Episode 66 - Vicky Twomey-Lee
Show Notes
Transcript
Paul
Welcome to The CircuitPython Show. I'm your host, Paul Cutler. This episode, I welcome Vicki Twomey-Lee.
She is an Irish Pythonista advocating diversity in tech and runs regular PyLadies Dublin events. It was through Python that she got involved with the Irish tech community in 2005. She is a EuroPython Society Fellow, PSF Fellow, and Community Service Awardee.
She's a co-founder of Coding Grace an Irish nonprofit advocating diversity in tech through workshops, collaborations with other like-minded organizations, speaking engagements, and regular newsletters. She's also a co-founder of GameCraft, an Irish nonprofit, bringing creative minds together by running game jams under one roof. Vicky, welcome to the show.
Vicky Twomey-Lee
Thanks for having me.
Paul
How did you first get started with computers and electronics?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
I think I thanked my dad for that when I was. about six or seven years old when he brought back the very first Nintendo Games console called the Famicom, the Nintendo Famicom back in 1984. So I loved playing video games and then my dad was a big techie as well.
So as I grew up, he talked tech about computers, even building computers. So even when we looked at family computers and building them, he let me, you know, talked about how we, we can build all the bits and pieces and brought me to all the computer shops. Well, there's only one where I used to live back then in the late 80s. So computers are very expensive back then.
And I think my earliest, earliest memory before that was when we used to live above our family restaurants. And my dad was in front of when I was really young. So I thought it was like a TV.
But it was all I woke up in the middle of night and I saw this green glow off his face. And I heard this tick. tick, tick, and he's tapping on this chunky keyboard.
He's a click, clack, click, click, cock, but this tape going. I didn't know what all that was until I got, oh, those are like tapes and all that like, or not even tapes, probably a humongous floppy disk as well. He got me into, got me interested in it after like, because talking geek and tech was a lot of fun, especially, you know, he keeps bringing back lots of techie goods from his travels.
And, yeah, and as I got into college, you know, you put in an extra phone line from me, so I can go online, which is just at the start of the internet back then. So, yeah, it was very, very supportive with me in that area.
Paul
You've been involved in the Python community for many years. How did that all start?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
I think back my first job, we actually started using Python internally to help improve our work processes. As all coders do, we like to try and make life easier for ourselves. And it was a relatively new language, but we came across a meetup group that just started that year as well.
So we, of course, went and met other people who are using this language called Python. What people are using it for, because we were using for mainly scripting and seeing, you know, and we met in this small pub and everyone was excited about and talking about it. And I'll think of it, yes, we're in Ireland.
I'm based in Ireland, so we're in an Irish pub, dark one. And we're all huddled around this tiny laptop because you can imagine back in 2004, 2005, you know, we don't have the screens are not that great. And it was before all meetups and stuff.
But yeah, that's how I got into Python was basically through work, trying to find ways to improve our internal processes and workflow, which you did quite a lot and was very easy to implement that. And then finding others then. And I was very lucky to be there at the very beginning.
seeing all the people who are using Python though in the early days in the community here in Ireland. So yeah, that's pretty much the early days.
Paul
How has the community grown over the years?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
It's grown quite a lot because the first few years was literally a core of us going to the pub every month. And an amazing meetup group would be less than 20 and are we an amazing talk. But when we, I remember one meetup, We got a huge lecture hall in Trinity College on the art side.
It was a hall for about 200 people. When you have 20 people sitting in a hall of tour, it's kind of, it makes for, you know, it's kind of, I feel sorry for the speaker anyway, you know, but we decided to say, can we just get a classroom next time? It was easier.
But from then, when the first few years, it was just a core of us. And then when we decided to run Pike on Ireland, it grew, it just grew from, it just grew from, it doubled and doubled and doubled. And at one stage when I was running Python Ireland, it got up to nearly 100 people in a meetup, which was quite big.
And because I was running the regular meetups, I was able to spot all the regulars and then all the new people. And I know what it feels like to be that new person and not knowing anyone and standing in the corner and saying, should I be here? So as a host, of course, as an organizer, and I felt like I had to be a good host.
I'll try and make sure. Before the whole Pac-Man thing came along, I didn't realize it was a thing. So I just try and pull the person along and say, hey, talk to this group of people.
You know, we're all cool here, all like Python. But yeah, it grew tremendously from a small core. And then once when we had the conference, it just suddenly everyone's coming out of woodwork.
And then as more and more people started at Dot Python, yeah, it just the meetups sort of just kept on being that kept growing. More people are interested in talking about the topics, and the conference was getting sold out every single year, which is great. I stopped chairing the conference the first four years.
