Hack the Highlands January 13

sara adrienne

unread,

Jan 5, 2018, 4:55:05 PM1/5/18

to LVL1 - Louisville's Hackerspace

Got this email from the city today:

Councilman Brandon Coan (D-8), the Civic Data Alliance and Bellarmine University are partnering to present Hack the Highlands, the CDA’s first neighborhood-specific hackathon, January 13.

The Civic Data Alliance is Louisville’s Code for America Brigade focused on being a force for open data, coding education, and civic engagement. A hackathon is an event at which coders and other stakeholders focus on using data to create software to solve problems.

“I’m excited and appreciative to partner with the Civic Data Alliance and Bellarmine University to produce Hack the Highlands,” said Coan. “The event is part of my plan to build interest in civic engagement and make city business more accessible, interesting and participatory. I hope a number of students, neighborhood coders and urbanists will come out and join us.”

Since 2014, the CDA has hosted nearly a dozen hackathons around Louisville and produced innovative solutions to local needs, including creating tools for those who are visually impaired and supporting The New Dixie Highway project.

“The Civic Data Alliance is excited to work with Councilman Coan and Bellarmine University to host this hackathon,” said CDA event organizer Robert Kahne. “We hope that the work done on this day brings this corner of the city closer together and helps the Highlands as it faces unique challenges and embraces its unique advantages. CDA is always open and willing to work with any elected officials regardless of political party or office who wishes to support open data and technology for the public good. We commend Councilman Coan for reaching out to us and helping put this event together.”

Hack the Highlands will focus on using the city’s open data to solve problems specific to the Highlands, including reorganizing the area’s litter baskets to make the streets cleaner, tracking streetlight outages to make neighborhoods safer and analyzing the results of Councilman Coan’s 2017 “I Can Get You a Tow” campaign, designed to curb illegal rush hour street parking on Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue.

The event will be held Saturday, January 13 from 9am-5pm at Bellarmine, in classroom CNMH 081 on the ground level of Centro’s McGowan Hall. It is free and open to the public, and parking is available in Bellarmine lots.

“We’re proud to call the Highlands and District 8 Bellarmine’s home, so we’re delighted to host this data-driven session that will make our neighborhood an even better place to live, learn and work,” said Dr. Susan M. Donovan, Bellarmine’s president.

For more information and to RSVP, visit:

http://www.tinyurl.com/hackthehighlands

http://www.tinyurl.com/cmcoand8

http://www.civicdataalliance.org/

https://www.bellarmine.edu/

McCarthy, Patrick (GE Appliances, Non-GE)

unread,

Jan 5, 2018, 5:15:31 PM1/5/18

to lv...@googlegroups.com

Hmmmm…

Is it really a hack-a-thon when you are given direction on the tools to use, and the problems to solve?

Or is it more of a “Day of free labor”

(Not taking a side, just curious about the question?)

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "LVL1 - Louisville's Hackerspace" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to lvl1+uns...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Brian Wagner

unread,

Jan 5, 2018, 7:37:45 PM1/5/18

to lv...@googlegroups.com

Free day of labor was exactly what I was thinking.

SeanMcP

unread,

Jan 5, 2018, 7:45:35 PM1/5/18

to LVL1 - Louisville's Hackerspace

All,

I swear I read the whole thing. Am I missing the incentive part?

Sean

cabre...@twc.com

unread,

Jan 5, 2018, 8:18:49 PM1/5/18

to lv...@googlegroups.com

Okay all,

This is a help your community thing and not intended to enrich your own pockets beyond the good will you spread to others.

With that in mind, read the announcement with the following prolog:

Congratulations comrad;

In furtherance to the glory of our worker's utopia, all will be greeted promptly to provide sweat equity into our endeavor.

All kidding aside, this is about civic contribution. Do it for your community.

---- Brian Wagner <br...@tegrasys.com> wrote:
> Free day of labor was exactly what I was thinking.
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 5:15 PM McCarthy, Patrick (GE Appliances, Non-GE) <
> patrick....@geappliances.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hmmmm…
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Is it really a hack-a-thon when you are given direction on the tools to
> > use, and the problems to solve?
> >
> >
> > Or is it more of a “Day of free labor”
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > (Not taking a side, just curious about the question?)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >

> > *From:* lv...@googlegroups.com [mailto:lv...@googlegroups.com]
> >
> > *On Behalf Of *sara adrienne
> >
> >
> > *Sent:* Friday, January 5, 2018 4:55 PM
> >
> >
> > *To:* LVL1 - Louisville's Hackerspace <lv...@googlegroups.com>
> >
> >
> > *Subject:* [EXT] {LVL1} Hack the Highlands January 13

Anthony Bouvier

unread,

Jan 9, 2018, 1:42:45 PM1/9/18

to LVL1 - Louisville's Hackerspace

Ah, so many cynical people! (I'm one too, ha).

I'm not participating in this hackathon, but to give you some info on how a lot of these go down from the Civic Data Alliance:

Typically there is a theme (IoT, voting, Highlands in this case) but it is really only a suggestion. I've worked on plenty of projects out of theme on my own, with a team, whatever. Honestly lately I just run around and help people with their stuff, and feel like I rarely work on my own stuff at the events now.

This is not a competition like some hackathons are (which I personally am not a fan of for a variety of reasons). I doubt you'd ever see those from the CDA.

It is about social coding. It is about networking. It is about civic engagement. And at some of the hackathons, there are opportunities for new developers to learn or even have some break-off sessions on "how to github" or "how to work with APIs".

I think this Highlands event is more hyperfocused on the theme than I've seen before from the CDA, but nothing is holding you to working on any of the projects mentioned. Make up your own. Work on an idea that leads to a civic entrepreneur opportunity for you if you want.

Reply all

Reply to author

Forward