CodeMash 2018 (Part 1 - Prep for Departure)

First Some Thoughts About the Challenge

Today is my 7th post of a 30 day challenge (#challenge30days). This is a milestone day that represents one full week. I haven't bailed on it ;) I'm actually finding this to be awesome! It's forcing me to think about what is happening in my life on a daily basis. That might sound strange because who doesn't think about what is happening in their lives. I guess I get so caught up in everyday stuff that all the days just seem to meld into one another. This process has changed that somehow. (Another Post Idea) Now onto the subject of today, and probably about the next week.

#CodeMash 2018 Is Upon Us

I guess when I say us, I'm talking about me and my fellow programming geeks who take a week and gather at the Kalahari Resort in balmy Sandusky Ohio. Oh, did I say balmy? What I meant to say is, ONE OF THE COLDER PLACES YOU COULD PICK for an event like this at this time of year. Sandusky Ohio is on the south coast of Lake Erie. The wind, usually coming from the north, is BITTER COLD. Lake effect weather is often an issue. Over the years I've driven through some pretty nasty storms to get to it. One year the highway was actually shut down and many of the speakers didn't make it in because flights were cancelled. But hey, that is just part of the adventure that is CodeMash.

I started attending the event six years ago. I won my first experience from an attendee who couldn't make it. He asked people to submit an article on why he should choose "me" to go in his place. I can't recall his name or the article I wrote. Before the end of the week is over, I'll try to find it and put it into one of the posts. Ever since that first time I've been hooked on the event. The first two years, it was just me and some coding buddies (former co-workers) from my hometown. The following years I've been bringing my family. They get to hang out and enjoy the waterpark while I geek out with my peers and try to learn new things.

If you're anywhere near the event, I would highly suggest attending in an upcoming year. These style events have become more popular over the year, but CodeMash has been my staple year after year.

An Introduction

There are two types of tickets you can get for CodeMash. You can get the shorter two day ticket for Thursday and Friday. This is what a lot of people do. Those days are full of 45ish minute talks on a multitude of subjects. There are numerous talks all happening at the same time. Part of the fun of CodeMash is determining what you want to spend your time learning, and trying to find the best speakers to listen to. The other ticket you can get is called The Precompiler. This is a pass for Tuesday and Wednesday. These are actually my favorite days. It's a little more relaxing, as the sessions are ½ day events and there is less of a crowd. For those days, you have tables in front of you. You're expected to bring your laptops and work through things.

Preparation

Every year I procrastinate on getting ready to leave. The Precompiler Events usually have prerequisite tools that you should have already downloaded, so you're ready to rumble as soon as the sessions start. The last two years I've done a decent job of getting this resources downloaded and installed before the event. I almost always forget to bring something along that I'll end up wishing I had. This year I'm using this post to build my list of things to bring.

The List of Things to Bring

1. My Laptop
   1. With Precompiler Prerequisites Installed
   2. My wireless mouse
2. My Phone
   1. Charger (both car and outlet)
3. My Laptop Power Cord - Very Important Item.
4. Power Strips for the Hotel Room - Hotels never have enough plugs especially when a family of 4 (+1 guest) is staying in the room.
5. Extension Cord(s) - Hotels never have plugs where you want them.
6. Overalls and Boots - Because it's Sandusky Ohio in January and you never know what to expect.
7. Winter Hat - see reasoning for number 5
8. My Ball Cap - because I'm follically challenged on top of my head and I get cold
9. Clothing for 4 nights and 5 days
   1. Don't forget the PJs this year!
10. Footwear
    1. Boots (will mention again just in case I forget)
    2. Dress shoes
    3. Sneakers (because I'm going to be doing at least 10K steps per day)
    4. Slippers (because it just makes things comfortable)
11. Earplugs
12. Sleep Eye Mask (My wife bought me a really cool tiger striped one as a joke a couple years back!)
13. Beard Brush (I'm not follically challenged everywhere on my head)
14. Scissors to Trim My Beard
15. My own shampoo and conditioner (for my beard)
16. The list feels incomplete... Might be editing this more tonight.

What You Can Expect From My Posts This Week

Basically you can expect summaries of my days and the sessions I go to. This year there are at least two events on Crypto. This has not been the case in the past, so yeah, the world is noticing us little by little. Does anyone know if there is a specific Dapp developer conference in the US? I saw an article recently somewhere about starting EOS meetups. I'm going to have to find that again and see if I can start a local one.

Potpourri of Potential Future Posts for #challenge30days

• The Phoenix Protocol - I might do some more brainstorming on this.
• Tribute to my Uncle Raymond (98 years old and we just went to his funeral Jan 2nd)
• The addictive dice game my wife and I play at the kitchen table now that our kids are growing up and doing their own things.
• SFEOS - Developing a Crowd Founding Platform and Network of Gamers from the Ground Up.
• EOS Development (Learning on the Test Network - both local and public test net)
• Codemash 2018 (A yearly developer conference I attend in Sandusky Ohio) - Probably multiple posts on this. My family has been attending with me the last few years. They have fun doing the water park while I geek out with my peeps.
• My life as a traveling gospel teacher.
• My Personal Fight for Economic Freedom for Everyone through Crypto
• My struggles to stick with things over the years on a consistent basis… This one is going to hurt a bit and not sure how much I'll share.
• Adventures in Sailing (well learning to sail)
• Adventures in Weight Loss (More details on how the winter season is affecting my weight loss)
• Anything else I can think up...