Open Tech Calendar

TDD is my shame

Synopsis
"I don't do as much Test-Driven Development as I should; it's my shame."

The more time I spend at recent development conferences, the more I see this sentiment echoed. Developers get the impression that they should do TDD, but they don't.

Sometimes they don't know how to do it effectively, so it ends up a mess. Sometimes they don't know when they should do it, so it ends up being overapplied. Sometimes they don't really know what it is, so they end up treating it in odd ways.

In this talk, you'll get answers for all of the above and more. You'll understand TDD better, you'll understand how to be more effective, and you'll learn to let go of that little voice that says you should do more.

About the speaker

As an agile coach focussing on technical practices and software crafting, Gary Fleming tries to help teams fill the gaps they have when it comes time to do the work. Sometimes that means helping development teams better their testing practices, increasing their communication, or learning how to do reliable, well-structured, well-tested, continuous delivery many times per day.

https://edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2020/200304.htm

https://bcsedin040320.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 4th Mar 2020 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 4th Mar 2020 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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A journey to truly understanding observability

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This event is free of charge and open to all.

Synopsis
Recent innovations in tooling for operations has been driven by by the last ten years of growing DevOps adoption. DevOps speeds up feedback loops, delivers value faster, and shortens time to validate before release while simultaneously tricking us into thinking we still can test everything in a CD pipeline.

Observability had emerged as a technique to handle the reality of real customer use cases like global traffic or malformed historical data that will always uncover new understanding about our systems in production. This talk is Abby's journey into experiencing the sometimes academic sounding definition of an observable system.

About the speaker

Abby Bangser is a software tester with a keen interest in working on products where fellow engineers are the users. Abby brings the techniques of analysing and testing customer facing products to tools like delivery pipelines and logging so as to generate clearer feedback and greater value. Currently Abby is a Test Engineer on the Platform Engineering team at MOO which supports the shared infrastructure and tooling needs of the organisation.

Outside of work Abby is active in the community by co-leading Speak Easy which mentors new and diverse speakers, co-hosting the London free meetup Software Testing Clinic which brings together mentors and new joiners to the software testing industry, and co-organising European Testing Conference 2019. You can get in touch easiest on Twitter at @a_bangser.

https://bcsedin050220.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 5th Feb 2020 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 5th Feb 2020 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Developing Developers

Festive mince pies and networking from 6:00 pm.
To reduce our reliance on disposable coffee cups we encourage attendees to bring their own coffee cup.

This event is free of charge and open to all, though please register via Eventbrite: https://bcsedin041219.eventbrite.co.uk/

Synopsis
Computing education is how our future colleagues are introduced to programming culture and practices. Therefore it's important that we do it well. I will be exploring how we educate future programmers and what we can learn from practices used by other professions and vocations. My aim is a stimulating and thought provoking exploration of computing education.

About the speaker

Nicholas is a classically trained musician, philosophy graduate, teacher, writer and award winning software engineer. He's just like this biography: concise, honest and full of useful information.

https://edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2019/191204.htm

https://bcsedin041219.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 4th Dec 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 4th Dec 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Transform your meetings from pointless to productive

“Meetings are pointless”, “We have too many meetings”, “Meetings get in the way of real work.” Sound familiar? These are some of the responses received through a survey of 160+ IT professionals when asked: “what is the most common complaint you hear from teams about meetings?”.

These quotes are symptoms caused by a typical anti-pattern that teams fall into; going through the motions of a meeting and not feeling any value. However, all is not lost, this problem can be solved by gaining an awareness and developing your skills in facilitation.

This workshop has been crafted from the survey data to help solve the biggest meeting problems facing Teams today. Come learn how to support your teams to do their best thinking and feel achievement in meetings.

https://edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2019/191106.htm

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transform-your-meetings-from-pointless-to-productive-edinburgh-branch-tickets-78602130087

Wed 6th Nov 2019 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Wed 6th Nov 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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https://www.bcs.org/membership/become-a-member/bcs-code-of-conduct/

Transform your meetings from pointless to productive

“Meetings are pointless”, “We have too many meetings”, “Meetings get in the way of real work.” Sound familiar? These are some of the responses received through a survey of 160+ IT professionals when asked: “what is the most common complaint you hear from teams about meetings?”.

These quotes are symptoms caused by a typical anti-pattern that teams fall into; going through the motions of a meeting and not feeling any value. However, all is not lost, this problem can be solved by gaining an awareness and developing your skills in facilitation.

This workshop has been crafted from the survey data to help solve the biggest meeting problems facing Teams today. Come learn how to support your teams to do their best thinking and feel achievement in meetings.

About the speaker

Philiy is a gifted trainer, agilist, facilitator and professional coach. This combination allows her to imbue organisations with new skills and the ability for real and lasting positive change. An author of ICAgile training for both Facilitation & Agile Coaching, she has delivered courses for large financial and consultancy companies internationally and has extensive experience facilitating teams and large scale groups.

Philiy has a passion for helping others and developing communities of practice, she ran the AWA NYC Meet-up and this year has co-founded the Women in Agile London Chapter. Most recently Philiy was a member of the inaugural Agile Women in Leadership Program (Ten Women Strong) by Lyssa Adkins and Carolyn Dragon, there she gained inspiration to start her own company, Lumin Limited

https://edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2019/191106.htm

http://bcsedi061119.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 6th Nov 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 6th Nov 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Blockchain: why (not) the hype?

Blockchain technology has been around for a while now, and to the surprise of many, has not completely died. In this talk you will be given a foundation to identify if blockchains are relevant to what you're doing: It will give an overview of what this new(ish) technology can and cannot do, and detail what importance it has to the world, and likely doesn't have to your business.

About the speaker

Thomas is a PhD student in cryptography at the University of Edinburgh, and part of its the Blockchain Technology lab, as well as a researcher for IOHK. He holds a BSC in computer science, also from the University of Edinburgh.

Thomas' research is primarily into the privacy of distributed protocols, in particular of smart contract systems.

https://edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2019/191002.htm

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blockchain-why-not-the-hype-edinburgh-branch-tickets-73416269037

Wed 2nd Oct 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 2nd Oct 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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The role of software in aerospace systems

Synopsis
Geoff will talk about high integrity systems and the role of software in aerospace systems, covering several key design features including frequent areas of error in systems, networks and computation issues. The lessons learnt from Boeing’s latest software disaster will also be touched on, with the final portion of the talk devoted to insights concerning future software development in the aerospace industry.

About the speaker

Geoff Ramsay is a lead software engineer at Leonardo, Edinburgh. He is a design engineer with over forty years experience of real-time software and system development in the telecommunications, banking automation, medical instrumentation, marine oil exploration and aerospace industries. Responsibilities have covered the full life-cycle of large and small projects in both design and management roles.

Wed 4th Sep 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 4th Sep 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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So just what is your Professional Institute up to these day? Prepare for a few surprises!

Synopsis
In a new approach for the Presidential role, Michael will be updating BCS members and guests on the strategic plans for the Chartered Institute, with a special focus on our activities in the field of Education.

About the speaker

Michael first entered the technology field in the flight simulation industry. He then spent 25 years’ working in a variety of international marketing and corporate communications roles at director and vice-president level within the IT companies, Gateway, Lotus Development, Commodore, ICL, Prime Computer and Wang. In recent years Michael has worked in IT recruitment, having founded his own pan-European IT headhunting company, and today is an associate director of Harvey Nash plc, one of the world’s leading IT services and recruitment organisations.

