Josh Simmons

A wild philosopher appears! Booster for the commons. Community is my practice 🌱

he/they 🏳️‍🌈 bi+disabled 🦓 criming w/ @chrisjrn

Painfully earnest. Technicolor geek. Regularly awe-struck. Committed to being a good friend and ancestor. I wear many hats. Notably, author of @phpledge & former president of @osi :osi:

#OpenSource #CripTheVote #TransRights #BlackLivesMatter #LandBack #Cats #Nature #AVGeek #SolarPunk #HopePunk #1U

Public Key

npub14wzuzq4ev0ujxj74z7pchmfxvn2d7m9paf6vja2fux7w3tpj9nqq5496mu

NIP-05 Address

josh_at_josh.tel@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs2hpwpq2uk87frf0230quta5nxf4xldjs75axfw4y7r08g4sezesq978c0s

Author Public Key

npub14wzuzq4ev0ujxj74z7pchmfxvn2d7m9paf6vja2fux7w3tpj9nqq5496mu

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Last Notes

2024-09-05 20:29:36

Welp, the news is now out: the 2024 Petaluma Pride Festival has been cancelled 💔
It was one of the most heartbreaking decisions I've ever been part of making, but it was the right call. I'm proud of our team for having the self-awareness and courage to make the decision.
Other events continue as planned, and our festival will return in October 2025.
#Petaluma #SonomaCounty #SFBA #PetalumaPride

2024-08-29 18:04:37

Oh. My. Goodness. The first annual #MatrixConf starts *3 weeks from today* in Berlin...
And our first batch of tickets has SOLD OUT!
Clearly we're gunna need a bigger boat next year. We'll release more tickets once we know everyone is accounted for. The last thing we want to do is oversell and have to turn people away at the door in order to stay within fire code 😅
#Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS

2024-08-28 23:33:43

Today, the Klamath River is flowing freely for the first time in more than 100 years.
The dams have been removed. The ecosystems are being nurtured. And sovereignty has been restored to the Shasta Indian Nation over another 2800 acres. Good things are happening. Great things are possible. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/aug/28/today-klamath-river-flowing-free-first-time-more-c/
#SolarPunk #LandBack #Klamath #Environment #California

2024-08-28 22:56:20

I am so glad I've never known the Embarcadero as anything other than pleasant bay frontage. Incredible to think that SR480 was just one vote short of being rebuilt. https://www.sfgate.com/local/editorspicks/article/embarcadero-freeway-san-francisco-photos-history-15990662.php
#SFBA

2024-08-20 16:33:27

Today is the t-shirt order deadline for folks who are coming to #MatrixConf! If you like the colorful aesthetic of the conference brand you're gunna love the t-shirts.
Join us in Berlin this Sept 19-22 – and register today: https://2024.matrix.org/
#Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS

2024-08-15 06:21:09

To every volunteer or FOSS foundation staffer I've ever made life harder on by buying into a sensational story shared on social:
I am so sorry.
So often, I learn a much different story when the dust has had time to settle.

2024-08-14 22:07:00

Open governance is hard and I'm ever grateful to people who put in the time and care to make it go as well as it possibly can!

2024-07-27 17:26:12

I missed the Queers for Harris call last week, but I'll be joining the White Dudes for Harris call on Monday! Secretary Buttigieg will be one of the speakers.
I hope my fellow white guys join me in coming along and contributing. We are, after all, the voting demographic that has the most to answer for where we find ourselves these days. Let's show up 👏🏻
https://bit.ly/whitedudesforharris
#USPol #MastodonForHarris
https://josh.tel/system/media_attachments/files/112/859/617/418/586/903/original/28563b150ac4813c.png

2024-07-24 20:28:54

It's been roughly a year since I accepted the offer to join @npub1zxn…7s3u as its first ever Managing Director, so I'm celebrating by finally getting some stickers made 🥳

2024-07-23 23:51:41

We need more people with disabilities in office.
Have _you_ considered running for office? Or applying to join a local committee, commission, or board? Maybe you should 🤔
#DisabilityPrideMonth #RunForSomething

2024-07-18 20:05:49

*taps the sign*
Choosing to host a community on a "free" proprietary platform offered by a for-profit is choosing short term ease and long term pain, and often comes at the expense of privacy. These tools _will_ get shitty and extractive. And what then?
Community migrations are painful and lossy.
We must select tools for our community while considering a time horizon longer than the economic boom/bust cycle.

