Technical Writers

TOG Watch Night: The Secret Life of Components (Tim Hunkin) We’re kicking off a new bi-weekly Monday Watch Night at TOG. We’ll watch an episode of Tim Hunkin’s “The Secret Life of Components” together, then have a relaxed Q&A and discussion afterwards. This is a friendly, low-pressure way to learn the kind of practical tips you normally only pick up through years of making, fixing, and building. Perfect for beginners, makers, repair folks, and engineers who enjoy the practical side of components and mechanisms. How it works \- Watch together \(one episode per night\) \- Q&A and chat after: questions\, examples\, tangents\, and “how would we do this at TOG?” \- If you miss a week\, no stress\. Watch it at home and come along to the next one First session \- Monday 26 January \- Episode 1: Chain \- Free and open to all \- TOG Hackerspace \(Dublin 12\, D12 CF6V\) Full details: https://www.tog.ie/2026/01/tog-watch-night-the-secret-life-of-components-tim-hunkin/

## Weekly Archangels Meditation Group **Host:** [Pranic Healing Centre, Clondalkin, Dublin](https://discoverpranichealing.ie/centre/) **When:** Every **Monday at 7:00pm** **Donation-Based (Pay What You Can)** **Suitable for:** All levels of meditation experience ### About the Archangels Meditation The Archangels Meditation is a guided spiritual meditation recited and presented by **Master Nona Castro**, a senior Pranic Healer and direct disciple of **Grand Master Choa Kok Sui**, the founder of modern Pranic Healing. The meditation focuses on sensing and aligning with the presence and guidance of the Archangels — traditionally Uriel, Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel — to support inner peace, clarity, protection, and energetic balance. Enhance spiritual connection, deepen intuitive awareness, release negative energy patterns, and support emotional resilience. Master Nona Castro integrates influences from her life experience, including spiritual devotion and her work as a healer. ### What to Expect * A welcoming, supportive group atmosphere * A brief introduction to the focus of the meditation * Guided Archangels Meditation practice ### Benefits Participants May Experience Participants often report the following outcomes from consistent practice: * A sense of calm and centred presence * Enhanced emotional resilience and stress reduction * Deeper connection with spiritual support * Clarity of intention and awareness * Greater energetic balance and groundedness ### Format * Doors open at **6:45pm** for arrival and seating * Meditation starts promptly at **7:00pm** * The session typically runs **60 minutes** * No prior meditation experience is required ### Donations This group is **donation based** (suggested contribution optional), Suggested donation: **€10–€20** (all levels welcome regardless of contribution) ### Location **Pranic Healing Centre,** Unit 1a Village Centre,, Watery Lane, Clondalkin Village, Dublin **Enquries: info@discoverpranichealing.ie / 0872386849**

Join us to **practise and improve your target language with native speakers on Monday in River Bar**(1 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2) from **6.30pm to 8.30pm**. **Our system:** **• You sit opposite a native speaker of the language you're learning** **• You speak 5mins English, 5mins other language, then change table** This ensures everyone gets an equal opportunity to practise the language they're learning. Our team seats people, controls the time, organises the table changes etc. What to expect: • Relaxed easy going atmosphere • Professional and quality service • Great networking opportunities • All levels welcome from absolute beginner to fully fluent • A big mix of ages with attendees at each event from 18 to 70+ years old • Topic cards on the tables to help start conversations Languages: We usually have **native speakers of English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese** and more depending on who shows up. **Admission fee €7** (€6 for student card holders). **No pre-registration required, just show up**. Loyalty card system: Come to 5 events and the 6th is free. Over 150,000 people since 2012 have attended our language exchanges to practise and improve their target language - you can too! Everyone is welcome! For more news and info check: Website: [www.languageexchangeireland.com](http://www.languageexchangeireland.com/) FB: [www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland) Instagram: [www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland) NOTE: The MeetUp attendance does not reflect actual attendance. There are usually around 100 people at each event. We are also in the River Bar every Thursday at 6.30pm

