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Let's kick things off with a meeting to introduce ourselves and discuss what we're going to read over the next several months. Bring suggestions and your sweet tooth, because I'm bringing chocolate chip cookies!

We will be meeting at Starbucks to learn together. Come with an online class you're already going through or an interest and we will try to connect you with a course where you can learn it. Already have a skill you want to contribute to a Kaggle Datascience competition? We will work on these too! Laptop required :)

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation as we discuss ***Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* by Cory Doctorow** Here's the summary: **Explaining the process of the “enshittification” of digital platforms over time and what to do about it.** Cory Doctorow's *Enshittification* takes a witty yet incisive look at the tech landscape, where platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Google start off great—before they inevitably turn terrible. In this contemporary moment of digital decline, Doctorow explores how tech giants lure users in with convenience and then degrade their services over time, squeezing profit at the cost of user experience. With a mix of sharp humor and deep insight, he unveils the slow creep of "enshittification," turning the online world into a worse place, one algorithm at a time. **Let’s meet at Caboose Commons in Fairfax to enjoy some good discussion and meet new friends.**

Getting attention as a B2B marketer is harder than ever. Posting more isn’t working. Being everywhere isn’t realistic. And most content disappears as fast as it’s published. This session is about using **one tool, a podcast, to expand your reach in oversaturated markets**. **Stephen A. Hart** will walk through how he built and scaled *Wait Just An Infosec* at **SANS Institute**, turning a single weekly show into a reliable way to put the brand’s thinking in front of the right people, without flooding the market or burning out the team. This is not a “start a podcast” talk. It’s about designing a podcast so it does real work for your business. You’ll see: * How to use a podcast to say what your brand stands for, clearly and consistently * How to reach new audiences by featuring people who already have trust and attention * How one long conversation can support marketing, sales, and partnerships at the same time You’ll leave knowing whether podcasting makes sense for your business and if it does, how to use it to extend your reach, strengthen your voice, and support growth without posting every day.

We will meet in the Janney parlor.

**Agenda :** * 4.30 to 4.45 PM ET: Food and Networking * 4.45 to 5.30 PM ET: "Practical Applications of Model Context Protocol (MCP) (Feb 2026 Edition)" Hello Everyone! Please join us for our Feb 10th edition of the AI-ML MeetUp. **Please note this is an in-person meeting and light refreshments/food will be provided.** **Title:** Practical Applications of Model Context Protocol (MCP) (Feb 2026 Edition) **Description:** This session explores how the Model Context Protocol (MCP) can be used to connect AI models with real-world tools and data. Attendees will learn practical patterns for implementing MCP in production workflows and applications. Through examples and use cases, the session highlights how MCP enables more capable, context-aware AI systems. **Location:** The meeting will be hosted in the Applied Information Sciences ( AIS ) office in Reston, at 11440 Commerce Park Dr # 600 · Reston, VA. The location is also right off the Silver Line metro's Wiehle-Reston Metro Station. **Parking:** Parking is paid and can be validated at the AIS office reception. We will meet in Room Lake Anne. We hope to see you all there!!!!

Kevin Elwell of Get A Head Shot [https://getaheadshot.net/](https://getaheadshot.net/) will be donating his photography talents to help motivated job seekers by giving them professional headshots to use on LinkedIn and other sites. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/getaheadshot/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/getaheadshot/) After registering, you will receive a SignUp Genius to reserve your 15 minute slots. In preparation of this event, [https://getaheadshot.net/preparing-for-your-session/](https://getaheadshot.net/preparing-for-your-session/) At the end of this session, you will receive 1 Free Image to use. There are some people who (wisely) chose to purchase photographic touch ups and other services.