80 HOURS,
HOUR BY HOUR
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Every hour has its own narrative hook

Every hour is anchored in a specific theme — a film or series used as a teaching device. The reference is not decoration: it gives a technical concept a name, an image and a story, and it is what makes a topic covered at 4am still memorable the next day.

The anchor for each hour is not announced in advance. Discovering the reference for each hour is part of the experience.

There will always be something to do

The activity is the assessment: you demonstrate learning by producing something observable — an SQL script, a configuration file, an execution plan, a concept map, a diagnostic report or a solution built as a group.

• Individual or paired practice at your own workstation
• Collaborative activities with defined roles
• Activities using paper, objects and physical movement in the early hours

5 questions at the end of every hour

There are 5 multiple-choice questions per hour, answered within 3 minutes. In some hours the quiz is delivered as a game, keeping the same five questions and the same time limit.

The answers feed a consolidated leaderboard, projected at each curricular-unit changeover and at the closing.

The time on the clock is a design variable

The schedule runs through three nights, and the design treats fatigue as a parameter, not a surprise. In the overnight windows, short-cycle formats predominate, with movement, cooperative competition and immediate feedback.

One computer per participant

Every in-person participant has their own workstation throughout the lesson, with no shared hardware. Pair and group work happens in the discussion and the division of roles — never in sharing a keyboard.

Starts from absolute zero

There are no prerequisites. The first twelve hours assume no familiarity with computing, and the first three do not even require a computer. Those who already have experience will find a challenge from the second block onwards — and in the optional layer described at the end of this page.

Curricular units, badges and changeovers

A curricular unit closes every three hours. The changeover is the official moment for participants to join or leave, for a fresh quorum count and for awarding the badge for that unit, with a roll call by name.

• Anyone who completes the whole journey collects the full set of badges
• Badges are awarded during the micro-breaks, without interrupting the lesson
• Digital format guaranteed; physical format subject to sponsorship

Stepped out and came back? The lab is waiting for you

Whenever the lab environment changes during a unit, the team publishes a new virtual machine image with the final state of that unit. Anyone who was away restores the image from the immediately preceding point and rejoins the lesson without losing continuity — within ten minutes, with the team's support.

How long you need to stay

• In person: 90% of the total time, that is 72 hours, with attendance validated through the official register
• Online with official validation: 90% of the time, with the camera on, face visible and periodic checks
• Extension course: 75% of the total time, with a certificate stating the hours completed
• Up to 8 hours of absence are permitted within the total

What remains after the event

Registered participants have access to course materials, exercises, labs and support during and after the event. The full recording remains available and the content will be broken into modules and published free of charge, forming a permanent educational archive.

What you will install and use

• Oracle Linux on a virtual machine, installed by you in hour 8
• An Oracle database server, built across hours 31 to 39
• An SQL client and command-line tools for querying and diagnostics
• Your own cloud instance, on the free tier, in hour 74
• A virtual learning environment for materials, quizzes and the leaderboard

Four counters always visible

Throughout the attempt, four counters remain visible: elapsed time, time remaining to 80 hours, time remaining to the mark being beaten, and the rest-balance panel. In an event of this length, timekeeping is not a detail: it is part of the criteria.