Michael has been a member of the Information Technologists Company, the 100th City of London livery company, for 23 years. In October 2012, he was installed as Master, having previously managed the company for five years as the clerk (CEO) during which he played an important role in gaining a Royal Charter.

https://edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2019/190501.htm

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/so-just-what-is-your-professional-institute-up-to-these-day-prepare-for-a-few-surprises-edinburgh-tickets-60760037909

Wed 1st May 2019 6:45pm (Europe/London)

Wed 1st May 2019 8:45pm (Europe/London)

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Whole organisation testing without the pain

Synopsis
We’ve all got the memo now – security testing is good, but organisations need to do more to assess their holistic security approach. Whether it’s red teaming, a CBEST engagement or attack simulations - More is Better in testing the organisations ability to detect and respond to attacks. However, none of these approaches are particularly constructive and tend to enhance barriers between security, monitoring teams and the business rather than removing them. In this session we’ll explore the problems with these approaches and learn about an alternative approach that builds trust and collaboration, and results in better buy-in to fixing problems.

About the speaker

Andrew Scott is the Assurance lead for Scotland for Context IS. In this he works across industries to help clients mature their approach to security testing. Previously he ran one of Scotland’s leading Financial Services company’s security testing strategy where he aligned all testing efforts and increased the effectiveness of remediation activities. His approach addressed not only the technical teams, but also tackled the culture; increasing business awareness, responsibility and ownership of security. Andrew has previously been a penetration tester, Windows and Firewall administrator, and has helped respond to multi-million dollar intrusions.

http://www.edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2019/190403.htm

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/whole-organisation-testing-without-the-pain-edinburgh-branch-tickets-58846823433

Wed 3rd Apr 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 3rd Apr 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Going global: the return of the address wars

Going global: the return of the address wars
Wednesday 6th March 2019, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Dr Ant Beck

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh.

This event is free of charge and open to all, though please register via Eventbrite: https://bcsedinburgh060319.eventbrite.co.uk/

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

Synopsis
An address is much more than a representation of a property: when included as part of a nation's infrastructure, an address helps to provide social and legal identity. By providing a fundamental knowledge base to inform decision making and action, addresses help to develop, implement and support other critical national policies such as:

Governance
Urban development and management
Migration and social integration
Security
Economy and commerce
Environmental sustainability, risk and disaster management
Addressing the world: an address for everyone co-ordinated by the Universal Postal Union documents in detail the problems that poor address infrastructure and address interoperability pose. As part of the solution this white paper neatly summarises the state of the art in addressing and advocates approaches to improve addressing aimed at nation states. Key to this is the assumption that an address requires a road network, a street name and a house number. This national address infrastructure can be a significant barrier to implementation and can starkly highlight the division between urban and rural communities. However, technology is disrupting this status-quo and the 21st Century will see significant change in address infrastructure.

This presentation examines the assumption that credible addresses require an underlying address infrastructure. By removing the need for address infrastucture (and conflation of national address systems) it is possible to define the characteristics of a global address framework. Inevitably any global address framework will take advantage of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning (such as GPS). However, the characteristics of how this is implemented will have significant implications in their re-use scenarios. We will discuss the key characteristics of a global address framework in terms of impact.

Poor' & Nations Development Programme', 2008. Making the law work for everyone: Vol 1 - report of the commission on legal empowerment of the poor, Available at: http://www.unrol.org/doc.aspx?n=Making_the_Law_Work_for_Everyone.pdf [Accessed January 12, 2015].

UPU, 2012. Addressing the world: an address for everyone, Universal Postal Union. Available at: http://www.upu.int/en/activities/addressing/addressing-the-world-initiative.html [Accessed November 5, 2014].

About the speaker

Ant is as an interdisciplinarian working at the interfaces of geo-science, heritage, smart-cities, remote sensing, plant and soil science, computing and knowledge engineering. He has undertaken research in a number of contrasting fields (humanities, social science and science) and is committed to approaches that maximize academic, industry, policy and public impact. Project work include:

large scale data integration in the utility sector (the award winning UK Water Industry Research projects Mapping the Underworld and VISTA),
heritage remote sensing (landscape programmes in India and Syria and hyperspectral imaging in the UK) and
digital transformation programmes (addressing frameworks at United Utilities and land administration domain modelling at Registers of Scotland).
He is a passionate advocate of Open Science and sees this as a way to increase the impact of science in society. Since 2015 Ant has provided GIScience, Knowledge Engineering and Data Analytics consultancy services. He is currently undertaking a conceptual redesign of Scotland's Land Register. Ant is still research active: he was the lead author on an urban energy modelling paper published in 2018 and is a co-author on a recently submitted subsurface utility detection paper. He is a father. He juggles.

https://bcsedinburgh060319.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 6th Mar 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 6th Mar 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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BCS Edinburgh Branch Free Event Robotic Haptic Sensing and Interaction in Medicine

Synopsis
Haptic capability, both sensing and interaction, is essential for a robot working in unstructured environments, yet robotic haptic technology today is still very primitive compared to even the simplest biological creatures. Haptic interaction is a cornerstone of many medical interventions/practices. Our lab designs robots with advanced haptic perception and interaction capabilities to address unmet needs in medicine, enabling safer and more effective diagnosis and treatment. We commit our work to benefit both patients and the medical profession while advancing the frontier of haptic robotics research.


In this talk, I will share some applications of our research include haptic sensing for medical instruments, force sensing and control for robotic endoscopes for medical interventions, as well as robotic ultrasound guidance.

About the speaker




Hongbin Liu is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Department of Informatics, King’s College London (KCL) where he is directing the Haptic Mechatronics and Medical Robotics (HaMMeR) Laboratory. Dr. Liu obtained his BEng in 2005 from Northwestern Polytechnical University, China, MSc and PhD in 2006 and 2010 respectively, both from the Division of Engineering, KCL. He is a member of the IEEE, and a Technical Committee Member of IEEE EMBS BioRobotics. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications at top international robotic journals and conferences and is inventor for 4 patents. His research has been funded by EPSRC, Innovate UK, NHS Trust and EU Commissions. His current research focuses on developing soft robotic systems for assistive medical interventions, with strong collaborations from IBM and Ericsson.

http://www.edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2019/190206.htm

https://bcsedin060219.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 6th Feb 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 6th Feb 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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AI and Gender Bias

Wednesday 7th November 2018, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Marian Nicholson, Fujitsu Distinguished Engineer

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

Book here: https://bcsedin0711.eventbrite.co.uk/

Synopsis

We all come with an unconscious bias to decisions we make. Automating decisions can easily perpetuate that bias and data, i.e. statistics have always been used to reinforce a bias. In my view, as data scientists, we have an obligation to make our solutions as fair as possible. Artificial intelligence is often constructed from grossly biased and de-contextualised information and ideas that can be harmful when turned into automated decision making systems and this talk as an exploration of how we can reduce bias in AI.

About the speaker

Marian has over 25 years of experience working in computer science and educated to Masters level, with a degree in Computer Science. Currently, she works for Fujitsu, as a Lead Deal Architect designing solutions for customers, working with Fujitsu Laboratories, to fulfil the Fujitsu vision of Human Centric Innovation. Our research focus is on creating cutting-edge solutions that benefit society, with particular emphasis on healthcare, manufacturing and finance. Our specialist research teams are actively engaged in Artificial Intelligence initiatives, as well as security technology research, and advanced cognitive networks research. Working with customers, collaboration partners and society as a whole to drive the evolution of ICT and help realize a safer and more prosperous world. Open Innovation is an essential element working with some of Europe’s highest profile initiatives, including the 5G Innovation Center - the world's first research center dedicated to 5G - and the European Union's largest ever research and innovation program, Horizon 2020

https://bcsedin0711.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 7th Nov 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 7th Nov 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Tue 27th Nov 2018 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 27th Nov 2018 8:30pm (Europe/London)

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Mob Programming and the Power of Flow

Five people at one computer?! How can that possibly be productive?

While this seems like a reasonable question, it's not easily answered - until we begin to understand the power of flow.

