Mx. Riley

https://social.riley.pub/@robin

Soft creature, wild philosopher, and booster for the commons 🌱 Tech, media, libraries, urbanism, and civics.

Co-organizer of Petaluma Pride and North Bay Python, Commissioner for the Sonoma County Library, Chapter leader with ACLU NorCal Sonoma County

Formerly Matrix.org, Open Source Initiative, Tidelift, Google Open Source, O'Reilly Media, etc.

she/ella 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🦓 ♾️ 9a 🌹 🐺 in <3 w/ Christopher Neugebauer (npub1rxq…388y)

Pronouns: she/ella
Location: Coast Miwok land; Petaluma, California
Website: https://riley.pub

Public Key

npub1jajny3jpg8ek779nzutmz3npkdkezcycv55r3tq9feamaxv83ugswnhu86

NIP-05 Address

robin_at_social.riley.pub@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsfwefjgeq5rum00ze3w9a3gesmxmv3vzvx22pc4sz5u7a7nxrc7ygprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmnty4hw64

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub1jajny3jpg8ek779nzutmz3npkdkezcycv55r3tq9feamaxv83ugswnhu86

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Last Notes

2026-04-05 05:53:47 UTC

I had hoped to avoid this — but my job search is taking longer than expected, and Chris lost his job unexpectedly. I'm now fundraising so that I can afford my gender affirming care and my surgery which is scheduled for October 8th!
Donate at: https://riley.pub/fundraiser
Every bit helps, and I welcome and encourage you to share this :boost_please:
https://social.riley.pub/system/media_attachments/files/116/350/514/881/261/370/original/9afce271dc7784e5.png

2026-04-03 19:21:43 UTC

RE: https://hachyderm.io/@petrillic/116337502667369228
Me: *holds the line on ethics throughout my entire career*
Someone I spoke to last night after I had a couple drinks: I'm glad I don't have to worry about ethics, our company works for _everybody_
Me: I ... I don't think we're prepared for this conversation

2026-04-03 14:38:56 UTC

Just one study but we have seen clear decreases in human attention spans, esp since 2012...
"Watching fragmented short videos rather than a single continuous video leads to poorer memory recall and alters how the brain retrieves information. A recent experiment revealed that fast-paced episodic media formats disrupt the neural systems responsible for integrating details and maintaining cognitive control." via PsyPost
https://www.psypost.org/brain-scans-reveal-how-short-videos-impair-memory-and-disrupt-neural-pathways/
#Science #Psychology #SocialMedia

2026-03-29 15:32:09 UTC

I'm seeing openness to age verification laws within some left of center organizing spaces 😱
Folks, we gotta talk to our people to kill this harmful policy. Regulate dangerous big tech practices, not people!
LGBTQ+ kids in hostile environments suffer when they can't access community online.
Age verification also facilitates excluding representation of marginalized folks. Also, it is at odds with the right to repair — shouldn't we own our devices, and not the other way around?

2026-03-23 19:13:04 UTC

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A few more details:
- I work remotely in Pacific Time, and happily work across AMER, APAC, and EU
- I'm willing to travel for work up to 5x a year, but only to places that are safe for queer and trans people
- My values are non-negotiable, I will not touch "AI" (run of the mill ML notwithstanding), blockchain, surveillance tech, or tools of war
I'm keeping an open mind, but I'm particularly keen on movement tech and I'm willing to speak truth to power.
If that's what you need, I'm your gal.

2026-03-23 19:05:51 UTC

I'm looking for full-time work!
I work at the intersection of social and technical systems, and specialize in building up people, programs, partnerships, and organizations around open source.
I have a deep track record in complex community relations, am fluent in the nuts and bolts of many technologies, and have spanned governance, org development, nonprofit and people management, comms, marketing, events, and beyond.
Let's fly! :boost_please:
#FediHired #GetFediHired #OpenSource #FOSS

2026-03-23 00:30:38 UTC

Full house for screening of Stripped for Parts, a doco about how vulture capitalism by orgs like Alden Capital is destroying journalism.
Thx to Petaluma Voice for hosting and building local nonprofit news! Join me and donate: https://www.petalumavoice.org
Alden recently bought our local newspapers, having already killed many.
The hollowing out of news increases corruption and decreases civic engagement.
Watch the film: https://www.pbs.org/show/stripped-for-parts-american-journalism-on-the-brink/
#SFBA #SonomaCounty #Petaluma #News #Journalism
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2026-03-07 18:23:26 UTC

Wishing everyone a happy Caturday / Melfest / Australian F1 GP / She Believes Cup day ✨
#Caturday #Cats #CatsOfMastodon #CatsOfFediverse
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2026-01-07 23:11:52 UTC

I refuse to be fooled. I refuse to live by fear. I refuse to be turned against other vulnerable people. I refuse to be hardened against hope.
I will be solemn and joyful. I will be soft and forceful. I will be in community. I will dream.
A better world is possible and our mandate is to make it so.

