Polish HMC Memo 005

assets/scss/custom.scss

@@ -121,3 +121,59 @@ blockquote p:first-of-type {
         content: "" !important;
     }
 }
+
+// Revolt chat server
+.revolt-form-section {
+  max-width: 600px;
+  margin: 2rem auto;
+  padding: 0 1rem;
+}
+
+.revolt-form .form-group {
+  margin-bottom: 1.25rem;
+}
+
+.revolt-form label {
+  display: block;
+  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+
+.revolt-form .required {
+  color: #e74c3c;
+}
+
+.revolt-form input,
+.revolt-form textarea {
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 0.75rem;
+  border: 1px solid #ccc;
+  border-radius: 4px;
+  font-size: 1rem;
+}
+
+.revolt-form input:focus,
+.revolt-form textarea:focus {
+  outline: none;
+  border-color: #3498db;
+}
+
+.revolt-form button {
+  background: #3498db;
+  color: white;
+  padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;
+  border: none;
+  border-radius: 4px;
+  font-size: 1rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+.revolt-form button:hover {
+  background: #2980b9;
+}
+
+img[src*="zac.jpg"],
+img[src*="server.png"] {
+    max-width: 280px;
+    border-radius: 12px;
+}

config/_default/menus.en.toml

@@ -2,25 +2,8 @@
 
 # main menu
 [[main]]
-name = "Conferences"
-weight = 1
-
-[[main]]
-parent = "Conferences"
-name = "Calendar"
-url = "/calendar"
-weight = 3
-
-[[main]]
-parent = "Conferences"
-name = "Seattle"
-url = "/Seattle"
-weight = 2
-
-[[main]]
-parent = "Conferences"
-name = "Boston"
-url = "/boston"
+name = "Meetups"
+url = "/meetups"
 weight = 1
 
 [[main]]
@@ -29,24 +12,18 @@ url = "/news"
 weight = 2
 
 [[main]]
-name = "Media"
-url = "/media"
+name = "Guide"
+url = "/guide"
 weight = 3
 
 [[main]]
 name = "Explore"
-weight = 4
-
-[[main]]
-parent = "Explore"
-name = "Discord"
-url = "/discord"
 weight = 3
 
 [[main]]
 parent = "Explore"
-name = "Meetups"
-url = "/meetups"
+name = "Media"
+url = "/media"
 weight = 1
 
 [[main]]
@@ -58,31 +35,30 @@ weight = 2
 [[main]]
 name = "About"
 url = "/about"
-weight = 5
-
+weight = 4
 
 # footer menu
 [[footer]]
-name = "Tickets"
-url = "/tickets"
-weight = 1
+name = "Guide"
+url = "/guide"
+weight = 4
 
 [[footer]]
-name = "Members"
-url = "https://donorbox.org/handmadecities"
+name = "About"
+url = "/about"
 weight = 5
 
 [[footer]]
 name = "Meetups"
 url = "/meetups"
+weight = 1
+
+[[footer]]
+name = "Chat"
+url = "/chat"
 weight = 3
 
 [[footer]]
-name = "Seattle"
-url = "/seattle"
+name = "News"
+url = "/news"
 weight = 2
-
-[[footer]]
-name = "Boston"
-url = "/boston"
-weight = 4

config/_default/params.toml

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ google_adsense = ""     # example: ca-pub-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 # custom script on header, example: custom_script= "<script>console.log(\"Hello World\")</script>"
 custom_script = ""
 # copyright
-copyright = "© 2025 Handmade Cities LLC"
+copyright = "© 2026 Handmade Cities LLC"
 
 # Preloader
 # preloader module: https://github.com/gethugothemes/hugo-modules/tree/master/components/preloader
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ preloader = "" # use jpg, png, svg or gif format.
 # Navigation button
 [navigation_button]
 enable = true
-label = "tickets"
-link = "tickets"
+label = "Chat"
+link = "chat"
 
 # search
 # search module: https://github.com/gethugothemes/hugo-modules/tree/master/search
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ show_categories = true
 [announcement]
 enable = true
 expire_days = 7
-content = "2025 Update: Check out our new [advisory board](/about)."
+content = "Invite [someone](/memos/HMC-Memo-005-Invite-Tree.pdf) to our community chat."
 
 # seo meta data for OpenGraph / Twitter Card
 # seo module: https://github.com/gethugothemes/hugo-modules/tree/master/seo-tools/basic-seo

content/english/_index.md

@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 ---
 # Banner
 banner:
-  title: "<span class='boston-color'>Boston</span> in the Summer.<br>
-   <span class='seattle-color'>Seattle</span> in the fall.<br> 
+  title: "<span class='boston-color'>Come</span> for programming,<br>
+   <span class='seattle-color'>stay</span> for the friends!<br> 
    <span class='meetups-color'>Meetups</span> all year round."
-  content: "We are the largest indie conferences for low-level programmers. This is your portal to meet with folks into graphics, game engines, kernels, compilers, and more!"
+  content: "Handmade Cities are the largest offline events for systems programmers: 100% indie. This is our portal to meet engineers super into game engines, compilers, terminals, kernels and more:"
   image: "/images/hmc_spread.png"
   hide_banner_img: true
   live_banner:
@@ -40,23 +40,23 @@ banner:
         icon: "fa-brands fa-youtube"
   triple_section:
     enable: true
-    img_left: "/images/hmb/boston-light-mode.svg"
-    img_left_dark: "/images/hmb/boston-dark-mode.svg"
+    img_left: "/images/meetups/meetups-light-mode.svg"
+    img_left_dark: "/images/meetups/meetups-dark-mode.svg"
     alt_text_left: "left"
-    link_left: "/boston"
-    img_center: "/images/hms/seattle-light-mode.svg"
-    img_center_dark: "/images/hms/seattle-dark-mode.svg"
+    link_left: "/meetups"
+    img_center: "/images/chat.png"
+    img_center_dark: "/images/chat.png"
     alt_text_center: "center"
-    link_center: "/seattle"
-    img_right: "/images/meetups/meetups-light-mode.svg"
-    img_right_dark: "/images/meetups/meetups-dark-mode.svg"
-    link_right: "/meetups"
+    link_center: "/chat"
+    img_right: "/images/newsletter.png"
+    img_right_dark: "/images/newsletter.png"
+    link_right: "/news"
     alt_text_right: "right"
   button:
     enable: true
-    label: "Tickets"
-    link: "/tickets"
-    icon: "fa fa-ticket pl-2"
+    label: "Quick Guide"
+    link: "https://guide.handmadecities.com"
+    icon: "fa fa-book pl-2"
     class: "btn text-white seattle-bg"
   button2:
     enable: false
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ features:
     image: ""
     section_class: "pb-24"
     side: "center"
-    content: "<span class='block mx-auto mt-24 text-black dark:text-white w-1/2'>Companies hunting for Handmade talent. They've attended our conference, but don't shape our agenda.</span>"
+    content: "<span class='block mx-auto mt-24 text-black dark:text-white w-1/2'>Sample of companies hunting for Handmade talent. Ready to [join](https://guide.handmadecities.com/docs/support/employment/) the list?</span>"
     content_class: "mt-12"
     img_grid:
       imgs:
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ features:
     button:
       enable: false
 
-  - title: "Hundreds in person,<br> Thousands online"
+  - title: "Meet in person,<br> not online"
     title_class: "text-white"
     transition:
       start: "/images/transition4.svg"
@@ -150,12 +150,12 @@ features:
     image: "/images/nystrom.webp"
     image_link: "https://vimeo.com/780000746"
     image_class: "rounded-md shadow-lg"
-    content: "Every year hundreds of systems programmers convene physically while thousands more watch from the comfort of their couch."
+    content: "Every month hundreds of caring programmers convene around the world to discuss the need for software quality."
     content_class: "p-4 px-6 rounded-md bg-[rgba(0,0,0,0.7)]"
     section_class: "text-white"
     button:
       enable: true
-      label: "Register"
-      link: "/tickets"
+      label: "Attend Our Events"
+      link: "/meetups"
       button_class: "bg-white text-black"
 ---

content/english/about/index.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "About Handmade Cities"
-meta_title: "About"
+meta_title: "About | Handmade Cities"
 layout: "about"
 description: "About Handmade Cities"
 draft: false
@@ -16,25 +16,25 @@ features:
       img: "/images/starry_night.png"
     grid:
       - title: "Sponsor-free tech events"
-        content: "**100% indie.** We reject sponsorship because we must be allowed to criticize anyone’s software. Accepting “free” bags of money destroys our ability to change the software industry."
+        content: "**100% indie.** We reject sponsorship deals because we must be allowed to criticize anyone’s software. Accepting “free” bags of money destroys our ability to change the software industry."
         color: "#FC6D36"
         content_class: "text-white"
       - title: "An obligation to software quality"
-        content: "The industry’s incentives erode ownership to extract rent from consumers. We’ve abandoned the love for our craft, the user's quality of experience, and their right to privacy."
+        content: "Our industry’s incentives destroy ownership to extract rent from customers. We’ve abandoned the love for our craft, the user's quality of experience, and their right to privacy."
         color: "#A456EA"        
         content_class: "text-white"
       - title: "Self-host wherever possible"
-        content: "Essential services for our conferences and meetups are processed in-house. For example, our servers personally generate your conference ticket—removing spying middlemen like Ticketmaster."
+        content: "We operate our own chat server and mailing lists. For purchases, payment processors ping our servers to process orders ourselves."
         color: "#6B8EE8"        
         content_class: "text-white"
       - title: "Direct funding approach"
-        content: "We grow through obvious means, funded primarily through ticket sales, followed by independent donations and fixed-rate job booth rentals: straightforward, mom-and-pop transactions."
+        content: "We grow through obvious means, funded by users purchasing Handmade software. **Zero investors.**"
         color: "#60E3C4"                
         content_class: "text-white"
     button:
-      enable: false
-      label: "Founder's Vision"
-      link: "/founders-vision"
+      enable: true
+      label: "Official Memos"
+      link: "/memos"
       icon: "fa fa-ticket pl-2"
       class: "btn text-white meetups-bg"
 
@@ -53,92 +53,40 @@ features:
       start_dark_color: "black"
     bg_color: "#060610"
     content_class: "mt-4"
-    content: "[Abner](https://abner.page) is founder of Handmade Cities and the sole organizer for our conferences.<br><br>At a young age he was mentored by Kennedy Space Center on how they make software. After winning NASA’s Intern of the Year, Abner penned an essay on their programming philosophy: featured in the [news](https://observer.com/2017/07/a-look-into-nasa-coding-philosophy-kennedy-space-center-programming/). He was subsequently promoted to launch control engineer.<br><br>Abner started the [Handmade Network](https://handmade.network/), an online community learning to make quality software. He went on to work under Jonathan Blow for several years and finally Cyan Worlds to ship the [Myst remake](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1255560/Myst/).<br><br>Now in his early thirties, Abner's mounting concern of declining software standards—both ethical and technical—pushed him to run conferences and grow meetups full-time. (He still loves [programming](https://terminal.click) though.)"
+    content: "[Abner](https://abner.page) is founder of Handmade Cities and full-time [indie dev](https://terminal.click).<br><br>Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he was mentored by Kennedy Space Center on how they make software. After winning NASA’s Intern of the Year, Abner penned an essay on their programming philosophy: featured in the [news](https://observer.com/2017/07/a-look-into-nasa-coding-philosophy-kennedy-space-center-programming/). He was subsequently promoted to launch control engineer.<br><br>Abner started the [Handmade Network](https://handmade.network/), an online community learning to make quality software. He went on to work under Jonathan Blow followed by Cyan Worlds to ship the Myst Remake.<br><br>Now in his early thirties, Abner's concern for declining software standards—both ethical and technical—pushed him to become a community organizer."
 
