Categories
Artificial Intelligence Programming

The increasing reliance on AI in programming

I’ve been seeing a concerning trend over the past couple of months, and perhaps you have too, where people are becoming increasingly reliant on AI for coding, and it might not be working out well for most of them.

A non-coder relying on AI

Consider this entry from a couple of weeks ago in the subreddit for Cursor, the AI code editor:

Here’s the text of their post:

Cursor f*ck up my 4 months of works

 

Disclamer, I’m a moron who worked on the same project without thinking about the risk that Cursor could break everything. Yesterday, Cursor (even though I only asked it to feed a view on my UI) destroyed months of development.

 

My question: How do you back up your projects/versions to ensure that the next action on cursor is reversible? Ops!

 

Also, I know that while I’m the concern, cursor isn’t the only culprit, it’s also Claude (while good overall) still has some flaws

Don’t take the misspellings and strange grammar as a sign of a lack of smarts — there are “tells” such as the pluralization of “work” that suggest that the author’s first language isn’t English. And in a follow-up comment, they wrote:

I’m not a dev or engineers at all (just a geek working in Finance)

So what I see is someone with the mental capacity to master another language, seeing a problem in their area of expertise that could be solved by an application, and then setting out to build that application with the assistance of AI, even though programming isn’t something they’re familiar with.

First, I think we should celebrate that kind of go-getter attitude.

Second, those of you who are programmers have already seen the post’s author’s rookie mistake. It’s in this question:

My question: How do you back up your projects/versions to ensure that the next action on cursor is reversible?

You probably thought: Of course, they don’t know version control exists!

At the moment, even the best LLM will simply focus on answering the user’s questions and not stray too far to make helpful asides or ask clarifying questions, such as “Have you heard of Git?”

Junior coders on AI

This article appeared on Namanyay Goel’s blog a couple of days after the Reddit post, and according to its stats, it’s already garnered a million views:

Here’s the text of the introduction:

Something’s been bugging me about how new devs learn and I need to talk about it.

 

We’re at this weird inflection point in software development. Every junior dev I talk to has Copilot or Claude or GPT running 24/7. They’re shipping code faster than ever. But when I dig deeper into their understanding of what they’re shipping? That’s where things get concerning.

 

Sure, the code works, but ask why it works that way instead of another way? Crickets. Ask about edge cases? Blank stares.

 

The foundational knowledge that used to come from struggling through problems is just… missing.

We’re trading deep understanding for quick fixes, and while it feels great in the moment, we’re going to pay for this later.

The first line in the following section shouldn’t really be shocking but it still feels shocking:

I recently realized that there’s a whole generation of new programmers who don’t even know what StackOverflow is.

(As user number 216 of Stack Overflow, with over 8,000 reputation to my name, this hurts a little.)

With AI, these junior developers gain speed of delivery, but at the cost of understanding what they delivered does. Which means that they can’t maintain or modify what they built — at least, not without even more AI assistance. Over time, what they build becomes a collection of quick fixes arranged together without any consideration of the system as a whole. That’s a whole lot of tech debt.

There’s more thought on this article in this video by Forrest Knight

A super-senior coder relying on AI

And finally, here’s a tweet from the very beginning of February, a couple of weeks before the prior two pieces:

In case you’re not familiar with the name, Andrej Karpathy has forgotten more about computer science and AI than most of us will ever learn. He was the director of artificial intelligence and Autopilot Vision at Tesla, and also worked at OpenAI, where he specialized in deep learning and computer vision. He also has a YouTube channel that’s worth checking out if you really want to boost your AI/ML skills.

Here’s the text of his tweet:

There’s a new kind of coding I call “vibe coding”, where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists. It’s possible because the LLMs (e.g. Cursor Composer w Sonnet) are getting too good. Also I just talk to Composer with SuperWhisper so I barely even touch the keyboard. I ask for the dumbest things like “decrease the padding on the sidebar by half” because I’m too lazy to find it. I “Accept All” always, I don’t read the diffs anymore. When I get error messages I just copy paste them in with no comment, usually that fixes it. The code grows beyond my usual comprehension, I’d have to really read through it for a while. Sometimes the LLMs can’t fix a bug so I just work around it or ask for random changes until it goes away. It’s not too bad for throwaway weekend projects, but still quite amusing. I’m building a project or webapp, but it’s not really coding – I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works.

