Technology

***Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition*** is an engine-building game in which players control interplanetary corporations with the goal of making Mars habitable (and profitable). You will do this by investing **mega credits (MC)** into project cards that will directly or indirectly contribute to the terraforming process. In order to win, you will want to accumulate a high **terraform rating (TR)** and as many **victory points (VP)** as you can. Players raise their TR by increasing global parameters: **oceans, oxygen, and temperature.** TR also determines each corporation's basic income, and, at the end of the game TR counts as VP. Additional VP and production capabilities are awarded for building project cards and other actions taken during the game. The game is played in rounds, and each round the players will choose one of five phases, which determines which activities will take place during that round. This means every round is different, but can consist of building new project cards, taking general and project-specific actions, producing income and resources **(plants and heat)**, or researching to draw more project cards. Every player will take all the phases selected for the round, and will receive a special bonus during the phase that they selected. **To speed up the game, within each phase, players can act simultaneously without waiting for each other!** The game board has tracks for oxygen, temperature, and terraform rating, as well as a place for all of the ocean tiles that will be flipped over the course of the game. The game ends when there is enough oxygen to breath (14%), oceans enough to allow Earth-like weather (9), and the temperature is well above freezing (+8°C). It will then be possible, if not comfortable, to live on the surface of Mars! The winner is the player with the most VP at the end of the game.

Welcome to our card games night. We will play on Thursday from 19h-21h at CHEZWaWa Châtelain, a small restaurant. The address is Rue Américaine 91, 1050 Brussels. (Be careful, there also is another CHEZWaWa restaurant.) Please arrive on time. Feel free to call Bruno if you need directions or have questions at +32 485 298 713. We'll bring a selection of games, and you are welcome to bring any of your own. The restaurant serves delicious Mexican-Californian food you might wanna try. It will be available until 20h30. Our group gets a 10% discount on food. We encourage you to have at least a drink, it helps to keep the business running ;) If you like, you can also come a bit earlier for a chat or a snack. We'll be there from 18h30. Note: on December 18 we'll arrive closer to 19h.

_IMPORTANT: To RSVP you will also need to register as a member [here.](https://forms.gle/PsmYJ3vQKocXQCAY6)_ _To make sure we have as few no-shows as possible, we'll count only registered members and ask for 10 eur downpayment that will be reduced from your bill. Thank-you for your understanding._ A dinner where you discover new flavours and new people at the same table. With Dinner & New Friends, we combine two of our favourite things: great food and spontaneous connections. This time we're exploring Turkish Cuisine in the Botanique area, a restaurant famous for serving authentic Turkish food in a traditional and welcoming setting. ✨ Why join? – Travel the world with your fork – Meet new people with no pressure – Enjoy a relaxed and memorable evening 📌 What to know: - Dinner location will be shared the day of via WhatsApp. - Expect to spend between €20–30 Limited spots - book yours and get ready to share more than just a meal. By joining this event, you agree to the Sunday Vacations [Terms & Conditions](https://www.sundayvacations.com/terms), [Privacy Policy](https://www.sundayvacations.com/privacy) & [Code of Conduct](https://www.sundayvacations.com/code)

