Ruby Video
Penelope Phippen

Syntax Error Game Show

Syntax Error Game Show

by Adam Cuppy, Jonan Scheffler, Filipe Costa, Yvone Sanchez Reyes, Carolyn Cole, Penelope Phippen, Lachlan Hardy, Davy Stevenson, Marla Zeschin, Britni Alexander, Sandi Metz, and Colin Pulton

The Syntax Error Game Show, hosted by Adam Cuppy at RubyConf 2019, brings an exciting twist to learning Ruby through a game show format. The event features a mix of panelists and contestants who engage in a trivia-style competition centered around Ruby programming and related topics, aimed at entertaining and educating the audience.

Key Points:

  • Introduction of the Host and Game Format: Adam Cuppy opens the show, describing how to engage the audience, and outlines the game’s structure, comparing it to the game show "Hollywood Squares."
  • Panelists' Introduction: A diverse group of panelists, including well-known experts in the Ruby community such as Penelope Phippen, Lachlan Hardy, and Sandi Metz, is introduced. They share their experience levels and quirky personal details, setting a friendly atmosphere.
  • Contestant Participation: Contestants Jonan Scheffler and Filipe Costa are selected randomly from the audience. They compete in pairs against the panelists to answer Ruby-related questions, striving to create a tic-tac-toe line on the board.
  • Gameplay Highlights:
    • Contestants select questions from the panelists, aiming for correct answers to mark their spots on the board.
    • Trivia questions cover a variety of Ruby concepts, from Ruby variable types to updates in Ruby versions, generating excitement and engagement from the audience.
    • Panelists provide answers, and contestants must agree or disagree, adding a layer of strategy to the game.
  • Audience Engagement and Atmosphere: The lively interaction between contestants, panelists, and the audience creates a vibrant atmosphere, filled with laughter and friendly rivalry as answers are debated and shared.
  • Conclusion and Acknowledgments: Adam concludes the show by thanking participants and highlighting the contributions of volunteers, while encouraging networking among attendees.

Main Takeaways:

