Details for the Ann Arbor Hack-a-Thon - 11/17/2008
Matt Simmons
I wanted to share some details and logistical information for the
Hack-a-Thon Monday.
First off, I'd like to clarify what people should expect from the event.
This Hack-a-Thon is really all about getting a bunch of smart people
interested in an exciting technology together in the same room to
collaborate and learn.
If you are looking for an in-depth, classroom style, training on
AppEngine, this probably won't meet those expectations. While we will
provide some presentations to help people navigate the example code,
and there will be AppEngine experts around to answer questions, the
learning experience is intended to be mostly self-directed. That said,
there is no better place to learn than surrounded by a bunch of people
interested in the same thing.
While we are really excited about helping people get started with
AppEngine, we think people with advance AE skills will also find a lot
of value. Drop in and enjoy dedicating a day to hacking away at your
favorite app. When you're done you'll even have a chance to showcase
your mad skills to the other folks in the room.
Whatever your reason for attending, we're looking forward to having you here!
Which brings me to the the logistics portion of the e-mail.
-The agenda for the day is roughly this:
1 hr - Getting Started - What is App Engine?
1.5 hrs - Coding
15 mins - Introduction to Users API
1.5 hrs - Coding/lunch (Yummy pizza)
15 mins - Introduction to UrlFetch and Mail APIs
1.5 hrs - Coding
15 mins - Introduction to Images and Memcache
1 hr - Coding
45 mins - Present the app you worked on/wrap up/trade e-mail addresses. :)
-Start time:
We will start at 10a.m. Since this is Ann Arbor, if you're driving
factor in some extra time to find parking. I'll include directions to
some of the nearby garages below.
Everyone will need to sign some paperwork on arrival. You'll also need
to wear a temporary badge while in the Google office. We're
pre-printing badges for as many people as possible, but there will
inevitably be a few that need to be made on the fly.
We'll try and have the process as streamlined as possible, but there
may be a small wait in line.
While it's certainly a good idea to arrive a little early, we won't be
ready to sign people in until about 9:30am.
-What to bring - Physically.
A laptop and power adapter. Yourself. Extra caffeine and munchies as required.
-What to bring - Virtually.
We'll have the AppEngine SDK and the example application on a limited
number of CDs for installation purposes. Network access will be
available only over wireless. So to get the most out of the day, make
sure you have an 802.11b/g (the fancy name for normal wireless
internet) capable laptop.
-Food
Experience the joy of a micro-kitchen!
There will be a *limited* amount of snack food and soda available. It
will be open and available to people all day long. Please be aware -
When the snack area is empty there will be no more snacks. If you tend
to code best with liberal application of munchies (like me) please
bring a personal supply to draw upon. I'll also include directions to
nearby convenience stores below.
Oh yeah... Pizza for lunch.
If you require that something *not* be on a pizza for it to be
edible/survivable, please e-mail me ASAP and I'll do what I can.
If for some reason you are unable to eat pizza, unfortunately you'll
have to be on your own for lunch. I'll toss in a few links for nearby
food joints below.
-Directions and links
The Google Ann Arbor office is located at:
201 S. Division St.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
(http://preview.tinyurl.com/6lub3c)
Signs will be posted to direct you to the 3rd floor, where the event
will be held.
Nearby parking (not free :( ) can be found at these locations:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/5pdyv8
The nearest party store is here:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6msq6r
There is a ton of nearby food:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6d3xbz
There is even a restaurant/bar in the same building as the office!
That about takes care of the things I planned on telling folks.
If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me directly.
If it's something that will help everyone, I'll bounce the answer back
to this group.
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
-Matt Simmons-