This is great for Karpathy, but I’ve already talked with developers who’ve fully embraced the first part of the tweet, where Karpathy throws a lot of work to the AI. The problem is that they’re ignoring these key points from the second part:

  • The code grows beyond my usual comprehension, I’d have to really read through it for a while.
  • Sometimes the LLMs can’t fix a bug so I just work around it or ask for random changes until it goes away.
  • It’s not too bad for throwaway weekend projects, but still quite amusing.
  • And let’s not forget the last three words of his tweet: it mostly works.

Karpathy is very, very good at coding and has lots of experience. He’s internalized a lot of best practices and has developed an instinct for programming and can spot “code smells” a mile away.

The people who’ve been talking to me about getting into “vibe coding” are not Karpathy, and some of them have mentioned that they have that increasingly common problem where they say “I know how to use my programming language and framework, but I don’t know how to apply what I know to build an application from the ground up.”

They’re not ready for vibe coding, but they’re doing it anyway. If your main gig involves working with code — and especially working with other people’s code — you’d better prepare for some interesting times over the next few years.

Categories
Artificial Intelligence Meetups Tampa Bay What I’m Up To

Tampa Bay AI Meetup on Monday, March 17 at Embarc Collective: Build an AI Job Application Helper App!

The tl;dr

Details

You’ve probably heard lots of stories from friends and acquaintances about how much work you have to do to conduct a job search these days.

There are a fair number of data points showing that this is true; the Silicon Valley-based career guidance service Pathrise, says that job seekers who sent 20+ job applications every week got more interviews and landed a job sooner.

That’s a lot of work, especially since the general advice is to customize your resume for every job application.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to get some help customizing your resume for every job application you have to fill out?

With Anitra and I leading you through the steps, you’re going to build just that on Monday, March 17th at the Tampa Bay AI Meetup at Embarc Collective. Along with us, you’ll code up an AI-powered application that takes two inputs…

✅ Your resume
✅ The job description of a job you’re applying for

…and it produces a version of your resume that’s been fine-tuned in these ways:

  • Present you in the best possible light
  • Make changes so that your experiences, talents, and achievements show that you’re an excellent fit for the job
  • Tune your experience and skills to better match the job requirements
  • Update your resume to use key words and phrases from the job description
  • Correct spelling and grammar mistakes
  • Fix phrasing to be more clear and concise
  • Improve sentence structure and use action verbs

Bring your laptop! We’ll provide you with a “starter” project and access to an AI account, and we’ll walk you through the process of writing a Python app in Jupyter Notebook that does what we described above. In the process, you’ll learn:

  • About Jupyter Notebook, one of the preferred tools for AI and data science
  • How to make calls to an AI API
  • How to build an application based on an AI API

You will leave the meetup with a working Python app that does what we’ve described above: help you fine-tune your resume for specific job applications!

Join us on Monday, March 17th and let’s build this app!

Categories
Meetups Tampa Bay What I’m Up To

Tampa Bay AI and Suncoast Software Skills Meetups — powered by Embarc Collective and Bank of America!

Great news — the meetups that Anitra and I co-organize…

are the recipients of Embarc Collective’s and Bank of America’s Tampa Bay Tech Meetup Scholarship!

For 2025, this scholarship will make it much easier for us to organize our meetups. It will provide…

  • Dedicated Space: One of the challenges of running a meetup is getting a space to hold them. Embarc Collective has amazing event spaces right in downtown Tampa, close to the interstate, and well-suited for tech meetups. Being able to host our meetups at Embarc is a really big help!
  • Financial Support: The costs of renting premium spaces like those in Embarc Collective and feeding attendees are also a challenge for non-corporate meetup organizers like us. The financial support from the Scholarship is invaluable.
  • Community Connection: Embarc Collective is one of the hubs of Tampa Bay’s tech ecosystem, and having their community connections will help us take our meetups to the next level.

