Virtual Reality (VR)

🎉 Come down and celebrate Melbourne Asian Board Game's 5th Birthday with us! 🎉 As part of the celebration, Marche has been kind enough to give our members 50% off drinks! We'll also have birthday cake! 🎂 Whether you're looking for a short, light game or a longer strategy-heavy game, come join the Melbourne Asian Board Gamers on Tuesday night at Marché Board Game Cafe for some fun! To **check in**, please head to the front counter and show your RSVP for the Meetup event to a Marché staff member. They will then point you towards the event host for the evening to take down your attendance. **⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ Cost ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆** Attendees who have registered for the event on Meetup can play at discounted rates, with the following payments to be made: *\*\*7 in total per session” to cover Meetup subscription and cafe costs. Payment of 7 should be made to Marche at the front counter upon notification to the staff member that you are here for the scheduled meetup. There is now no minimum spend on items at the cafe as there were before. The cafes menu can be found here [https://mbgcafe.com.au/menu.pdf](https://mbgcafe.com.au/menu.pdf) . Only attendees on the "going" list are entitled to the discount. attendees that are on the waitlist or didn't register on Meetup are still welcome to come, but will need to pay the regular Marche rate of $22 for three hours of board games (includes one free drink). **Attendance** As our events are highly popular, if you have RSVP as going but can no longer attend, please amend your RSVP to allow others a chance to attend. If we notice people are not showing up when they have RSVP, you will be moved to the waitlist the following week and give priority to those who actually turn up. We appreciate everyone's understanding and co-operation. We really appreciate your support and look forward to playing with you.

**🏢 Hosted at:** Fabric Group **🚀 Building the Wrong Thing Faster: AI and the Build Trap** AI has dramatically compressed the time it takes to build software. But it hasn't stopped us building products that nobody wants. If anything, it's accelerated the problem - to the point we've invented a new word for the output: ***slop***. Drawing on observations from Brendan's consulting work and conversations with friends at ***Google, Meta and Spotify***, He'll explore how this ***isn't really a new problem*** and why now, more than ever, we need human centricity, sound product strategy and product discovery. **🎤 Speakers:** ***Brendan Marsh*** is a Product & Org Advisor and Director at ***Organa***, where he helps organisations improve product strategy, org design and execution at scale. He previously served as ***Chief Product Officer*** of a mental health non-profit and spent five years at ***Spotify*** during its hyper-growth phase, first as an ***Agile Coach*** supporting innovation and product discovery teams and later as a ***Product Manager*** responsible for the Mac and Windows clients (40M+ MAU). ***Ruben Cardoso*** is the ***Head of Product & Design*** at ***Fabric Group***. An experienced UX/UI designer specialising in product design and delivery, with a strong track record running discovery-to-delivery cycles for large enterprise clients. ***Dzmitry Yaltykhau*** is the ***Delivery Practice Lead*** at ***Fabric Group.*** Leads large-scale product design and delivery programs end-to-end from presales through discovery, build and rollout while driving best practices, coaching and AI-accelerated ways of working across the team. **🗓 Agenda:** Arrival and light refreshments Featured Talk Panel discussion with contributions from Fabric and the audience

Its Melhug time again! This time we are cohosting the event with the Melbourne Siggraph Chapter. Once again we are delighted to have Framestore hosting the event! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **PRESENTATIONS -** FX Supervisor Edward Ferrysienanda will be running us through Framestores awesome work on Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age. Further presentations TBC. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **SCHEDULE** 6pm: Doors open, networking and drinks 6.30pm to 8pm: Presentations and Q&A 8 to 9pm: Networking and drinks \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **LIMITED SPOTS!** Due to space limitations, this event is limited to just 50 people. Only attendees who RSVP may attend this event. We are using humantix to track RSVPs for this event so please grab a ticket if you want to come. https://events.humanitix.com/framestore_prehistoricplanet Attendees must pre-sign an NDA prior to attending the event (this will be sent out to attendees beforehand). \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS** * SideFX has a couple of Houdini Indie licenses up for grabs. Any questions feel free to ask! Hope to see you there!

