Mariatta.
writing · talks · projects
Notes from a Python core developer, community builder, and serial conference organizer. Mostly writing about open source, community, and the small tools I build along the way.
Recent writing
I'm Graduating Too
I just ran the last hot lunch of the year for my youngest son’s school. He’s graduating from middle school and will be going to high school in the next school year. Which makes me a …
Waitlisted for the Core Devs Sprint: When the Bad News was Also the Good News
Last week, I learned that I was one of 17 people waitlisted for the Python Core Devs Sprint at OpenAI this year. A waitlist that long realistically means I probably won’t get in. I was sad, of …
PyCascades 2026 Recap
PyCascades 2026 Recap PyCascades 2026 took place in Vancouver this year. I only get to attend on the first day, because I had a 5 a.m. flight to Washington DC the morning after. Still, the first …
An Audience of One
An Audience of One I gave a talk at a regional conference this past weekend. I prepared for it the same way I prepare for any other talk or keynote: rehearsed it multiple times, reviewed the material, …
No More Scheduling Polls
As a community leader, 9x serial conference organizer, public speaker, and open source maintainer, I often get asked by community members for a time to meet. Here’s the thing: asking me for a …
Travel Budgeting without Spreadsheet
This is a follow up to my previous post, Travel Planning with AI. One of my parting thoughts in that post is about travel budgeting and spreadsheets. Having a budget is important part of our travel …
Travel Planning with AI
Travel Planning with AI I have started planning my family’s travel with the assistance of Claude Code. It resulted in a website that contains information about our travel destination, potential …
Year of the Snake Recap
Looking Back at the Year of the Snake It’s already March 2026, you might think it’s too late for anybody to share a recap of the year 2025. Well, the good news is that we are still in the …
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