Introducing a New Technology Magazine
Hi, I'm Audrey! I'm the editor of The Recompiler, a new magazine about deepening our knowledge of technology in a fun, participatory way. I've been building free/open source software, community-based technology education, and print and digital media throughout my career, and now I'm ready to bring it all together into an awesome new project.
The Recompiler will invite writers and artists who work and play with technology to share what they know: how do things work? who builds what? how much can we take apart, and what will it look like to rebuild our technology and make it better? We'll do this through a quarterly print and online magazine. As a subscriber, you will be a part of our learning community.
Your contributions will pay for the writing, illustration, editing, and publishing costs of our first issue in Summer 2015. The Recompiler is especially focused on sharing the work of underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, people with disabilities, queer, genderqueer, and trans people. Your contribution supports these groups in sharing their technical work, knowledge, and skills.
What's the Plan?
The Recompiler will publish quarterly print issues, and at least four companion online issues each year. In order to do this, we need to pay for writers, artists, editing, print design, web design, and for printing and shipping the magazine to you. Your contribution will go toward all these costs so we can get our first issue out the door.
You have two annual subscription options: a full print subscription, one issue per quarter, or online-only preview access to the website articles. I love print magazines: you can hold them, share them, write on them, or cut them apart. They’re accessible even when you don’t have internet or power nearby. But digital text is accessible in different ways, allowing for screen readers, cutting & pasting examples, and sending links to friends. So we’re doing both.
You can choose additional perks, like a gift subscription for a friend, or tickets to our launch party in June, or you can participate in our first issue by contributing a question to the advice column (you will get an answer!) We’re also commissioning a series of hand-knit custom-designed Recompiler hats to offer subscribers who contribute $500 and up (
see the artist’s other work).
A Magazine About...
We're excited about sharing our knowledge, bridging gaps, and supporting the full diversity of participants in technology. Each issue will have tutorials, discussion, criticism, and analysis designed to help us:
- grow our technology skills
- understand the full stack, from user to hardware
- build better technical and social infrastructure
- learn more about areas of technology that have a deep impact on what we can or can’t do, like systems, networks, security, and other back-end software
- create sustainable, welcoming communities
Risks & Challenges
While I have experience with writing, editing, and publishing on a smaller scale, the scope of this project is larger than I’ve attempted before in this context. I intend to use the experience I have with other community-focused tech projects, such as Open Source Bridge and Calagator, to help guide me and keep me organized. I also have a great network of colleagues to advise me and provide support.
If we don't reach our goal, the first issue may need to be scaled back or delayed until we have enough subscribers to support it. Contributing now helps us bring you the full level of articles, tutorials, and other content as planned.
Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can't subscribe today, tell your colleagues and friends. Also be sure to check out our Call for Contributors for Issue 1. Spread the word!