2024-07-17 20:36:32

I'm looking at moving my Nextcloud and Matrix servers to my home network.
Folks with servers on your home network: any suggestions of guides you found helpful, or machines or storage solutions you recommend (or advise against)?
#AskFedi #IndieWeb #SelfHosting

2024-07-15 18:54:11

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If you're looking for a new place to get stickers made, I'm seeing people recommend Sticker App, Sticker Ninja, Bumperactive (a union shop!) and I have been using Jukebox Printing.
#StickerMule

2024-07-15 18:06:04

I'm glad to see Sticker Mule took the mask off for all to see.
Many of us who have worked in developer relations and marketing have been avoiding them for _years_ because of its owners.

2024-07-03 15:56:18

I can't share details yet but I am _very_ happy with the session proposals we got for the Matrix Conference. It's going to be a great program!
Learn more about the event, consider sponsoring, and get your ticket today ✨
Join us in Berlin this Sept 19-22:
https://2024.matrix.org
#Matrix #FOSS #OpenSource

2024-07-02 01:19:43

Petaluma Transit is going fare-free on buses *and* paratransit for 1 year as a pilot program 🤩 https://www.petaluma360.com/article/news/petaluma-transit-free-bus-service/
Apparently first city in the Bay Area and second in California to make all their public transit free. Shout out to Commerce, CA for being the first in the state 👏🏻
#Petaluma #SonomaCounty #SFBA #California #Transit #Urbanism

2024-06-25 16:47:23

Not a great sign when several people reach out to you concerned about an organization you used to be involved with. Eep.

2024-06-19 18:10:04

On this Juneteenth, our second Independence Day, we celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people, in particular of Black folks in the US, and reflect on how far we still have to go to realize the ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all.
Today is a great day to volunteer, donate, and offer patronage to organizations and causes run by Black people.
If you're not sure where to look, check out your local NAACP chapter: https://naacp.org/campaigns/juneteenth
#Juneteenth #NAACP

2024-06-15 17:31:16

Glad to hear Mozilla has restored the anti-censorship Firefox add-ons that they took offline at the request of Roskomnadzor.
But still weird that it happened.
Every reputable org I know does one thing with requests from Roskonnadzor: ignores them.

2024-06-12 18:06:42

It's all happening! We've just opened the CFP for the first annual Matrix Conference which will be held Sept 19-22 in Berlin, immediately after OS Summit EU 📣
Proposals due June 26: https://matrix.org/blog/2024/06/matrix-conf-cfp/
Ticket and sponsorship sales will open soon! More details when we launch our website at end of week.
(And, yes! We will have a robust Code of Conduct and Health & Safety policy 😷)
#MatrixConf #Matrix #FOSS #OpenSource #OSSummitEU #OSSummit

2024-06-03 19:52:28

We did it, folks! Matrix has hit a new milestone in its open governance by electing a Governing Board to guide the Foundation and provide more representative and structured input to the evolution of the protocol.
Of course, while seating a Governing Board is a big deal, the hardest work remains ahead of us. I have high hopes for what we will accomplish together! 🚀 https://matrix.org/blog/2024/06/election-results/
#Matrix #FOSS #OpenSource #OpenStandards #OpenGovernance

2024-06-02 01:53:50

Happy Pride Month, beautiful people 🤩
You can make someone's dream come true this month: join me in helping my dear friend Ravyn raise the funds they need for gender affirming care! https://gofund.me/382f7f3e :BlahajWavingTransFlag:
Boosts appreciated
:boost_rainbow:
#Pride #MutualAid

2024-05-29 23:18:18

Hey folks! I'm looking for examples of elected officials and people running for office who have accounts on the fediverse.
Know of one? Please let me know! Boosts appreciated :boost_requested:

2024-05-24 20:55:25

One of the best presentations I ever gave was titled Fail Early, Fail Often, Fail Well. It was a whirlwind tour of 10 of the hardest and most painful lessons I had from my time as a freelancer.
Today, 8 years since I last gave that presentation, someone who saw it reached out for more advice.
Sometimes I forget just how far out the ripples can go. It's really encouraging.

