Blog post: I wrote up a huge article with photos and takeaways from every session I saw at YOW! this year (which was almost all of them). Thanks to all the speakers, volunteers, and the YOW team for making it happen!

YOW! 2024

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Momentous day! Now that all the furniture is in place and we’ve managed to get rid of most of the moving detritus, we were able to send Reginald Roomba out in his first post-renovation mapping run. 🤖

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I did not expect my call with a US tax accountant to be so amusing, but what can you do but laugh? “Nobody knows how the next four years are going to play out.” “We just need someone to tweet Elon about it.” 😂🤷‍♀️

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He’s already completed one Advent of Code challenge this month from the beach. Today he did one going 110kmph down the motorway. (I did miss our exit, but at least he got a pretty good score!)

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I finished the alpaca beanie for Rodd! This was purely to use up the extra bits I had left over from making his scarf. I casted on 132 stitches and then just made the pattern up as I went. I put in a band of the same slipstitch pattern I used on the scarf, and I did radial decreases at the crown. I just need to weave in the ends and give it a block!

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Trying to convince the Snook that he should make us a timpano for Christmas dinner, using @stanleytucci’s recipe from his book Taste…

• https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/oct/17/stanley-tuccis-timpano-recipe

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Have any of you ever worked for the AEC? (I know Kristin Apolony has.) I’m considering volunteering as a poll worker for the next election here. You have to pledge to be “politically neutral” and I’m not quite sure what falls under that. I’m pretty sure that “volunteering to support democracy” probably counts as partisan activity in certain, uh, large countries in the world.

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I’m making good progress on the alpaca beanie I’m knitting for Rodd to match his scarf. No pattern; I’m just making it up as I go. #knitting

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My friend Kristin Apolony mentioned on Facebook yesterday that she would have a stall at the Moore Park Christmas Markets, and she asked if anyone could come cover her for a bit at lunchtime. I volunteered! So I’m helping to sell her very clever 3D-printed puzzle gift boxes. And I made a sale!!

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After more than 20 years of having the same timber dining room set, today we sold it and set up the new one. SCHMICK!! 😍

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People on social media (not just here; Bluesky and Mastodon too) keep implying that I’m doing retirement incorrectly. I suspect they expected me to become a complete homebody and retire from public life? 🤷‍♀️ But really, it means I don’t have a full-time job and I spend my time how I like. Some days I’m helping out at a tech conference; other days I’m in my PJs playing videogames or in my craft room making something. After six years of doing pretty much nothing but AWS, it’s nice to pick and choose. I contain multitudes, people. 😂

Edited to add: Rodd thinks the solution is simple. I just need to start calling myself “unemployed” rather than “retired.” 😜

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Much like Pokemon, I’m trying to catch all the YOW speakers! Today I added 4 more to my collection in Sydney…

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Renovation update: Dirt!! This is only like 10% of the total area, but it’s a good reminder of the fact that plants will eventually be growing here.

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As soon as we got back to Sydney, we had to dash off to attend orientation for Sydney Festival volunteers. I’m looking forward to helping out with this fantastic event next month!

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Some photos from Day 1 of YOW Brisbane 2024. I spent most of the day in AI talks, and only slightly gritted my teeth. 😜 #yow24

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Day trip to North Stradbroke Island! Lovely day for it. Rodd even did today’s Advent of Code from the beach. ❤️☀️🏖️⛴️

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Very excited to kick off today’s YOW conference in Brisbane! It’s been years since I’ve caught up with some of these folks. ❤️

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