This is a non-official survival kit for the newbies driven and written by our respected community veterans, right from the trenches of Pixels Camp.
Before you read these we'd like to remind of a few things:
-
This is our official documentation:
- The general FAQ
- The speakers FAQ
- The code of conduct
- The calendar
- What are the lightning talks
- How the hackathon works
- Our API
- Tips on how to apply
-
These are the communication channels your should subscribe:
- The website, where everyting starts
- The Pixels Camp Blog, where you can find the all the important updates from us
- Slack, real-time community and participants chat
- We have a low traffic but very important e-mail newsletter that you should opt-in
- You can find all our videos from past editions in our Youtube channel
- And of course, you can follow us in Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin
-
This is a living guide and is constantly being updated by the community. It can also be outdated though. Every edition comes with a few changes and we try to improve Pixels Camp with every iteration.
Contributing to this document is easy and we welcome you to do so. All you need to do is clone this repository, edit this markdown document and submit a pull request with your changes. The organization will review and/or comment on your PR and merge the changes with the main document.
Enjoy.
Essentials you should pack along with your fancy tech stuff:
- Four T-shirts (one per day of the event + spare one)
- Comfortable pants/skirt
- Comfortable shoes
- A coat for night time or outdoors
- Clean underwear obviously
- Deodorant
And if you want to sleep at the venue like a pro:
- Sleeping bag -OR- small blanket
- Sleeping t-shirt and gym pants (optional)
- Sleeping mask + earplugs
- Cleansing wipes
- Small Towel
- Big Towel (if you plan to shower on the venue)
- Toothbrush + toothpaste
- Other specific products you might need
Avoid bringing:
- Your full battle station. The tables are pretty small (this is not like a LAN party), so a laptop and a mouse should do.
- Your awesome 4K 36” monitor (it takes up WAY too much physical space).
Try to keep your baggage light. You’re going to return home with freebies from the event.
If you are coming with a large group of friends, make sure that one of you brings an extra power strip. While there are plenty of sockets, you might end up all together in the same table and everyone wants to charge their laptops, tablets, phones...
Don't forget your smartphone charger and cable, memory card reader, ethernet dongle and other miscellaneous USB cables and adapters. You can thank us later!
From Lisboa - Santa Apolonia: You have a direct metro line (Blue) to the metro station “Parque” which is right in front of the venue building.
If you get off at Lisboa - Oriente, you’ll need to travel through the Red Line until the “S.Sebastião” station, then switch for the Blue Line to get to “Parque”. Parking in the area around the venue has to be paid for. We’re trying to figure out if bicycles and bikes can be safely parked near the venue.
You also have the following bus lines to get to the venue: 702, 732, 744, 746, 748, 711, 712, 720, 723, 727, 736, 738, 753, 783.
You will need a laptop for the event, especially if you want to participate in the coding challenges. Don’t forget your chargers!
Usually, each table has its power strip. Don’t hog all of the power sockets because everyone needs to plug in their computers. If there are ethernet cables too, use them if your laptop allows them instead of wifi.
Speaking of wifi, expect the network to be a clusterf*ck during the first hours of the event while they’re still adjusting. Everyone is trying to connect at the same time.
Please refrain from using your 4g hotspot. Last year, organizers counted over 300 hotspots in the main hall. It makes wifi even messier. Please don’t. Go outside if you really must have your own network.
If your smartphone and operating system support USB tethering, you might try that.
Keep a smartphone with you at all times. Make sure you’re logged in on Pixels Camp’s website and have a QR scanner app available. You’ll find QR codes scattered around the venue, and scanning them unlocks badges.
Pay attention to Pixels Camp’s Twitter for surprise announcements and should also really join Pixels Camp's Slack.
Make sure you bring comfortable clothes to move around. Now it’s the time to dust off your nerd/geek t-shirts and wear them proudly.
There should be some fridges stockpiled with water, sodas and energy drinks. There may also be a bar where you can get coffee.
Face it: your diet during the event is going to get a kick. In past years there has been an abundance of pizza, burgers and noodles. Lately some healthier options were available.
Remember that everyone needs to eat, so if you want seconds or thirds it may be better to wait until everyone has had their meal to see if there are any left overs.