You are most welcome to attend our Christmas Edition meeting and our last meeting of the year. We merge some different Christmas traditions in Europe with some Irish to give us that Christmas cheer and a good time over mulled wine and mince pies led by our Santa Toastmaster of the Evening. Members and guests are invited to bring some Christmas goodies and drinks from their home countries and taste the spirit of Christmas. Please leave your sleigh at home!! Find out more about Claddagh Toastmasters to help you plan 2026 with better leadership & communication skills. The will be no meeting on the first Thursday in January, hence our back to work meeting will be on Thursday 15 January. We exceptionally have a meeting on the 5th Thursday of the month on January 29th. Find out more about Claddagh Toastmasters to help you plan 2026 with better leadership & communication skills Communicate & Lead with Confidence! Are you scared of speaking in public? Nervous about that Best Man speech? Worried about making presentations at work? Or just wanting to gain self-confidence? Then you've come to the right place! Since 2005, Claddagh Toastmasters of Brussels has been helping people of all nationalities in Brussels to improve their communication and leadership skills. We aim to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop at their own pace, which in turn fosters self-confidence and personal growth. How does it work? We have a ‘learn by doing’ approach. Our members present speeches to develop a variety of public speaking skills, and also carry out a variety of other meeting roles to practice skills such as listening and giving feedback. Each member works at their own pace – some people like to throw themselves into giving speeches straight away, while others prefer to spend some time attending meetings and carrying out smaller roles to build up their confidence. Claddagh Toastmaster Members are now able to participate in the international educational programme called Pathways tailor made to meet the needs of the member. http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/f/2/event_79322802.jpeg You are invited to Claddagh Toastmasters, guests are most welcome and bring a friend if you wish. Admission free. We meet on Thursday 19 December. Meeting starts at 7:00 PM to 9:00pm - Welcome coffee. Should arrive by 18.45 Please note our venue: The Mug, Co-working & Meeting Rooms Centre, The Mug, Rue Charles Martel 8, Brussels 1000, (Near Schuman(Berlaymont exit) & Maelbeek Metro stops) Known as ´The Mug´. It is one minute´s walk from the Meeting Point Pub & restaurant on Rue Taciturne) CLADDAGH ENGLISH/IRISH TOASTMASTERS CLUB OF BRUSSELS TOASTMASTER AN CHLADAIGH – CLUB DÁTHEANGACH NA BRUISÉILE Claddagh Toastmasters helps you to develop your skills in public speaking, planning, leadership training, and managing your time. They aim is to provide a fun and social environment in which to practice your skills. Please let them know you are coming by reserving your place to claddagh.toastmasters(at)gmail.com. Claddagh Toastmasters are a club with an Irish Flair with a membership from about ten different nationalities. English is mainly spoken at the meeting but there is an opportunity for Irish speakers to speak in Irish (second oldest spoken language in Europe). You are most welcome to join us as a guest for this 'demonstration meeting' at no cost to see how the club works. Guests will be be asked for a short introduction at the start of the meeting and for their feedback at the end of the meeting. During the meeting there is a coffee break where you can network and discuss the training programme with members. You will also be invited to make a small contribution towards the cost of the teas,coffees and cookies. Come and experience it for yourself! Last thing (finally !!!): the first part of the meeting will be held as usual with Table Topics and impromptu speeches and second part consists of prepared speeches given by members in accordance with set objectives followed by evaluations to improve. There is no obligation for guests to speak unless they agree to do so. Afterwards guests can decide if you want to become a member or come back again for a second meeting as a guest. They then go a local pub afterwards for a social and networking drink......this is optional... http://www.toastmasters.org

Shake off the workday and train with a welcoming crew of internationals and Brussels professionals. This is a **co-hosted session with F45 Brussels**—fast, fun, and coached circuit training that fits perfectly after work. **Why join?** * **Community vibe:** Friendly, social, in English. * **All levels welcome:** Coaches demo every move with **easier/harder options**. * **Time-smart:** 45 minutes, full-body, high energy, great music. * **Accountability:** Come with the group, leave with endorphins. **What we’ll do** 1. Quick intro & warm-up 2. **F45 functional circuits** (intervals that mix strength + cardio) 3. Team finisher & cool down 4. Optional post workout social drink/rooftop bowling nearby (meet new people, not just new burpees 😉) **Good to know** * **When:** Thursday, **6:30 PM start** (arrive 6:15 to check in) * **Where:** **F45 Brussels** (Brussels Central Station) Galeries Ravenstein * **Bring:** Clean trainers, towel, water bottle * **Fitness level:** Beginner to advanced (scalable stations) * **Capacity:** Limited spots — **RSVP required** * **Price:** Free weekly tryout **Who this is for** * New in Brussels and want a **friendly fitness + social** routine * Busy professional looking for a **structured, coached** workout * Sunday Vacations regulars who want to stay fit for hikes & trips **About F45** F45 = **Functional 45-minute training**: coach-led, station-based, results-driven. Expect variety, technique tips, and a positive team atmosphere. See you on the floor at 6:30! 💪🏽✨ By joining this event, you agree to the Sunday Vacations [Terms & Conditions](https://www.sundayvacations.com/terms), [Privacy Policy](https://www.sundayvacations.com/privacy) & [Code of Conduct](https://www.sundayvacations.com/code)

