Category Archives: Uncategorized

Bryan Cantrill has been accused of verbal abuse by at least seven people

It sounds like Bryan Cantrill is thinking about organizing another computer conference. When he did that in 2016, I wrote a blog post about why I wouldn’t attend, because, based on my experience as Bryan’s former co-worker, I believed that Bryan Cantrill would probably say cruel and humiliating things to people who attended. I understandContinue reading “Bryan Cantrill has been accused of verbal abuse by at least seven people”

Yesterday’s joke protest sign just became today’s reality

Tomorrow I’m going to a protest against the forcible separation of immigrant children from their families. When I started thinking about what sign to make, I remembered my sign for the first Women’s March protest, the day after Trump took office in January 2017. It said: “Trump hates kids and puppies… for real!!!” While I expectedContinue reading “Yesterday’s joke protest sign just became today’s reality”

Cross-post: Alcohol and Inclusivity: Planning Tech Events with Non-Alcoholic Options

This article is by Kara Sowles, republished with permission. It originally appeared on Model View Culture in 2014. In the tech industry, alcohol is currency. It’s used to grow event attendance, to bribe participants, to reward employees and community members. Informal interviews are conducted in bars, to see if potential employees are likable in a socialContinue reading “Cross-post: Alcohol and Inclusivity: Planning Tech Events with Non-Alcoholic Options”

Advice for women in tech who are tired of talking about women in tech

To be a woman in tech is to be asked to talk about being a woman in tech, regardless of the desires or knowledge of the individual, unique woman in tech in question (see The Unicorn Law). This is a frustrating part of being a member of a marginalized group in any field of endeavor:Continue reading “Advice for women in tech who are tired of talking about women in tech”

Getting free of toxic tech culture

This post was co-authored by Valerie Aurora and Susan Wu, and cross-posted on both our blogs. Marginalized people leave tech jobs in droves, yet we rarely write or talk publicly about the emotional and mental process of deciding to leave tech. It feels almost traitorous to publicly discuss leaving tech when you’re a member ofContinue reading “Getting free of toxic tech culture”

Repealing Obamacare will repeal my small business

I emailed this to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today in response to the weekly Wall-of-Us email call-to-action, and thought it would fit on my blog as well. Hello, I am a small business owner with a pre-existing condition who can’t go without health insurance for even one month. The Affordable Care Act made my small businessContinue reading “Repealing Obamacare will repeal my small business”

What white supremacists don’t want you to know: the Paradox of Tolerance

White supremacists are really, really hoping that you don’t keep reading this article. They don’t want you to learn about the Paradox of Tolerance, because then they’d lose a powerful weapon in their fight to make society more racist. Ready to make a white supremacist mad? Fortunately for us, the Paradox of Tolerance is easyContinue reading “What white supremacists don’t want you to know: the Paradox of Tolerance”

The Al Capone theory of sexual harassment

This post was co-authored by Valerie Aurora and Leigh Honeywell and cross-posted on both of our blogs. It was also republished on Quartz. We’re thrilled with the recent trend towards sexual harassment in the tech industry having actual consequences – for the perpetrator, not the target, for a change. We decided it was time toContinue reading “The Al Capone theory of sexual harassment”