programming counterculture, GSoC, and interesting work
Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work.
I've been working with several clients, and wrote a few pieces you might like. And I'm speaking at some upcoming conferences -- and a government hearing.
Clients:
For several months I've been working on Zulip, a great group chat application whose next release is due out this week. I'm also pleased I got to help Wikimedia Indonesia by auditing their code and documentation improvements for a grant funder. More about my Zulip and WMID work at https://changeset.nyc/clients.html .
Some of my other clients from the last half year:
I've worked with Open Tech Strategies http://opentechstrategies.com/ on a few projects -- writing, editing, coding, researching, and onboarding others. OTS recently asked me to try installing one of their applications, fix what I could and report what I couldn't. They gave me permission to post my report publicly: https://changeset.nyc/resources/installation-audit.html
PokitDok is aiming to make US healthcare more transparent regarding prices and insurance coverage -- their API https://platform.pokitdok.com/documentation/ has some pretty neat capabilities. I advised them on developer engagement strategy, with help from Heidi Waterhouse http://www.heidiwaterhouse.com/ .
I've just started working with a few new clients. Via Courage IT http://www.courageit.com/ , I'm improving documentation and open source processes around Washington, DC's health benefit exchange (e.g., https://github.com/dchealthlink/medicaid_eligibility ).
As a followup to a Knight-Mozilla OpenNews documentation sprint https://source.opennews.org/en-US/articles/building-guide-open-sourcing-newsroom-code/ , Changeset just started on a generic linter application. It'll help new open source projects avoid easily preventable problems, like leaving out a README or checking secrets into a repo. Frances Hocutt https://franceshocutt.com/cv/ is the programmer for this project, which will launch later this month.
And: The Play Generated Map & Document Archive won a few hours of my services in the Con or Bust charity auction last year, and my project planning and advice has helped the volunteers there get going on their site overhaul. https://github.com/plagmada/plagmada-archives/issues
Writing:
In 2016, I blogged "Advice on Starting and Running a New Open Source Project", "Rough Notes for New FLOSS Contributors On The Scientific Method and Usable History", and my new zine "Playing With Python: Two of My Favorite Lenses" (all available at https://www.harihareswara.net/sumana/2016 ). And I wrote "Toward a !!Con Aesthetic" in The Recompiler https://recompilermag.com/issues/extras/toward-a-bangbangcon-aesthetic/ , discussing a programming counterculture. More of my writing, software, art, and zines: https://www.harihareswara.net/writings.html
I was also interviewed for a Recompiler podcast https://recompilermag.com/2016/09/21/podcast-episode-12-interview-with-sumana-harihareswara/ , quoted in an article about institutional memory in open source https://recompilermag.com/issues/extras/institutional-memory-in-open-source/ , and analyzed in a narrative about learning by observing https://trueskawka.github.io/blog/programming/2016/10/20/learning-by-observing.html .
See me:
February 8: testimony in a New York state assembly public hearing on government oversight of forensic science, NYC Feb. 15: WONTFIX Cabal/Maintainerati, San Francisco March 25-26: keynote speaker, LibrePlanet, Cambridge, MA April 28-30: Guest of Honor, Penguicon, Southfield, MI
Details: https://www.harihareswara.net/talks.html
Other updates:
I'm now a certified instructor for Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry! https://software-carpentry.org/team/ I'm looking forward to teaching researchers better data management and coding skills.
If your project wants to participate in the next Outreachy or Google Summer of Code round, apply by February 9th: https://opensource.googleblog.com/2017/01/now-accepting-organization-applications.html | https://wiki.gnome.org/Outreachy/Admin/InfoForOrgs
Your open source project/community that supports free expression & info exchange online can get usability help: https://simplysecure.org/blog/apply-for-help
A project I've been using a lot: LeechBlock. http://www.proginosko.com/leechblock/
I agree with Software Freedom Conservancy regarding the U.S. Presidential Executive Order on Immigration: https://sfconservancy.org/news/2017/jan/30/opposing-us-immigration-ban/ and I agree with the Recurse Center: https://twitter.com/recursecenter/status/826517218598989824
Best wishes and thanks. Here's to more freedom and safety for all of us.