Mob Programming grew from the quest of one team to learn how to work well together. Once we started We almost immediately noticed that working this way provided better results in a variety of ways:
- We were getting more, and more important things done
- The quality of our work was increasing dramatically
- Our knowledge, skills, and capabilities were improving rapidly
- And all while we were having a lot of fun!

While we noticed these benefits and more, and it was clear this was in a large part due to working well together throughout the day - we didn't have an understanding of why this was working so wonderfully for us.

A hint came early on when we recognized we were achieving a one-piece flow - but we didn't realize the importance of this until we started exploring the meaning and power of "flow".

In this presentation we'll share the results of that exploration, and see if we can get a better understanding of Mob Programming and the power of flow.

http://www.edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2018/181127.htm

Tue 27th Nov 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 27th Nov 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Mob Programming: A whole team approach with Woody Zuill

Mob Programming: All the brilliant people working on the same thing, at the same time, in the same place, and on the same computer.

Mob Programming is a cost-effective, collaborative and fun way to get work done together. It's a whole-team approach to development, where coding, designing, testing, and working with the "customer" (partner, Product Owner, User, etc.) is all done as a team.

In the morning, participants will learn all about Mob Programming. We cover the mechanics of how to work together as a Mob as well as the techniques that make this form of development so effective. We’ll learn how a Mob performs sample project work, including user stories, prioritization, test-driven development, refactoring, and retrospectives. And there’ll be a practical demonstration of Mob Programming at work.

In the afternoon, participants will work in small groups, practicing Mob Programming for real (please bring a laptop if you have one). Designed and facilitated by Mob Programming pioneer Woody Zuill, this second part of the workshop provides a hands-on education in the art of mobbing and its significant benefits for your teams.

9:00 Registration
9:15 Start
12:45 Lunch - included for all participants
13:30 Restart - full-day participants only
17:00 End
18:00 - 20:00 Free evening meetup
Tea/coffee/biscuits available for all participants

http://www.edinburgh.bcs.org/courses/181127_mob_programming.htm

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/edinburgh-branch-mob-programming-a-whole-team-approach-with-woody-zuill-tickets-50774346437

Tue 27th Nov 2018 9:00am (Europe/London)

Tue 27th Nov 2018 5:00pm (Europe/London)

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Service Design

Service Design
Wednesday 3rd October 2018, 6:00 pm.

Speaker: Anne Dhir, Project Director, Snook

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.


Synopsis
We all work hard to deliver our projects on time, within budget, and to our clients’ satisfaction. However, how do we ensure that this hard work actually meet the real needs of users? Will we really help them achieve what they need to achieve? Will the solutions be sustainable for the organisation? And ultimately will they fit in their environment, or simply add to the stresses of day-to-day working life?

This is where Service Design comes in.

Service Design allows us to gain a deep understanding of users and make sure that services and products work seamlessly together, to deliver the organisation’s strategy. Using service design tools and methodologies we can create solutions that are respectful, seamless, holistic, sustainable and realistic.

This talk will provide a short introduction to Service Design, illustrated with case studies. Furthermore we will be “doing not talking” with plenty hands-on activities and discussions, giving you the opportunity to walk away with an understanding of design thinking.

About the speaker

Anne is a project director at Snook, an award-winning agency with offices in Glasgow and London. Coming from a background in business and data analysis, she aims to get to the bottom of problems, unearth the impact throughout the organisation, design innovative solutions and follow them through; acoss private, public, and third sectors..

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/edinburgh-branch-service-design-tickets-50115776637

Wed 3rd Oct 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 3rd Oct 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Bots, burnout and blame: How to use IT to build better organisations

Synopsis
In our working lives we have tools that would seem magical to employees a hundred years ago. Our hand-held devices connect us immediately to most of the combined knowledge of humanity. Our working conditions have improved immeasurably. So why are levels of anxiety and depression so high? Poor workplaces cause their staff to feel this way. This leads to poor decision-making and organisational failure.

We will consider key personal and organisational factors which give rise to workplace stress, and what can be done about them. We'll look at research which suggests that the most effective organisations are not the most stressful, and that high performance is not the result of over-work. We'll look at the way AI and machine learning can contribute to transforming organisations into the kind of places people really want to work. This talk will help you both as an employee and a manager to build an environment which allows for greater wellbeing and higher performance.

There will be a talk followed by a discussion.

About the speaker

Matthew Bellringer is founder of Meaningbit LTD, a startup which helps organisations and their people grow and innovate together. He is shortly finishing his role as Microsoft Services Manager at the University of Sussex to concentrate on the startup full-time. He has worked in IT for over fifteen years, largely in education and the third sector.

http://www.edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2018/180905.htm

https://bit.ly/2MmiT19

Wed 5th Sep 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 5th Sep 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Systems Performance Engineering

This session will discuss the principles governing systems performance when designing and trouble-shooting systems and their associated infrastructure.

There are a wide range of issues to be considered, especially those affecting throughput, response times, scalability and availability. Performance is not something that can always be dealt with by system tuning or simply buying bigger hardware. Performance issues frequently result in systems failing in some form or other, which affects availability and causes disruption to service. Understanding the characteristics that govern performance and overall system behaviour helps us to design and implement more reliable systems that can cope with changing workloads..

About the speaker

Colin is a consulting engineer who specialises in the technical leadership of mission-critical and disaster-tolerant systems and infrastruture projects. His background is in large scale systems engineering, including software design and development. He has been responsible for the design, implementation and trouble-shooting of systems in a wide range of industries such as aerospace, power generation, finance, healthcare and transport.

Colin is a well-known speaker with specific interests in availability, performance, security, networking and storage.

Twitter: @colinbutcher
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colinbutcher

https://bcsedin0108.eventbrite.co.uk/

https://bcsedin0108.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wed 1st Aug 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 1st Aug 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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The Ethics of IT and AI: When we can do it, should we do it?

Chris Rees, President of the BCS, will speak about his presidential theme, Ethics, and the practical issues that confront us in IT when ethical considerations arise. He will point out the relationship between ethics and Making IT Good for Society. He will discuss how and when ethics should be considered, the obstacles to doing so, how they may be overcome and how the Institute can help members in such situations. He will then focus on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the ethical problems that this fast developing technology raises.

About the speaker

After St. Andrews University, Chris joined IBM in 1966 in a technical support role. He then moved to the USA with National CSS Inc, a pioneer in virtual systems. Returning to the UK, he joined Logica, where he held a number of management roles, ultimately Managing Director of Logica Software Products Ltd.

In 1986 he joined Touche Ross Management Consultants (later Deloitte Consulting) as a Partner. His assignments included the Fraud Audits of privatisation share issues and acting as Programme Director for the Gas Industry Domestic Competition Pilot.

In October 1996, he co-founded Charteris. He led consulting engagements for clients including National Air Traffic Services (NATS), UNESCO and Centrica. He led Charteris’ Expert Witness practice for many years. He retired in 2015.

A Chartered Fellow of the BCS, he co-founded the Financial Services Special Interest Group, FINSIG. He chairs the Ethical and Spiritual Development Panel of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ethics-of-it-and-ai-tickets-45063276473

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ethics-of-it-and-ai-tickets-45063276473

Wed 2nd May 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 2nd May 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Satellites, Big Data and Intelligence - Bird.i: a case study

Bird.i aims to make the world’s most incredible imagery accessible to absolutely everyone. Whether satellite, airborne or drone imagery, Bird.i is leveraging the industry’s most cutting-edge AI to unlock the valuable metadata stored within. Join Brendan Austin, Software Engineer, as he takes you through how Bird.i is rapidly disrupting the space industry, what they plan to do next and how the analytics from optical imagery can change the world.

