Well! Here we are at the end of Year Two. We’ve worked hard to get to this point, now publishing eight issues of the magazine and one book. I’m so grateful for the support from our readers and the amazing work of our contributors. It’s awesome to see the array of experiences we build on, and the expertise we can share. I really believe this is The Recompiler’s biggest strength.

2017 continues to be a challenging year for all of us, and since this is our last issue for the calendar year I want to say a few things. When I look around, it seems like everything is on fire, because it is (and literally for those of us in the Western US). It can feel like our actions are insignificant or meaningless, especially when we talk about technology and all the things we build for fun and utility, our games and social media platforms.

As people who work with computer technology we really have a special privilege. We can see inside many systems that have an enormous impact on other people’s lives, and we have the ability to learn to communicate what we see with our less privileged neighbors. We also have a lens into the kind of discrimination and abuse that appears in many industries, thanks to high profile examples in our own. At the start of the year, many of us said ‘never again’ to the past violence of fascism. Let’s finish 2017 by thinking about what we’re doing to disrupt the mechanisms of suffering. Even small actions make a difference.

As we go into this next year, The Recompiler will be looking for more ways to expose those inner workings, and to share the voices of the people who are first to be targeted for harm. We know there’s more work to do.

— Audrey

Write me: audrey@recompilermag.com