Summer is coming! It’s getting warmer every day. The hellish descent into finals week is getting closer. And with the end of finals comes the joy that is summer vacation. Yes! Before I get into how awesome that is, let me just quickly note that the messages page has been updated to allow viewing of your back-and-forth communication between you and another user. Cool stuff.
……
Last night I went to the Facebook f8 hack-a-thon event. Yesterday Facebook announced a completely new platform that allows anyone to integrate their applications into Facebook. So for example, Quizlet could integrate into Facebook by allowing users to share their vocab sets via facebook’s friends system. There are a lot of cool things I could do with it, I just have to work out what would the most useful way of integrating some of Quizlet’s features into facebook might be (I’m open to suggestions).
Photo: flawedartist
Let me tell ya - the hack-a-thon event was pretty geeky. It was basically ~400 developers in a giant lounge with unlimited access to Red Bull, M&Ms, and gourmet Chinese food. And of course, plenty of lounge furniture and even a few giant TVs with Xbox consoles. Within this environment, there was some prolific hacking going on. Facebook had given us a platform to develop on, and so we all had our laptops to whip stuff up as fast as possible. By midnight, everyone would reconvene to show off what they had built in the preceding hours, and Facebook would hand out prizes. I sat next to a couple of people from last.fm and across from a bunch of people working for Obama ‘08. I didn’t accomplish anything particularly impressive with Quizlet integration, but I did play around enough to find some pretty significant security and functionality bugs in their system (which I’ve reported to Facebook). Unfortunately, I had to go home a little earlier because it was a school night and I had essays to write! So I didn’t get to see the results of all the programming that went on…Oh well.
……
My summer plans are about as unrelated to Quizlet and programming as they come - I’m spending eight weeks of my summer doing trail work and restoration with the Student Conservation Association. I’ll be completely incommunicado the entire time - no Quizlet, no email, no Internet, no phone. The only way to reach me will be snail mail. Hey, maybe I’ll post my address (when I get it) and you can send me cookies 
The SCA is a national program that puts high school students on small volunteer crews that perform trail work and nature conservation in almost every national park. Last summer I spent four weeks in Rocky Mountain National Park building trails, smashing rocks, traversing glaciers, and making friends. It was, in honesty, a life-changing experience. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in volunteering and getting out of the city. It’s probably too late to sign up for a crew for this summer, but I highly recommend checking out it’s programs for both the coming school year and next summer. All the information is on their site.
Me crushing rocks on my SCA crew from last summer.
For this summer, I’ll be spending four weeks in the Bay Saint Louis area, and four weeks in Acadia National Park in Maine. My crew of eight people will be from all over the U.S. (Some of whom I’ve already met via Facebook - hey!) We’ll be working on who-knows-what. I’m really just looking forward to whatever they give me. It’s a chance to get out of the city, out of the world of computers, and into new cultures I’ve never experienced. I should arrive home quite a bit tanner and more muscular - working on Quizlet isn’t exactly a full body workout 
Practically speaking, that means I won’t be able to answer support messages, write blog posts, or remove naughty sets. But never fear - I’ve got a few friends who should be able to step into my place for awhile and keep Quizlet humming while I’m gone. Because it will be summer vacation for most students, I’m expecting Quizlet traffic to slow down a bit, so the stress of keeping the site running should be less than it is now.
But after my summer SCA crew, Quizlet will be gearing up for a big 2008. I have several large-scale improvements, partnerships, and general expansions worked out already.
I’ll be gone from June 16 to August 13. My last day of school is Friday, June 15. Can anyone say “end-of-the-year party?”
Wow, some of that stuff is pretty wild!
(yay im first!)
Man, sounds like you’ve got your summer made. The SCA sounds really awesome – and they even have stuff in Virginia. I think I’ll check it out next summer.
You’ve talked about possible Facebook integration before, though not as in depth, and it sounds really promising. Still, you’ve also said you don’t want Quizlet becoming a MySpace, but I think a balance can be found between the social and educational aspects. You’ve been able to do it so far.
Anyway, have a great summer. You deserve it.
Do you 12 weeks off of school, or more? your lucky; i only get 10
what exactly is facebook? 
We get 11 weeks off - June 15 to August 31. It always seems pretty short.
Facebook is a social network, sort of like Myspace, but much better and less stupid…
Facespacegoogorkutmapusergentubequiz the ultimate social networking site
Oh yeah, I get out June 13th, and go back to school September 4th!
“much better and less stupid.”
hahaha.
Ya. Sounds very interesting. I hope you have fun. Im going to canada for a week, here ad there and possibly to asia somewher e but ya that’s it. I get off school on June 6th so i have plenty of time to relax. School is a blah now. finals finals finals uuhhhhh. i spent the whole memorial day weekend studying for finals and tests…. teachers go crazy this time of year , so do students. ugh.
Ha. 72 hours left for me… hazardandy is counting.
/gradster(1)/
Are you going to look like this when you come back?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Ccc_we_can_take_it.jpg
thats funny poytr and ur totaly right, andrew, myspace is stupid…………….. for me.
I dont know whats so kool about it.
Oh and by the way, Andrew. I’d totally go to that hack-a-whatever, just for the M&Ms! B)
i am going to hawaii and i am in south africa and i get out of school june 14. yayayayyayayayyay. that is in like……..2 weeks. yay!!!!!!!!
omg. amricasnxttpmdl i
that got messed up. what i meant is. omg. amricasnxttpmdl i luv ur name. that is my all time favorite show. anyways i just wanted to say thanks to andrew for making this the best website eva. THANKYOU ANDREW!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks its my fav. show also. i agree with peach. THANK YOU ANDREW.
Sound totally awsome!!!
that is sooo sweet, jealous
wow that sounds cool
yup i can
Please don’t make QUIZLET part of myspace !!
its here so take it off
Cool ! i think? =-)
No fair!
we get off on June 14th, but that’s coming up soon…
im out
Sounds cool. My brother got out on Wendsday. Curse you, seinors… anyway, I’m still happy, cause my family’s bailing to the beach the day before!
sorry, that came out weird… I meant to mention that I get out on the 18th and we’re bailing to the beach the day before that. I type way too fast…
i cant wait until summer. it is in 2 days 4 me
whoever made this site: OMG U ROOL! thank u so much! ive studies for all of my finals and tests this year on it! it rox my sox off & bak on again!!
[...] The Quizlet Blog « Summer - Can you feel it? [...]
hey i got out of school in march and go back in august!!
yes school is out
Summer is sooooooo awsome!!!!!!!!!!=)
YEAH! my school…here in Wisconsin…..starts on the first Tuesday in September!!! but why is it a Tuesday….??? oh well! one more day of FREEDOM!!!!!!
wow that is the coolest thing i have ever seen so i will talk to you later
it is so hot otside
i miss summer soo much