Our first meetup to take place at Embarc Collective will be the Tampa Bay AI Meetup’s Build an AI job application helper app, which will happen on Monday, March 17 from 6 – 8 p.m.. We’re working on a date for the Suncoast Software Skills Meetup event, so watch this space!

We’d like to thank Embarc Collective and Bank of America for creating the Scholarship and for selecting our Meetups to be recipients. We’re going to put on some great meetups this year!

Categories
Picdump

Saturday picdump for February 22, 2025

Welcome to another Global Nerdy Saturday “picdump!” It’s the weekly article where I post the technology- and work-related memes, pictures, and cartoons floating around the internet that I found interesting or relevant this week. Share and enjoy!











































































Categories
Current Events Meetups Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events list (Monday, February 24 – Sunday, March 2, 2025)

Here’s what’s happening in the thriving tech scene in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for the week of Monday, February 24 through Sunday, March 2, 2025! There’s a lot going on; find the event that appeals to you…and go!

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, February 24

Event name and location Group Time
Trinity Professional Business Networking Lunch Join Us!
Cantina Viagero
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Downtown St. Pete Business Networking Connection Lunch~ All Welcome< JOIN In!
The Sourdough Co.
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Business Networking Meeting
Online
Christian Professionals Network Tampa Bay 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM EST
Happy Hour w/ Gravity IT Resources
Online
Tampa Java User Group 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EST
Radiant Ridge Toastmasters
Century 21 J.W. Morton Real Estate
Toastmasters Division G 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM EST
Speakeasy Toastmasters #4698
Online
Toastmasters District 48 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Monday Feast & Game Night
Village Inn
Tampa Bay Tabletoppers 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
MTG: Commander Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Game Night at the Brewery!
Anecdote Brewing Company
Game Night at the Brewery! 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
A practical overview of privacy preserving deep learning in healthcare
4701 Tony Alessi Sr Ave
Tampa Bay Data Science Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
North Port Toastmasters Meets Online!!
Online
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Toast of Lakewood Ranch Toastmasters Club
Lakewood Ranch Town Hall
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM EST
Tea Tavern – Dungeons and Dragons
Adobe Graffiti Lounge
Tea Tavern Dungeons and Dragons Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 11:30 PM EST
Starting Your Online Business
Online
Digital Entrepreneurs Journey 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Let’s Talk Toastmasters
Online
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Stirling Toastmasters Club #7461614 | Public Speaking & Leadership Development
Online
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Hidden Gems Night, Presented by A Duck!
Online
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
MONDAY night ONLINE gaming
Online
Brandon Boardgamers 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
Members as far back as 2008 can access their photos
none
School is closed- Light Study PRO – A Photography Workshop 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
DigiMondays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
Weekly General Meetup
Online
Beginning Web Development 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Return to the top of the list