2024-05-22 23:26:30

Anybody aware of places to rent or borrow portable air purifiers from, in or around Berlin?
Asking for a me.

2024-05-17 18:30:01

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PS. If Matrix is good enough for the United Nations, the French civil service, the German healthcare system, and a ton of FOSS projects, it's probably good enough for your community or company, too.

2024-05-17 18:25:06

You know who will never mine your private communications to train an LLM?
Better yet, you know whose words you don't need to trust, because you aren't obligated to use any particular server? And the software is open source? And regularly audited by security researchers?
Matrix.
It's not perfect, but no tool is. It's a matter of what trade offs you're willing to accept. Just sayin' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
#Matrix #Slack #OpenSource #FOSS #DigitalSovereignty #Privacy

2024-05-01 12:01:23

Today is May Day and the beginning of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) awareness month.
I regret to say I am deeply aware of EDS 😵‍💫
Learn more about EDS: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/
#EDS #HSD #hEDS #Disability
https://josh.tel/system/media_attachments/files/112/365/700/008/971/760/original/7f9fbe840d45ef1a.jpg

2024-04-26 20:43:05

Pssst. Mark your calendars: the first annual Matrix Conference will be held in Berlin from September 19-22.
(... and yes, that _is_ immediately following the #OSSummitEU which is being held in Vienna.)
#MatrixCon #Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS

2024-04-25 17:42:21

I am so grateful for, and proud of, the students across the US who are protesting against the war crimes that the IDF is perpetrating against Palestinian civilians, and all the aid workers and journalists who are just doing their jobs.
Time and time again in US history, the youth have stood up for what is right when many others remain on the sidelines.
#USPol #Israel #Palestine

2024-04-22 20:50:28

The little library down the street which already features books and crafts, has been expanded to include seeds 🤩
Looking forward to adding to the collection!
Also, a PSA for locals, the Petaluma Regional Library *already* has a seed library 🌱
#SolarPunk #Libraries #Community #Gardening #Petaluma #SonomaCounty #SFBA

2024-04-20 01:57:44

The wildest detail about the massive Discord user and message dataset is not even that it's connected to a notoriously toxic and violently transphobic community, but that Discord has known about it since at least February... and done nothing?
But maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Discord also didn't give a damn when it was used to coordinate the largest-yet spam attack in the history of the fediverse. https://www.404media.co/spy-site-selling-discord-messages-linked-to-kiwi-farms/

2024-04-19 19:32:21

As much as I don't think every single project or ecosystem needs its own dedicated FOSS foundation... I would much rather that than have a massive swath of the FOSS commons under the auspices of a single organization.
I've not been shy about my views that the Linux Foundation has become a dangerous single point of failure.
#OpenSource #FreeSoftware #Governance

2024-04-09 00:26:49

It has never been more important to include attribution or cite our sources.
Not just the right thing to do, it also helps with information and media literacy at a time when convincing bullshit is easier than ever to produce.

2024-04-02 16:33:59

Hoo boy. I'm not naming names because I don't want to fan the flames, but the knives are out:
Events around #xz have rightly emboldened volunteer-driven open source projects to take their hyper-wealthy downstream users to task.
Wild to think that many large companies have hollowed out their open source program offices (OSPOs), the internal teams who have been working on addressing these resource issues.
I fear this will get worse before it gets better.
#OpenSource

2024-03-30 16:03:07

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The last time I gave a presentation on event Health and Safety in person the CO2 levels in the room were north of 1200ppm 😬
I encourage fellow organizers to begin collecting this data at your events so that you can make more informed decisions about planning future events.
#IAQ #COVID #HealthAndSafety #PublicHealthPledge

2024-03-29 17:15:48

Beware folks, there's an astroturfing campaign emerging on fedi that appears to be aimed at garnering support for the actions of the Israeli government.

