[pydata-outreach-staff] pydata-outreach-staff Digest, Vol 1, Issue 6

Tue Dec 11 16:21:36 UTC 2012

Yesss tons of great feedback here. I was thinking about how to facilitate
breaking up into the small groups. Should we have a doc where people who
have selected tickets/issues they want to work on can jot that down and
divide people into groups using that doc as a reference?

On Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 9:43 AM, Katherine Chuang <katychuang at gmail.com>wrote:

> Good morning! I wanted to chime in on my thoughts.
>
> 1) The invite text round 2 is looking good, I like it's emphasis on the
> schedule. To avoid tardiness, it might be good to state something like "The
> presentation will begin at X time. Please make sure your laptop is already
> set up before this time so that you can smoothly follow along with the
> presentation."
>

Yes, let's verify X. If people have issues with any part of the setup, do
you think 10-10:30 will be enough time to resolve them, given that time is
also allocated for meet & greet and organizer intro?

Regarding your concern, would you be able to contact Chang She for a brief
> description/outline of his presentation? I think it would be ok to send out
> a version of the invite sooner (it's less than a week away!) focusing on
> Pandas contribution and schedule, then a more detailed version to let them
> know the presentation topic/contents. I know the focus is not on numbers
> but it would be good to communicate to participants how much time to
> allocate for the event.
>
> 2) Registration info for PyData workshop and sprint - The name can be a
> bit misleading, if we want participants to RSVP by eventbrite. Perhaps it
> can be something without the word 'registration' such as PyData Workshop
> and Sprint attendee information. Also for the open ended questions, it can
> help to provide some examples or use multiple choices with an option for
> other (write in). I'd be happy to talk more about this if you need more
> feedback. Also, not a huge issue with the design - I can see the relation
> between running and sprinting, and it's funny but also wonder if it would
> confuse anyone. It'd also be good to provide a somewhere a deadline for
> filling it out so that you're not bending over backwards the night before
> or morning of event getting things together. Also it's nice that it's not a
> spreadsheet that lists your name/email address to the whole world (some
> people might be intimidated by that).
>
> 3) Laptop set up guide - the 2 links are solid examples. The
> outline/checklist format is easy to follow. Few questions for/from noobs
> for your write up: does Python version matter? how can i find out my
> version number? is 15 mins enough time (how long should it take)? will I be
> able to do this the night before? are there screenshots i can look at to
> make sure i set things up right?
>
> Screenshots are a great idea. Another detail you could throw in is which
version of git suffices.

> 4) other - For the social butterflies and to keep the event warm and
> friendly (I'm thinking outside of the box for a moment, it's totally fine
> if we don't execute any of these ideas) - would it be nice to have photos
> of the event, ice breaker activities, holiday candy, etc?
>
>
http://www.modes4u.com/en/kawaii/p1954_Meiji-Hello-Panda-Double-Chocolate-Biscuit-Cookies.html

