Building with Banjo!!!

Welcome to the inaugural edition of "Building with Banjo," where curiosity meets creativity in technology, gaming, and community. Join me monthly as we explore innovative projects, share insights, and fuel our collective passion for building.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." - Albert Einstein

The process of building breathes life into our imagination, whether we're crafting solutions to complex problems or simply indulging in the joy of creation.

In each edition, we'll dive into three core sections:

• Building Generative AI Applications: Embracing the vast potential of Generative AI, we'll explore innovative applications and techniques that go beyond conventional AI. From generative models that create new content to intelligent systems that understand and respond to complex requests, the world of Generative AI offers endless opportunities for creativity and problem-solving.
• Building Games: Navigating the world of game development, embracing the challenges, and forging ahead with exciting projects.
• Building Community: Connecting with fellow builders, sharing ideas, and growing our community through engaging meetups and events.

Now, let's dive into the exciting projects and ideas I've been working on:

AI

I've really been enjoying AI agents as a way to create "stand-alone AI applications" that can execute singular workflows effectively. Agents are essentially a Large Language Model (LLM) with a predefined prompt and access to a specific set of “tools”, which are self-contained functions designed to perform a specific task. For instance, these tools could include a text summarizer or an image generator. Recently, I built "Agent AWS," a virtual solution architect capable of generating code, creating architectural diagrams, and providing insights from AWS documentation.

AWS also recently launched Bedrock Agents, which enables builders to create fully managed agents with just a few clicks. As more builders get exposed to agents I envision there being an "app store" where builders can pick and choose to use different agents for varying tasks.

Gaming

I recently started to learn how to build video games using Unity. There is a steep learning curve with so many different systems and ways to build. Having to watch 5 hours of YouTube videos to get basic things working is not for the faint of heart. But as I grind through the videos and start to put pieces together, I've become more confident in my ability to build and develop some cool projects. Currently working on building a tactical RPG roguelike.

I'm learning C# as I build elements for the game, I'd so the most challenging part so far is to remember to put a semicolon after each statement;

Despite the drama with Unity, I want to at least get my game to a workable prototype before starting over with another engine such as Godot which is free and open source.

Community

In 2019 I started DataOpsDC Meetup to bring together builders excited about creating solutions with data. While DataOps is near and dear to my heart, my focus has now been on building Generative AI applications, and so have the past few meetups, so I decided to change the Meetup to Generative AI DC.

We will continue to engage the tech community in exploring and building Generative AI technologies.

In addition, there are two big events I’m looking forward to next month:

·?????? AWS Community Day DMV on October 13

·?????? DC Startup Week October 16-20

Building is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. As I sign off for this month, I'm eager to hear what you're building and whether anything here has sparked your inspiration.

Keep building, and I'll see you next month!