REFACTR.TECH

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Join us as we guide you through reading a surprise code excerpt and learn from each other how to better read unfamiliar code. As more and more code is generated due to AI, our ability to read code is increasingly important but a skill we rarely practice. At this meetup we will guide you through a series of prompts and activities to explore and discuss a small piece of code. This meeting is language agnostic - whether you know the language or it’s new to you, your perspective matters. Fresh eyes often spot what experts overlook.

This meetup is equally for those new to development as well as seasoned professionals - we can all get better at reading code (and understanding how others approach code so we can be better mentors and teammates). If you know what a variable is, this is for you!

This month's discussion will be led by Eve Stroud.

Learn more about Code Reading Clubs

Agenda
6:00 pm - Check-in & Networking
6:30 pm - Welcome & Introduction Kick-off
6:45 pm - Read some Code! The group will be guided through a series of questions and actions as we read a piece of unfamiliar code together
8:00 pm - Closing & Next Steps

Host & Sponsor
PrizePicks

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Attendees should bring:

• themselves
• colored pencils/highlighters
• pen or pencil for writing on code

Parking is available for visitor deck of the Star Metal Building (turn onto Vidalia Lane off of 11th Street)

MARTA is smarta: Both the 12 and 14 bus, departing from Midtown Station, will take you to west midtown. Transfer to bus from rail is free. Pro-tip, follow along on google maps or the transit app if you’re unfamiliar with the bus route and which stop to take.

Everyone participating in the REFACTR.TECH conference, events and Discord/Slack community—including, but not limited to attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at REFACTR.TECH, are required to agree to the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event.

• Tons of food options inside the market
• Easy, low-pressure networking
• No agenda—just lunch and convo

Finding Us
Look for the tables with the REFACTR.TECH signs and come say hi.

Parking & Getting There

• On-site parking garage and surface lot available
• All visitors must register and pay for parking when they arrive
• Pay by scanning a QR code, texting a code, or using pay stations in the garage
• Garage rates start around $4 for the first hour before 4 pm
• Surface lot has a 3-hour max stay during the day
• For more parking and transit details, see the Krog Street Market website: https://www.thekrogdistrict.com/visit

Come as you are, bring a friend, grab something tasty, and let’s build community over lunch.

If you have trouble finding us or have questions, drop a comment on the Meetup.com page or ask in the #ask-us channel in our Discord.

Everyone participating in the REFACTR.TECH conference, events and Discord/Slack community—including, but not limited to attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at REFACTR.TECH, are required to agree to the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event.

****REGISTER ON LUMA****

Because connection shouldn’t be cancelled.

With Grace Hopper Celebration cancelled, let’s make sure the connections, conversations, and community that bring women in tech together don’t get cancelled, too.
Let's create an opportunity for women across Atlanta’s tech community to come together, share a meal, reconnect with familiar faces, and meet new ones. Whether you’re a software engineer, tech leader, entrepreneur, product manager, or just passionate about technology, you belong at the table.

This isn’t about replacing one conference. It’s about showing up for each other, strengthening our local community, sharing experiences, opening doors, and reminding ourselves that none of us has to navigate this industry alone.

Come as you are, bring your stories and ideas, and leave with a few new connections, fresh inspiration, and a stronger sense of community.
Let’s turn a cancelled conference into an opportunity to connect right here in Atlanta.

Because the best thing about tech has always been the people behind it.
Bring your appetite and grab lunch from the market (you cover your own), then come hang.

****REGISTER ON LUMA****

Finding Us
Look for the tables with the REFACTR.TECH signs and come say hi.

Parking & Getting There

• On-site parking garage and surface lot available
• All visitors must register and pay for parking when they arrive
• Pay by scanning a QR code, texting a code, or using pay stations in the garage
• For more parking and transit details, see the Krog Street Market website: https://www.thekrogdistrict.com/visit

Everyone participating in the REFACTR.TECH conference, events and Discord/Slack community—including, but not limited to attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at REFACTR.TECH, are required to agree to the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event.

REGISTER ON LUMA

What do we accept without questioning?
The tools we build on. The standards someone else set. The career we chose because we knew we could handle it. This month, three speakers pull apart the defaults we rarely stop to examine, and the real cost of leaving them unexamined.
It's a night about refactoring the things we've accepted: our tech stacks, our industry's assumptions, and our own definitions of success. Whether you write code, lead teams, or are rethinking where you're headed, there's something here for you.

Jay Miller: Creating a Global Community Platform with Django
Jay Miller, Founder of Black Python Devs
In the last three years Black Python Devs has grown from trying to get more Black Pythonistas to conferences, to being a major sponsor of Python conferences across the globe. That scope creep has made us need to rethink our tech stack.
Learn the why and how we migrated from a static site to and away from commercial tools to Django in order to serve our members, student ambassadors, and the events we support.

Jasmine Blackston: The Cost of Being Capable: When the Life You Can Handle Isn't the Life You Want
Jasmine Blackston, Program Management and Strategy Professional
High-achieving people are often rewarded for being adaptable, dependable, and capable of making almost anything work. But capability can become a trap when we keep choosing careers and lives simply because we know we can handle them. This talk explores how to separate ability from desire, redefine success, and make more intentional decisions about the life and career you’re building.

Kim Crayton: The Hidden Cost of Letting White Dudes Define "Good Enough"
Strategic Advisor, Kim Crayton LLC
The myth of white male supremacy has always decided what counts as true, complete, and good enough. Now it is coded into the tools. This talk names three specific failure patterns in working with LLMs: false and forced binaries that collapse complexity, gate skipping that rushes past the context that would have produced a usable output, and the refusal to acknowledge error that turns the gap into the user's problem. Each one is traceable back to who got to direct what got built. And none of it changes until the people who built it develop something the myth has never required of them: a genuine questioning practice built on humility.

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Agenda
6:00 – 6:30 PM: Networking in the bar area
6:30 – 6:40 PM: Welcome
6:40 – 7:05 PM: Talk 1, Jay Miller
7:05 – 7:10 PM: Speaker transition
7:10 – 7:35 PM: Talk 2, Jasmine Blackston
7:35 – 7:40 PM: Speaker transition
7:40 – 8:25 PM: Talk 3, Kim Crayton
8:25 – 8:30 PM: Closing
8:30 – 9:00 PM: Networking in the bar area

Logistics
Westside Motor Lounge, West Midtown

• Free parking on site
• Food and drinks are not provided at this event, but Westside Motor Lounge has a full bar and menu available for purchase. Come a little early, grab something, and settle in.

REGISTER ON LUMA

Everyone participating in the REFACTR.TECH conference, events and Discord/Slack community—including, but not limited to attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at REFACTR.TECH, are required to agree to the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event.