About the speaker

Brendan is a graduate of the University of Glasgow’s Computing Science degree. He began his career working for CereProc, the Edinburgh-based world leaders in speech synthesis technology. He then moved to STV, where he developed the infrastructure that now powers the STV Player, before joining the Bird.i team in November 2017.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-austin/
https://twitter.com/hibirdi

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/satellites-big-data-and-intelligence-birdi-tickets-44377165296

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/satellites-big-data-and-intelligence-birdi-tickets-44377165296

Wed 4th Apr 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 4th Apr 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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BCS Edinburgh Branch Sidney Michaelson Memorial Lecture - Are Friends Electric? Our Future Lives with Robots

Are Friends Electric? Our Future Lives with Robots
The BCS Edinburgh Branch Sidney Michaelson Memorial Lecture (about Sidney Michaelson)

In partnership with the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Saturday 31st March 2018, 15:00 pm - 16:30 pm

Speaker: Prof Tony Prescott, Director of Sheffield Robotics

Venue: Auditorium, National Museum of Scotland.

Tickets for this event must be purchased from the EISF here

Synopsis
From books and TV to movies and games, our lives are full of images of our possible future lives with robots - some appealing, some nightmarish, some simply weird. What might future robots be like and might we want to be friends with them? Why are we so fascinated with robots anyway, and what does this tell us about ourselves? Join Prof Tony Prescott, psychologist, neuroscientist, and director of Sheffield Robotics, to explore how far we've come in creating the robots of our science fiction dreams, where we might get to in the future, and whether all of this is really such a good idea.

This event is dedicated to Prof Sidney Michaelson (1925-1991), a champion of computer science

About the speaker

Prof Tony Prescott (http://www.abrg.group.shef.ac.uk/people/tony/) is Professor of Cognitive Robotics at the University of Sheffield, and Director of Sheffield Robotics, a cross-disciplinary research institute with over one hundred researchers. He is the co-creator of the animal-like robots Scratchbot and Shrewbot. He also writes and speaks about the societal and cultural impacts of future robotic, AI, virtual reality and telepresence systems, with particular focus on how these technologies are changing how we see ourselves.

https://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/are-friends-electric-our-future-lives-with-robots

https://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/are-friends-electric-our-future-lives-with-robots

Sat 31st Mar 2018 3:00pm (Europe/London)

Sat 31st Mar 2018 4:30pm (Europe/London)

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The Internet of Things and Cyber Security

The Internet of Things and Cyber Security
Wednesday 7th March 2018, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Roger Whiteley, Fujitsu Distinguished Engineer

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

Synopsis
Just what is the Internet of Things?
• How can the Internet of Things control your smart home?
• What are the security issues when you use Wi-Fi door locks?
• Will a smart meter save me money?
• What is the future for smart TVs?
• Seen the ads for Hive- used to control your heating from anywhere on the world?
• Are smart tin openers just part of the hype cycle?
• Is the future here?
• Is the future secure?
• How do you stop your toaster being controlled by a hacker in Kyrgyzstan?

This presentation is an ongoing Work in Progress as we discover and discuss real life security issues that vendors and suppliers have inflicted on the market. Using examples such as Home Control Systems, Wi-Fi door locks, so-called ‘smart’ meters, Wi-Fi hotspot equipped cars, Televisions – the list gets longer every week.

We’ll be discussing practical suggestions for making IoT [and your ‘Smart Homes’] more secure.

Keeping this presentation current is proving somewhat troublesome in a technology space on the up curve of the ‘Hype Cycle’.

About the speaker

Roger has a 38 year career in Technology and Engineering having graduated in 1980 with a BSc in Metallurgy and Materials Science. Roger has been with Fujitsu for over 12 years as an Architect, Consultant, Team Manager and Community Manager. Previously Roger worked for Electronic Data Systems for 20 years as a Systems Engineer and Architect.

Those 38 years have provided Roger with a broad understanding of IT and engineered approaches to solutions in diverse market sectors such as Aerospace, Manufacturing, Retail and Banking with technologies including Application Development, Networking, Process Control, Enterprise Management, SCADA and Robotics. Roger has been a Fujitsu Distinguished Engineer since the scheme’s reintroduction in 2013.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bcs-edinburgh-the-internet-of-things-and-cyber-security-tickets-43473549557

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bcs-edinburgh-the-internet-of-things-and-cyber-security-tickets-43473549557

Wed 7th Mar 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 7th Mar 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

Wild West - Current Attack Trends & Mitigations

The Wild West: Current attack trends and how to mitigate them. This talk considers targeted attacks against high profile members of staff
About this Event
Synopsis
This talk considers targeted attacks against high profile members of staff, leading to financial loss and how to detect and protect against this. It draws upon a real life incident where a client lost £140K.
The talk ties in with the safer Internet day on Tuesday 6th February - see https://www.saferinternetday.org
About the speakers

Founder of 7 Elements, David brings over 13 years of experience within the technical security market, where he has gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise through the delivery of security testing and in the provision of technical expertise to high profile incidents.
He has performed key roles in security programmes, aligning a risk managed security approach and business risk appetites across multiple business functions in order to provide pragmatic security solutions for regulatory requirements.
David has also devised bespoke risk assessment methodologies for a number of security projects, including technical and business risk assessments aimed at understanding the risk profile for a multinational organisation, and has developed a new thematic for resilient information security assurance.
His specialist skill is bridging the gap between technical teams, senior management and C-level executives, to improve the understanding, use and development of security testing. As such, he has recently taken on the role of Strategic Cyber Security Advisor to the Scottish Government's Resiliency Advisory Board.
David is an active member of the wider security industry, regularly presenting on the subject of information security and its many facets

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wild-west-current-attack-trends-mitigations-tickets-42523745668

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wild-west-current-attack-trends-mitigations-tickets-42523745668

Wed 7th Feb 2018 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 7th Feb 2018 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

This event is free of charge and open to all.
Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

Synopsis

Although embedded devices are near-ubiquitous in developed economies, it’s a type of software development that sometimes seems shrouded in mystery to developers working with other technologies.


Embedded systems developers work in languages that might seem arcane to modern eyes, and we use specialised hardware and software tools that aren’t well understood outside our own field. Many of the things developers take for granted on other platforms are often absent by default - networking, a GUI, a working command line - even the presence of an operating system can’t be assumed.


But most software development use cases have parallels with other technical domains, and agile engineering approaches are helping closing the gap, too. Test-driven development and continuous integration builds are making inroads into the embedded world. Teams are adopting pairing and mob programming, and interest is growing in agile methodologies. We have commonly recurring patterns of implementation too, and although we’re working with different constraints, at least some of these patterns will be recognisable to other developers.


In this talk, I’ll take you through some of the quirks of developing for these small devices, but also the parallels that exist with other technical platforms. I’ll demonstrate on a realistic hardware design how modern engineering approaches like TDD and continuous integration can be made to work for us. Blinking LEDs 100% guaranteed.
About the speaker

Mike is an independent C++ developer and occasional trainer and technical coach. He’s done engineering management roles too, building and coaching teams. He’s been working in software development for over 30 years, watching the same wheel being reinvented with amused detachment, and is the proud dad of the “Washing Machine Kata” - a physical code kata for embedded systems developers, based on an open-source hardware design.