**🃏 WHAT WE PLAY** We focus on **social interaction games** that are **fun, easy to learn, and engaging**. * **Thursdays** and Saturday nights are for **fun, social games** like Dixit, Coup, Skull, Codenames, Colt Express, Secret Hitler, Exploding Kittens, Bang and more!… Easy to learn, quick to laugh! * **Mondays** are for **deeper strategic games**, for players who love to plan and outthink opponents. Of course, these are just guidelines — you’re always welcome to bring and play whatever game you love! *** **🕖 SCHEDULE** * We meet at **7:00 PM**, with an **intro round at 7:15 PM**. * Arriving later? No problem! Just see a host — we’ll do our best to find you a seat. You might need to wait for a game to finish before joining the next one. **🎉 Good News! BFG is Free Again** As of July 1st, 2025, BFG is once again **free to join**, just like last year! The costs of running the group are now shared by the hosts. If you enjoy the events and want to say thanks, you're very welcome to **offer a drink (or two 😉) to a host** during the evening. A huge thank you to everyone who supported us financially earlier this year — you helped keep the group going, and we truly appreciate it. 🙏 *** **🎒 WHAT TO BRING** * Bring your favorite games and feel free to mention them in the comments. * If we’re meeting in a **park**, bring snacks, drinks, and something comfy to sit on — the grass can be damp even in summer! *** **☕ IF THE VENUE IS A CAFÉ** Please order **at least one drink** to support the venue, and pay directly at the bar. *** **✅ REGISTRATION** Please RSVP to help us plan for space and group sizes. **⌛ WAITLIST ETIQUETTE** * If you can’t make it, cancel **before 7 PM the day before** to give someone else a chance. * If you're **on the waitlist** and your plans change, cancel your RSVP so others aren't left hanging. *** **🤝 WANT TO HOST?** Interested in becoming a host or helping out? Let us know — we’d love to have you on board! *** **💬 FEEDBACK WELCOME** Suggestions or ideas? Drop us a message anytime — we’re always looking to make BFG even better. *** ### **🌟 Let’s have fun, discover great** **games, and build and make new friends** *** ###

Join us for a full day of collaborative work at HSBXL! This event is open to everyone who enjoys working in a community environment, whether you're advancing on business ventures, freelance projects, or creative endeavors. Bring your laptops, your enthusiasm, and your projects to collaborate, learn, and share in the main room of our spacious hackerspace. During this **8-hour co-working event**, you'll have the opportunity to work on your project, ask for feedback, offer help to others, and if you wish, share your achievements at the end of the day. **Please Note**: While HSBXL has multiple rooms for various purposes, this coworking event is taking place in the main room. It's important to note that online meetings should be avoided during this event to prevent noise disturbance and to maintain a conducive work environment for everyone. \#\#\# What the day will look like: 1\. Introduction and setting up: Find a comfortable spot in the main room\, set up your workspace and grab a Club Mate\, soft drink\, or a coffee to get your day started\. 2\. Work Session: Dive into your project\, seek assistance\, and collaborate with others\. 3\. Sharing Session: Optional\, but encouraged\! Share what you've worked on\, your challenges\, and triumphs\. \#\#\# How to get to HSBXL: HSBXL is located in Brussels. For detailed instructions on how to get to the hackerspace, please visit [here](https://hsbxl.be/enter/). If you encounter any issues while trying to get in, you can contact us at +32 28804004. Please note that the phone is inside the space. Alternatively, you can also reach out to us in our [Matrix chatroom](https://matrix.to/#/#hsbxl:matrix.org). \#\#\# Requirements Please bring your laptop, and if you have, an extension cord. The space has WiFi, but having your own internet backup solution can also be useful. Join us at this **8-hour co-working day** in the main room of HSBXL, and we hope you'll have made progress on your projects, learned something new, and most importantly, enjoyed the power of community collaboration. Whether you're a freelancer, entrepreneur, or creative, we welcome you to this day of productivity, sharing, and collaboration.

Making new friends in a new city doesn’t need to be a struggle at all.

