Design Groups Sydney

Free Architecture VIP event at Sydney Uni: Multi Sensory Design etc etc

GET FREE TICKETS QUICK... Any problems, RING US 0419500023 for info etc We may have spares https://adp-comms.sydney.edu.au/pub/pubType/EO/pubID/zzzz6a0bb1d3f384a357/interface.html

Signal Not Noise Sydney

Signal Not Noise Sydney is a 1 day conference from the people who brought us the fantastic LAST conferences. Tickets are very affordable already, but if you use code ADAPTWS3214 , you'll score a special 10% discount. Please register via [the SNN website](https://www.signal-not-noise.com/sydney/), I hope I'll see you there! **About Signal Not Noise** We bring together engineers, product managers, designers, data scientists and tech leaders to learn from each other. Cross-disciplinary, community-driven, practical. A place where the people making the decisions as well as the people doing the work can gather. **Why Signal Not Noise?** **Real work, not theory.** Every session comes from someone who has done the thing, run the team, or solved the problem. **Cross-disciplinary by design.** Engineers, CTOs, product managers, designers, engineering managers and delivery leads all in the same building. The best ideas come from that mix. **Actionable.** The test for any session is whether you can use it on Monday. If you can't, it doesn't make the programme. **Community-built.** Signal Not Noise has been running in Australia since 2012, built on local organisers and affordable registration prices. Accessible on purpose.

Enshittification and the Power of Platforms: Is There a Way Out?