They usually have liquid yogurt, fruits, and cookies during the mornings for breakfast. If you are going to participate in the Nuclear Tacos challenge, you may want to stockpile on the yogurts.
Prepare for the return of the insta-noodles. They do make nice comfort foods at 2 am but be careful eating them in front of your laptop.
Unless specified otherwise, all food provided during the event is free.
Please refrain to bring alcohol OF ANY KIND to the event. It’s ok if you go out to have a couple of pints but if you arrive visibly inebriated you might be stopped from entering premises and you’ll probably have to sleep it off, outside.
There should be a designated sleeping/relaxation area in the venue. If not or if all areas are full, smaller stages may be available as temporary sleeping areas as long as you get out before first talks for the day begin.
Sleeping masks and earplugs may help to avoid the light and excessive sounds from the venue as well the snoring programmer next to you.
Be mindful of bean bags (if there are any). As tempting as it is to make a sleeping fort with them, others would like them too.
Sleeping with the same pair of pants you’ll use the next day may not be the best thing to do, so bring some extra comfortable clothes and maybe slippers to use during night time.
There is no guarantee showers will be available for version v3.0. However, in version v2.0 they were available with a very tight access schedule, ask the organization on how access will be provided (if at all).
If you plan to have a shower, bring your own towel. However we (the community) are skeptic about hot water for everyone so, adjust your expectations.
This is like a camping experience except you’re camping indoors among other nerds and staring at your laptop for hours instead of cooking marshmallows at the campfire.
You’ll still want to be freshened up for each day and avoid smelling like sweat and greasy pizza.
Deodorant. Please, use deodorant or antiperspirant. Everyone is sweating from being locked inside the same building for three days even during spring time. And please do not go “all out” either.
You can use the same pair of pants during the entire event, but please do not use the same underwear.
Cleansing wipes are a decent shower alternative. Baby wipes work, but they leave you with an odd scent so try to get scentless wipes. A small towel helps too.
With the plethora of laptops, tablets, and phones available, it’s easy to get things mixed up like the chargers. Get a sticker or a label with your name on the charger so it’s not mixed up with others.
It’s fine to leave your stuff unattended but please lock your machine, people are... mischievous to say the least.
If you left your gear charging while you go somewhere, be prepared for it being disconnected upon your return. Power sockets are scarce and “emergency charges happen”
Headphones are your friends. Especially when you need mood music for coding. And remember not everyone wants to listen to your music so avoid listening from the laptop speakers (unless this is project related).
If you have problems concentrating, you might also use ear mufflers to reduce noise. Keep the venue clean. As tempting as it is to bring three pizza boxes to your project table, avoid cluttering the tables with garbage. There will be trash cans nearby, emptied regularly. And if those trash cans aren’t emptied fast enough, talk with someone from STAFF.
As a newcomer, you’ll be introduced to a years old culture of memes, gimmicks, and references you may not get at first. You may hear about the Soft Kitty serenade. You may be introduced to the #softwood hashtag. You may hear about the Lobsters team. You may see an old cardboard mask of Celso’s face. Don’t worry, you’ll catch on (eventually).
It’s fine to approach someone to ask something or just to say hi. Be aware most people may be working on a project and time can be limited. From experience, people are usually nice so “be excellent to each other”!.
Remember, you were accepted to the event, you can speak to the organizers, just don’t be pushy and use DEODORANT.
If someone frowns when you’re talking to them, please check your DEODORANT property use.
Don’t be shy! Take a break from coding and go check the rest of the venue. Check the hardware workshops, sign up for board games. Or become a god among men and women with the Karaoke Presentation.
If you’re interested in creating or joining a project, be flexible about help you might receive.
If you have a project but are missing an extra team member with a necessary set of skills, feel free to shout on Twitter or Slack. (ex.: “We need a Javascript expert for project #42, who’s interested?” or “Any designer available?”)
It is also worth mention if you have a good idea for a project but no means to develop it fully at the event, make a nice presentation and go on stage. Feasible ideas can be presented without fear.
Don’t forget you’ll need to prepare your project for presentation. Preparing an introductory video for the project, brand image and the 90-second presentation is no small feat.
Allow TIME for those tasks as they are as important as the prototype you wish to present.
We'd like to thank the initial contributors to this guide, Luis Correia and Rosana Margarida for taking the time and effort and write the first version for Pixels Camp v2.0.