> Asheesh, I think Pivotal labs will be open when you get to the city on
> Friday evening. They're usually open til about 6-6:30pm in the evening for
> their typical work hours (I hear it was 9-6p) and open in the evenings for
> events.... do you have their contact information? I can send it over to you
> if you need it.
>
> Kat
>
> On Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 7:00 AM, <
> pydata-outreach-staff-request at lists.openhatch.org> wrote:
>
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>>
>>
>> Today's Topics:
>>
>>    1. Pandas-specific invite text (round 2) (Asheesh Laroia)
>>    2. Re: Signup info form (Asheesh Laroia)
>>    3. Laptop setup guide, and questions (Asheesh Laroia)
>>    4. Re: Pandas-specific invite text (round 2) (Emily Chen)
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:54:04 -0500 (EST)
>> From: Asheesh Laroia <asheesh at asheesh.org>
>> To: pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org
>> Subject: [pydata-outreach-staff] Pandas-specific invite text (round 2)
>> Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.02.1212101239280.7319 at rose.makesad.us>
>> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; format=flowed; charset=US-ASCII
>>
>> Suggested text:
>>
>> <text>
>>
>> Subject: Learn how to do science with Python, and make the tools better,
>> Sun 12/17
>>
>> On Sunday, Dec 17, newcomers and experienced programmers will be working
>> together to teach, learn, and improve data processing tools in Python.
>> We'll learn about pandas, a library for loading and processing large
>> numerical data sets into Python -- and then we'll get to work improving
>> it, mentored by Chang She, a Pandas maintainer.
>>
>> This special event is intended to be welcoming to anyone with some Python
>> programming experience, ranging from no experience with the above tools
>> all the way up to core contributors. It's free of cost, and you're
>> invited! Here's how it works:
>>
>> Morning:
>>
>> * Meet and greet, and tutorial on PyData and Pandas
>>
>> Afternoon:
>>
>> * Lunch, sponsored by the Python Software Foundation
>>
>> * Group work contributing code to Pandas via Github, mentored by a core
>> Pandas contributor, Chang She
>>
>> * Self-paced contribution sprint, where you can help any PyData project by
>> improving documentation, code, performance, test cases, or examples, with
>> mentorship continously available.
>>
>> It runs from 10 AM to 5:15 PM in Manhattan. Sign up here:
>> http://pydata-workshop-sprint.eventbrite.com/ (Space donated by Pivotal
>> Labs; thanks!)
>>
>> More info here:
>> https://github.com/svaksha/PyData-Workshop-Sprint/wiki/2012-NYC
>>
>> If you want to get in touch with the organizers, email:
>> pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org
>>
>> </text>
>>
>> New notes on the above text:
>>
>> * I kept the subject line the same; I figure vague and intriguing is OK,
>> since many prospective attendees may not know what pandas is, but do
>> know what science is.
>>
>> * I narrowed the first paragraph down to be very Pandas-y. I hope I'm
>> accurately capturing and conveying what Pandas is. My sense is "yes,"
>> after spending some time reading their docs.
>>
>> * I mentioned "performance" in the "Self-paced" part because that's a part
>> I personally will find exciting, so presumably other people like me will
>> find it exciting.
>>
>> * This fixes the bug where we said it was OK to work on non-pandas pydata
>> stuff. (-:
>>
>> * It's a little longer than 2 paragraphs, once you add in all the bullets.
>>
>> * It still could be a little clearer on the knowledge prerequisites. Part
>> of why it's somewhat vague is I don't know the details of Chang's lecture.
>> I invited Chang to this list, so if he joins, great; if not, then we're
>> flying blind on this part, which troubles me.
>>
>> * I added a "Thank you" to Pivotal for the space.
>>
>> Comments welcome! Again, I haven't sent this out anywhere but our private
>> list.
>>
>> -- Asheesh.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:13:29 -0500 (EST)
>> From: Asheesh Laroia <asheesh at asheesh.org>
>> To: pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org
>> Subject: Re: [pydata-outreach-staff] Signup info form
>> Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.02.1212101255470.7319 at rose.makesad.us>
>> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>>
>> On Mon, 10 Dec 2012, Vid wrote:
>>
>> > On Mon, Dec 10, 2012 at 12:49 AM, Vid <svaksha at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> On Sun, Dec 9, 2012 at 2:34 PM, Asheesh Laroia <asheesh at asheesh.org>
>> wrote:
>> >>> Hey all,
>> >>>
>> >>> I think these questions would be helpful for us to know the answers
>> to, so
>> >>> we can prepare accordingly.
>> >>
>> >> May I ask why we need this information? And I'll explain why below..
>> >>
>> >>> <questions>
>> >>
>> >>> One sentence: Have you used Numpy or PyData or pandas before?
>> >>>
>> >>> One sentence: Describe how much programming you have done in Python.
>> >>
>> >> If someone were new (to either Python or to Pandas), this 2 questions
>> >> can seems like an entry barrier to them. They can go "I've never used
>> >> any scientific packages before, does that mean I cannot do this?" or
>> >> "Do I need to have 10k lines of code under my belt before I attempt
>> >> thes?" and I would hate to see people turn themselves away. I'll speak
>> >> for myself and say that I know the "imposter syndrome" from a very
>> >> close range, struggle with it all the time, and I would discount
>> >> myself if I came across those questions.
>> >
>> > How about a question that conveys this message "If you have a basic
>> > understanding of Python, you should attend the workshop and think of
