"...Over the weekend they turned pizza, energy drinks, and APIs into 123 projects..."

The work that comes out of such hackathons are impressive. However, I can't help but think they work against us as we try to steer software development into greater respectability. Do doctors get together to have "heal-o-thons" with a scoreboard counter of how many cigarettes they went through for the event?

The celebration of caffeine driven cultures and work environments that feel like kids-at-summer-camp give those outside of the profession the impression that this is "normal".

Bah, humbug. Maybe I'm just getting older and put a higher priority on work environment and habits that lead to a healthier life-style.