-  - title: "Our Advisory Board"
-    title_class: "mb-20 text-center text-white"
-    image: ""
-    side: "center"
-    content_class: "mt-16 mb-12"
-    bg_img: 
-      parallax: true
-      img: "/images/starry_night.png"
-    grid:
   - title: "Zac Nowicki"
-        content: "Tech lead at [Kagi](https://kagi.com) Search."
-        color: "#9B8EE8"
-        content_class: "text-white"
-      - title: "Mary Bush"
-        content: "Seattle indie developer, formerly in logistics/healthcare tech."
-        color: "#9B8EE8"        
-        content_class: "text-white"
-      - title: "Jon Stevens"
-        content: "Senior game developer at Bitshift Entertainment: new studio by Notch, creator of Minecraft."
-        color: "#9B8EE8"        
-        content_class: "text-white"
-      - title: "Matthew Knight"
-        content: "Organizer at [Software You Can Love](https://softwareyoucanlove.ca): plus meetups, workshops, and more."
-        color: "#9B8EE8"                
-        content_class: "text-white"
-      - title: "Unlisted Member"
-        content: "Systems programmer, community member, and a friend of Handmade Cities. Values Privacy™"
-        color: "#9B8EE8"                
-        content_class: "text-white"
-      - title: "NASA Observer"
-        content: "Hardware engineer at NASA. Observer role, no voting power. Anonymous involvement given the current climate."
-        color: "#9B8EE8"                
-        content_class: "text-white"
-    button:
-      enable: true
-      label: "Governance"
-      link: "/board"
-      icon: "fa fa-ticket pl-2"
-      class: "btn text-white meetups-bg"
-    notice: "**Note:** The advisory board is comprised of volunteers. Member's opinions are their own, not their employer's."
-
-  - title: "Morgan Rammell"
-    title_class: "text-white"
-    subtitle: "Event Coordinator"
-    subtitle_class: "!text-[#F7CE3B]"
-    bg_color: "#060610"
-    image: "/images/people/morgan_cropped_512.webp"
-    image_class: "rounded-full"
-    content_class: ""
-    section_class: "!pt-24 text-white"
-    content: "Morgan’s done corporate event planning for several years but is now interested in the indie space. She oversees the logistics of running and facilitating Handmade conferences, working with the venue to solve any issues that arise in real-time.<br>
-
-  Born and raised in Washington state you’ll find Morgan snowboarding, hiking, camping, and even rock-climbing!"
-  - title: "Phil Homan"
-    title_class: "text-white"
-    subtitle: "Technical Producer"
-    subtitle_class: "!text-[#F7CE3B]"
-    bg_color: "#060610"
-    image: "/images/people/phil_homan_512.webp"
-    image_class: "rounded-full"
-    content_class: ""
-    section_class: "!pt-16 text-white"
-    content: "Phil Homan, who goes by [PH Test](https://phtest.tv/), is a Seattle developer with a knack for multidisciplinary work: live-performance visuals, experimental programs, games, and video production—often with tools he made himself!<br>
-
-  Phil joined Handmade Cities to help Abner with matters related to streaming, recording, and A/V support at the conferences."
-  - title: "Devon aka [tek256](https://tek256.com)"
-    title_class: "text-white"
+    title_class: "text-white -mt-2"
     subtitle: "Editor"
     subtitle_class: "!text-[#F7CE3B]"
+    image: "/images/people/zac.jpg"
+    section_class: "text-white"
+    transition:
+      start: "/images/transition3.svg"
+      start_class: "-scale-y-100"
+      start_style: "mask-size: cover;mask-position:center;"
+      start_color: "black"
+      start_dark: "/images/transition3.svg"
+      start_dark_color: "black"
     bg_color: "#060610"
-    image: "/images/people/devon.jpg"
-    image_class: "rounded-full"
-    content_class: ""
-    section_class: "!pt-16 !pb-32 text-white"
-    content: "Devon is a guy who makes things.<br>(Like a PSX-style souls game in C on [stream](https://twitch.tv/tek256))"  
+    content_class: "mt-4"
+    content: "Zac is our editor who keeps us free of typos and fact-checks our writing. Outside of donating his time here, Zac is tech lead for [Kagi Search](https://kagi.com). Opinions here do not represent his employer."
 
-  - title: "Mr. Perkins"
-    title_class: "text-white"
-    subtitle: "Secretary"
+  - title: "Mariano Uvalle"
+    title_class: "text-white -mt-2"
+    subtitle: "Server Admin"
     subtitle_class: "!text-[#F7CE3B]"
+    image: "/images/server.png"
+    section_class: "text-white"
+    transition:
+      start: "/images/transition3.svg"
+      start_class: "-scale-y-100"
+      start_style: "mask-size: cover;mask-position:center;"
+      start_color: "black"
+      start_dark: "/images/transition3.svg"
+      start_dark_color: "black"
     bg_color: "#060610"
-    image: "/images/people/perkins.png"
-    image_class: "rounded-full"
-    content_class: ""
-    section_class: "!pt-16 !pb-32 text-white"
-    content: "Mr. Perkins is our year round part-time assistant, usually plowing through the backlog of texts, emails and invoices."  
+    content_class: "mt-4"
+    content: "Mariano Uvalle is [server administrator](/memos/HMC-Memo-003-Server-Admin.pdf) for Handmade Cities. He's a former Microsoft engineer at Azure who stepped down to work for a smaller outfit. Opinions here do not represent employers."
+
 ---

content/english/boston/index.md

@@ -1,25 +1,21 @@
 ---
 title: "Handmade Boston 2025"
-subtitle: "The East Coast's premier conference for systems programmers. Fully offline"
+subtitle: "The East Coast's premier event for systems programmers. Fully offline"
 image: "/images/hmb/boston-dark-mode.svg"
 layout: "event"
 
 # Event Details
-event_dates: "August 15-16, 2025 (Fri-Sat)"
+event_dates: "Saturday August 16th, 2025 (Sat 2PM)"
 registration_date: "August 1st, 2025"
 venue_name: "Boston Public LIbrary"
 venue_address: "700 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116"
 
 # Coming Soon Section
 coming_soon_text: "We've Changed Venues!"
-coming_soon_description: "It's now the Boston Public Library instead of JFK Presidential Library"
+coming_soon_description: "We meet at the Boston Public Library, Saturday at 2PM. Check the top banner"
 
 # Initial Speakers
 initial_speakers:
-  - name: "Jim Calabro"
-    topic: "Software Engineer at Bluesky"
-    affiliation: "calabro.io"
-    image: "/images/people/calabro.jpg"
   - name: "Abner Coimbre"
     topic: "Author of Terminal Click"
     affiliation: "terminal.click"
@@ -29,8 +25,15 @@ initial_speakers:
     affiliation: "vectrx.substack.com"
     image: "/images/people/caden.png"
   - name: "Gwen Lofman"
-    topic: "Livecoding for music and visuals"
+    topic: "Livecoding for Music and Visuals"
     affiliation: "glfmn.io"
+    image: "/images/people/gwen.png"
+  - name: "Switch Angel"
+    topic: "Livecoding Co-Presenter"
+    affiliation: "tinyurl.com/switchangel"
+    image: "/images/people/switchangel.jpg"
+  - name: "This is You"
+    topic: "Audience is demoing projects"
 
 # Call to Action Buttons
 enable_newsletter: true
@@ -45,6 +48,6 @@ cfp_deadline: "August 1st, 2025"
 show_description: true
 ---
 
-Handmade Boston brings together the brightest minds in low-level programming for two days of technical lectures, networking, and job booths.
+Handmade Boston brings together the brightest minds in low-level programming for inspiring technical lectures.
 
-We're the sister conference to Seattle and a fully-offline counterpart: enjoy deeper lectures exclusively in-person and make some new friends for life.
+We're the sister event to Seattle and a fully-offline counterpart: enjoy deeper lectures exclusively in-person and make some new friends for life.

content/english/chat.md

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: "Handmade Revolt"
+layout: "chat"
+---

content/english/invite.md

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: "Invite a Friend to our Chat!"
+layout: "invite"
+---

content/english/media/_index.md

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 +++
 title="Media"
+meta_title="Media | Handmade Cities"
 image="/images/film.svg"
 +++

content/english/media/seattle-2024/hms-day-one.md

@@ -19,6 +19,6 @@ image="/images/people/abner_2022.png"
 
 ## The year that triggered the Handmade civil war
 
-Partly due to our keynote talk (timestamped), Handmade Cities [paid a price](/news/splitting-from-handmade-network/) for it. This was, however, [not the only reason](/news/hms-2024-clear-the-air/). In response to everything, we ratified a new advisory [board](/board).
+Partly due to our keynote talk (timestamped), Handmade Cities [paid a price](/news/splitting-from-handmade-network/) for it. This was, however, [not the only reason](/news/hms-2024-clear-the-air/).
 
