The Family that Geeks Together...

Last Saturday was the first ever DevFest Family - a family coding and technology conference organized by the good folks at the Utah Google Developer's Group.We had such a great time geeking out together and Ben, Sasha, and WanYing even got to write their first lines of code!  An all-around great day. Oh, and the fact that we came home with around $400 worth of goodies definitely didn't hurt.

If you're in the area, whether you are technologically inclined or not, this is a fun, friendly, low-pressure, high-entertainment way to introduce your kids to the world of computer science.  Definitely mark the link, follow GDG Utah on Google+, like the Facebook page, and don't miss out on your chance to attend the fall event.

Ben writes his first code using Scratch.  He also successfully finished the Angry Birds Hour of Code - I know because I got an email congratulating me that my child "pig butt" completed the Hour of Code.  I'm proud on so many levels.

We had fun learning basic programming skills with Robot Turtles

And we got to design and decorate rockets!

Ready to launch...

...and off it goes!

As if our awesome tshirts, lunch, and fun classes weren't enough, every family also got a Raspberry Pi! This is our 3rd Pi and the boys are already plotting projects. WanYing was very interested in splitting the Pi until she found out that it wasn't "raspberry pie" - her enthusiasm plummeted after learning we had gotten a little computer instead of a dessert.

The whole day was great, but the highlight by far was Sasha winning a new Chromebook 11! DevFest Family was sponsored by a bunch of great local businesses and during lunch the organizers gave out a passport that included each sponsor's logo. Everybody who visited each sponsor's table was entered into a drawing for one of two Chromebooks and our Sasha was one of the two lucky winners!

Sasha was over the moon at her good luck and we are all pretty excited about the new family laptop.  A Chromebook is an excellent addition to the family technical arsenal, especially a free Chromebook!  Woo hoo!

DevFest Fam was a great adventure for the whole family.  We all had a great time, learned a little, played a lot, and got to spend a fun day exploring technology as a family.

We can't wait for DevFest Fam to come back this fall! Now to start plotting the classes we will teach...

Is the dishwasher dirty?

Actual conversation from breakfast:

Sasha: Dad, is the dishwasher clean or dirty?

Dad: Seriously?

Sasha: Should I put my bowl in the sink or the dishwasher?

Dad: Wait. Let me get my camera out. Ok, ask me one more time.

Sasha: Is the dishwasher clean or dirty?

You know you have effectively instilled the fear of God into your children about putting dirty dishes into a clean dishwasher when they are paranoid about putting their breakfast dishes into a completely empty dishwasher.

Riding for a Reason

Blue lips? Uncontrollable shivers?  Feet that don't obey simple commands like "walk" when unclipped from their pedals? Must be the start of the cycling season!

Last weekend was my first organized ride of the season, the Front Runner Century.  My good friend Josh (any friend who will ride in 45 degrees, a 20 mph headwind, and nonstop rain with you is a good friend indeed!) and I muscled our way through a tough day and managed to emerge with quite the sense of accomplishment and not even a sniffle to show for our day of wet feet.  The season can only get better from here, right?!?

So, given the punishing misery of some rides and why do I do rides like this?

1. They're a lot of fun (admittedly, more entertaining without the hypothermia)
2. I love to get out and ride with groups of fun, like-minded folks
3. Almost all organized rides are in support of a very worthy cause. For example, the Front Runner Century raises money for Crohn's disease research. Several rides I'm doing later this year support the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake.

Want to be a part of the fun and fundraising?  Of course you do!! In June I'm going to attempt the Huntsman 140, a 140 mile ride from Delta, Utah to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City.

Riding 140 miles in a single day is an intimidating goal for me (I've never done more than 100!) but I've committed to do something big and scary in memory of my mother-in-law and to raise money to fund research for other people's big, beautiful, and scary fights against cancer.

Please join me in riding for a cure by donating something big or small to the journey. Donate and get more info at http://h140.kintera.org/jamieamstar.