filed under: Austin News & Notes,

Refresh Austin: From a Surface Warfare Officer to a Gypsy Guitarist

The August meeting for Refresh Austin (an org for designers, developers and other web professionals) showcased why I enjoy the group – it can seamlessly cover a lot of ground without stretching.

First off, a tip of the hat to Blue Fish Development Group for hosting the meeting at their beautiful downtown office, complete with beer and snacks.

A Surface Warfare Officer Turned Writer

Sheila Scarborough (SheilaScarborough.com) is a writer with a fascinating story. After 23 years in the Navy, she decided to become a writer. Not any type of writer mind you, but one who specializes in family travel — and drag racing!

In her entertaining (and sans-projector, nicely done) presentation she shared a number of practical writing tips such as:

• don't bury the lead
• know your area of expertise
• be conversational, not sloppy
• view yourself as a writer
• write shitty first drafts
• watch out for your own cliches
• details distinguish the great from the good
• keep an editorial calendar
• have a "linkbait" list on tap for slow times

She also recommended:

• Stephen King on Writing
• Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott
• Copyblogger
• Skelliwag
• Dooce

As Sheila fielded questions, she summed up her advice on writing in five words – "show up and don't suck."

Django: A web framework named after a Gypsy Guitar Legend

Jon Loyens from thinktiv was up next with his presentation on Django, which is billed as "the Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines." It's named after Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, and all of its plugins carry musician names as well, which is kind of fun. For you non-geeks out there, Django helps programmers build complex websites much faster and with less headaches. Jon worked through his sharp looking slides as he built an article-posting application lickety-split.

I was quite eager to learn more about the Python-based Django as it looks like I'll be working on a Django-based site for a client. A few things struck me about the framework:

• urls.py is a config file that allows you to easily map URLs however you'd like which is great for usability and SEO
• a GUI admin enables end-users to enter data using a clean admin interface while you simultaneously build-out the app
• auto-reload your development server when you refresh, no need to restart all the time
• deliberately simple templates caters to front-end designers and keeps us out of trouble
• lots of deployment options available since Python is supported nearly everywhere

Many thanks to Jon for showing us the ropes, I'll definitely take Django for a spin one of these days.

For more about Refresh or to see pics and presentation slides, check out the official Refresh Austin site. I'll see you all again next month.

Update: Sheila & Jon's presentation notes and slides are now posted on the Refresh Austin site. Go check them out!

Related entries:

• Refresh Austin – July Meeting Recap

Comments (2)