Pycon on Caktus Group

Highlights from PyCon US 2021

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 17:10:44 +0000

I had the opportunity to attend PyCon US, which was held entirely virtually. Though an in-person experience is impossible to replicate (the last time I attended PyCon in person was in 2018), I found that many aspects of the live conference were still available in an online format. Here are some of my highlights:

PyCon US 2021 is Around the Corner

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 18:23:52 +0000

PyCon US 2021 will be completely virtual this year. For the first time ever you’ll be able to enjoy this popular event from the comfort of your favorite armchair!

Our Favorite PyCon 2019 Presentations

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 18:31:31 +0000

PyCon 2019 attracted 3,393 attendees, including a group of six Cakti. When we weren’t networking with attendees at our booth, we attended some fascinating presentations. Below are some of our favorites. You can watch these talks and more on the PyCon 2019 YouTube channel.

Be Quick or Eat Potatoes: A Newbie’s Guide to PyCon

Thu, 23 May 2019 20:49:07 +0000

Pictured: I traveled to Cleveland, OH, for PyCon 2019, where I got this shot of the city skyline.

This year I attended PyCon for the first time. It’s rather amazing that I haven’t been before, since I’ve been using Python professionally for over 15 years. PyCon 2019 was held in Cleveland from May 1–9. There was so much to take in, and there are so many good things to say about it. It was a fantastic experience. But rather than provide a “mission report: 2019” a la Winter Soldier, I thought I’d do something more useful — write a guide to PyCon from a newbie perspective. Here are six lessons I learned from my first PyCon.

We're Eagerly Preparing for PyCon 2019!

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 13:00:00 +0000

Pictured: The final rush is on! Staff quickly check materials for our PyCon booth.

PyCon 2019 is almost here, and we’re excited to continue to sponsor this premier Python event, which takes place in Cleveland, OH, from May 1 - 9. PyCon attracts attendees from around the world, and for the first time, the conference will include a track of Spanish talks.

7 Conferences We’re Looking Forward To

Sat, 26 Jan 2019 18:01:22 +0000

Above: The Internet Summit in Raleigh is one of the local conferences we recommend attending. (Photo by Ian Huckabee.)

At Caktus, we strongly believe in professional development and continued learning. We encourage our talented team to stay up to date with industry trends and technologies. During 2018, Cakti attended a number of conferences around the country. Below is a list (in alphabetical order) of the ones we found the most helpful, practical, and interesting. We look forward to attending these conferences again, and if you get the chance, we highly recommend that you check them out as well.

Lessons from the Great Failure of 1858 (PyCon 2018 Must-See Talk Series)

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 12:00:00 +0000

This is the third post in the 2018 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, which highlights the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

Stories of Security (PyCon 2018 Must-See Talk Series)

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:50:52 +0000

This is the second post in the 2018 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, which highlights the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

Love Your Bugs (PyCon 2018 Must-See Talk Series)

Wed, 23 May 2018 13:30:00 +0000

Welcome to the 2018 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

PyCon 2018 Recap

Mon, 21 May 2018 13:30:00 +0000

Making connections

Before the conference, our team listed “making connections” as one of the main reasons to attend PyCon. We certainly did that, welcoming visitors to the booth and catching up with friends old and new.

Caktus at PyCon 2018

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 13:30:00 +0000

We’re one month away from PyCon 2018 and are looking forward to this year’s event in Cleveland, OH. Caktus is proud to sponsor once again and will be in attendance with a booth.

Constructive Code Review (Bonus PyCon 2017 Must-See Talk)

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 13:30:00 +0000

There were so many good talks this year that we’re including a bonus entry in the 2017 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon.