Ever wonder why so many digital services you rely on seem to be getting simultaneously worse and more expensive? More ads. Sponsored search results. Subscription creep. Auto‑renew traps. Dubious 'surge' charges. Sneaky fees. Forced sign-ins. Cancel buttons hidden. There's a term for this phenomenon: enshittification — the gradual degradation of platforms that once seemed like technological miracles offering us convenience, connection, and democratisation. But enshittification - the Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2024 - is just the surface symptom of something far more corrosive. Beneath the declining user experience lies a fundamental reshaping of our economy where a handful of tech platforms have positioned themselves as inescapable gatekeepers, extracting unprecedented wealth from workers, businesses, and consumers while accumulating dangerous concentrations of power — what some are now calling technofeudalism. What happened to the internet's promise of widespread prosperity and a stronger democracy? How did we end up locked into systems that seem designed to serve everyone except us? And most importantly: what can we do about it? Come join us for a vital conversation about reclaiming our digital future and building an economy that works for everyone, not just the platform owners. **Book: *Enshittification – Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* (2025) by Cory Doctorow** **Book (Alternative): *The Age of Extraction – How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity* (2025) by Tim Wu** **Pdf Resource:** ***[Infographics and Summary Tables](https://1drv.ms/b/c/adb4f7488b2eef0a/IQB0CITwHhHJSaFBbJDhZmMEAcDSAace_BN1Q6aSYILezCI?e=edqfP9)*** (A prepared document of selected ideas from the two books) This month you have two options to read depending on your preference towards the level of analysis, style of writing, and your ease in accessing the book. *Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* by Cory Doctorow is a punchy, provocative, and highly readable take on why so many digital platforms seem to decline over time. Doctorow, who coined the term ‘enshittification’, argues that platforms follow a predictable lifecycle—starting out user-focused, then shifting to business customers, and finally extracting for themselves—in each stage squeezing the group it previously courted. The book is fast-paced, example-rich, and written in an accessible, almost conversational style, making it ideal if you enjoy sharp arguments, memorable concepts, and contemporary tech critique. It’s particularly appealing for readers who like books that spark immediate reactions and connect directly to everyday experiences online. *The Age of Extraction* by Tim Wu takes a broader, more analytical approach. Wu situates the problems of digital platforms within a larger historical and economic pattern, arguing that we are living in an “age of extraction” where powerful actors systematically draw value from users, workers, and society. The tone is more measured and reflective, with a focus on big-picture thinking and long-term trends. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy connecting ideas across economics, history, and politics, and who prefer a more structured, conceptual framework over a punchy polemic. Please read one (or both), depending on your interests. *The Age of Extraction* is 226 pages (or 6 hours) and *Enshittification* is 340 pages (or 10 hours, not available on Audible but is available on other platforms). Join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 6th July, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail. Bring along an example of an app or digital service you used to really like that has since become enshittified—something you can have a quick rant about to kick off the conversation! 😊 Hope to see you there! P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to other people if there is a waitlist. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- These are just optional links to consider to supplement the reading of the books. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section. **Videos & Podcasts** * Two-for-one: Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu together! (Curiously, as kids they were classmates in the same small primary school in Toronto!): [The Ezra Klein Show – We Didn't Ask for This Internet (1.5hrs)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yepnhe1T-9U&t) [The Oxford Internet Institute - Enshittification and Extraction (1.5hrs)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkYxMQJ9c94) * Cory Doctorow Interviews: [Prospect Magazine (28mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9XRREj1DSo&t) [Doctorow on The Daily Show (15 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2e-c9SF5nE) [The Guardian (24 mins)](https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/nov/24/enshittification-how-we-got-the-internet-no-one-asked-for-podcast) * Tim Wu Interviews: [The Majority Report (40 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpnMk3IhV6U) [The Commonwealth Club (1 hour)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mRvMEzjTVw) * Explainer Video: [Why Every App is Getting Worse on Purpose (10 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjEGRXVKQCQ) **Written** * Pdf Resource: [Infographics and Summary Tables](https://1drv.ms/b/c/adb4f7488b2eef0a/IQB0CITwHhHJSaFBbJDhZmMEAcDSAace_BN1Q6aSYILezCI?e=edqfP9) (A prepared document of selected ideas from the two books) * Enshittification Summaries and Reviews: [Wikipedia summary of Enshittification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification) [Transcript of Doctorow Lecture on Enshittification](https://doctorow.medium.com/my-mcluhan-lecture-on-enshittification-ea343342b9bc) [CounterFire Book Review ](https://www.counterfire.org/article/enshittification-why-everything-suddenly-got-worse-and-what-to-do-about-it-book-review/) * The Age of Extraction Reviews [Prospect Book Review](https://prospect.org/2025/12/10/internets-tollbooth-operators-wu-review/) [HowAustraliaReallyWorks Book Review](https://www.howaustraliareallyworks.com/2026/02/book-summary-age-of-extraction-how-tech.html) [Washington Monthly Book Review](https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/02/age-of-extraction-tim-wu/)

Immersive Signal EP2

Hey everyone! **Immersive Signal is back** **for EP2** this time at **NeonDynamo**. Join us for an evening of immersive industry talks, creative exchange, and AV performance, bringing together artists, producers, scientists, sound artists, studios, and technologists working across light, projection, public space, biotech, installation, performance, and new media. Following the energy of our first edition, we’re continuing the mission: to build a stronger, more connected immersive creative community in Sydney, one that brings local talent into the same room, opens up space for collaboration, and connects Sydney’s scene with bigger global conversations. For this edition, we’re inviting speakers from across different corners of the immersive world, from Vivid Sydney production and biotech research to sound, public art, installation, and experiential design. **Speakers** Melanie Horkan, Producer of Vivid Sydney Dr Sean O’Donoghue, Biotech Scientist, UNSW Sydney Phondupe, Composer & Sound Artist Adela Lines & Simone Chua, Amigo & Amigo More to come… **Plus AV performance** **Presented by JŪ YU Lab** with Melanie Horkan and Susan Kosti **07/07** **6 PM** **NeonDynamo** **Free event** Come through, meet people, share ideas, and help shape the next wave of Sydney’s immersive scene.

ELIZABETH BAY HOUSE - Treading Feintly

MYSTERY ARCHITECTURE SKETCH

Life Drawing on Saturday MORNINGS in Marrickville with fantastic models

WELCOME IN 2026 \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- We're back up and running our weekly Saturday life drawing sessions Join us each Saturday for Drawn Together - Sydney life drawing group for a dynamic and inspiring life drawing session in Marrickville. Whether you are a seasoned artist or a beginner, this event offers the perfect opportunity to have fun practicing figure drawing a in a supportive and creative environment. Go to our [booking page](https://www.scratchartspace.com/book/#!/Saturday-MORNING-Life-Drawing-Untutored/p/221095835) to see who we have booked to model. Immerse yourself in a morning of creativity and artistry as you sketch, draw, and bring your ideas to life. Connect with fellow art enthusiasts, exchange techniques, and explore the world of life drawing. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your skills, unleash your creativity, and be part of a vibrant community dedicated to creating and perfecting our art. Book online [here](https://www.scratchartspace.com/book/#!/Saturday-MORNING-Life-Drawing-Untutored/p/221095835).

Fireside Chat with Shannon Scott and Malte Feller

We have a **HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT**! 🎉 We're excited to bring you a very special fireside chat this July with **Shannon Scott** and **Malte Feller**, exploring what it takes to build and lead product at global scale. So much is changing in the product world. AI is reshaping how products are built and how teams operate, while the bar for product leadership keeps rising. Few people have navigated this at the scale and speed of global fintech, where the stakes of getting product right are exceptionally high. **During this fireside chat,** Shannon and Malte will dig into scaling product teams across markets, building trust with customers and regulators, why owning your stack matters more than ever in an agentic AI world, and where AI is taking product leadership in finance next - with a special emphasis on what this means for companies and product people here in Australia. Bring your questions to this special event. **About Shannon** Shannon Scott is the Chief Product Officer at Airwallex, where he leads global product strategy and roadmap across the Melbourne-founded fintech now serving over 150,000 businesses worldwide. His work centres on a genuinely hard problem: building global financial infrastructure that earns customer trust across every jurisdiction it touches. He's a strong advocate for owning your stack by securing and designing products from the ground up rather than relying on third parties and for product leaders taking real ownership of bringing AI capabilities to their customers, not leaving CTOs and CFOs to figure it out themselves. Before Airwallex, Shannon spent 11 years at Palantir, where as its first employee outside the US he built the company's international operations from the ground up. **About Malte** Malte Feller has enjoyed a long and successful career in product and company leadership across global tech hubs, originally in Berlin and then Silicon Valley, before finding his home in Sydney. He has held leadership positions including Managing Director of PayPal Australia, COO of Afterpay, and CEO of Linkly. Today, as Founder and Principal of Manzanita Product Leadership, Malte coaches and advises product and company leaders at both startups and large enterprises. ✨ Huge thanks to Airwallex for hosting us at their Sydney office, Ground Level, 29 Balfour Street, Chippendale! This is a unique opportunity to hear from global product leaders like Shannon and gain unforgettable, one-of-a-kind insights.

BUILDING SMARTER DATA

You are invited to join us for ***"BUILDING SMARTER DATA"*** where we will have industry leading speakers presenting on a range of dRofus topics. * *DAVID VIVIERS (HI NSW): Asset information requirements* * *DANIEL RHODES (BLP): AI agents and MCP* * *TK WANG (VBIS): Latest VBIS classification* * *CHRIS MURRAY (dRofus): Latest features and workflows* * *ADAM HETHERINGTON (BVN): Item status vs classification* This is an in person event, so please let us know in your response if you will attend in person for catering purposes. Or if you'd like to join online via Teams, please let us know and we can provide you a teams link closer to the event.

Updated! SSP TUE , LIGHT & SHADOWS IN MONOCHROME - The Rocks

**10:15 AM – 10:30 AM \| Pre\-Shoot Meetup \-** Chambers Coffee * **Location:** Grab a coffee at Chambers Coffee Gateway Circular Quay Foodcourt Gateway Retail, 1 Macquarie PIace Sydney NSW *** **10:30 AM – 11:00 AM \| Customs House Square** * **Time Allocation:** 30 minutes. * **Environmental Shooting Prompts:** * **The Isolated Subject:** Use a wide focal length to capture a single person walking through the massive, sharp geometric shadows cast across the plaza by the skyscrapers. The human element highlights the sheer, overwhelming scale of the financial district. * **Modernist Frames:** Position yourself near the glass and steel of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) annex. Frame passing locals trapped between layers of sharp, high-contrast architectural reflections and deep window recesses. **11:00 AM – 11:35 AM \| [Nurses Walk](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nurses+Walk,+The+Rocks+NSW+2000/@-33.8598892,151.2082795,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6b12ae42efae7765:0x64eba1f577e36025!8m2!3d-33.8598892!4d151.2082795!16s%2Fg%2F1tk6w1nk?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDYxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) & [Suez Canal](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Suez+Canal,+The+Rocks+NSW+2000/@-33.8594987,151.2083423,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6b12ae42e81df571:0x3b81a9d527dcd740!8m2!3d-33.8594987!4d151.2083423!16s%2Fg%2F11f5_6w2f4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDYxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** * **Time Allocation:** 35 minutes. * **Environmental Shooting Prompts:** * **The Sandstone Trench:** Stand deep within the pitch-black shadows of [Suez Canal](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Suez+Canal,+The+Rocks+NSW+2000/@-33.8594987,151.2083423,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6b12ae42e81df571:0x3b81a9d527dcd740!8m2!3d-33.8594987!4d151.2083423!16s%2Fg%2F11f5_6w2f4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDYxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D). Shoot a wide or environmental portrait of a person stepping directly through the narrow "spotlight" of midday sun cutting down into the alley, illuminating them against the dark, gritty heritage brickwork. * **Contextual Silhouettes:** Frame tourists or locals exploring the historic signs and gas lamps of [Nurses Walk](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nurses+Walk,+The+Rocks+NSW+2000/@-33.8598892,151.2082795,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6b12ae42efae7765:0x64eba1f577e36025!8m2!3d-33.8598892!4d151.2082795!16s%2Fg%2F1tk6w1nk?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDYxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D), capturing them completely in silhouette against the brightly lit streets at the end of the lanes. **11:35 AM – 12:10 PM \| The Argyle Cut & High Street Bridge** * **Time Allocation:** 35 minutes. * **Environmental Shooting Prompts:** * **The Multi-Level Canvas:** Shoot from the High Street overpass looking straight down at the pavement below. At this hour, people's shadows compress directly under them. Capture subjects moving across the asphalt, treating the road as a clean, minimalist white canvas cut by short, ink-black human shadows. * **The Cavernous Exit:** Stand inside the dark, monumental sandstone cavern of the Argyle Cut. Capture pedestrians walking toward the blindingly bright exit, using the massive chasm walls to frame the human subjects as small elements in a historic landscape. **12:10 PM – 12:30 PM \| Circular Quay Station Underpass** * **Time Allocation:** 20 minutes. * **Environmental Shooting Prompts:** * **The Glowing Commuter:** Stand inside the dark concrete underpass looking out toward the ferry wharves. Capture commuters as they transition from the bright harbor sun into the shade, utilizing the intense midday sun to catch sharp, glowing white rim-light on their hair, shoulders, and profiles. * **Ghostly Crowds:** Use a slower shutter speed to capture the chaotic rush-hour environment. Keep the heavy structural iron columns tack-sharp while the streams of people turn into motion-blurred, ghostly textures moving through the dark transit hub. *** **12:30 PM \| Arrival at The Ship Inn** Walk just one minute around the corner from the underpass to **The Ship Inn** (Pitt St & Alfred St) to pull up a table, grab a cold drink or lunch, and review everyone’s environmental monochrome frames!

