SuperHappyDevHouse 28

SuperHappyDevHouse 28 was today. I just returned, and I had a blast. So many events I go to are focused heavily on the tech side, which I like, but it was nice to finally go to an event like SuperHappyDevHouse that also has a large focus on networking and socializing with other techies, creative individuals, and entrepreneurs.

At SuperHappyDevHouse I always learn something new about technology and have deep interesting conversations with other attendees. It’s a great place to make new contacts and discuss ideas and opportunities. People who are attracted to this event are some of the most creative individuals I’ve ever met. The SuperHappyDevHouse website promotes this event as:

The premier monthly hackathon event that combines serious and not-so-serious productivity with a fun and exciting party atmosphere.

SuperHappyDevHouse events are pretty much the whole day. Today it was from 1:00 pm to 11:00 pm. For most of the day you are free to wander around and meet people, discuss ideas, or just sit down at a desk and do serious work or hack your heart out. Junk food is always plentiful and dinner usually arrives a little past midway through the event. Closer to the end of the night there are ‘Lightning Talks’ that take place. Anyone can sign-up to do a ‘Lightning Talk’; he/she will get 5 minutes to discuss whatever tech topic they choose (although I have seen some presentations that have been more focused on social aspects than technology aspects). Usually presentations are made with PowerPoint slides projected onto a screen.

The subjects of the ‘Lightning Talks’ can be very diverse and vary from one event to the next but are usually somewhat technical in nature. Here is a list of some of the ‘Lightning Talk’ topics from today:

• Building an open source platform for app development a la Force.com
• Organizing geek events; plurkpix.com
• Why I Love Python
• Zero cost online payment systems; Noca

Thanks to great sponsors like Sun Microsystems, sandbox suites, SocialText, Mohr Davidow Venture, and orange, this event was free for anyone who is interested. All SuperHappyDevHouse events are free, but I believe sometimes there may be different sponsors. The event usually rotates between different locations. Today’s event was at a SuperHappyDevHouse member’s house (or better described as mansion) in Cupertino, CA. Recent past SuperHappyDevHouse events have been at Sun Microsystems and Google. The events are usually around the Mountain View Silicon Valley area.

WoW! I should not be so awake at 2:00 am. Well – if I ever have to pull another all-nighter, I know the recipe: three cans of Red Bull and a full day’s diet of brownies, chocolate chip granola bars, and plenty of caffeine saturated soda.