2024-03-28 18:46:37

Twice a year* COVID vaccine ✅
Glad to have another 3-4 months of robust protection against breakthrough infections!
* If you're high risk (even 'just' asthma) in the US, you can get them up to once every 4 months.

2024-03-27 00:48:24

My neighbors probably erred when they chose to use a wisteria to create a privacy screen around their deck. (It doesn't provide coverage for much of the year, and it will destroy their deck...)
But my goodness, for a few months a year, it makes the view out of our kitchen window even better 🤩

2024-03-19 19:12:48

Congrats to @npub1zsx…mzdr, @npub1ynr…tzgz, and @npub175m…x8qs for their election to the @npub1n70…qpfe board of directors!
We are all better for your service to the community.
#OpenSource #FOSS

2024-03-14 00:17:35

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The affected family member is in professional care right now. Hoping for the best 😔

2024-03-14 00:13:55

It saddens me that another health issue within my family gives me cause to remind folks:
COVID is a serious vascular disease. It just so happens that it's transmitted by our respiratory system.
Please be safe and take care of each other.

2024-03-13 18:11:12

Whoa! TIL just how widespread Matrix is at universities in Germany.
This, on top of adoption by their national healthcare system and other corners of their public sector.
Source: https://doc.matrix.tu-dresden.de/why/
#Matrix #OpenSource #OpenStandards #DigitalSovereignty #FOSS
https://josh.tel/system/media_attachments/files/112/089/706/467/355/685/original/4819388e75ee5dd6.png

2024-03-12 17:48:21

Bless the SFO Museum. Not only do they see the value in operating social channels on their own terms. Not only are they experimenting with new ways for people to appreciate the work of museums.
But TIL they also have been open sourcing their software for _years_! https://github.com/sfomuseum
#OpenSource #FOSS #SFBA #SFO

2024-03-08 18:23:30

Time to vote in the @npub1n70…qpfe elections! 🗳
#OpenSource #FOSS

2024-03-08 00:58:13

#HugOps to the Signal team! First outage I've ever noticed, which is a great track record for as long as I've been a user. All seems well now.

2024-03-01 20:12:13

It never fails to amaze me how widespread #Matrix is, and yet how it flies under the radar.
It's not only for #FOSS projects, though its users do include Mozilla, Eclipse, Ubuntu, GNOME, KDE, FSFE, W3C, and many more.
There's massive adoption in the European public sector, where there's a keen appreciation of open source, open standards, and digital sovereignty – most notably in Germany.
@npub1v7j…mcl4 put together a great landing page showcasing Matrix adoption in Germany: https://element.io/matrix-in-germany

2024-02-29 20:37:03

I am _very_ excited about all that we are doing at @npub1zxn…7s3u to establish frameworks for more community participation and open governance.
The Governing Board, working groups, and fiscal sponsorship, oh my! https://matrix.org/blog/2024/02/opening-up-foundation/
#Matrix #FOSS #OpenSource #OpenStandards

2024-02-27 21:03:53

A great read on how to do good, meaningful journalism following attacks on marginalized people.
Including what not to do: https://jude-doyle.ghost.io/i-dont-care-about-your-brand/
TLDR: talk to the people most impacted, and people with relevant lived experience. Center those people. And for goodness sake do not center their oppressors.
#Journalism #NexBenedict

2024-02-26 22:46:20

"Nazi mingle openly at CPAC."
That is a real headline from mainstream news here in the US. The Republican establishment isn't even trying to distance itself from violent extremists anymore.
We can and should push Democrats to do better and live up to their promises, and come November, we need to remember that:
- voting is harm reduction, and
- voting is important but never enough.
#USPol

2024-02-23 04:09:21

Downplaying the risks of COVID has shifted the Overton window, and now we also get to worry about measles outbreaks and a resurgence of HIV denialism.
I'm not asking for everyone to be as cautious as I am, but I'd appreciate it if more people of good will spoke up when others minimize or dismiss the severity of the situation.
This isn't a respiratory disease. It's a vascular, multisystem disease that we do not know how to treat.
Well researched summary published today: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0867
https://josh.tel/system/media_attachments/files/111/978/767/132/240/168/original/8396d7a248ee40c9.png

