Mine’s going through its greatest era. (And no, there’s nothing secret or security-compromising on my laptop screen in these photos — in fact, it’s documentation that I wrote for Writer, and you’re supposed to see that.)
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Sunday picdump for November 24, 2024
It’s that time of the week again — when I post the technology-related memes, pictures, and cartoons floating around the internet that I found interesting or relevant this week. Share and enjoy!
Here’s what’s happening in the thriving tech scene in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for the week of Monday, November 25 through Sunday, December 1, 2024! This list includes both in-person and online events.
Note that each item in the list includes:
✅ When the event will take place
✅ What the event is
✅ Where the event will take place
✅ Who is holding the event
This week’s events
- Monday, November 25
- Tuesday, November 26
- Wednesday, November 27
- Thursday, November 28
- Friday, November 29
- Saturday, November 30
- Sunday, December 1
Keep in mind that many organizers schedule their events “on autopilot” and may not have accounted for Thanksgiving this week. Check with the event organizers to see if the event is actually happening this week, especially if it’s scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!
Monday, November 25
Tuesday, November 26
Wednesday, November 27
Thursday, November 28
THANKSGIVING
Friday, November 29
Saturday, November 30
Sunday, December 1
About this list
How do I put this list together? 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
- Anything I deem geeky
This actually hasn’t happened…yet. But there are enough people who practice asshole-driven development for there to eventually be an AI code assistant that behaves like this.
As I write this, the top story on Techmeme is the Windows 365 link, Microsoft’s new desktop device, which The Verge describes as a “mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud.” It’s expected to be available in April 2025 at $349 for the device, and not including the monthly cloud computing subscription fee.
It “boasts” these specs:
- An unspecified Intel processor, probably one of the low-powered ones
- 8 GB RAM
- 64 GB local storage
- “Designed to run Windows 11 only by streaming it online via Windows 365”
- Support for up to 2 4K displays with 1 DisplayPort and 1 HDMI port
- 3 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C
- Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3
- Small footprint: 120 mm (4.72 inches) by 120 mm by 30 mm (1.2 inches)
In my opinion, calling this a “thin client” is being a little too generous. It’s more of a meager client, especially with that little RAM, which the browser will expand to consume entirely.
I assume that the target market for this sad, non-upgradeable unit is the enterprise, and particularly businesses where the tech purchasing decision-makers are either gullible or need to ensure that the initial cost of hardware is incredibly low and the ongoing costs are someone else’s problem.
It’s terribly underpowered. Even as a machine for filling out “TPS Reports,” it’s pretty limited, and I expect it will start grinding to a halt if you’re trying to do even a little work while simultaneously on a Teams video call. The only advantage it appears to offer is that it should be easy to administer.
The Windows 365 Link is the 2020 version of the “netbook,” and long-time readers will know why my opinion of them was.
If you need a laugh, you might want to read the comments for The Verge’s article on the unit.
The Tampa Bay AI Meetup is back (in cooperation with the Tampa Java User Group) with a presentation titled Welcome to the AI Jungle! Now What? on Tuesday, December 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hays office. Kevin Dubois, Principal Developer Advocate at Red Hat and Java Champion, will be presenting — he’ll guide us through the world of enterprise AI implementations.
The tl;dr:
- The event: Welcome to the AI Jungle! Now what? (Tampa Bay AI Meetup / Tampa Java User Group)
- What it is: A presentation by Kevin Dubois, Principal Developer Advocate at Red Hat and Java Champion, on the topic of enterprise AI implementations.
- Who’s behind it: Tampa Java User Group and Tampa Bay Artificial Intelligence Meetup
- When: Tuesday, December 10, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Hays (4350 W Cypress St., Suite 1000, Tampa)
Session Abstract
The AI revolution is transforming business landscapes, but many developers find themselves overwhelmed by this paradigm shift. How do we navigate this “Wild West” of tools, models, and platforms?