Embedded Systems Development: The Same, Only Different

This event is free of charge and open to all.
Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.
Synopsis
Although embedded devices are near-ubiquitous in developed economies, it’s a type of software development that sometimes seems shrouded in mystery to developers working with other technologies.
Embedded systems developers work in languages that might seem arcane to modern eyes, and we use specialised hardware and software tools that aren’t well understood outside our own field. Many of the things developers take for granted on other platforms are often absent by default - networking, a GUI, a working command line - even the presence of an operating system can’t be assumed.
But most software development use cases have parallels with other technical domains, and agile engineering approaches are helping closing the gap, too. Test-driven development and continuous integration builds are making inroads into the embedded world. Teams are adopting pairing and mob programming, and interest is growing in agile methodologies. We have commonly recurring patterns of implementation too, and although we’re working with different constraints, at least some of these patterns will be recognisable to other developers.
In this talk, I’ll take you through some of the quirks of developing for these small devices, but also the parallels that exist with other technical platforms. I’ll demonstrate on a realistic hardware design how modern engineering approaches like TDD and continuous integration can be made to work for us. Blinking LEDs 100% guaranteed.
About the speaker

Mike is an independent C++ developer and occasional trainer and technical coach. He’s done engineering management roles too, building and coaching teams. He’s been working in software development for over 30 years, watching the same wheel being reinvented with amused detachment, and is the proud dad of the “Washing Machine Kata” - a physical code kata for embedded systems developers, based on an open-source hardware design.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/embedded-systems-development-same-only-different-tickets-39365807189

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/embedded-systems-development-same-only-different-tickets-39365807189

Wed 6th Dec 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 6th Dec 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

Is a Darknet business really a business?

Speaker: Angus Bancroft, lecturer in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

This event is free of charge and open to all.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis

Cyber-crime is increasingly discussed in terms evoking business, but what kinds of business are involved? Are online criminal enterprises business-like in the sense of being organised, persistent profit seeking enterprises and what are the implications for their customers? I use a study of illicit drug focused darknet cryptomarkets to examine the business types available to cybercriminals and critically examine the underlying assumptions about market relationships that are implied in much of the discussion of cybercriminal marketplaces. I draw on a combination of interviews and discussion forum data to examine the motivations and experiences of actors at different levels and with different roles in cryptomarkets. I set out the range of business types in evidence, which are separable by the direction the vendors are moving in and their embedding in wider social networks both on and off-line. I argue that many of the activities involved in cryptomarkets involve critically conceptualising and challenging some of the implications of having a ‘perfect free market in crime’.

About the speaker


Angus Bancroft is a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. He researches illicit drug use and cryptomarkets. His most recent book is ‘Dead White Men and Other Important People: Sociology’s Big Ideas’ with Ralph Fevre.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-a-darknet-business-really-a-business-tickets-37738548013?aff=erelexpmlt

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-a-darknet-business-really-a-business-tickets-37738548013?aff=erelexpmlt

Wed 4th Oct 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 4th Oct 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

Closures: The next revolution in programming

Synopsis

In the 1950s Fortran released a great innovation into the world of software development: procedures. Suddenly, we could write programs orders of magnitude larger and more accurately than before. Then again, in the 1980s, Smalltalk and C++ introduced us to objects, and development took another great leap forwards. Now, at the start of the 21st century, another great leap forward is taking shape, and almost every language is adopting closures.

Closures really do introduce a whole new way of thinking about what programming is, and how to organise our code. In this talk, Jules will describe their beginning in Algol and functional languages, show how they work in modern languages, and demonstrate a few patterns and idioms that demonstrate their extraordinary power.

About the speaker


Jules is a freelance consultant based in North East Scotland. He specialises in reliability, mathematical software, and compilers and languages. He has been writing, teaching and speaking for 25 years, and conducts frequent lectures and workshops. He is currently working on a book “Programming like your life depends on it”, and is the originator of Problem Space Analysis.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/closures-the-next-revolution-in-programming-tickets-37269321544?aff=opentech

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/closures-the-next-revolution-in-programming-tickets-37269321544?aff=opentech

Wed 6th Sep 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 6th Sep 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

Beautiful code: code with better type

Speaker: Peter Hilton

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis
The way we visually present code today would do little to surprise the first owner of the 1955 IBM typewriter that introduced the Courier typeface. Innovations since then include little more than bigger monitors, syntax colouring and better monospace typefaces. Meanwhile, layout and typography, already centuries old during the desktop publishing revolution thirty years ago, inform the visual presentation of most kinds of text.

The goal of this talk is to reconsider what code looks like. This talk uses step-by-step examples to show how layout and typography can make code beautiful, and considers how this would change the programming experience. After all, as Knuth pointed out, ‘Programs are meant to be read by humans, and only incidentally for computers to execute’.

About the speaker

Peter Hilton is a software developer, writer, speaker, trainer, and musician. Peter’s professional interests are business process management, web application development, functional design, agile software development and documentation. Peter currently works as a programmer and technical writer for Signavio, working remotely from Rotterdam, and delivers the occasional lecture and training course.

Peter’s software development interests include web applications, service architecture, software development methodology and practices, and web-based collaboration. Peter has presented at several European developer conferences, including ACCU, Scala eXchange, Devoxx, Øredev, Jfokus, Javazone, geecon and TopConf. Peter co-authored ‘Play for Scala’ (Manning Publications) and has taught ‘Fast Track to Play with Scala’.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bcs-edinburgh-beautiful-codecode-with-better-type-tickets-34973950026

Wed 2nd Aug 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 2nd Aug 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

Wed 5th Jul 2017 8:30pm (Europe/London)

BCS Voices: Healthcare

BCS Voices: Healthcare
Wednesday 5th July 2017, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Dr Grant Forrest, Associate Specialist Anaesthetist and Clinical Lead for eHealth, NHS Fife

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis
How can technology enable better health and social care ? What are the difficulties, challenges and differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

This event will be run as a BCS Voices discussion. See the current conversations here: https://voices.bcs.org/conversations/health-care/

About the speaker

Grant graduated from Aberdeen in 1989 and trained as an anaesthetist in South East Scotland until 1998, when he took a career break to do an MSc in Information Technology at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.

After a brief dalliance with the private sector, he returned to the NHS in late 2000. Grant remains very much at the NHS coalface, specialising in Anaesthesia for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). At a national level, until recently he chaired the NHS Scotland SCI Gateway User Group (SCI Gateway is the national clinical messaging system in NHS Scotland) and represents his Fife medical colleagues on the NHS Scotland Clinical Change and Leadership group (CCLG) .

He is also the current chair of the UK Society for Computing and Technology in Anaesthesia (SCATA) and recently organised a joint meeting with BCS Health Scotland in Glasgow, with a theme of Technology in Peri-Operative Medicine. He is currently doing a part-time MPhil at Strathclyde University on Digital Peri-Operative Care Records.

Describing himself as an enthusiastic (rather than 'expert') medical software developer, he is a keen supporter of open source and open standards in Healthcare and a regular attender at NHS Hackdays. He has been a member of the BCS Edinburgh branch for just over a year.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bcs-edinburgh-voices-healthcare-tickets-35368274461

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bcs-edinburgh-voices-healthcare-tickets-35368274461

Wed 5th Jul 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 6th Jul 2017 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

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No

Yes

Supercomputers - a common enough term these days but what is a supercomputer? And what does it have to do with a Raspberry Pi?

About this Event

Raspberry PIs to Supercomputers

Wednesday 7th June 2017, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Alistair Grant, EPCC

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis

Supercomputers - a common enough term these days but what is a supercomputer? And what does it have to do with a Raspberry Pi? Better yet, what do we need them for?

ARCHER,the current UK National Supercomputing Service, is hosted and run by EPCC and the University of Edinburgh - this talk will use ARCHER as an example to look at what a supercomputer is and why we need and use them. And from that, explain why Raspberry Pis get all caught up in the mix with a look at Wee Archie.

Supporting ARCHER is just one of the services EPCC provides and in amongst all the other information, we will look at what EPCC does.

About the speaker

Alistair Grant is an Applications Consultant at EPCC and has been there for about 10 years now. He has worked on data focussed application areas with projects including:- OGSA-DAI/DQP: a distributed data access, query and management solution. - PERICLES: looking at approaches to long term data preservation.

One of his key interests is science and technology education in formal and informal settings. To this end, he is involved in developing and delivering activities and materials for schools, science festivals and other events based upon computing concepts and science applications.