2026-01-04 20:29:25 UTC

It's 625am here, I'm on holiday, I'm pre-coffee, and I've already made my latest round of calls to all 3 of my reps in congress, demanding impeachment of Trump, Hegseth, and Rubio, and that they stop cooperating with this regime.
You a US citizen? Doing this is the bare minimum right now.
➡️ https://reps.fyi/
The calls get easier with practice, and I know legislative staffers: calls matter!
What else can we be doing? What leverage do we have? See: https://social.riley.pub/@robin/115832802694089960
#USPol

2025-10-28 22:27:10 UTC

Big personal news! I'm standing down as Managing Director of the Matrix.org Foundation. It's been an honor and a privilege to serve the Matrix ecosystem. Keep up the great work, folks. https://matrix.org/blog/2025/10/farewell-robin/

2025-10-19 00:06:45 UTC

I am welling up with tears of joy as I reflect on the day and take in the reports from around the country — around the globe even.
Of course, mass mobilization, like voting, is necessary but not sufficient. After a day on the streets filling our cups and building community, let us rest our bodies and savor the hope 💖
Tomorrow: What's the follow through? And how are we helping others who've been activated to follow through too?
#NoKings #Protest #USPol

2025-09-23 22:18:02 UTC

I've seen enough to confidently say of the Ruby Central issue:
What the fuck?
A FOSS foundation is meant to be a steward for an ecosystem and all the players in it. It's a vehicle used to convene, make decisions, and allocate resources. And they're only as effective as they are trusted.
It is absurd to unilaterally revoke access of maintainers & wrap it in supply chain security/open gov lingo, while those same maintainers already sought those improvements.
#Ruby #FOSS #OpenSource #Governance

2025-09-17 18:14:06 UTC

X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and now TikTok – not to mention much of legacy media – are aligned with the despotic regime in the US.
It's never been more important to have a mindful media diet.
We, who are already on fedi, must help our friends and family migrate to better platforms and news outlets.

2025-09-09 01:16:59 UTC

Swaggering out of Safeway's pharmacy, freshly boosted with the new COVID and flu vaccines, like I'm some sort of rebel.

2025-09-05 22:43:58 UTC

Flights booked for #MatrixConf 2025! 🎉 Can't wait to see everyone in Strasbourg this October.
Tickets are still on sale, but space is limited so don't delay: https://conference.matrix.org/
#Matrix

2025-07-29 06:35:33 UTC

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Having a comparatively lightweight protocol didn't save Jabber.org 🤷🏻‍♀️ Every nonprofit that operates a server confronts the same issue eventually.
We put a lot into trying to avoid this, and then into trying to approach it thoughtfully, but it is very much an evolving situation. Feedback welcome!

2025-07-15 20:20:24 UTC

Gavin Newsom is an opportunist, and sometimes there's utility in electing opportunists.
That time is not now. We need to elect people with a moral backbone and the sense of history to know why we should never fold on _any_ vulnerable group.
I voted for him before, but I won't for him again – or anyone like him, frankly. They are fundamentally unfit to serve in a backsliding democracy subject to the whims of white supremacists, Christian nationalists, neofeudalists, and corporatists.
#USPol

2025-07-01 20:10:28 UTC

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IDK about you but I know a lot of people who rely on publicly funded health insurance and food supplements.
As a high earner, I'm a lifeline for several of them. And if this passes, with those cuts, ... like, I can't make up that difference. It will be ruinous.

2025-07-01 20:05:56 UTC

⚠️ The OBBB – which would see the largest upwards transfer of wealth in US history, decimate Medicaid and SNAP, and make ICE the least accountable and best funded enforcement agency in the country – is going to the House. We cannot afford to become more of a police state!
The time for action is NOW 📣
Have a Dem rep? Inform your family & friends, get people in GOP held areas to call and email.
Have a GOP rep in the House? Call and email! https://5calls.org makes it easy!
#USPol