-The Twitch stream is not available as individual recordings yet, but luckily our team archived a backup on YouTube.
+The Twitch stream is not available as individual recordings yet, but as you can see our team archived a backup on YouTube.

content/english/meetups/atlanta.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="daniel@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/australia.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="khrob@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/berlin.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="marcel@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/boston.md

@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@ description="Receive Handmade meetup invites from the Hub of the Universe!"
 api_endpoint="https://api.handmadecities.com/v1/meetups/boston"
 
 [[hosts]]
-name="Caden Parker"
-bio="caden@handmadecities.com"
+name="Margret Riegert"
+bio="margret@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/cambridge.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="josh@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/dc.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="felix@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/denmark.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
++++
+title="Denmark's Mailing List"
+date="2024-11-03T12:00:00-08:00"
+description="Receive Handmade meetup invites from the happiest place on earth!"
+api_endpoint="https://api.handmadecities.com/v1/meetups/denmark"
+
+[[hosts]]
+name="Patrick Jakobsen"
+bio="patrick@handmadecities.com"
+image=""
++++
+
+#### Optional Revolt Server
+
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/detroit.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="seth@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/gothenburg.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="sam@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/grenoble.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="martin@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/israel.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="eternalstudent@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/london.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="jack@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/minneapolis.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
++++
+title="Minneapolis' Mailing List"
+date="2024-11-03T12:00:00-08:00"
+description="Receive Handmade meetup invites from the city of lakes!"
+api_endpoint="https://api.handmadecities.com/v1/meetups/minneapolis"
+
+[[hosts]]
+name="Dan Grigsby"
+bio="dan@handmadecities.com"
+image="/images/people/dan_grigsby.webp"
++++
+
+#### Optional Revolt Server
+
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/montreal.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
++++
+title="Montreal's Mailing List"
+date="2024-11-03T12:00:00-08:00"
+description="Receive Handmade meetup invites from cultural and economic capital of Quebec!"
+api_endpoint="https://api.handmadecities.com/v1/meetups/montreal"
+
+[[hosts]]
+name="Mitchell Amihod"
+bio="mitchell@handmadecities.com"
+image=""
++++
+
+#### Optional Revolt Server
+
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/nyc.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="mark@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/portland.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="sid@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/seattle.md

@@ -5,22 +5,22 @@ description="Receive Handmade meetup invites from the Emerald City!"
 thumbnail="/images/meetups/distantworlds_space.jpg"
 api_endpoint="https://api.handmadecities.com/v1/meetups/seattle"
 
-[[hosts]]
-name="Allen Webster"
-bio="Founder of [Mr. 4th Lab](https://mr4th.com). Hosts the classic monthly meetups"
-image="/images/people/allen_square.webp"
-
-[[hosts]]
-name="Phil Homan"
-bio="Staff [member](https://handmadecities.com/about). Hosts the [coworking](/cowork) sessions (bi-weekly)"
-image="/images/people/phil_homan.jpg"
-
 [[hosts]]
 name="Abner Coimbre"
-bio="Staff [member](https://handmadecities.com/about). Hosts the third place (weekly)"
+bio="Hosts the classic monthly meetups"
 image="/images/people/abner_2022.png"
+
+[[hosts]]
+name="Peter Slattery"
+bio="Hosts the Seattle [coworking](/cowork) sessions"
+image="/images/people/peter.jpg"
+
+[[hosts]]
+name="Taylor Robbins"
+bio="Hosts the Kirkland [coworking](/cowork) sessions"
+image="/images/people/robbins.jpg"
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/sf.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="xander@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/tokyo.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="miguel@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/vancouver.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="gabriel@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/vegas.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="jstevens@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/meetups/vienna.md

@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ bio="patrick@handmadecities.com"
 image=""
 +++
 
-#### Optional Discord Server
+#### Optional Revolt Server
 
-The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join the Discord for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.
+The mailing list is how you get official invites, but you may join Revolt for extra updates or to chat with the meetup group.

content/english/memos/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+---
+title: "Official Memos"
+meta_title: "Official Memos"
+layout: "board"
+description: "Memos from our founder"
+draft: false
+---
+Handmade Cities publishes memoranda written by [our founder](/about), usually addressed to prominent community members. The public nature of these documents lets you:
+1. Keep tabs on how we govern
+2. Call out faulty reasoning or inconsistencies (but don't *"well actually"* us)
+3. Increase chances for participation e.g. because you saw a new initiative
+
+Memos are published once a month as PDF documents below.
+
+## MEMORANDA
+
+**January 2026**
+
+- [HMC Memo 001 - Wiki Ownership](/memos/HMC-Memo-001-Wiki-Ownership.pdf)
+- [HMC Memo 002 - UXUI](/memos/HMC-Memo-002-UXUI.pdf)
+
+**February 2026**
+
+- [HMC Memo 003 - Server Admin](/memos/HMC-Memo-003-Server-Admin.pdf)
+- [HMC Memo 004 - Meetup Hosts](/memos/HMC-Memo-004-Meetup-Hosts.pdf)
+
+**March 2026**
+
+- [HMC Memo 005 - Invite Tree](/memos/HMC-Memo-005-Invite-Tree.pdf)
+
+Date of publication varies.

content/english/news/_index.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 title: "News"
-meta_title: ""
-description: "this is meta description"
+meta_title: "News | Handmade Cities"
+description: "The latest Handmade Cities news"
 newsletter_signup:
   active: true
   title: "Join our newsletter"
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ newsletter_signup:
   button_class: "btn text-white meetups-bg col-3"
   section_class: ""
 text_sidepanel:
-    active: true
-    title: ""
-    title_class: ""
+    active: false
+    title: "RSS Feed"
+    title_class: "mb-6"
     text_class: ""
-    text: "[RSS](/news/index.xml)"
+    text: "[Subscribe](/news/index.xml)"
 ---

content/english/news/computer-club-atelier-hivernal-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+title: "Computer Club - Atelier Hivernal - Lyon"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Martin Fouilleul is our French meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-10T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/france.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Martin Fouilleul"
+tags: ["meetups", "france"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> [Martin Fouilleul](/media/seattle-2023/orca/) is our [French](/meetups/grenoble) meetup host. You may reach the author at martin@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Bonjour, et bonne année,</p>  <p>Pierre-Louis, que vous avez déjà pu croiser aux meetups Grenoblois, vous propose une nouvelle après-midi d&rsquo;échanges et de bricolage autour de vos projets software/hardware. Ça se passe le <strong>17 janvier</strong> à partir de 14h, à <strong>Grrrnd Zero</strong>, 60 avenue de Bohlen, Vaulx-en-Velin.</p>  <p>La capacité maximale étant de 10 personnes, pensez à réserver à l&rsquo;avance en écrivant à <a href="mailto:meetup@pld.tf">meetup@pld.tf</a>. Un repas est proposé pour les personnes en avance entre 12h30 et 13h30, merci de prévenir lors de votre réservation.</p>  <p>En espérant vous y retrouver nombreux·ses !</p>  <p>Martin</p>  <p><img src="https://rel.pld.tf/meetup/20260117.png" alt="Affiche" /></p>
+

content/english/news/farewell-to-distant-worlds.md

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+---
+title: "Farewell to Distant Worlds"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "One of Seattle's most popular coffee shops is winding down. Guest article by Allen Webster"
+date: 2025-08-29T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/distantworlds_space.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Allen Webster"
+tags: ["meetups", "seattle"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+A special Handmade meetup: one of Seattle's most popular coffee shops is winding down.
+
+> Allen Webster is a meetup host for [Seattle](/meetups/seattle). You may reach the author at allen@handmadecities.com
+
+Seattle area folks,
+
+As the last Saturday of the month approaches, we’re looking forward to our usual Handmade meetup, but a few things will be very different this month. Please read to the end to catch all the details.
+
+The big news:
+-------------
+
+First and foremost, the venue we have been with since the beginning, Distant Worlds Coffeehouse, is closing on August 31st, making our meetup one of the last events to occur in the space. This news came rather suddenly and saddens us deeply, not to mention the owner and staff at Distant Worlds. Abner has made an effort to reach out to as many people as possible to give Distant Worlds the send off they deserve, and all sales will go towards an employee severance fund, so please buy your drinks and snacks as usual (or splurge!)
+
+{{< image src="images/meetups/dw.png" caption="Distant Worlds - Seattle Roosevelt" alt="Distant Worlds" height="400" width="400" position="center" command="fill" option="q100" class="img-fluid" title="Distant Worlds (Seattle)"  webp="false" >}}
+
+Second, while Abner will still be in attendance, he wants to focus at least some of his attention on talking with the staff with whom he has a long standing relationship. So he’s asked me, his backup host, to step in for the month. Many of you may know me, but in case you don’t I look forward to meeting you. I am Allen Webster, creator of [4coder](https://4coder.net) and [Mr. 4th Lab](https://mr4th.com), and I’ve been the host of a few meetups before, so you’re still in good hands.
+
+The details:
+------------
+
+-   **Where:** Distant Worlds Coffeehouse (in Seattle)
+-   **When:** Saturday, August 30th, 2PM-4PM
+-   **Parking:** While there is street parking around the neighborhood, the most reliable place to park is “Green Lake Park & Ride”.
+-   Afterwards those who are up for more time together migrate down the road for pizza and time at the pub.
+
+Submitting Topics:
+------------------
+
+Many of us in the community work on software projects on our own. The goal of the meetup is to get a chance to get help where we’re stuck, to get feedback on what we’ve built, and to practice explaining our ideas to other programmers.
+
+Usually we gather up topics on the fly at the start of the meetup, but to make the most of our time I am going to try **an experiment!**
+
+I’m asking you to take a few minutes to write a short pitch of what you’d like to bring and send it to me ahead of time at allenw@mr4th.com. Tell me about your topic, and what questions you might like to get answers to, what new features of your project you might like to demo, or what you’d like a chance to discuss.
+
+I will sort through pre-submitted topics ahead of time to pick an order and see how much time we can give each topic, that way we can dive right in. I want to be sure we pack our last meetup at Distant Worlds with as many opportunities for people to participate as possible, while we celebrate our meetup community. I’ll still take topics on the fly if there’s time, but I’m going to give first priority to pre-submitted topics.
+
+*See you on Saturday!*
+
+-Allen
+
+{{< button label="Employee Severance Fund" link="https://venmo.com/u/distantworldscoffee" style="solid" >}}
+
+---
+
+> Staff Note: Can't make it in person? Use the Employee Severance Fund button above!
+

content/english/news/first-boston-meetup-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "Boston Meetup 01/24"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Margret Riegert is our Boston meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-12T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/boston.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Margret Riegert"
+tags: ["meetups", "boston"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Margret Riegert is our [Boston](/meetups/boston) meetup host. You may reach the author at margret@handmadecities.com
+
+<h2>Meetup Details</h2>  <ul> <li>Date: January 24th, 2026</li> <li>Time: 12-2pm</li> <li>Address: 700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116</li> <li>RSVP: <a href="https://partiful.com/e/vUcDz66dzwi4k9L6iJiy\">https://partiful.com/e/vUcDz66dzwi4k9L6iJiy</a></li> <li>Boston Meetup Revolt: <a href="https://revolt.handmadecities.com\">https://revolt.handmadecities.com</a></li> </ul>  <hr />  <h2>The Agenda</h2>  <ul> <li><strong>Software Project Demos:</strong> Bring a project you&rsquo;ve been working on, ask questions, get constructive feedback, etc.</li> <li><strong>Presentation:</strong> Give a mini talk about something you&rsquo;ve been working on and that you think others in the handmade community would find interesting</li> <li><strong>Special Topics:</strong> Talk as a group about anything relevant in the handmade community</li> <li><strong>Social After:</strong> Afterwards, we can head out and grab something to eat</li> </ul>  <p>You&rsquo;re not required to bring a project or anything; showing up is good enough!</p>  <hr />  <h2>Getting there</h2>  <p>We&rsquo;ll be in the mezzanine conference room #3.</p>  <p>If you enter through the Boylston Street entrance, you want to head to the left and look for where it says Community Learning Center.</p> 

