Keynote: Building the Enchanted Land
Abstract
Allen Newell, one of the founders of the field of artificial intelligence, once observed that "computer technology offers the possibility of incorporating intelligent behavior in all the nooks and crannies of our world. With it, we could build an enchanted land." Given recent advances in computational power, data curation, and machine learning, it seems we are ready to cross the threshold into that new world. To some, AI represents an existential risk to humanity; to others, AI is a disruptive technology that compels us to rethink everything. In our experience, AI is neither to be feared nor something by which to be overwhelmed: rather, it is yet another - albeit very powerful - component by which we may craft software-intensive systems of lasting value. In this presentation, we'll examine what AI is and what it is not, as well as how it came to be and where it's headed. Along the way, we'll examine some best practices for engineering AI systems.
Tracks
Monday, 5 November
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Microservices / Serverless Patterns & Practices
Evolving, observing, persisting, and building modern microservices
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Practices of DevOps & Lean Thinking
Practical approaches using DevOps & Lean Thinking
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JavaScript & Web Tech
Beyond JavaScript in the Browser. Exploring WebAssembly, Electron, & Modern Frameworks
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Modern CS in the Real World
Thoughts pushing software forward, including consensus, CRDT's, formal methods, & probabilistic programming
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Modern Operating Systems
Applied, practical, & real-world deep-dive into industry adoption of OS, containers and virtualization, including Linux on Windows, LinuxKit, and Unikernels
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Optimizing You: Human Skills for Individuals
Better teams start with a better self. Learn practical skills for IC
Tuesday, 6 November
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Architectures You've Always Wondered About
Next-gen architectures from the most admired companies in software, such as Netflix, Google, Facebook, Twitter, & more
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21st Century Languages
Lessons learned from languages like Rust, Go-lang, Swift, Kotlin, and more.
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Emerging Trends in Data Engineering
Showcasing DataEng tech and highlighting the strengths of each in real-world applications.
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Bare Knuckle Performance
Killing latency and getting the most out of your hardware
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Socially Conscious Software
Building socially responsible software that protects users privacy & safety
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Delivering on the Promise of Containers
Runtime containers, libraries, and services that power microservices
Wednesday, 7 November
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Applied AI & Machine Learning
Applied machine learning lessons for SWEs, including tech around TensorFlow, TPUs, Keras, PyTorch, & more
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Production Readiness: Building Resilient Systems
More than just building software, building deployable production ready software
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Developer Experience: Level up your Engineering Effectiveness
Improving the end to end developer experience - design, dev, test, deploy, operate/understand.
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Security: Lessons Attacking & Defending
Security from the defender's AND the attacker's point of view
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Future of Human Computer Interaction
IoT, voice, mobile: Interfaces pushing the boundary of what we consider to be the interface
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Enterprise Languages
Workhorse languages found in modern enterprises. Expect Java, .NET, & Node in this track