2025-06-27 17:11:29 UTC

Oh, wow! The German IT Planning Council decided yesterday to consolidate a bunch of disparate communication tools into a unified system based on Matrix and MLS.
Here's the record of their decision and the other options they considered: https://gitlab.opencode.de/it-planungsrat/fit-ab/zapuk/-/blob/main/Zielarchitektur/Architekturentscheidungen/ADR-0011-Kommunikationsschicht.md
#Matrix #OpenSource #FOSS #ProtocolsNotPlatforms #DPI #DPG

2025-06-25 06:44:26 UTC

An evening of joyscrolling ✨ The NYC elections continue a phenomenal trend in city, county, and state elections. (Shout out to @npub1hpg…yrre for their coverage.) @npub1fpq…0mfw had a strong showing.
People are taking to the streets, joining community organizations, volunteering on campaigns, and voting. It adds up!
We have to keep going. We have to give our hope agency.
We set the terms of what emerges in a renewed republic _now_. Nobody's free until everybody's free.
#USPol #NYCPol #Mamdani

2025-05-20 22:59:33 UTC

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For reference, here's the CDC's list of what qualifies someone as high risk, such that one would still qualify for a COVID booster even under their new framework: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/risk-factors/index.html
Asthma, ADHD, and autism are on the list, and I bet you didn't expect at least two of those.
But again, CDC guidance precludes pharmacists from requiring evidence that you are high risk. Which is to say, the list doesn't really matter, go get vaccinated!

2025-05-20 18:09:01 UTC

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To make text of my subtext: get vaccinated. You're high risk, right? Yes. Yes you are.
Get vaccinated for the sake of everyone around you, if not for yourself.

2025-05-20 18:02:57 UTC

New FDA guidance limits COVID boosters to 65+ and "high risk" people.
Practically speaking: LOTS of people are high risk, and pharmacists still aren't supposed to ask you for evidence that you're high risk. Indeed they didn't ask when I got my spring booster.
Fewer people are going to get vaccinated. It's up to us, who know better, to get boosted to protect ourselves and those around us.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/fda-vaccine-framework-new-covid-shot-recommendations-vinay-prasad-marty-makary/ via @npub1saa…543z
#COVID #PublicHealth

2025-05-09 18:30:12 UTC

Ahhhh, nothing like capping the week with successful convening of open governance.
We just had our second full meeting of the @npub1m9z…whzq Governing Board, with Committee and Working Group report outs and more.
I'm very pleased with how things are shaping up, and super grateful to everyone for putting their time and energy into it.
Full report to come soon from our illustrious Chair and Vice Chair ✨

2025-04-23 17:25:14 UTC

Do I know anyone who works in DevRel or Community for Ubuntu/Canonical?

2025-04-15 20:13:18 UTC

Haters be damned, they can fix their hearts or die. I'm just getting queerer and more gender-bendy by the day at this point.

2025-03-11 21:30:51 UTC

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yeah but it's always been relatively short boymode hair, so I'm growing it out and playing with the gender presentation :blobcat_fingerguns:

2025-03-11 21:25:02 UTC

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In more exciting news, I can't quite see how it's gonna turn out yet but as I grow my hair out I can tell it's going to be extremely cute. #TransJoy

2025-03-11 21:10:37 UTC

Good news, my MMR vaccine is still effective! Bad news, an unrelated issue I had hoped could be resolved is one I'll deal with for the rest of my life.
Being embodied is a real mixed bag :blobcat_thumbsup:

2025-03-06 23:24:15 UTC

Ok there I did it. I got over my aversion to phone calls and called Governor Newsom's office, called Senator McGuire's office, and called Assemblymember Connolly's office.
Let them know how I felt about the Governor throwing trans people under the bus, and what I expected from them going forward.
The folks who took my calls were lovely, so that was nice. Now I just need to get in the habit of doing it more often, and including my federal reps.
#USPol #CAPol

2025-03-06 14:45:48 UTC

I've long said Gavin Newsom wouldn't be my first pick in any primary. Now I'm not sure he'd even get my vote in a general election.
No one who throws a vulnerable minority under the bus deserves our support. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/06/gavin-newsom-breaks-with-democrats-on-trans-athletes-in-sports-00215436
#USPol #CAPol #TransRights

2025-02-21 22:35:58 UTC

"Q. [...] Some Democratic voices say it’s time to move beyond the issue of trans rights in areas like sports, which affect very few people.
A. You could say that about the Jews, Black people or Haitians, or any very vulnerable minority. Once you decide that a single vulnerable minority can be sacrificed, you’re operating within a fascist logic, because that means there might be a second one you’re willing to sacrifice, and a third, a fourth, and then what happens?
https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-12-15/judith-butler-philosopher-if-you-sacrifice-a-minority-like-trans-people-you-are-operating-within-a-fascist-logic.html

2025-02-20 21:12:08 UTC

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Totally. Ultimately, we need structural change in how FOSS is funded. It's been great to see corporates as well as public and private grant makers do more to fund FOSS, but those are just stop gaps, IMO.
I tend to think that we need countries to systematically fund FOSS as a matter of course, just like they do other critical infrastructure.

