Aaron Lerch » code camp

Indy Code Camp This Saturday

aaron — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:56:37 +0000

The Indy Code Camp is this Saturday, April 26th. I’ll post a recap once it’s done, but with 400 people registered and a lot of good sessions given by good speakers, it promises to be a good time.

I’ve put in a reservation with Champps for an after-party. We’ll be going Dutch, and would love to have everybody join us! We’ll be announcing the after-party at the event, so if you’re attending, please RSVP with me at that time so I can call ahead and make sure they can handle the frickin’ huge crowd that will be coming.

Also, I think we’re still in need of a few volunteers to help with registrations in the morning. If you’re willing and able to arrive bright and early at 7AM (-ish), leave a comment here.

See you on Saturday! If I haven’t met you and you’re coming, make sure to find me and say hi.

Indy Code Camp: Schedule announced

aaron — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:43:15 +0000

The Indy Code Camp’s schedule was just published. If you were waiting to register until you could see what kind of content would be available, now is the time! We have 24 sessions with a wide range of topics. It should be a great day! I’m very pleased with the turn out of presenters and topics. When I started thinking about the code camp a while ago, I thought a good event would include six sessions – let’s just say my expectations have been exceeded yet again.

We’ve got room for a maximum of 250 people, and I can tell you that the registration list is filling up – so hurry up and register if you are even thinking about coming.

I’m also working to organize a fairly informal “after party” at the local sports bar – leave a comment here if you would be interested in coming. I need to gauge a general interest level.

See you there!

Indy Code Camp: Call for speakers ending soon

aaron — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:52:52 +0000

Just a reminder that you have until Saturday, March 22nd to submit a session proposal for the Indy Code Camp before we make the final session schedule.

We’ve had a lot of good submissions already. This promises to be a good event full of great content. And don’t forget the door prizes!

Indy Code Camp: Door Prizes

aaron — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:59:33 +0000

Things are really coming together for the upcoming Indy Code Camp (April 26th). Something I’m very excited about, in addition to the great content by local presenters (we’ve had a bunch of really good session proposals submitted so far – submit one too), are the “door prizes” that we’re going to be giving away throughout the day. So far we’ll be raffling off stuff like:

Keep in mind that we will be giving away multiple copies of nearly all of the items in that list. A rough estimate of the total value is $8800. Eight thousand dollars worth of software! Amazing.

In case you’re curious, each of our “door prize” donors get their name listed on the Indy Code Camp website, and get their product (or a license certificate) displayed on the door prize table. And that’s it. Other than that, they’re doing this out of the goodness of their hearts! Ahem, yeah, sure. Goodness of heart or marketing, it could be either.

Do you have a product that you’d like to see be given away at the event? Leave a comment here or contact me and let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.

Indy Code Camp: Help!

aaron — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 04:59:08 +0000

I’m starting to take this crazy idea of an “Indy Code Camp” and slowly bring it into reality. But I can’t do it alone. I’m not asking people to make a huge commitment (that’ll be me), but rather I’m looking for people who can help in very specific ways, each of which is hopefully not a large burden. These are the types of things I need help with. Can you help out? Or do you know a guy who knows a guy that can get cheap stuff from his brother-in-law? Contact me! Send me mail at aaronlerch [at] gmail [dot] com.

Location – know of a great place to meet? Do you work there, or know who to get ahold of? Even if you just know the name of a place you once went that you really really liked, let me know.
Sponsors – as grass-roots as I want this to be, stuff ain’t free. And if we do it the “free” way, we’ll be meeting in my house projecting onto a blank wall, and sharing a 2-liter of Diet Pepsi. Unless you think that sounds fun, we’ll need some sponsors. Do you work for a company that would sponsor an Indianapolis (and midwest, really) developer event? Sponsors get ad space on the website, at a minimum (the rest depends on the venue), but no special privileges. Companies that would sponsor a code camp know that developers care about code, not marketing. Employees of sponsors the same right to present as anybody else–no more or less. And to reiterate: marketing fluff is a no-no, code camp is about code.
Planning – have you planned, or even attended, a code camp before? I could use some advice and help. You don’t have to be a midwesterner either – feel free to email me whatever advice you’ve got. If you are local, or would plan on attending, and want to help with planning, let me know too.

As an aside, I’m getting more and more excited about an event for midwest developers to express what interests them, and to present on it–themselves, if they want. And heck, if you’re not from the midwest and want to present, go for it. You can stay at my place while you’re in town. My wife is a great cook. And, while I enjoyed Indy TechFest and think the folks who put it on did a fantastic job organizing it (yes, I’ll be asking them for help/advice too ) – I’m jazzed about the “home grown” nature of a code camp. Nothing is “fed” to us, meaning existing interest in your topic is the prerequisite for presenting. The developers attending decide on the content.

The website (indycodecamp.com) is coming along and will be up soon. You’ll be able to suggest tracks and topics, sign up to present, express interest, etc. It’s all using “unconference” by Lorin. Once things are solidified, the automatic scheduling will make sure you can attend the maximum number of sessions you’re interested in, minimizing conflicts.

To avoid coming close to Indy TechFest, I’m going to try to make this happen in the “off cycle” (6 months or so later). We’ll see.

Thanks in advance for your help. If you can’t help, please blog about this and link back to this post to help spread the word!

Update: Here are a few links I’ve already found that are helpful.
The Code Camp Manifesto. Not new, but a good reminder of what it’s all about.
Interview with Chris Williams and Doug Turnure about organizing the SC Code Camp. A short, but informative podcast.
Organizing a Code Camp at the semi-official Code Camp Wiki.

Indy Code Camp

aaron — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:28:00 +0000

I’ve got what’s probably a crazy idea. I know that a few mid-westerners read this blog–and I mean a literal “few” (3). What if we put on an Indy Code Camp? I’m not talking about the marketing/PR “code camp” they tried to do recently (*scoff*) but an honest-to-goodness code camp.

I think it’s nuts. I think it’ll never happen.
(And that makes me want to try it!)

It reminds me of the Far Side comic where some military generals are sitting around a situation planning table and one says to the rest, “On the other hand, gentlemen, what if we gave a war and everybody came!”