Board Game Night Wednesday, April 5: 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Join us for a night of board games and card games from 7-10PM. If you’re new to board games, we encourage you to come by as we will have trusty Hackforgers there to help get you started. Bring your favourite game (that can be played in less than four hours)! Facebook Event
3D Printer Show and Tell Saturday, April 8: 1:00 PM
Are you interested in building a 3D printer? Please join us for an informal and beginner friendly meet and greet. Attendees will share photos and stories about 3D printers that they have built, want to build or are currently building. Feel free to bring your own photos and stories! We look forward to planning future events for 3D printer builders and want to gauge interest. Facebook Event
Open Coding Night Monday, April 10: 7:00 – 9:00PM
Have a project you’re working on? Need to bounce ideas off other programmers? Want to try out a tutorial for new programming language? From beginners to pros, Open Coding Night is designated time for you to hone your craft. Bring your laptop and get coding! Facebook Events
FastFingers Commodore 64 Demo
Wednesday, April 12: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Dan Laskowski demonstrates his 1984 lead synth software/ hardware for the C64 and Mattel Intellivision Piano Keyboard 27 years later! It is called Fastfingers. Facebook Event
Repair the World! Climate Change & Technology Tuesday, April 18: 7:00 PM
Repair the World is a monthly meet-up of those who want to learn more about the technologies and policies we can employ in Windsor-Essex to lead us towards a carbon-neutral future and to help our community cope with the effects of global warming. For our first meeting we are going to use Bret Victor’s What can a technologist do about climate change as our starting point. Facebook Event
Project Management MeetUp Wednesday, April 19: 7:00PM RESCHEDULED TO MAY
This group is for all professionals from any industry, and business owners to come together and exchange ideas and good practices in Project Management, Agile Product Development and Process Improvement, in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Topic TBA Facebook Event
Intro to Javascript Saturday, April 22: 1:00 – 3:00 PM $15 General / $10 Student / FREE for Hackforge Members
Want to learn to code? JavaScript is a practical, easy to learn language.
This two hour class will show you the basics of JavaScript and get you writing some code.
Bring your laptop and let’s get coding! This class is designed for beginners. All proceeds from this event go to support Hackforge’s community programming and physical space. Sign up here!
The Great Canadian Game Project April Meetup Sunday, April 23: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
The game jam is on from February 1 to July 1! Participants have 150 days to conceive and create a game that is proudly Canadian!
Drop by the monthly meetup to discuss your ideas, ask questions, watch tutorials from mentors to help you get started, find existing projects to join, see progress of other developers and more!
More information to be updated at http://canada150game.ca/ Facebook Event
Border City Data: Using City of Windsor Open Data Monday, April 24: 7:00PM
Border City Data welcomes Bob Price, Technical Support Analyst at City of Windsor to talk about the City of Windsor’s open data. We will then give a talk about the practical uses for businesses and not-for-profits. Beginner friendly! Facebook
Book Club: Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash (1992) Tuesday, April 25: 7:00 PM
When a virulent computer virus (or is it a drug? or a religion?) called Snow Crash gets loose and somehow starts infecting humans, Hiro teams up with a sassy skateboard messenger to save both the real world and cyberspace.
Join us for a casual conversation on Neal Stephenson’s 1992 cyberpunk classic ‘Snow Crash’. Facebook Event
Software Guild Wednesday, April 26: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Add some new tools to your testing toolbelt with this beginner friendly introduction to behavior driven development and the Gherkin scripting language. This talk provides an overview of how BDD connects user goals to human readable test scenarios. It also demonstrates how BDD can simplify test maintainance effort when requirements change frequently. The examples will feature C# and .Net but the concepts can be applied to any language.
This talk will be followed by Lightening Talks. Got something to share? Bring along a short (5 mins or less) talk and sign up. Facebook Event
Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon Saturday, March 11: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Hackforge, Arts Council Windsor & Region and The School of Creative Arts at the University of Windsor invite people of all gender identities to take part in Windsor, Ontario’s first Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon!
