I’m going to be at VueConf US on Tuesday and Wednesday, which very conveniently takes place here in Tampa!
Between my recent trip to Greece, being handed the leadership of Tampa Bay Python, prepping and giving a talk at BSides Tampa, and working with clients, and given that I’ve been working primarily with mobile app and Python development, Vue.js — and by extension, VueConf — has been off my radar.
However, I’m overdue to get up to speed on Vue, and I’ve been invited to attend VueConf. (Thanks to Tampa Java User Group’sAmmar Yusuf for connecting me and Vincent Mayers for the invitation!)
VueConf will take place at USF’sCAMLS center, where CAMLS is short for Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation. CAMLS isn’t located on USF’s main campus, but in downtown Tampa. It’s a pretty new building, and I’ve never set foot in it; I have heard that it has a very nice lecture hall:
While Vue doesn’t have React’s userbase, it’s got a nicer learning curve, doesn’t require you to import everything including the kitchen sink, better DOM manipulation performance, and two-way data binding. It also doesn’t drive me anywhere near as crazy as React does.
It also did well in Theo’s JavaScript framework tier list — I’ve posted the final results above, and the video below:
Anyhow, I’ll write about my experiences at this conference, with the occasional update on my LinkedIn. Watch this space!
It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.
In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.
What goes into this list?
I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:
Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
Tech project management / agile processes
Video, board, and role-playing games
Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
Let me introduce you to a shorthand term that I think will be useful soon: a12y, which is short for automatability, which is the ability to be automated.
(The term a12y indicates that the first letter is a, the final letter is y, and there are 12 letters between them. There’s a similar, better-known. shorthand term, a11y, which is short for accessibility.)
Automation is nothing new. It’s one of the reasons we use technology — from mechanical devices to computers to software and online services — to perform tasks with to reduce the work we have to do, or even eliminate the work entirely.
In the Python courses I’ve taught a few times at Computer Coach, I’ve covered how you can use Python to automate simple day-to-day work tasks and provided examples from one of the course’s core textbooks, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python (the entire book is available to read online for free!).
I’ve also created a number of Python automations that I use regularly. You’ve even seen some of their output if you’re a regular reader of this blog, since the weekly list of Tampa Bay tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events is generated by my automation that scrapes Meetup pages.
MCP is the latest buzzword in both AI and automation, or a12y with AI. Short for Model Context Protocol (and not Master Control Program in the Tron movies), MCP is a standardized way for AI models to go beyond simply generating answers and interact with external tools and data sources, such as APIs, databases, file systems, or anything else that’s connected to the internet and can accept commands to perform actions.
Simply put, it’s the next step in the path to creating AI agents that can perform tasks autonomously.
(Come to think of it, a10y might be a good shorthand for autonomously.)
We’ll cover all sorts of a12y topics in the upcoming Tampa Bay Python meetups! I’m currently working on the details of booking meetup space and getting some food and drink sponsors, but they’ll be happening soon. Watch this blog, the Tampa Bay Python Meetup page, and my LinkedIn for announcements!
BSides Tampa 12, Tampa’s big cybersecurity conference, takes place this weekend at the University of South Florida!
BSides Tampa is one of Tampa Bay’s biggest tech conferences, with 1,900 attendees at last year’s event:
It’s worth checking out, even if cybersecurity isn’t your main focus. For starters, in today’s incredibly networked and AI-powered environment, security is everyone’s concern.
You’ll also learn a lot, whether it’s from one of presentations spread across seven tracks, the villages (the Social Engineering Adventure Village, the Lockpick Village, and the Network Security Village), the two Capture the Flag events, or the people you’ll meet.
BSides gets it name from “b-side,” the alternate side of a vinyl or cassette single, where the a-side has the primary content and the b-side is the bonus or additional content.
In 2009, the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas received way more presentation submissions than they could take on. The rejected presenters had very good presentations; there just wasn’t enough capacity for them. Those presenters, disappointed at not having their presentations accepted, banded together and made their own “b-side” conference in the spirit of Bender from Futurama.
That event was the first BSides, a small, hastily-assembled event that ran at a BSides organizer’s house at the same time as Black Hat on July 29 and 30, 2009.
It was a wild success: the talks were good, the party was better, and it was clear that the security community was excited at the idea of a conference that focused on conversations and personal interaction with peers. Those involved in the first event had a vision of rolling the idea out at a regional level, enabling local organizers to set up similar conferences in their own area.
In 2010, BSides took place again in Las Vegas, but there were also BSides conferences in Atlanta, Austin, Berlin, Boston, Dallas, Delaware, Denver, Kansas City, Ottawa, and San Francisco. In 2011, it would expand to over 40 events, with Africa and Australia joining the list of continents that had a BSides conference.
Tampa had its first BSides on February 15, 2014, and it’s grown over the years to become one of the biggest Tampa Bay tech events of the year.
BSides Tampa is sponsored by the Tampa Bay chapter of (ISC)², which is clever and mathematically-correct shorthand for “International Information System Security Certification Consortium”. (ISC)² is a non-profit specializing in training and certifying information security professionals.
poweredUP, Tampa Bay’s annual tech festival organized by Tampa Bay Tech, takes place next Wednesday, May 14 at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Pete. It always features presentations and talks on top-of-mind topics for Tampa Bay’s tech leaders.