  • The Syntax Error Game Show combines education and entertainment, fostering a sense of community within the Ruby programming language.
  • Encourages audience interaction and showcases the knowledge and experiences of various Ruby experts, making complex subjects accessible and enjoyable for everyone present.
00:00:12.250 Hi everybody! How are you all doing? This is very good. This feels like half a day here, and we are doing great. This is pretty cool!
00:00:21.740 Here's the deal for today: you are in store for an exciting event because today is game show day! Can I hear some excitement for game show day?
00:00:32.029 I'm pretty certain many of you have never been in a game show audience, so please let's hear it for the game show day! The recipe for a game show is to act like you've had 15 Red Bulls and four cups of coffee, then you're ready for game show day.
00:00:47.059 Today, if you weren't familiar, we have a wonderful game show planned for you. We'll have a group of experts and some contestants from the audience as well! We're going to play Syntax Error, the RubyConf game show!
00:01:14.929 Let me introduce our randomly selected expert panelists. But before that, let me introduce myself. My name is Adam Cuppy, and I've been a part of the Ruby and Rails communities for a fair amount of time.
00:01:30.530 I'm super honored to put this event together for you all today, and I hope you have a really good time. I, along with our team, wrote a chunk of this software, so there's a good chance it might blow up in your face. Just kidding! It's going to be a lot of fun one way or the other, and if worse comes to worst, we're going to have a good time.
00:01:51.979 Like any good game show, you must have an introduction with some introduction music. So here we go! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Syntax Error!
00:02:05.500 Thank you so much for joining us today. I would like to introduce our panelists who are all placed randomly. I had them all submit a bit about themselves, so we'll try to get to know them a little better.
00:02:23.929 First up is Penelope Phippen. If you don’t know her, she's been in the Ruby community for almost ten years and is a major contributor to the RSpec library. How many of you have used the RSpec library? Great! Now, I also asked her what she is least known for, and her answer was her side hustle, which we'll ask about later. Interestingly, Penelope has also been on a game show before and I competed against her and beat her. Yes, we kind of cheated all the way there!
00:03:02.750 Next on our expert panel is Lachlan Hardy. Lachlan has been writing Ruby for almost 13 years, which is impressive. He is most known for 'Pizza Friday,' which if you visited RubyConf Australia this past year, he ran a workshop on it. It sounds pretty sweet!
00:03:29.690 Now let's hear about Davy Stevenson. Davy has been writing software, specifically in Ruby, for about 11 years since 2008. What is he best known for? Having opinions! And his least known fact is that he holds a degree in astrophysics.
00:03:44.810 Next up, we have Marla. Marla, how do you pronounce your last name? It’s 'Machine.' That's a cool last name! Marla has been writing Ruby for about five years on and off. Welcome to the panel, Marla!
00:04:13.940 We also have Brittany Alexander, who has been writing Ruby for about six years. She's known for buying way too many plants and is least known for keeping them alive. And of course, we have Sandi Metz, who started writing code only three months ago after graduating from a coding bootcamp. Since then, she has even written a book!
00:04:35.909 Our final panelist today is Colin. Colin has also been writing code for quite some time—around five to ten years—and is a mentor to Sandi. Thank you all for coming!
00:04:51.599 Next, we can't have a proper game show without contestants. I put out a call for contestants for our wonderful game, Syntax Error, and I need to ask our contestants to join us now. If you're in the audience, this is like The Price is Right edition where you rush down with hands in the air, excited, and we, as the audience, welcome you with great applause!
00:05:30.719 Our first contestant today is Jonan, who has been writing code for approximately eight years and has attended about six RubyConf events. Jonan, are you here?
00:05:55.020 If Jonan is not here, let's move on to our next contestant, Filipe Costa. Filipe has been writing Ruby for about seven years. Would you please take one of the podiums right there?
00:06:07.130 Now that we have our contestants, let's explain how the game show works. This game show is modeled after the popular American game show, Hollywood Squares. The basic premise is a tic-tac-toe grid where we will show you how it works in a moment.
00:06:34.030 On those nine different spots are the six panelists you have right here, who are experts in Ruby, along with two contestants. Here's how it's going to work: contestant number one, Filipe, will represent X, and Jonan will represent O.
00:06:46.000 Contestants will start by selecting a grid number they would like to win. I will ask the panelists under that name a question to answer to the best of their knowledge. Regardless of whether they know the answer, they're supposed to speak confidently.
00:07:05.250 Then, either Filipe or Jonan will decide whether they agree or disagree with the answer. If they are correct, they claim that spot. The first one to make a correct tic-tac-toe line wins!
00:07:36.000 So contestants, please select your winning strategy because things are going to get complicated fast! We'll need to decide who goes first with a simple round of rock-paper-scissors.
00:07:51.980 Jonan, representing O, you will go first. Please select a square and, Davie Stevenson, your question is up here.
00:08:09.120 I want you to keep in mind that you should not help them with the answer. But it’s okay if you aren’t correct!
00:08:16.000 Davy, your question is: Artichoke Ruby is an upcoming Ruby VM written in what language? Your options are: A) OCaml, B) Rust, or C) Python.
00:08:58.000 Davy responds, 'I'm going to go with what is Rust?' Jonan, do you agree or disagree?
00:09:05.600 Jonan states he agrees, and indeed, Davy is correct! Rust is correct.
00:09:36.700 Filipe, it's your turn! Where would you like to go next?
00:09:44.510 Filipe selects Marla for his question. Marla, here is your question: A variable prepended with a dollar sign is what type of Ruby variable?
00:09:58.510 Marla confidently states this is a global variable. And she's correct!
00:10:10.020 The crowd reacts with applause, and Marla is victorious. This is much easier than questions about artichokes, isn't it? But don’t worry, Davy, we’ll have some more balanced questions coming up.
00:10:42.890 Now, where would you like to go next, Filipe? He wants to go with Sandi for his next question.
00:11:01.230 Sandi, your question is: Adding 'self' before a method declaration does what? Sandi humorously replies, 'Go ahead and lie to me.' Everyone laughs, and it's warmly acknowledged that Sandi is in fact correct!
00:12:00.350 Filipe, it’s your turn again. Choose another panelist for your next question.
00:12:12.060 Filipe, feeling confident, goes for another strong position and selects Jonan for this next question. The crowd is enthusiastic, and Jonan’s question involves Ruby’s lambda syntax: the introduction of stabby lambda.
00:12:41.480 Jonan answers, verifying that 1.9.3 is indeed the version that introduced stabby lambda.
00:13:06.200 Then the panelists discuss their knowledge of Ruby versions, and there's a hint of rivalry. In the end, Jonan takes a chance and confirms that 1.9.3 is the right answer.
00:13:44.000 Next contestant Jonan goes for the block. He decides to select Penelope. Penelope's question is about the most common web Ruby DSL.
00:14:15.500 Everyone is tense as they wait for Penelope’s answer, and she states, 'That would be Ruby on Rails,' which is definitely correct.
00:14:51.600 Now it's back to Filipe to select his move. He goes with Jonan again. And the intensity builds as the next question is drawn.
00:15:00.000 The panelists discuss spontaneous responses, and there is cheering from the crowd, culminating in successful and quick teamwork as they gather their thoughts.
00:15:34.750 Amidst friendly tension, they throw out ideas for the name of the original Ruby mailing list, and one comes to consensus on 'Ruby talk.' Yes, you are correct!
00:15:55.320 As the game continues, there’s plenty of laughter and friendly rivalry as they recall classic moments from their Ruby journeys.
00:16:28.400 After several more questions, the panelists celebrate their shared achievements and the depth of knowledge they hold.
00:16:55.760 With the next set of questions, they thrust energy into the mix, and everyone is glued to their seats.
00:17:23.370 Suddenly, the final seconds slide through, and the countdown begins. Everyone cheers, and Jonan triumphantly answers as the clock winds down.
00:17:56.000 Now the game has wrapped up, and all eyes turn to Adam as he prepares for the end of the show.
00:18:08.000 Adam thanks everyone for joining, looks to the audience, and reiterates how fun the event has been. He reminds everyone about the upcoming events in the next days.
00:18:44.040 Wrapping things up, he mentions the Volunteers and their vital contributions and encourages everyone to connect after the show.
00:19:10.000 The applause fills the auditorium as Adam signs off and shares his appreciation, leading into the final notes of the music.
00:19:54.710 This has been an exciting and memorable Syntax Error Game Show. Thank you for participating and engaging throughout this wonderful day!
Edit