7 ms·

Story Behind Hackathon Photo

117 points by _xivi 3y ago

simonjgreen 3y ago
Isn't it crazy to think that, given where that photo is taken in Kyiv, that office space could plausibly be rubble now. It's quite plausible some of the programmers in this photo are fighting in a war right now.
- qingcharles 3y ago
  Plausible some died in a damned stupid war instead of doing what they loved.
- GuB-42 3y ago
  The location is called UNIT.city, it is still there and running events. The 2022 edition of Dev Challenge didn't happen there though, it happened in Poland instead, but the organization is still located in Kiev. And yes, maybe some of the programmers are fighting in a war, directly or indirectly, with guns or with computers.
sdflhasjd 3y ago
Funny to see so many "ergonomic" office chairs, but everyone still hunched over their laptops.
- greggsy 3y ago
  Laptops will do that
- itronitron 3y ago
  complete with vestigial head rest
rasz 3y ago
> It even ended up on Hacker News with the classic “It looks like a sweatshop” and “exact type of workplace I wouldn’t want anyone to end up” comments. Amazingly that was the comment I wanted to write after seeing the picture, its almost like free will doesnt exist.
- jack_riminton 3y ago
  Agree. I know it's a hackathon but it looks like a dystopian production line to me
  - BizarroLand 3y ago
    I like your versions of a dystopia. Working in brightly lit concrete rooms, with plenty of diverse clothing and comfortable chairs, electric hubbub in the air. My version of a dystopia is more like, everyone wears plain grey uniforms and is given the least amount of light and movement needed to squeeze the most product per watt-calorie out of them as is scientifically possible, where the human psychological meatgrinder is approaching maximum operational efficiency.
    - jack_riminton 3y ago
      Fair enough, I prefer working in my garden office with my dog at my side and my wife and newborn daughter a 30 second stroll away :)
pluijzer 3y ago
Honest question, not trying to be negative but are many hackatons like this? All the ones I went to were a delerium of sleep deprevation entangled cables, fueled by beer and energy drink. Maybe not very healthy but this picture looks like especially dull day at the office without any interactions.
- IggleSniggle 3y ago
  Beer, pizza, more pizza, and coffee, in my experience. Lots of random impromptu spaces created from whatever furniture or walls are on hand. I basically developed my programming addiction from a couple very entertaining hackathons.
- sanderjd 3y ago
  Ha yeah that was my experience of the one I went to years ago, which is why I decided that lifestyle wasn't for me :) This more boring orderly day-time affair would have been less off-putting, but also less appealing I suppose.
- hgsgm 3y ago
  This photo is a programming contest, not a hackathon. It was much shorter.
  - sigg3 3y ago
    A hacksprint or hackhundredyards, then.
tkiolp4 3y ago
Anyone surprised about the setup? Most of the people seem to be using nice chairs (good) but they are using laptops placed directly on top of their desks. So there is no “flat” line between their eyes and their screens. Check out their necks! Holding that posture for 5h/day, 5days/week must be painful and have long standing effects. I know the pic is about a hackathon… but I have seen regular workplaces that look exactly the same.
- Waterluvian 3y ago
  That whole room is designed like an office set from some dystopian movie. Employee indexing is quite convenient though, when you arrange them in a matrix like that.
- fouc 3y ago
  Back then in 2017 it wasn't that common for people to have a foldable laptop stand in their bags. Nowadays I would expect more people to be using something like a Roost stand or Nexstand. Especially if they regularly work from random cafes or coworking spaces.
  - rcarr 3y ago
    The problem is now you have to carry another keyboard and mouse in addition to the one you're already carrying with your laptop. The ideal portable ergo solution is something like: - Any small portable computer e.g Phone with Samsung DEX/RaspberryPi/Steam Deck - Custom split bluetooth keyboard e.g Corne, Ferris Sweep - Magic Trackpad or mouse - AR Glasses (Viture, NReal Air) - Large capacity power bank (imuto would be my recommendation). Alternatively a good charger like the Zendure Passport series. It's less elegant as you're going to have a minimum of two cables involved (ar glasses to computer, computer to power bank) but ends up being a similar amount of space/weight, just distributed differently. You may argue it's heavier because of the power bank but if I'm taking my computer anywhere I'm normally taking my power bank as well because you can't rely on there being a seat near a plug in a lot of places.
    - mwexler 3y ago
actionfromafar 3y ago
”I do regret not processing the picture more: the horizon line is a bit tilted, you can spot chromatic abberation, the windows are overexposed.” That’s exactly what makes it “real”. Overexposed windows are the norm in our most common photos, mobile phone ones. The tilted horizon only makes it more dynamic. Chromatic abberation, only ever photo geeks care about. If anything, it lends a credence to it, images without it can sometimes look almost like a render.
- Forgeties79 3y ago
  You can keep a window bright and “natural” while not completely blowing it out tbh. Horizon lines shouldn’t be tilted without intent, such as making the viewer feel uneasy. As for CA, yeah some people worry too much about that now, but most people don’t care or notice even subconsciously.
mahathu 3y ago
That was a fun story and congrats on winning that competition! From the judges: >Our lives, especially in our twenties, feels like a competition. From school, to university, to getting a job and progressing through our careers – it’s a never ending competition. Is that really how people feel? The last time I felt remotely similar was in high school during the university entry exams, but even then, it didn't feel much like a competition, more like a group of kids bonding over going through a stressful time together. Then uni was just socializing, taking fun (and some not so fun) classes and enjoying life without any real responsibilities outside of class and mundane student jobs. I know that my friends felt the same. Where is this competition taking place that the author says applies to everyone?
- hgsgm 3y ago
  Ukraine. How rich was the country you grew up in?
- IggleSniggle 3y ago
  Yeah I've never experienced that either. But I have a son now who sees everything as a competition. I think it's just a personality trait, and that people who have it see others as competing even when others are not... mostly because they are so deep in the competition mindset that they can't believe it's any other way.
  - mst 3y ago
    The human brain is generally wired to see others as more similar to ourselves than they actually are, hence Typical Mind Fallacy being a thing. Remembering that most of the rest of our cognitive processes are running on top of a hyperactive pattern matcher with a tendency to overfit (and to overestimate the comprehensiveness of the training data it's ingested to date) allows one to derive an appropriate lack of surprise at a lot of human behaviours from first principles. (or at least it seems to work out well for me, it is of course entirely possible that I'm overestimating how well it would work for any given other person for pretty much the reasons I just outlined above)
hgsgm 3y ago
Addressing many comments: It's not a hackathon photo. It's a programming contest photo. https://www.devchallenge.it/ https://www.devchallenge.it/ That's why is looks like a fancy SAT test, not a 3 day camp-in.
rexarex 3y ago
Did these participants sign a release on the photos or was this snapped without consent?
- swores 3y ago
  I can't speak to this one specifically, but most events have agreeing to be photographed as a default condition for attending. It's pretty much 101 for anyone with any experiencing running an event (unless it's an event where there's some specific reason to not want any photos of).
- murermader 3y ago
  Normally, when you take part in a Hackathon, you agree to being photographed while at the venue.
IndrekR 3y ago
The picture is taken in the UNIT Factory, Kyiv, Ukraine. Visited it in 2017. No idea how it is doing today, their website seems to be dysfunctional. Built after the School 42 concept in France: https://42.fr/en/homepage/ https://42.fr/en/homepage/
pickingdinner 3y ago
A stream of random events is life =)