Readability Counts (PyCon 2017 Must-See Talk 6/6)

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 13:30:00 +0000

Part 6 in the 2017 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

Requests, Under the Hood (PyCon 2017 Must-See Talk 5/6)

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 13:30:00 +0000

Part five of six in the 2017 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

5 Ways to Deploy Your Python Web App in 2017 (PyCon 2017 Must-See Talk 4/6)

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 13:30:00 +0000

Part four of six in the 2017 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

How Documentation Works, and How to Make It Work for Your Project (PyCon 2017 Must-See Talk 3/6)

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 13:30:00 +0000

Part three of six in the 2017 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

Python at Instagram (PyCon 2017 Must-See Talk 2/6)

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:30:00 +0000

Part two of six in the 2017 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

Decorators, Unwrapped: How Do They Work? (PyCon 2017 Must-See Talk 1/6)

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 13:30:00 +0000

Part one of six in the 2017 edition of our annual PyCon Must-See Series, highlighting the talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. While there were many great talks, this is our team’s shortlist.

PyCon 2017 Recap

Wed, 24 May 2017 13:30:00 +0000

Caktus attended PyCon 2017 in Portland from May 18-21. It was the first PyCon for some, while others were PyCon veterans. All of us were looking forward to the opportunity to hear some great talks and make or renew connections in the Python community.

Caktus Activities at PyCon 2017

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 13:30:00 +0000

It’s almost time for PyCon and the team here at Caktus is ready to meet other attendees. Where and how can you find us?

Come Visit Us at PyCon 2017

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 12:00:00 +0000

PyCon 2017 is fast approaching, and we’re excited to support the event this year as sponsors once again. It’s a great opportunity to meet new friends, exchange ideas and interact with the community at large.

Postgres Present and Future (PyCon 2016 Must-See Talk: 6/6)

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Part six of six in our annual PyCon Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. With so many fantastic talks, it’s hard to know where to start, so here’s our short list.

Trainspotting: Real-Time Detection (PyCon 2016 Must-See Talk: 4/6)

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 13:41:43 +0000

Part four of six in our annual PyCon Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. With so many fantastic talks, it’s hard to know where to start, so here’s our short list.

Better Testing With Less Code (PyCon 2016 Must-See Talk: 2/6)

Wed, 13 Jul 2016 13:37:37 +0000

Part two of six in our annual PyCon Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. With so many fantastic talks, it’s hard to know where to start, so here’s our short list.

From Developer to Manager by Sean O'Connor (PyCon 2016 Must-See Talk: 1/6)

Fri, 08 Jul 2016 17:56:11 +0000

Part one of six in our annual PyCon Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff especially loved at PyCon. With so many fantastic talks, it’s hard to know where to start, so here’s our short list.

PyCon 2016 Recap

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

PyCon, beyond being the best community event for Python developers, is also an event that we happily began thinking about eleven months ago. Almost as soon as PyCon 2015 ended, we had the good fortune of planning the look and feel of PyCon 2016 with organizer extraordinaires Ewa Jodlowska, Diana Clark, and new this year, Brandon Rhodes. Our team has loved working with the organizers on the PyCon websites for the past three years now. They’re great people who always prioritize the needs of PyCon attendees, whether that’s babysitting services or a smooth PyCon web experience.

Where to Find Cakti at PyCon 2016

Thu, 26 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

As Django developers, we always look forward to PyCon. This year, working with the Python Software Foundation on the design for PyCon 2016’s site kindled our enthusiasm early. Our team is so excited for all the fun to begin. With an array of fantastic events, speakers, and workshops, we thought we would highlight all the events we’ll be participating in. Come find us!

PyCon 2016: Behind the Design

Wed, 23 Sep 2015 18:30:00 +0000

Having helped to design an award-winning event site for last year’s PyCon in Montreal, we are thrilled to collaborate again with the Python Software Foundation (PSF) on this year’s site for PyCon 2016.

PyCon 2015 Workshop Video: Building SMS Applications with Django

Fri, 24 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

As proud sponsors of PyCon, we hosted a one and a half hour free workshop. We see the workshops as a wonderful opportunity to share some practical, hands-on experience in our area of expertise: building applications in Django. In addition, it’s a way to give back to the open source community.

