Re: Interested in Code Retreat Philly?

[Dan Mead <d.w.mead@gmail.com>]

steep as in too much money, I'm a poor graduate student :)

On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 10:46 PM, Sebastian Hermida <sebas00@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dan,
>
> Don't let that scare you away. Code retreats are about the process of
> thinking about a problem, not about the language used to solve it.
>
> And pairing makes for a great experience.
>
> On Jan 25, 9:42 pm, Dan Mead <d.w.m...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I'd be interested in this, but ETE is a bit steep for me.
>>
>> -dan
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 9:32 PM, Sebastian Hermida <seba...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Hey Mark, thanks for the offer! Really cool that you can help out.
>>
>> > Would it be possible to check out the place?
>>
>> > Just by the description, it looks like the perfect match for a code
>> > retreat :)
>>
>> > On Jan 25, 6:34 pm, Mark Chadwick <mark.chadw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> Sounds awesome. Count me in.  If you're in a need of a venue, I can offer up
>> >> Invite Media's office at 17th and Chestnut. Food, beer, couches, monitors,
>> >> and I promise -- no sales pitches :)
>>
>> >> -Mark
>>
>> >> On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 12:07 PM, Sebastian Hermida <seba...@gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>> >> > Exactly. Since you can experiment with different programming styles,
>> >> > it's up to you and your pair decide on how to attack the problem.
>>
>> >> > Here is a screenshot of what we were trying during our first code
>> >> > retreat (in Java) last year:
>>
>> >> >http://api.ning.com/files/mMzoEsCNvN8vtjC26KMvozuvHxKhtyPgayxtmjJaeSQ...
>>
>> >> > On Jan 24, 10:47 am, Jonathan Tran <jonnyt...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> > > Sounds great!  I bet it'd be a great way for people still learning
>> >> > > functional programming to practice it w/ help.
>>
>> >> > > On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 9:34 PM, Sebastian Hermida <seba...@gmail.com
>> >> > >wrote:
>>
>> >> > > > A few of us are interested in having a code retreat right after the
>> >> > > > Philly Emerging Tech conference (ETE).
>>
>> >> > > > What’s a code retreat? In a nutshell, it’s a day of coding practice.
>> >> > > > You get to pair with a lot of awesome people and then go drink beer.
>> >> > > > Too good to be true?
>>
>> >> > > > The goal of the retreat is to provide sessions where people can
>> >> > > > practice doing things they wouldn't ordinarily do when working on
>> >> > > > something they need to get finished. Since we work on a problem that
>> >> > > > cannot be reasonable finished in 40 minutes, the tension to finish
>> >> > > > goes away, and we can focus on different design / development
>> >> > > > techniques. The world is open, and, since you are pairing, it makes
>> >> > > > for a fun time trying new things.
>>
>> >> > > > The date would be Saturday April 10th. For bonus points, Brian Marick
>> >> > > > ofhttp://exampler.comfame, speaker at ETE, is going to hang around
>> >> > > > for this.
>>
>> >> > > > An approximate format:
>> >> > > > - 9:00am to 5pm
>> >> > > > - 40 minutes iterations
>> >> > > > - Coding is done in pairs
>> >> > > > - Each iteration, we work on Conway’s Game of Life (http://
>> >> > > > en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway's_Game_of_Life)
>> >> > > > - At the end of each iteration:
>> >> > > >  - we delete the code we wrote
>> >> > > >  - we reflect a bit on what we did/practiced
>> >> > > >  - we switch pairs
>> >> > > > - At the end of the day, we go out for food and drinks and talk about
>> >> > > > our victories.
>>
>> >> > > > List of open issues:
>> >> > > > - Deciding on the programming language:
>> >> > > > I hope we can do it in Python or Ruby. But what about other languages
>> >> > > > you say? We need at least 6 pairs per language so we don’t end up
>> >> > > > pairing with the same person twice. Code retreats usually have one
>> >> > > > language, it's easier to organize that way but if we really want to
>> >> > > > have more groups, let’s break that rule!
>>
>> >> > > > - The venue:
>> >> > > > No idea where to host this yet. Any recommendations?
>>
>> >> > > > - Sponsorship:
>> >> > > > Code retreats are free and sponsorship for food and venue keeps it
>> >> > > > that way. Need to find sponsors. Any recommendations?
>>
>> >> > > > I have created a placeholder on the coderetreat network for this event
>> >> > > > (http://coderetreat.ning.com/xn/detail/2712512:Event:4161?
>> >> > > > xg_source=activity).
>>
>> >> > > > Register, comment, talk about it, spread the word, let’s make it
>> >> > > > happen.
>>
>> >> > > > Cheers,
>> >> > > > Sebastian
>