We are back for our second of four meetups in 2026. Whether you’re deep in the code or just curious about the future of streaming, it's a perfect chance to grab a slice of pizza, a cold drink, and catch up with the local engineering scene, make some friends and check out Kick.com (Easygo) HQ. Talks in May are from two leaders in Video Technology Industry sharing: **[Garrett Singer (US Remote) - Software Engineer @ Netflix](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gesinger/)** Garrett shared technical strategies and insights on reducing toil and debugging video-related operations in software engineering pipelines. **[Zac Shenker (US) - Senior Director, Media Strategy @ Fastly](https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacshenker/)** We’re making the most of a rare visit from the States from Zac Shenker- a genuinely great guy and renowned leading expert in video streaming who is currently shaping the industry's most ambitious new streaming architectures by drawing on his experience from events like the Super Bowl. **[Sean Curran - APAC Director @ Eluvio](https://www.linkedin.com/in/curransean/)** *Kill the Encode Farm: The Case for Just-in-Time Video* Eluvio is a decentralised, blockchain-backed distribution network that replaces traditional CDNs and cloud stacks by streaming premium video directly from source objects with just-in-time transcoding and built-in monetisation. 📍 Easygo – 271 Collins Street Melbourne 📅 Tuesday 26 May, 6:00–8:00pm 👉 RSVP is essential for Easygo building access **Sponsors** Our thanks to **Easygo** for hosting and sponsoring pizza + drinks at the venue. Melbourne Video Technology is a volunteer group, as part of many groups independently run around the world. Tonight’s hosts will be: [Jeremy Brown - Kick](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremybrownau/), [Nick MacPherson - Fastly](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasmacpherson1/) and [James Broberg - StreamShark](https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-broberg-8654052/)

Visitors and newcomers are very welcome, please see https://hackmelbourne.com/newcomer-faq/ for more details. COVIDSafe restrictions are also in place, please see https://hackmelbourne.com/covid-19-restrictions/ for the latest. Short walk from Glenferrie train station. Car parking at Hawthorn town hall. Bring a laptop and a project you are working on. There is also a number of group projects that you are welcome to join in. We have starter kits for Arduino, a couple of 3D printers, various tools and equipment available for use. Typically our sessions run from 6:45pm till later in the evening (depending on our members' availability to close) but if you're new please come early.

Come along and join in a relaxed evening of dev and tech talk, drinks and dinner.

Join us every first and third Saturday of the month to learn about Theosophical principles and how we may apply them to our lives. From its inception in 1875, the Theosophical Society encouraged study of the Ageless Wisdom to discover enduring religious Truth and to make Brotherhood a living reality in the world. *“For real Theosophy IS ALTRUISM, and we cannot repeat it too often. It is brotherly love, mutual help, unswerving devotion to Truth.”* HP Blavatsky, Our Cycle and The Next, 1889. *The mission of the Theosophical Society is to serve humanity by cultivating an ever-deepening understanding and realization of the Ageless Wisdom, spiritual Self-transformation and the Unity of all life.* Resolution passed by the General Council of The Theosophical Society in 1924. According to these principles, a theosophic life is not just theoretical, but must also be practical, indeed must be a life of service. Amid the noise and conflict of the modern world, what might be our role, as individuals and as a Theosophical Society? Through a range of books and Theosophical pamphlets, we will look to both exoteric, widespread social principles and to more esoteric, spiritual principles for discussion and guidance.