Tuesday, February 25

Event name and location Group Time
BNI Gold Partners Apopka Zoom meeting
Online
BNI Gold Partners 7:15 AM to 8:45 AM EST
Engagement on LinkedIn
Online
Tech Success Network 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST
NPI Referral Pros Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM EST
Oldsmar/Westchase/Palm Harbor Business Networking lunch ~
Beef O’Brady’s – Oldsmar FL
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Three AD Tasks You Should Leave To Your Users
Online
Orlando Cybersecurity Meetup 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST
XR in 2025 and Beyond: Charting the Course of Immersive Experiences
Embarc Collective
Tampa XR 5:15 PM to 7:15 PM EST
Wings, Beer, & AI: A Generative Gathering
Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar
Tampa Bay Generative AI Meetup 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Weekly Open Make Night
4931 W Nassau St
Tampa Hackerspace 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Bartow Toastmasters HYBRID Meeting
2250 S Floral Ave
Toastmasters Division E 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM EST
Spanglish Toastmasters Club 7703731
Online
Toastmasters Division G 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST
Modern Game Night (Spring Hill)
Plot Armor Games
Drunk’n Meeples the Social Tabletop (Board) Gamers 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Disney Lorcana Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Hobby Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Root!
Anson on Palmer Ranch
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
Meet & Greet at O’Keefe’s Family Restaurant
O’Keefe’s Family Restaurant
Florida Center for Creative Photography 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM EST
Pinellas Writers and Authors Weekly Meeting (Online/Zoom)
Online
Pinellas Writers Group 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Rug making class!
MakerSpace Clearwater
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM EST
Winter Haven Toastmasters
St Paul’s Episcopal Church
Toastmasters Division E 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa
Gaspars Patio Bar & Grille
Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
Chess Night!
Intergalactic Toys
Lakeland Chess Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
D&D @ Critical Hit Games (Full)
Critical Hit Games
RPG-Pinellas 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Bingo at Smith’s American Tavern
Online
Adventure Group of Lakeland 6:45 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Dunedin Toastmasters – Guests Welcome
Unity Community Church
Dunedin Toastmasters 2166 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Toast of Celebration Toastmasters
Celebration Community Field Complex
Toastmasters Division E 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
[LIVE] Learn-To-Trade: Daily Training
Online
[LIVE] Monster Learn-To-Trade Crypto 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games Meetup for Young Adults
Pinellas Ale Works Brewery
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games for Young Adults 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
Trivia Night with Trivia Nation
Irish 31 Pub House & Eatery
Trivia Night at Irish 31 Seminole 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Boards & Bones
SpookEasy Lounge
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
AMA – Ask Me Anything Related to Photography, Computers and Software
O’Keefe’s Family Restaurant
Florida Center for Creative Photography 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Nic At Nite – Weekly Movie Night
Online
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
Online Event: Shut Up & Write on Zoom
Online
Shut Up & Write!® Tampa 7:45 PM to 9:15 PM EST
Return to the top of the list

Wednesday, February 26

Event name and location Group Time
World Toasters Toastmasters Club
Online
Toastmasters Division E 7:05 AM to 8:00 AM EST
NPI Profit Partners Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals
Panera Bread
Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EST
Grow Your Business with focused Referral Networking
Sons of Italy Lodge
BNI Tampa -Referral based networking 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EST
St Pete Downtown Young Professional Networking Breakfast Connect your business
Hangar Restaurant, Albert Whitted Airport
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EST
NPI St. Pete Sunrise Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals
St Petersburg Yacht Club
Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EST
Tampa Highrisers Toastmasters
Hyde Park United Methodist Church
Toastmasters District 48 7:45 AM to 8:45 AM EST
DATA4 Conference
Embarc Collective
Tampa Bay Data Engineering Group 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM EST
Maximizing Active Directory and Microsoft 365 security and compliance with autom
Online
ManageEngine’s Cybersecurity Meetups 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
Brandon Professional Networking Lucnh
Just Love Coffee Cafe
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Lakewood Ranch/Sarasota Business Networking Lunch ~ Connect your busniess
Station 400
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Lakewood Ranch Business Networking Lunch at Station 400, JOIN in and Connect
Station 400
Bradenton/Sarasota Networking Meetings and Mixers 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
NPI North St. Pete Networkers Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals
Carrabas Italian Grill
Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM EST
Synapse Summit Virtual Volunteer Information Session
Online
Tech Success Network 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
Remote vs. On-Site Project Teams – Which Works Best?
Online
Wesley Chapel PM and IT Connection 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
February DUG Tampa Power Platform Meetup: Copilot Studio In a Day Workshop
501 E. Kennedy Street, Tampa, FL
DUG Power Platform & Dynamics 365 – Tampa 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST
Inspiring Authors & Book Immersion Meetup
Online
Lady Lake Memoir Writing Meetup Group 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EST
Social “Hump Day” Wednesdays
Online
Social Entrepreneurs Networking Group 2:15 PM to 4:15 PM EST
AI Basics for Business Owners
Online
Skill Up & Network Orlando 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM EST
Wednesday Night Gaming
Nerdy Needs
Brandon Boardgamers 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
Bay pines toastmaster’s hybrid meeting
C. W. Bill Young VA Medical Center
Bay Pines Toastmasters 5:15 PM to 6:30 PM EST
Orlando Chess Association
West Osceola Library
Chess in Orlando 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Wednesday Board Game Night
Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Robotics/Electronics: Create Your Own Catbot Combat Robot!
Tampa Hackerspace
Tampa Hackerspace 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Board Game Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Casual Commander Wednesdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Great Big Trivia Wednesdays @ Terra Ceia Bay Country Club Palmetto 6-8PM
Terra Ceia Bay Country Club
South Florida Poker, Music & Entertainment Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Game Night!
Southern Lights Brewing Company
Drunk’n Meeples the Social Tabletop (Board) Gamers 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM EST
[LIVE] Learn-To-Trade Q&A
Online
[LIVE] Monster Learn-To-Trade Crypto 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Carrollwood Toastmasters Meetings meet In-Person and Online
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Communication Practice and Improvement
Online
Communication Skills for Interviews and Presentations 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Games & Grog @ The Grove SoHo!
Grove Soho
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
New Beginnings & Old Rivalries
Online
Central Florida AD&D (1st ed.) Grognards Guild 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM EST
Games & Grog (Social Game Night in SoHo)
Grove Soho
Nerd Night Out 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
Cardfight Vanguard!! OverDress Weekly
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
Downtown Lakeland Young Professionals Business Networking Lunch ~
Ax-Caliber Axe Venue and Restaurant
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 11:30 PM to Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 1:00 AM EST
Return to the top of the list

