Lectures

Join us in the search for the true, the good and the beautiful. We will be reading and discussing a fascinating philosophical text in English. Welcome anyone interested in understanding life more deeply, regardless of age or prior knowledge. The love of wisdom is enough. Please join our WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CDjIJ8i1LZsJ2a7WJXFxhG?mode=wwt Sapere Aude! (Kant's Motto: Dare to Think!)

Join us in the search for the true, the good and the beautiful. Each meet is in one of two formats: a shared reading and open discussion of philosophical texts, or a continuing series of lectures based on the reading of a fascinating book of philosophy. Both formats are in Hebrew, with some reading of English texts, assisted whenever needed. We meet weekly Friday on 80 Rokach Boulevard, Tel Aviv, at the gardens of the Council for a Beautiful Israel. Welcome anyone interested in understanding life more deeply, regardless of age or prior knowledge. The love of wisdom is enough. Please join our WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JeAa2uRNTlF0rdrVTLzUC0?mode=wwt Note: there's always enough sitting room, but some of it is on the grass or a mat on the floor. If you want to guarantee yourself a chair, please bring one with you. Sapere Aude! (Kant's Motto: Dare to Think!)

This month we meet at Tikal for another great evening dedicated to expanding your horizons in game development. Have an idea, suggestion, venue, or talk? Reach out to [team@notable.games](http://mailto:team@notable.games/) or fill [this form](https://forms.gle/Y4wq7KCi9NbJEDDV6). We can help find an idea, prepare a talk, and overcome fear of stage. Everyone has something to share! **Agenda** 18:00...18:30 — Meet and greet 18:30...20:30 — The Main Show 20:30...21:00 — Networking and goodbyes 🇮🇱 **PLEASE NOTE** 🇮🇱 Although the meetup description and the slides are is in English, the actual talks are given in Hebrew. **Talks** Gen AI for Art Assets by Ela Rosen AI-Generated Audio For Game Development by Dror Shem-Tov **Pitch a Game** Mine Nimble by Gregory Radovilskiy A snake game with separate characters as snake segments. Demo: https://tyapichu.itch.io/minenimble

Читательский клуб по книге Флобера «госпожа Бовари». Мы обсудим все важные темы, исторический контекст и жизнь автора, чтобы лучше понять и почувствовать этот роман. Я придерживаюсь позиции, что нет неправильных мнений на литературу❤️

hello Israeli blenderists + houdinists! you’re invited to **HUG the BUG** \- the israeli houdini–blender meetup\. a casual meetup for israeli artists using **Blender** and **SideFX Houdini**: we’ll hang out, talk 3d, watch some great local work, and meet each other. 📍 **location:** The Spot, Tel Aviv ⏰ **time:** 19:00 📅 **date:** 25/01/26 🍕🌐🍺 **19:00 welcome** • meet + say hi • pizza + beer • houdini / blender chats + everything around it 🎬🎤🖼️ **20:00 talks** • short opening • real examples from local projects • tricks, workflows, and inspiration for houdini + blender 💡⚡️⏱️ **21:30 lighting talks** • fast round of personal projects • 5 minutes each to show what you’ve been making • lots of work back-to-back, lots of inspiration 📱👋🌐 **22:00 mingle + goodbye** • quick wrap-up • swap numbers • hugs, and see you next time hope your next sim runs fast and clean - see you there!

Join us for some 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 your area. When you show up, say hello to everyone, grab a drink, and get your writing tools ready. Once you’re all settled, take some time to chat with your fellow writers. Once everyone’s arrived, I will lead quick introductions and then set the timer for our quiet and focused writing session. Afterward, we’ll have time to chat and get to know each other. We often talk about our successes and challenges as writers. If you don’t have time to stick around, no worries! **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). **Other Important Details:** WiFi name/password: TBD Venue Guidelines: Please thank our hosts by purchasing something.

