💕 I Love Free Software Day 2026 💕

For this year’s I Love Free Software Day I am co-organising two special events, and I am super excited about them!

• 🧶 Knitting Our Internet at Snackbar Frieda, Rotterdam, on Friday Feb 13th at 18:00. All information here.
• 🛹 A reading of @kirschner’s Ada & Zangemann in English and in Dutch. After that, a conversation about Free Software maintenance as care work, together with @mayel from @Bonfire ❤️‍🔥 at the @internetarchiveeurope, Oudeschans 16, Amsterdam on Saturday Feb 14th at 14:00. All information here. Info about the super cool poster in the post below.

#FreeSoftware #SoftwareFreedom #ILoveFS #ILoveFreeSoftware #ILoveFS #IloveFS26 #ournet #KnittingOurInternet #SnackbarFrieda #Rotterdam #Amsterdam #InternetArchive #InternetArchiveEurope #AZbook #Ada #AdaZangemann #reading #event #decentralizaion #InternetHistory #Internet

I don’t write about being chronically ill very often, mostly because I’m still thinking it through in real time.

This short piece is about effort, belief, and what it’s like to live in a culture that insists improvement is always possible…even when your body says otherwise.

https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/effort-without-improvement

#Health #Scotland #UK #Writing #WritingCommunity #Books #Reading #Women

THREAD

1/

My daughter took this photograph of me today, quickly, in my bedroom. We swept the mess off the table, moved the dirty clothes off the chair and tried to make things look presentable, including me.

I complained the entire time about how I looked. The light wasn’t good, my hair was greasy, I’m 42 on Sunday, I want to lose weight, I’m in perimenopause. But this is something I do. Saying it out loud has become a habit.

#Books #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Scotland #UK

THREAD

1/

My daughter took this photograph of me today, quickly, in my bedroom. We swept the mess off the table, moved the dirty clothes off the chair and tried to make things look presentable, including me.

I complained the entire time about how I looked. The light wasn’t good, my hair was greasy, I’m 42 on Sunday, I want to lose weight, I’m in perimenopause. But this is something I do. Saying it out loud has become a habit.

#Books #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Scotland #UK

A couple of days late (as always) this is my January Reading Wrap up for 2026 - https://nomadicreader.com/2026/02/04/january-2026-wrap-up/

There were no 5 star reads this month, but that's OK there's still 11 months of reading to go.

#books #reading #review

Not only are workloads increasing, by hollowing out their junior ranks, businesses are putting themselves squarely in the path of a slow-burning demographic time bomb as seniors begin to retire in record numbers.

"There won’t be an endless supply of experienced hires to fall back on, so everyone will be fighting for the limited, increasingly expensive talent with domain expertise"

What exactly is the tech-industry's endgame here?

https://www.fastcompany.com/91483431/companies-replaced-entry-level-workers-with-ai

#noai #techbros #ai #llm #technology #programming #sysadmin #linux #indieweb #capitalism #reading #art #adhd

💕 I Love Free Software Day 2026 💕

For this year’s I Love Free Software Day I am co-organising two special events, and I am super excited about them!

• 🧶 Knitting Our Internet at Snackbar Frieda, Rotterdam, on Friday Feb 13th at 18:00. All information here.
• 🛹 A reading of @kirschner’s Ada & Zangemann in English and in Dutch. After that, a conversation about Free Software maintenance as care work, together with @mayel from @Bonfire ❤️‍🔥 at the @internetarchiveeurope, Oudeschans 16, Amsterdam on Saturday Feb 14th at 14:00. All information here. Info about the super cool poster in the post below.

#FreeSoftware #SoftwareFreedom #ILoveFS #ILoveFreeSoftware #ILoveFS #IloveFS26 #ournet #KnittingOurInternet #SnackbarFrieda #Rotterdam #Amsterdam #InternetArchive #InternetArchiveEurope #AZbook #Ada #AdaZangemann #reading #event #decentralizaion #InternetHistory #Internet

The Wuthering Heights people remember is not the book Emily Brontë wrote.

I read it just in time for the release of Emerald Fennell’s adaptation. She has said Wuthering Heights left its greatest impression on her at 14. Here’s my interpretation at 41, feeling world weary & no longer susceptible to the charms of beautiful men who behave badly.

It turns out it isn’t really about love at all, but about inheritance, race & power.

https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/wuthering-heights

#Books #Scotland #Writing #UK #Reading

Testing out Margins, a book tracking app. If you use it, let's follow each other.
https://margins.app/u/6ab16c5711154255ae19eacbb5f9dd27

#Books #Apps #BookTrackers #Reading

Just a reminder that if you like my writing on Substack, it’s very likely that you will also like my book ‘Drystone - A Life Rebuilt’

If you buy it on bookshop.org you support me and indy bookshops.

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15919/9781846976469

#Books #Book #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Scotland #UK