Python, quantum computing, home automation with data privacy in mind and sure, why not: the relationship between computing and poetry.
The Technical.ly Developers Conference has long been a valuable afternoon of professional development for software builders. We’re back again on Wednesday, May 7, proudly part of the 15th annual Philly Tech Week presented by Comcast, which makes our developers conference possible.
We’re hosted inside the sleek Comcast Technology Center product floor. This might just be one of the longest-running, purest technical tech community events in Philadelphia. Close to 200 folks are already registered and last year we had to close registration early.
Register here by April 30 — the early close date is for security purposes! (And because we might sell out, like we did last year!)
Below get a snapshot of the afternoon’s confirmed schedule, which is followed by an informal reception — the post-pandemic incarnation of Technical.ly’s Super Meetup, a gathering of active local tech meetups.
1 p.m. — doors open, networking
Several workforce groups will be on hand to talk mentorship and career opportunities:
- Launchpad
- Hopeworks
- Per Scholas
- Resilient Coders
Meet the sponsors who make the event possible, and see what they have to offer:
- Comcast — Philly Tech Week 2025 title sponsor
- JDAQA & X-Ray
- L3Harris
- M&T Bank
- Penn Engineering
- Penn State Great Valley
- Temple University Geography and Urban Studies
2 p.m. — first session
Untangle Once, Deploy Everywhere: Overcoming Python Ecosystem complexity for AI, Data Science, and Cross-Platform Applications
Dawn Wages, Anaconda
The Python ecosystem thrives on diversity but is often tangled with complexity. As a language that frequently serves as glue code, Python faces unique challenges in supporting packages with intricate dependencies, like GDAL, OpenCV, XGBoost and PyTorch, often required for AI and data science workloads, and is not yet home in the browser ECMAScript languages. This session delves into why building and maintaining Python platforms is so demanding, highlighting how Anaconda has pioneered robust solutions with the community, championing new tools and standards in 2025 to keep Python the most popular programming language in the world. From powerful dependency solvers to advanced system inspection tools, discover how Anaconda navigates the ecosystem’s complexity to support platform variants and streamline workflows in partnership with industry partners and the open source community, empowering Python to meet the demands of modern scientific and AI applications for 40 million users and counting.
The Function as a Breath of Thought: On the Computer as a Compositional and Performance Tool for Poetry
William Hazard and Mike Bagwell
Both Will and Mike curate writers who work at the intersections of poetry, technology and performance. Will produces the flat imagination workshop along with me quarterly. Mike is the creator of the Ghost Harmonics performance series. In addition, will has already created workshops showcasing creative coding using supercollider and has a deep passion for permacomputing and open source physical computing platforms for music creation.
The Future of Digitial Certificates: Secure digital identify while reducing developer burden
Chad Schieken, Comcast
The presentation on the future of digital identity emphasizes the importance of certificates in ensuring online security and privacy, highlighting Comcast’s innovation and renewal of server certificates. It outlines the vision to be a world-class leader in reliability and cybersecurity, with a focus on automation and proactive communication.
3 p.m. — second session
Blending Consumer and Enterprise Applications: Urality and Circular Philadelphia
Samantha Wittchen and Justin Copenhaver
This session explores the technical and architectural challenges of building B2B2C applications that serve both enterprise users and the public. Circular Philly is working to transform how the city diverts unwanted items from the landfill, while Urality provides the place-based infrastructure to manage dynamic networks of local businesses and services. We’ll discuss the goals of the collaboration, the complexities of managing public and private data, and the strategies we’re using to build a scalable, sustainable ecosystem for circular commerce in Philadelphia.
What exactly are we building in quantum computing right now?
Gushu Li, University of Pennsylvania QUIEST
Speak Up Outside Standup
Barry Wright III, Highwire Improv and Noom
Join technologist and improviser Barry Wright for an interactive session that will give you tools, tricks, and techniques for communicating more often and more effectively. Specifically designed for those in technical roles, we’ll practice speaking for different audiences, saying something when there’s a challenge or conflict, and how to listen to solve problems. Level up with this ‘communication gym’ session!
Experience Management for Optimal Customer Engagement
Praveen Aruldhasan, Comcast
Facilitate personalized interactions that enhance the customer journey, ensuring a seamless experience while promptly addressing customer needs and adapting to evolving business strategies.
4 p.m. — third session
A Data Privacy Approach to Home Automation
Amber Wilkie, SINAI Technologies
If you’ve ever wanted to control your home from your phone but were skeptical of sharing such private data with Big Corporate, this talk is for you. We’ll discuss how to protect your home’s data and then get into the nitty-gritty of setting up and configuring an open-source hub for all the smart devices you covet.
Blockchain in Action: Solving Today’s Modern Challenges
Karla Ballard and Mike McCoy, SEI Development Foundation
In this talk, we’ll explore how blockchain is being used to tackle some of today’s most pressing challenges, from sending money across borders to enabling creators to earn more directly with their fans. We’ll dive into real-world examples across industries like payments, consumer, gaming, AI, science and much more.
Civic Tech Showcase (Demo of Recent Code for Philly projects)
Josh Gerstein, PAX: PA Expunger and Tai Chan, Balancer
Three Code for Philly project leads will talk about the technical challenges they’ve overcome to build their active, civic technology projects to use tech, data, and design as a mode of civic engagement. (Hint: One is for record expungement.)
5 p.m. — happy hour
We close out the day with a casual and friendly happy hour with drinks and light bites.
As the replacement to our old Super Meetup, we’ll have several active tech meetups represented to meet and get involved, including ours!
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