Free / donation-based 2 hour workshop Theme: Death in general *What is death really and how does it relate to your life?* **Break the taboo. Too often we don't talk about death because we are nervous about making others or ourselves uncomfortable. Death is an integral part of life. Come awaken your curiosity. This is a chance to nurture a relationship to death that will bring you closer to life and will enrichen your experience of living.** What can you expect? •Guided activity, open discussion, group reflection and ritual •Snacks and beverages •Language: English

We will conclude 2025 discussing this classic by Philip K. Dick. Feel free to share your recommendations with us

IF THE EVENT IS FULL, PLEASE USE THE LINK BELOW TO SIGN UP [Register Now – No Late Bookings] [https://consciousconnectionsclub.com/join](https://consciousconnectionsclub.com/join) This isn’t a random social hour. It’s a space for real connection — grounded, warm, playful, and open-hearted. Whether you’re here to meet someone special or simply expand your circle, we’re creating a culture where real relationships (romantic or platonic) can grow. ### How to Join: To ensure an intentional space, there are two ways to join our Singles Events: 1\. By Invite — If someone already registered invites you\, you can skip the Welcome Call and dive in\. 2\. Welcome Call — No invite? No problem\. [Just complete a Welcome Call to attend](http://consciousconnectionsclub.com/fasttrack). This helps us create a space that feels safe, open, and aligned for everyone involved. ### The Event: 5:30–7:30 PM (Online) A two-hour Connection Games session on Zoom. Expect depth, play, and presence — not small talk. The Zoom link is sent 24 prior to start. 8 PM (In-Person) A casual, in-person gathering to continue the experience facilitated online. 📍Location: Only shared with registered participants 24 hours before the event. ### Registration No last-minute bookings. To attend, [complete your Welcome Call in advance](http://consciousconnectionsclub.com/fasttrack) to secure your spot. ### What You’ll Walk Away With: * An oxytocin high from meaningful connection * The potential for deep friendships — and sometimes more * A sense of being met — not judged or evaluated * Relational tools you can use in all areas of life This is more than just an event. We’ve had people say: “This restored my faith in humanity.” *** Ready to meet the people in your city you’ve been looking for? We’d love to welcome you. See you there, Eloah & The Conscious Connections Team

**Founders Running Club** (FRC) brings founders, investors, tech, creative people and startup enthusiasts together for weekly easy runs and networking. We like to be comfortable when we run and finish with coffee and conversations. Choose your pace or follow a pacer—pets, friends, family, are welcome. 🗓️ Launched in San Francisco, July 16, 2022 🌍 Now in 50+ cities 📅 Running + Networking events + Community **Join the community** [http://foundersrc.com/chats](http://foundersrc.com/chats) **Instagram** [https://www.instagram.com/frc_brussels](https://www.instagram.com/frc_brussels) **Global FRC**: Instagram [http://instagram.com/foundersrc/](http://instagram.com/foundersrc/) LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/](http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/) Strava [http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC](http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC) Website [http://foundersrc.com/](http://foundersrc.com/)