2024-02-22 20:40:17

Dang. I've lost fescue to burrowing mammals before, but until now I didn't realize how much they can devastate even larger plants.
Walking the garden in the sun this afternoon I noticed something had gotten to one of our mature geraniums. Chewed right through some thick branches 😬
I can only hope they didn't utterly destroy the roots 🤞🏻
#Gardening #SonomaCounty #SFBayArea

2024-02-17 22:53:13

Wading deeper into #Matrix now that I'm more comfortable with my self-hosted setup.
Fun factlet: the Office of the Matrix.org Foundation room has ~211 users across ~117 different homeservers! I doubt that's representative across the whole open federation, but still I find it encouraging to see that level of decentralization.

2024-02-16 20:15:56

GNOME, KDE, various corners of BSD, Mozilla, Thunderbird, FSFE, Nextcloud, OSM, Eclipse Foundation, AI Verify Foundation, Open Source Initiative, and now Ubuntu:
I am absolutely thrilled to see more communities making a home for themselves on Matrix 🚀
Congrats to @npub12a4…w2xw for officially going live with their own Matrix homeserver! https://matrix.org/blog/2024/02/twim/
#Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS #Ubuntu

2024-02-08 21:57:36

I celebrated last year's Black History Month by exploring poetry authored by Black folks, and cobbled together a list of 17 books of poetry: https://books.josh.tel/list/2/s/black-poets
There are many gems in that list.
But if you can only get one, get Black Nature: https://bookshop.org/p/books/black-nature-four-centuries-of-african-american-nature-poetry-camille-t-dungy/12163161
It's an anthology by Camille T. Dungy covering more than four centuries of nature poetry, and it's one I come back to time and time again.
#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackPoetry #Poetry

2024-02-05 22:05:57

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@npub10fm…x0qg @npub1uwl…g3z6 TIL there was a mailing list for this neighborhood! A shame it was subsumed by Nextdoor, a place I only go under duress 😅

2024-02-02 18:19:32

I am floored! There are more than 716 people who care enough about @npub1zxn…7s3u and the promise of open, decentralized, private, and interoperable communication that they're willing to put money on the line – on a recurring basis 👏🏻
Now it's time for institutional funders to step up 📣
If your organization uses Matrix, or cares about privacy, digital sovereignty, and openness, this is your call to action: https://matrix.org/blog/2024/01/2024-roadmap-and-fundraiser/
#Matrix #OpenSource #OpenStandards #Interoperability #Privacy #FOSDEM

2024-01-29 21:05:55

Tell you what, being vocal about Health & Safety has been a very useful filter.
It's the same way being vocal about Codes of Conduct was 10 years ago.
Turns out, if somebody nopes out when you introduce proactive measures to keep a community healthy and safe, then they're probably not safe to have around in the first place.
#HealthAndSafety #Community #OpenSource #FOSS

2024-01-20 20:45:57

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@npub1cy0…ggw4 I love what you publish and share, thank you! Could you please start adding alt text/image descriptions when your posts attach an image like this?
There are a decent proportion of folks on fedi who only boost when there's alt text, in solidarity with people who need to use screen readers. I'd love to be able to share this post 🙏🏻

2024-01-18 03:17:44

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Let me be clear: FOSS needs and deserves our financial support.
But this isn't really about money.
It's about how fraught it is to build a commons and a community on the back of proprietary platforms which follow a predictable pattern: in which VC money is used to subsidize free or severely discounted services to disrupt a market and create a captive audience which they then squeeze.
The incentives are simply not aligned for good outcomes.

2024-01-18 00:15:50

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And when it comes to FOSS chat, there's also XMPP, IRC, Zulip, and Rocket Chat (which speaks Matrix, btw). There are a lot of options!
Slack has been squeezing folks for years already, and notably continues to lack features critical for open communities (like, idk, being able to block someone).
I wonder how long till Discord starts putting on the squeeze? Already the interface is chock full of self-promotion and upsells...