It’s a full day of dynamic discussions, panel sessions, and insights from industry visionaries, with these featured track topics:
The Future of Work: Robotics & Intelligent Process Automation
Digital Governance: Managing IT, Data & Compliance
Healthcare Transformation: How Emerging Tech Is Reshaping Care Delivery
From Concept to Coaster: The Tech Behind Universal’s Iconic Experiences
Leading Locally: Spotlight on Tampa Bay’s Tech Trailblazers
Smarter Solutions: Rapid-Fire Use Cases from Companies Solving Big Problems with Tech
It’s a great event for Tampa Bay-based tech people (and aspiring ones) to attend, and to make it even easier to go, there are TWO ways to attend it even more cheaply than the low $79 admission fee:
Attend for FREE by being a volunteer! If you do two hours’ volunteering for at poweredUP, and you get to attend for free! You can sign up to volunteer here.
Here’s the conference agenda:
Time
Topic
Details
12:00 PM
Opening Remarks
Tampa Bay Tech: Meghan O’Keefe
City of St. Petersburg: Mayor Ken Welch
12:15 PM
Keynote
Arnie Bellini, Former ConnectWise Founder & CEO
12:57 PM
The Future of Work: Robotics & Intelligent Process Automation
Leading Locally: Spotlight on Tampa Bay’s Tech Trailblazers
Panel: Kim Anstett (Trellix), Vladimir Voyuts (Dynasty Financial Partners), John Armenia (Accusoft) Moderator: Meghan O’Keefe (Tampa Bay Tech)
3:51 PM
Smarter Solutions: Rapid-Fire Use Cases from Companies Solving Big Problems with Tech
Featuring: Trellix, BlackStraw, CDW, Nix United
4:30 PM
Closing Remarks
Tampa Bay Tech: Meghan O’Keefe
4:35 PM
Happy Hour & Networking
Join me at poweredUP! I’ll be there, and if you want to talk Python, AI, software development, or music (or if you have topic suggestions or requests for upcoming meetups), I’ll be more than happy to.
Once again, here are the money-saving ways to attend the conference:
Attend for FREE by being a volunteer! If you do two hours’ volunteering for at poweredUP, and you get to attend for free! You can sign up to volunteer here.
Tuesday at 10:00 am, online: Computer Coach presents The Interview Cheat Sheet! Ready to ace your next interview? Join our webinar, “The Interview Cheat Sheet: Interviewing Tips to Level Up Your Game,” and gain valuable insights to excel in your interviews. Elevate your interview skills and stand out from the competition.
Tuesday at 6:00 pm: Tampa Bay Product Group presents Shaping the Future of Project & Change Management – An Agile-Focused Discussion!
Join a group of agile experts from local organizations to discuss how to successfully integrate agility into project and change management. This facilitated roundtable discussion will focus on how agile principles and practices can drive successful transformation, along with key considerations to keep in mind.
You don’t need to be an agile expert to gain value from this session. This session is designed to build awareness for those who seek to know what to do to help yourself become stronger or help your organizations approach the opportunities agile can provide it.
Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.: Data Analytics & AI Tampa Bay presents Eric Vogelpohl taking a step back to focus on what’s realistic over the next 6-12 months. The conversation will span the spectrum of perspectives — from cautionary voices like Geoffrey Hinton to the unbridled optimism — exploring how to temper expectations while still embracing the incredible potential ahead. It’s also a chance to reflect on the ethical responsibilities that come with this tech and how we navigate its rapid evolution.
Wednesday from 11 am to 6 pm at the Mahaffey Theater: It’s Tampa Bay Tech’s annual poweredUP Tampa Bay Tech Festival! It’s a day of innovation, inspiration, and connection. This highly anticipated gathering will bring together the brightest minds and boldest ideas in technology for an experience that’s as engaging as it is impactful.
Thursday at 6 pm at Embarc Collective: Tampa Java User Group presents Bootiful Spring Boot: A DOGumentary. Spring Boot 3.x and Java 21 have arrived, making it an exciting time to be a Java developer! Join Josh Long and dive into the future of Spring Boot with Java 21. Discover how to scale your applications and codebases effortlessly. You’ll explore the robust Spring Boot ecosystem, featuring AI, modularity, seamless data access, and cutting-edge production optimizations like Project Loom’s virtual threads, GraalVM, AppCDS, and more. Let’s explore the latest-and-greatest in Spring Boot to build faster, more scalable, more efficient, more modular, more secure, and more intelligent systems and services.
BSides Tampa is open to anyone interested in cybersecurity. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, there’s something for everyone!
One of the talks at BSides is mine and Anitra’s:Surviving Your Layoff, which will show you how to make the layoff ride less bumpy and move from layoff to liftoff!
It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.
In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.
What goes into this list?
I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:
Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
Tech project management / agile processes
Video, board, and role-playing games
Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
I’m going to be at VueConf US on Tuesday and Wednesday, which very conveniently takes place here in Tampa!
VueConf will take place at USF’s CAMLS center, where CAMLS is short for Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation. CAMLS isn’t located on USF’s main campus, but in downtown Tampa. It’s a pretty new building, and I’ve never set foot in it; I have heard that it has a very nice lecture hall:
While Vue doesn’t have React’s userbase, it’s got a nicer learning curve, doesn’t require you to import everything including the kitchen sink, better DOM manipulation performance, and two-way data binding. It also doesn’t drive me anywhere near as crazy as React does.
One of the talks at BSides is mine and 
