ruby in the pub

A few days ago, journalist and self-proclaimed relapsed blogger @jamesrbuk sent a message to Times journalist @joannageary after hearing she was dabbling with code and with the kind of spontaneous velocity only achievable by an attractive and powerful idea oscillating across the wire in viral frenzy, the hashtag #rubyinthepub was born. A venue sourced. Developers and journalists connected. And a simple but extremely potent idea born.

To stop talking about the closing gap between digital space and the world of mainstream journalism - and to act. To get developers and journalists together, ostensibly to teach the latter the rudiments of programming. But I’m sure much more will emerge from this.

Personally, as soon as I saw the hashtag and found out that Ruby was the language of choice, I made an immediate commitment to get my backside to Islington and offer my support. I love Ruby, I find it fluent, expressive and powerful, love the mystique, the fact that it originates from Japan and seems to resonate with a telepathic poetry that’s hard to fathom but a joy to experience.

The first meeting, held in the Hansbury Arms in Islington, wasn’t perfect. The wifi was flakey at best and we had some issues with laptops and installing the relevant software on Windows machines (hello InstantRails). But the former issue can be sorted by venue, and we overcame the second with a collaborative energy that fused beer, brain and a seeking spirit into what everyone said (and tweeted) was an enjoyable, informative and warm evening.

Not bad for what was essentially a flash mob organised by writers and coders.

So - next we need a venue with rock solid wifi, where we can spread out, for free, maybe a little more central. Follow @rubyinthepub for the back channel.