Kathy Reid<p>In just a few days I will travel to Tarntanya/Adelaide - fulfilling a desire to take the Overland across north-Western Victoria and into South Australia - to present my talk on the <a href="https://aus.social/tags/TokenWars" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TokenWars</span></a> at <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://fosstodon.org/@everythingopen" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>everythingopen</span></a></span> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/EO2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EO2025</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/EverythingOpen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EverythingOpen</span></a>. </p><p>The future of many open source, volunteer-run conferences is precarious. </p><p>Rising costs of hosting, dwindling sponsorship, and reluctance to fund employees to attend, as well as the increasing burn-out of the dedicated folks who pitch in thousands of hours a year to make them happen - on top of the erosion caused by the pandemic - means that this may be the last year in many I get to catch up with the community I've come to call "my people" over the last 15 years. </p><p>So, let's make it a blast. </p><p>Three stellar <a href="https://aus.social/tags/keynotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>keynotes</span></a> lead the proceedings - maker, technologist and Skill Seeker, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@sjpiper145" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>sjpiper145</span></a></span>, critical technologist and FOI expert, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://eigenmagic.net/@daedalus" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>daedalus</span></a></span>, alongside passionate advocate for the power of libraries, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://ausglam.space/@Trishh" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>Trishh</span></a></span>. </p><p>On top of that, I'm also anticipating great talks from Andy Gelme, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://aus.social/@Unixbigot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>Unixbigot</span></a></span>, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://ausglam.space/@saera" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>saera</span></a></span>, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://aus.social/@nnye" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>nnye</span></a></span>, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://aus.social/@dtbell91" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>dtbell91</span></a></span>, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://aus.social/@emmadavidson" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>emmadavidson</span></a></span>, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://aus.social/@kattekrab" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>kattekrab</span></a></span> @caitelatte@cloudisland.nz Aleisha Amohia and Sara King, just to name a few - people I have admired and respected for a long time. </p><p>See you there, perhaps for the last time in a long while?</p>