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    Ongoing observations by End Point Dev people

    Tennessee Hackathon 2023

    Darius Clynes

    By Darius Clynes
    March 30, 2023

    EPTN main room. Several development VisionPort systems are mounted on the back wall. Four End Pointers are seen sitting at a variety of desks and workstations.

    We just had our first company gathering in our Tennessee office after a hiatus of several years. About 20 End Pointers came to our Johnson City, Tennessee office to work on various VisionPort projects. For several of us, it also provided an opportunity to meet each other in person for the first time.

    End Point Tennessee office (EPTN)

    Other than our Johnson City-based team, for many of us this was our first look at our Tennessee office from which the VisionPort systems are assembled, tested and shipped.

    Our Content Management System (CMS) team worked on some exciting updates to our VisionPort CMS, including important modifications to our touchscreen systems and improvements to the user interface.

    Meanwhile our Research & Development team worked on upgrades to the VisionPort system itself, focusing on integrating large and small touchscreens for multimedia presentations. One such improvement was support for 8 tabletop touchscreens integrated to serve 16 museum visitors simultaneously.

    EPTN main room. Closer image of the left side of the room. Three End Pointers sit side-by side, working on computers. Two of them are checking each others’ work on a laptop.

    Our support team worked on testing and spinning up documentation to bring our inventory up to date and prepare for the next wave of our new VisionPort CMS installations.

    EPTN main room. A wider shot. Six End Pointers are hacking away at their workstations.

    Casablanca

    The luxurious lounge working space at one of our Airbnb locations, nicknamed Casablanca, enabled us to be comfortably spread out as we worked together on various projects.

    Casablanca. A spacious lounge room with an exposed brick wall, with part of the kitchen visible in the top right. A grey patterned rug sits on the floor. An End Pointer sits on a leather couch with her laptop. Another laptop sits on the couch.

    A morning meeting with plenty of room left:

    Casablanca. A wider view of the room, including the kitchen with a counter turned workstation. Several people are seen working in the foreground on a table, as well as the background on couches and other seats.

    A quiet comfy corner for planning!

    Casablanca. Another corner with a white couch and white seats, a modern wood table, and exposed brick on two walls. Two End Pointers are looking up from their laptops, smiling at the camera.

    Working breakfasts:

    Casablanca, kitchen area. Food is laid out on the end of the counter, while the other end is taken by two laptops occupied by End Pointers.

    Casablanca, lounge area. Two End Pointers on a leather couch look up from their laptops and smile at the camera.

    Pigeon

    Just across from Casablanca, we did some relaxing in the “Pigeon coop”, another luxurious abode:

    Pigeon. Eight End Pointers relax and chat on a modern-looking couch and at a bar

    Impromptu roof terrace get together:

    Pigeon. Four End Pointers chat on the roof terrace, which has a view of some city lights and buildings. The terrace is illuminated by a string of lights above.

    Pigeon. On the other half of the terrace, five more End Pointers gather.

    Birthdays, dinner, and farewell

    We also had a couple of employee birthdays to celebrate during the hackathon!

    Four pies with lit candles in them sit on a steel countertop, as an End Pointer places the last candle.

    And a tasty dinner with everyone the final evening:

    Dinner. End Pointers are gathered around a large restaurant table, with lots of hearty food in front of them, midway through the meal. A sign in the background reads “Great Oak Brewing”.

    The opposite side of the same table. Ben waves with a cowboy hat from the back while other End Pointers smile at the camera, after the meal. Several barrels are visible around the restaurant/brewery.

    It was great to see everyone at the Tennessee office. We did plenty of hard work, sometimes sitting elbow to elbow. It certainly was a great opportunity after working together remotely, and helped us experience the camaraderie which is typical of End Point’s unique spirit. Until next time, we will continue to improve our VisionPort systems and extend our remote collaboration!

    visionport company conference remote-work travel

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