Posts Tagged ‘codestock’

1. Why You Should Attend MADExpo 2011

   Posted on March 28th, 2011 by Kevin

   

   A couple weeks ago we announced that we’re going to be holding our first regional event here in the Mid Atlantic, and the name of that event is MADExpo (Mid Atlantic Developer Expo).  Scheduled for June 30th – July 1st.  It’ll be held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA.

   Last week, we announced our pricing as well as opened up registration.  Early bird pricing starts at $99 and will run until May 1st.  After that, full pricing begins at $149.

   BUT KEVIN?!  Code Camps and stuff are free!

   That’s correct!  But code camps also have a fraction of what MADExpo is going to have, and suffer from regional fragmentation.  The goal of MADExpo is to unite all developers in the Mid Atlantic, and our sister regions, for two days of awesome developer content.

   What should I look forward to?

   Most code camps have a very “Microsoft” feel to them.  .NET this, C# that.  At MADExpo, we’re making certain that you have the opportunity to explore other avenues of software development.  If you’ve been curious about Ruby, we’re bringing in sessions built for you.  Have you seen people working with touch screens and Natural User Interfaces?  We have leading experts in the field to show you how it’s done!

   There are beginners topics, and more advanced topics that’ll make you scratch your head.

   But wait!  There’s more!

   Additionally, we’re adding a full day side session devoted to electronics and hacking.  If you’re into soldering, or thought it looked interesting, take a talk through our own mini-Maker’s Faire.  Learn from geeks just like you who are building crazy machines with Arduino and code!

   But I have kids…

   Bring them along!  We’re proud to announce a one-day MADKidz workshop for kids of all ages.  This event will help your youngster learn more everything from software developer to electronics.

   The other tangibles

   This event is also about networking.  Meet other developers from other parts of the country (and maybe even different countries!)  Exchange ideas, discuss issues, and have fun!  I will always say that some of my best friends have come from the event I’ve attended.

   The hidden secret

   Want a free pass to MADExpo?  SPEAK!  Events like this are terrific opportunities to get out and flex your presentation muscles.  No developer subject is taboo.  Submitting costs nothing.  Go to http://madexpo.us/speakers to submit a talk!

   Or just register!

   Go!  Register for MADExpo right now.  It’s worth it!

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

2. CodeStock Postmortem

   Posted on June 29th, 2010 by Kevin

   Another CodeStock has come and gone, and it seems that we can;t go to an event without having some stories.  CodeStock has provided in so many ways.  Let’s take a look at some of the highlights

   Can I Get A Push?

   This year for CodeStock, I drove up with my friend Joel Cochran.  Knoxville is about 9 hours away from my area, and I had to drive through Joel’s city in order to get to Knoxville.  It only made sense to stop and hitch a ride.

   This particular story starts around the Virginia and Tennessee border.  We were cruising along, and I glanced over at Joel’s gas gauge.  The exchange went as so:

   Me: Joel, it looks like you’ll need gas.  Might want to stop.

   Joel: Ah, yeah.  If we get gas in the next half hour or so we’ll be fine.

   Fast forward…. 25 minutes.  We pulled into a gas station.  It was a small mom and pop gas station.  An older gentleman was blocking Joel, and slowly limped into the gas station.  Joel decided that it wasn’t worth the time to wait and said, “We’ll just go up to the next exit.”

   Half way to the next exit…

   Joel: The accelerator’s not responding.

   Me: What?

   The car sputtered and coasted.  We rode it on the shoulder for as long as it would go.  Eventually, we pulled to a stop on the side of the road.

   Sitting on the side of the interstate gives you sometime to think.  For example, I was thinking about why they put gas indicators on dashboards.  Also, why do I choose to ride with Joel when I know that something is going to happen (just kidding)?

   What did we do instead of just walking to the gas station?  We decided to push the car the mile and half towards the exit.  Did I mention we had to go uphill and it was about 105 degrees in the sun?

   Moral of the story: don’t ride with Joel, and obey the gas light.

   The CodeStock Experience

   CodeStock was in a new venue this year, the UT Conference Center.  Not only was the venue terrific, but the conference hotel was directly across the street!  For those who’ve never been, CodeStock is a two day event.  Unlike most code camps, CodeStock requires a nominal fee (less than $100) for attending.  However, what you get is worth more than what you would get at Tech-Ed.

   My session was on the second day, and I presented on jQuery.  I got a lot of good feedback and I really hope people enjoyed it.  In addition to my talk, I attended talks on Multi-touch, embracing my failures, how to run a great conference, etc.

   I spent a little bit of time in open spaces this year, less than normal.  Overall, I was disappointed with Open Spaces at CodeStock this year.  For being in a central location of the conference, it was relatively under attended.  Instead, most of the great conversations happened in the atrium outside the open spaces room.

   Lunch was awesome.  Instead of a single lunch session, there were two lunch sessions.  This worked very well seeing as there was no rush to get food.  Going through the line took a matter of minutes, and then people went to sessions.  Conference catering rocked, and was delicious!

   Rachel Appel gave a great keynote on Friday night.  Listening to her, Andrew Duthie, Jennifer Marsman, and several others talk about community made me feel extremely proud to be a part of something so awesome (like 10 million hot dogs awesome).

   After Parties

   The best part of the conferences happen after the conference ends for the day.  Thursday night we hung out in downtown Knoxville.  I was able to meet several people I only knew through Twitter.  We had great conversations and truly brought the experience together.  Friday night we hung out in the hotel and played guitars.  Saturday night we hung out at Alan Steven’s house for PostStock.  If your going straight home after the conference, you’re missing half the fun!

   CodeStock was a blast, and I can’t wait to go back next year.  Next year I’m flying.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

3. Vote For My #CodeStock Sessions!

   Posted on March 15th, 2010 by Kevin

   Hey everyone!

   I’m you’re going to CodeStock, please take a few minutes to vote for my sessions. I would really appreciate it!  I’ll even give you the links so you don’t have to go searching.

   What’s CodeStock you say?  Just one of the best developer conferences on the east coast.  It’s only $55 for early bird tickets, so go register today!

   ASP.NET MVC From The Ground Up
   http://codestock.org/sessions/aspnet-mvc-from-the-ground-up.aspx

   jQuery From The Ground Up
   http://codestock.org/sessions/jquery-from-the-ground-up.aspx

   Awesomize Your Windows Up
   http://codestock.org/sessions/awesomize-your-windows-apps.aspx

   Asynchronize with jQuery
   http://codestock.org/sessions/asynchronize-with-jquery.aspx