (project, homework, networking, etc.). 2. For the rest of the day folks work in the communal space, socializing and asking/giving help as desired. ## **Location** BTI360’s Office in Herndon The office is across from Worldgate, looking down on the toll road. ## **Address** 12930 Worldgate Dr, Ste 400, Herndon, VA 20170 [[map](https://goo.gl/maps/pF5ZrPUviX1vtmdSA)] ## **Logistics** * **Must be a U.S. Citizen to attend. Real ID verification is required.** * PARKING: Use the surface lot. All spaces marked MIII are open for parking. Please avoid Management spaces, State Farm and SP+ * ARRIVAL: Follow the signs from the front entrance to the freight elevator located in the parking garage on level P2. Take the elevator to Suite 400 (Floor 4). * How to find us video: [https://youtu.be/ohqFzyqiASE](https://youtu.be/ohqFzyqiASE) ## **Community Guidelines** We value the participation of each member of the community and want all attendees to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. To ensure a conducive environment, all participants are required to conform to our [code of conduct](https://github.com/DullesCodeCoffee/.github/blob/main/code-of-conduct.md).

NOVA Code and Coffee is an inclusive, informal, co-working session. People of all skill levels are invited. The concept is simple, bring a laptop and ideas, we'll provide the coffee and donuts! Here's how it works: 1. At 10:15 everyone introduces themselves and briefly describes what brought them to Code & Coffee today (project, homework, networking, etc) 2. For the rest of the day, folks work in the communal space on their projects providing one another help and conversation as needed. Oh and they usually drink coffee and tea too! That's it! Hope to see you there! **Location** Our hosts are the Fairfax City Economic Development Building: [10300 Eaton Pl, Fairfax, VA 22030](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=d7298231ca2df594df822003f9a93517c788fceefe1fcbb79c8976696e341bc6JmltdHM9MTc1MzIyODgwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=180d0745-3b7f-69a1-23a2-11433a7868e5&u=a1L21hcHM_Jm1lcGk9MTA5fn5Ub3BPZlBhZ2V-QWRkcmVzc19MaW5rJnR5PTE4JnE9RmFpcmZheCUyMENpdHklMjBFY29ub21pYyUyMERldmVsb3BtZW50JnNzPXlwaWQuWU44NzN4ODI4MTk2Mjg0NTk5MDM4MTU0MiZwcG9pcz0zOC44NjE0NDYzODA2MTUyMzRfLTc3LjMwMjE3NzQyOTE5OTIyX0ZhaXJmYXglMjBDaXR5JTIwRWNvbm9taWMlMjBEZXZlbG9wbWVudF9ZTjg3M3g4MjgxOTYyODQ1OTkwMzgxNTQyfiZjcD0zOC44NjE0NDZ-LTc3LjMwMjE3NyZ2PTImc1Y9MSZGT1JNPU1QU1JQTA&ntb=1) Conference Room A- Large, Floor 1 This is a new venue for us, so give us some time to get more details about it. Driving is the best option. There is plenty of free on-site parking. Otherwise, we are a 22 minute bus from the Vienna Metro Station. **Sponsored by:** Thank you [Fairfax City Economic Development](https://gofairfaxcity.com/) and [Mason Enterprise Center](https://enterprise.gmu.edu/) for making this event possible! **Thank you so much to our wonderful sponsors!** Organized by [DMV Petri Dish](https://www.dmvpetridish.com/) **[Code of Conduct](https://github.com/NoVACodeCoffee/admin/blob/master/code-of-conduct.md):** We value the participation of each member of the community and want all attendees to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. To make clear what is expected, all delegates/attendees, organizers, and volunteers at any Nova Code & Coffee events are required to conform to our [Code of Conduct](https://github.com/NoVACodeCoffee/admin/blob/master/code-of-conduct.md).

Join us for another session of our study group as we dive into the fascinating world of Large Language Models (LLMs) using the book **Build a Large Language Model from Scratch** from Manning. In this session, we will finish **Chapter 7: Fine-tuning to follow instructions**. In the last session, we talked about how to prepare the dataset for instruction fine-tuning and in this session we will perform the fine-tuning and evaluate the model afterwards. This isn't just a lecture! Come ready to ask questions, share insights, and code along. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, this is the perfect opportunity to build a strong foundation together. If you plan to work with the code on your own laptop during the session, try and set-up the environment ahead of time (https://github.com/rasbt/LLMs-from-scratch/tree/main/setup). We will be meeting at the North County Governmental Center this time that is across from the Reston public library.

Gaming, AdTech, EdTech, Media Streaming, and FinTech are just a few of the workloads where high-availability cloud infrastructure matters. Whether you’re doing battle daily in one of these spaces or are just curious about ways to improve performance, meet us in Reston for an in-person discussion on bare metal cloud architecture. You’ll meet our product lead, James MacKenzie, who will walk through how modern bare metal serves as a control plane for hybrid and private cloud architectures. **What we will cover** * Ways to leverage bare metal, containers, and orchestration for better performance and predictable economics; * Real-world hybrid, disaster recovery, and data-intensive architectures; * Our approach to eliminating ingress and egress fees. **Who should attend** * Cloud architects and platform engineers; * DevOps professionals and infrastructure leads; * FinOps stakeholders managing data-heavy or hybrid workloads. **Why attend** This is a technical, architecture-first conversation. You will leave with a clearer understanding of high-availability cloud infrastructure and how organizations are scaling cost-effectively. Food and drinks will be provided. Space is limited to keep the discussion interactive.