MonkTalks - technology, society, beer

A fan site dedicated to all the speakers and staff of Monktoberfest by Redmonk.


Monktoberfest 2023 built a new tradition at the open and airy venue at Thompson’s point, a beautiful spot that helps you really think about all the awesome talks.

Redmonk has compiled a highlight video from the 2023 Monktoberfest attendees!

As Redmonk posts videos or other materials about this year’s talks, we’ll be listing them here - or you can submit a PR!


Start with a hearty breakfast and good coffee at 9:30AM.

The Magnitude 9.1 Meltdown At Fukushima
Speaker: Nicholas Means
Watch Video: On YouTube
Culture, crisis, what happened and why.
Classification & Its Discontents - Yes, The Dewey Decimal System Is Biased
Speaker: Lisa Kamm
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @IAmJerdog
How Dewey Decimal is biased - and why and how that's important to knowledge.
A novella about how to setup a good board of directors
Speaker: Mike Olson
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @IAmJerdog @mooreds
Lunch will offer yummy options, both for food and beer - usually around 1PM.

Diversity and Allyship... it isn't always easy
Speaker: Deb Nicholson
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @
All the challenges and how to address them for inclusion in your events and organizations.
There is no 'my' in team
Speaker: Armand Emamdjomeh
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @
Towards a more collective management culture, and how language shapes organizations.
Lasagne Love and Project Ricotta
Speaker: Erynn Peterson
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @mooreds
How a scaling expert and CTO worked to scale the leading lasagne non-profit.
How my chicken tried to kill me
Speaker: Emily Freeman
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @IAmJerdog @QuinnyPig
This talk is not about a chicken. It's a deeply personal story of the human condition.
Intelligence is not enough - The Humanity of Engineering
Speaker: Bryan Cantrill
Speaking years: 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @
Another talk based on a tweet, about AI, society, engineering, and trolls. Plus energy!
The conference day ends, and there's a short break before heading to the AMAZING dinner venue.

Come back again the second day with a different breakfast at 9:30AM.

The Problems With Money in Open Source
Speaker: Aneel Lakhani
Speaking years: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2023
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @mooreds
Developer turned VC making you think about the problem of money (which is really about people).
You may be my cousin - Create a sense of belonging through Indigenous culture
Speaker: Christina Pacheco
Watch Video: On YouTube
Indigenous perspectives on how some cultures simply ignore their existence.
Using evidence science instead of mind reading to measure developer success
Speakers: Carol Lee , Morgan Ramsey
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @IAmJerdog
What I Learned About Productivity from Growing Up Without School
Speaker: Cat Hicks
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @mooreds
A personal story of how the college experience assumes a traditional background.
You used , so what?
Speaker: Taylor Barnett-Torabi
Watch Video: On YouTube
Livetweets: @IAmJerdog
Stories about how we communicate, and how it affects us; storytelling is everywhere, and don't do exclusionary nerdery.
The second day ends after a brief wrap-up; and attendees either head home or out to lunch together on their own in Portland.