I was just burning out at that stage. But it was a community event run by community members, so the next crew took over, and now it's kind of expanded. So it's great to see the community is still living, kicking after so many years since 2004, I think.
Paul
I wanted to follow up on something you just mentioned, which is one of my favorite things about the Python community, and that is the Pac-Man concept that you just mentioned in passing. For those that it might not have been to a Python conference or have done the hallway track, when you say Pac-Man, what are you referring to?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
So when you go to events, you notice that people are talk, when we normally group in a circle. And when you're on the outside, not knowing anyone, and you're trying to jump into a conversation, it's hard to break that circle because you don't want to interrupt or be rude. So for the Pac-Man circle The Pac-Man kind of came around was the shape of the Pac-Man with the mouth open So you leave a spot open Beside you And so someone who might be walking by Or want to jump in that they can actually slip in And join the conversation So I think that's making it more open for someone And not feel, I don't know I'm interested in this Or I don't know what they're talking about What's the, you know So it's a more friendlier way Without having to say, sorry, can I join in and see what's going on.
And I think it's a great, great concept. And I didn't realize we were all doing it. Someone just put a name to it.
That's all.
Paul
It is a great concept, which is why I wanted to ask about it.
Vicky Twomey-Lee
Yeah. It's really hard, especially when groups get very big and you're going to, and especially when there's a group that has been running for quite a long time, and you notice that people start forming friendships and they talk to each other and they think get very animated. And you don't know if it's an inside joke or what are you talking about or, you know, should I be in there interrupting their, you know, they're all friendly with each other and you're an outsider.
So this is a great way, like, is not just for conferences, definitely for meetups as well. But generally, everything, if you decide, I think any social kind of gathering, you know, people end up just forming circles when they talk, but it's just really hard for someone to just join a conversation. I think, you know, this is one easy way to be mindful and just let someone join.
Unless you're the one that said, come on, come on, join, you pull them in.
Paul
Sure. You're one of the organizers of a workshop, an introduction to Python and electronics that uses CircuitPython. How did the opportunity to create the workshop come about?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
So we've been running workshops for quite a number of years now. So introductory to intermediate kind of Python are various different languages. And we've done electronics, introduction to Raspberry Pi's, for instance, e-textiles, games and Unity and all that.
So this opportunity came around when I saw the local city council here in Dublin. They have community fund for informal adult education. And I said, OK, I'll just see if I can apply and see if I get funding.
And to be eligible for it, you have to run minimum five sessions about one and a half, two hours each. So we decided like with all that experience of running workshops on the past, can we make something that can build on that knowledge one after the other? And hopefully someone can actually go and be confident enough to go and make a project with Python and CircuitPython.
Because there has been people being, you know, not quite sure about doing electronics workshops because they don't, they're terrified of soldering or soldering, depending on how you sometimes it. And people are kind of afraid of things, kind of shorting out and causing fires or things like that. or other people might be unsure about coding as well.
So when you put both of them together, you know, it is kind of scary. So we're trying to lower the barrier to learn about electronics and learn Python as well. And if you know Python and they've, you know, played around electronics with Python, it's one way of, you know, pulling them both together.
Especially if we have people in a workshop who has worked with Arduino as well. So it's not. So we have one or two who know a little bit of electronics.
So it's suitable for everyone, for beginners, because everyone's learning something new, and they're sharing their experiences with each other. And that's the whole point. It's a very hands-on workshop.
So that's what we like. We like to bring everyone in person. It's not remote because it's really hard to teach something like this remote.
We're still talking about you. We have an overhead camera to actually show people where to plug in electronics, you know, because the bread bars are so small. And my eyesight is not getting as good anymore.
So never mind people sitting from afar. So the opportunity came around to fund the especially the electronics part because that's the most expensive part of it. Then we were very lucky that I've been hosted by the Digital Hub before as well.
They're hosting us in one of the rooms called the Learning Studios. So it has all set up all the tables, you know, Wi-Fi, the internet, the power. And then you have the little shared coffee space downstairs, you know, all these kind of things.
So things were just falling in the place. So all I need to do was get electronics, get it covered by the fun thing as much as I could, and then work on the content and promote it to get people to come along. And specifically opening the doors to everyone, especially in the underrepresented community.
So that's what the initiative is under the, it's under the non-profit, an Irish nonprofit, myself and my husband and a friend co-founded, specifically teaching coding or running events and workshops, but mostly advocating diversity in tech. One of the ways is running workshops, engaging people, trying to see what way to make an impact with people. So this workshop came along.