**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. Join locall Tel-Aviv chat with all news and updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/IWWgu9DznjzLvMe8p6cVCu?mode=ac_t For any questions pleae contact Tel-Aviv city leaders: Lev +972 55-7704496 Ilia +972535007183 Nastya +972533838320 Dan +972537162316 More about FRC global: 🗓️ Launched in San Francisco, July 16, 2022 🌍 Now in 35+ cities 📅 Running + Networking events + Community **Join the community** [http://foundersrc.com/chats](http://foundersrc.com/chats) **Stay updated**: Instagram [http://instagram.com/foundersrc/](http://instagram.com/foundersrc/) LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/](http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/) Podcast [http://podcast.foundersrc.com/](http://podcast.foundersrc.com/) Strava [http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC](http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC) Website [http://foundersrc.com/](http://foundersrc.com/)

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Satanic Panics,”** a look at waves of fear of demonic activity as an American tradition, with Luxx Mishou, cultural historian and former instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy and area community colleges. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-satanic-panics](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-satanic-panics) .] The 1980s found the United States gripped by fear of Satanic cults targeting children. They were believed to be corrupting young ones in daycare centers and tempting teens through subliminal messages on heavy metal albums or through the quiet inclusion of demonic rituals in role-playing games. Satanic serial killers supposedly stalked the suburbs. Doctors helped patients uncover what were claimed to be repressed memories of ritualistic satanic abuse. Parents, police, and politicians were urged to protect impressionable youths from both moral and physical danger. With Satanic cults deemed to be a real and material threat, it was a frightening time for everyone, including those who suddenly came under suspicion for doing evil deeds. Then, suddenly, it all faded from public consciousness, just as surely as did eighties fads such mullet haircuts, leg warmers, and Cabbage Patch Kids. Why did it all start? Why did it stop? And has this happened before or since? Hear such questions tackled by Luxx Mishou, a cultural historian and media specialist who has long researched the devious and villainous in cultural artifacts. She’ll discuss moral panics as a longstanding cultural tradition, with each new one stemming from fear of cultural shifts and shaped by the time and place where it occurred. Among the panics we’ll look into are the Red Scare of the 1950s and the public response to the gruesome 1969 murders committed by the Manson Family. Delving into the 1980s panic, Mishou will describe how it began with the 1980 publication of psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder’s memoir *Michelle Remembers*, detailing the suppressed memories of ritualistic abuse reportedly suffered by a patient. As that book quickly became a best seller, its ideas saturated American culture. A California daycare center became the focus of a three-year investigation, followed by three years of trials, based on allegations that its owner had engaged in secret ritualistic abuse of the children in its care. Mishou will lead you through the media that convinced the public that devil worshipers were among them, and she’ll talk about how reactions to imagined threats can have very real social costs. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Venezuela’s Future—and Ours,”** an analysis of how the Trump administration’s intervention in Venezuela will affect that nation, the U.S., and the rest of the world, with Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab at American University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-venezuela-future](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-venezuela-future) .] On January 3rd, after a long military buildup, the United States used special forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in Caracas, Venezuela to stand trial here on criminal charges. The development marked a major turning point in our relationship with Venezuela and the rest of Latin America and raised a host of complex questions, not just for Venezuelans living inside and outside that country but for American citizens and other nations of the world. Coming to the stage to break down what all of this means is Ernesto Castañeda, a scholar of Latin America who has given several excellent Profs and Pints talks on immigration policy and has given dozens of interviews to media outlets around the world in the wake of the U.S. raid. In a talk offering informed perspective on the latest news developments, Professor Castañeda will discuss various theories about why the U.S. conducted the operation to get Maduro out of Venezuela. He’s put our nation’s current plans for Venezuela into context by touching on previous U.S. military interventions in Latin America and beyond. Professor Castañeda will look at the implications of recent events for U.S. politics and U.S. citizens and what such developments tell us about the balance of power in the United States. He’ll examine the distance between decisions made by the White House and public priorities, touching on how it all relates to our immigration policies and our views about peaceful protest and democracy. He’ll consider how the Venezuela raid and our actions since have altered relations between the U.S. and other nations and provide scenarios about what the future might hold. (Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

