Fresh from the plantation

Update on Preparations for Kiwi PyCon 2009

Its exactly 2 weeks until Kiwi PyCon 2009 and preparations are all in hand for a really great event. We’ll be releasing another media statement the week of the conference to remind the media about the event and also to get a last bit of advertising out there about the event.
Registrations closed yesterday but we actually sold out the event about 4 days before the registration closing date, showing the great amount of interest in this event, not only in New Zealand but throughout the world. We’ve got registrants coming from all around New Zealand, from across the ditch in Australia and even from as far away as England.
I’ll be sending an email reminder out to all delegates the week of the event with some conference tips courtesy of EuroPython 2009 and also with a little bit more information about the event.
All the organising has come off really well too. The T shirt design, compliments of Matthew Allen, will blow the socks off most other technical conferences worldwide (but hey I’m biased). The T shirt order has also been submitted to the screenprinter for printing. The conference programme design, thanks to Michael Dunstan, has been pretty much all done and will be on its way to the printer come early next week. Even the menu for the 2 days of the conference has been vetted by Nathan Torkington and Jenine Abarbanel.
We’ve got a last planning meeting with the Kiwi PyCon 2009 Team this coming Tuesday at 1pm and following that its just counting down to the big day. For those who are registered, see you all there on November the 7th!

Plains FM Interview regarding Kiwi PyCon

Edit: the podcast for the radio interview is available here.

Interviewee: Tim Knapp, Conference Director
Interviewer: Edward Swift, Plains FM

What is Kiwi PyCon?

To promote the use of the programming language Python in New Zealand the NZ Python User Group (NZPUG) is holding the first Kiwi PyCon conference in Christchurch at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator on November 7th and 8th.

What is Python?

Its an open source programming language that is very simple and flexible to use. In New Zealand, Weta Digital use it to produce the special effects and animation in movies such as King Kong and Lord of the Rings. YouTube runs on it and Google rely on it for their day-to-day operations, just to name a few companies who are making use of Python.

What’s going to be on the conference programme?

The event will include talks highlighting how Python has been used in web and desktop applications, in the field of science and maths, in gaming and animation, and in various other fields.

The main keynote speaker at Kiwi PyCon, Joel Burton, an internationally recognised trainer and presenter, will explain how Python is becoming the language of choice for developing websites.

The conference has also attracted a lot of interest from many universities throughout the country and staff and students from Auckland, Massey, Canterbury, and Otago universities will be presenting regarding how they’ve used Python in their research.

There will also be an unconference part of the event where delegates will be able to give short 5 minute presentations regarding how they’ve been able to benefit from Python. So it will be a very interactive event for everyone.

How can people find out more about the event?

Head over to nz.pycon.org. We’re expecting 150 delegates from across New Zealand and Australia. We’ve had 115 registrations thus far and registration closes on October 23^rd so get in quick so you don’t miss out.

The event has also only been possible due to the generous support of our sponsors: Canonical, Catalyst IT, Weta Digital, the Python Software Foundation, Unfold Limited and Tait Electronics. As well as Encode Limited, powerHouse, PretaWeb, VortexDNA and the Plone Foundation.

Again, the website to find out more about Kiwi PyCon is nz.pycon.org.

How a programming language is changing the Web

NEW ZEALAND PYTHON USER GROUP

Media Statement

October 5, 2009

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The main keynote speaker at Kiwi PyCon 2009, Joel Burton, an internationally recognised trainer and presenter, will explain how the programming language Python is becoming the language of choice for developing websites due to its simplicity and flexibility. The conference will be held at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator in Christchurch on November 7th and 8th.

Other tracks at the conference will include: GUI, Science & Math, Game, and Applications. The conference will also have a dedicated Web track, which will include presentations about many Python web technologies, such as: Django, Twisted, Zope 3, Grok, and Plone.

The conference has attracted a lot of interest from many universities throughout the country and staff and students from Auckland, Massey, Canterbury, and Otago universities will be presenting regarding how they’ve used Python in their research.

“As Christchurch has the reputation of being the Silicon Valley of New Zealand, its been really great to see a number of electronics companies in Christchurch support the event”, said Tim Knapp, the conference Director. Tait Electronics, a radio communications manufacturer, is a Gold sponsor for the event.

“The positive response we’ve received from the IT community in New Zealand has been really encouraging” commented Mr. Knapp. “Really, no matter what industry your business is in, this conference will be of benefit to you.”

Registration closes on October 23rd and registrations are limited. For more information visit nz.pycon.org.

