Go fourth and multiply
"I'm psyched because I know that this could be the best one yet" - Adam Burt, 25th July 2014, 7:32pm
Nearly a year after we began in earnest, and with the confidence of several successful events pushing us onward, we rolled into Central Hall on Saturday with all the fanfare deserving of #hacksoton's first birthday.
We brought cake. We brought presents. We brought proper pasties and a tremendous breakfast. Most importantly, we brought you.
Really, the secret behind #hacksoton's success has always been you guys - Filled seats is nice, but you lot are more than that. You are the creative, the bold, the brave, the willing. All that atmosphere, all the magic and inspiration that we see on the floor and on the stage comes from the attendees.
It was an honour then, to swagger onto the stage knowing that all we had to do was give you guys the space and the time to be brilliant.
I felt at peace with #hacksoton this time around - I make people clap for every show and tell because I know first hand how terrifying it is to stand in front of that many people - But any nerves weren't a factor here. Even when demos weren't going to plan, I was comfortable that things were as they should be: Weird, zany, rough around the edges at times. But always interesting.
With the dust settling, I wanted to do my traditional writeup to share some of what I saw, and to send out some relevant thank you messages to those who helped send off our first year in style.
An exceptionally hot day yields a lower turnout for events like ours - That much has always been true. Summer is a famously terrible time for hackdays. That so many of you chose us over the beach, and braved the warmth of the hall with us is something I take real pride in. Proud moments were in abundance, as a matter of fact: Our highest turnout of young people. Our most successful learning session to date. Hearing from those who's careers (and whole lives) have been changed by what we're doing.
Given the anniversary theme, it felt right to reflect internally on our mission and whether we were accomplishing it, and on the evidence available to me now, the answer is an unreserved yes.
The floor was full of interesting projects - flexible 3D printing, chordal keyboards, Oculus Rift projects, raspberry pi's, and even a life sized wii-mote controlled Dalek - Which was particularly good at scaring children out in the hallway who had no idea what we were doing. Those not caught up in this heady mix of geeky insanity were content to hone or pick up new skills - HTML, Bluetooth Low Energy beacons, Unity, even learning Japanese. And of course, the outrageously successful soldering workshop put on by our good friends at the Southampton Makerspace.
Each person emerging from the soldering room was carrying their own little pride and joy - A PCB they made themselves and could take away with them - and they were all smiling.
Phil from Twilio was on hand to help us with a little quick hack of our very own - A system where you could text in for the chance to win one of our 'birthday presents', which were generously paid for by Peer1. The list of presents were basically a hacker's wet dream - Home automation, arduino kits, and more. Even a tablet.
As the presents pile dwindled and with the threat of delicious pasties on the horizon, we opened up our signups for show and tell. The response was great.
From password encryption to spam emails to front end developer tools, and a whole lot more besides, there was something for everyone.
We saw Potzy, which transformed Benjie and Michaël into DJ's worthy of the Beatport top 100 with the help of some code and a few potentiometers. Taiko showed off just how much more than us kids really know, by doing some stuff in Minecraft that still kind of blows my mind. When I played it, all I could manage was to dig a shallow hole and sit in it waiting to die. He knocked up a sorting machine and a flaming arrow cannon in a few hours.
Zac Colley showed off a way to put a cat's face on your snapchats, which I know will excite a large portion of the internet (They make weird Skyrim mods. Don't google it.) and Paul Bird/Brandon Hawkes made a democratically controlled videogame - Mario Kart where everyone controls the same kart - which made getting hit by a blue shell look like a merciful way to lose.
It would be impossible to list everything everyone did without this being the longest blog post ever, but the point is clear: We couldn't ask for a better audience.
To that audience, and all who have visited us over the last year, I want to thank you.
It's been a hell of a year.
- Adam
P.S - Shout out time! #hacksoton is not just free, it's free++ - We throw in free food, free drinks and a whole lot more besides. We simply couldn't do that without the support of our sponsors and helpers. Your sponsors this time around were Central Hall, Benefex, Peer1, and Twilio. Thanks to James Bailey for paying for the drinks. Cheers to Estimote for the free beacons, and to the guys at the Southampton Makerspace for the fantastic soldering workshop. Helpers: Renaud, Stu, Lilian, Kamila and probably a whole bunch more I'm forgetting (Sorry!). Your organisers this time around: Dan of Moov2, Phil and Tom from Etch, and myself.
"Told you it would be good." - Adam Burt, 26th July 2014, 10.05pm