Calvin Hendryx-Parker profile photo

Calvin Hendryx-Parker

Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Six Feet Up, Inc.

PythonAWS Cloud ArchitectureTechnical StrategyAI Workflow OptimizationCommunity BuildingDjango/Pyramid
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About

I'm Calvin Hendryx-Parker, the Co-founder and CTO of Six Feet Up. For over 20 years, I've been at the helm of technical vision and infrastructure strategy, specializing in Python, Django, and AWS cloud architecture. Beyond my role at Six Feet Up, I'm an AWS Community Hero and a Fellow at Abundance360, where I collaborate on exponential technologies and 'moonshot' initiatives. I'm deeply passionate about community building, having founded IndyPy and IndyAWS to make programming knowledge accessible and engaging. Currently, I'm focused on the evolution of AI workflows—moving from 'vibe coding' to rigorous, specification-driven development. I'm looking to connect with fellow CTOs and founders to share architectural war stories, and I'm specifically seeking an operational 'partner in crime' to help drive business growth and lead management. Whether it's discussing AI ethics or scaling tech communities, I'm always eager to exchange value and explore what's next in tech.

Networking

What I can offer

  • ›Technical strategy and architectural war stories
  • ›Python and AWS expertise
  • ›Access to demo codes, repositories, and presentation slides
  • ›Community building insights

Looking for

  • ›An operational 'partner in crime' to act as a right-hand for business growth
  • ›Engagement with CTOs and founders on exponential tech
  • ›Collaborators for moonshot initiatives

Best fit for

CTOs and FoundersPython and AWS developersCloud practitionersTech educators

Current Interests

Vibe coding vs. Augmented codingExponential technologies and MoonshotsAI ethics and decision authorityOpen-source toolsCompute bottlenecks

Background

Career

Co-founded Six Feet Up in 2003, leading technical vision for over two decades while simultaneously building major tech communities like IndyPy and IndyAWS and serving as an AWS Community Hero.

Education

BS, Computer Graphics from Purdue University (1993 – 1998)

Achievements

  • ›Recognized as an AWS Community Hero
  • ›Scaled IndyPy to over 2,000 members
  • ›Nominated for Mira Awards Tech Educator of the Year (2016)
  • ›Helped build the world's largest network of Coder Dojos

Opinions

  • Perfect prompts are less valuable than well-defined specifications and actionable checklists in Git.
  • Programming knowledge should be open, available, accessible, friendly and engaging.
  • AI builders won't replace senior engineers but will require more of them to bring complex ideas to life.
  • The standoff between the Pentagon and AI providers is a failure of Decision Authority Placement Models.