You'll meet your local guide at the meeting point a little before 11AM and show your booking. Then we'll commence a fascinating walking tour through the streets, sights, and sounds of Dublin old and new. You'll get an unrivalled insight to the history and culture that has shaped the capital you see today - warts and all, discover the lesser-known, intriguing oddities of our city, and get unique insider tips for the rest of your stay. Sites and topics covered include: Dublin Castle, Christchurch, Viking & Medieval Dublin, Temple Bar, fables, folklore and mythology, Trinity College, Stephen's Green, risings and rebellions, writers & rogues and so, so much more... please remember, places are limited and you must book your spot via: https://www.generationtours.com/dublin See you soon!

Take the opportunity to do something different and enter the world of Salsa and Bachata Dance. You will learn to dance Salsa & Bachata in 6 weeks with our *Beginners – Salsa & Bachata Group Dance Courses* while having great fun & making new friends in the process! **No Drops In Allowed After Week 1 & 2 of the current term - Please check our website to make sure you can still come & try!** **Social Dancing Open to external attendees - €5 Entrance Fee** **Every Wednesday:** * **Bachata Class: 7.30PM – 8.30PM** * **Salsa Class: 8.30PM – 9.30PM** * **Social Dance: 9.30PM – 10.30PM** For information on when to join the New Term please check our website: www.nochesalsera.com

Join us to **practise and improve your Spanish/English with native speakers every Monday at River Bar** at 1 Burgh Quay (Dublin 2) from **6.30pm to 8.30pm**. **Our system:** **• You sit opposite a native speaker of the language you're learning** **• You speak 5mins English, 5mins Spanish, then change table** This ensures everyone gets an equal chance to practise the language they're learning. Our team seats people, controls the time, organises the seat changes etc. What to expect: • Relaxed easy going atmosphere • Professional and quality service • Great networking opportunities • All levels welcome from absolute beginner to fully fluent • A big mix of ages with attendees at each event from 18 to 70+years old • Topic cards on the tables to help start conversations **Admission fee €7** (€1 off for student card holders). **No pre-registration required, just show up**. Loyalty card system: Come to 5 events and the 6th is free. Over 150,000 people have attended our language exchanges to practise and improve their target language - you can too! Everyone is welcome! For more news and info check: Website: [www.languageexchangeireland.com](http://www.languageexchangeireland.com/) FB: [www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.facebook.com/languageexchangeireland) Instagram: [www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland](http://www.instagram.com/languageexchangeireland) We also have the events every Thursday at River Bar on Burgh Quay at 6.30pm.

We present a hands-on Demo from the Google Cloud Professional Architecture Exam Learning Path Location: 1 O'Connell Street Lower, North City, Dublin, D01 TX31

The goal of this group is simple: to support and encourage each other to write more (myself included). I love writing short stories, but too often life gets in the way and I find excuses not to do it. This monthly group gathers together on the last Tuesday of every month in the lovely *Third Space* cafe in Smithfield to share and get feedback on our work. We’ll each get the chance to share an extract from a piece we’ve written, read it aloud and get feedback (in a nice quiet creative space). Any form of writing is great – whether screenwriting, poetry, flash fiction or something else. We pride ourselves in promoting a really friendly, safe space to share freely, but if you’d prefer to listen for the first while, that’s cool too. If you fancy coming along: * RSVP to an event * Come along to a session * Get added to our WhatsApp group once you're there * Add a copy of your piece to our shared drive (so we can follow along as you read) * You'll get 4 mins to read your work, and 4 mins of feedback We have lots of regulars but always love welcoming new people, perspectives and writing, so do feel free to come along and I hope you enjoy it!

