[Launch School] Community Update - July 17th, 2024

Hey there, Clare here, your resident snack expert. As your resident snack expert, I'm excited to share my recent experience at our local cat cafe. Yes, it's a real thing, and I've been there. I say local; it's not in my town, Royal Tunbridge Wells, but in the next town over, the pronounced-the-same-but-spelt-different 'Tonbridge'. It's a wonderful place. They have around 20 rescue cats, and their welfare is paramount. Bookings are required so they can keep the number of rowdy tea drinkers under control. There are strict adult-child ratios, and you are briefed on who likes to be stroked and who is strictly look-but-don't-touch. [cat_cafe] It is a great source of shame that Royal Tunbridge Wells doesn't have a cat cafe of its own, right up there with us not having a Waitrose (which Tonbridge also has), both of which must play a part in upholding the meme (did they have memes in 1908 when this started?) of ["Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells"]( used to signify someone who is expressing moral outrage. Speaking of which... It has come to my notice that not everyone is paying as much attention to the information in these updates as they should; you know who you are. (Mitch and Brandi, I feel seen, in a good way). While my attention was focused on scones, there was a whole heap of misunderstanding going on with biscuits. So, what is the origin story of biscuits? Picture this: Ancient Rome, bustling with togas and chariots, is where the precursor to our beloved biscuits first appeared. These weren't the dunk-worthy delights we know today but more of a practical, long-lasting snack for soldiers and travelers. Known as "bis coctus," meaning twice-baked, these hard, dry discs could survive the test of time—and probably a few teeth. Fast-forward a few centuries, and biscuits have transformed from Roman rations to the posh tea-time companions of the British elite. The Brits, ever the culinary innovators, decided that biscuits should be more than just functional. Enter the Victorian era, where the humble biscuit got a sugary upgrade, morphing into the sweet treats we now enjoy. From there, the biscuit evolution went into overdrive, giving us everything from the jammy goodness of a Jammie Dodger to the chocolatey splendor of a digestive. But let's not forget the delightful diversity of biscuit shapes! Unlike those rigid Roman originals, biscuits today come in all forms—round, square, animal-shaped, and even heart-shaped for romantics. Biscuits can be as unique as the people who eat them, proving that whether you're munching on a rectangular Bourbon or a star-shaped gingerbread, there's a biscuit shape for every personality and occasion. So, the next time you nibble on your favorite snack, remember: if they have been baked and are both hard and sweet, they are a biscuit, even if they are not round. You're welcome. Next, actual Launch School news. New Interview Assessments We've listened. You are all crying out for more time with our TAs. We are delivering not one but two [new interview assessments](. These are for the courses LS171 (Networking Foundations) and LS 181 (Database Foundations). Now, don't worry, these are in addition to the written assessments because we wouldn't want to deprive you of any enjoyment. However, you can only take these assessments if you haven't completed the assessment course by August 12th. Embrace the slow path to take advantage of these fantastic opportunities. Seriously though, interview assessments are great practice for the Real World and provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate comprehension of our courses in an applied context. I look forward to seeing you all soon - don't worry, it will be fun. Programming Essentials Workshops We are continuing our workshop series, tailored to prep students, but open to all! Coming up soon, we have: - Trevor with [Why Mastery Matters at Launch School](, July 18th, 6pm US Eastern - Me with [Python: Variables as Pointers & Mutability](, July 19ths, 5pm US Eastern - [Live Launch School AMA with Chris: 2023 Capstone Salary Data & Current State of the Market](, July 24th, 6 pm US Eastern (Personally, I wouldn't ask Chris about snacks, it's not his forte, nor, apparently, is writing snappy workshop titles) - Me again with [Python: Small Problems & Debugging]( The place to find these workshops is here: [Programming Essentials Workshop Page]( Meetups Wow, you're a sociable bunch! There have been a bunch of meetups: [#regional-michigan](, [#regional-north-carolina](, [#regional-austin](, [#regional-new-york](, and London Capstone alumni. [meetups] Now that Michigan has begun the trend, will any other regions take up the Tour de Functions challenge? Since Pete has finished renaming the location-specific Slack groups, you can find a group near you by searching for "region" and looking for a familiar-sounding place. [#regional-california-north]( are in the midst of playing an SF/Bay Area meetup for the weekend in August. Will it involve biscuits or some delicious scones? If you can't get to a meetup in person, several communities meet online. For instance, [Scott]( regularly organizes on-line socials. In addition, we have a [#transnonbinary]( group and the [@ls-womens-group](. Browse Launch School's Slack channels to see who you can find. Women's Group Our regular Launch School Women's Group Virtual meeting is on Tuesday, July 30th, at 11 am EDT. This is a Q&A panel with Antonina, Brandi, and me, so take the opportunity to ask anything you have always wanted to know about snacks, cats, assessments, and code reviews. I'll take time out of my holiday in Cornwall for this, so expect me to munch scones. Check out this [forum post]( for more information, including how to sign up. Student Articles Wow, you have all been busy writing lots of great stuff this month! - Rosa has been with Launch School for a while and has written a [beautiful article](rosaiselasoriamonzon/all-my-friends-are-in-capstone-bd8e1da578b7) reflecting on her journey. - Herun has written a really [helpful article](herun.s/belling-the-cat-practical-lessons-in-passing-the-py109-assessment-f51bd5d8538e) on passing the PY109 assessment. It's comprehensive and full of great tips. - Nathan has [written about studying](, in which he details an interesting strategy he used to pass the RB129 course. - Following on from the last update, Joshua has written [another installment](michael.joshua.hall/how-i-passed-rb-119-03b107eedc10) on his progress in passing the RB119 assessments. - Last but not least, Marilyn has reflected on passing assessments and [written about what was not helpful](MarilynRoxie/what-you-dont-need-to-pass-rb109-70a249c7afab). She has some great insights to ensure your efforts are put in the best place. [articles] Remember, if you write any articles, we would love you to share them on our [Sharing page](. On the Grapevine [Brice asked an existential question]( that prompted some great insights regarding the value of software engineering to those of us intent on leading a meaningful life. [Steven asked an excellent question]( regarding problem-solving, which neatly cued up the LS community to provide helpful tips. Patrick offered the [perfect opportunity]( for me to educate the community further about scones and biscuits. Among other highlights, Mitch guided me to fix Wikipedia, and William confessed to not making the most of his three-year visit to the UK (not a single cup of tea or morsel of scone—unfathomable). Here's an edited highlights storyboard. [scone_debacle] TLDR, Brandi's summary, Clare: "TELL ME, IS THE MOON A BISCUIT!?"'. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, I was hoping to end with a celebration that England had finally won the UEFA European Football Championship, something we have never achieved. We reached the final four years ago and were robbed by Italy on penalties. Alas, Spain denied our glory with a late goal. However, every cloud has a silver lining, and I came second in my husband's prediction league*: [second_place] * For clarification (I'm looking at you, Wook!), Mr Mean, Mr Mode and Mr Median are not real people, but aggregates of other players' predictions, neatly demonstrating the wisdom of crowds. --------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to stop receiving emails from us, you can use the one-click link below to unsubscribe. [Unsubscribe From All Email]( [Unsubscribe From Weekly Summaries](