Sunday, October 6, 2013

Silicon Valley Code Camp 2013

If you are a humanities major, like I am, or if you can't do math to save your life, like I hate to admit I do, the one event you might want to avoid is the Silicon Valley Code Camp.  Some would argue that one feels smarter just by being in close proximity of science, but that's a fat lie.  I won't become a great writer by simply surrounding myself with the prose classics, and their genius won't rub off of me by occasionally flipping through the books.  So you could probably understand that visiting the annual SVCC this weekend made me feel really dumb.  In a very funny and benign way, of course, but still.  While I am comfortable with my intelligence and confident enough that I am good at many things, in the world of technology I will always remain a friendly stranger.  I like to think of myself as of a smart user.  I have no idea how something works, and not much interest to learn either, as long as it does the job.

Along with TED, SXSW, and Techcrunch Disrupt to name but a few, SVCC is a must if you are a part of the Second Bubble (a term coined by my husband John, who is responsible for my being there in the first place).  It is educational, good for networking, and it provides the wonderful sight of two thousand people queuing in line for free pizza.  So I brought my camera along today, and I hung around while John attended few of the classes.  I didn't learn much - striking conversations with the guys working at the tech booths proved to be proverbially awkward, and even though I eavesdropped on a few lectures I could have as well listened to someone speak in Sanskrit - but hey, look, I took pictures! Plus, if not else, I looked smarter than most people.  I might not be able to write code (apart of a few lines of basic html, that is, thanks to Flickr), but I do know how to dress.  In short, it was a regular episode of Freaks and Geeks.

Foothill is quite a fancy place for a community college.  They have ponds, artworks, solar-panel roofed parking lots, a library, and an observatory.  All in all, it was a morning well spent.  

Taken with my 17-105 lens and my iPhone 5s.








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