It’s officially fall, and the tech industry in Chicago has turned up the dial on workshops and events. Learn about game design or Ruby at Dev Bootcamp’s new location, pick a panel at Chicago Ideas Week or pop into Tech While Black, Microsoft or Digital Accessibility for great discussion on today’s trendiest tech topics. These are some of the best tech events happening in October:
Digital Accessibility Lightning Talks. How do we make the digital world more accessible to many different kinds of people with different abilities? In this series of 15-minute talks, learn about color contrast theory, how games bring people together and the automation revolution. (Critical Mass, 225 N Michigan Suite 2050, October 5, 6–8pm. Free)
Game Development Principles: From Mario Kart to Monopoly. Have you ever wondered how games are designed? What makes one game fun and another boring? How do you balance collaboration and competition? This is a two-hour, hands-on workshop exploring (and then designing) games at Dev Bootcamp’s new campus. (Dev Bootcamp, 1033 W Van Buren Suite 300, October 6, 6:30pm. Free)
Tech While Black: Technically Speaking. Join Tech While Black at Jellyvision’s beautiful office for an evening of demos of new projects, networking for technologists of color, and tips and tricks for career growth. Email team@techwhileblack.com if you want to pitch your project as one of the evening’s demos. (Jellyvision, 848 W Eastman Suite 104, October 13, 6–8pm. Free)
What’s Ruby All About? Curious about Ruby, that oft-cited but oft-unexplained coding language? This beginner-friendly workshop will introduce you to Ruby basics. Bring a laptop and your curiosity to Dev Bootcamp, the 19-week coding program. (Dev Bootcamp, 1033 W Van Buren Suite 300, October 18, 6:30pm. Free)
Chicago Ideas Week, Humanity + Technology: What’s At Stake? Chicago Ideas Week has a wide range of speakers, but for the technically minded, this is the panel that can’t be missed. Hear from United States Chief Technical Officer Megan Smith as she, and we, grapple with the future. (Cadillac Palace Theater, 151 W. Randolph, October 19th, noon–1:30pm, $15 online)
Open Sourcing Microsoft. As Microsoft continues to expand their empire, how do they embrace the collaborative concepts of open source software? How far have they come, and what’s next? This event is part of the monthly Tech in Motion series. (Make Offices, 1 N State St, October 20, 6pm Free.)