Robots Robots Ra Ra Ra!!! (PyCon 2015 Must-See Talk: 6/6)

Wed, 10 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Part six of six in our PyCon 2015 Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff enjoyed at PyCon.

I’ve had an interest in robotics since high school, but always thought it would be expensive and time consuming to actually do. Over the past few years, though, I’ve observed the rise of open hardware such as the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi, and modules and kits built on top of them, that make this type of project more affordable and accessible to the casual hobbyist. I was excited by Katherine’s talk because Robot Operating System (ROS) seems to do for the software side what Arduino and such do for the hardware side.

PyPy.js: What? How? Why? by Ryan Kelly (PyCon 2015 Must-See Talk: 5/6)

Tue, 26 May 2015 17:21:14 +0000

Part five of six in our PyCon 2015 Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff enjoyed at PyCon.

From Ryan Kelly’s talk I learned that it is actually possible, today, to run Python in a web browser (not something that interprets Python-like syntax and translates it into JavaScript, but an actual Python interpreter!). PyPy.js combines two technologies, PyPy (the Python interpreter written in Python) and Emscripten (an LLVM-to-JavaScript converter, typically used for getting games running in the browser), to run PyPy in the browser. This talk is a must-see for anyone who’s longed before to write client-side Python instead of JavaScript for a web app. While realistically being able to do this in production may still be a ways off, at least in part due to the multiple megabytes of JavaScript one needs to download to get it working, I enjoyed the view Ryan’s talk provided into the internals of this project. PyPy itself is always fascinating, and this talk made it even more so.

Keynote by Catherine Bracy (PyCon 2015 Must-See Talk: 4/6)

Tue, 19 May 2015 14:12:27 +0000

Part four of six in our PyCon 2015 Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff enjoyed at PyCon.

My recommendation would be Catherine Bracy’s Keynote about Code for America. Cakti should be familiar with Code for America. Colin Copeland, Caktus CTO, is the founder of Code for Durham and many of us are members. Her talk made it clear how important this work is. She was funny, straight-talking, and inspirational. For a long time before I joined Caktus, I was a “hobbyist” programmer. I often had time to program, but wasn’t sure what to build or make. Code for America is a great opportunity for people to contribute to something that will benefit all of us. I have joined Code for America and hope to contribute locally soon through Code for Durham.

Interactive Data for the Web by Sarah Bird (PyCon 2015 Must-See Talk: 3/6)

Tue, 12 May 2015 17:07:28 +0000

Part three of six in our PyCon 2015 Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff enjoyed at PyCon.

Sarah Bird’s talk made me excited to try the Bokeh tutorials. The Bokeh library has very approachable methods for creating data visualizations inside of Canvas elements all via Python. No javascript necessary. Who should see this talk? Python developers who want to add a beautiful data visualization to their websites without writing any javascript. Also, Django developers who would like to use QuerySets to create data visualizations should watch the entire video, and then rewind to minute 8:50 for instructions on how to use Django QuerySets with a couple of lines of code.

Cakti Comment on Django's Class-based Views

Mon, 11 May 2015 12:47:00 +0000

After PyCon 2015, we were surprised when we realized how many Cakti who attended had all been asked about Django’s class-based views (CBVs). We talked about why this might be, and this is a summary of what we came up with.

Beyond PEP 8 by Raymond Hettinger (PyCon 2015 Must-See Talk: 2/6)

Tue, 05 May 2015 12:10:53 +0000

Part two of six in our PyCon 2015 Must-See Series, a weekly highlight of talks our staff enjoyed at PyCon.

I think everyone who codes in any language and uses any automated PEP-8 or linter sort of code checker should watch this talk. Unfortunately to go into any detail on what I learned (or really was reminded of) would ruin the effect of actually watching the talk. I’d encourage everyone to watch it. I came away from the talk wanting to figure out a way to incorporate its lesson into our Caktus development practices.

Caktus Wins Two Communicator Awards for PyCon 2015

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 19:59:42 +0000

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve won two Communicator Awards in this year’s 2015 Communicator Awards competition. With over 6000 entries received from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is considered the largest and most competitive international awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals.