2025-02-20 19:33:40 UTC

@npub1m9z…whzq has gone from $0 to $561K in recurring revenue in just 2 years. But our expenses run $1.2M/yr.
We've burned through reserves and are at a crossroads.
It's the classic FOSS fundraising problem: use and adoption are at an all-time high, wealthy companies and countries use it, and secure decentralized comms have never been important. And yet, we can't pay our bills.
YOU have a role to play in shaping what comes next: https://matrix.org/blog/2025/02/crossroads/
#Matrix #FOSS #OpenSource #IndieWeb #Fediverse

2025-02-16 07:20:22 UTC

Staying informed in the US is not going to get easier anytime soon, especially as old standbys fall to billionaires or preemptive obedience to the authoritarian regime.
I've assembled a list of 40+ outlets that I find valuable, prominently featuring:
* nonprofit, co-operative, and independent news rooms,
* outlets relevant to Petaluma and the Bay Area,
* international outlets,
* and, yes, a selection of for-profit outlets.
Many of them are on fedi or Bluesky.
https://blog.riley.pub/news-and-information-in-2025/
#News

2025-02-13 22:14:27 UTC

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thanks for the call to action!
Just donated ✅ and if I can find a way to get a SEPA-compatible payment method as a US-based person I'll join as a member too.

2025-02-13 20:29:37 UTC

"The UK’s war on encryption affects all of us" via @npub14ps…pcuh.
Indeed, the UK's actions imperil security across the globe.
It's worth highlighting that open source comms tools, like @npub1m9z…whzq and @npub1rkw…5q62, empower researchers and users: you'll _see_ if a backdoor is added.
Not so with proprietary tools. Do you really trust Meta, Apple, or Google not to roll over on you?
https://www.theverge.com/policy/612136/uk-icloud-investigatory-powers-act-war-on-encryption
#FOSS #SoftwareFreedom #OpenSource #Security #Privacy #Encryption

2025-02-07 20:20:34 UTC

The light of my self-knowledge won't be erased no matter how many executive orders or laws these fascists sign.
Today marks 1 month of HRT! 🤩 :sparkles_transgender: :sparkles_agender:
#TransPride #NonbinaryPride #Queer #Genderqueer
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2025-02-02 19:23:21 UTC

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PS. Get yourself some combination COVID/flu tests! These things are amazing.

2025-02-02 19:21:01 UTC

Home safe. Still flu-ridden 🤒
Interesting aside: both flus I've had this year were Flu A. Doctor said they hadn't seen anyone with Flu B yet.

2025-01-31 07:37:42 UTC

The trouble with asking questions is that sometimes you get an answer you don't want.
Hauled my ass across the Atlantic for FOSDEM, and then tested positive for flu – for the second time this year 😭
Better to know, though. Now I can avoid exposing other people, or pushing myself and giving the flu more of an opportunity to cause real damage.

2025-01-24 01:48:28 UTC

Okay this is a niche question but does anyone know of a subreddit that's anything like the Wild Green Memes for Ecological Fiends group on FB?
I'd like to keep that kinda silly in my life, sans FB.

2025-01-23 19:48:55 UTC

Run a server on the fediverse, and worried about the UK's Online Safety Act?
Ofcom is hosting a session for "small low-risk community sites" on February 12th.
Make sure you get informed before making any drastic decisions about your server! https://lu.ma/qijpvfnl
#Fediverse #Compliance #OnlineSafetyAct #UK

2025-01-14 21:58:42 UTC

Hey fedi, anyone got some tips, war stories, or resources they can share regarding setting up #Pixelfed in a Docker container? :boost_please:
Update: Got a good lead here, but would still love to hear from folks! https://jippi.github.io/docker-pixelfed/
#AskFedi #SelfHosting #IndieWeb

2025-01-10 23:48:22 UTC

A beautiful day to open the Petaluma North SMART train station! Now it's even easier to visit my friends at Henhouse and Lagunitas 🍻
Also a fun first: did my first press interview as Robin! KCBS was there getting reactions from folks who came to celebrate the occasion.
#Petaluma #SFBA #SonomaCounty #Urbanism #Trains
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