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Robin Riley

Robin Riley

Petaluma, California
06
Mar
The giant Cupid's Arrow art installation in SF, in dappled sunlight in front of a cityscape with a long hanging fog over it.

Trans joy and the search for a new middle name

Choosing a new name has been a fun act of self-definition. And maybe a step closer to no longer getting
3 min read
15
Feb
A black and white photo of a stack of newspapers on a weathered wooden surface.

40+ sources of news and information for the US in 2025

Staying informed is critical, and a bit challenging these days. A revisionist and censorious US administration, a media and political
5 min read
09
Feb
A photo of a home's porch, with the US flag flying near some Halloween decor and a hummingbird bird feeder.

Staying in the US and fighting

I'm blessed with a family that crosses national borders, and the depth of care and concern I'
2 min read
27
Jan
A selfie of Robin at Matrix Conf 2024 wearing a blue KN95 mask indoors.

Mask up: echoes of early 2020 as I travel to FOSDEM

Later this week, I'm going to see a lot of people I care deeply about and a lot
3 min read
20
Jan
A photo on a hike in the rolling green hills of Petaluma, during golden hour on a spring day.

Walking away from Facebook

In this blog post, I detail my approach to leaving Facebook and other Meta services, and share my rationale. But
7 min read
19
Jan
The nonbinary pride flag, featuring four horizontal stripes. From top to bottom: yellow, white, purple, and black.

Hello, my name is Robin Riley

You've known me as Josh, or Joshua Riley Simmons, and there's a lot I don'
1 min read
09
Dec
Great nations, like great men, should keep their word. – US Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.

Maybe in error, but never in silence

Existence and visibility is political. I came out as bisexual the day my fellow Californians voted to make same-sex marriage
2 min read
19
Oct
A photo of koalas in a tree at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. A baby koala hangs on to their parent's back.

An event organizer's duty of care: from Codes of Conduct to Health and Safety policies

If you’ve been organizing events in tech over the last couple of decades, you’ve seen significant improvement in
4 min read
29
Sep
A photo of the words "mind the gap" written in yellow paint on the ground in an underground train station in London.

Stop defining people by what they're not: on "non-code contributors"

I’ve been outspoken about my dislike of the term “non-code contributors” for a while now. I mentioned it again
3 min read
06
Jun
Looking uphill in the garden on a sunny spring day. Orange, pink, and yellow flowers fill the view.

Summer's call

I’ve been a bit quiet as I work through personal and professional transitions. In a twist of fate, I