We are delighted to collaborate with [Dublin C++](https://www.meetup.com/cppdug/) this month. We have one talk and it's about Python and [Blender](https://www.blender.org/)! We will be upstairs in Anseo. The talk will be followed by Q&A, a chance for you to follow up with the speaker, and for both communities to chat and exchange stories and experiences. **TALK DETAILS** **Title:** Python + Blender: Automating Creative Workflows by Carlos Alexandre **Description:** (15 mins + Q&A) This talk walks through the workflow of a computer graphics project, covering its main stages: fundamentals, modeling, lighting, materials, texturing, and rendering. We’ll explore how Python can be used inside Blender to automate parts of the modeling process, helping reduce repetitive tasks and improve efficiency across the pipeline. The session demonstrates how scripting can support procedural modeling, and scalable workflows, connecting creative production with technical automation. The talk is suitable for beginners and intermediate users interested in computer graphics, Blender, or Python, and no advanced scripting experience is required. **💖 THANKS** **Community Partners:** * [Coding Grace](https://codinggrace.com/) * [PSF](https://www.python.org/psf/): Meetup * [PyLadies](https://pyladies.com/) 🔍 **FAQ** Note that all our events are 18s+. **Q. I'm not female, is it ok for me to attend?** A. Yes, PyLadies Dublin events are open to everyone at all levels. We encourage non-female attendees to suggest a female friend/colleague to sign up to the event. So bring a friend! ✨ **Q. Do you have a Code of Conduct?** A. Yes, you can find it at [dublin.pyladies.com](https://dublin.pyladies.com/) **Q. I am interested in giving a talk at PyLadies Dublin, where do I submit my interest and talk details?** A. You can submit your talk details to the following form: [https://sessionize.com/pyladies-dublin-meetup](https://sessionize.com/pyladies-dublin-meetup) 🤔 Any other enquiries (e.g. getting involved, sponsoring), email [dublin@pyladies.com](http://dublin@pyladies.com%2A%2A/)

## Details \*\*\* Temporary Location Change to Cafe Nero, King Street south \*\*\*\* We meet on Wednesdays in Cafe Nero, King Street South. from 6pm to 8pm, to write, chat and share our work. \*\*\* We'll chat for a bit, write for a bit, and then there's an opportunity for people to share what they're working on. Prompts can be provided if necessary but feel free to work on whatever inspires you! A space to meet like-minded people, get feedback and carve out some time for writing during the week. All welcome; welcome all! \*\*\* 6:00pm - Start 6:30pm - Writing Session 7:15pm - Feedback Session 8:00pm - End \*\*\*Note: we're usually at the Big Table in Cafe Nero's\*\*\* \*\*\*Note: I am not always in a position to monitor the mailbox, if any queries on the night\*\*\*

**Overview** === He's back! For our February event, we are thrilled to welcome a special guest out of semi-retirement: John Ryan. As a former Snowflake employee and current Data Superhero, John has been there since the beginning. In fact, he and I co-hosted Ireland’s first-ever Snowflake event. Since the venue was a converted church, we called it the **"Church of Data."** It was the perfect setting to kick off our Snowflake evangelism. **Abstract** === Moving from on-premises data platforms to cloud isn’t just a technology change — it’s a cost and operating model shift. Many teams underestimate this and end up with performance issues, spiralling spend, or both. This session explains why traditional on-prem thinking breaks down in Snowflake, how Snowflake is designed to scale, and where customers commonly go wrong. Using real lessons from three large Snowflake customers, we’ll walk through: What “scale up” really means in Snowflake (and when not to use it) Three common mistakes that quietly drive cost and poor performance What actually worked in production — not theory, not marketing slides This is a practical, experience-based session aimed at engineers, architects, and technical leaders who want Snowflake to run faster without wasting money.