117 points by _xivi 3y ago

Isn't it crazy to think that, given where that photo is taken in Kyiv, that office space could plausibly be rubble now. It's quite plausible some of the programmers in this photo are fighting in a war right now.

qingcharles 3y ago
Plausible some died in a damned stupid war instead of doing what they loved.
GuB-42 3y ago
The location is called UNIT.city, it is still there and running events. The 2022 edition of Dev Challenge didn't happen there though, it happened in Poland instead, but the organization is still located in Kiev. And yes, maybe some of the programmers are fighting in a war, directly or indirectly, with guns or with computers.

sdflhasjd 3y ago

Funny to see so many "ergonomic" office chairs, but everyone still hunched over their laptops.

greggsy 3y ago
Laptops will do that
itronitron 3y ago
complete with vestigial head rest

rasz 3y ago

> It even ended up on Hacker News with the classic “It looks like a sweatshop” and “exact type of workplace I wouldn’t want anyone to end up” comments. Amazingly that was the comment I wanted to write after seeing the picture, its almost like free will doesnt exist.

jack_riminton 3y ago
Agree. I know it's a hackathon but it looks like a dystopian production line to me
- BizarroLand 3y ago
  I like your versions of a dystopia. Working in brightly lit concrete rooms, with plenty of diverse clothing and comfortable chairs, electric hubbub in the air. My version of a dystopia is more like, everyone wears plain grey uniforms and is given the least amount of light and movement needed to squeeze the most product per watt-calorie out of them as is scientifically possible, where the human psychological meatgrinder is approaching maximum operational efficiency.
  - jack_riminton 3y ago
    Fair enough, I prefer working in my garden office with my dog at my side and my wife and newborn daughter a 30 second stroll away :)

pluijzer 3y ago

Honest question, not trying to be negative but are many hackatons like this? All the ones I went to were a delerium of sleep deprevation entangled cables, fueled by beer and energy drink. Maybe not very healthy but this picture looks like especially dull day at the office without any interactions.