Join us at our monthly networking drinks in May at our new venue, **Village Belle, St Kilda.** *(Please note a ticket is now required to attend this event, these can be purchased via this link [here](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/social-drinks-for-creative-professionals-tickets-1989803804744?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true)). You can read more on this below.* Welcoming all professional visionaries, creators and artists in the Melbourne entrepreneur and creative scene. You may be a musician, writer, photographer, designer, model, dancer, comedian or perhaps you run a business in the creative field or anything in between. The Creative Hustle is a social events group aimed at providing a hub for the professional artists, creatives and entrepreneurs of the Melbourne creative and arts scenes! **(Please only attend if you fall in to these categories! There are plenty of other social meetups for people who do not have a creative hustle.)** You know those conversations that just light you up? Make you remember why you started this journey and inspire you? This is where you’ll find them. This group is more than just networking, it’s about meeting people who are on a similar journey to you where you can share your experiences to support each other, make genuine friends and perhaps find some people to collaborate with too! Creativity can be bombarded by digital interactions, and require us to spend hours alone to work on our craft, often leading many people to mental health issues and feelings of isolation and loneliness. The Creative Hustle believes in the power of genuine friendships and human connection. As creatives, we know that some of our greatest inspirations and collaborations stem from the bonds we form with one another. This group is equally about social networking as it is business. It’s time to stretch outside the comfort zone to forge new pathways in your profession all while building lasting friendships that enrich our lives in ways that only real connections can. **NOTE ON TICKETS:** I have always run Creative Hustle events for the last 3 years+ for free, and my mission has always been to keep them accessible for creatives. However I sacrifice time away from clients on Thursday nights, meaning that whilst keeping it accessible for others I haven't been able to keep it viable for myself. Moving forward, to keep it viable, cover costs of running the event, book better venues, help manage numbers and continue to attract people who are serious about what they do, I will be introducing a small fee. For this event your $20 ticket gets you a drink on entry (most house beer, wines and spirits are about $14-$15 at Village Belle) and the rest will be split across the above. Thank you for your understanding! This format is very loose! Sometimes we follow, sometimes we let the conversation flow - it largely depends on sound levels at the venue: 15 min - General networking & social chat 30 min - 45 min - Round table intros: space for each person to share their creative endeavour for 1 min 15 min - Conversation & discussion cues (let’s chat on some deep topics with a stranger ) 15 min - general networking & social chat I’m excited to meet you all! I know that coming to a meetup and meeting new people can feel scary for some people but we are a very welcoming and open group and can’t wait to meet new people. Most people that come to our events don’t know anyone! Life is better with great people in it! Shoot me a message if you have any questions or just want a point of contact before your first meetup **Definition of a Creative Hustle:** Something that you are pursuing either as a side business, full time business or professional/semi professional that involves you creating something from nothing. If you are a: Musician, Dancer, Fashion Designer, Photographer, Videographer, Graphic Designer, Actor, Interior Designer, freelancer, business owner, work for a company within the arts industry, or anything else I have missed that qualifies as creative, then this Meetup is for you. Please respect that this is a group for people who put their heart and souls in to their work, and not just a group anyone can come to for networking unless you fall into the above categories. Please message if unsure. Look forward to meeting you at our next event! \*\*\* **CODE OF CONDUCT:** 1. You have a creative hustle which means you are pursuing something which requires you to create, and you are pursuing this professionally as your full time business, side business, you work in a creative industry or because you love it. 2. All members will show respect to other members and patrons in the meetup/event/venue. Respect can be shown by not boxing people out of conversations, welcoming all new and old members, not continuously interrupting people, not continuously speaking over the top of others, respecting someone’s personal space and boundaries. 3. You must consider others in conversation and ensure it is two-sided, you may equally talk about your creative hustle as much as you are willing to ask somebody about theirs. 4. We encourage each other on our journeys and ask someone if they are open to advice before giving it. No one likes being told what they should do! 5. This is not a group or event to be used for dating. Contacts can be made on the basis of friendship or networking. 6. If anyone is made to feel uncomfortable for any of the above reasons, they should contact me directly. 7. People will not attend who are unwell, even if it is just a cold. People in this group rely on their health to show up to self-employed work, please do not put that at risk by showing up unwell. 8. Anyone who is understood to be breaching any of the above rules may be removed or banned from the group within reason. Some people may be given a warning, or if more serious, no warning will be given and people will be instantly removed. Thank you all for your understanding and I look forward to seeing you at the next event.

