On Our Radar: Continued Change

The Ada Initiative, which has long supported women in technology through workshops, discussions, and networking, is shutting down this fall. We’re sad to see them go, but grateful for the valuable role they’ve played in our communities, particularly in advocating for codes of conduct.

Best of luck to their founders and supporters in their new ventures, and to everyone who will carry on the organization’s work in other venues. Their training materials are (or soon will be) available under Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike licenses, and there are many resources for continued efforts in their heartfelt and gracious goodbye.

Your weekend reading

1. “It’s as though someone dumped a shipping container worth of LEGO on the floor and we’re working out what to make.” Ben Evans connects the dots on how smartphones change everything. —Jeffrey Zeldman, founder and publisher
2. Planning and pricing complex software projects is hard, so I loved reading Darren Petersen’s take on how the Lullabot team estimates project budgets using ranges, confidence levels, and input from multiple people. I really appreciate that they shared their formula-filled spreadsheet so I can try out these concepts on my own projects! —Aaron Parkening, project manager
3. In an article examining online accessibility for people with disabilities, s.e. smith calls the internet “one of our greatest post-ADA social failings.” New inventions like Dot, a Braille-based smartwatch, are fascinating and promising—but there’s a lot more work to be done (especially when we consider the range of disabilities that affect all of us). We need to think more inclusively from the start so that the internet is more than a “wasted promise.” —Lisa Maria Martin, issues editor
4. “How come so few women are speaking at this conference?” The type community is starting to put pressure on this question—loudly and publicly. An important conversation unfolded recently on Twitter—the best place for such dialogue, in my opinion. —Caren Litherland, editor
5. Last month, Chris Coyier invited people on Twitter to answer the question: “Front-end development is hard because _________.” The responses varied widely, and Geoff Graham helpfully brought them all together in a post on CSS-Tricks. —Anna Debenham, technical editor

Your must-see hashtag

#ilooklikeanengineer

Overheard in ALA Slack

Your Friday gif