To participate, sign up on [IDGA DC's 2026 Global Game Jam page](https://globalgamejam.org/jam-sites/2026/igda-dc-george-mason-university-2026) IGDA DC is hosting an in-person global game jam site at George Mason University! This site is in-person only, but is open to anyone, not just George Mason students. We will have volunteer faculty from George Mason University if you want a little bit of help on making your games, and we are open to game developers of all skill levels. Planned Schedule: Friday: 5:00 PM - Jammers arrive (Johnson Center Bistro) 5:30 PM-6:00 PM - Pre-jam Talks TBD 5:30-5:45 - Darian Stigall - related to creative play in game development 6:00 PM - Jam Introduction + Keynote/Theme Reveal 6:30 PM - Brainstorm and team forming 7:30 PM - Dinner 10:00 PM - Site closes Saturday: 9:00 AM - Site opens (Dewberry Hall South) 5:00 PM - Halfway point check-in & optional progress presentations 10:00 PM - Site closes Sunday: 9:00 AM - Site opens (Johnson Center Bistro) 4:00 PM - Submit games to GGJ site + Presentations 6:00 PM - Site Closes Getting there: DRIVING Paid parking is available on campus in the visitor garages at a cost of $11.50 per day. JOHNSON CENTER: Closest parking deck is the Mason Pond Parking Deck: 4500 Aquia Creek Ln, Fairfax, VA 22030 LOT K parking: A longer walk, but usually free on weekends Other George Mason Parking Information: https://transportation.gmu.edu/parking/#Visitors PUBLIC TRANSIT You can take the Orange line metro to the Vienna metro station, and the Gold1, Gold2, Green1, or Green2 buses to get to campus: https://www.fairfaxva.gov/government/public-works/transportation-division/cue-bus-system/cue-bus-map-and-schedule Food Options: There are lots of food options on campus: https://content-service.sodexomyway.com/media/HOO%20Fall%202023%20%20%282%29_tcm1097-150428.pdf?url=https://masondining.sodexomyway.com/ If you don't want to have to go too far from the jam site or are worried about getting lost wandering around campus, you can order food using the Starship Robots available on campus which will deliver to the jam site: https://get.starshipdeliveries.com/u/patriots JOHNSON CENTER: Has Starbucks, Chipotle, Panera, and more Tech: You will need to bring your own computer equipment. We will provide outlets and surge protectors. Internet: \> Guest Wifi is available: connect to MASON\. Full details on how to get wifi available here: https://its\.gmu\.edu/knowledge\-base/guestwifi/ \> We strongly recommend that you download any programs like game engines you intend to use in advance\, so you don't have to be dependent on guest wifi speeds for those large downloads

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Love and Monsters,”** on the inescapable bond between romance and horror, with Joshua Barton, scholar of horror and lecturer in English at Virginia Commonwealth University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-love-monsters](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-love-monsters) .] Romance and horror might seem like opposite genres, but they share a deep emotional core, and the combination of them has captivated audiences across time and culture. Put even your worst Valentine’s Day in perspective by hearing this strange relationship discussed by Joshua Barton, who has earned a big following among Profs and Pints fans with his past talks on cryptids, American horror, and Christmas ghosts. He’ll explore the undeniable and unsettling intersection of romance and horror and examine how and why love and fear intensify each other and combined to create tension, drive narratives, and explore human vulnerability. We’ll look at works that have blended passion and terror, including Gothic literature like the vampire novella *Carmilla* and modern films like *Spring* and *Crimson Peak*. We’ll study the fine line between obsession and adoration running through Stephen King’s “I Know What You Need,” Adrian Lyne’s *Fatal Attraction*, and the timeless *The Phantom of the Opera.* We’ll discuss the seeds of monstrous love that were planted with *Beauty and the Beast* and *Creature from the Black Lagoon* and bloom ferociously in works like *Twilight* and *The Shape of Water*. Through it all, we’ll find the threads of otherness and the taboo that intertwine horror, love, and reflections on identity. Join us for a journey through storytelling that combines the grotesque and the scintillating as we uncover why romance and horror are a match made in the dark. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From the original 1954 advertising poster for *Creature from the Black Lagoon* (Artist: Reynold Brown / Public Domain).