NuCalm is a patented, drug-free neuroscience technology designed to rapidly reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and aid recovery by shifting the body from a "fight-or-flight" state to a deeply relaxed parasympathetic state within minutes. [https://stamina.xosialx.com/nucalm.html](https://stamina.xosialx.com/nucalm.html) It uses neuroacoustic software, a biosignal processing disc, and light-blocking eye masks to guide brain waves from active beta states down to alpha/theta (relaxation/meditation) levels NuCalm uses a patented, clinically proven pitch and frequency matrix with non-linear oscillating algorithms to safely present your brain with precise signals, prompting what is known as a frequency-following response. Your brain synchronizes with the incoming NuCalm signals helping you naturally and effortlessly manage your state of mind by speeding up or slowing down your brain wave frequencies. NuCalm has mapped all of your brain wave frequency zones and created products to safely and predictably guide you to whatever mental state you desire. The amazing thing is, NuCalm is all-natural and works every time you use it within minutes. The best thing to do now is to watch the video on the website and download the NuCalm app. All you need is a headset and eye mask. This app purchase is covered with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get started today and FEEL the difference even 15 minutes can make. WATCH THE VIDEO ON THE WEBSITE. [https://stamina.xosialx.com/nucalm.html](https://stamina.xosialx.com/nucalm.html)

Step into the room, not just to read, but to experience what happens when curious, learning minds gather in the same space. There’s something unexpectedly powerful about people arriving with different ideas, perspectives, and questions, then discovering what unfolds when they pause, explore, and reflect together. This isn’t a traditional book club—there’s no assigned reading, no pressure to perform—just a simple rhythm: 60-Minute Flow: **👋 0:00–0:15 \| Arrive & Introductions** **📖 0:15–0:30 \| Quiet Reading Time** Settle in with your book, article, or notes. Highlight something that stands out—a line, an idea, or even something you disagree with. This is your space to explore. **💬 0:30–0:45 \| Sharing & Insights** We come back together to share what we picked up. It can be a quote, a question, a new perspective—anything that sparked your thinking. Expect a mix of ideas and thoughtful discussions. **🤝 0:45–1:00 \| Open Networking** A wrap with relaxed conversation. Swap recommendations, continue discussions, or simply connect with others

The discussion topic for this meetup will be identity and whether or not history is a necessary condition for consciousness as Dretske proposed. James

This meetup is your introduction to Dianetics, and you can have your questions answered. **[DIANETICS THE ALL-TIME CLASSIC ON THE HUMAN MIND](https://www.dianetics.org/about/films/what-is-dianetics.html)** For 75 years, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health has remained popular, with over 20 million copies sold across 206 nations. Why? Because it challenges everything you thought you knew-about yourself, your decisions, and the unseen influences affecting your life. You may not know what the reactive mind is-yet. But once you do, it will change your life forever. This hidden part of your mind stores painful experiences and uses them against you, altering your thoughts, emotions and behaviors in ways you don't even realize. Inside this handbook, you'll discover: • Why the same struggles keep repeating—and how you can break free • The real reason behind stress, unreasonable fears, and negative emotions • A clear step-by-step method to clear your mind and unlock your true potential This is not theory—it's a practical, one-on-one journey into your reactive mind and how you can get rid of it. You don't have to wait for change-you can start today. **Discover the Power of Your Mind** Join us for a relaxed, interactive **Dianetics Meetup**, where it's your chance to explore the groundbreaking discoveries in *Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health* and have all your questions answered. Come with your curiosity—leave with insight. Ask for Michel, Pam or Donovan. If the time and date do not suit you personally, you may reschedule, SMS Pam on: 0405 648 822 https://www.dianetics.org/about/films/what-is-dianetics.html