We said, yeah, let's try and do a course and see what happens and see what interests there are with it. So, yeah.
Paul
Well, that's great. What will they learn across the five different workshops that they attend?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
It starts and steps. It's gently easing them into electronics. So we introduced them to electronics.
what is a circuit through paper circuits. And then the next one would be basing the eye, what they learned from paper circuits. They will use their breadboards and electronic components and build up their simple circuits and their parallel circuits and the switches.
And then the third week will be introduction to Pico and how to flash it, how to use it with your editor, which we're using Thani. We gently get them to learn how to use Python and interact with electronics. And the following week then, we're doing even more hands-on activities based on, again, the previous sessions on when they're putting the circuits together with electronic components.
But using CircuitPython to pull in that data and trying to see the logs coming out or do something with it. And we have other bits of bobs that people feel like they're confident enough to do more stuff, they can experiment as well. So we're giving them the building blocks little by little, so they're not afraid of circuits. They're not afraid of poking stuff all over the place and pulling them out of breadboards and why is this not working?
And just problem solving on the breadboards. And it's only with LEDs, so you're grand. You know, it's a, it's a, it's a, you turn us, you, you, you push your button and things light up or not light up. So it's not high voltage type stuff. It's pretty, safe, but it's enough to give them information. So they say, oh, yeah, I can look at that. I can build on that when I go home. I have a project in mind. And that's the whole thing about this was I hope to see and find out what kind of projects they do after these sessions. And the final one, of course, is building on all the foundations of the circuits and electronics and Python and CircuitPython. We have some custom PCB kind of controllers with, so four buttons on each PCB board and you wire them up, no solidary involved by the people participating.
They learn how to wire so they know how it works from the wiring, how they connect it. And then they connect that to a pico, then to their laptop, so it acts like an input device. And they can hopefully play some games once they implement the Sucker Python library for it.
And then they can modify it, depending on what games they want to play. They can modify the controller. Controllers only has four buttons each, so there's only so much they could do.
But it gives an idea of this is a game, looks like a game card controller, but it could be an alternative controller to something. So that is kind of another initial idea. That was kind of area that I'm really interested in is the alternative game controllers.
So yeah, so at the end of sessions, hopefully they can actually not be afraid of just plugging stuff together, write code and see how things work, and then make something amazing.
Paul
What made CircuitPython the right fit for the workshop?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
We've been using CircuitPython on and off in our past workshops, and we just found that it was just very easy to just get going with CircuitPython. I don't know why we never really use MicroPython. I only use it with Microbits, but I never really use it.
I play around with a lot of Adafruit electronics and at one stage, I think one of my previous workshops, I was doing a show-and-tale as a maker somewhere, were in, I think it was a women in tech kind of event years ago. I was saying I want to talk about like the AtaFood stuff and the circuit playground expresses and they, I just want to show and tell. And I posted on social media and AidaFoot responded, you know, so like she and from their accounts and said, I'm going to send you a kit, a lunchbox kit with all the stuff.
I go, really? I still have it. It's like it's like my most prized profession.
I like bring to events. But it has all the stuff you need with the crocodile clips, all the electronic bits and has the poster of the circle, which is great because it has the circuit playground express information so I can just point to people and, you know, and just show all the different projects that I was porting, especially around then. It was during, I think it was around the COVID period as well, just after that.
I think it's before, I think it's just after that. I was just prepping all this stuff. No, it was just before.
It was just before. That peer is kind of an area where you kind of try to forget. Yes.
But yeah, so it's always been there with Circup Python with electronics with our events. I don't know why I chose that over MicroPython. It's maybe because we deal with a lot of the ATAF root stuff more than I would have done with microbits.
I do have microbits, but I don't really do many workshops with that. So, yeah, that's probably it.
Paul
One of the community partners for the workshop is PyLadies. For those who may not have heard of PyLadies, what is it?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
So it's actually a chapter of PyLadies. PyLadies is So PyLadies Global is a non-profit global association to help mentor and give a platform to women as well as other underrepresented communities in the Python community. Be it if you're in the industry, help them in the career, advise, or if you want to set up your own chapter, help build that community in your own local city or your content.
So for us here, I'm based in Dublin here in Ireland, so I launched Pi Ladies Dublin on the back. Of course, I was running regular Python-Ireland meetups from 2005 to 2016. But in my last tenure of being chair of Pike on Ireland, 2013, that's when I launched PyLadies, Dublin.
Because I saw that the meetup group was getting so big. And I saw there was still not many women and not many people like myself attending these huge meetups. And I still don't know why.
