Ryan Carmelo Briones

As a programmer, I've been able to accomplish a lot of things by sheer effort alone. Working in this age, whenever a brick wall problem comes along, we're usually able to brute force it with a well-crafted Google search. These situations allow us to learn some things; they expose things about the language/platform that we didn't previously know (syntax/grammar) and sometimes they represent idioms of the language we're working with. But programmers cannot live by effort alone. It's time to refactor our minds.

Welcome to Rethink Columbus. The goals of this group are simple

• Introduce attendees to diverse programming languages and styles in order to change the way they think about solving problems with programming languages.


• Convey a pragmatic "right tool for the job" attitude toward programming languages.


• Above all: have fun.

Rethink Columbus is intended to be a gathering place for open-minded individuals who are interested in honing their skills as software craftsman. Rethink Columbus is also part lab space. It gives us the opportunity to play with languages, platforms and concepts that we might not be able to fit, or maybe don't want to fit, into the daily 9-5. The fun part is the journey. Think of it like a cruise:

• We'll start out with a destination; a place we can point to on the horizon. Maybe that's programming language or concept that can teach something; change the way we think.


• Hire a guide. When it feels right, we'll bring in someone to steer the ship a bit. Provide some experience for the exploration.


• Identify some excursions. Maybe there are a few focused exercises that can provide clear goals and more discussion points... maybe even some pairing involved?


• Enjoy the company of others. Eat, drink and be merry! Meet people. Discuss!

I think that about does it. If you're interested, sign up for the mailing list at Google Groups and stay tuned to the website. If people are as excited as I am, maybe drinks would be in order? We'll see what happens. Thanks for listening.

http://rethinkcolumbus.com
http://groups.google.com/group/rethink-columbus