Thursday, February 27

Event name and location Group Time
NPI Bayview Chapter – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals
11 Central Ave
Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EST
One Business Connection Zoom Mtg
Online
One Business Connecting Networking B2B 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM EST
Syslog Demystified: Essential Linux Logs for Compliance and Security Insights
Online
Orlando Cybersecurity Meetup 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
RGA’s Founders & Amplify Clearwater Partnership meeting ~ All Welcome, JOIN in.
Chili’s Grill & Bar
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
NPI Power Lunch – Exchange Qualified Business Referrals
Carrabas Italian Grill
Network Professionals Inc. of South Pinellas (NPI) 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Wesley Chapel Young Professionals Business Networking Lunch ~ Walk On’s
Walk On’s Bistreaux
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Sarasota Speakers Exchange Toastmasters
Online
Toastmasters District 48 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
Canasta
Grand Bay Building 3 Cardroom
Grand Bay Canasta Meetup Group 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST
3 PowerShell commands for Red team’s Defense Evasion
Online
ManageEngine’s Cybersecurity Meetups 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST
Looking Back in Time with the James Webb Space Telescope
Online
Science & Technology Society – Suncoast Region 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM EST
Gulfport Scrabble and Social
The Drunken Taco
Gulfport Scrabblers and Social 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM EST
Vecna – Eye of Ruin (T3-APL11)
Coliseum of Comics Kissimmee
Orlando Adventurer’s Guild 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
Omni Toastmasters Club 6861
Online
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 5:45 PM to 7:00 PM EST
Building a GenAI Workflow using Amazon Bedrock
501 E Kennedy Blvd
Tampa Bay AWS User Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Tampa M365 – Social @ Magnanimous
Magnanimous Brewing
Tampa M365 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Tampa Power Platform – Social @ Magnanimous
Magnanimous Brewing
Tampa Power Platform 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Warhammer Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Play Games and Meet New People @ Rec Room
Rec Room
Lakeland Hangouts (20’s & 30’s) 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Writing Meetup
HotWax Coffee Shop, Kava Bar & Tap House
Tampa Free Writing Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Tampa Writers Alliance Poetry Group
Barnes & Noble Carrollwood
Tampa Writers Alliance 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Back to Basics: Linux Satanism with Patsy
5406 Hoover Blvd STE 10
The Neon Temple 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
3D Printing Guild
Tampa Hackerspace West
Tampa Hackerspace 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
How to Get Rid of Unwanted Thoughts and Emotions
Online
Communication Skills for Career Advancement Group 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Tampa Business, Entrepreneurs, Creatives & Influencers Networking
Avenue Blu
Tampa Central FL Business Entrepreneur Creatives and Influencers 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
Let’s Talk Toastmasters Special Meeting Theme: Financial Education
Online
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Palm Harbor Toastmasters Club #8248
1500 16th St
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
WordPress Monthly Meetup
Online
WordPress Clearwater FL 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Pathfinder Society
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
One Piece Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
Book Club: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Joe’s New York Diner
Geekocracy! 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
FABulous Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Live streaming production and talent
124 S Ring Ave
Live streaming production and talent 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Return to the top of the list

