If you want to know why researchers from the #globalsouth are under-represented in scientific conferences, try going through the visa application process as one of them.

#conference #knowledgeexchange @academicchatter

Mar 24

**Stefano Marinelli** @stefano@bsd.cafe · Mar 22

Stefano Marinelli @stefano@bsd.cafe

Yesterday’s event was engaging and sparked a lot of reflections. Here are my immediate, unordered thoughts:

• The organizers poured their passion into this conference - they created something genuinely interesting and enjoyable. Thank you for that.

• Every talk offered valuable insights. A recurring theme was developers’ anxiety about large language models: they rely on them heavily and fear losing competitiveness without these tools. I personally resonated more with some speakers than others, especially appreciating the friendly, down‑to‑earth atmosphere that some of them tried to create - we should feel like peers, not influencers on a pedestal.

• I was the oldest (and most traditionally dressed) speaker - some even addressed me formally, which made me feel ancient! Yet I was arguably the most “alternative”, challenging the crowd not just on BSDs but on open source philosophy itself. Instead of blindly rewriting projects in Rust, I urged people to do so only when it truly adds value. I felt like a real hipster

• Many equate open source with large, corporate‑backed projects you can consume or contribute to. This narrow view risks creating mainstream currents dominated by a few profit‑driven companies, ultimately limiting choice and freedom.

• Despite time constraints (the ticking timer was painfully visible, I was a bit nervous while presenting!), I achieved my goal: to broaden minds and open eyes to the BSDs and the deeper spirit of open source. Several attendees - including fellow speaker Sal, whom I already admired - came to chat afterward, sparking wonderful discussions.

• Sometimes I observed a dismissive attitude toward anything outside the mainstream (“Ok, Boomer…”), reflecting a worrying trend. For many, open source is merely a paycheck, which saddens me.

• A few were genuinely curious about the BSDs but unsure how to apply it professionally. Almost everyone I spoke with uses Docker/Kubernetes but dislikes its complexity. I encouraged them to drive change from the ground up by learning different workflows and bringing that value into their work - not just replicating existing OS practices.

• One of the sponsors, Aruba Cloud, gifted me some swag - including a pair of blue socks emblazoned with a cloud logo. I can now literally say I’m walking on clouds (or that the cloud is at my feet)!

#OSDay #OSDay25 #OSDay2025

Mar 22

**Mariatta** @mariatta@fosstodon.org · Mar 21

Mariatta @mariatta@fosstodon.org

Folks don't understand how open source contributions work. If you want a feature, you don't come and say "make me this feature". Instead, you open a PR and ask for it to get merged.

Folks don't understand how community conferences work. If you want something to happen in the conference, you don't come and say "make this happen for me". Instead, you say "I want to volunteer and do this for your conference".

#opensource #community #conference

Mar 21

**David Revoy** @davidrevoy@framapiaf.org · Mar 14

David Revoy @davidrevoy@framapiaf.org

Join me in Limoges (France) on March 25, 2025, for a conference & live digital painting performance! (in French) I explain the topics, the format and more info on this blog-post: https://www.davidrevoy.com/article1067/conference-in-limoges-france-on-25-march

A krita screenshot, with on the canvas the information for the conferences and a drawing of Pepper&Carrot.

#limoges #krita #conference

Mar 14

**NV Access** @NVAccess@fosstodon.org · Mar 11

NV Access @NVAccess@fosstodon.org

Join NV Access in just over an hour from now, at 1:20PM in Grand GH at the #CSUNATC25 conference in Anaheim, California, where we talk about NVDA 2025: New and Upcoming features - we have a LOT to share!

Photo of the CSUN brochure with NVDA 2025: New and Upcoming Features in Grand GH highlighted

#Conference #CSUN #News

Mar 11

**Kim Albrecht** @kim@vis.social · Mar 10

Kim Albrecht @kim@vis.social

I’m thrilled to bring together two institutions that shaped my work: BarabásiLab & metaLAB (at) Harvard.

On June 11–12, 2025, we’re hosting Data | Art—a conference on how data entangles with artistic, scientific & curatorial practices.

We already have a stellar lineup of speakers! More soon: https://data-art.info/

GIF

#DataArt #BarabasiLab #metaLAB

Mar 10

**Alex McLean** @yaxu@post.lurk.org · Mar 10 *

Alex McLean @yaxu@post.lurk.org

It's really tricky to spread the word about events these days! I don't support corporate social media and you don't get read attention there anyway, mailing lists aren't what they once were, and this event wants to reach people across many patterny disciplines..

Any help spreading the word across all the strange pattern-obsessed communities much appreciated!

Algorithmic Pattern is a new festival and conference for people curious about the practice and culture of algorithmic pattern-making, across algorithmic music, arts and craft. The first edition will take place both in Sheffield UK and online, during September 2025.
The call for talks/papers is now open, deadline 2nd June - please see our website for details: https://2025.algorithmicpattern.org/call/
#textiles #weaving #algorave #livecoding #algorithmicart #cfp #conference #patterns #pattern #craft #juggling #siteswap #origami #geometry #ethnomathmatics #choreography

2025.algorithmicpattern.orgOpen calls – Algorithmic Pattern

Freedom Not Fear 2025 – The annual self-organized conference on digital rights and data protection

Brussels (exact Location t.b.a.), Freitag, 26. September um 18:00 MESZ

Freedom Not Fear 2025: 26–29 September in Brussels [freedomnotfear.org]

Mark your calendars for Freedom Not Fear 2025!

The annual self-organized conference on digital rights and data protection will take place

on 26–29 September 2025 (Friday–Monday).

At Freedom Not Fear, people from across Europe and beyond come together to advocate for freedom in the digitalized world, plan actions against attacks on civil liberties and increasing surveillance, and seek discussions with decision-makers.

The date has been set and volunteers have started preparing the event. We are working to find the location and sort out funding. Also, we’re looking for more volunteers to help us organize the event. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, 19 February, at 20:00 CET. If you would like to help and join this or any later meeting, or if you have any suggestions, please get in touch! [freedomnotfear.org]

Stay tuned and watch this space for the latest news: https://freedomnotfear.org/

We look forward to seeing you in September!

PS: If you plan to attend Freedom Not Fear, you might want to stay on 1–2 days to also attend Privacy Camp 2025 [privacycamp.eu], which is organized by European Digital Rights (EDRi) and others. This will take place on 30 September, the day after Freedom Not Fear closes.

https://calndr.de/event/freedom-not-fear-2025