So I decided to take the opportunity to launch PyLadies Dublin and focus on a much smaller scale meetups, asking them what do they want? They don't always, apparently they don't always want too long talks with beer and pizza in the middle and the pub afterwards. They actually want to do a bit more coding, a bit more networking, but doesn't have to involve alcohol.
Unfortunately, pizza is still the cheapest thing we can provide it for food. So sometimes you can't avoid that. But people are just happy if you just have somewhere for them to get a glass of water and make their own tea coffee, which is a huge bonus for me. We're kind of trying to move away from the typical what a tech meetup is and try to make it nicer for people to go to, to learn, to meet, to ask those questions. It's not just about showing off the latest and greatest of everything. It's talking about why you love that technology. So for us, why you love Python and its related technologies? Why are you using it? On the side of that, you make friends.
You get opportunities opened up the doors to you. You get to hear the inside castle, I suppose, because you talk to so many people if you meet regularly and stuff. Yeah, so Pi ladies is a collective of Pythonistas from the underrepresented communities from around the world. And I think they just mainly want somewhere where we can have our own gathering where it's safe and inclusive and, you know, and also mentor each other as well, share experiences. So for me in Dublin, it's kind of, it's like that as well. It's forming a smaller group of people where I'm okay if it's less than 20 people turning up as long as we fit in a meeting room and people are not afraid. We don't have to do the Pac-Man thing at all because because we just see each other and people don't feel terrified are walking up and saying, hello, how are you?
And everyone's a bit more approachable because there's a lot less people.
Paul
That's fantastic. So out of all these events that you've helped organize, what advice would you have for someone thinking of organizing a Python event or a PyLadies event like you've done in the past?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
Go and find if there's a local group first and help them out. It is quite overwhelming if you've never done it before and you want to start from scratch. It does take up quite a lot of time.
I sometimes might not be the best person to ask that because I'm a serial organizer person. So I wouldn't be the expert in everything, but I definitely have a lot of experience from all the mistakes and all the fun stuff. You know, there's good and bad.
It comes along with it. But definitely find the local group that you have. And if you don't have one, approach someone, kind of if you're on, there's discords and slacks, a lot of different kind of user groups approach and ask like, I want to start up something.
Is there someone nearby? Or can I talk to someone? Ask for advice first because there's a lot of things that are from, do you want to just go to a coffee shop, which is great.
Just go. You don't need to set up anything. There's lots of free tools like Eventbride and Luma and things like that.
And then just spread the word. But just also brace for it if no one turns up. At least you get a cup of coffee by yourself or with a friend or your other half.
That's the worst case scenario. Talk to someone who has more experience, especially in your local area because you need a venue, you need somewhere to show presentation slides, maybe you need Wi-Fi as well. I have to say catering is optional.
I don't know why people assume it's normal having food and drink because each meetup, it will cost for a euro, probably similar elsewhere. In euros, it would be like five, six hundred euro a month, which is quite a lot of money for something that you're doing as a volunteer. You are, everyone's a volunteer.
when you get someone to help you out, just don't feel annoyed if they can't help you because it is everyone's free time and real life something crops up and things like that. But yeah, as for advice, because you need to find out, you know, in your local area, where's the best place, who's more friendly to host you, suppliers, whereas who's the best supplier, you are getting food and drink and things like that. So you need to do a lot of groundwork before that, but definitely get some fights from someone local, in your area first, find out if there's a local tech community group and see how they're doing it.
Because you're going to sink a lot of time and don't make the same mistakes as everyone. And if someone has learned all those mistakes and give you some advice. And also collaborate.
Jump in and help another person's meetup or event and see what it's like. Then you get to see what it's like behind the scenes as well. And yeah, I think that's pretty much get stuck in.
ask questions and get stuck in.
Paul
That's good advice. Last question I ask each guest. You're starting a new project or prototype. Which microcontroller do you reach for?
Vicky Twomey-Lee
I will say right now is the pico. Wouldn't just say a Raspberry 5, 5, because they're so expensive now. I will say a pico just because it does one thing really well. And for now, I just don't have time to do big projects. So small little things and the pico does a lot of, it's a great little device and it's affordable.
Paul
Vicky, thanks so much for coming on the show.
Vicky Twomey-Lee
Thank you so much for having me. It was wonderful to talk to you.
Paul
Thank you for listening to The CircuitPython Show. For show notes and transcripts, visit CircuitPythonShow.com. And help keep the show ad-free.
Become a supporter today. Learn more at CircuitPythonShow.com/support. Until next time, stay positive.