content/english/news/first-boston-meetup-reminder-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "Boston Meetup Reminder"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Margret Riegert is our Boston meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-23T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/boston.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Margret Riegert"
+tags: ["meetups", "boston"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Margret Riegert is our [Boston](/meetups/boston) meetup host. You may reach the author at margret@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Hello! This is just a friendly reminder about the Handmade meetup <strong>tomorrow</strong> at the library.</p>  <h2>Meetup Details</h2>  <ul> <li>Date: January 24th, 2026</li> <li>Time: 12-2pm</li> <li>Address: 700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116</li> <li>RSVP: <a href="https://partiful.com/e/vUcDz66dzwi4k9L6iJiy\">https://partiful.com/e/vUcDz66dzwi4k9L6iJiy</a></li> <li>Boston Meetup Revolt: <a href="https://revolt.handmadecities.com\">https://revolt.handmadecities.com</a></li> </ul>  <hr />  <h2>The Agenda</h2>  <ul> <li><strong>Software Project Demos:</strong> Bring a project you&rsquo;ve been working on, ask questions, get constructive feedback, etc.</li> <li><strong>Presentation:</strong> Give a mini talk about something you&rsquo;ve been working on and that you think others in the handmade community would find interesting</li> <li><strong>Special Topics:</strong> Talk as a group about anything relevant in the handmade community</li> <li><strong>Social After:</strong> Afterwards, we can head out and grab something to eat</li> </ul>  <p>You&rsquo;re not required to bring a project or anything; showing up is good enough!</p>  <hr />  <h2>Getting there</h2>  <p>We&rsquo;ll be in the mezzanine conference room #3.</p>  <p>If you enter through the Boylston Street entrance, you want to head to the left and look for where it says Community Learning Center.</p> 

content/english/news/first-dc-meetup-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "D.C. Meetup: API Design & Single-Header Libraries"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Felix Ulmanu is our Washington D.C. meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-12T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/dc.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Felix Ulmanu"
+tags: ["meetups", "dc"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Felix Ulmanu is our [Washington D.C.](/meetups/dc) meetup host. You may reach the author at felix@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Join us this Saturday, 24 January 2026, from 1:45pm to 2:45pm, to discuss API design and single-header libraries. How should we structure and program libraries to impose as few usage constraints as possible? We&rsquo;ll look at <a href="https://github.com/nothings/stb">the STB libraries</a> and other examples as case studies.</p>  <p><strong>Please note the slightly different time than usual</strong> (though after 2:45pm, we may continue chatting over lunch nearby). We&rsquo;re still at the <strong>West End Library</strong>, 2301 L St NW, Washington, DC 20037, in <strong>Meeting Room 2</strong>. See you soon!</p>  <h2>Contact</h2>  <ul> <li><code>_felixu_</code> on Discord, or reply to this email</li> </ul>  <p>Note that it appears Gmail may send this announcement to &ldquo;Promotions&rdquo;. To prevent this, you can set emails from this address to always go to your primary inbox. (We will never send spam!)</p>

content/english/news/first-dc-meetup-correction-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "D.C. Meetup: POSTPONED to Sunday, 1 February"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Felix Ulmanu is our Washington D.C. meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-22T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/dc.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Felix Ulmanu"
+tags: ["meetups", "dc"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Felix Ulmanu is our [Washington D.C.](/meetups/dc) meetup host. You may reach the author at felix@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Due to Winter Storm Fern, the next DC meetup, previously scheduled for this Saturday, is <strong>postponed to Sunday, 1 February, from 2pm to 4pm</strong>. See the last email for our topic and location, which both remain unchanged. Sorry for the trouble, and we hope to see you soon!</p>  <h2>Contact</h2>  <ul> <li><code>_felixu_</code> on Discord, or reply to this email</li> </ul>  <p>Note that it appears Gmail may send this announcement to &ldquo;Promotions&rdquo;. To prevent this, you can set emails from this address to always go to your primary inbox. (We will never send spam!)</p>

content/english/news/first-kirkland-cowork-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "Friday Co-Working in Kirkland"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Taylor Robbins is our Kirkland co-working host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-08T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/kirkland.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Taylor Robbins"
+tags: ["cowork", "kirkland"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Taylor Robbins is our [Kirkland](/meetups/seattle) co-working host. You may reach the author at taylor@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Dear Handmade folks,</p>  <p>Happy New Year! Tomorrow is our first Kirkland Co-Working session of 2026. Now that the holidays are done it&rsquo;s back to work, and what better way to work than in the company of others. Come hang out, anyone is welcome, even if you need to work on your day-job tasks while you&rsquo;re there, but we always love hearing what people are working on if you have something to share.</p>  <p><strong>When:</strong> 2:00pm-5:00pm (Friday January 9th)</p>  <p><strong>Where:</strong> Thruline Coffee - 136 Park Ln, Kirkland, WA 98033</p>  <p><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/CmeFmdPdLZkycXHw6">Google Maps Link</a></p>  <p><img src="https://www.robbitay.com/handmade/thruline_coffee_512.png" alt="Thruline Coffee Image" /></p>  <p>I still recommend charging your laptop beforehand, but if you need we often get the table in the back with an outlet and I&rsquo;ll bring a extension cord + splitter. If you don&rsquo;t see us when you first walk in make sure you check behind the counter on the right, the table we sit at is not visible from the door.</p>  <p>If you have any questions don&rsquo;t hesitate to reach out! (reply to this email, or DM/ping on Discord <code>@ProfessorSil</code>)</p>

content/english/news/first-london-meetup-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "London Meetup, January 11th"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Jacques Heunis is our London meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-04T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/london.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Jacques Heunis"
+tags: ["meetups", "london"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Jacques Heunis is our [London](/meetups/london) meetup host. You may reach the author at jacques@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Hey everyone</p>  <p>It&rsquo;s now 2026, time for everybody to mis-type the year for the next two months! \\o/ More importantly, its a new month and that means a new meetup. I&rsquo;m sending this out a bit late so we&rsquo;ll schedule for the 18th of January.</p>  <p>As usual we&rsquo;ll book a table at The Fellow (a pub near Kings Cross Station, N1 9AA). There&rsquo;s no agenda so anybody is free to bring any topics or demos that they&rsquo;d like to discuss. If anybody wants to bring a laptop or gadget or what-have-you to demo something that&rsquo;s awesome but most often its just a casual chat about recent projects or topics that interest people. The only ask is that attendees grab a drink or some food to compensate the pub for so kindly allowing us to use their space.</p>  <p>We&rsquo;ll schedule for 14:00 on the 18th of January (2 weeks from now) and people are welcome to stay for as long as they fancy. Since space is limited, please do respond <a href="https://rsvp.handmadecities.com/event/BodEJGrM\">on the event page here</a> by the end of Sunday the 11th if you&rsquo;d like to attend, just so that I can make a reservation for the table.</p>  <p>Looking forward to seeing you there!</p>  <p>Jacques</p>

content/english/news/first-london-meetup-correction-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "Correction: Handmade London Meetup, January 18th"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Jacques Heunis is our London meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-05T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/london.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Jacques Heunis"
+tags: ["meetups", "london"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Jacques Heunis is our [London](/meetups/london) meetup host. You may reach the author at jacques@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Hey everyone</p>  <p>Just a correction from my previous email since the subject disagreed with the body on the date of the next meetup. As shown <a href="https://rsvp.handmadecities.com/event/BodEJGrM\">on the event page</a> <strong>the event will be on the 18th of January</strong>, not the 11th.</p>  <p>Sorry for the confusion, please do not show up at The Fellow on the 11th!</p>  <p>Looking forward to seeing you there!</p>  <p>Jacques</p>

content/english/news/first-vancouver-meetup-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "First Vancouver Meetup of the Year is Tomorrow!"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Gabriel Dechichi is our Vancouver meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-23T12:05:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/vancouver.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Gabriel Dechichi"
+tags: ["meetups", "vancouver"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Gabriel Dechichi is our [Vancouver](/meetups/vancouver) meetup host. You may reach the author at gabriel@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Hi there! Happy new year!</p>  <p>Our first Vancouver Handmade Meetup of the year will be this Saturday (tomorrow), January 24th at 2pm PST.</p>  <p>Same location as usual, right next to the Brentwood Town Centre Station.</p>  <p><strong>Location</strong>: <a href="https://www.google.ca/maps/place/1955+Alpha+Wy.,+Burnaby,+BC+V5C+0K5/@49.26672,-123.0032249,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x5486773aed540b73:0x8115d594509db9c4!8m2!3d49.26672!4d-123.00065!16s%2Fg%2F11hhm5l_nk?entry=tts&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIPu8ASoASAFQAw%3D%3D&amp;skid=5dbe0e2f-2f48-479d-acad-b25f3371746e\">1955 Alpha Way, Burnaby BC V5C 0K6</a> </br><strong>Date: Saturday, January 24th</strong> </br><strong>Time: 2pm - 4pm</strong></p>  <p>On this meetup we will have a very special <em>talk from Sab on handling segfaults when working close to hardware</em>, which many of us were looking forward to, so hope you can all make it!</p>  <p>If you&rsquo;re considering attending you can RSVP <a href="https://luma.com/i49vxiqs\">by clicking this link</a>.</p>  <p>Looking forward to meeting y&rsquo;all soon!</p>

