So I'm already down in the Big Easy. New Orleans for the CSTA conference. Devorah's here with me - she'll be running her Blanket Statement project for the first time since pre-covid through the Pickcode booth so if you knit or crochet make sure to stop by.

We decided to come down a few days early to play tourist since we haven't been here since we honeymooned in New Orleans some 35 years ago.

In terms of the tourist thing, we did a swamp tour this morning which was interesting. After lunch we planned on going to an exhibit on Katrina but got side tracked at "Ma Sherie Amour" a jewelry and crafts shop on Saint Ann Street. Ended up spending around a half hour just chatting with the proprietor. Too late to go to the exhibit, we ended up going to the National Jazz Park for a free concert featuring Tom Hook and Wendel Brunious. Fantastic set and the highlight of the day.

I haven't listened to live Jazz in a while and an intimate Jazz concert is very different from a rock show, opera, or classical concert. Different too from a folk concert.

I was also reminded that there was a heavy Jewish influence as they performed songs by Leiber and Stoller who wrote most of the Coasters hits in the 50s, Ira and George Gershwin, and Randy Newman.

It looks like they do free Jazz on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 3:00pm so if you're in town early or if you don't have an interesting session at the ends of Tuesday or Wednesdsay, check it out.

Now, as for the conference, things look a little more wide open than in past years. Looking back, sometimes there's a theme - one year was CS for All, one year was the Standards, there seems to be plenty of AI this time around but I'm not finding the offerings overwhelming. There are plenty of alternatives. I found some interesting sessions dealing with literature, one with music, and of course a fair amount of cybersecurity and data science.

I still have my usual gripe in that from a CS point of view, there once again seems to be little for teachers with a strong CS background and less for students who can be similarly described.

For me personally, I'm curious how the conference will pay out. CSTA, for me has always been more about the people than about the sessions but as I'm now in retirement and only working part time, I know fewer and fewer people. We'll see if I feel as connected or not.

Anyway, two more days out playing tourist but very much looking forward to the conference starting.