JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 24–30): The Final Pitch + 7 Must-Attend Events

Aug 23, 2026

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7 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 24–30): The Final Pitch + 7 Must-Attend Events

Sharpen your AI skills and watch the local startup scene hit a milestone this week: five founders battle for $25K, IT leaders break down Model Context Protocol (MCP), and sovereign AI makes its first public appearance.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 17–23): Memphis Design & Code's Lightning Talks 2026 Returns + 6 Must-Attend Events

Aug 16, 2026

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8 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 17–23): Memphis Design & Code's Lightning Talks 2026 Returns + 6 Must-Attend Events

Build a real AI playbook, learn to trust your data pipelines, and grab a mic at this week's Lightning Talks.

JC Smiley

Voices of Memphis

Aug 13, 2026

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3 min read

Building the Bridge She Once Needed

See how one career gap became a two-way bridge, connecting Memphis students to real industry experience and small businesses to expertise they couldn't reach alone.

JC Smiley

Community Column

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: I Snuck into an FBI Conference

Aug 10, 2026

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2 min read

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: I Snuck into an FBI Conference

A true story of social engineering, fake badges, and how easy physical security gaps really are.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 10–16): New Memphis Leadership Summit + 6 Must-Attend Events

Aug 9, 2026

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5 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 10–16): New Memphis Leadership Summit + 6 Must-Attend Events

Grow your leadership skills, land free career support, and code alongside your peers, all across six Memphis tech events this week.

JC Smiley

Community Column

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: You're Not the Weakest Link

Aug 8, 2026

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2 min read

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: You're Not the Weakest Link

How to spot phishing, quishing, and social engineering before the bait-and-switch works.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 5–8): Code, Create + Conversate by BDPA Memphis + 5 Must-Attend Events

Aug 2, 2026

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4 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (August 5–8): Code, Create + Conversate by BDPA Memphis + 5 Must-Attend Events

Get plugged into the local tech scene in one week: watch a live exploit hit a healthcare app, swap AI insights over coffee, and code alongside BDPA Memphis's community.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (July 27–August 2): NotebookLM Fundamentals Workshop by Vista Data + 5 Must-Attend Events

Jul 26, 2026

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5 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (July 27–August 2): NotebookLM Fundamentals Workshop by Vista Data + 5 Must-Attend Events

Get hands-on with AI skills and grow your local network this week: build a working NotebookLM notebook, learn from entrepreneur Tyrone Burroughs, and catch two free weekly meetups.

JC Smiley

Community Column

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: Your Email has been Breached. Here's What to do Now

Jul 23, 2026

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2 min read

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: Your Email has been Breached. Here's What to do Now

A step-by-step recovery plan for when your credentials show up on HaveIBeenPwned.

JC Smiley

Community Column

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: The Password You Don't Need Anymore

Jul 23, 2026

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2 min read

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: The Password You Don't Need Anymore

How passkeys fold two MFA factors into one tap, and why passwords aren't gone just yet.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

Jul 19, 2026

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5 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (July 20–26): Code Your Sound by CodeCrew + 6 Must-Attend Events

Build real skills this week: turn code into music with CodeCrew, ship a working RAG pipeline, and map out Fabric's data engineering workflow with Memphis Data Professionals.

JC Smiley

Community Column

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: Why Your Password, Isn't the Weak Link

Jul 14, 2026

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1 min read

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: Why Your Password, Isn't the Weak Link

How a single corporate breach can compromise accounts you never told anyone about.

JC Smiley

Community Column

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: One Password Isn't Enough Anymore

Jul 14, 2026

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2 min read

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: One Password Isn't Enough Anymore

A plain-English guide to MFA, 2FA, and the four factors that actually keep hackers out.

JC Smiley

Community Column

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: You Only Need to Remember One Password

Jul 14, 2026

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1 min read

Security Spotlight with Hackermane: You Only Need to Remember One Password

Why password managers are the easiest security upgrade you'll ever make.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (July 13–19): Epicenter Memphis' Summer 2026 Programs Graduation + 6 Must-Attend Events

Jul 12, 2026

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6 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (July 13–19): Epicenter Memphis' Summer 2026 Programs Graduation + 6 Must-Attend Events

Celebrate a startup milestone, sharpen your game dev craft, and move a project forward this week: Epicenter Memphis graduates its Summer 2026 cohort and Code Together meets at Panera on Poplar.

