Hacking the Hackathon
What Stack Overflow WON’T teach you
Ideas are valuable, not just as a form of self-expression, but also as the first step of more to come. Whether it be using Fourier series to learn how to draw anything or even just playing Super Smash Bros. with a Kinect, ideas
come in many forms and mediums. But with any brilliant idea comes the same series of questions. “How do I do this? Where do I get started? Who can I ask for help? Is this even possible?” It is at MHacks that these questions are answered.
Hackathons focus on the art of “hacking”, the action of pushing boundaries and creating new things. MHacks is no different. With each MHacks comes a new wave of innovative, impressive, and sometimes silly inventions. Some creations manage to claim the top prizes while others manage to bring in plenty of laughs. However, regardless of the design and intent, every
hacker has a similar goal: to make something. And while it is true that hackathons provide a great amount of resources and opportunities to start making that highly-addictive social media networking app you’ve always dreamed about, it can be very easy to get overwhelmed by the flood of things happening around you for 30+ hours. To help, here’s a short list of tips I’ve amassed over the last few Mhacks that could help you make the most out of your hacking experience.
1. A whole new world
Though it isn’t strange to hear people break out in song or dance parties when programming late into the night, these occurrences are just another bullet on the list of “normal” occurrences you should expect to see. The list of “normal” occurrences also contains company tech talks, live development tutorials, and free development kit rentals. (E.g. Oculus Rift, Myo Armband, Pebble Smartwatch) It’s not hard to encounter something you haven’t seen before, but if an API or piece of hardware catches your interest don’t be hesitant to take the plunge and try to develop something with it. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing there will definitely be someone or something you can find to help walk you through the process so you’re not completely in the dark.
2. Hack together
What’s better than not knowing what you’re doing? Not knowing what you’re doing with other people! In all seriousness, hackathons serve as a great place for like-minded people from many backgrounds to pool their resources together and make something unique. Need a graphic designer, web developer, or game developer? Or do you want to join a team working on an interesting project? Just ask around. Having this many talented students, mentors, and even company representatives gathered in one place, it would be a shame to not meet new people.
3. Yes, it’s free.
While the free earbuds, t-shirts, and Google Cardboards are a definite plus, the companies are there to support rising hackers. In other words, they want to help you use whatever they’re offering to the best of their ability — providing information, advice, and tech. Also, it’s never a bad thing to connect with more people.
4. When in doubt, Google
You’ve decided on an idea and now it’s time to tackle the nuts and bolts of it. A lot of the time when you’re fixing problem after problem with your team, there won’t be a mentor nearby when progress hits a roadblock. You’d be surprised what a quick series of Google searches can solve and how much time it can save when compared to scouring the crowds for a mentor and then waiting in line to ask your question.
5. Senpai will notice you
Every so often there are issues that Google CAN’T solve. Either the issue is way too specific to your team’s project or the problem itself is difficult to identify. Whatever the scenario, there are veteran hackers who have devoted their time and experience to helping teams conquer these roadblocks. There’s plenty of info provided by MHacks that can direct you to the mentor your team needs. Asking these mentors for help could not only crush those seemingly impossible bugs but also help you learn more about your project.
6. Challenge Accepted
When it’s four in the morning and you’re stuck on a bug, it can be tempting to throw in the towel. But remember that no impressive hack is without at least a little hardship. Go for a walk. Take a nap. Drink something. Do what it takes to regroup your thoughts and tackle the issue again (possibly from a different angle). No hack is truly done until the hacker says so.
7. Keep calm and stay relatively healthy
Sometimes you’ll walk into an empty room only to realize that literally everyone is just sleeping under their worktable. This is perfectly normal. Conversely, you may walk into an empty room only to realize that everyone left to have a massive snowball fight at 2 AM.
In short, you have 30+ hours to do what you want. Consider bringing a sleeping bag and toothbrush because good sleep and hygiene will definitely
benefit you greatly. It’s up to you whether you want to sacrifice any one of these to keep punching away at your project. Though, not getting enough sleep could make your hackathon experience very stressful and even hamper productivity. Just remember, pulling that all-nighter won’t necessarily make your project be the best it can be. On another note, drink lots of fluids!
8. Fun for everyone!
Bugs will come and go. Tensions will rise and fall. But all in all, hackathons are meant to be fun and inspiring. No one wants to spend 30+ hours angrily jabbing at their keyboard; this goes the same for everyone at MHacks. Many people want to come, eat free food, get free stuff, meet new people, come up with ideas, and make ideas into reality. Be a good sport about it and others will too.
At the end of the day(s), MHacks embraces the spirit of having no idea what you’re doing but still doing it anyway. For example, my entire team became Android developers overnight. You don’t necessarily NEED loads of skills to have a worthwhile MHacks experience. Cool ideas create cool hacks. If you’re willing to take the time to commit and learn a new skill, you’ll make something worth being proud of. Good luck, have fun!