AIGA Durham Studio Tour Recap

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 12:00:00 +0000

This was the first year Caktus Group participated in the AIGA studio tour and the turnout was amazing. From 5:30 PM till the 9:00 PM close, we had visitors ranging from students to tenured professionals in the design and web development fields sharing stories and touring the newly renovated Caktus Group office. Members from the Caktus design, development, and management teams were present to field questions, give tours, and show select works from the past year.

PyCon 2015 Talks: Our Must See Picks (1/6)

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 14:00:00 +0000

Whether you couldn’t make it to PyCon this year, were busy attending one of the other amazing talks, or were simply too enthralled by the always popular “hallway track”, there are bound to be talks you missed out on. Thankfully, the PyCon staff does an amazing job not only organizing the conference for the attendees and the days of the conference, but also by producing recordings of all the talks for anyone who couldn’t attend. Even if you attended, you couldn’t have seen every talk, so these recordings are a great safety net.

PyCon 2015 ReCap

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 19:55:57 +0000

The best part of PyCon? Definitely the people. This is my fifth PyCon, so I’ve had a chance to see the event evolve, especially with the fantastic leadership of Ewa Jodlowska and Diana Clarke. We were also lucky enough to work with them on the PyCon 2015 website. This year we were once again located in the Centre-Ville section of Montreal, close to lots of great restaurants and entertainment.

How to Find Cakti at PyCon 2015

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 13:09:46 +0000

We’re very excited for PyCon 2015 and can’t wait for the fun to begin. Working on the PyCon website stoked our excitement early, so it’s almost surreal that PyCon is finally here. With an overwhelming number of great events, we wanted to highlight ones Caktus and our staff will be taking part in. Below you’ll find a list of where we’ll be each day. Please join us!

PyCon 2015 Ticket Giveaway

Tue, 24 Feb 2015 21:43:36 +0000

Caktus is giving away a PyCon 2015 ticket, valued at $350. We love going to PyCon every year. It’s the largest gathering of developers using Python, the open source programming language that Caktus relies on. This year, it’ll be held April 8th-16th at the beautiful Palais des congrès de Montréal (the inspiration we used to design the website).

PyCon Blog Features Caktus Group

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 21:07:10 +0000

Brian Curtis, the director of the Python Software Foundation, recently interviewed and featured Caktus on the PyCon website. PyCon is the premiere event for those of us within the Python and Django open source communities. Brian writes about our work designing the PyCon 2015 website, our efforts in Libya, and what’s on the horizon in 2015. We’re excited about this recognition!

Website Redesign for PyCon 2015

Thu, 31 Jul 2014 20:14:48 +0000

PyCon 2015’s website launched today (a day early!). PyCon is the premiere conference for the Python community and one we look forward to attending every year. We’re honored that the Python Software Foundation returned to us this year to revamp the site. We were especially happy to work again with organizer-extraordinaires Ewa Jodlowska and Diana Clarke.

Caktus is going to Montréal for PyCon 2014!

Thu, 10 Apr 2014 13:00:00 +0000

Caktus is happy to once again sponsoring and attending PyCon in Montreal this year. Year after year, we look forward to this conference and we are always impressed with the quality of the speakers that the conference draws. The team consistently walks away with new ideas from attending the talks, open spaces and working on sprints that they are excited to implement here at Caktus and in their personal projects.

New for PyCon: App for Group Outings + Giant Duck

Tue, 08 Apr 2014 14:57:52 +0000

For PyCon 2014, we’ve been working for the past few months on Duckling, an app to make it easier to find and join casual group outings. Our favorite part of PyCon is meeting up with fellow Pythonistas, but without someone rounding everyone up and sorting the logistics, we’ve found it difficult to figure who’s going where and when. Our answer to this age-old conference conundrum is Duckling!

