PyCon CFP closes in a day or so. See https://us.pycon.org/2019/speaking/ for details.
After looking at 100's of proposals there are several broad categories.
- Some cool stuff I wrote (or helped write, or contributed to)
- Some cool aspect of Python the language
- Some cool thing happening in the community
These are -- of course -- refined into separate tracks by the program committee. But as a reader of outlines, there are a few BIG buckets I tend to throw things into.
There are some tangentially Python things.
- Using k8s (or some other tool or framework) with Python. The focus is often the tool, not Python.
- Doing some machine learning with Python. The focus is often on the ML application domain or the cool model that got produced. Again, Python sometimes feels secondary.
- Optimizing a personal (or enterprise) workflow or CI/CD pipeline. This can be helpful. But it can sometimes skip past Python and focus on IDE or something not solidly Python.
One of the most challenging are the personal journeys. These are often interesting stories. We like to see how others have succeeded. But. (And this is important.) Some of these cool personal journeys are only tangentially Pythonic, which can be disappointing. Some people can make good things happen in spite of big obstacles.
A personal journey can happen with a lot of technologies. When the proposal doesn't seem to show how Python was a unique enabler of the journey, then it's a cool talk for SXSW or OSCON, but might not be ideal for PyCon.
It's an honor to see everyone's ideas streaming through my in-box.