PLEASE NOTE!!! This event will be In-Person for our very 1st Improving collab! If you know the [Columbus Unity group](https://www.meetup.com/columbus-unity-user-group/) location, we'll be at the same place. This is our 1st event and are doing a soft launch with limited attendance. 1st come 1st serve. If you want to be there and we fill up, please email me at [info@thecogg.com](mailto:info@thecogg.com) and I'll be in touch. All street parking is free on Sundays but you can also pay to park in any of the local garages. See image of [parking map here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mr9_LFIggbs-0_Zd3AJTGNqEhgMf2TzQ/view?usp=sharing). \-\-\- On the last Sunday of the month, we're having our usual end-of-the-month social gathering with our GameDev Meetup meeting. There will be announcements and presentations followed by some social networking Let's continue the conversations with good vibes and friends. All are welcomed from all ages and backgrounds to this public event. If we can, we'll be streaming or uploading the video later via our COGG YouTube channel here: [https://www.youtube.com/@TheCOGG/streams](https://www.youtube.com/@TheCOGG/streams) (Also please do subscribe if you have not done so!) No game development experience required! If you are interested in doing a 20 minute game development related presentation, please fill out our form online here: [https://goo.gl/forms/lVdTJZiNJewlPJuj1](https://goo.gl/forms/lVdTJZiNJewlPJuj1) Or e-mail us at info@thecogg.com with the following: Your Name, Company/Affiliation, Name of Your Game/Topic, Description, Tech Needs, and Your Contact. Be sure to check out our Discord for real time news updates: [https://discord.gg/NrBhuNQ](https://discord.gg/NrBhuNQ)

Rev. Steven Clevenger is an ordained spiritualist minister with over 40 years experience as a Spiritual Healer, Clairvoyant and Spiritual Teacher, educated and trained at the White Lily Chapel. Rev. Siobhan Wolf Shaffer is an ordained spiritualist minister and certified medium and healer with over 20 years experience. She began her development in 1988 in Pennsylvania and continued when she moved to Ohio in 1998 where she studied at Rays of Lights Church with Rev. Steven Clevenger. Our full worship services consist of an inspirational lecture, healing meditation, and messages from the spirit world that serve to demonstrate evidence of eternal life. Please visit our Official Church Website (http://raysoflightchurch.com) for more information.

**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** Like it or not, AI agents are now capable of turning a quickly written paragraph of requirements into a pull request that is ready to be integrated into real-world production applications and it's now our responsibility to make sure AI doesn't go rogue and take down prod - or corrupt our data by misunderstanding the requirements or our existing schemas. In this session we'll explore strategies to protect our codebases through unit and integration testing, documentation, and code review along with additional ways of providing context and guard rails to our AI agents as they carry out the work we've assigned them to do. By the time we're done, you'll have a firm grasp of the problem and understand some helpful options for protecting your codebase from vibe coding mishaps getting YOLOed into prod. **YouTube Link** TBD

We will have our certified mediums available and you can receive 3 10-minute readings for $20. To keep you safe, we will be following all CDC and Health Dept. guidelines at our psychic fair today. Sitters and readers required to wear a mask. We will maintain a minimum of 6 foot physical distance during readings. Please, if you can, bring your own portable chair to use during your readings. Please note that we are at our wonderful new home at Unity of Columbus, 4211 Maize Road, Columbus, OH

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.

Welcome to Casual Boardgames, where we enjoy classic tabletop games and social deduction games while bonding over good food, drinks, and great conversations. 
We started this group to meet new people and make new friends, and bonding over games in a relaxed atmosphere is a great way to do that. We currently meet near route 23 and Polaris Parkway, and this is close to areas like Powell, Lewis Center, Worthington, and parts of Westerville and Columbus. 
Feel free to bring your own games or play one of the many games our members bring. If you are inexperienced, we will help you learn. 
Here are just a few examples of the kind of games we play. 
Tabletop/board games: Splendor, Catan, Azul, Dominion, 7 Wonders… 
Social deduction games: Code Names, Chameleon, Werewords… 
IMPORTANT: 
1. While we love playing a variety of games and competing, we are not just about the games. We interact and talk while playing, and this leads to a lot of laughter and fun. If you just want to compete and focus solely on the game, then this is probably not the group you are looking for. 
2. Many people join groups like this and never (or rarely) show up after weeks or months. If you join and never really come, we will eventually remove you from the group as a courtesy to our members. Why? Because limiting group conversations (on the app) to regular members makes communication and planning much easier. Also, while it may be rare, it protects members from people who join because they are interested in following a person instead of having a real interest in our group. If you get removed, it is just because you haven’t come, and we follow this protocol as a courtesy to our regular game players.

Who’s up for a pizza night at the highly requested Pizza House? 🍕🍻 Join us at for great pizza, good laughs, and even better company! Come hungry and ready for a cheesy good time.