Chicago Ruby Meetup May: Improvisation in Ruby & Engineering Growth

The May 2026 Chicago Ruby meetup featured talks on sustainable software engineering, problem solving, and Ruby’s expressive design. Speakers explored parallels between rock climbing and programming to discuss teamwork, adaptability, testing, and burnout prevention, while another session connected improv theater concepts to Ruby features like blocks, procs, and lambdas. 🎤 Hilary Stohs-Krause (@ Zscaler) — What rock climbing taught me about programming Scaling mountains = scaling systems. 10 practical lessons on risk and resilience. Key takeaways: - Treat testing and operational safeguards like climbing safety gear: essential, not optional. - Plan carefully, but stay flexible when real-world constraints force you to improvise. - Don’t rely too heavily on “the beta” — there are often multiple valid ways to solve a technical problem. Timeline: 06:03 – Introduction and speaker background 07:30 – Why rock climbing and programming attract similar people 09:00 – “Bring snacks” → avoiding burnout and taking care of yourself 12:30 – “Safety first” → testing, alerts, and reliable systems 17:20 – Planning routes and planning software projects 21:00 – Using AI tools, documentation, and collaboration effectively 24:40 – Throwing out the “beta” and adapting solutions 28:00 – Monkey patching in climbing vs coding 31:40 – Iteration, learning, and accepting uncertainty 34:20 – Documentation, Rails upgrades, and knowledge sharing 36:20 – Exploring new technologies and staying adaptable 38:00 – Final lessons: growth, resilience, and enjoying the process 39:30 – Audience Q&A and discussion about AI burnout, mentorship, and climbing culture 🎤 Ifat Ribon (@ LaunchPad Lab) — Yes, &…: Ruby’s Secret Talent for Improvisation What if Ruby thinks like improv? Blocks, procs, lambdas — and a whole new way to look at how code flows. Key takeaways: - Ruby blocks encourage collaboration through controlled handoffs using yield. - Procs behave flexibly with arguments, while lambdas enforce stricter method-like rules. - Understanding control flow differences between procs and lambdas helps avoid unexpected behavior. Timeline: 01:04:42 – Introduction and improv audience exercise 01:06:00 – Connecting improvisation principles to Ruby 01:07:00 – Ruby blocks and the “passing the mic” concept 01:11:00 – Named blocks, procs, and Ruby syntax behavior 01:14:40 – “Yes, and” vs “No” in improv and software design 01:15:30 – Arity and how blocks handle arguments flexibly 01:18:40 – Procs vs lambdas and their personalities 01:21:00 – Lambdas, closures, and lexical scope 01:24:30 – Control flow, returns, and “sweeping the scene” 01:27:00 – LocalJumpError and proc return behavior 01:28:00 – Final comparison of blocks, procs, and lambdas 01:29:30 – Audience Q&A about lambdas, Rails scopes, and practical Ruby use cases Join us in June: 📆 Wednesday, Jun 3rd, 6:00-8:30 PM 🎤 Speakers: - Ifat Ribon (in person) - Fewer Tests, More Confidence - Alan Ridlehoover (remote) - Indispensable: What Human Programmers Can Learn from Human Computers 📍Location: 333 N Green St, Chicago, IL, 60607 🔗 Event Details - https://www.meetup.com/chicagoruby/events/314693112/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events