Friday, February 28

Event name and location Group Time
Fourth Friday WordPress Collaboration Meetup – February 2025
Axum Coffee
West Orlando WordPress Meetup 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM EST
Caffeine & Connections: Friday Fuel for Black Professionals
Online
Pinellas County Black Business Meetup Group 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM EST
Feb 2025 Homebrew Hillsborough: USF IAE
Online
Homebrew Hillsborough 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM EST
ACT Aquire Connections Today ~ RGA’s Virtual Networking All Welcome
Online
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 8:45 AM to 10:15 AM EST
Toastmasters – Improve Speaking Skills & Build Confidence
Online
Christian Professionals Network Tampa Bay 9:25 AM to 10:25 AM EST
Behind the Scenes of IT Projects: Team Roles and Dynamics
Online
Career Success Academy 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST
Ms. Biz Connectz- business leaders brainstorm together
Online
Ms. Biz Connectz- business leaders brainstorming together 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST
Focus on Books: Romance
Windermere Branch Library
Library Book Clubs – OCLS 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
Business Networking Tampa at I HOP ***NEW LOCATION***
IHOP
RGA Networking Professional Business Networking 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Song of Solomon- Toni Morrison
Kazba Cafe, Morroccan food (& pizza?)
Book club- clearwater/ dunedin/palm harbor 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM EST
Friday Board Game Night
Bridge Club
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EST
MTG: Commander FNM
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Lake Wales Mardi Gras Photography Meetup
Online
Winter Haven Model Photography Meetup Group Friday, February 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM to Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 11:00 PM EST
Taps & Drafts | Casual EDH/MtG Social Night
Industrious
Nerd Night Out 6:00 PM to 11:45 PM EST
Networking for Tech Startups/Founders/Investors/Developers – San Antonio
Florida Avenue Brewing Co.
US Tech Network 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Networking for Tech Startups/Founders/Investors/Developers – Tampa
lala’s sangria
US Tech Network 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Modern FNM
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM EST
Dinner and lively conversation at Ava Tampa
Ava-Inspirato Italiano
Free Thinkers Dinner Club 7:15 PM to 9:15 PM EST
Friday Pokemon Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM EST
Radio Round Table
Online
Florida Internet and Terrestrial Radio Group 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
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Saturday, March 1

