## Rafael Weingärtner ##

**What's your name?**

I am Rafael Weingärtner.

**What Apache project(s)/Open Source Software project(s) are you involved in?**

Apache CloudStack and IOTA

**Were you a student/academic at the time of ApacheCon?**

Yes, I was a Ph.D. Student in Computer Science 

**Where in the world are you from?**

Brazil

**What was the best bit about ApacheCon?**

The opportunity to meet great people from all around the world. Not just
technical folks, but also people that know how to create and manage huge
projects on a daily basis.

Also Lightning talks; I swear that I am not only saying that
because there were free beers and snacks ;)

**What was the best new project you heardabout at ApacheCon?**

Chronix, a database system based on Lucene and Solr that is optimized for 
timeseries. That was
kind of unexpected to see a project like that can solve someof the problems
I am facing in my Ph. D. It was also interesting to see otherscholars
actively participating and engaging in the Apache world. The Chronixwas a
nice example; it is mainly developed by a Ph.D. student.

**What was your favourite non-talk part of ApacheCon?**

The event at the Steamworks Brewing Company. Great beer and lots of fun.

**Who was the best person you met at ApacheCon, and why?**

Daan Hoogland; this guy is awesome. He is in the Apache
CloudStack PMC, and we have been working together for over 4 years. We
exchange emails weekly, and ApacheCon NA was the opportunity to meet and
share a beer. Daan is not just a great coder and PMC member, but also an
great friend.

**What unexpected things did you learn at ApacheCon?**

Apache Fey, which is part of Apache IOTA. This project is what I was
looking for to serve the base for a system that I have been building.

**What would you say to someone thinking ofapplying to TAC for the first time?**

Go for it ;)