So, Laracon USA was only a few days ago, if you haven’t had chance to watch it check out Day 1 and Day 2

Talks

There were many epic talks, and to be honest, I won’t go over each one. But there was a lot learned, such as how to prompt AI better, and to take note of when you feel the code pushing back, and of course AI itself! That said, let us be wary that using AI doesn’t NECESSARILY mean we learn faster. Also, let’s not forget “Cleverness Is A Loan” - every abstraction you make, makes it more difficult for the next dev who has to go through the code.

Meeting people

I saw sooooo many people whose faces I know from the internet… Big man Taylor Otwell, Mathias Hansen of Geocodio, “mortal enemy” Luke Kuzmish, Andy Hinkle, Caleb White and Andrew Mast to name a few (If I missed your name its nothing personal just cant name everyone!). I also got to meet many of the Laravel staff team, which is always cool. I realised I’m kind of an introvert - I guess mainly because I work remotely - but come and speak to me and I open up! I also got to speak to a lot of US companies and other developers I don’t know, whether that was companies introducing themselves, discussions around Planetscale, how to do a PR, or generally what people are using Laravel for. It was all awesome conversations.

Me and Taylor Otwell

USA, USA!

I used Laracon as an excuse to take some holiday, and also took the Mrs. It was my first time in the States, and one of the longest flights of my life (I’m a pretty bad flyer). But Boston was awesome. I think I’d definitely go back - I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that a Big Gulp is $1.75 for like a litre. I got to eat all the food we don’t get over here: Cheesecake Factory, Raising Cane’s… and Jersey Mike’s. I must say the food was pretty good, though everything feels way more expensive compared to here in the UK.

Jersey Mikes

Obsession

I find when I go on holiday I need to see what the team back in England are doing, and find myself dipping in and leaving a few comments here and there. It’s the same for the Laravel Framework - one of the nights I found myself sorting a Monolog issue, which I probably could have left for someone else to pick up. I guess my thinking is, if not me, then who else? Though I did try to refrain! I guess this is just a note to say I did actually enjoy the holiday and Laracon.

Me on stage

Takeaways

  • AI is a big, big thing, and TBH it seems 90% of people use it
  • Although we are in the age of AI, we should really spend time considering our approach
  • Probably go to the US again at some point? (Surprisingly it was fun!)
  • Spend more time at booths speaking to people rather than sitting waiting for the next talk for an hour