Camping in Ohio

This Saturday was the Columbus Code Camp, and I have to say I was really impressed. The quality of the talks - and the audiences - was excellent, and it was a nice broad set of interesting topics. Mike Reed and the other organizers should feel great about putting together such a good event, especially for its maiden voyage. I look forward to it as a regular event.

My talk slides and materials are the same as the Ohio LinuxFest versions. Thanks to my audience for the great questions!

Next weekend comes the Southwest Ohio GiveCamp, a big hackfest to rapidly produce software for area nonprofits. I've never been to a GiveCamp before, and I'm really looking forward to it; I've heard great things from people who have participated before. Python folks, step forward - I want to make sure there are enough of us to form at least one strong team writing Python-based software.

Scheduling of tech events is an interesting topic. If it's held on a weekend, you know you're getting genuinely passionate professionals, people who want to spend their own time learning new things and improving their skills. If it's held on a weekday, you know you're getting people who work for smart companies that value their employees' skill and know that user-driven events are a great (and cheap) form of training... as well as a few attendees who are so hard-core that they'll actually take their own vacation time for learning. Either way, it reveals a lot about which people and employers are really dedicated to being and staying sharp.