Raspberry PIs to Supercomputers

Supercomputers - a common enough term these days but what is a supercomputer? And what does it have to do with a Raspberry Pi?
About this Event
Raspberry PIs to Supercomputers
Wednesday 7th June 2017, 6:30 pm.
Speaker: Alistair Grant, EPCC
Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.
This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.
Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.
This meeting is supported by NCR.
Synopsis
Supercomputers - a common enough term these days but what is a supercomputer? And what does it have to do with a Raspberry Pi? Better yet, what do we need them for?
ARCHER,the current UK National Supercomputing Service, is hosted and run by EPCC and the University of Edinburgh - this talk will use ARCHER as an example to look at what a supercomputer is and why we need and use them. And from that, explain why Raspberry Pis get all caught up in the mix with a look at Wee Archie.
Supporting ARCHER is just one of the services EPCC provides and in amongst all the other information, we will look at what EPCC does.
About the speaker

Alistair Grant is an Applications Consultant at EPCC and has been there for about 10 years now. He has worked on data focussed application areas with projects including:- OGSA-DAI/DQP: a distributed data access, query and management solution. - PERICLES: looking at approaches to long term data preservation.
One of his key interests is science and technology education in formal and informal settings. To this end, he is involved in developing and delivering activities and materials for schools, science festivals and other events based upon computing concepts and science applications.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/raspberry-pis-to-supercomputers-tickets-34461703884?aff=opentech

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/raspberry-pis-to-supercomputers-tickets-34461703884?aff=opentech

Wed 7th Jun 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 7th Jun 2017 8:30pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

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Brex-IT: How to do IT

Brex-IT: How to do IT
Wednesday 3rd May 2017, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Dalim Basu, Chairman BCS North London Branch

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis
An interactive presentation+discussion with Dalim Basu and Edinburgh Branch colleagues.

How can we help UK organisations to understand and manage their ICT-related challenges and risks in the uncertain transition process toward and through Brexit, and to benefit from a new world of opportunities?

Come to join us to learn and contribute to views about this important topic.

About the speaker

Dalim is an IT professional with expertise in IT Governance and Risk Management. His experience includes IT audit, compliance, controls, security, PMO and project management.

He is a Director of DSL IT Risk Management Consultancy, and has worked in the UK and other countries for major financial and business services firms such as PwC, KPMG, Chase Manhattan Bank, ITN, Lehman Brothers, Lloyds Banking Group, Mitsubishi, Mizuho Bank, Nomura, Shell and Zurich Financial Services.

As voluntary activities, for many years Dalim has been Chairman of the dynamic North London Branch (NLB) of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. At NLB he has led a small voluntary team to successfully plan, coordinate and deliver over a dozen IT-related events per year, including many on ‘hot topics’ with high-profile presenters. He is also the Events Director of ISACA London Chapter, delivering events on IT compliance, risk management, assurance, governance, security and cybersecurity.

He is a judge of BCS/Computing ‘UK IT Industry Awards’, and chairs and presents at other events and conferences. He also mentors and guides IT students, innovators and entrepreneurs at London University and elsewhere.

Dalim is a firm believer in the high value of IT professionalism and actively encourages and promote it at many levels – including at events and conferences with various organisations in the UK and overseas. He believes in the high value of BCS in ‘making IT good for society’ – for example his interactive presentations on ‘Brex-IT: how to do IT’’ (about an IT readiness programme for SMEs) has been well received by a number of BCS Directors, Branches and Specialist Groups.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brex-it-how-to-do-it-tickets-34137251438

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brex-it-how-to-do-it-tickets-34137251438

Wed 3rd May 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 3rd May 2017 8:30pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

A Celebration of the First Lego League in Scotland

Synopsis
Following the keen interest shown by members at the recent First Lego League talk, the BCS will be hosting a celebration of FLL in Scotland, showcasing the prize-winning robots from three top teams from the 2017 context, plus the UK Final winners from last year.

The First Lego League (FLL) is an international competition for 9-16 year olds which offers a holistic approach to learning computing. It is more than just robots -- participants also research problems and invent solutions to real-world issues such as using technology in education and helping communities recover from natural disasters. Run in Scotland by Lambda Jam and the Young Academy of Scotland with support from the BCS, FLL has impacted 2000 children across the country since 2013.

The showcase will feature three Scottish FLL teams: Gailleann Eanchainn (GE) from Edinburgh, The Super Scotty Bears (SSB) from Fife, the Little Lauder Lego Legends (LLLL) from the Scottish Borders snd the West Linton Wasps.


Gailleann Eanchainn

The Super Scotty Bears


Little Lauder Lego Legends

West Linton Wasps

The first three are fresh from competing at the IET's UK and Ireland FLL Final where they did Scotland proud. GE narrowly missed out on making the robot knock-out rounds and SSB and LLLL both won Judges' Awards for Excellence. They are now gearing up to represent the UK at the FLL European Championships to be held in Denmark this May!

The West Linton Wasps won the FLL UK Final last year; the phone above shows MP Nicky Morgan and BBC's Fran Scott presented them with their trophy.

You are invited to come raise a glass to the talented youngsters and hear how FLL has inspired them and how the BCS has supported them. Come revel in robotics as we watch how their incredible robot creations have tackled this season's intricate missions.

About the speakers

Laura Meikle is the driving force establishing Lambda Jam, after lamenting the fact that the FLL contest stopped in Scotland many years ago. While completing her PhD at the University of Edinburgh (Informatics), she became active in science enrichment, including mathematical tours of the Royal Mile for the Edinburgh Science Festival and Informatics Open Days for schools, and saw a need for more such programmes.

Laura has run Lambda Jam since 2013. Previously, she worked in positions including university-level CS course development and teaching and as a market researcher. She lives in the country with her partner, two children, nine computers, and approximately six thousand lego bricks.


Fiona McNeill is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University and chair of the Computing in Schools working group in the RSE Young Academy of Scotland. She has been running the First Lego League (FLL) Scotland, in collaboration with Lambda Jam, since 2014, reaching thousands of children across Scotland and working with teachers and engineers to support robotics and programming learning in schools.

Her research interests are focussed on automated data interpretation and integration from both mono- and multi-lingual data sources, particularly during emergency response situations.



Professor Sethu Vijayakumar is the Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics. His latest project (2016) involves a collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Centre on the Valkyrie humanoid robot being prepared for unmanned robotic missions to Mars. Sethu is a keen science communicator and in recent years, has been active in many outreach events to engage with the general public and children on all things science and engineering. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the winner of the 2015 Tam Dalyell Prize for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science. He was involved with the launch of the BBC micro:bit coding initiative but most people will recognize him as one of the judges on the latest series of the BBC's Robot Wars.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-celebration-of-the-first-lego-league-in-scotland-tickets-33003478292?aff=Tech

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-celebration-of-the-first-lego-league-in-scotland-tickets-33003478292?aff=Tech

Tue 18th Apr 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 18th Apr 2017 8:30pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

Wed 29th Mar 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 29th Mar 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

Wearables That Snitch on Us

The BCS Edinburgh Branch Sidney Michaelson Memorial Lecture (about Sidney Michaelson)

In partnership with the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Monday 3rd April 2017, 17:30 - 18:30

Speaker: Dr Paul Patras, The University of Edinburgh

Venue: Main Hall, Summerhall, Summerhall Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1QH.

Tickets for this event must be purchased from the EISF here ...

Synopsis

Over 250 million activity tracking wristbands, smart watches and personal health monitors will be in use by 2020. But given the rapid pace at which new wearables are launched and the predominantly wireless communications with their users, privacy concerns arise. Join expert in wireless networks Dr Paul Patras as he discusses the surveillance risks to which wearables are exposed, the challenges of preserving user privacy and some simple steps that could be taken to avoid tracking...

