Results from the language model hackathon

By Esben Kran @ 2022-10-10T08:29 (+23)

This is a crosspost, probably from LessWrong. Try viewing it there.

NicoleJaneway @ 2022-11-08T18:57 (+6)

This is wonderful, thank you very much for the thorough write up, Esben.  I wonder if you have any lessons learned regarding the logistics of the hackathon, particularly the GatherTown aspect?

Esben Kran @ 2022-11-08T19:11 (+1)

Loads, and a lot that we have updated for the interpretability hackathon as well!

Regarding logistics (all cons are updated for the next hackathon)

  • We had a physical presentation at the only jam site while sharing our screen to GatherTown. This worked well but it was unfortunately not possible to record it for people joining asynchronously (or later) because of simultaneous screen-sharing.
  • We provided them with an array of introductory code and starter templates along with data sources (link). This is highly recommended and we will expand that even more for the upcoming hackathon.
  • We wrote people to only sign up if they really expected to come. We had 29 sign-ups and 15 participants so this pattern seems standard. Of course we'll see what the case is with the interpretability hackathon, though we also have multiple physical locations at the same time.

Specifically on GatherTown:

  • It's quite important to make it conducive to the hackathon experience: A bit fun, hackery, less formal, and have spaces for groups. I think our current GatherTown setup is quite good and you can check it out on the hackathon page. 
  • It feels pretty important to make the space a bit smaller than the expected participant count will probably need since 1) some participants won't join and 2) it's much more fun to be at an overcrowded event than an undercrowded one. Just before our intro talks, I removed half of the chairs and it felt much more personal.
  • Use GatherTown like a physical space. This was something we did not do enough. Walk around between the groups online. Incentivize the online groups to be present there so you can see some interaction and talk with them if there's any problems. Make sure there's always a volunteer available in the GatherTown space.
  • GatherTown is not good for Q&A etc: We're shifting our intro talk, help, discussions, searching for teams, Q&A into Discord for the upcoming hackathon but will keep the jam space available for all participants to be in GatherTown.

Hope it was helpful! If you want to chat more about it, do hit me up on my calendly.