What does it mean for something - or someone - to be "strange"? What does it in fact mean for someone to be "a stranger"? Nowadays, can we truly ever experience any thing or person as _"strange"_ as our ancestors presumably did? What impact might our replacing the adjective "strange" and the noun "stranger" with new terms have on our collective social and political cultures? How would our attitudes towards other individuals or groups of people be if we removed all notions of "strangeness" from our assessments of them? Should the fact that we no longer truly experience strangeness be a sufficient reason for us to behave _very differently_ from how our ancestors did? Alien, foreign, unfamiliar, unknown, weird, bizarre, eccentric, inappropriate - or merely different - how are all these common perceptions and judgments interrelated? We can, and do, of course often find ourselves applying the description "strange" not only to people, but to things, ideas, experiences, phenomena... in fact potentially to anything and everything. If, however, nothing in our world and in our individual or collective life-experiences is any longer experienced _truly_ as strange, how is this impacting our relationships to the world, to others, to life, to knowledge, and to the unknown in general? How _big_ is our world actually? Even if we choose to systematically replace the word "strange" with "foreign", how foreign is anywhere or anyone in our world these days? "6° of separation" can also be framed as "6° of proximity"... The 6° phenomenon, moreover, observably applies not only to distances among people, but also to distances among _everything,_ including all our ideas, actions, languages, customs, beliefs, knowledge, etc. not to mention the propagation of toxicity and malevolence... The question then becomes no longer if, but _how_ are we each connected and related to any (and every) other particular person, thing and idea in the world? It can be mind-boggling just how much we do _not_ know (>99%?) about which shared people, places and experiences we in fact have in common with any one of the vast majority (<99%?) of the people we encounter in our daily lives... Just as in our collective culture we are becoming increasingly more demanding when it comes to being informed about what ingredients are in the foods we buy and what the supply chain has been of items we purchase, so too might we want to know more truly and clearly how any given person has ended up in our lives - and all of the hundreds, even thousands, of ways they are in fact connected to us without our realizing? This session will be a celebration of the phenomena of connections, friendships, threats, and, ultimately, of "strangeness". Recommended watching (33.17): https://youtu.be/CYlon2tvywA?si=vUrcibsjQM6cQeCZ Ideas explored in this video: 1) "Small world" problem/paradox/networks 2) Shortcut links 3) The strength of weak ties 4) Propagation of disease 4) Watts-Strogatz modelling 5) Barabási: hubs, natural growth, preferential attachment 6) Prisoner's Dilemma 7) The power of choice Further reading: https://plus.maths.org/content/six-degrees-separation It's A Small World: https://youtu.be/2rTZ9UndNeI?feature=shared Image: photo from kaleidoscopefightinglupus org modified according to my instructions by ChatGPT (requiring much pulling teeth and tons of patience 😬😅)

Christians in Tech is a community at the intersection of faith and technology. Our meetups are designed to spark meaningful conversations, promote knowledge sharing, and encourage growth—both in your career and your spiritual walk with God. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your tech journey, CIT welcomes you. Our Website [https://linktr.ee/citcbus](https://linktr.ee/citcbus) Sponsors and Partners * Improving (Venue Sponsor) * Bethel World Prayer Center (Fiscal Sponsor) * Fruits & Roots (Coffee Partner)

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

Monday December 29th at 6PM we'll be meeting up dinner at the Pies & Pints at Easton. Feel free to bring guests. Sandwiches run about $15 and large pizzas run $20-30.

**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** GitHub Copilot is rapidly changing how developers write, understand, and maintain code. Powered by generative AI and deeply integrated into modern development environments, Copilot acts as an intelligent coding assistant, helping developers move faster while maintaining quality and focus. In this session, we’ll explore what GitHub Copilot is, how it works, and where it fits into a real-world developer workflow. We’ll break down what Copilot can (and cannot) do, where it can be used, and how licensing differs for individuals and organizations. Most importantly, this talk goes beyond theory with a live, hands-on demo showcasing Copilot inside the IDE and on GitHub, demonstrating how it can assist with code generation, refactoring, learning new APIs, and accelerating day-to-day development tasks. Designed for developers, technical leads, and engineering managers, this session provides a practical introduction to AI-assisted development, highlights best practices for getting value from Copilot, and closes with guidance on how to continue learning and evolving alongside this rapidly advancing tool. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how GitHub Copilot can enhance productivity, improve developer experience, and fit into modern software teams today, not someday. **YouTube Link** TBA

Christians in Tech is a community at the intersection of faith and technology. Our meetups are designed to spark meaningful conversations, promote knowledge sharing, and encourage growth—both in your career and your spiritual walk with God. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your tech journey, CIT welcomes you. Our Website [https://linktr.ee/citcbus](https://linktr.ee/citcbus) Sponsors and Partners * Improving (Venue Sponsor) * Bethel World Prayer Center (Fiscal Sponsor) * Fruits & Roots (Coffee Partner)

Bring your Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontroller, or any other electronic project and join fellow electronics makers for a night of creativity and collaboration! This session is open forum to share your current projects—whether complete or in progress, it’s all interesting! Whether you’re deep into embedded systems, exploring new ideas, or just getting started, you’ll find a welcoming space to collaborate, share, and get inspired. I've been hardware hacking a See N Say to make it say whatever I want - while the project is in progress still, it should be working by this meetup! I'll bring it for demo. [See N Say Project](https://github.com/cdeever/esp32-see-n-say) While we continue to pursue a more permanent venue for this Meetup, we’ll be using public library facilities based on availability. This session will be at the Worthington Park Library in the Olentangy Meeting Room.

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