About the speaker


Dr Paul Patras is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) and Chancellor's Fellow in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Institute for Computing Systems Architecture (ICSA). He is also affiliated to the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Pervasive Parallelism and the Informatics Security & Privacy group. Previously, he was a research fellow at the Hamilton Institute of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Between 2007–2011 he was a research assistant at IMDEA Networks (Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Networks) and in 2010 was a visiting researcher in the Networks Group at Rice University, Houston, USA.

Dr Paul Patras holds a Ph.D. and a M.Sc. in Telematics Engineering from University Carlos III of Madrid, and a Dipl.Eng. degree from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Dr Paul Patras' research seeks to bridge the gap between fundamental mathematical models and real-world applications of computer networks. He focuses on problems related to performance optimisation in wireless networks, network protocols and architectures, mobile traffic analysis, security and privacy, prototyping and test beds.

https://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/bcs-sidney-michaelson-memorial-lecture-wearables-that-snitch-on-us

https://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/bcs-sidney-michaelson-memorial-lecture-wearables-that-snitch-on-us

Mon 3rd Apr 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

Mon 3rd Apr 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

User Behaviour Analytics (UBA) in Cyber Security

Wednesday 5th April 2017, 6:00 pm.
Speaker: Matt Little - CTO, ZoneFox
Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.
Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.
This meeting is supported by NCR



Synopsis

Insiders – they’re the one thing that we all have in our businesses. Whether we are talking about employees, contractors or partners, you need to know that your confidential data, intellectual property and your customer’s personal data is secure.
Signatures are old hat and just don’t work. Rules describe your company but you can’t define rules to cover every possible threat scenario.

Learn about the new approach of User Behaviour Analytics (UBA) and how it can be used to spot unusual and potentially dangerous user behaviour – even those behaviours which you hadn’t considered as risky.


Attend this BCS meeting and learn about using User Behaviour Analytics to:

• Harness the power of machine learning to automatically spot unusual behaviours
• Use peer group behaviour to highlight users of real concern
• Discover how quickly you can investigate the detail of concerning behaviour once it has been highlighted
• Spot potential leavers before they hand in their notice!

About the speaker

Matt joined ZoneFox in November 2013 as Chief Technical Officer (CTO).
He is responsible for understanding the rapidly evolving cyber security threat landscape, understanding the needs of ZoneFox's global customer base, and delivering the ZoneFox solution to meet these needs. Prior to joining ZoneFox, Matt spent 15 years in hi-tech software, consultancy and financial services.
Matt has a BSc Honours degree in Computer Science from the University of St Andrews and is a professional member of the BCS.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/user-behaviour-analytics-uba-in-cyber-security-tickets-32742550851?aff=Optech

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/user-behaviour-analytics-uba-in-cyber-security-tickets-32742550851?aff=Optech

Wed 5th Apr 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 5th Apr 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION: A GENTLE INTRODUCTION

DESCRIPTION
Quantum Key Distribution: a gentle introduction
Speaker: Prof Alan Woodward, University of Surrey
Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.
Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.
Synopsis
The potential arrival of quantum computers poses a threat to the most common public key encryption system in use today. However, quantum principles can be employed to create systems that allow theoretically secure key exchange schemes. In this talk we give a gentle introduction to how and why quantum key distribution works, plus we explore some of the implementation difficulties and how they affect the security of the schemes. Practical schemes are described and some of the exciting, near developments in the field are described. The talk hopes to equip the audience to consider the question of whether quantum based encryption schemes are the answer to the threat posed by quantum computers.
About the speaker

Alan began as a physicist. However, he developed an interest in computing early on through signal processing for gamma ray burst detectors, and so switched to engineering after his BSc. His post graduate research at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), University of Southampton, was in signal processing and novel methods of noise cancellation, both passive and active.
After leaving the ISVR Alan worked for the UK government for many years. He has particular expertise in, and continues to conduct research into, cyber security, covert communications, forensic computing and image/signal processing. Alan has been involved in some of the most significant advances in computer technology which have seen him elected as a Fellow and chartered member of the British Computer Society, Institute of Physics and the Royal Statistical Society.
In addition to his academic and government work, Alan has run businesses focussed on various aspects of Information Technology (IT). In 2000 Alan was pivotal in the flotation of Charteris plc on the London Stock Exchange. He remained a director until 2008 at which point he began to focus back on his academic interests. Alan continues to be a director on businesses involved in IT as well as advising them organisations such as Europol. He is also Associate Editor of The Journal of Cyber Security Technology, and The Journal of Information Security & Applications.
Although Alan has been at the leading edge of technology development for many years, he particularly enjoys trying to explain ideas he has been researching. He not only publishes in the academic and trade journals but has articles in the national press and comments on TV and radio.
Alan is very active on social media and he can be reached at the following:
Twitter: @profwoodward
Blog: http://www.profwoodward.org
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/woodwardalan

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/quantum-key-distribution-a-gentle-introduction-tickets-32741995189?aff=Optech

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/quantum-key-distribution-a-gentle-introduction-tickets-32741995189?aff=Optech

Mon 27th Mar 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Mon 27th Mar 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

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No

Yes

BCS Past, Present and Future

Wednesday 1st March 2017, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Ray Long FBCS CITP CEng, BCS President

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis

Why did you join the BCS? How has it helped you during your career? What contribution could you make as it evolves to meet the challenges of 2017 and beyond? Drawing on his own 35 year history with the BCS, this year's President Ray Long will lead a discussion on where the Institute has come from, how it is currently positioning itself to take the lead in making IT good for society, and how, at a time when a younger generation requires a different type of service from its professional bodies, it can develop during the years ahead to meet this need. Ray will consider our current strategy, challenges and areas of interest, as well as the theme for his Presidential year of driving up the success rate of IT projects. As the BCS celebrates its 60th anniversary, please come prepared not just to listen, but also to make your views known, as we debate the issues which will determine the success of our next 60 years and beyond.

About the speaker


Ray Long joined the UK Senior Civil Service when moving to the Department of Health in 1997, before his appointment as IT Director at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1999.

He became CEO of the Northern Ireland Business Development Service in 2004 before serving as Programme Director for the nationwide NHS Choose and Book service and Major Projects Director in the Cabinet Office. He joined HMRC as Director of Business Tax Change in 2010, before becoming Director of Corporate Services Change in 2013.

In 2014 he joined the Department for Work and Pensions, initially with responsibility for that organisation's Infrastructure Modernisation Programme and, more recently, as Director of Technology Platforms. Ray has also been an Associate Lecturer with the Open University since 1993, delivering programmes on leadership and strategy in the UK and internationally. He is a graduate of the Government’s Major Projects Leadership Academy.

A Chartered Fellow of the BCS, Chartered Engineer and Chartered Director, Ray served as Vice-Chair of the BCS’s Policy and Public Affairs Board between 2012-15, after being a member of that Board since 2010, and as a member of its External Relations Board from 2007-09. He has been a member of various Technology / UK IT Industry Awards Investigatory / Judging Panels since 2003.

A Freeman of the City of London, Ray also serves on the Court of the Information Technologists’ City Livery Company, chairing that organisation’s Government Panel, and is a Fellow of the Association for Project Management, the Chartered Management Institute, the Institute of Directors, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Royal Society of Arts, and an Associate Member of the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bcs-past-present-and-future-tickets-32270501940?aff=Tech

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bcs-past-present-and-future-tickets-32270501940?aff=Tech

Wed 1st Mar 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 1st Mar 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

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No

Yes

Deleted!

Deleted!

2017 and Beyond

This December we are doing something a little different, in a joint event with BCSWomen Scotland, BCS Edinburgh branch will be discussing and reflecting on how we could be even better, so we would like to invite you for festive drinks on Wednesday 7th December to help shape our future so that it is relevant to you.
Our event will be at Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh, Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB. Doors will open at 6pm.
So for a chance to influence strategy and look at maximising your professional development in 2017 come along to Edinburgh Informatics!