**Join globally respected cardiologist , Dr. Mohit Gupta, as we explore how our thoughts impact our physical health and overall well-being.** Our thoughts are far more powerful than we often realize. A single thought has the capacity to influence our emotions, shape our health, strengthen or strain our relationships, and quietly guide the course of our lives. The Power of One Thought is an insightful session that explores how conscious and intentional thinking impacts the brain, heart, and overall well-being. Through a thoughtful blend of scientific evidence and meditative practice, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how thought patterns influence stress, emotional resilience, mental clarity, and long-term health. In this session, Dr. Mohit Gupta seamlessly integrates modern neuroscience and cardiology with the wisdom of Raj Yoga meditation, offering practical insights into emotional regulation, cardiovascular health, and the slowing of biological aging. He uses his own life stories of Belief and Resilience. The experience is designed to be reflective, engaging, and immediately applicable to both personal and professional life. This session is ideal for individuals seeking inner clarity, emotional balance, and a deeper understanding of how one consciously chosen thought can create lasting transformation. **About Dr. Mohit Gupta** *Dr. Mohit Dayal Gupta, MD, DM, FACC, FRCP, is a globally respected interventional cardiologist and Director–Professor of Cardiology at GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, and serves as Cardiologist to the Parliament of India. A four-time TEDx speaker, he has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is a Fellow of leading international cardiology institutions.* *A distinguished clinician–scientist, Dr. Gupta’s current research focuses on the effects of Raj Yoga meditation on biological aging and cardiovascular resilience. Associated with the Brahma Kumaris since childhood, he is widely known for his rare ability to bridge cardiology, neuroscience, meditation, and spirituality, offering a compelling perspective on holistic health and conscious leadership.* Fri., Jan. 30th, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. Held at Brahma Kumaris Center, 14020 Thunderbolt Pl, Suite 200, 2ndFloor, Chantilly, VA. Free Event – Register at: [https://shorturl.at/wt8yd](https://shorturl.at/wt8yd)

[Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Love Lecture,”** a contemplation of matters of the heart, with Laura Papish, associate professor of philosophy at George Washington University and teacher of a seminar on the philosophy of love, sex, and friendship. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/hill-center-love-lecture](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/hill-center-love-lecture) .] Who wrote the book of love? Why does love have to be so sad? Is it a thin line between love and hate? On a more serious note, how does our society's understanding of love and romantic love shape our experience of it? Why do we think of love as mysterious and irrational? Do those we love need to be lovable? Is love necessarily a morally good thing, or can it actually make it harder for us to be good? Show your love for learning by hearing such questions tackled by Laura Papish, who has built a considerable following among Washington D.C. fans of Profs and Pints with her annual talks exploring the intersection of the brain, the soul, and the heart. Hilariously accompanied by her husband, Chris (on guitar), she’ll offer up a delicious assortment of thoughts about the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday—some dark, some sweet, and some giving you plenty to chew on. Dr. Papish will start by examining how ancient Greeks thought about erotic love and move on from there, looking at how love is envisioned in modern thinkers, classic novels, recent films, and pop culture. She’ll also discuss the origins of the idea that people have a “soul mate” and how some thinkers have tried to criticize or transform the very concept of love. Together, we'll explore different possibilities for love and those mysteries about it that have left more than a few of us feeling befuddled. Feel free to show up if you are lovelorn, love-stricken, or just love to hear a fascinating discussion. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Cupid as rendered in a 1510 painting by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi.