2024-01-18 00:09:32

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@npub10fm…x0qg "For everything that we care about, we need to do the extra to own the data." 🎯
One hopes that in the future legislators will mandate interop and portability but until then...

2024-01-18 00:04:46

TIL about another community on Slack who is now being asked to pay thousands to preserve basic functionality 😬
Proprietary tools that offer a lot for free, without fail, will squeeze you. And unfortunately, because of their nature, a lot gets left behind when you inevitably migrate.
When we select tools for our communities, we need to think over longer time horizons.
FOSS options like Matrix for chat and Discourse for forums are the better bet.
#Community #DevRel #OpenSource #FOSS #Matrix

2024-01-16 04:51:41

It's a good day when a meaningful project in your ecosystem relicenses *into* the open source commons.
I'm excited about the developments we're going to see around Trust & Safety in Matrix this year.
#Matrix #Draupnir #OpenSource #FOSS

2024-01-15 22:32:04

We haven't even launched the new @npub1zxn…7s3u fundraiser yet, and we've already had 23 new people join as Individual Members 🤩
Thanks to everyone who is chipping in!
Your donations help us invest in the development of Trust & Safety tooling, making Matrix more accessible to newcomers, providing free infrastructure for FOSS communities, and operationalizing community governance. Bonus: Individual Members get to vote in our first ever elections 🗳
➡️ https://matrix.org/membership/
#Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS

2024-01-13 19:42:43

Going to pay my estimated taxes and I'm freshly annoyed that the IRS contracts with a private company, ID.me, when Login.gov exists and is quite good.
I should not have to go through a private company in order perform my civic duty.
#USPol #Privatization

2024-01-12 22:19:11

A little unnerving to go to the dentist, where nobody is masking except the one hygienist and several people are talking about how many folks they know who are sick, amid the second biggest surge of the entire damn pandemic 😷
I count myself extremely lucky to have ready access to vaccines and antiviral nasal sprays. Fingers crossed they do the trick... 🤞🏻
#COVID #MaskUp

2024-01-11 20:05:14

A couple weeks in to having my Matrix homeserver bridged to IRC, Discord, Slack, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and already it is having wonderful effects.
I struggle mightily with monitoring all the walled gardens.
Being able to communicate with folks all from one interface has meant participating in conversations I have been missing, and reconnecting with folks I haven't spoken with in a while.
#Matrix #Interoperability #OpenSource #ProtocolsNotPlatforms

2024-01-07 20:31:27

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Folks replying to me with dictionary definitions of political are missing the point and clearly have never had their rights voted on by fellow citizens.
Instead of wasting your energy trying to play gotcha with minorities, maybe look at the issue itself.
In my experience, anyone who describes human rights as "political" is someone who thinks they're debatable.
Here we have the leadership of #Kagi blaming politics for stifling innovation in tech. Big "move fast and break things" energy. GTFO.

2024-01-06 20:32:43

I get #Kagi relying on sources that don't share my values. Nothing in our societal order is uncompromised.
But calling gay rights political is a dog whistle that I hear loud and clear. There's no world in which I directly pay money into that kind of leadership.
On to the next...

2024-01-05 19:29:39

Many individuals operate a Matrix and ActivityPub server for themselves (👋🏻), and every so often I stumble into whole communities that run both.
Do you know of any communities that run both in parallel?
It's an awesome pattern that I'd love to encourage.
#Matrix #ActivityPub #Community #OpenSource #FOSS #Decentralization

2024-01-04 18:02:06

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@npub1jpp…u59l Oooh, thank you for sharing! Looking forward to seeing what I can learn from this.
The official instructions definitely need some work 😅
I didn't include it in my post but I _have_ successfully set up Heisenbridge as a personal bridge to Libera Chat and of course I'm happy to talk shop ^_^

2024-01-03 23:11:17

Reviewing the last few weeks of donations to @npub1zxn…7s3u and reading the comments that some folks left.
A warm and fuzzy way to end my first working day of the year :blobcathearts:
I've got a good feeling about the year ahead of us!
#Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS

