This week, my company (Beeper) had our fall work retreat in Toronto, Canada. It has been nearly six months since our March retreat in Amsterdam and it was great to see everyone again and meet some of the new team members. I have also written about our four retreats prior to Amsterdam on this blog. One of the main goals of each retreat is to provide opportunities to connect as a team on a personal level. Read more...

I recently became a homeowner. Here are a couple of reflections that I’ve had about this new phase of life: The permanence of owning my own house is nice. The first time this really hit me was when I was putting up some decorations. I realized that it was my walls that I was nailing things in to. I don’t have to answer to anyone about the holes in my wall if I move out. Read more...

For the last six years, Mines ACM has hosted a High School Programming Competition (HSPC) modelled after the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). I wrote about the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 competitions on this blog. The problems from every year are new and written by Mines students and some Mines alum specifically for the competition. This year, I wrote four of the problems and helped Ethan Richards with organizing the competition. Read more...

I woke up late on my last day in Amsterdam, and missed breakfast at the hotel. After saying goodbye to the remaining coworkers at the hotel for the retreat, I went to drop off my bag at the hotel where I am staying for one night before heading back home. I then headed back into Amsterdam city and walked around the streets admiring the beauty of the city. I stopped for lunch at a restaurant and had some very nice pizza. Read more...

This week, my company (Beeper) had our first retreat of the new year in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We aim for about three retreats a year, though due to holidays and a recent push towards our beta exit milestone, it has been a little while since we have all gotten together. The last retreat was in Mexico City in October and before that we had three other retreats. The goal of each retreat is to provide an opportunity to connect as a team on a personal level, discuss future plans, and reflect on the progress we have made. Read more...

Today I went to visit the Van Gogh Museum in the morning, and the Anne Frank House late in the evening. In between, I walked around the city, and met up with my coworkers for dinner. One of the reasons I chose the hotel that I did was that it was a very short walk over to the Van Gogh Museum. I had tickets for 10:00 at the museum with an audio tour. Read more...

Today I once again am venturing across the pond for a work retreat. This time, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I’ll get there mid-day Saturday and I’ll spend the afternoon and all of Sunday sightseeing before meeting up with coworkers on Monday for a week of in-person work! My dad kindly took me to the airport this morning. Security was pretty crowded, but I have TSA precheck which makes it so I don’t have to take everything out of my bag and take off my shoes. Read more...

For the first time since 2020, FOSDEM was held in-person in Brussels. FOSDEM is one of the largest gatherings of open source enthusiasts in the world every year. My employer, Beeper, funded my flight, and I decided to attend. It was a great experience! I learned a lot and have a long to-do list of projects to try out. I also really enjoyed interacting with the Matrix community and reconnect with many of the people who I’d met at the Matrix Community Summit in Berlin last year and meet a bunch new people as well. Read more...

During my time in Brussels for FOSDEM, I took the chance to do a bit of sightseeing. Here are some pictures of what I saw. Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon Palais de BruxellesApparently, Belgium is a constitutional monarchy. Grand-PlaceI’ve read that this is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, and I have to say that might well be true. The AtomiumI didn’t go inside since it didn’t really seem worth it as it is located well outside of the center, but looking at it from the outside was very cool! Read more...

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be travelling to Brussels at the end of the month to attend FOSDEM, one of the largest open source conferences in the world! I arrive on 1 February, and I fly back on the 6th. My flight is being funded by Beeper, and I’ll be attending the Matrix Community Meetup at HSBXL and then the conference itself. I’m especially excited about the following devrooms: Read more...