Community Roundup: Hacking with Ambition, Passion, and Magic

The ProfHacks 2018 Pitch of Ambition

When it comes to great hacks, the product is pivotal — but so is the pitch. That’s why ProfHacks 2018 — hosted by Rowan University’s student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers — had a dedicated “entrepreneurship” track for its participants to undertake.

Following the ProfHacks 2018 general theme of “smart cities,” the entrepreneurship track challenged hackers not only to “design … a scalable product/service that can be utilized to improve the efficiency of some aspect of a city,” but to design an explanation to accompany this product that would convince leaders and investors of its viability.

Across the weekend of February 24th and 25th, over 200 hackers rose to the challenge at Rowan University’s Glassboro, NJ campus. With cool gear from the MLH Hardware Lab to inspire their tinkering (and late-night cookies from Cookie Munchers to keep their sugar levels elevated), ProfHacks 2018 was a buzz with great ideas.

One such idea that jumped on the entrepreneurship track was ParkingPi, which uses a Raspberry Pi-equipped camera and a DarkNet computer vision algorithm to count cars in parking lots and crunch the data to recommend long-term parking lot design and expansion ideas for civic and institutional leaders.

Of course, every smart city needs a way for even its most ambitious entrepreneurs to wind down, and collaborative relaxation and creativity was the motivation behind ProfJAM, a Python-powered web app that uses a Yoshimi synthesizer to allow multiple users to play the same virtual piano at the same time.

Whether the projects were entrepreneurial or just plain fun, the third ProfHacks was a big hit. Hot tip to all in the Philly area: Rowan University is only half an hour away from your city! If you want a unique and focused hackathon experience, mark the next ProfHacks in your calendar.

Passion in Pasadena at Hacktech

For Hacktech organizer Josh Chen, the most important part of a hackathon is not the swag, the sleep deprivation, or even the prizes: it’s the passion. “Every single person around you reflects a level passion that at the very least meets your own level of passion,” enthuses Chen. “Such that you’re able to cast aside any external worries and focus on making your project the best it can be.”

For 36 hours between March 2nd and March 4th, nearly 400 passionate students from all around the world joined Chen at the Caltech campus in Pasadena, CA for Hacktech 2018. As Chen explains, Hacktech is special because of it embraces the interdisciplinary spirit of Caltech, inviting hackers to turn abstract academic concepts into practical solutions.

With heavy hitter sponsors like Microsoft, Disney, and eBay — and with buses to scoop up college students across Northern and Southern California — Hacktech always promises a blast of fun and talent, and the 2018 edition was no exception.

Chen was particularly inspired by the first-time hackers behind Gunlock, who won “Most Unique Hack” for creating — as Chen explains — a “proof-of-concept gun lock that prevents those under the influence of alcohol from utilizing the weapon.”

Some other Hackathon highlights included HowAmIFeeling AR — an AR game designed to help treat autism — and MoodTunes, which Chen describes as using “Microsoft’s facial recognition and sentiment analysis APIs” to pick and play tunes designed to help with depression.

A huge and inspiring event, Hacktech has truly earned its reputation as one of the world’s best interdisciplinary hackathons. We applaud the passion brought by organizers like Chen, and the passion Hacktech ignites in all the incredible attendees!

Important Magic at Hack the Valley 2

Is hacking magic? At Hack the Valley 2, around 500 bleary-eyed hackers got to size themselves up against the “real thing,” when the organizers brought in a magician for a midnight morale booster.

“He proceeded to pull a card from behind my ears, make more poofy red balls appear in my hand, and pull a card by a hacker out of his mouth,” reported organizer Mohammad Moustafa.

Impressive tricks, to be sure! But we say that the ingenuity and passion on display at Hack the Valley 2 was even more impressive. For 36 hours between February 23 and 25, developers, designers and creators descended on the University of Toronto Scarborough for a weekend of hacking wizardry.

Hackers enjoyed workshops devoted to both technology and social issues, like a Women in Code summit. They also got to hear from non-traditional speakers, as organizer Moustafa explained: “One of our sponsors/mentor was someone who gone into the computer science industry right after high school, and having them around to talk to other hackers who had questions or doubts about the way their degree was going … was really helpful.”

Moustafa also expressed enthusiasm about the “number of projects specifically geared towards tackling issues of mental health and communication.” Some of his favorites were Vulcademy — “a tool created to make classroom learning run in an efficient and smooth way” — and Man’s Not Lost, an SMS based navigation service that doesn’t need data and offers important information like weather and local attractions in addition to navigation help.

“It was really inspiring to see so many young developers already trying to use their skills to solve important and sensitive problems,” Moustafa said. We agree! Inspired hackers solving important problems? Kudos to Hack the Valley 2 for the best magic of all!