GitHub Copilot 1-Day Challenge: Ode - an application to generate a poem (with a twist)

Melisa Im — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:46:15 +0000

This is a submission for the GitHub Copilot Challenge : Transitions and Transformations

What I Built

For this challenge, I wanted to explore the space of sentiment analysis. Knowing full well that I only had one day, I opted for generating feelings instead of parsing through large data sets. Ode is an application that takes in a small set of inputs and outputs a small creative writing piece to meditate and reflect on. One fun twist is that if you switch to dark mode, you can generate a negative sentiment poem instead :)

What you think and how you think is critical to the output (in poems and life), so I wanted to make a toy project to externalize positive and negative sentiments in the form of little poems. Enjoy!

Demo

https://odeapp.netlify.app/
Demo video: https://youtu.be/jMySscrpRbM

Sample poem generated (can generate and export image):

Repo

Backend: https://github.com/MelisaIm/Ode_backend
Frontend: https://github.com/MelisaIm/ode_app

Copilot Experience

I used Copilot to explore what tools I could use to quickly deploy, for autocompletion, for quick debugging ideas, to learn about libraries I hadn't used in the past, to remember how to run specific commands, and to simply ask how to do something I hadn't done recently or ever. Most of the backend development felt awkward and confusing at first, but Copilot made re-discovery easy, especially cors related issues.

GitHub Models

I used Github Models to compare versions of ChatGPT/OpeanAI for similar queries. I opted for the smaller/cheaper model because the output wasn't that much better.

Conclusion

The last time I did a 24hr hackathon was over 5 years ago and I distinctly remember feeling overwhelmed (and we had a team of ~5). I built a fullstack application by myself (despite working primarily on the frontend and forgetting lots of backend concepts) without ever feeling rushed or worried because I was unblocked so quickly from any issue I ran into. This was thoroughly a wonderful experience and I'm glad I decided to try it out. Now I will keep building on the side, to play with ideas or technical concepts without fear of it swallowing my life!

Because You Are a Woman

Melisa Im — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 03:45:32 +0000

"[...], that is why you got that job."

He told me that I got my job as a software engineering intern because I am a woman, and that my classmate (who attended the same bootcamp as me) got his job because he is smart. I got very angry. Not because he was so illogical and bigoted, but because it's not true. And I bet, it isn't true for any woman reading this.

"Él ya no se puede cuidar solo [He can no longer take care of himself]"

I code because I am someone's daughter. Because my father is succumbing to dementia and has no assets or little external aid. Because as I succeed, as I struggle, his struggles will be diminished. His sacrifices to us will be, not repaid, but honored.

"There is curiosity that you can't fake"

I code because I am a student. I love to learn and explore and awaken to new ways of seeing the world and the problems in it.

"We are happy to have you! Thanks for returning to aid our Tech Divas"

I code because I am a helper. I like to share what I learn with others, bring them up and encourage them. Like my mentor, Vanessa, said to me, "Never close the door behind you."

"proud of you! always good to build a thing to know how it works (="

I code because I am loved. Each and every friend who encouraged me, each and every mentor who empowered me, helped me be a woman who nevertheless, she codes.

My advice for other women and non-binary folks who code is...

to never let your struggles define you. You are not the woman who weeps, the woman who hurts or hungers, they who are in pain... You are powerful because of those struggles, you are transformed and unbeatable.

And some advice for those getting started

DEV Community: Melisa Im