I’ve just put together a new blog post collecting all the Mastodon posts I shared live during @nprofile1q... 2026 in Chicago. 🇺🇸💚

I also included a few posts from other attendees that captured moments I missed or moments involving me from another perspective.

A small timeline of talks, community, people, and memories from the week. 😊

https://www.paulox.net/2026/08/31/my-djangocon-us-2026/

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS

Still on my way home from Chicago, and the long journey gave me time to go through the photos and put together a short highlights video from DjangoCon US 2026: talks, my UUID story, DSF conversations, old friends, new faces, and a little Chicago too. 🎥💚

A small memory for everyone I had the chance to meet these days. See you again soon!

https://youtu.be/LgwoS4S4WiE?is=rLtp1bNF2SXhUm7C

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Community #Django

I'm listening to Jacob Walls talk about auto-prefetching and model field fetch modes in Django 6.1.

I met Jacob last year, then again at Django on the Med, and saw an earlier version of this talk at DjangoCon Europe in Athens in April.

It's really interesting to see how both the feature and the talk have evolved in just a few months, and always a pleasure to hear Jacob explain Django's ORM. 😊

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Django #ORM

DjangoCon US Day 3 starts with the @nprofile1q... keynote on Django 6.x 💚

Karen has been part of the Django community since 2006, and I've had the pleasure of knowing her for a few years.

After twenty years of Django releases, it's wonderful to see how genuinely excited she still is about this one, and to see Django still evolving enough to make people feel that way.

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Django #OpenSource

Third morning in Chicago, starting with an early coffee outdoors with @nprofile1q... and @nprofile1q... and a beautiful view of downtown at sunrise. ☕🌅

Good coffee, a quiet city, and a nice conversation, a pretty perfect way to get ready for the final day of DjangoCon US 2026.

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Chicago #Community

@nprofile1q... is on stage with what's new in PostgreSQL 18 & 19. 🐘

Meeting Elizabeth at DjangoCon US and talking about the latest PostgreSQL features, and which ones we'd love to bring into Django, has become a tradition for me.

Yesterday we even exchanged slide feedback: she showed me hers, I showed her some from tomorrow's UUID talk. Maybe that's why I've been mentioned a few times today. 😄

Always a pleasure.

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #PostgreSQL #Django

After lunch, I'm watching @nprofile1q... tell the story of her first contribution to djangoproject.com: adding dark mode. 🌙

I remember that PR well, and smiled when one of my old review comments appeared in her slides. Since then, I've watched Sarah contribute more and more, especially on accessibility, and become Co-Chair of the Website Working Group.

It's wonderful to see that journey told from the stage. 💚

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Django #OpenSource

After the morning break, I'm enjoying @nprofile1q... and @nprofile1q... comparing @nprofile1q... and @nprofile1q... .

It's fun to watch two very experienced consultants and long-time members of the Django community challenge each other in such a friendly way.

I especially like that this feels constructive rather than competitive: not “which one wins?”, but understanding where each approach fits best.

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Django #FastAPI

@nprofile1q... is giving today's keynote, “Emails from my Grandad”.

“Brave step” to tackle something as delicate as code review. 😄

Joking aside, she's doing a great job talking about how difficult it can be to give and receive feedback, especially in Open Source, where reviews involve not just code but people, trust, and relationships.

Really enjoying this one.

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Django #OpenSource

Day 2 of DjangoCon US! ☀️🇺🇸

After an early breakfast and another sunny walk along the Chicago River, I'm back in the room for @nprofile1q... opening remarks.

He encouraged everyone to get early tickets for 2027, helped by a slide accidentally suggesting a two-week DjangoCon. 😄 A few people in the audience seemed ready to sign up already!

A fun way to start the day.

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Chicago #Community

Day 1 of DjangoCon US 2026 is done. 🇺🇸

The talks were great, but a big part of the day for me happened in the hallway track and around the DSF booth: answering questions, chatting with attendees and sponsors, and catching up with people I only get to see in person once or twice a year.

Those conversations are a huge part of why I come to conferences like this. 💚

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Community #Django

After spending much of the afternoon on the hallway track, I'm back for @nprofile1q... talk on how AI coding agents changed the way he writes Django.

I was curious to compare his experience with mine, and a lot of his suggestions and reflections resonated with me.

I especially enjoyed @nprofile1q... quote: “Go with the grain of Django.” 🌾

#DjangoCon #DjangoConUS #Django #AI