This event is made possible by the Computer Girls program,coding classes for women by women. In partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST) and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, these classes are taught by female professional computer programmers with the aim to get more women interested in coding. Reserve your spot & learn more here
Hackforge Annual General Meeting Monday, March 13: 7:00PM
Windsor Hackforge will hold it’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 255 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor, Ontario. At this meeting, all members deemed to be in good standing by the Managing Director as of March 1st, 2017 are eligible to vote in the election of Directors and Volunteer Representatives. More Detail Here Facebook Event
Board Game Night
Tuesday, March 14: 6:00 PM – 10:00PM
Join us for a night of board games and card games from 6-10PM. This event is free and open to everyone. If you’re new to board games, we encourage you to come by as we will have trusty Hackforgers there to help get you started. Facebook Event
Grand Circus Intro to Coding Workshop
Wednesday, March 15: 6:00PM – 9:00PM
Join us March 15th as we host a *free* Intro to Code Workshop with Grand Circus at Hackforge in Windsor. We’ll introduce you to the basics of programming in this three-hour class. JavaScript is the most widely used programming language in the world. Explore what it takes to use code through hands-on exercises and instructor-led lessons.
RSVP at goo.gl/36mg7Z
Open Coding Night Monday, March 20: 7:00 PM
Working on a project? Need to bounce ideas off other programmers? Bring your laptop and get coding! Great event for beginners as well! Tutorials will be available and the event is facilitated a real life computer programmer. Facebook Event
Project Management Group: the First Meeting! Wednesday, March 22: 7:00PM
This group is for all professionals from any industry, and business owners to come together and exchange ideas and good practices in Project Management, Agile Product Development and Process Improvement, in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Let’s get connected and brainstorm on what we want to discuss and see happening in this group. Facebook Event
HTML & CSS: Free Coding Class for Women
Saturday, March 25: 1:00 – 3:00PM
A match made in heaven! Come learn how to bring together these two programming languages into a functional, stylish way. Perfect for beginners. Bring your laptop to this free workshop.
Computer Girls is coding classes for women by women. In partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST), these classes are taught by female professional computer programmers with the aim to get more women interested in coding. Reserve Your Spot Here Facebook Event
The Great Canadian Game Project March Meetup Sunday, March 26: 1pm – 4pm
The game jam is on from February 1 to July 1! Participants have 150 days to conceive and create a game that is proudly Canadian! Drop by the monthly meetup to discuss your ideas, ask questions, watch tutorials from mentors to help you get started, find existing projects to join, see progress of other developers and more!
More information to be updated at http://canada150game.ca/ Facebook Event
Border City Data: Organize! Intro to Google Forms
Monday, March 27: 7:00PM
Google Forms are easy to use, easy to collaborate, and already part of your Gmail account. Join us for a beginner friendly introduction to collecting data with Google Forms, a cloud based version of Excel. Perfect for small businesses, students, and those in the non-profit world! Facebook Event
Software Guild: Let’s Encrypt! RESCHEDULED FOR APRIL
Wednesday, March 29th: 7:00 – 9:00PM
It’s over-the-wire encryption night at Hackforge! Join John Haldeman and Randy Topliffe to gain an understanding of how encrypted websites with HTTPS work and get some practical advice on how to encrypt your own websites with Let’s Encrypt. Facebook Event
How to Build a Better Tech Community Thursday, March 30th: 7:00 – 8:30PM
We’re pleased to present Marlin Williams, TechTown Detroit’s Diversity and Inclusion Entrepreneur-In-Residence to speak on her experiences and advice for companies and teams. After, we will host a panel discussion with Ms. Williams; Elana Freeman, a project manager for Thyssenkrupp; Lori Dunford, a local computer programmer, and Sarah Mushtaq, an MBA candidate at the Odette School of Business.
While focused in the tech industry, the practical steps discussed can be applied to any organization looking to improve gender and racial diversity.
This is the final event under the Computer Girls initiative, in partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training INC. (WEST), funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Join us after the panel discussion for a small reception for the program.
Board Game Night Tuesday, January 10: 6:00 – 9:00PM
Join us for a night of board games and card games from 6-10PM. This event is free and open to everyone. If you’re new to board games, we encourage you to come by as we will have trusty Hackforgers there to help get you started.
