Scala is a language, built on the JVM, that has both functional and object-oriented properties. It has become quite popular among many developers who want to keep using the JVM, but want a more modern, expressive language than Java. (Although there are definitely indications that the latest version of Java included some functional aspects in part because of Scala’s influence.) In this talk, Ted Neward describes Scala’s approach to development in terms that can (should!) help Java developers to understand and embrace Scala.