(2024) by Christof Koch, 288 pages [Psychology] • Hardcover • Kindle • Audiobook • Library: https://fcplcat.fairfaxcounty.gov/search/title.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.1&pos=1&cn=613100 Check the How To Find Us section for Zoom Link **(Remember, the Zoom Link is different each month, do not bookmark)** ### Review "A wonderful book."―Sam Harris, Making Sense with Sam Harris “a fun introduction to a number of debates… Mr. Koch’s book provokes questions… and counterarguments, but that’s what gives it life.” ―The Wall Street Journal “Easily the most current, thorough, and helpful exploration of consciousness available. Koch’s light, simple, yet authoritative writing style will appeal to general audiences as well as scientists and researchers. An essential, highly recommended purchase.”―Library Journal “magisterial… charming, sometimes beautiful, and almost always illuminating” ―Science Magazine “an impressive and sometimes exuberant work, showcasing decades of [Koch’s] research”―New Scientist “Koch’s adept use of analogies and entertaining anecdotes — complete with his own near-death experience and psychedelic drug trips — make the book a compelling and surprisingly light read.” ―Science News “undeniably compelling… a smoothly written must-read for anyone interested in a detailed introduction to the relationship between the brain, consciousness, and transformative experiences” ―Ars Technica “Expertly weaving in personal experience with science that few, if any, can speak more authoritatively about, Koch leads us on an amazing journey of consciousness—from birth to death. Deeply personal and infinitely digestible, Then I Am Myself the World is a remarkable must read for anyone interested in knowing their mind.”―Judson Brewer MD, PhD, New York Times–bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety “Koch’s latest book brilliantly navigates the intricate landscape of our mind and our brain, offering insightful perspectives on the nature of conscious experiences, both ordinary as well as extraordinary ones.”―Hartmut Neven, founder and lead of Google’s quantum AI lab “Then I Am Myself the World is the new record of note for the scientific understanding of consciousness. This is an elegant tableau, a travelogue of subjective experience grounded in the latest neuroscience and philosophy traversing religion, science, and a life dedicated to the biggest questions. Filled with crystalline prose, lucid explanation, and revelatory honesty, this book will continue to be read centuries from now.”―Patrick House, author of Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness “What would happen if a hardcore neuroscientist, with encyclopedic knowledge and four decades of experience in his field, were personally confronted with transformative mystical experiences carrying inevitable metaphysical implications? What would happen if the neuroscientist in question were open-minded, humble, but remained rigorously grounded in reason, evidence, and his hard-earned understanding of how consciousness relates to brain structures and function? What would he, the most preeminent professional of his generation, make of his extraordinary experiences? And what if, in addition, the neuroscientist was a modern renaissance man versed in physics, philosophy, the arts, the classics, and could pluck irresistibly evocative metaphors from the Western literary and artistic canon as if leisurely picking apples in early fall? This is what you will find in this treasured book, a whirlwind ride of insight after insight—so many they can’t possibly be all documented in footnotes—that will surprise and delight you from the get-go. ‘Primacy goes to consciousness, not to the objective world,’ he boldly states already on page two, in a prelude of things to come. ‘Everything else follows from there, including the realist assumption of the existence of objects, out ‘there,’ independent of my experiencing them.’ The book embodies the ever-evolving wisdom of a man whose intellectual prowess is only matched by his intellectual honesty. And this man, in the seventh decade of his scintillatingly productive life, has a lifetime of learning to share with you.”―Bernardo Kastrup, executive director, Essentia Foundation “Koch’s first book was entitled The Quest for Consciousness. And such has been Koch’s life, an adventurer’s pursuit of a distant goal, undeterred by the prevailing winds. The reader will learn where this quest has led and, like the author, will be enriched by it. Koch, one of the most accomplished scientists of our time, a mind singularly open to learning and changing, here opens his soul, revealing his vast, scintillating appreciation of nature in all its forms. It is a touching, profound book. Which is as it should be, since consciousness touches everything and is everything we touch.”―Giulio Tononi, University of Wisconsin-Madison ### About the Author Christof Koch is a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute and at the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, the former president of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and a former professor at the California Institute of Technology. Author of four previous titles, Koch writes regularly for a range of media, including Scientific American. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.