The Weekly Loop
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
— Will Durant
The week acts as a metronome for creativity. Friday's Show sets a hard deadline that concentrates effort—every participant demos something they wrote or prompted into existence themselves. The moment code compiles on stage it becomes shared reality. Over the weekend and during Monday's orientation the cohort Talks—walking Madeira's levadas, swapping critiques, and letting distributed cognition surface better approaches. From Tuesday onward everyone Builds toward the next demo.
This steady rhythm prevents perfectionism paralysis and creates the conditions for collaboration. Every week follows the same structure, creating a predictable cadence that lets participants focus on what matters: building and shipping real projects.
“Every habit and faculty is preserved and increased by correspondent actions, as the habit of walking, by walking; of running, by running.”
— Epictetus
Monday Mornings
“Orientation & Tone Setting”
— Align the cohort on the week's theme, goals, and energy, with the weekly captain taking the helm.
The week kicks off with an orientation led by the designated captain. It's about setting the theme, clarifying logistics like room assignments and workshop schedules, and ensuring everyone is aligned for the creative flow of the week.
Tuesday Talks
“Sparking Ideas & Collective Intelligence”
— Surface the best ideas through collective intelligence and distributed cognition, where the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
Participants share knowledge and spark ideas through flexible presentations, from technical deep-dives to philosophical explorations. The semi-circular seating arrangement is intentional, fostering a collaborative discussion rather than a one-way lecture.
Wednesday Workshops
“Hands-On Skill Transfer”
— Transfer practical, hands-on skills that can be immediately applied. Knowledge transfer happens fastest when you're building something real.
Theory meets practice. Participants learn by doing in hands-on workshops, often with concurrent sessions for different skill levels. The flexible room layout with group tables is designed for collaboration and rapid iteration.
Thursday: Time Off
“Deep Work & Experimentation”
— Provide unstructured time for deep work, individual exploration, and turning the week's ideas into prototypes for Friday's demo.
A deliberately unstructured day for coding, pair programming, and experimentation. This is where the most surprising and innovative results often emerge, as participants have the freedom to test, build, and even alpha-test their creations in Madeira's Bitcoin-friendly ecosystem.
Friday: Demo Day
“Show What Runs & Public Ledger”
— Concentrate the mind and create a public ledger of progress by forcing the creation of thin vertical slices over speculative architecture.
The rubber meets the road. Every participant demos something they built—no polish required, just honesty. The format is aggressively time-boxed (6-min demo, 2-min discussion) to prevent perfectionism. The day concludes with a celebratory BBQ where friends and family are welcome.
Weekend Walks
“Moving R&D & Natural Group Mixing”
— Stimulate creative thought and facilitate the free flow of ideas through light physical activity and spontaneous, high-bandwidth conversations.
An absolutely crucial pillar of the program. Light-to-moderate 2-3 hour hikes on wide paths allow for natural group mixing and side-by-side conversations. Guided to ensure the group stays together, these walks are 'moving R&D' and the primary engine for ideation.