Kevin will demonstrate how open source technologies can standardize AI development and deployment in enterprise environments. Learn how to leverage familiar tools like containers, Kubernetes, CI/CD, and GitOps to build AI-powered applications in a secure, repeatable manner.
What you’ll learn
Discover how open source solutions are democratizing AI development and deployment. Through live demonstrations, Kevin will showcase:
- OpenDataHub (OpenShift AI)
- Kubernetes integration
- Backstage implementation
- Java application integration with Open Source models
- Local development environment setup
About the Speaker
Kevin Dubois brings a wealth of experience to the table:
- Java Champion
- Principal Developer Advocate at Red Hat
- Active contributor to Quarkus, Knative, Apache Camel, and Podman
- Member of Belgian CNCF and Belgian Java User Group
- Multilingual speaker (English, Dutch, French, Italian)
- International software engineering experience across startups, enterprises, and government agencies
When not revolutionizing enterprise AI, Kevin can be found hiking, gravel biking, snowboarding, or packrafting in various corners of the world.
Once again, the event is Welcome to the AI Jungle! Now what?, and it’s happening on Wednesday, December 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Hays. We’ll see you there!
Hey Tampa Bay people who work in tech, or work adjacent to tech, or aspire to work in tech — the annual holiday tech meetup / celebration is happening on Wednesday, December 11th at 5:30 p.m. at Embarc Collective! If you want to catch up with your peers in the industry, make new friends in the industry, or break into the industry, you’ll want to be there.
The tl;dr:
- The event: 4th annual Tampa Bay end-of-year tech meetup
- What it is: A holiday party comprising members of Tampa Bay’s various tech organizations and meetups
- Who’s behind it: Computer Coach and High Tech Connect
- When: Wednesday, December 11, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Embarc Collective (802 E Whiting St., Tampa)
Last year’s event and the growth of the Tampa Bay scene
Here’s a photo from last year’s event:
As you can see, it was a full house last December, which is a tribute to the growth and activity of Tampa Bay’s tech scene.
I moved to Tampa in March 2014, and back then, it would’ve been hard to get this many attendees at Embarc Collective. Part of this is because there wasn’t an Embarc Collective back then, and it’s also because the scene was much smaller, less active, less organized, and there were fewer groups. Over the past ten years, I’ve seen our tech scene grow in leaps and bounds, and it continues to evolve. Let’s celebrate this!
There’ll be a raffle!
There’ll have plenty of raffle prizes to win! To enter, you can:
- Bring an unwrapped gift or gift card (valued at $10 or more) for donation, or
- Purchase a raffle ticket at the door.
All gifts and funds raised will go to Joshua House, a safe haven for children and teens who’ve been abused, abandoned, or neglected. Last year, the end-of-year tech event raised over $1000, and this year, we’re aiming even higher! Help us make an even greater impact by reaching our new goal and supporting children in need across our community.
If you’re thinking about entering by donating a gift, here’s a list of items they’re asking for this year:
- Gift cards: Visa, Target, Walmart, McDonald’s, Hot Topic, AMC Movie, etc.
- Hoodies! Name brands, any anime or anything from Hot Topic—junior and adult sizes
- Graphic t-shirts: Name brands, any anime, cartoon, etc. in junior and adult sizes
- Anything anime/manga: clothing, books, posters, etc.
- LEGO sets: Star Wars, superheroes, cars, etc.
- Crocs – adult sizes & the jibits, too!
- Make-up & nail kits – Ulta, Urban Decay, etc. (Press-on nails, too – great for stocking stuffers!)
- Fragrance sets: Bath & Body Works, AXE, Victoria’s Secret, etc.
- LED lights for room decorating
- Superhero comic books for all ages
- Books/book Series for teens/pre-teens: graphic novels, joke books, popular YA novels
Once again, the event is the 4th annual Tampa Bay end-of-year tech meetup, and it’s happening on Wednesday, December 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Embarc Collective. We’ll see you there!