WordCamp Sofia Day 1

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

I had the privilege to be part of the organizing team of WordCamp Sofia. Day 1 of that event is behind us, and Day 2 is a contributor day, which will happen tomorrow.

We gave away over 430 badges, however the exact number of attendees will need some special counting and may be lower. As the Volunteers Lead, I didn’t watch many talks but still had the chance to hop in and see some.

This is a tiny part of the front row, with Petya Raykovska speaking and some current and former organizers. Petya shared about how instrumental WordPress is for the people who make Bulgaria a better place, the Open Source community, and made me cry by sharing how important Kaladan was to her life. Kaladan, who was a WordPress contributor and volunteer, passed away.

Myself before the opening, still no red T-shirt.

A group selfie with some of the attendees.

An AI panel, so we can stay current with the hype. WordPress is adjusting to the AI adoption and all of the panelists are treating it as a tool that’s helping people rather than replacing people.

And Afrodita Dobreva, with another really fantastic session about public speaking. I thought the 2024 talk can’t be exceeded but she had a blast.

It was a great event for me. Time to rest a bit 🙂

WordCamp Sofia 2025 Is Tomorrow

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This is the Track 1 hall, looking forward to seeing it full of fellow WordPress people.

I didn’t do much advertisement on the blog but didn’t need to – more people got tickets than we hoped for. The team is great and I hope that we’ll have a nice event this weekend. By this time, the things are in motion and the conference should be fine even if most organizers stay late at the speakers dinner and don’t come tomorrow.

The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin, Book Review

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A revolt is brewing. The occupation of Kisua has turned into something closer to enslavement, and the cultural rift between Gujaareh and Kisua makes the coexistence expensive. The soldiers from Kusia abuse their powers a bit too much and the locals use every opportunity to disobey.

In the middle of it all is our new hero Hanani, an apprentice healer, and Wanahomen, the heir fighting to reclaim what was unfairly taken (according to him). As they find allies and fragile trust, a quiet front opens. A dream-plague slips through the dark and kills innocent people’s souls in their dreams. Hanani is good but this plague kills far more talented healers. Can she stop it while also organizing a war?

If this were a Joe Abercrombie tale, there would be a bloody final battle where the disinterested and the clever slip through the cracks while the idealists and the fools die. But here the clash is inward. The battlefield is the hearts, minds, and dreams.

5/5. A long book, somewhat unusual, and also a bit romantic. I liked it very much but can’t really say why. Had some unpleasant scenes of cruel violence and abuse, but was otherwise good.

Alissa White-Gluz Changing Styles

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

Arch Enemy’s vocalist Alissa White-Glutz parted ways with the band and released a new single in a different type of metal. The style is not what we would expect from her, apart from an occasional growl. I’m not even sure what it is. Tried finding but the engines weren’t helpful. Reminds me of the gothic rock from the 90s and a favorite bands from that time like Lacrimosa and Lacuna Coil, with slow and simple sounds, not necessarily anything harsh.

I have to admit that this new song suits her well and I enjoy her recent work – both with Arch Enemy and without.