JC Smiley

Tech Meetup

When a Game Stopped the Room: Code & Share and the Confidence to Build in Public

Jul 11, 2026

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3 min read

When a Game Stopped the Room: Code & Share and the Confidence to Build in Public

Inside Code & Share, where Memphis builders showed their unfinished work, questioned each other's architecture, and proved AI sharpens craft instead of replacing it.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (July 7–11): Demo Day at the FedEx Institute of Technology + 7 Must-Attend Events

Jul 5, 2026

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5 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (July 7–11): Demo Day at the FedEx Institute of Technology + 7 Must-Attend Events

Pick up real skills and real connections this week, from six University of Memphis spinouts pitching investors to a hands-on Git and web basics workshop with CodeCrew.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 29 – July 5): Code & Share + 6 Must-Attend Events

Jun 28, 2026

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5 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 29 – July 5): Code & Share + 6 Must-Attend Events

Grow your skills and your circle this week: share pizza and ideas with local developers, hack a beginner CTF, and catch a weekly AI conversation.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 22–28): AI Fundamentals Immersive Headlines the Week + 3 Must-Attend Events

Jun 21, 2026

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6 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 22–28): AI Fundamentals Immersive Headlines the Week + 3 Must-Attend Events

Get AI-ready in one week: join the open conversation, spend a day building real skills, and see how Memphis is shaping AI policy from the inside.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 15–21): What Microsoft Community Day Revealed About Memphis Tech + 7 Must-Attend Events.

Jun 14, 2026

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6 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 15–21): What Microsoft Community Day Revealed About Memphis Tech + 7 Must-Attend Events.

Find the right room, build the right skill, and meet the people moving Memphis tech forward. This week: 7 events, from Power BI data modeling to game storytelling and design animations.

JC Smiley

Tech Meetup

What Microsoft Community Day Revealed About Memphis Tech

Jun 12, 2026

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4 min read

What Microsoft Community Day Revealed About Memphis Tech

What looked like an AI conference became something more: a snapshot of Memphis technologists investing in themselves, sharing knowledge, and building relationships that could shape the city's next chapter.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 8–14): Real skill‐building at CodeCrew's Data Engineering & AI workshop, plus hands‐on challenges and community meetups

Jun 7, 2026

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5 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 8–14): Real skill‐building at CodeCrew's Data Engineering & AI workshop, plus hands‐on challenges and community meetups

Three standout events to learn, build, and connect. From a hands‐on morning at Code, Create + Conversate to sharpening data skills at Data Engineering & AI and sharing work at Code and Share.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 1–7): A hands‐on Microsoft Community Day, fresh AI conversations, and automation for developers

May 31, 2026

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3 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (June 1–7): A hands‐on Microsoft Community Day, fresh AI conversations, and automation for developers

Power up your week with the clearest picks in Memphis tech. Then lock in DevMemphis: Ansible for PHP Developers, Microsoft Community Day, and AI Conversations that move your skills forward.

JC Smiley

Newsletter

This Week in Memphis Tech (May 25–31): A beginner-friendly challenge, a .NET meetup, and Microsoft coming to Memphis.

May 24, 2026

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5 min read

This Week in Memphis Tech (May 25–31): A beginner-friendly challenge, a .NET meetup, and Microsoft coming to Memphis.

Your week in Memphis tech, distilled. Five events that sharpen skills, open doors, and plug you into the city’s momentum, from a .NET deep‐dive to a CTF challenge and a Friday makerspace open house.

JC Smiley

Rising Stars of Memphis Tech

The 4 AM Algorithm: How Richard Whittington Learned to Think Like a Developer

May 18, 2026

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5 min read

The 4 AM Algorithm: How Richard Whittington Learned to Think Like a Developer

Memphis tech grows through builders who think deeper. This week, a rising developer shows how curiosity and community turn skill into impact.

JC Smiley