IggleSniggle 3y ago
Beer, pizza, more pizza, and coffee, in my experience. Lots of random impromptu spaces created from whatever furniture or walls are on hand. I basically developed my programming addiction from a couple very entertaining hackathons.
sanderjd 3y ago
Ha yeah that was my experience of the one I went to years ago, which is why I decided that lifestyle wasn't for me :) This more boring orderly day-time affair would have been less off-putting, but also less appealing I suppose.
hgsgm 3y ago
This photo is a programming contest, not a hackathon. It was much shorter.
- sigg3 3y ago
  A hacksprint or hackhundredyards, then.

tkiolp4 3y ago

Anyone surprised about the setup? Most of the people seem to be using nice chairs (good) but they are using laptops placed directly on top of their desks. So there is no “flat” line between their eyes and their screens. Check out their necks! Holding that posture for 5h/day, 5days/week must be painful and have long standing effects. I know the pic is about a hackathon… but I have seen regular workplaces that look exactly the same.

Waterluvian 3y ago
That whole room is designed like an office set from some dystopian movie. Employee indexing is quite convenient though, when you arrange them in a matrix like that.
fouc 3y ago
Back then in 2017 it wasn't that common for people to have a foldable laptop stand in their bags. Nowadays I would expect more people to be using something like a Roost stand or Nexstand. Especially if they regularly work from random cafes or coworking spaces.
- rcarr 3y ago
  The problem is now you have to carry another keyboard and mouse in addition to the one you're already carrying with your laptop. The ideal portable ergo solution is something like: - Any small portable computer e.g Phone with Samsung DEX/RaspberryPi/Steam Deck - Custom split bluetooth keyboard e.g Corne, Ferris Sweep - Magic Trackpad or mouse - AR Glasses (Viture, NReal Air) - Large capacity power bank (imuto would be my recommendation). Alternatively a good charger like the Zendure Passport series. It's less elegant as you're going to have a minimum of two cables involved (ar glasses to computer, computer to power bank) but ends up being a similar amount of space/weight, just distributed differently. You may argue it's heavier because of the power bank but if I'm taking my computer anywhere I'm normally taking my power bank as well because you can't rely on there being a seat near a plug in a lot of places.
  - mwexler 3y ago

actionfromafar 3y ago

”I do regret not processing the picture more: the horizon line is a bit tilted, you can spot chromatic abberation, the windows are overexposed.” That’s exactly what makes it “real”. Overexposed windows are the norm in our most common photos, mobile phone ones. The tilted horizon only makes it more dynamic. Chromatic abberation, only ever photo geeks care about. If anything, it lends a credence to it, images without it can sometimes look almost like a render.

Forgeties79 3y ago
You can keep a window bright and “natural” while not completely blowing it out tbh. Horizon lines shouldn’t be tilted without intent, such as making the viewer feel uneasy. As for CA, yeah some people worry too much about that now, but most people don’t care or notice even subconsciously.

mahathu 3y ago

That was a fun story and congrats on winning that competition! From the judges: >Our lives, especially in our twenties, feels like a competition. From school, to university, to getting a job and progressing through our careers – it’s a never ending competition. Is that really how people feel? The last time I felt remotely similar was in high school during the university entry exams, but even then, it didn't feel much like a competition, more like a group of kids bonding over going through a stressful time together. Then uni was just socializing, taking fun (and some not so fun) classes and enjoying life without any real responsibilities outside of class and mundane student jobs. I know that my friends felt the same. Where is this competition taking place that the author says applies to everyone?

hgsgm 3y ago
Ukraine. How rich was the country you grew up in?
IggleSniggle 3y ago
Yeah I've never experienced that either. But I have a son now who sees everything as a competition. I think it's just a personality trait, and that people who have it see others as competing even when others are not... mostly because they are so deep in the competition mindset that they can't believe it's any other way.
- mst 3y ago
  The human brain is generally wired to see others as more similar to ourselves than they actually are, hence Typical Mind Fallacy being a thing. Remembering that most of the rest of our cognitive processes are running on top of a hyperactive pattern matcher with a tendency to overfit (and to overestimate the comprehensiveness of the training data it's ingested to date) allows one to derive an appropriate lack of surprise at a lot of human behaviours from first principles. (or at least it seems to work out well for me, it is of course entirely possible that I'm overestimating how well it would work for any given other person for pretty much the reasons I just outlined above)

hgsgm 3y ago

Addressing many comments: It's not a hackathon photo. It's a programming contest photo. https://www.devchallenge.it/ https://www.devchallenge.it/ That's why is looks like a fancy SAT test, not a 3 day camp-in.

rexarex 3y ago

Did these participants sign a release on the photos or was this snapped without consent?

swores 3y ago
I can't speak to this one specifically, but most events have agreeing to be photographed as a default condition for attending. It's pretty much 101 for anyone with any experiencing running an event (unless it's an event where there's some specific reason to not want any photos of).
murermader 3y ago
Normally, when you take part in a Hackathon, you agree to being photographed while at the venue.

IndrekR 3y ago

The picture is taken in the UNIT Factory, Kyiv, Ukraine. Visited it in 2017. No idea how it is doing today, their website seems to be dysfunctional. Built after the School 42 concept in France: https://42.fr/en/homepage/ https://42.fr/en/homepage/

pickingdinner 3y ago

A stream of random events is life =)