———————————————-Ends———————————————-

For media or conference enquiries please contact:

Tim Knapp, NZ Python User Group Vice President and Event Director

Phone: 021 156 6405

Email: kiwipycon@nzpug.org

Website: nz.pycon.org

Conference brings programming language of the year to NZ

NEW ZEALAND PYTHON USER GROUP

Media Statement

September 21, 2009

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

What do Google, YouTube, Weta Digital and the New Zealand Government share in common? They all rely on the 2009 Programming Language of the Year - Python, for their daily operations. To promote Python’s use in New Zealand the NZ Python User Group (NZPUG) is holding the first Kiwi PyCon conference in Christchurch at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator on November 7th and 8th.

The event will include talks highlighting how Python has been used in web and desktop applications, in the field of science and maths, in gaming and animation, and in various other fields. The programme will also include interactive sessions with the audience and opportunities for delegates to give short presentations regarding ways they have benefited from Python.

Python is used in New Zealand by reputable companies such as Weta Digital, the company behind Lord of the Rings and King Kong, and is also used extensively by the New Zealand Government, by academic institutions throughout the country and many other commercial organisations.

“We’ve got a great lineup of talks prepared and we’ve also arranged for a couple of very talented and engaging keynote speakers for the conference” said Tim Knapp, the Director of the event, “so we really do encourage all members of the IT community in New Zealand to come along, including management, to find out how Python can be used in their organisations”.

The event is supported by reputable organisations Canonical, Catalyst IT, Weta Digital, the Python Software Foundation, Unfold Limited and Tait Electronics. Other supporting organisations include Encode Limited, powerHouse, PretaWeb, VortexDNA and the Plone Foundation.

150 delegates are expected from across New Zealand and Australia and registration for the conference is now open with limited numbers. For more information visit nz.pycon.org.

———————————————-Ends———————————————-

For media or conference enquiries please contact:

Tim Knapp, NZ Python User Group Vice President and Event Director

Phone: 021 156 6405

Email: kiwipycon@nzpug.org

Website: nz.pycon.org

Inaugural NZPUG Christchurch Meetup

We had 13 come along (including myself) from varied backgrounds: a human interface technology student, some web developers, an embedded hardware developer, an electrical engineer and various other python developers (I’m sure I’ve missed someone out here).

I started off proceedings with my Introduction to Repoze presentation. Following this Marek Kuziel presented his Password and Registration-free Authentication for Django presentation. The videos and slides are now available online.

Congratulations to Charles Han for winning the door prize. Can’t wait till June’s NZPUG meetup!

A Tim First

It started falling at about 5:30am yesterday and didn’t letup until about midday. It made everything look very beautiful and clean and was a fun experience (except for the extremely cold temperatures).

Discussin’ the Weather

How about some anecdotal evidence? When I am out witnessing my lips are so numb from the cold that I find trouble speaking. Last Thursday, after opening the shower window to let out some of the moisture, the steam that had condensed and formed into droplets on the window froze before it had an opportunity to drop onto the ground! When the wind is cutting through you like a knife, would you find it easy to think about anything else? ;-)
On a more positive note, Miho, our friend Mariko and myself went to a Danish bakery today called Copenhagen Bakery and were greeted with a taste sensation. I had a Steak & Cheese pie and a Mixed Berry pie and Miho and Mariko had a Panini each. If you’re a local and haven’t been yet, I’d highly recommend it.

Gourmet Foods + Wines + Yuppies =

We had a nice time at the Canterbury Wine and Food Festival yesterday. It will be the one and only time I go, though, because it wasn’t cheap. I naively thought that the ticket price would include some complimentary wine/food but that was a negatory. The festival currency was ‘crowns’ which equated to $1.10 a crown, and most items averaged about 4 crowns (or $4.40). Even small items like a donut or a belgium waffle were this price! The only real consolation was that I found 6 crowns lying on the ground in one of the toilets ;-) The entertainment was great, though, with some really talented musicians/vocalists. Based on the kind of clientele that was there, I think the event is aimed towards those who are a little more monetarily endowed. If you’ve got a bit of dosh to splash around, might be your kind’ve scene.

Christchurch - The Cyclist City

Today I biked a distance of about 3kms to a Bible study, and I was thinking to myself as I biked along that Christchurch is a great city for cyclists. If I had to bike a similar distance in Auckland, I’d probably be in serious pain but in Christchurch, as it’s so flat, it’s a breeze. Incidentally, the comment on this website concurs with my thoughts ;-)

Parochialism