Keepin' Tabs #2 - Traversal Conference edition
Tags: webdev, ruby, conferences, ai
Published: 2019-03-11 19:43:44

---
title: Keepin' Tabs #2 - Traversal Conference edition
published: true
description: This week I discuss amazing topics covered at Traversal located in Denver, CO.
tags: web-development, ruby, conferences, ai
---

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit beautiful Denver, Colorado and attend an amazing conference, [Travsersal](https://traversalconf.com). Located at Larimer Social, it brought together a diverse, inclusive audience of two hundred professional technologists. We spent two days together in presenter-driven single-topic sessions and opportunities to discuss and interact.

[![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/8plpfhv6hr4zg8f3hcry.png)](https://traversalconf.com)

Here are a few topics I enjoyed at the conference: 

As someone who came to software development from a non computer science background, I always wondered if there was something I missed by not studying it at college.  Turns out, there are a lot of people that come from a non-traditional background who are curious to learn more about computer science, in general.  In the talk "Learning How to Learn", [Vaidehi Joshi](https://twitter.com/vaidehijoshi) describes how she used the Feynman Technique to teach herself one new CS topic a week - then blog about it.  She's since turned these blog posts into a podcast and video series.  If you're like me and want to learn more about CS, in clear and concise bite sizes, check out her site:

 
[![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/ecvuimqjpgaqt08cv836.png)](https://medium.com/basecs)


This next talk, "Read, Write, and Tinker with AI" with [Stefania Druga](https://twitter.com/stefania_druga) blew me away.  As a father of three young children who is very cautious of screen time (and devices in general), I struggle with how to best introduce them to computers and the internet. You'd think it would be easy for someone who programs the web for a living, but honestly, the web scares me.

In her talk, Stefania describes how to help our children learn about AI and Machine learning thru play.  She is the the creator of the [Cognimates](https://mitmedialab.github.io/cognimates-website/about/) platform for AI education and also leads [HacKIDemia](http://www.hackidemia.com) - an organization that designs workshops and kits that help kids use curiosity, empathy, and play to invent the future.


[![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/lb51ci7k8ut8uw80g8zo.png)](http://mitmedialab.github.io/cognimates-website/projects/)

I was excited to watch [Nickolas Means](https://twitter.com/nmeans) deliver "Eiffel's Tower" live, as I've previously watched a recording of it at [RubyConf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RslVT-L2A40).  Nickolas is a fantastic storyteller and this talk is as entertaining as it is enlightening.  See what you can learn from how Gustave Eiffel went about building his record-shattering tower to pushing your organization further.

If you loved the video, check out Nickolas's podcast, Managing Up.  There he, and his fellow hosts, discuss management tips, stories, and interviews to help navigate the challenges of managing creative and technical teams.

[![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/viejmw0ivlwooizi2lv2.png)](http://www.managingup.show)

If these talks intrigued you, keep an eye open at [Confreaks](http://confreaks.tv) as each was recorded. 

Lastly, a shoutout to my favorite coffeehouse in Berkley, [Allegro Coffee](https://www.allegrocoffee.com), for the amazing cortados and lattes.  If you're there, try the Avocado toast.  It's the best!

[![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/z5kg4crlci9a5a9suqxw.png)](https://www.allegrocoffee.com)