Kenneth Kousen

Groovy for Java Developers

9:00 AM MDT

Learn Groovy from a Java developer's perspective. Use Groovy features like native collections, operator overloading, and the Groovy JDK. Additional topics will include closures, builders, AST transformations, and basic metaprogramming.

Tests using both JUnit and Spock will be provided, as well as a Gradle build file. All code will be made available through a git repository.

Grails Workshop

1:30 PM MDT

Build a Grails application from start to finish in this half-day workshop. We'll start with domain classes, apply constraints, add controllers and services, apply both unit and integration tests, and then add additional functionality through plugins.

This rapid introduction to Grails will take advantage of the newest features of Grails 2.0 using the interactive scripts and db console. In addition to building an application, existing samples will be reviewed as a source of good practices and plugins.

Some knowledge of Groovy is assumed but not required.

Grails Workshop

3:15 PM MDT

Build a Grails application from start to finish in this half-day workshop. We'll start with domain classes, apply constraints, add controllers and services, apply both unit and integration tests, and then add additional functionality through plugins.

This rapid introduction to Grails will take advantage of the newest features of Grails 2.0 using the interactive scripts and db console. In addition to building an application, existing samples will be reviewed as a source of good practices and plugins.

Some knowledge of Groovy is assumed but not required.

Beyond Managing Your Manager

7:15 PM MDT

This is a revised and updated version of the previous talk, with current thinking from practice and the literature. The talk presents why conflicts with your manager are inevitable based on differences in priorities and perspectives, and how to plan for them. The goal is to show you how to build the loyalty relationship that allows you to get what you need when you need it.

Topics covered will include diagnosing communication styles, lessons from game theory, working within the organizational hierarchy, and lessons on how to build a relationship with your manager that still allows you the freedom to express yourself and what you really want.

Groovy Vampires: Combining Groovy, REST, NoSQL, and more

11:00 AM MDT

If a book as horrible as Twilight can sell millions of copies and be made into an even worse movie, how many copies can a book with Groovy vampires sell? (Spoiler: Not as many.) Yes, this topic may be silly, but the technologies used (Groovy, Ratpack, MongoDB, Grails, REST) are (un)deadly serious.

This talk uses a Groovy REST client to download movie data in JSON format, stores the data in a Mongo database, and serves it up later using both Ratpack and Grails. Learn a wide range of Groovy techniques to make your applications sparkle! (No, please, please don't do that.)

Making Java Groovy

9:00 AM MDT

Groovy isn't designed to replace Java – it just makes Java cleaner and easier to develop. This presentation will look at various tasks Java developers need to do and demonstrate ways Groovy can help.

Topics will include building and testing applications, accessing both relational and NoSQL databases, working with web services, and more.

Groovy Tips and Tricks

10:45 AM MDT

Groovy has a very easy learning curve for Java developers, so many people become Groovy users without realizing all it can do. This presentation will examine features of Groovy that can make your life easier once you're past the initial adoption stage.

Examples will include closure coercion, mixins, simple runtime metaprogramming, operator overloading, drop and take, a tour through some of the overlooked methods in the Groovy JDK, and more.

Bayes' Rule Says You'll Attend This Talk

1:30 PM MDT

Statistics is hot lately, due in part to the easy availability of large data sets and the successes of people like Nate Silver. These aren't your father's statistics, however. A quiet revolution has swept through the field, shifting it from traditional frequentist methods toward a more Bayesian approach. This talk will discuss Bayes' Theorem and show you how to do simple, back-of-the-envelope calculations to apply it to a wide variety of problems.

In addition, we'll also talk about common errors non-experts make when dealing with statistical conclusions, ranging from small sample size issues to the use of arbitrary endpoints to the problem of overfitting and more.