content/english/news/hmb-meeting-instructions-2025.md

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+---
+title: "Boston Conference Instructions"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Where we're meeting for 2025"
+date: 2025-08-14T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/companies/bpl.jpg"
+categories: ["Press Release"]
+author: "Abner Coimbre"
+tags: ["meta", "hmc"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+All the details for our special event in Boston this weekend.
+
+*UPDATED 8/15: Additional FAQ at the end*
+
+Dear Handmade folks,
+
+I'm motivated to see you this weekend. This is a reminder there was a shakeup and downsizing that you can read about [here](/news/winding-down). With that said, everyone attending is in great spirits and we're looking to get inspired.
+
+#### Where do we meet?
+
+I'll be at the entrance to the Boston Public Library at 1:45PM. At 2:05 I'll start heading to the conference room. If you're arriving late, our friend Caden (who kindly reserved the space for us) has this for instructions:
+
+> It's Mezzanine Conference Room 2. From the entrance on Boylston street, you veer slightly to the left to the DVD section, and go up the stairs. From there you'll be able to see all the mezzanine conference rooms.
+
+If you're still lost, you should ask library staff how to get to Mezzanine Conference Room 2.
+
+#### Can I demo something?
+
+If we have extra time after the proper presentations, attendees can demo their own Handmade projects: it can be a side-project, but it can also be commercial software you work on, as long as you get into interesting technical details (we don't want this to be an ad.)
+
+#### What do we do after the meetup?
+
+The plan is to go until 5PM or so. For those with time and motivation left, we'll walk to a nearby park for casual chatter until we do a 6PM dinner together. It's fun to play it by ear, so we'll decide where to eat and drink in person!
+
+#### I'm here in Boston already
+
+Make sure you're in the HMC [Discord](https://handmadecities.com/discord) so you can sync up with other attendees in the area. There's a public `#handmade-boston` channel and a private `meetups-boston` channel and you may use either of them. 
+
+NOTE: If you don't see the private `#meetups-boston` channel, select **Channels & Roles** in your Discord app and choose "Boston" as a city of interest.
+
+Your indie organizer,<br>Abner Coimbre
+
+---
+
+#### Additional FAQ
+
+1. **I'm a 2024 fundraiser supporter. Can I join?**
+
+If you got lifetime perks from the 2024 fundraiser, you can join all future Handmade events including this one. Just state your name when I see you! It also helps to let me know ahead of time you wish to RSVP, since I can't always guarantee a seat.
+
+2. **I'm a monthly donor. Can I join?**
+
+If you're a monthly [donor](/donate) to Handmade Cities, you can join all future Handmade events including this one. Just state your name when I see you! It also helps to let me know ahead of time you wish to RSVP, since I can't always guarantee a seat.
+
+3. **I'm a regular Boston meetup member**
+
+If you've attended Caden's Handmade Meetups somewhat regularly, you should be fine for this event! First come, first served in terms of available seats.
+
+4. Can I bring my laptop for my demo?
+
+Of course; the conference room has a giant TV with HDMI cable. I should also have an adapter for Macbooks.
+
+Please bring your laptop fully charged in case we run out of outlets. If your laptop isn't HDMI-compatible and it isn't a Macbook, you should carry any special cables or adapters that you need.

content/english/news/hms-meeting-instructions-2025.md

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+---
+title: "Seattle Conference Instructions"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Where we're meeting for 2025"
+date: 2025-12-03T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/obc_counter.jpg"
+categories: ["Press Release"]
+author: "Abner Coimbre"
+tags: ["meta", "hmc"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+All the details for Handmade Seattle Lite happening this Saturday.
+
+Dear Handmade folks,
+
+I'm motivated to see you this weekend. This is a reminder there was a whole [shakeup and downsizing](/news/winding-down). With that said, everyone attending is in great spirits and we're looking to get inspired.
+
+#### Where do we meet?
+
+The full schedule is on the [Seattle page](/seattle): we discuss the presentations, venue details and any instructions or contingency plans.
+
+I'll be at the entrance to One Bite Cafe (Seattle) at 1:45PM. At 2:05 I'll start turning on the A/V equipment. If you're arriving late, please enter the coffee shop quietly and order some snacks to support this family business. Then find any available seat and enjoy the show!
+
+If you're lost, email me at `abner@handmadecities.com` as I'll be paying attention to it every few minutes until we begin at 2:30PM.
+
+#### Can I demo something?
+
+If we have extra time after the proper presentations, attendees can demo their own Handmade projects: it can be a side-project, but it can also be commercial software you work on, as long as you get into interesting technical details (we don't want this to be an ad.)
+
+#### What do we do after the meetup?
+
+The plan is to go until 5PM or so. For those with time and motivation left, we'll walk to a nearby pizza place followed by drinks at the pub. All of these small shops know about Handmade Cities and appreciate our business. It's fun to play it by ear, so we'll decide where to eat and drink in person based on attendance size.
+
+#### Can I still RSVP?
+
+If you're subscribed to the Seattle [mailing list](/meetups/seattle) you should receive an RSVP link on **Wednesday December 3rd, 2025**. Ticket holders don't need to RSVP.
+
+Please reach out to me if you never received that invite and I'll send you a copy.
+
+Your indie organizer,<br>Abner Coimbre
+
+---
+
+#### Additional FAQ
+
+1. **I'm a 2024 fundraiser supporter. Can I join?**
+
+If you got lifetime perks from the 2024 fundraiser, you can join all future Handmade events including this one. Just state your name when I see you! It also helps to let me know ahead of time you wish to RSVP, since I can't always guarantee a seat.
+
+2. **I'm a monthly donor. Can I join?**
+
+If you're a monthly [donor](/donate) to Handmade Cities, you can join all future Handmade events including this one. Just state your name when I see you! It also helps to let me know ahead of time you wish to RSVP, since I can't always guarantee a seat.
+
+3. **I'm a regular Seattle meetup member**
+
+If you've attended our monthly meetups or weekly co-working sessions somewhat regularly, you should be fine for this event! First come, first served in terms of available seats, with priority given to ticket holders.
+
+4. **Can I bring my laptop for my demo?**
+
+Of course; the coffee shop will have a projector screen with HDMI cable. I should also have an adapter for Macbooks.
+
+Please bring your laptop fully charged. If your laptop isn't HDMI-compatible and it isn't a Macbook, you should carry any special cables or adapters that you need.

content/english/news/revolt-against-discord.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+---
+title: "Revolt Against Discord"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Handmade Cities is killing Discord before 2026"
+date: 2025-10-12T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/hmc/revolt-promotion.png"
+categories: ["Press Release"]
+author: "Abner Coimbre"
+tags: ["meta", "hmc"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+Handmade Cities is leaving Discord by end of the year.
+
+Time to [Revolt](https://revolt.handmadecities.com) against Discord. Savor the refrain while it lasts, because Revolt will become [Stoat](https://stoat.chat/) eventually. Their rebrand doesn’t change anything about joining now. Your Revolt account will stay the same. Indeed, I’ll call it “Revolt” for the rest of this post.
+
+You might wonder why this move needs to happen in the first place. First, it's a **principles thing.** We want to own chat data to align closer with the values on our [About](/about) page. On Discord, meanwhile, communities can be (and *have* been) shut down with no recourse. Second, there's **real cybersecurity concerns**. Discord has asked for government ID verification and passed that data to third parties — nearly 100k IDs were exposed in a [vendor breach](https://www.pcmag.com/news/discord-70k-govt-ids-exposed-breach-hackers-posting-age-verification-selfies). That’s not acceptable. Ironically, it appears to be their customer support and "Trust & Safety" teams that were collecting this data. Now it's in the hands of hackers:
+
+> "The hackers who compromised Discord are now sharing examples of what they say is stolen data, including selfies of Americans and Canadians holding up IDs." -PCMag
+
+So much for trust. Or safety.
+
+Finally, note that I'm **encouraging people to touch grass.** I’ve [sketched](https://abner.page/post/exit-the-feed/) a path for top engineers to live without addictive social media. Revolt as an invite‑only, verified‑human space is a core piece of that plan.
+#### Did you just say invite-only? How do I join Revolt?
+Invitations will come only from official [meetup hosts](/meetups) or directly from me. If we’ve met at a conference, meetup, or co‑working session, message us and we’ll likely invite you. I’m the one who grants the **Verified Human** badge and I’ll do so if a host can vouch for you. This is an imperfect system and it still requires moderation, of course, but it places a premium on trust over open discoverability. Which is exactly the point.
+
+UPDATE 1/12/2026: Users [can now request](/chat) invite codes directly.
+
+#### Addressing common objections
+There are three typical arguments against using Revolt that I should tackle here.
+
+1. *"Revolt will be a walled garden like Discord and therefore not crawlable."* I believe that private, ephemeral conversations should remain private. We can curate and surface the best technical discussions into a [public wiki](/guide) so important knowledge isn’t lost.
+
+2. *“Abner is a dictator."* Guilty as charged. I’m running this as a BDFL, with a decade of organizing Handmade since my early college days. There’s an escape hatch though, because every meetup host can dump their mailing list locally. I don't lock people in. This cuts both ways too: hosts who violate [community values](/about) -- e.g. running meetups sponsored by Microsoft -- are cut off from the water tap. They won't be able to send newsletters nor access new subscribers to the mailing list.
+
+3. *"There's some friction and missing features."* Revolt is lighter than Discord. I call it Discord Lite™ and it carries a few annoyances:
+
+- **You can't point the Revolt app to a custom domain.** There is a workaround for this: visit `revolt.handmadecities.com` in your phone's native browser (Safari on iOS). Now hit `Add to Home Screen` and the PWA you just installed behaves like any other electron app.
+- **Missing bells & whistles.** There's no message pinning, no threads, and limitations on emoji reactions. These are irritations to me, not deal breakers. Many people find Revolt snappier with zero loading times.
+- **Lack of E2EE.** Discord has this problem too. Handmade Cities policy is to safeguard private DMs and never inspect their contents, but you're choosing to trust us instead of Discord. Never disclose sensitive material on our servers; instead you should ask the person you're talking to for their [Signal](https://signal.org/) username and hop over there.
+#### Final Notes
+To summarize: Our new [Revolt](https://revolt.handmadecities.com) is invite‑only. You must be a verified human; either I know you, or a meetup host does. The easiest way to get invited is to attend an in‑person event. If this feels like too much, consider this your warning: the Discord goes kaput after New Year’s Eve. Exchange contact info, save any important links, and follow our [public newsletter](/news) to stay updated, with or without Revolt/Stoat.
+
+Your indie organizer,<br>Abner Coimbre