Join us for an Apache Kafka® x Apache Flink® meetup on Wednesday February 25th from 6:00pm in Dublin hosted by Autodesk! 📍**Venue:** Autodesk 1 Windmill Lane, 2nd Floor, Dublin D02 F206 **PLEASE BRING A FORM OF VALID ID AND REGISTER WITH YOUR DETAILS FOR SECURITY PURPOSES/BUILDING ACCESS. THANK YOU!** 🗓 **Agenda:** * 6:00pm: Doors open * 6:00pm – 6:30pm: Food, Drinks & Networking * 6:30pm - 7:15pm: John Byrne, Sr. Manager, Partner Applied Solutions, Confluent * 7:15pm - 8:00pm: Rishayah Kumar Trivedi, Senior DevOps/SRE Engineer, Autodesk & Douglas Hobson, Principal DevOps/SRE Engineer, Autodesk * 8:00pm - 9:00pm: Additional Q&A and Networking 💡 **First Speaker:** John Byrne, Sr. Manager, Partner Applied Solutions, Confluent **Title of Talk:** Flink State: Design Choices You Can’t Undo *(on Confluent Cloud)* **Abstract:** A practical look at how state behaves when running Flink on Confluent Cloud, the early design decisions teams often underestimate (keyed state, TTLs, upgrades, reprocessing), and the kinds of problems that only show up months later. **Bio:** John Byrne is a Sr. Manager, Partner Applied Solutions at Confluent, the company founded by the original creators of Apache Kafka®. With a strong background in data engineering, John previously worked for Slice, Registers of Scotland, and Sopra Steria, where he specialized in event streaming, ETLs, and data governance. Passionate about GIS, mapping, and ETL processes, he has delivered talks at FOSS4G and developed production-grade ETL projects incorporating spatial data and mapping technologies. In his spare time, John enjoys playing golf and coaching his local youth rugby team. 💡 **Second Speakers:** Rishayah Kumar Trivedi, Senior DevOps/SRE Engineer, Autodesk & Douglas Hobson, Principal DevOps/SRE Engineer, Autodesk **Title of Talk:** To Production and Platform: Our Kafka Journey, DR Strategy, and Kafka-as-a-Service **Abstract:** In various organisations, multiple teams have historically had to build Kafka the hard way, spending months on security hardening, compliance validation, observability, and disaster recovery, often repeating the same work with inconsistent outcomes. The result is slow onboarding, duplicated effort, and operational silos that don’t scale as more streaming use cases come online. In this talk, we walk through our Kafka production journey on AWS MSK: how we began with a POC, what it really takes to make Kafka production-ready, and the key platform decisions we had to take to standardise the architecture and operations. We’ll then dive into disaster recovery for streaming applications where the hard problems aren’t just infrastructure failover, but event continuity and restoring pipelines under pressure. We’ll share our HA DR approach for Kafka-backed systems, including an active/passive regional strategy, and practical failover/failback considerations to minimise RPO/RTO. Finally, we’ll close with our Kafka-as-a-Service (KaaS) vision for Autodesk teams: self-service, policy-driven deployments and service tiers that let internal teams onboard in hours instead of months so the product teams can focus on building streaming features, while the platform provides consistent guardrails for security, reliability, and recoverability. Attendees will leave with a checklist of production-ready requirements for Kafka, a clear mental model for DR in streaming systems and a set of platform patterns for evolving towards Kafka-as-a-Service. **Bios:** **Rishayah Kumar Trivedi (Senior DevOps/SRE Engineer, Autodesk)** Rishayah is a Senior DevOps/SRE engineer at Autodesk's data streaming and processing platform team with 9+ years of experience building scalable cloud infrastructure and automating enterprise deployments. He holds industry-recognised credentials in AWS, Kubernetes, and DevOps, and has led many initiatives improving reliability, performance, and security through Shift-left approach, IaC and CI/CD best practices. **Douglas Hobson (Principal DevOps/SRE Engineer, Autodesk)** Douglas is an accomplished Principal Devops/SRE engineer in Autodesk's data streaming and processing platform team with extensive experience in cloud architecture, infrastructure automation, and systems reliability. With a proven track record at various firms, he has led global teams in building scalable, secure, and high-performing cloud environments. Skilled in AWS, IaC, and distributed systems, Douglas is recognised for his technical leadership, problem-solving expertise, and commitment to operational excellence. \*\*\* DISCLAIMER We are unable to cater for any attendees under the age of 18. If you would like to speak or host our next event please let us know! [community@confluent.io](http://community@confluent.io/)