2023-12-29 18:51:14

My job is to work toward bringing secure, decentralized, open source licensed communication tools with open governance to the masses with Matrix.
But if folks prefer XMPP or IRC, that's still a win in my book. I think Signal is a step in the right direction, too!
It's open vs. the world, and I'm looking forward to working together to challenge the status quo of surveillance capitalism and proprietary, centralized walled gardens.
#OpenSource #Matrix #ProtocolsNotPlatforms #FOSS

2023-12-28 22:42:17

Been a #Matrix user since 2017, and a heavy user since 2022.
Finally beginning to realize the full promise of it – and it is a thing of beauty 🤩
https://josh.tel/system/media_attachments/files/111/660/450/635/476/750/original/8d0b20d210483e1e.png

2023-12-20 18:14:45

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@npub1gv8…uu0q I quite like having access to @npub15c0…hxke in our Polestar! Much thanks to your team for your work.

2023-12-19 19:26:29

I'm very excited to announce the timeline for our first ever elections *and* two new membership tiers, for open source projects and foundations, to increase community representation 🚀
https://matrix.org/blog/2023/12/electing-our-first-governing-board/
#Matrix #FOSS #OpenSource #OpenStandards #OpenGovernance

2023-12-18 20:27:52

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@npub10fm…x0qg *taps the sign* https://josh.tel/@josh/109354835893852172
Common wisdom among community organizers! Would that such a thing were better understood among electeds, city staff, and all our fellow travelers who engage in the civic process.

2023-12-13 02:49:48

I'm excited to see Beeper challenging Apple's anticompetitive practices around iMessage, and thrilled that people are noticing -- the level of mainstream press attention gives me more hope that we'll see change.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/12/imessage-android-beeper/
Also stoked about the Epic court win over Google and the Play Store. I feel good about the antitrust and antimonopoly currents in the US and EU.
#Beeper #Apple #Antitrust

2023-12-12 01:01:04

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@npub1j46…3gm7 Love the questions!
AIUI pushing one's self physically or even mentally when COVID-driven inflammation is a going concern increases the risk of long term damage... and the inflammation can take more than a week to recede even after one begins testing negative.
I recommend people talk to COVID-informed doctors, and my personal approach:
Hell yes Paxlovid to speed clearance, metformin too if possible to address pulmonary inflammation, and way more rest than you think you need.

2023-12-12 00:40:31

Even if you think I'm overly COVID cautious and disagree with much of what I say... please, please, at least for your own sake:
If you get COVID, DO NOT PUSH THROUGH IT. Even after you start testing negative.
Seriously, learn from people with ME/CFS.
Pushing through is how you increase your already quite-high odds of having long lasting or permanent damage.
#Covid #Disability

2023-12-08 18:38:20

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@npub10fm…x0qg Oooh, that sounds like a podcast I need to add to my regular rotation.

2023-12-04 23:49:39

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@npub10fm…x0qg HUH. That I did not know, that would certainly explain some of the behavior I've noticed in the past 💡 Thank you!

2023-11-21 17:56:45

Stop treating open source projects and foundations like consumer-facing businesses.
Unless you've got a paid support contract that's being neglected, or there's a grave concern, it's inappropriate to escalate issues to massively public forums.
Maintainers and the staffers and volunteers at foundations are already overworked.
Don't make it harder for them to address your issue by ALSO making them waste time firefighting in public.
#OpenSource #FOSS #FLOSS

2023-11-18 20:32:41

I love seeing the growing number of communities where an ActivityPub server is being run alongside a Matrix server.
#Fediverse #ProtocolsNotPlatforms #Matrix #ActivityPub #Decentralization

2023-11-17 22:31:37

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@npub10fm…x0qg RIGHT?! I imagine the CO2 levels in those chambers, on nights like that, are _significantly_ worse than what I observed at GPAC last night.
And heaven forbid somebody attends who hadn't already made up their mind, and arrives at a nonsensical position while impaired, only to later succumb to the tendency to invent post-hoc explanations for one's position...
This feels ripe for study.
One of these days I'm'a have to persuade someone to bring my CO2 monitor in with them.

2023-11-16 20:34:26

Tis the season of fundraising!
We won't be putting out a formal appeal for #Matrix :matrix: until we can share more about the scope of our work, where we expect to go over the next year, and how funds are spent.
We're working hard on that now and you can expect more from us around the new year.
But if you already believe we're a worthy cause, there's no time like the present to donate: https://donorbox.org/keep-matrix-exciting
#OpenSource #ProtocolsNotPlatforms #Interoperability #FOSS

2023-11-16 19:03:20

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@npub10fm…x0qg Thank you! I am _definitely_ looking forward to learning more... quite a list of endorsers. Some I respect, and then also there's the Sheriff and SCLEA which really gives me pause 👀

2023-11-16 18:52:12

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@npub10fm…x0qg Oh interesting. Do you have any good resources where I could learn about his opponent? I'm struggling to find Kenneth's campaign materials.

2023-11-07 20:02:57

A little bit of FOMO, nothing to vote on in my locale this US election day.
Go get 'em, friends in places with elections today!
#USPol #Elections

2023-11-05 16:41:46

@npub10fm…x0qg Hey, I vaguely recall you saying you had an issue with some new autocomplete or autosuggest type thing on Mac OS X Sonoma – am I remembering right? Can you tell me more about that?
Asking because I just experienced some weird and confusing behavior. I'd like to address it before it properly bites me 😅

2023-11-04 19:42:43

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If you run your own Mastodon server, you can add custom CSS to make it even easier to see when an image or video lacks alt text in the web UI.
Shout out to @npub1rcp…jrz8 who runs floss.social and inspired me to implement it on my own server.

2023-11-04 19:35:57

@npub1su4…a0dw is the only media outlet I follow that still consistently doesn't add image descriptions, which is a bummer because their coverage is something I want to boost often! I hope they step it up.
I still don't boost posts that have images without image descriptions, and I know I'm far from alone in taking that approach.
#Accessibility #AltText

2023-11-02 22:35:41

Grounded by COVID exposure and sickness in the family, but I'm not sick yet (🤞🏻) and will be presenting at @npub1da6…7256 remotely tomorrow:
Conflu, con crud, and COVID-19: the time for Health and Safety policies is yesterday 😷
This is a revised version of the talk I gave at FOSSY. I'll be focusing on practical aspects of defining your event's Health and Safety policy and practices: https://osem.seagl.org/conferences/seagl2023/program/proposals/968
#SeaGL #HealthAndSafety #FOSS #Events #OpenSource

2023-10-30 23:55:50

It's always such a joy to write a letter of recommendation when a friend is applying for residency or naturalization.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: all the people who choose to come to the US and naturalize are one of my greatest sources of hope for our collective future.

2023-10-29 17:11:11

Friendly reminder for anyone else who regularly has meetings across North America and Europe:
Daylight Saving Time ends in Europe today, but doesn't end in North America until next week 👀
#DST #DaylightSavingTime #Timezones

2023-10-27 20:00:09

ICYMI: we've opened an Office of the Matrix.org Foundation room, a la the Office of the Spec Core Team, to make the Foundation more accessible and approachable.
Our aim is to step up transparency and communications so folks increasingly get questions answered that way, but the Matrix room will remain an important tool in the mix.
Find us during work hours at: https://matrix.to/#/#foundation-office:matrix.org :matrix:
#Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS #Interoperability #ProtocolsNotPlatforms

2023-10-26 05:34:40

No Explosions by Naomi Shihab Nye
To enjoy
fireworks
you would have
to have lived
a different kind
of life.
#NaomiShihabNye #PalestinianPoetry #Poetry

2023-10-25 21:46:30

Glad to see @npub1zxn…7s3u getting some love in the press this week. 115M users and counting, including those from institutions like the UN and the Republic of France, and communities like Debian, GNOME, and OSI! https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/decentralized-matrix-messaging-network-says-it-now-has-115m-users/
#Matrix #ProtocolsNotPlatforms #Interoperability #OpenSource #FOSS

2023-10-24 03:57:22

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@npub10fm…x0qg Always happy to talk shop! Generally speaking 10% is reasonable and worth it.