Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
Join Me In Donating to Stumptown Syndicate and Open Source Bridge
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2014 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
I'm donating up to $15,000 to the Stumptown Syndicate -- depending on how much you are willing to match by December 29th Updated: 31st at 1:30pm Pacific Time. Please join me by donating today and doubling your impact!
Updated 31 December: We made it!
I really love Open Source Bridge, which Stumptown Syndicate runs. I've spoken there every year since 2010, and it's the tech conference that has imprinted itself on my heart -- informative technical talks, inspiring ideas that help me improve how I do my work, and belly laughs and great food (see right). I love that I can tell friends "Come to OSB!" without having to add "but watch out for..." the way I do with so many other conferences. Hospitality lives in the DNA of Open Source Bridge, so it's a place where people from different projects and backgrounds can share their experiences as equals. Wikimedians, Linux developers, Mac users, designers, hardware hackers, managers, knitters, teachers, and everyone from Fiona Tay to Ward Cunningham swap tips and inspire each other. I especially appreciate that Stumptown Syndicate curates an inclusive all-genders tech conference where I'm never the only woman in the room; in fact, in 2014, half the speakers were women.
I don't live in Portland, so I don't get to benefit directly from most of Stumptown Syndicate's events. But they document their processes to make a playbook, and they built and improve open conferenceware and an open source shared calendar, all of which contribute to the infrastructure of inclusion for everyone to reuse.
With some more cash in the bank, the Syndicate can look at adding childcare to its events, improving access and scholarship options for low-income participants and guest speakers, and improving the audiovisual experience (with faster video processing or transcripts/captioning).
So: I'll match donations starting today and ending on December 29th 31st at 1:30pm Pacific Time, whether corporate or individual, one-time or recurring memberships. Please donate now to help raise $30,000 for Stumptown Syndicate and Open Source Bridge!
Updated 31 December: We made it!