February CHAI meetup. [Petr Homola](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAIueyoBx8DWndiCJ61mJf7coQSQ_esAtH4) will talk on developing AI applications on the iPhone. and [James Ahearne](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesahearne/) on how AI tools can help speed up and improve software development. Come along for 2 talks on developing AI based products and also for chats in the pub afterward. Sponsored by [Stack and Co recruiters](https://stackand.co/)

**NEW LOCATION: 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). See the handy Parking Map - we recommend street parking. [Street Parking Map](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1u2A4fLNlxwLJn0KA_hKc8bnFlFHLvsHBDh-_8wzX_tk/edit?usp=sharing) 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 centralohpython@gmail.com

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Sunday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at noon on Sundays. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 12:00 - quick intros. 12:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 1:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 1-1:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Sunday!

**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 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** *Spec-Driven Development with GitHub Spec-Kit: From Intent to Implementation* Spec-driven development flips the traditional workflow on its head: instead of code being the source of truth, the specification becomes the backbone of design, collaboration, and delivery. In this session, we’ll explore how GitHub Spec-Kit enables teams to treat specifications as first-class artifacts—living documents that drive architecture, implementation, and verification. You’ll learn how Spec-Kit helps teams clearly express intent using structured, version-controlled specs that live alongside code. We’ll walk through a practical workflow that starts with defining system behavior and constraints, then progressively refines those specs into testable, automatable outcomes. Along the way, we’ll show how specs can reduce ambiguity, improve cross-functional collaboration, and make design decisions explicit before a single line of production code is written. This talk will cover: --What spec-driven development is (and what it isn’t) --How GitHub Spec-Kit fits into modern developer workflows --Using specs to align product, engineering, and AI-assisted development --Real-world examples of turning specs into implementations with confidence Whether you’re building greenfield systems, integrating AI into your stack, or trying to reduce costly rework, spec-driven development offers a scalable way to move faster without sacrificing clarity. Attendees will leave with concrete patterns and a clear mental model for adopting GitHub Spec-Kit in their own projects. **YouTube Link** TBA

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/

Greetings writers! Come down and join your fellow wordsmiths for one hour of uninterrupted writing time in the upper level of the Market District Supermarket in Upper Arlington. The main entrance of the shopping center opens onto stairs/elevator leading up to the 2nd floor cafe section where we will have a table displaying a sign with the Shut Up & Write logo. Writing is largely a solitary craft. Practicing with others in a community setting may be the thing you need to fire your own routine. We’ll meet on Wednesday evenings, starting the clock at 6:30, following a brief period of introductions. This is solid writing time and all inclusive. Any project is acceptable, be it fiction, non -fiction, work or homework assignment. All is welcome and will remain private to you. The market boasts a Starbucks, a full service bar and various affordable food options. Parking is plentiful, free Wifi is provided as well as outlets for charging your devices, though they are somewhat limited, so plan accordingly. Show up as early as you like, or stay late. This group tends to socialize some, both before and after the alloted time, but this is not mandatory to you. Feel free to come and go as you please and late arrivals are welcome. The cafe may be noisy on occasion so headphones/ earbuds are reccommended as you see fit. Please try to RSVP if possible so that we may grab enough seats for all—the venue can be busy at times. Feel free to message me privately wth any questions and/ or concerns you may have. Happy writing!

**New Dojo Location!** **Draft Day Columbus** 1130 Dublin Road Columbus, OH 43215 We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead. We're looking for topic suggestions and people interested in presenting at our monthly meetings. To this end we've set up a survey form at [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc)