Grab a coffee and join us for the first meeting of Launchpad023's book club, kicking off with Pekka Himanen's The Hacker Ethic.
We're starting with Part 1, digging into what "hacker" really means beyond the stereotypes, and how a different relationship to work, time, and creativity might look.
This is a low-key, no-pressure gathering, not a test. Haven't finished the reading (or started it)? Come anyway. We'd rather have good conversation and new faces than perfect attendance records.
📍 Launchpad023, Wateringweg 65, Haarlem
📖 Reading: Part 1
Led by a 9-year-old Minecraft redstone expert --> for kids ages 8–15
Ever wondered how to build working doors, traps, or secret contraptions in Minecraft using redstone? Join Dexter, our resident redstone expert (age 9!), for a hands-on workshop where kids teach kids.
Dexter will walk through the basics of redstone circuits and show off some of his favorite builds, with time to try it out yourself. Whether you're brand new to redstone or already tinkering with your own creations, come build, ask questions, and swap ideas with other young Minecrafters.
👦 Led by Dexter, age 9
🎮 For kids ages 8–15
📍 Launchpad023, Wateringweg 65, Haarlem
Once a month, we clear the tables, break out the snacks, and settle in for a proper game night. Bring whatever you love to play, whether that is a dog-eared copy of something you have owned for years or that new game still in shrink wrap you keep forgetting to open. We will have games on hand too, and people around who know how to teach them if you want to try something new.
Drinks are available for purchase. Snacks are on the table. The only rule is that you actually play something.
We kick off Thursday, July 17 from 7:00 to 10:00 pm at Launchpad023, Wateringweg 65, Haarlem. Show up, pick a game, find your people.
Curious about life beyond the big social media platforms? Join us for an introduction to the Fediverse, the growing network of open, decentralized social apps like Mastodon, PeerTube, and Pixelfed, all built on open protocols instead of a single company's servers.
We'll cover what makes the Fediverse different, how it connects to Launchpad023's focus on digital privacy and European tech alternatives, and how to get started (setting up an account, finding a server, following people). No technical background needed, just curiosity.
🌐 For anyone curious about alternatives to mainstream social media
📍 Launchpad023, Wateringweg 65, Haarlem
This evening is for anyone curious about Linux, whether you are completely new to it or already experimenting on your own. Maybe you are tired of constant operating system changes, frustrated by older hardware being left behind, interested in privacy and open source software, or simply want to understand what alternatives exist outside the major tech ecosystems. Whatever brought you here, you are welcome.
Bring your computer and we’ll help you get started in a relaxed, beginner friendly environment at Launchpad023 in Haarlem. We’ll guide you through installing Linux step by step, explain what is happening during the process, and help you understand your options rather than just clicking through an installer.
Brian Johnson, co founder of Launchpad023 and CTO of Gozynta, will lead the evening and be available throughout the session to help troubleshoot, answer questions, and explain the process in a practical and approachable way.
You can bring almost any computer, including Windows PCs, Macs, laptops, or desktops. If you want to dual boot Linux alongside your current operating system, we can help with that too. Already using Linux? You are still welcome to come by for tweaks, troubleshooting, questions, or simply to meet others interested in the space.
We will also have several systems already running Linux for anyone who wants to try it before making changes to their own computer.
Monitors, keyboards, and mice will be available for desktop setups and testing.
No prior technical experience is required. Curiosity is enough.
Some installations take only a few minutes. Others may involve experimentation depending on the hardware. Every machine is a little different, and part of the evening is learning together, exploring possibilities, and helping each other along the way.
Please bring:
* A laptop or desktop computer
* A charger and any necessary cables
* A USB stick if you have one
* A backup of any important files
* Your administrator password
Installing a new operating system changes how your computer is configured, so backing up your files beforehand is strongly recommended.
The event will run from 18:00 to 22:00 at Launchpad023 in Haarlem.
If your computer cannot upgrade to Windows 11, that is completely fine. Many older machines run Linux extremely well and often feel significantly faster afterward. If you are unsure whether Linux is right for you, you are also welcome to attend just to watch, ask questions, and learn more before deciding.
Want to meet other people in tech who actually live nearby?
Curious what your neighbours are building, breaking, or thinking about?
Looking for a low-key evening to talk shop without it being a conference or a sales pitch?
Working on something interesting and want people to bounce ideas off?
Or just want to find your people in Haarlem?
Come hang out.
The Haarlem Code Collective is a casual monthly meetup for people who work in or around tech. No talks, no agenda, no slides. Just techies in a room, talking about what they’re working on, what they’re frustrated with, and what they’re excited about. Each month tends to have a loose focus to give the conversation somewhere to start, but topics are fluid and the evening goes wherever the room takes it. The kind of conversation that’s hard to find when most of the tech scene lives a train ride away in Amsterdam.
It happens the first Sunday of every month at Launchpad023. Show up, grab a drink, find a conversation. Some people come every month. Some show up once and never again. Both are fine.
This is for anyone working in tech in any capacity. Developers, sysadmins, designers, founders, hobbyists, students, people who used to be in tech and want to stay in the loop. If you find yourself reading this and wondering whether you count, you count.
We have run a handful of these so far, mostly focusing on MeshCore LoRa Radios. At one event, we successfully set up 2 Heltec v4 devicesd exchanged messages back and forth between them across Haarlem with no internet connection! We continued this project to the most recent Tinkering Workshop, where we worked on setting up repeaters and started conversations of setting up a server at Launchpad023 (which is now live!)
At this tinkering workshop we want to continue this project, but also encourage YOU to bring your own project! I, Faith, will be working on my personal server and setting that up, if anyone would like to join that journey. We hope to see you there! Register here.