>> > becoming a contributor".
>>
>> I share your concern about the questions, and I think the phrasing and the
>> context is what will make the difference. I, too, know imposter syndrome,
>> but you're newer to Python than I am, and so it's hugely helpful to hear
>> your perspective.
>>
>> First I'll zoom out and answer the "why" question, which I'm glad you
>> asked! I think that it will be extremely helpful for Chang to know who
>> he's talking to. If he's talking to an audience of 100% NumPy core
>> contributors and daily users of pandas, then he can go into great
>> technical depth on pandas' performance optimizations. And if it's the
>> opposite, then spending a substantial amount of time explaining what
>> pandas is, and how fits into the broader pydata picture, would be a better
>> strategy.
>>
>> It'll also be useful to know when we+Chang are identifying good first-time
>> bugs for people. For example, at a previous workshop I ran, generally
>> about getting involved in open source, one student indicated she had no
>> experience with open source but thought Biopython was a cool idea. So I
>> found a documentation bug that suited her before the workshop began, and
>> we worked on that and she submitted a patch that landed. Getting a sense
>> of the attendee can really help with finding tasks that are motivating.
>>
>> For one extreme example, if attendees are split 50/50 between super-newbie
>> and super-experienced, then maybe it would be best for us to email the
>> people with a lower degree of experience a quick "cheat sheet" so we can
>> have a more in-depth lecture but bring those people up to speed another
>> way. Or maybe we can tell the more experienced people to come slightly
>> later, or at least tell them before hand which parts might be review.
>> (That's just an example of how to address the problem of retaining
>> people's enthusiasm in a room wiht different experience levels with only
>> one lecture; it's not an actual proposal.)
>>
>> That's the "why". Hopefully you agree that the background that the
>> audience has should affect the information in the lecture and how it is
>> delivered. If not, then I'd like to keep discussing that so I can better
>> understand where you're coming from.
>>
>> Given all that, I think it'd be good to get some information along these
>> lines from people. We could change the questions to:
>>
>> "We're looking for people will all sorts of experience levels in Python.
>> In a sentence, can you summarize yours?"
>>
>> and
>>
>> "We're looking for newcomers and old-hats alike. In a few words, can you
>> summarize if you have used Pandas before, and what you used it for (if at
>> all)?"
>>
>> I am totally on board with the idea of ratcheting up the friendly level
>> until everyone feels welcomed. Text suggestions very welcome.
>>
>> (Also if IRC is speedier, I can be reached on #openhatch-unlogged )
>>
>> >>>
>> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVKUzVTMGxTc0diYXN2S3NLeEh1OHc6MQ
>> >
>> > Does eventbrite allow us to email attachments to people?
>>
>> I'm not sure I understand the question.
>>
>> >From what I understand, eventbrite gives us a list of email addresses,
>> and
>> then we can send them emails ourselves using our own email accounts. So if
>> we wanted to send an attachment, we could.
>>
>> Having said that, the survey link is not an attachment; it's just a link,
>> so I'm not sure why you're asking about attachments.
>>
>> >>> * Vid, would it be OK to grant me access to the EventBrite backend so
>> I can
>> >>> send this out to people as they sign up, including the people who have
>> >>> already signed up?
>> >>
>> >> Need your  login-id and the email you use (I am not sure which one I
>> >> need to grant access)
>>
>> Right-o! asheesh at asheesh.org is the email address. I think that's what
>> Eventbrite uses for login IDs as well; I don't see any other indication
>> of a login ID on the site.
>>
>> And do know that I won't send anything to attendees without getting your
>> approval!
>>
>> -- Asheesh.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 3
>> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:23:17 -0500 (EST)
>> From: Asheesh Laroia <asheesh at asheesh.org>
>> To: pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org
>> Subject: [pydata-outreach-staff] Laptop setup guide, and questions
>> Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.02.1212101811370.7319 at rose.makesad.us>
>> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; format=flowed; charset=US-ASCII
>>
>> I'm working on preparing a laptop setup guide for the event, and I wanted
>> to run a few ideas by y'all.
>>
>> First of all, other events I've organized, we try to dedicate some time
>> before the event for laptop setup. That way, everyone can totally hit the
>> ground running when things start. Here are two samples:
>>
>> * 2-3 hours, the night before:
>> https://openhatch.org/wiki/Boston_Python_Workshop_7/Friday
>>
>> * 15-45 min, as people roll in:
>> https://openhatch.org/wiki/Open_Source_Comes_to_Campus/JHU/Laptop_setup
>>
>> I think something short should be fine for us, but I definitely do want
>> people to be fully prepared by the time lecture starts. That way, we
>> minimize the number of environment-related questions that the lecturer
>> gets, and let him focus on the core teaching he wanted to do.
>>
>> So here's an outline for what I think we'd need before the lecture:
>>
>> * Make sure the computer has Python installed
>>
>> * Make sure you know how to get into a Python interpreter
>> prompt
>>
>> * A text editor installed that they know how to use
>>
>> * Pandas installed locally
>>
>> For the group collaboration section, people will need:
>>
>> * A github account
>>