content/english/news/revolt-for-fast-updates.md

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+---
+title: "Revolt for Fast Updates"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Abner Coimbre is our Seattle meetup host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-16T22:32:38Z
+image: "/images/revolt_community.png"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Abner Coimbre"
+tags: ["meetups", "seattle"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> [Abner Coimbre](/about) is our [Seattle](/meetups/seattle) meetup host. You may reach the author at abner@handmadecities.com
+
+**TL;DR:** Request [invite codes](https://handmadecities.com/chat) for Revolt today! Check out our [brand new](https://guide.handmadecities.com) wiki. Finally, the Seattle co-working session is cancelled as we potentially switch venues.
+
+---
+
+Seattle area folks,
+
+Happy 2026!
+
+Our Discord server is no more: as I [promised](/news/summer-update-2025/) last summer (see **Discord Off-Ramp** section) and then [very explicitly](/news/revolt-against-discord/) in the fall. Indeed I'm going underground to promote offline meetups - may the power of word-of-mouth bless the community.
+
+My own account is scheduled for deletion.
+
+Discord said it will take up to 14 days, so I don't know if that means my account appears active? Anyway, if you're sending me DMs there I'm not seeing them.
+
+## Keeping up with Handmade Cities
+
+There's three official ways to keep tabs on things. As we go down this list the frequency of updates goes way up:
+
+1. [Public Newsletter](/news): this is the slowest one. You get a [Press Release](/categories/press-release) newsletter once in a blue moon, because it's intended for a mass audience. I take into account the events occuring at other Handmade meetups around the world.
+
+2. [Seattle Mailing List](/meetups/seattle): you're already part of this! You get notifications about monthly meetups, co-working sessions or just critical announcements like our Discord shutting down.
+
+3. [Chat Server](https://chat.handmadecities.com): Revolt is the new real-time chat. I send messages there every other day: some of them bubble up to the mailing list and, eventually, a public newsletter.
+
+For Revolt we have an [application process](/chat) for you to get an invite code.
+
+## Quick Guide
+
+We're excited to announce the [HMC Guide](https://guide.handmadecities.com): a proper wiki to document how our community is structured:
+
+<img src="https://guide.handmadecities.com/images/hmc_docs_screenshot_hu5108169931557510214.webp" width="840" height="400">
+
+In the new spirit of [handing off](/memos/HMC-Memo-001-Wiki-Ownership.pdf) ownership to trusted community members, our friend [Zac Nowicki](https://guide.handmadecities.com/docs/support/contact/#editor) is editor of Handmade Cities. If you spot inaccuracies or valuable missing info shoot him a message at `zac@handmadecities.com`.
+
+## Seattle Co-Work on Pause
+
+I am scoping out new venues for co-working in Seattle today. There's a strong chance we're going to use the ol' Third Place Books for the monthly meetup after-party (instead of co-working.)
+
+Our best candidate for a new co-working venue is **Armistice Coffee**, which is in the Roosevelt neighborhood as always. Anyway, until the dust settles I am canceling the co-working session today. Forgive me and stay tuned on this front.
+
+Your independent organizer,<br>Abner Coimbre

content/english/news/second-kirkland-cowork-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: "Friday Co-Working in Kirkland"
+meta_title: ""
+description: "Taylor Robbins is our Kirkland co-working host. Read their latest announcement"
+date: 2026-01-22T12:00:00Z
+image: "/images/meetups/kirkland.jpg"
+categories: ["Meetups"]
+author: "Taylor Robbins"
+tags: ["cowork", "kirkland"]
+draft: false
+---
+
+> Taylor Robbins is our [Kirkland](/meetups/seattle) co-working host. You may reach the author at taylor@handmadecities.com
+
+<p>Dear Handmade folks,</p>  <p>Tomorrow is another co-working session in Kirkland! I&rsquo;ll be starting a new job in February so the meetup hosting may change hands or change times, but for now it&rsquo;s business as usual (and likely Feb 6th will be normal as well). Come hang out, anyone is welcome, even if you need to work on your day-job tasks while you&rsquo;re there, but we always love hearing what people are working on if you have something to share.</p>  <p><strong>When:</strong> 2:00pm-5:00pm (Friday January 23rd)</p>  <p><strong>Where:</strong> Thruline Coffee - 136 Park Ln, Kirkland, WA 98033</p>  <p><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/CmeFmdPdLZkycXHw6">Google Maps Link</a></p>  <p><img src="https://www.robbitay.com/handmade/thruline_coffee_512.png" alt="Thruline Coffee Image" /></p>  <p>I still recommend charging your laptop beforehand, but if you need we often get the table in the back with an outlet and I&rsquo;ll bring a extension cord + splitter. If you don&rsquo;t see us when you first walk in make sure you check behind the counter on the right, the table we sit at is not visible from the door.</p>  <p>If you have any questions don&rsquo;t hesitate to reach out! (reply to this email, or DM/ping on Discord <code>@ProfessorSil</code>)</p>

content/english/news/winding-down.md

@@ -16,86 +16,56 @@ Dear Handmade folks,
 
 This shutdown isn't the end of Handmade Cities, but it does mean we're ending our conferences in favor of local meetups. I'm officially collaborating with [The Offline Club](https://www.theoffline-club.com/) in the future, since we both agreed we admire each other's efforts.
 
-Personally I'm really optimistic for what's on the horizon, but in this post I need to be blunt about reality.
+Personally I'm optimistic for what's on the horizon. However, in this post I need to be blunt about reality. Stand strong.
 
 *REMINDER: Handmade Cities is NOT affiliated with Handmade Hero nor the Handmade Network. We share the brand and that's it.*
 
 #### What does it mean for the conferences in 2025?
 
-The [Boston](/boston) and [Seattle](/seattle) dates stay on the calendar, but they’re meetups now; maybe bigger than usual, just not a traditional tech conference. I expect the lectures and demos to remain exciting but in smaller packaging.
+The [Boston](/boston) and [Seattle](/seattle) dates stay on the calendar, but they’re meetups now; likely bigger than usual, just not a traditional tech conference. I expect the lectures and demos to remain exciting but in smaller packaging.
 
 This change is reflected in Boston already, which is coming up this weekend. We changed the venue from the increasingly expensive JFK Presidential Library to the Boston Public Library instead:
 
 {{< image src="images/companies/bpl.jpg" caption="Entrance to BPL" alt="Entrance to Boston Public Library" height="806" width="605" position="center" command="fill" option="q100" class="img-fluid" title="Entrance to BPL"  webp="false" >}}
 
-I've disabled the [tickets](/tickets) portal and, if there’s room, new folks can join free. E-mail me to RSVP: abner@handmadecities.com. The hour-to-hour schedule should be on the Boston page by tomorrow.
+I've disabled the [tickets](/tickets) portal and, if there’s room, new folks can join free. E-mail me to RSVP: abner@handmadecities.com. We'll meet in front of the library Saturday at 2PM: plus ones welcome.
 
-Ticket holders disappointed with this change can email me directly at abner@handmadecities.com and we can negotiate refunds. I’ve got sunk costs, so refunds might take a few weeks. However, I'm processing them as fast as I can, and I appreciate the folks letting me keep their contribution.
+Ticket holders disappointed with this change can email me directly at abner@handmadecities.com to negotiate refunds. I’ve got sunk costs, so refunds might take up to a small number of weeks. However, I'm already processing them as fast as I can, and I'm deeply grateful to the folks allowing me to keep their contribution.
+
+These upcoming events will be delightful all the same.
 
 #### Why I'm doing this
 
 This story has two parts: financial and personal.
 
-1. **Financial Reasons**
+1. **Financial**
 
-I hinted at economic trouble at the beginning of [this](/news/summer-update-2025/) summer update and in the bottom section of my Terminal Click [announcement](https://terminal.click/posts/2025/07/open-beta/). It's common knowledge profitable conferences are a dying species and I'm surprised I've lasted this long: Deconstruct, Strangeloop, Bang Bang Con, XOXO and other small-to-medium sized events vanished. Even corporate-backed conferences are no longer around: O'Reilly, Xfest, E3 and so on went away.
+I hinted at economic trouble at the beginning of [this](/news/summer-update-2025/) summer update and in the bottom section of my Terminal Click [announcement](https://terminal.click/posts/2025/07/open-beta/). It's common knowledge profitable conferences are a dying breed and I'm surprised I've lasted this long: Deconstruct, Strangeloop, Bang Bang Con, XOXO and other small-to-medium sized events vanished. Even corporate-backed conferences are no longer around: O'Reilly, Xfest, E3 and so on went away.
 
-2. **Personal Trauma**
+2. **Personal**
 
 In the last Handmade Seattle I made a mistake with the balance of content. It was definitely jarring to have little in the way of old-school technical presentations. This caused a 50-50 split of positive versus negative feedback: the positive commentary came largely from newcomers, while the negative came largely from veterans. The reader can visit [older](/news) blog posts where I apologized and asked for feedback.
 
-However, I stand by all my speakers (read: their right to speak their mind unencumbered) and refuse to add disclaimers/warnings inside published recordings. It is obvious giving speakers air time doesn't mean I endorse all their views. In any case, the most controversial talk by far was Andrew Kelley's keynote on [Day One](/media/seattle-2024/hms-day-one/).
+However, I stand by all my speakers and refuse to add disclaimers/warnings inside published recordings. It is obvious giving speakers air time doesn't mean I endorse all their views. In any case, the most controversial talk by far was Andrew Kelley's keynote on [Day One](/media/seattle-2024/hms-day-one/). I received a barrage of vile essays in my Inbox, Discord DMs, and unlisted YouTube videos calling me a communist (what?) for platforming Andrew's message. I lost genuine friendships from people who were caught up in the heat of it all.
 
-I received a barrage of vile essays in my Inbox and Discord DMs, calling me a communist (what?) for platforming Andrew's message. I lost good friends, including Ginger Bill, the creator of Odin:
+This was personally traumatic, and I can't use this trauma to justify running half-hearted conferences, which is an important reason for stopping them.
 
-{{<youtube eoNJfoFR2CE>}}
-
-Warning: This is very dark stuff, and he torched our relationship along with Andrew's. Criticism is one thing but this is something else. A lot of people inexplicably saw it before me. Here was my 1-minute response to his half-hour video:
-
-<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;">
-  <iframe
-    src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1033767315?h=f97bb867ce"
-    style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;"
-    allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture"
-    allowfullscreen
-    title="Dear Ginger"></iframe>
-</div>
-
-To which Bill never responded. A few days later, he was announced at the Better Software Conference (BSC). This sudden loss of friendships rewired my brain to such a degree that I don't give a f\*ck about anything anymore [1].
-
-I just dish out cold comebacks. I do it in person to anyone who is repeatedly uncharitable. *"When you go to the mind reader, do you get half price?"* I asked someone this last week, who recognized me because he follows everything I do online, hated the last conference , and I seem to live rent-free in his head. *"I worship the quicksand you walk in,"* I concluded before leaving the grocery store.
-
-Transforming into a combative individual has become incredibly useful, but there's this lingering depression, and I just can't give it my all. I can't use this trauma as justification for running half-hearted conferences, which is an important reason for ending them.
+*UPDATE 8/18/25: In my original post I aired dirty laundry, which feeds into online drama I'm supposed to denounce. It is now removed.*
 
 #### Nature is healing
 
-Handmade meetups are generally awesome and keep growing. We help local programmers find work or make new friends every month. I train and mentor hosts, then they take the reins, so the scene is decentralized and self-sustaining. Meetups are cheap or free to run so I don't have to chase big revenue. Meanwhile, building [Terminal Click](https://terminal.click) as an indie dev is therapy compared to wrangling humans for a living.
+The Handmade meetups are awesome and they keep growing. We nerd out with demos and side projects. We help local programmers find work or make new friends every month. I train and mentor hosts, then they take the reins, so the scene is decentralized and self-sustaining. Meetups are cheap or free to run so I don't have to chase big revenue. Meanwhile, building [Terminal Click](https://terminal.click) as an indie dev is therapy compared to wrangling humans for a living!
 
