mountain peaks & metaprogramming
This is not a blog post about the things I learnt at C++Now. This is a blog post about my week in Aspen. Please enjoy the smartphone photographs. I carried my camera, Argent, but couldn't find the time to use it.
In case you were particularly looking for my technical insights, here:
- Vibe code DSLs. (No, I will not explain)
- Don't think about programming correctness, it's not worth your time.
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You should not be opinionated about build systems unless you're a build systems engineer.
- I just do as the docs say. When they lie (ahem, CMake), I follow Bill, Vito, Bret, and Daniel.
- Please don't be the guy who says “I want to use submodules” at a build-systems conference (CMakeNow 2025).
- The C++ standardisation committee seems like a [Game of Thrones parody](https://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2025/p1144r13.html#:~:text=Therefore%20we%20submit,is%20too%20late.).
- Declarative programming is in. Imperative programming is so 2024.
- You should learn Rust & Swift. C++ is dead, actually.
This was vibe coded ❤️
Day 0 Prologue/The Odyssey Begins
Three weeks before launch, I booked a United flight. At 5 a.m. in LaGuardia, I learned “delayed” means “we forgot your crew.” Two hours later, I boarded a relic of an aeroplane with overhead bins smaller than my desire to be in that plane. Shame on you, United.
New York to Denver was uninspiring. But at least the delay meant I got my morning cardio in whilst sprinting from one end of concourse B to the other end of concourse A at Denver. Denver to Aspen was a joyride. Forty-five minutes taxiing on the tarmac. You'd imagine they could find a runway at an airport with six, but no. Fifteen-minute flight. After landing, I gasped for air at mile-high. Welcome to thin-air cardio.
Met my college comrade Vito, a speaker, a legend, and a caffeine source. Checked in. Said “hi” to every C++ celebrity in sight. Brain: fried. Git demons: undefeated. Dinner and blackout nap ensued.
Argent sat idle in my bag, its strap dangling like an anchor—because the real story was the unfiltered moments. Even without lifting the shutter, Argent was there, waiting for clearer air.
Day 1 Vibe Coding, Pointers, and CMake
Morning brought Jeff Garland's Beman backstory. Sean Parent followed, preaching AI in code; I left ready to outsource my next bug to a robot.
Steve Downey squared off with raw pointers in a code duel that felt straight out of a samurai epic. Bret Brown's CMake cookbook turned my build files into gourmet meals.
By midday, I'd mastered custom ranges1, bending iterators like a code wizard. That evening, over dusky orange skies, Bloomberg engineers and I traded FX horror stories until the speakers dimmed and I staggered back to bed, pleasantly knackered.
I lifted Argent only once- to put it back in my bag.
Day 2 Reflection, Rust and Ribs
Daniel Pfeifer unlocked CTest cheats I never knew existed. Inbal Levi's reflection talk made every code generator2 in the room look obsolete.
Later, David Sankel presented Zngur, a Rust-C++ love story that convinced me C++ is going nowhere. The crown jewel was “Post Modern CMake,” a tour de force that had me clapping like a convert.
Braden Ganetsky dropped enough brain bombs to power a small city; I spent half the talk scribbling in my phone. Fried ribs at dinner were the week's best plot twist. Nightcap in hand, I eyed the pillows warily.
Argent would have zoomed in on those gleaming ribs. But instead, I held my phone. Still, in my mind, Argent clicked.
Day 3 Self-Verifying Code and Lightning Laughs
Lisa Lippincott taught code to watch itself. Imagine your compiler as a bouncer, tossing out rule-breakers before they even compile. Jon Kalb spun tales of Stepanov's STL adventures, shipping me into generics lore.
Ben Deane's declarative error API demo was therapy for my spaghetti code. Bill Hoffman circled back to CPS, preaching to the choir with charming enthusiasm.
Lightning talks brought quick laughs. I floated back to the hotel, head buzzing with new obsessions
I didn't even carry my bag, so Argent lay at the hotel.
Day 4 Views, Correctness and Rust Fan Club
Jon Müller had us roaring with laughter. River Wu delivered a killer talk3. Zach Laine then melted my brain with std-compatible views.
David Sankel followed up by loudly thinking through “programming correctness.” Entertaining, but I wouldn't sign up for round two.
Dinner with Dave Abrahams, Patrick Roberts, Steve Downey and River Wu became a Rust revival. And, a career clinic. I walked away with more advice than code samples. No nightcap tonight.
Argent would have loved River's killer slides3.
Day 5 Haskell Cameo and C++ Prognosis
Steve's Haskell cameo turned C++ into a “vaguely functional” doppelgänger. The generic programming panel flirted with controversy. Not sure if I was a sceptic or a believer by the end.
The Future of C++ panel dished out gossip fiercer than any Twitter thread. A final dinner with Bloomberg and Kitware alumni felt like graduation night. Later, I packed, heart full and suitcase crammed.
The panel's heated debate glowed like a flare in my lens. Argent, ever patient, would have captured those subtle smirks, but alas, it was back at the hotel.
Day 5+1 Epilogue/Perks and The Last Flight
TSAPre perks made me feel like Aspen royalty. I boarded the final United CRJ flight. The true story is that it's the last of its kind up here this summer.
Chicago's airport surprised me with civilised corridors and above-average signage. Back in Brooklyn, I treated myself to a deli sandwich so absurdly perfect it deserved its own keynote.
Argent, just like me, went back home with a full mind and an empty card4.
Post-Credits Scene
Aspen was a summer school for grown-ups. The Aspen Centre for Physics doubled as a cathedral for C++ zealots. When those videos go live, binge them. Your brain will thank you. Aspen is breathtaking. Your wallet might not recover, but your mind certainly will.
My resting heart rate is two (2!!) beats below what it used to be.