{"id":112,"date":"2025-11-13T09:48:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/?p=112"},"modified":"2026-05-26T09:49:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:49:56","slug":"submarines-and-safaris-our-experience-at-hack-the-future-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/?p=112","title":{"rendered":"Submarines and Safaris: Our Experience at Hack The Future 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you pair up for a hackathon, you know you\u2019re in for a long day of problem-solving, intense coding, and a massive intake of caffeine. But when my classmate, friend, and frequent partner-in-crime Bilal Tarfouss<\/strong> and I signed up for Hack The Future 2025<\/strong> by the Cronos Group<\/strong>, we didn’t realize it would also include a trip to the zoo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event took place in the heart of Antwerp, and because of the awesome venue setup, we received free access to the iconic Antwerp Zoo<\/strong> as part of the experience. It\u2019s not every day you get to debug code, optimize databases, and then take a quick break to go clear your head while watching penguins and giraffes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bilal and I leaving in the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge: Discoverers of the Great DBArrier Reef<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once the event kicked off, Bilal and I dove straight into our assigned track, which had one of the coolest themes of the day: “Discoverers of the Great DBArrier Reef,”<\/strong> hosted by Monin<\/strong> and Exitas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The premise was highly creative. We were put in command of a virtual submarine that had suffered a catastrophic failure deep underwater. To save the mission and get our submarine up, running, and safely back to the surface, we had to navigate through several complex technical stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge was a fantastic mix of database management, infrastructure optimization, and rapid troubleshooting. Each stage threw a new roadblock at us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Analyzing system bottlenecks<\/strong> to restore primary power to the submarine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Query optimization and data recovery<\/strong> to get our navigation and communication arrays back online.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Structuring and securing database pipelines<\/strong> under tight time constraints to ensure the ship could withstand the pressures of the deep sea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    It required us to think quickly on our feet, combine our technical strengths, and communicate perfectly as a team. Bilal and I locked in, knocked down the stages one by one, and had an absolute blast watching our digital submarine come back to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Perfect Brain Break: Exploring the Zoo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    One of the best parts about Hack The Future is the atmosphere. The Cronos Group knows that intense mental grinding requires a good mental reset. Whenever we hit a roadblock or finished a major stage of the submarine challenge, Bilal and I took advantage of our free tickets and walked right into the Antwerp Zoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stepping out of a high-tech hacking environment straight into nature was the ultimate brain break. It gave us a chance to relax, chat with other participants in a casual setting, and return to our laptops with a completely fresh perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Teamwork Makes the Dream Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Hack The Future 2025 was another reminder of why I love the tech community at Howest. Competing in these kinds of challenges alongside friends like Bilal makes the learning process incredibly rewarding. A huge shoutout to the Cronos Group for putting together such a unique event, and to Monin & Exitas for designing a killer database challenge that kept us on our toes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our submarine survived the Great DBArrier Reef\u2014now it’s time to see what challenge we tackle next! \ud83c\udf0a\ud83d\udea2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    Did you participate in Hack The Future this year? Which track did you choose? Let me know in the comments!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When you pair up for a hackathon, you know you\u2019re in for a long day of problem-solving, intense coding, and a massive intake of caffeine. But when my classmate, friend, and frequent partner-in-crime Bilal Tarfouss and I signed up for Hack The Future 2025 by the Cronos Group, we didn’t realize it would also include […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114,"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirandekruijter.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}