The July edition of the IndieWeb Carnival is about tools. Host James is interested in the relationship between tools and our creative practices.

Remember Flickr, and the way we self-published visual sneak peeks into our lives on that website, in the mid-zeroes? If we wanted a filter in our photo, we had to Photoshop it in there ourselves. We tagged our uploads, but merely to archive our materials. Our profiles …

My pastors have a way with words. Bible study on Thursday, and we use every pronoun but he reading Mark 6:1-13. She’s just a carpenter — Mary’s girl. We’ve known her since she was a kid. (…) Who does she think she is? Give me a second, let me hear that again.

I know a biblical story has come alive when I feel my ancestors stand up behind me. Sometimes they feel like a hand on my shoulder. Perhaps a nod I see without turning around. …

So ready for day 2 of UX Healthcare Amsterdam

Marveling at the poor interface design of a pill box

As a design mentor, one of the things I encounter constantly is the stark difference between how some men and women speak of their own competencies. “May you be granted the confidence of a mediocre white man” is a phrase I utter at least twice a week. This morning, waiting for my local coffee spot to open, I saw a common occurrence of that level of confidence: somebody walked in before it opened, saying that, if undesired, the baristas would kick him out anyway. He returned three seconds later. I mused out loud, in front of him and two other friendly regulars who are themselves mediocre white men, that I was thinking about the thing I say to all my female and non-binary design mentees. I feel that my ability to do so in this social context proves that I, too, finally have the confidence of a mediocre white man. All this being said, though, I’m beginning to develop an appreciation for this alternative: “May you be granted the confidence of a disabled queer Muslim woman who, despite everything, dances in the rain.”

Nice idea! I like this one, which is often wrongly attributed to Francis of Assisi: “Proclaim the good news at all times. Use words if you must.”

“Because every time I go on Facebook, and I don’t do that often…” I overhear a man say to his coworker while they’re out on their lunch break. I love the complexities that arise when self-reporting is a method of data collection.