Synopsis

The countdown to the festive season has begun, so to celebrate we will put on our usual fare, with the addition of wine to celebrate a great year of free BCS events. In this joint event we will be talking about the top technical and professional skills employers are looking for and what teams of future may look like as well as gathering views and feedback on some current topics and capturing your ideas for events in the coming year.
After a brief introduction from the organisers, and from Rebecca Hastings from Spring who will talk about the future need for skills, we'll have an open format to share ideas, wants and needs, all over a glass of wine, beer, soft drink. We want to know what topics are close to your heart, who are the people you'd like to hear from, the activities and programmes you'd like us to be involved in and even that which you are fed up of hearing about!
For those who are interested in BCS Voices, we'll also have a couple of conversations to share ideas about "Making IT Good for Society" and our role in the challenges posed by Education, Capability, Personal Data and Health and Care.
BCS Voices - As part of a drive initiated by the BCS we will be looking to capture your feedback on a couple of topics to help the society position itself to positively support and guide the industry. The topic we will focus on will be Education. With not enough IT teachers etc coupled with a lack of understanding with some head teachers how can we develop a community to give young people access to development opportunities within IT?

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bcs-edinburgh-and-bcswomen-scotland-free-event-2017-and-beyond-tickets-29432592677?aff=techcal

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bcs-edinburgh-and-bcswomen-scotland-free-event-2017-and-beyond-tickets-29432592677?aff=techcal

Thu 7th Dec 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 7th Dec 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

2017 and Beyond

This December we are doing something a little different, in a joint event with BCSWomen Scotland, BCS Edinburgh branch will be discussing and reflecting on how we could be even better, so we would like to invite you for festive drinks on Wednesday 7th December to help shape our future so that it is relevant to you.

Our event will be at Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh, Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB. Doors will open at 6pm.

So for a chance to influence strategy and look at maximising your professional development in 2017 come along to Edinburgh Informatics!
Synopsis

The countdown to the festive season has begun, so to celebrate we will put on our usual fare, with the addition of wine to celebrate a great year of free BCS events. In this joint event we will be talking about the top technical and professional skills employers are looking for and what teams of future may look like as well as gathering views and feedback on some current topics and capturing your ideas for events in the coming year.

After a brief introduction from the organisers, and from Rebecca Hastings from Spring who will talk about the future need for skills, we'll have an open format to share ideas, wants and needs, all over a glass of wine, beer, soft drink. We want to know what topics are close to your heart, who are the people you'd like to hear from, the activities and programmes you'd like us to be involved in and even that which you are fed up of hearing about!

For those who are interested in BCS Voices, we'll also have a couple of conversations to share ideas about "Making IT Good for Society" and our role in the challenges posed by Education, Capability, Personal Data and Health and Care.

BCS Voices - As part of a drive initiated by the BCS we will be looking to capture your feedback on a couple of topics to help the society position itself to positively support and guide the industry.

The topic we will focus on will be Education. With not enough IT teachers etc coupled with a lack of understanding with some head teachers how can we develop a community to give young people access to development opportunities within IT?

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bcs-edinburgh-and-bcswomen-scotland-free-event-2017-and-beyond-tickets-29432592677?aff=website

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bcs-edinburgh-and-bcswomen-scotland-free-event-2017-and-beyond-tickets-29432592677?aff=website

Thu 7th Dec 2017 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 7th Dec 2017 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

Enterprise Architecture – What Is It Actually?

Enterprise Architecture – What Is It Actually?

Tuesday 8th November 2016, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Samuel B Holcman, Pinnacle Business Group

Venue: Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, 16 St. Mary’s Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SU

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

Refreshments are being sponsored by Samuel Holcman, the Chairman of the Pinnacle Business Group, Inc., the Managing Director of the Enterprise Architecture Center Of Excellence (EACOE), and the Business Architecture Center Of Excellence (BACOE), and the President of the Zachman Institute for Framework Advancement (ZIFA). He is considered the practitioners practitioner in Enterprise Architecture and Business Architecture, and the leading implementer and world-wide educator and trainer in Enterprise Architecture and Business Architecture methodologies and techniques.

The concepts of what is now referred to as Enterprise Architecture were first formulated in 1966 (yes 1966). As we all know, one of the great things about the internet, is that anyone can write anything about anything. One of the problems about the internet, is that anyone can write anything about anything! Earlier this year, we have entered, what we refer to as Enterprise Architecture 3.0 – reestablishing the focus first described in 1966.

This presentation will provide an understanding of where Enterprise Architecture begin, where it is, and where it is heading. Defined will be the four pillars of holistic Enterprise Architecture: (1) a Framework, (2) a Methodology, (3) Architecture Models, and (4) Implementation Models. The intent of this presentation is to provide a context, both for the seasoned practitioner and other interested parties, with a context of what is being done today, and what true business benefits Enterprise Architecture can provide.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/enterprise-architecture-what-is-it-actually-tickets-28885083061?aff=techcal

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/enterprise-architecture-what-is-it-actually-tickets-28885083061?aff=techcal

Tue 8th Nov 2016 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 8th Nov 2016 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

Swift for the Curious

Wednesday 5th October 2016, 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Phil Nash, JetBrains.

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis

Swift – Apple’s new programming language – has just turned two years old - and is already at Version 3.0. It has significantly evolved in that timeand is now fully open-sourced! It’s had one of the fastest adoptions of any new language ever (for reasons we’ll discuss) and has been turning the world of Apple development - and beyond - on its head.

But what’s special about it? How does it stack up against other modern languages? Is it a functional language, as some seem to suggest? Does it have any unique features? Should you care about it at all if you are not in the Apple eco-system (or even if you are)? We’ll look at answers to at all these questions and get a flavour of the language itself.

About the speaker


Phil is a developer advocate at JetBrains for their Swift, Objective-C and C++ tools: AppCode, CLion and Resharper C++, having previously working in as diverse fields as finance, agile coaching and iOS development. A long-time C++ developer he also has his feet in Swift, Objective-C, F# and C# - as well as dabbling in other languages. He is the author of several open source projects - most notably Catch: a C++ and Objective-C test framework.

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/swift-for-the-curious-tickets-27878968746?aff=techcalendar

Wed 5th Oct 2016 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 5th Oct 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

Finding Your Perfect Weather with Apache Spark and Docker: a recipe for a successful hackathon

BCS Edinburgh Branch is pleased to offer this free event, open to all.

No registration required - just turn up!

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

This meeting is supported by NCR.

Synopsis

This presentation tells a story of a hackathon where mixing a cool idea with the latest technologies has resulted in the grand prize and the fan favourite award of the IBM Sparkathon with nearly 600 participants.
It will describe the key technologies used and how they were effectively combined in the context of the Bluemix platform. Additionally, it will present a recipe for a successful hackathon.
My Perfect Weather service: http://myperfectweather.eu.
Hackathon project: http://devpost.com/software/my-perfect-weather.
About the speaker

Radek Ostrowski is an independent software engineer with an academic background in high-performance computing. He specializes in building scalable real-time data collection and predictive analytics platforms. He has worked at EPCC, University of Edinburgh in data-related projects, contributed to the success of a game's startup - DeltaDNA, co-built super-scalable backend for PlayStation 4 at Sony and started Docker revolution at Tesco Bank. He is currently working with Spark, Scala and Docker for US-based startups.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/radekostrowski

WHEN
Wednesday, 1 June 2016 from 18:00 to 20:00 (BST)

WHERE
Informatics Forum - 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB - View Map

http://www.edinburgh.bcs.org/events/2016/160601.htm

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/finding-your-perfect-weather-with-apache-spark-and-docker-a-recipe-for-a-successful-hackathon-tickets-25380214906?aff=BCS

Wed 1st Jun 2016 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Wed 1st Jun 2016 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

Deleted!