-An impressive number of people who ended their friendships with me have apologized. A couple of examples follow (you may need to open them in a new tab):
+An impressive number of people who ended their relationship with me have apologized as of late. I've forgiven them.
 
-{{< image src="images/hmc/close_friend_apology.png" caption="Close Friend Apology" alt="Close Friend Apology" height="1114" width="255" position="center" command="fill" option="q100" class="img-fluid" title="Close Friend Apology"  webp="false" >}}
-
-Even a speaker from BSC wrote to me before their conference:
-
-{{< image src="images/hmc/bsc_speaker_apology.png" caption="BSC Speaker" alt="BSC Speaker" height="956" width="305" position="center" command="fill" option="q100" class="img-fluid" title="BSC Speaker"  webp="false" >}}
-
-He went on to say later:
-
-> I only send this because I want you to be happy and healthy with a positive attitude. It's all too easy to fall into a victim mentality and focus too much on social change that isn't even necessary because, again, we're winning. You're obviously very competent and skilled.
-
-Regardless of what you think of this, I forgave both of them and I'm opting to protect their privacy. A handful of the latest apologies come from community members who lost their income and I'm helping them find new jobs.
+*UPDATE 8/18/25: In my original post I posted examples of private apologies, which is unfair to those friends. These are now removed.*
 
 #### Could things have been different?
 
-Maybe. Without social media or perverse incentives for online drama things could've gone differently. A meetup member in Seattle called me a “young grasshopper” as a community organizer. That caught me off guard until I looked around. Important events take time indeed: TED Talks have existed for four decades and then YouTube made it huge; DEFCON is thirty years old; many open-source conferences spent twenty years figuring things out. Wrangling humans is slow and messy.
+Without social media we could've had more perspective: in the end this was just one event. In fact a Seattle meetup member called me a “young grasshopper.” That caught me off guard until I looked around. Important things take time indeed: TED Talks have existed for four decades; DEFCON is thirty years old; many open-source conferences spent twenty years figuring things out. Herding cats is slow and messy.
 
-I’m done running conferences though. Besides the reasons above, they feed the egos of a few “anointed” speakers and require a social-media hustle I won’t play. I’m opting out. I’d rather build stuff that gets people offline: better meetups, our own server racks, and self-hosted tools for programmers making a living with serious Handmade projects.
+I’m done running conferences though. Besides the reasons above, they feed the egos of a few “anointed” speakers and require a social media hustle I just won’t play. I’m opting out. I'm excited about building stuff that gets people offline: better meetups, our own server racks, and self-hosted tools for indie devs with serious Handmade projects.
 
-I’ll keep publishing newsletters [here](/news) and on [Terminal Click](https://terminal.click/posts), and occasionally on my [personal](https://abner.page) website.
+I’ll keep publishing newsletters [here](/news) and on [Terminal Click](https://terminal.click/posts), and occasionally on my [personal](https://abner.page) website. I'd still love to see you at our upcoming events, even if they're not fancy conferences.
 
 See you offline,<br>Abner Coimbre
-
----
-**Footnotes**
-
-[1] I do give a f\*ck about a few stuff: real friends and loved ones and my new work.

content/english/pages/meetupinvite2000.md

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Meetup Invite Test
+
+This is a placeholder for tests performed with [MeetupInvite2000](https://git.handmadecities.com/meetups/meetupinvite2000/releases). When you use the `blast` command, your email will be published to [News](/news) instead.

content/english/revolt.md

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: "Private Chat"
+layout: "revolt"
+---

content/english/seattle/index.md

@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 ---
 title: "Handmade Seattle 2025"
-subtitle: "The West Coast's premier conference for systems programmers. Fully Hybrid"
+subtitle: "The West Coast's mini conference for systems programmers."
 image: "/images/hms/seattle-dark-mode.svg"
 layout: "event"
 
 # Event Details
-event_dates: "December 12-14, 2025 (Fri-Sun)"
-registration_date: "October 5th, 2025"
-venue_name: "Seattle Center"
-venue_address: "305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109"
+event_dates: "Saturday December 6th, 2025"
+registration_date: "December 1st, 2025"
+venue_name: "One Bite Cafe (2-5PM)"
+venue_address: "1026 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115"
 
 # Event Features
 event_format: "Fully Hybrid"
@@ -20,19 +20,25 @@ event_features:
   - "Networking opportunities"
 
 # Coming Soon Section
-coming_soon_text: "Community Submissions"
-coming_soon_description: "Submit a talk or demo below! Final deadline is Sunday, October 5th."
+coming_soon_text: "Schedule is Ready"
+coming_soon_description: "Scroll below to learn of presentations, venue, and how it all works!"
 
 # Initial Speakers
 initial_speakers:
-  - name: "Taylor Robbins"
-    topic: "UI Tools Engineer"
-    affiliation: "Bungie (Makers of Destiny 2)"
-    image: "/images/people/robbins.jpg"
+  - name: "Abner Coimbre"
+    topic: "The 2026 Roadmap"
+    affiliation: "Handmade Cities"
+    image: "/images/people/abner.jpg"
   - name: "Benjamin Thompson"
     topic: "Math PhD turned Puzzle Designer"
     affiliation: "Cornell University"
     image: "/images/people/thompson.webp"
+  - name: "Caspar"
+    topic: "Full-time Solo Gamedev"
+    affiliation: "Slow Rush Studios"
+    image: "/images/companies/slow-rush-logo.webp"
+  - name: "This is You"
+    topic: "Audience members demo projects"
 
 # Trade Show Information
 trade_show:
@@ -64,6 +70,29 @@ previous_events:
 show_description: true
 ---
 
-Handmade Seattle is our flagship conference for low-level programmers worldwide: two days packed with short impactful talks, demos, and a trade show! The third day is for meetups across the city.
+**Saturday Schedule (Seattle Timezone)**
 
-We're famously hybrid - attend in person at the iconic Seattle Center or join remotely from anywhere. All talks and demos are streamed professionally, along with a [private](https://chat.handmadecities.com) chat server for live Q&A.
+- [2:00 - 2:30PM] *Snack and drinks*: order some food to support this family shop!
+- [2:30 - 3:00PM] *The 2026 Roadmap*: Handmade Cities is [no longer](https://handmadecities.com/news/winding-down/) running conferences. Abner lays out his plans for a future of decentralized, offline meetups.
+- [3:00 - 3:30PM] *The Multiplayer Sandpit by Caspar: How I got sucked into making a networked falling sand game.* [Caspar](https://www.slowrush.dev/)'s demo video is "A dramatic re-enactment of how briefly revisiting a childhood dream escalated into a full time obsession for 2 years (and counting). Featuring a custom engine written in Rust using Macroquad as a platform abstraction, with cross-platform and in-browser multiplayer."
+- [3:30 - 4:00PM] *Untitled Cube Game: Explore the consequences of a very intuitive, but very deep, rule.* Demo video by [Benjamin Thompson](https://bgthompson.codeberg.page/). "Have fond memories of Bloxorz? Enjoyed what you played of Stephen's Sausage Roll? Interested in games with combinatorial explosions? We present a cube-rolling puzzle game that explores a single intuitive rule with a lot of consequences. Inspired by mathematics, and programmed from scratch in Zig."
+- [4:00 - 5:00PM] *Audience Projects:* At every Seattle event we let members of the audience take to the stage and show off their creations, or discuss a programming topic near-and-dear to their heart. This could be YOU, so make sure to email `abner@handmadecities.com` and request an RSVP link.
+- [5:00 - 8:00PM] *Seattle After Dark:* This is optional! Our tradition is to go out for pizza followed by drinks at the pub. During dinner we tend to get spicier with our takes on the software industry, and by the time we hit the pub all bets are off. (We remain civil all throughout.)
+
+**About the Venue**
+
+The new venue is One Bite Cafe in Seattle, a family-owned shop that loves Handmade Cities. If you're downtown you should take the Seattle light rail up to Roosevelt Station - our venue is right next to it.
+
+One Bite is on the smaller side, so if the RSVP list shows we're too many programmers, then we relocate to Third Place Books (Ravenna, Seattle) which is within walking distance. Third Place knows us too because we host co-working sessions there.
+
+P.S. Subscribe to the Seattle [mailing list](https://handmadecities.com/meetups/seattle) in case the location changes. If you don't get an email and/or this website doesn't change by Friday night, you can feel certain we're sticking to One Bite Cafe. You can always reach out at `abner@handmadecities.com` as Abner will have notifications on full blast.
+
+**In-Person vs Remote**
+
+Abner's 2026 roadmap and audience projects will occur in person. Caspar and Benjamin are Australian independent gamedevs, and due to the difficulties of traveling to the United States, cannot join us in person. We will play their demo videos followed by Q&A sessions: they are beaming in remotely.
+
+**Existing Ticket Holders**
+
+Ticket holders *need not* RSVP anywhere. Simply come to the shop and show your ticket, found under the **General Admission** email. You'll receive priority seating. Those who would prefer a refund due to our downsizing can email me as discussed in [Winding Down](https://handmadecities.com/news/winding-down/). 
+
+The same holds true for online ticket holders: reach out to us if you'd like to request a refund. Note that we're no longer live-streaming Handmade Seattle, although we will make efforts to record.

content/english/transactional/invite-fail-credentials.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
++++
+url = "/invite-fail-credentials"
+title="Error"
+subtitle="Invite Failed"
+main_image=""
++++
+
+#### Unknown Credentials
+
+Revolt email or password was not recognized. Please [try again](/invite) or contact our support staff.
+
+⚠️  You need [your own verified account](/chat) before having the power to invite others.

content/english/transactional/invite-fail-unverified.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
++++
+url = "/invite-fail-unverified"
+title="Error"
+subtitle="Invite Failed"
+main_image=""
++++
+
+#### Unverified User
+
+Only [Verified Humans](https://guide.handmadecities.com/docs/chat/#verified-human-badge) are allowed to send chat invites. Once you're granted the badge you may [try again](/invite)!

content/english/transactional/invite-fail.md

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
++++
+url = "/invite-fail"
+title="Error"
+subtitle="Invite Failed"
+main_image=""
++++
+
+#### UH OH!
+
+It seems we couldn't generate the chat invite. A few reasons why:
+- Incorrect [Revolt](https://chat.handmadecities.com) username or password
+- You are not a [Verified Human](https://guide.handmadecities.com/docs/chat/#verified-human-badge) yet
+- A server error on our part. Contact our support staff immediately

content/english/transactional/invite-success.md

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
++++
+url = "/invite-success"
+title="Complete"
+subtitle="Invite Successful"
+main_image=""
++++
+
+#### Congrats!
+
+You've invited a fellow human to our Handmade Revolt. If necessary, ask them to check the junk folder and mark us as safe!
+
+Ready to [send another](/invite)?
+
+⚠️  We use an invite tree [inspired](https://lobste.rs/about#invitations) by the Lobsters community: YOU are responsible for the users you invite, plus any users they've invited (and so on.)

