Anyone been to a hackathon?
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No, not visiting your uncle with emphysema. If you are unfamiliar it's usually a day long (12, 24, 48 hours) coding challenge, sponsored by non profits, governments, or corporations or a combination of them. From my understanding you can bring your own team or be assigned to one. I've never been, but there is a local one coming up, regarding logistics/traffic patterns, which interests me. If you have gone to one: What was it like? What should I expect? What should I bring? Should I avoid it at all costs? My reasons to go would be to see how my skills hold up to kids' skills these days, maybe get leads, network, have fun, etc. I have not decided to go yet. [Edit] Included a link, you guys know me, I'm not spamming or promoting. http://www.logisticshack.com/[^]
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No, not visiting your uncle with emphysema. If you are unfamiliar it's usually a day long (12, 24, 48 hours) coding challenge, sponsored by non profits, governments, or corporations or a combination of them. From my understanding you can bring your own team or be assigned to one. I've never been, but there is a local one coming up, regarding logistics/traffic patterns, which interests me. If you have gone to one: What was it like? What should I expect? What should I bring? Should I avoid it at all costs? My reasons to go would be to see how my skills hold up to kids' skills these days, maybe get leads, network, have fun, etc. I have not decided to go yet. [Edit] Included a link, you guys know me, I'm not spamming or promoting. http://www.logisticshack.com/[^]
I have been and have helped the local microsoft guys run some as well. Definately have your laptop with you. I know it sounds obvious, but I will tell you that there were people there that did not and wondered how they were going to be doing the development. Based on the location, internet might be an issue, so have everything you need installed ahead of time. There should be people there that can help you out if you get stuck on something, but they might not know the answers either. Microsoft had prizes for the best apps. The first 3 got Slate 7 tablets, and 4th got an XBox 360 with Kinect. not all have this level of prizes. The latest Microsoft one that I helped at had free XBox points for anyone that submitted to the Win8 store and the app winner got an XBox. There were other prizes as well for people that submitted Win8 apps (XBox games, keyboard, mouse, etc) The networking is good as well if you are not focused on trying to get something done.
Steve Maier
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I have been and have helped the local microsoft guys run some as well. Definately have your laptop with you. I know it sounds obvious, but I will tell you that there were people there that did not and wondered how they were going to be doing the development. Based on the location, internet might be an issue, so have everything you need installed ahead of time. There should be people there that can help you out if you get stuck on something, but they might not know the answers either. Microsoft had prizes for the best apps. The first 3 got Slate 7 tablets, and 4th got an XBox 360 with Kinect. not all have this level of prizes. The latest Microsoft one that I helped at had free XBox points for anyone that submitted to the Win8 store and the app winner got an XBox. There were other prizes as well for people that submitted Win8 apps (XBox games, keyboard, mouse, etc) The networking is good as well if you are not focused on trying to get something done.
Steve Maier
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That was for just getting it submitted to the win8 store. Good or not.
Steve Maier
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No, not visiting your uncle with emphysema. If you are unfamiliar it's usually a day long (12, 24, 48 hours) coding challenge, sponsored by non profits, governments, or corporations or a combination of them. From my understanding you can bring your own team or be assigned to one. I've never been, but there is a local one coming up, regarding logistics/traffic patterns, which interests me. If you have gone to one: What was it like? What should I expect? What should I bring? Should I avoid it at all costs? My reasons to go would be to see how my skills hold up to kids' skills these days, maybe get leads, network, have fun, etc. I have not decided to go yet. [Edit] Included a link, you guys know me, I'm not spamming or promoting. http://www.logisticshack.com/[^]
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That was for just getting it submitted to the win8 store. Good or not.
Steve Maier
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Steve Maier wrote:
That was for just getting it submitted to the win8 store. Good or not.
Err...so the prize was a mouse for figuring out how to submit it?
No. The mouse was a prize choice for getting an app made and then submitting it to the store. They also got 1600 XBox points and also Micorosoft has a program right now where you can also get $100 for up to 10 apps in the Windows 8 store and for up to 10 apps in the Windows Phone store.
Steve Maier
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No, not visiting your uncle with emphysema. If you are unfamiliar it's usually a day long (12, 24, 48 hours) coding challenge, sponsored by non profits, governments, or corporations or a combination of them. From my understanding you can bring your own team or be assigned to one. I've never been, but there is a local one coming up, regarding logistics/traffic patterns, which interests me. If you have gone to one: What was it like? What should I expect? What should I bring? Should I avoid it at all costs? My reasons to go would be to see how my skills hold up to kids' skills these days, maybe get leads, network, have fun, etc. I have not decided to go yet. [Edit] Included a link, you guys know me, I'm not spamming or promoting. http://www.logisticshack.com/[^]
Had a great experience at one last year (the Lehigh Valley Hackathon in Bethlehem, PA). To me it had two big appeals. First, spending a full straight day and a half or so working on a project you've really wanted to do but never gotten a chance to. Second, being with your people - not developers, HOBBYIST developers, the guys who do this for FUN and thus will happily prattle on with you about Django for 45 minutes. From my perspective as a full-time developer with two small kids, a house, and all such attendant responsibilities, these are rare moments for me nowadays. I'm at the point where I am old enough that work-life balance has become important, and am not able to do these sort of marathon coding sessions like my younger compatriots can at will. And I don't have much opportunity to interact in any fashion with these guys anyway on a regular basis. And it certainly helps that (at least at the event I attended), the food was damn good and plentiful, so you can basically pound power drinks and eat mozzarella sticks til your colon rebels! My perspective on it, but for me, it's something to look forward to whenever I can do one, a break from 'real life'. :)