Bay Area Hack Night

Programming is fun. Why does the sprint treadmill make us forget that?
Learning new skills is rewarding. When do you carve out the time for it?
Hanging out with other coders is good for the soul. Has the pandemic stopped us from doing that?

We have the answer.

On Saturday, February 25th, join us at Confluent Headquarters in Mountain View for a new kind of Meetup where like-minded hackers get together, write code, pick up new skills, enjoy some network, and build fun things––just for the heck of it!

Doors open from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. There will be pizza and beverages.

FAQ:
Q. What will the event be like?
A. Informal. Think games-night atmosphere and geeky content.

Q. What’s the format?
A. We’ll show up with a list of fun things we can code in ~90 minutes. At kick-off, everyone will vote for the best idea, split into small teams by language, hack furiously for 90 minutes and end with a show & tell. You’ll learn something, you’ll teach something, and you’ll meet some like-minded people.

Q. Is this hacking as in, "Doing fun things with computers," or hacking as in, "breaking into secure systems?"
A. The first one. No firewalls will be harmed during this event. ;-)

Q. Is this suitable for beginners, experts, or what?
A. Any level is welcome. Each team will have a mix of experiences. It’s a great opportunity to learn from an expert or to teach someone some of your skills.

Q. What do I need to bring?
A. A laptop and a YOLO attitude to coding. Actually the laptop’s optional - you can always pair on someone else’s.

Q. Which programming language can I use/what team can I join?
A. Literally any. There will be experienced teams for Java, Python, JavaScript, and Haskell. Probably more. Join them or start your own team in your favorite language.

Q. Will there be food/drinks?
A. Yes. Confluent will be sponsoring and providing pizza and a selection of refreshing beverages.

Q. Is this an Apache Kafka® event?
A. No. Confluent (Kafka-y people) is hosting and sponsoring, but it's not a Kafka event. It’s a technical free-for-all. Use what interests you.

Q. Will we have to use Apache Kafka?
A. It’s entirely optional. We’ll provide a few coding problems/projects that could use Kafka, but it won’t be required.

Q. Is there a Code of Conduct?
A. Yes. We have a Code of Conduct that all attendees are required to comply with. The short version is, to make everyone feel welcome and you will be welcome. Fail and you’ll be asked to leave.