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Geekcamp Baguio 2013 Lightning Talks
For those who don’t know the details about the event, please check out the website. It was held at Azalea Residences on May 25, 2013.
Java in the Real World
It was a serious overview about Java but also an honest one. Miguel said it would still be around for the next few years but it would be like COBOL. View presentation to learn more about his talk.
He has also shared a few more resources here: Java for Geekcamp Baguio.
Real-time web with Node.js
I wish I understood Node.js the same way I understood Rack and Ruby microframeworks to give a comment. Ken’s demo was OK. I wish he explained Websockets in a way that beginners would understand it.
4 Rubyists
Similar to Geekcamp Baguio 2012 or the first Geekcamp, there’s a predominance of Rubyists who volunteered. There are about 4 of us. I rely a lot in the Ruby community and I almost always get a positive response from them which I am thankful for.
The Ruby Movement in Japan
This year, we’ve had a foreign speaker from Japan who happens to study in Baguio. His name is Daiki Hatanaka. He talked about a lot of things which was not confined to the Ruby Movement in Japan. I would consider it as a very good introduction to Ruby and the Ruby community in general. He mentioned Geekhouse in Japan, the Ruby Kaigi and a few other things. More than that, he gave a demo of vagrant.
He didn’t have much time to prepare and I was impressed. I was traveling when he sent me an email a few days before the event (May 13, 2013). He said he’d like to join as an attendee or a speaker. He said he’d “try his best.” Initially, I was skeptical because I have never seen him beforehand. I lived somewhere else for 21 days that’s why I was unable to do a meetup. I just liked how he was very enthusiastic about it.
Thank you, Daiki, for joining us.
I’ve taken a video using my iPhone. I apologize for my shaky hands. I did not bring my Hitcase and monopod with me.
There are more videos taken but some speakers have requested that they should not be uploaded. In my opinion, those are videos worth replaying.
sUX to Have Bad UX
I was impressed with Micael’s UX talk. Micael Diaz de Rivera is a UX Engineer at sulit.com.ph. It was very helpful. He said his talk was suitable for ladies. I was wondering why and I understand why now. Too bad there weren’t too many girls who attended ;)
If he does change his mind about it, I will upload the video. For those who haven’t seen his presentation, it’s focused on the simple idea that each element on a website’s interface should be useful. It should be easy for users to search for content and navigate through your site.
CakePHP Best Practices
Rachel Jaro is one of those lucky to be funded by a Startup Accelerator called LaunchGarage. She opened up her talk by encouraging those who have an idea to try and apply for either IdeaSpace or LaunchGarage. We hear it a lot but “read the manual” advice is most practical which she emphasized. But she did give an excellent overview of what MVC is.
Legacy Code
There were a lot of examples and some of which required more time to digest. Marc Ignacio’s talk was worth listening to as it was from experience. He was trying to convey how they managed to work on a project handled by 2 software development companies before them. That’s a pretty daunting task. He mentioned a few Ruby gems used like SimpleCov for test coverage.
Rack and Ruby microframeworks
Honestly, I had no prepared presentation. I just wanted to give a message that it is OK to use Rack outright. I wanted to give an introduction to REST which I failed to do. For this reason, we will have the mini workshops.
Ruby on Rails Introduction
I thank Erol for the wonderful introduction to Ruby on Rails. An attendee gave a comment that you should have been given more time because your talk was very useful. Check out his presentation.
We ran out of time for the workshop and could not extend even for another 30 minutes due to another event on the same venue.
Average Rating: 2.5 of 4
Based on my personal assessment as an organizer and based on the feedback of attendees, the event was OK but we have not met our goals.
Geekcamp Baguio: Ruby Workshops
We’ll have “Geekcamp Baguio 2013 mini workshops.” Announcement about the venue(s) and date(s) would follow soon.
Because there aren’t always sponsors interested in meetups, we would like to keep the Geekcamp mini workshops simple much like the monthly meetups at John Hay early this year. We’ll probably just do it on coffee shops and restaurants. In the past, I have organized simple meetups which were successful in the sense that I think everyone who joined learned something new. It’s ironic how we get more done by doing less. When we give more, we get a lot less. By that I mean there’s probably too many bells and whistles we can do away with.
Sam and Ane (attendees of Geekcamp Baguio) requested for one-on-one workshops and I said I don’t know when I will have some time. They said they’ll wait until I have time. That’s a lot of faith. I sure hope to have some time for you both.
My answer to questions and comments from attendees
The next event should be in Manila
I agree. But someone else should step up to organize the event. It is ideal for Manila-based tech organizers to start it out there. I would love to attend if that happens.
I started Geekcamp in Baguio because I find the lack of events like these depressing. What’s more depressing is the fact that people would not lift their hand to do anything about it. They sit, watch and judge. It’s too common. I am not dissuaded by such attitude but I am determined to change the format and simplify. I will do what I can, wherever I am. I like to see the same thing happen in other regions in our country. If it’s not of interest then it would not happen.
The event should not be free
Someone said it should be a paid event because of the number of opt-outs for free events. A Geekcamp will always be free. If a sponsor would not find it interesting to support an event with high opt-outs, we will still do what we can given our capacity. Some people had a very positive response because they mentioned screening attendees which we at PHRUG have done for several events. We chose the attendees. It is probable that the next Geekcamp will still be free but not very “open.”
A Webinar or Code Retreat
This was suggested by Miguel Paraz. As a remote worker for several years, I don’t see it impossible to have a Geekcamp even if attendees and speakers are in different locations. It is most practical to have a webinar than to travel for several hours to listen to a talk or to code. As I have said, we will do what we can, where we are.
A (mini) Geekcamp can happen every three months
Another suggestion of an attendee was to make this happen every three months. It’s not impossible but please do not expect a lot. We can organize meetups and invite some friends over to speak. We won’t have a lot of speakers but if there are two or three, that’s good enough for a meetup.
Thank you to all volunteers
I don’t know if I’ve said it out loud but “thank you” to everyone who volunteered.
This includes the following people:
He has been great help for me since Geekcamp Baguio 2012. I see him as the real tech community leader here in Baguio. He is very passionate in what he does (marketing). It’s something I don’t always see with myself because I have various interests.
He’s a speaker and co-organizer in some way for this event.
For helping out with the promotional work, thank you!
For the support and helping promote the event.
For the photos.
For the support and coming up to Baguio.
Marica Uchida, Paul Pajo and Jim Ayson
For the support.
Thank you to all sponsors
Thank you to all supporters