Decidr x Innova - Where Human Judgment Matters Most in the Age of Agentic AI

Innova is hosting our first Women in Tech breakfast in partnership with Decidr. **From Operators to Orchestrators: Where Human Judgment Matters Most in the Age of Agentic AI** As AI continues to reshape how businesses operate, we will discuss where human judgment matters most in the age of agentic AI. AI can draft your documents, summarise meetings, write code, and run workflows. But it can't tell you what's worth building. It doesn't carry the context behind a decision. And it won't be accountable when something goes wrong. This panel gets into the practical reality of that shift: how to redesign teams and ways of working now that machines can handle the execution; where to focus your own time and attention; and how to develop this kind of judgment in the next generation of leaders. * Where human judgment matters most as AI handles execution * Redesigning teams and workflows for the agentic era * Developing judgment in the next generation of leaders * Navigating risk and accountability when AI acts autonomously * Live panel discussion and Q&A We have a limited number of places available for founders and executives, so please reach out to me directly on Linkedin if you would like to attend. Thanks, Marie

Future of QA Panel Discussion & React Mobile Testing with Detox by TJ Maher

Our June event, in person in the Sydney CBD and in collaboration with Planit, is gonna be amazing! We have a Panel Discussion and Q&A on the future of QA and Testing, covering such areas as Shift Left, AI and more and including the chance for attendees to ask questions directly! Check out our great panellists below! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Panel Discussion and Q&A: Panel Discussion: Software Testing and QA in a Rapidly Changing World Panellists: Ranjith Murthy - QA and V&V Manager at Droneshield, former Test Manager at Reserve Bank of Australia Manoj Kumar - Director of NextGen solutions at Planit and famous for his conference talks and work as part of the team at the Selenium project Hemant Ojha - Test Manager at Versent Michael Nashed - Senior QA Engineer at Scentre Group Chair - Paul Maxwell-Walters, events lead at Sydney Testers \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Also, T.J. Maher, the former organiser at Ministry of Testing Boston and a well known QA expert, blogger and speaker, will be presenting from the US on using the Detox framework to create effective test automation frameworks for React Native applications. More below! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Building a React Mobile Automated Test Framework using Detox + TypeScript by T.J. Maher Writing automated tests for a React Native mobile application is notoriously difficult. Mobile components display on the page, but are not fully loaded. Lengthy animations and slow-loading components take a while to finish. Timing issues cause your automated tests to error out giving the appearance of flaky tests. T.J. Maher will be sharing his experience tackling these problems using the open-source mobile testing framework, Wix's Detox, designed specifically for testing React Native applications. \* Setting up a mobile test automation framework. \* Vibe-coding a toy React Mobile Login page app to test against ( [tinyurl.com/detox-demo](https://tinyurl.com/detox-demo) ). \* How to reduce timing issues and flakiness in automated tests. \* Refactoring code into tests, page objects & base pages, separating out credentials and message strings for easier maintainability. \* Setting up automated tests in CI / CD for iOS simulators and Android emulators with GitHub Action Workflows. \* How developers can test their code before they push it into the main branch. About T. J. Maher: A former organizer of the now defunct Ministry of Testing - Boston, Thomas (T.J.) Maher is a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) based in the Boston/South Shore area of Massachusetts, with a decade of experience building web + mobile test automation frameworks. His recent work includes architecting a mobile automation framework from the ground up using Detox and TypeScript for a React Native application at SELF ID, a decentralized identity startup. Prior roles include MassMutual, Verily (Google Health), Threat Stack, Fitbit, and Intralinks. T.J. Maher is @tjmaher1 on LinkedIn, Twitter and BlueSky. His software testing blog is [tjmaher.com](https://tjmaher.com/). Follow him on LinkedIn! Slide Deck is at [https://tinyurl.con/detox-demo-sydney](https://tinyurl.con/detox-demo-sydney) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- We will also have our usual Open Mic for job seekers and all the opportunities for networking and fun typical of our events. Come along, not to be missed!