Raspberry IO Open Sourced

Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:40:39 +0000

Back in March, at PyCon 2013, the PSF provided each attendee with a Raspberry Pi, a tiny credit-card sized computer meant to be paired with the Python programming language. The power and portability of the Raspberry Pi has stimulated an explosion of interest among hobbyists and educators. Their uses seem to be limited only by our collective imagination.

Caktus and Python Software Foundation Collaborate on PyCon 2014 in Montreal Site

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:36:12 +0000

[Caktus is proud to be a part of the launch of the]{style=“color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-style:normal;”} PyCon 2014 in Montreal[ website. We were delighted to be selected as this year’s partner for software development and brand updates. In the past, we've enjoyed working with the ]{style=“color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-style:normal;”}Python Software Foundation[ as a collaborator for the ]{style=“color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-style:normal;”}Raspberry.io[ branding and development and are excited to help out with the PyCon website.]{style=“color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-style:normal;”}

PyCon 2013 Recap---Teaching and Learning with the Python Community

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:30:47 +0000

Caktus had a wonderful time at this year’s PyCon conference. We believe strongly in supporting our developers in their quest to become the best coders that they can be and think that being at PyCon is a great way for them to learn about what’s going on in the Python community. We sent ten people to the conference to work at our booth and attend conference events. The organizers of PyCon, headed by Jesse Noller, put on an amazing event that created a space for people to meet face to face in order to work and learn together.

Raspberry IO announced at PyCon

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:51:00 +0000

PyCon is one of our favorite conferences here at Caktus. We’ve been attending for the past 4 years now and it is amazing to see how much the community has grown. This year is especially special because Jesse Noller and the Python Software Foundation (PSF) came to us to help them build Raspberry IO. The site features work from the Python community and their adventures in using Raspberry Pi with Python.

Caktus is Sponsoring Pycon 2012

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Caktus is sponsoring Pycon 2012 in Santa Clara, CA this coming weekend! Nearly the entire office will be attending this year's event, which means Mark, Caleb, Calvin, David, Karen, Dan, Tobias, Colin, Julia, Nicole and I will be on site contributing and learning with the rest of the Python community. Nicole and I will be in charge of manning the booth, and so if you managed to wrangle tickets to the sold-out event, we invite you to stop by our booth #213 and say hello! Also Karen, Mark and Calvin will be sprinting after the talks, working on Django and Python3 tickets.

Sprinting on Django: A Layperson's Perspective

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:32:37 +0000

We just got back from another fun and successful PyCon. While we didn't get to stay for much of the sprints we did get to spend some time in the Django sprint Sunday and Monday. Monday morning I was there early and I noticed a bit of confusion among the Django sprinters. While I'm not a frequent contributor I've participated a few sprints at previous conferences and local sprints with Caktus. I shared with them my experiences and it seemed generally helpful so I thought I would share them here as well.

New Job Posting: Linux Systems Administrator with Python/Django experience

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 16:56:33 +0000

I'm delighted to announce that we've just published another job posting for a Linux Systems Administrator at Caktus. The position will involve maintaining existing Linux servers, designing and building highly-scalable deployments, and assistance with Django deployment and development as time permits. This is a full-time position, with benefits, and is based out of our Carrboro, NC office (a short drive from Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill).

Caktus Consulting Group Sponsors PyCon 2011

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 03:00:00 +0000

PyCon 2011 Atlanta is just around the corner, and I'm proud to announce that Caktus is a gold sponsor at the conference this year! We sponsored DjangoCon in both 2009 and 2010, and this year agreed to extend that support to the Python community in general.

Caktus Sends Team of Five to PyCon 2010 in Atlanta

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:08:30 +0000

Python and Django are tools we use on a daily basis to build fantastic web apps here at Caktus. I'm pleased to announce that Caktus is sending five developers--Colin, Alex, Mike, Mark, and myself--to PyCon 2010! PyCon is an annual gathering for users and developers of the open source Python programming language. This year the US conference is being held in Atlanta, GA. We'll be driving down tomorrow (Thursday) from Chapel Hill, NC and staying for the conference weekend plus one day of the sprints.