Event name and location Group Time
Compare Notes on Life
Online
Central Florida Philosophy Meetup 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST
Creative Writing In-Person Monthly Gathering for Aspiring Authors
16120 US Hwy 19 N
Pinellas Writers Group 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
Hunters Creek Toastmasters
Online
Toastmasters Division E 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM EST
Tampa Bay Climate and Coffee | March Meetup!
Elevation Coffee Heights
Tampa Bay Climate and Coffee 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM EST
Saturday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM EST
Workday – Make a Better Space!
Tampa Hackerspace
Tampa Hackerspace 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM EST
Geeks Go To Plant City Strawberry Festival General Admission
Florida Strawberry Festival
Geekocracy! 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
Winning The Week – 1st Meet
Sage Biscuit Cafe
Winning The Week 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST
Twilight Imperium 4
Anson on Palmer Ranch
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST
DIY Perfume / Cologne Class
The DIY Room
Creative DIY Meet Up 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
NNO Book Club: Nettle & Bone
Babushka’s – Hyde Park
Nerd Night Out 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST
Avoiding Trademark Troubles in Writing
Online
Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST
FREE Fab Lab Orientation
Faulhaber Fab Lab
Suncoast Makers 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM EST
D&D (5e) @ Black Harbor Gaming (FULL)
Black Harbor Gaming
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM EST
Y Read: Book Read Aloud
Dr. P. Phillips YMCA Family Center
Library Book Clubs – OCLS 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM EST
Outside the Binary Boardgame Meetup
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST
Stonehell – 1st Ed campaign
Nerdy Needs
Brandon and Seffner area AD&D and OSR Group 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Atomic Claw
Atomic Claw
Gen Geek 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Look – it’s March
IHOP
New Port Richey Casual Games and Fun Socializing Group! 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Community Hang-out Night
Online
Nerdbrew Events 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Murder on The Bayou: A Masquerade Murder Mystery Adventure
Conworlds Emporium
Drunk’n Meeples the Social Tabletop (Board) Gamers 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Howl at the Moon happy hour
Howl at the Moon Dueling Piano Bar
The Metro Orlando Geeks Social Club 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
War and Peace Discussion (Maggiano’s Little Italy)
Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant
Classic Book Club – Dinner Edition 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
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Sunday, March 2

Event name and location Group Time
Plotter CriCut vinyl cutting
MakerSpace Clearwater
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST
Venice Strategy Board Gamers
Venice
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Florida Antiquarian Book Fair
The St. Petersburg Coliseum
Tampa Bay Women’s Book Club Meetup Group 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST
Mahjongg Gathering at the GoodEarth
The GoodEarth
SRQ Mahjong Gathering 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM EST
She Means Business Social: Empowering Professionals in Communication
The White Building
She Means Business Meetup Group 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST
Sunday Gaming
Tampa Bay Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST
T-Shirts and Caps printing
MakerSpace Clearwater
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST
Sunday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST
D&D Adventurers League
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 2:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST
Modern Board Games and Social
Dented Keg Ale Works
Drunk’n Meeples the Social Tabletop (Board) Gamers 2:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST
Sunday Pokemon League
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Lankhmar: City of Adventure
Nerdy Needs
Brandon and Seffner area AD&D and OSR Group 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Sew Awesome! (Textile Arts & Crafts)
Tampa Hackerspace West
Tampa Hackerspace 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
A Duck Presents NB Movie Night
Discord.io/Nerdbrew
Nerd Night Out 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM EST
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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
Categories
What I’m Up To

Company headshots / What I’ve been up to

Here’s a quick little post that’s here to let you know a couple of things. For starters, Packfiles’ site now includes company headshots, which include Yours Truly:

To recap, Packfiles makes a SaaS called Warp, which migrates source code repositories from other, lesser source control systems (Azure DevOps right now, but BitBucket and GitLab soon) to GitHub.

Migration is a tedious manual process that’s like this:

But with Warp, it’s more like this:

My title, Technical Experience Lead, is something I made up on the spot, but it pretty much covers what I do. I make sure that the people who use the SaaS have the best experience possible, from the moment they visit our site and try our service, to the actual migration process.

I’ve been recording how-to videos in my nice, quiet, and conevnient home studio, but yesterday, internet service went out in our neighborhood. Luckily, Embarc Collective — where I do my non-recording work — has a content studio and they were kind enough to let me book it for all afternoon yesterday on very short notice.

Here’s the booking screen outside the studio…

…and here’s what it was like inside:

It’s a busy time for me, and I’ll write more about it here — watch this space!

Categories
Picdump

Saturday (actually, Sunday) picdump for February 15, 2025

Welcome to the another Global Nerdy Saturday “picdump!” I know, it’s a day late. Between some extra work and Valentine’s Day, I wasn’t able to assemble it until today.

Anyhow, here’s the weekly article where I post the technology- and work-related memes, pictures, and cartoons floating around the internet that I found interesting or relevant this week. Share and enjoy!