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When people think about what exactly is a hackathon, a place full of programming nerds eating junk food and staying up all night is often the most common visualization. I admit I did fall into believing this stereotype but I can say with hands on experience that is not often the case. SpartaHack greatly represents itself as an event with no programming experience required. I, along with many of my peers, can see past the competition aspect and treat is as a learning experience: a place to grow outside the classroom. Trust me, there is a good chance your are in a room with people who have no idea what they are doing. On the other hand, there were plenty of nerds there too but who said there's anything wrong with being a nerd? Many big companies such as Amazon, Quicken Loans, and Ford will always be there to sponsor events like this so it may also be a good idea to print those resumes and get talking!
Midnight is officially when the hacking starts and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an Amazon Echo and a Samsung Gear VR. Amazon Echo, also known as Alexa, is a voice command device from Amazon capable of answering questions, playing music, and connecting with multiple smart devices. With access to its API, or Application Program Interface, developers are able to create there own commands and functions. I myself created a basic facts function where Alexa is able to state facts about a certain subject. An example of this function would be:
User: "Tell me a fact about space"
Alexa: "Here is a fact, a year in Mercury is only 88 days long"
However experienced developers take it to the next level and create more advanced functions. One of my friends created "Alexa the Poet", where given a word or phrase, Alexa can refute a poem about it.
SpartaHack can also be place to work with new technology that you have never seen or used. For me, I have never tried virtual reality and I can say that using the Samsung Gear VR was quite the experience. Its comfortable, high quality build and wrap around head straps make the user feel like they are physically in the media they are consuming. Although video games are a popular genre associated with virtual reality, developers can get creative and design other uses such as watching 360° film or even for educational purposes.
Hackathons are a place not only just for programming, but a place to interact and get creative with peers, professionals and companies to strengthen your resources and opportunities. This was my first ever hackathon and I can say the experience gained in participating in these types of events is a must for all computer science and engineering enthusiasts.
Want to learn more about SpartaHack or even interested in participating in the future? Links to their website and social media can be found below!
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