>> * Git installed and configured on their laptops
>>
>> * An IRC client (probably? seems like a good idea to me)
>>
>> I like the idea of separating "Morning laptop setup" and "Afternoon laptop
>> setup" so that we can delay the lecture as little as possible.
>>
>> I think dedicating 10-15 minutes in the morning to it (10:15 to 10:30?),
>> and telling people there are 10-15 minutes after lunch dedicated to it,
>> seem like a good idea to me.
>>
>> Curious what other people think. I'm very flexible on the precise timing,
>> and very open to others' ideas. (Am I missing anything? Is there part of
>> the above that's unnecessary?)
>>
>> If the above outline seems reasonable, I will get working on it tomorrow
>> morning, and should have a draft of the above instructions ready by
>> tomorrow around this time, with support for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
>> (Debian+Ubuntu) machines.
>>
>> vid, maybe what I'll do is put the draft into your
>> https://github.com/svaksha/PyData-Workshop-Sprint/wiki/2012-NYC wiki,
>> under a page called "Laptop setup (DRAFT)" and then if you approve, I can
>> rename it to "Laptop setup"? Otherwise I can just submit the draft files
>> here to the email list for review.
>>
>> -- Asheesh.
>>
>> P.S. Didn't want to start yet *another* Asheesh thread on this list, but I
>> did book my travel, and I'll be arriving by train on Fri 4:25 PM, so if
>> Pivotal Labs is still open, great, and if not, then so be it. Departing
>> Monday morning.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 4
>> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:48:30 -0500
>> From: Emily Chen <emchennyc at gmail.com>
>> To: "pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org"
>>         <pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org>
>> Subject: Re: [pydata-outreach-staff] Pandas-specific invite text
>>         (round 2)
>> Message-ID: <489AA014-4BC8-40FE-BEC4-42744B15EDBB at gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset=us-ascii
>>
>> This looks good to me. Should I go ahead and send it out to the Pyladies
>> and CU-WiCS lists tomorrow morning?
>>
>> On Dec 10, 2012, at 12:54 PM, Asheesh Laroia <asheesh at asheesh.org> wrote:
>>
>> > Suggested text:
>> >
>> > <text>
>> >
>> > Subject: Learn how to do science with Python, and make the tools
>> better, Sun 12/17
>> >
>> > On Sunday, Dec 17, newcomers and experienced programmers will be
>> working together to teach, learn, and improve data processing tools in
>> Python. We'll learn about pandas, a library for loading and processing
>> large numerical data sets into Python -- and then we'll get to work
>> improving it, mentored by Chang She, a Pandas maintainer.
>> >
>> > This special event is intended to be welcoming to anyone with some
>> Python programming experience, ranging from no experience with the above
>> tools all the way up to core contributors. It's free of cost, and you're
>> invited! Here's how it works:
>> >
>> > Morning:
>> >
>> > * Meet and greet, and tutorial on PyData and Pandas
>> >
>> > Afternoon:
>> >
>> > * Lunch, sponsored by the Python Software Foundation
>> >
>> > * Group work contributing code to Pandas via Github, mentored by a core
>> Pandas contributor, Chang She
>> >
>> > * Self-paced contribution sprint, where you can help any PyData project
>> by improving documentation, code, performance, test cases, or examples,
>> with mentorship continously available.
>> >
>> > It runs from 10 AM to 5:15 PM in Manhattan. Sign up here:
>> http://pydata-workshop-sprint.eventbrite.com/ (Space donated by Pivotal
>> Labs; thanks!)
>> >
>> > More info here:
>> https://github.com/svaksha/PyData-Workshop-Sprint/wiki/2012-NYC
>> >
>> > If you want to get in touch with the organizers, email:
>> pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org
>> >
>> > </text>
>> >
>> > New notes on the above text:
>> >
>> > * I kept the subject line the same; I figure vague and intriguing is
>> OK, since many prospective attendees may not know what pandas is, but do
>> know what science is.
>> >
>> > * I narrowed the first paragraph down to be very Pandas-y. I hope I'm
>> accurately capturing and conveying what Pandas is. My sense is "yes," after
>> spending some time reading their docs.
>> >
>> > * I mentioned "performance" in the "Self-paced" part because that's a
>> part I personally will find exciting, so presumably other people like me
>> will find it exciting.
>> >
>> > * This fixes the bug where we said it was OK to work on non-pandas
>> pydata stuff. (-:
>> >
>> > * It's a little longer than 2 paragraphs, once you add in all the
>> bullets.
>> >
>> > * It still could be a little clearer on the knowledge prerequisites.
>> Part of why it's somewhat vague is I don't know the details of Chang's
>> lecture. I invited Chang to this list, so if he joins, great; if not, then
>> we're flying blind on this part, which troubles me.
>> >
>> > * I added a "Thank you" to Pivotal for the space.
>> >
>> > Comments welcome! Again, I haven't sent this out anywhere but our
>> private list.
>> >
>> > -- Asheesh.
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > pydata-outreach-staff mailing list
>> > pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org
>> > http://lists.openhatch.org/mailman/listinfo/pydata-outreach-staff
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> pydata-outreach-staff mailing list
>> pydata-outreach-staff at lists.openhatch.org
>> http://lists.openhatch.org/mailman/listinfo/pydata-outreach-staff
>>
>>
>> End of pydata-outreach-staff Digest, Vol 1, Issue 6
>> ***************************************************
>>
>
>
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-- 

http://twitter.com/emchennyc
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