We’ll have a games like Smash Up, Small World, The Resistance, and more. Bring your favourite game (that can be played in less than four hours)! Facebook Event
Member Day: Two New Rooms!
Saturday, January 14: 1:00PM
Hackforge Members are invited to join us for a tour of our two new rooms! Check out the renovated basement and let’s talk about a better workshop and classroom space, plus plans for 2017.
Facebook Event
Open Coding Night Wednesday, January 18: 7:00PM
Working on a project? Need to bounce ideas off other programmers? Bring your laptop and get coding! Great event for beginners as well. Tutorials will be available and the event is facilitated a real life computer programmer. Facebook Event
Border City Data Monday, January 23: 7:00PM
Border City Data is a new interest group focused on data and databases. Our initial meeting will focus on a practical introduction to SQL. The Structured Query Language is one of the most common ways that users interact with databases, and it’s an essential skill for all kinds of professionals who work with data. Facebook Event
Software Guild Wednesday, January 25: 7:00 – 9:00PM
Nerd-o-meter: Beginner/Intermediate
Through the magic of Space Cats and Pizza, we’ll be set on a marvellous journey exploring Javascript’s this keyword. We’ll be learning how to bend it to our every will, all the while avoiding its radioactive pitfalls. Space-cadets of all ranks are welcome to come aboard! Even the most experienced space surfer might pick up a few new cheesy curds of knowledge. We’ll be boarding soon, so don’t delay! Come join us on this epic journey through the space-time of this.
Also!
Looking to get your business or idea off the ground? Sara Alhasan from Ontario Centres of Excellence will be giving a short talk about their entrepreneurship programs, what they offer, and how to apply. Facebook Event
Winter Hackathon Open to University of Windsor Undergraduate and Graduate students Friday, January 27 to 29 2016
The University of Windsor’s Computer Science Department and Windsor Hackforge are teaming up for Winter Hackathon. Open to undergraduate and graduate students from the University, this weekend hackathon will test skills with creative challenges using data from the community and industry. More Details Here / Facebook Event Register NOW as a participant, volunteer, or mentor
Order of the Indie Game Developers: Great Canadian Game Jam Brainstorm Monday, January 30: 7:00PM
A Game Jam is a group of people planning, designing, and creating one or more games. January’s meetup, we will be giving an introduction to Game Jams and host a brainstorming session to what one spread across 2017 would look like. We’re inviting video game developers, artists, writers, and fans to join in the process. Facebook Event
Book Club: Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem (2006) Tuesday, January 31: 7:00PM
Liu Cixin’s science fiction novel The Three Body Problem was a smash hit bestseller in China, and has finally been translated into English by Ken Liu. It’s a mind-bending tale of politics, aliens and gaming. Join us for a discussion of this Hugo Award winning novel. Facebook Event Amazon | Chapters
**NB: Due to the holidays,Windsor-Essex .NET Developers will not be meeting in January**
Windsor Essex .Net Developers Introduction to Distributing Workloads using PowerShell and Azure Tuesday, September 6: 6:30PM
In this introductory-level talk we will discuss using cloud resources to handle tasks. We will explore scripts to create new Virtual Machines (VMs) in a remote datacenter, copy files necessary for the tasks to the VMs, execute tasks on the VMs, get the results back on a central machine, and then delete the VMs. We will use a generic task, and discuss how this could be exchanged for a different task based on your needs (load testing, automated testing, etc.). No previous knowledge of PowerShell is required, each step will be explained as we go through the demonstration.
Food provided by Microsoft // Thanks to Telerik for their sponsorship of this event More info here!