content/english/transactional/revolt-success.md

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
++++
+url = "/revolt-success"
+title="Complete"
+subtitle="Submission Successful"
+main_image=""
++++
+
+#### Congrats!
+
+If you were redirected here, you have submitted an application to join [Revolt](https://revolt.handmadecities.com).  
+**Our staff will respond within three business days.**
+
+Thank you for supporting indie communities.  
+We’re here to promote software quality, one meetup at a time.

layouts/_default/chat.html

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+{{ define "main" }}
+<section class="section">
+  <div class="container max-w-xl">
+    <h1 class="mb-4 text-3xl font-bold">{{ .Title }}</h1>
+    <p class="mb-8">Join our community chat or help it grow by inviting someone you trust.</p>
+
+    <div class="space-y-6">
+
+      <a href="/revolt/" class="block rounded border border-gray-300 p-6 hover:border-blue-500 hover:shadow-md transition">
+        <h2 class="text-xl font-semibold text-gray-900">Apply to Join</h2>
+        <p class="mt-2">
+          New to the community? Submit an application to join our Revolt chat server.
+        </p>
+      </a>
+
+      <a href="/invite/" class="block rounded border border-gray-300 p-6 hover:border-blue-500 hover:shadow-md transition">
+        <h2 class="text-xl font-semibold text-gray-900">Invite Someone</h2>
+        <p class="mt-2">
+          Already a member? Vouch for someone you know and send them an invite code.
+        </p>
+      </a>
+
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</section>
+{{ end }}

layouts/_default/event.html

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
           <div class="inline-block bg-[#1a1a1a] p-4 rounded-lg mb-4">
             <i class="fa fa-calendar text-2xl text-[#e63946]"></i>
           </div>
-          <h2 class="text-xl md:text-2xl font-semibold text-white mb-2">Conference Dates</h2>
+          <h2 class="text-xl md:text-2xl font-semibold text-white mb-2">Event Dates</h2>
           <p class="text-lg text-gray-200">{{ .Params.event_dates | default "June 10-11, 2025" }}</p>
           {{ if .Params.registration_date }}
           <p class="text-sm text-gray-400 mt-2">Submission deadline: {{ .Params.registration_date }}</p>
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
       <!-- Initial Speakers Section (if available) -->
       {{ if .Params.initial_speakers }}
       <div class="mt-6">
-        <h3 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white mb-4 text-left">Speaker Lineup</h3>
+        <h3 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white mb-4 text-left">Presenter Lineup</h3>
         <div class="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 gap-4">
           {{ range .Params.initial_speakers }}
           <div class="bg-[#1a1a1a] p-4 rounded-lg flex items-center">
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
     <!-- Event Description -->
     {{ if .Params.show_description }}
     <div class="bg-black bg-opacity-50 backdrop-blur-sm p-6 rounded-xl shadow-lg max-w-3xl mx-auto mb-12">
-      <h3 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white mb-4">About this Handmade Conference</h3>
+      <h3 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white mb-4">About this Handmade Event</h3>
       <div class="text-gray-200 text-left prose prose-invert max-w-none">
         {{ .Content }}
       </div>

layouts/_default/invite.html

@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+{{ define "main" }}
+<section class="section">
+  <div class="container max-w-xl">
+    <h1 class="mb-8 text-3xl font-bold">{{ .Title }}</h1>
+    <img src="/images/hmc/revolt-preview.png" style="border-radius: 20px;">
+    <p><strong>Give them full access to <a href="https://chat.handmadecities.com">chat.handmadecities.com</a></strong></p>
+    <br>
+
+    <form action="https://invite.handmadecities.com" method="POST" class="space-y-6">
+
+      <div>
+        <label for="invite-email" class="mb-2 block font-semibold">Email to Send Invite to<span class="text-red-500">*</span></label>
+               <input type="email" id="invite-email" name="invite_email" required
+       class="w-full rounded border border-gray-300 px-4 py-2 text-gray-900 focus:border-blue-500 focus:outline-none" />
+      </div>
+
+      <hr>
+
+      <div>
+        <label for="revolt-email" class="mb-2 block font-semibold">Your Revolt Email <span class="text-red-500">*</span></label>
+        <input type="email" id="revolt-email" name="revolt_email" required
+        class="w-full rounded border border-gray-300 px-4 py-2 text-gray-900 focus:border-blue-500 focus:outline-none" />
+      </div>
+
+      <div>
+        <label for="revolt-password" class="mb-2 block font-semibold">Your Revolt Password <span class="text-red-500">*</span></label>
+        <input type="password" id="revolt-password" name="revolt_password" required
+        class="w-full rounded border border-gray-300 px-4 py-2 text-gray-900 focus:border-blue-500 focus:outline-none" />
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mt-1">
+      <input type="checkbox" id="show-password" class="h-4 w-4" />
+      <label for="show-password">Show password</label>
+      </div>
+
+      <div>
+        <label for="notes" class="mb-2 block font-semibold">Additional Notes (Optional)</label>
+        <textarea id="notes" name="notes" rows="4"
+          placeholder='"I am inviting my college roommate who is interested in Handmade software!"'
+          class="w-full rounded border border-gray-300 px-4 py-2 text-gray-900 focus:border-blue-500 focus:outline-none"></textarea>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="flex items-center gap-2">
+        <input type="checkbox" id="meatspace" name="met_in_meatspace" value="yes"
+               class="h-4 w-4" />
+        <label for="meatspace">Have you met this person in meatspace?</label>
+      </div>
+      <div id="meatspace-note" style="display: none;">
+      This person will be granted a <a href="https://guide.handmadecities.com/docs/chat/#verified-human-badge" class="text-blue-600 underline">Verified Human</a> badge.
+      </div>
+
+      <button type="submit"
+              class="rounded bg-blue-600 px-6 py-3 font-semibold text-white hover:bg-blue-700">
+        Send Invite Code
+      </button>
+
+      <p class="text-sm text-gray-500">
+        You're vouching for the human identity of this new user. Bots or alternate personas are <strong>forbidden.</strong>
+      </p>
+    </form>
+  </div>
+  <script>
+  document.getElementById("meatspace").addEventListener("change", function() {
+    document.getElementById("meatspace-note").style.display = this.checked ? "block" : "none";
+  });
+  document.getElementById("show-password").addEventListener("change", function() {
+    document.getElementById("revolt-password").type = this.checked ? "text" : "password";
+  });
+</script>
+</section>
+{{ end }}

layouts/_default/revolt.html

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+{{ define "main" }}
+<section class="revolt-form-section">
+  <div class="container">
+    <h1>{{ .Title }}</h1>
+    <img src="/images/hmc/revolt-promotion.png" style="border-radius: 20px;">
+    <p>We now run our server at <strong><a href="https://chat.handmadecities.com">chat.handmadecities.com</a></strong>. Real humans only!</p>
+
+    <form action="https://register.handmadecities.com" method="POST" class="revolt-form">
+      <div class="form-group">
+        <label for="name">Name <span class="required">*</span></label>
+        <input type="text" id="name" name="name" required>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="form-group">
+        <label for="email">Email <span class="required">*</span></label>
+        <input type="email" id="email" name="email" required>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="form-group">
+        <label for="website">Personal Website (Optional)</label>
+        <input type="url" id="website" name="website" placeholder="https://abner.page">
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="form-group">
+        <label for="reason">Why are you interested in joining?</label>
+        <textarea id="reason" name="reason" rows="4"></textarea>
+      </div>
+
+      <button type="submit">Get Invite Code</button>
+    </form>
+  </div>
+</section>
+{{ end }}

layouts/meetups/list.html

@@ -37,12 +37,14 @@
         <option value="Barcelona">Barcelona</option>
         <option value="Berlin">Berlin</option>
         <option value="Brussels">Brussels</option>
+        <option value="Budapest">Bucharest</option>
         <option value="Budapest">Budapest</option>
         <option value="Chicago">Chicago</option>
         <option value="Copenhagen">Copenhagen</option>
         <option value="Dallas">Dallas</option>
         <option value="Denver">Denver</option>
         <option value="Dublin">Dublin</option>
+        <option value="Hawaii">Hawaii</option> 
         <option value="Houston">Houston</option>
         <option value="Istanbul">Istanbul</option>
         <option value="Lisbon">Lisbon</option>
@@ -51,6 +53,7 @@
         <option value="Madrid">Madrid</option>
         <option value="Miami">Miami</option>
         <option value="Minneapolis">Minneapolis</option>
+        <option value="Montreal">Montreal</option>
         <option value="Moscow">Moscow</option>
         <option value="Nashville">Nashville</option>
         <option value="New Orleans">New Orleans</option>
@@ -63,12 +66,13 @@
         <option value="Rome">Rome</option>
         <option value="San Antonio">San Antonio</option>
         <option value="San Diego">San Diego</option>
-        <option value="Tokyo">Tokyo</option>
+        <option value="San Juan">San Juan</option>
         <option value="Toronto">Toronto</option>
         <option value="Valencia">Valencia</option>
         <option value="Vienna">Vienna</option>
         <option value="Warsaw">Warsaw</option>
         <option value="Zurich">Zurich</option>
+        <option value="Saudi Arabia">Saudi Arabia</option>
           </select>
         </div>
         
@@ -92,5 +96,9 @@
         </button>
       </form>
       <br>
+      <hr>
+      <br>
+      <p>Not on the wishlist? Reach out at support@handmadecities.com</p>
+      <br>
     </div>
 {{ end }}

layouts/meetups/single.html

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
         <div class="flex flex-col gap-5 lg:w-1/3">
           <div class="dark:text-white content-container content">
             {{ .Content }}
-            <a class="btn btn-outline-primary" href="/discord">Discord</a>
+            <a class="btn btn-outline-primary" href="/discord">Revolt</a>
           </div>
 
           {{ $hasGoodHost := false }}

layouts/news/list.html

@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 {{ define "main" }}
   {{ partial "page-header-rss" . }}
+  <div class="mb-6 text-center">
+    <a href="{{ "/news/index.xml" | relURL }}" class="btn flex items-center gap-2 justify-center" aria-label="Subscribe to Handmade Cities News RSS">
+      <svg width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false">
+        <path d="M4 11a1 1 0 100 2c5.523 0 10 4.477 10 10a1 1 0 102 0c0-6.627-5.373-12-12-12z"/>
+        <path d="M4 4a1 1 0 100 2c8.284 0 15 6.716 15 15a1 1 0 102 0C23 11.85 12.15 1 4 1a1 1 0 100 3z"/>
+        <circle cx="5" cy="19" r="2"/>
+      </svg>
+      <span>RSS</span>
+    </a>
+  </div>
 
   <section class="section">
     <div class="container">