Board Game Night Thursday, September 8: 6:00 – 10:00 PM
Join us for a night of board games and card games from 6-10PM. This event is free and open to everyone. If you’re new to board games, we encourage you to come by as we will have trusty Hackforgers there to help get you started. Facebook Event
Pokémap Downtown! Windsor Public Library & MapTime Windsor Essex Event Saturday, September 10: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
In partnership with the Windsor Public Library and Maptime Windsor-Essex, we will be teaching people how to use Google Maps to mark out PokéStops and PokéGyms, so we can pick the best routes to help you catch them all! Plus we’ll be mapping other important spots downtown that can help make the game more accessible, like wifi hotspots and bus stops. Facebook Event Here
Show & Tell Tuesday, September 13: 7:00 PM
Join us for the launch of Hackforge’s new general interest night, Show and Tell. How it works: up to six presenters have less than 10 minutes to show and tell! Topics can vary from electronics to software to engineering and beyond. Got something to share? Come by and sign up! Facebook Event
DIY Audio Electronics Group Old School Tubes Wednesday, September 14: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Join the DIY Audio Group as we continue our journey into old school tube based gear. Rob Caruso dives into magic eye tubes and will demo the magic eye colour organ one last time before it’s dismantled. Jeff Szusz demos his Schitt tube based headphone amplifier and presents his research and experiences with headphones for the new rig. Facebook Event
Open Coding Night Thursday, September 15: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Working on a project? Need to bounce ideas off other programmers? Bring your laptop and get coding! Great event for beginners as well! Tutorials will be available and the event is facilitated a real life computer programmer. Facebook Event
Open Streets: w.a.v.e.s Festival Preview Sunday, September 18: 9:00AM – 1:00PM
Hackforge is a proud partner of WAVES 2016 with Hack the Fest. Get a first peek at the projects during Open Streets Windsor 2016 with a family friendly drop-in event.
The City of Windsor’s Cultural Affairs Department is a partner on this initiative in anticipation of the w.a.v.e.s 2016 – Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, 4-11 PM – FREE ENTRY, Rain or Shine! w.a.v.e.s. (Windsor’s Artists, Visions, Energies & Sculptures) is a two-day festival connecting communities through waves of art, culture and technology. Facebook Event
CustomEXO Project: Open Table Discussion Monday, September 19: 6:00 – 8:00PM
A presentation of the CustomEXO Project goals, obstacles, and an opportunity to join the ExoHuman Laboratory mission to research & develop a CustomEXO(skeleton) for a person with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. We will connect 3D printing technicians, engineers, medical professionals, artists/designers and the community (worldwide). Facebook Event
Hackforge Book Club: Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano Wednesday, September 21: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Join us for the first ever Hackforge Book Club! September’s book is Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano (1952). Details here!
Member Night: Office Space Bingo
Thursday, September 22: 7:00 PM
Join us for a screening of the cult classic 1999 film, Office Space. This will be an interactive night as we play Office Space Bingo along with the movie. Prizes to be won!
Movie and snacks are free to Hackforge members // $10 general public. All proceeds go to support Hackforge. Facebook Event
Electronics Club Saturday, September 24: 1:00 – 3:00PM
Join the club for those who love electronics and take part in an afternoon activity. Facebook Event
Order of the Indie Game Developers Monday, September 26: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Join likeminded designers and dreamers for an evening of demos and discussion on the world of game design. This group is for those interested in creating games both digital and tabletop. Facebook Event
Software Guild Ping-Pong Unit Testing Wednesday, September 28: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Murtuza will demonstrate a paired unit testing session. Two people at one computer, writing tests and making them pass. He’ll walk through a couple examples with volunteers and then the participants can pair up and try it for themselves. Bring your laptop! Facebook Event
StartUp MeetUp Windsor Thursday, September 29: 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Grab a drink, meet some new people, and share your entrepreneurial experiences and ideas. Keep up to date here!
Join us for a night of community and collaboration, as we invite the women of Windsor who work in STEM to come together. Thursday, June 30th from 6:00PM to 8:00PM, drop in to Hackforge (255 Ouellette) for an evening of networking and talking all things women in tech.
The goal of the night is to connect women who are working in science, technology, engineering and math fields, or related to them. We welcome everyone curious about the industry to come by.
This event is made possible by the Computer Girls program,coding classes for women by women. In partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST) and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, these classes are taught by female professional computer programmers with the aim to get more women interested in coding.
Part of the Computer Girls initiative is to promote mentorship, networking, and support for women already working or looking to start tech careers in Windsor.
Anita’s Network is named after American computer scientist Dr. Anita Borg and her goal of 50% women in computer science. She was a researcher for Xerox PARC and founded the Institute for Women and Technology.
Are you a woman working in tech in Windsor? We want to hear from you! Check out this quick survey so we can help create programming that you want.
