Duck Alignment Academy

2026-03-05

You’d better start believing in supply chains because you’re in one (SCaLE 23x)

At SCaLE 23x, I’ll debut “You’d better start believing in supply chains because you’re in one.” This talk started as a silly joke, but it covers a serious and timely topic.

Talks

2026-02-25

Trust in open source communities

Open source communities run on trust. But what does “trust” mean, how do you measure it, and what do you do with it?

Posts

2026-02-11

What does it mean to be welcoming?

The whole point of adding community members is to change the community in some beneficial way. Being welcoming takes active, ongoing effort.

Posts

2026-02-04

Sometimes saying less is more

If you can cut a word or phrase without losing clarity, do it.

Posts

2026-02-04

New metrics resource page and update AI policy links

This week I added a new metrics resources page and updated the AI policy resources page.

Resources

2026-01-28

Open conversations are worthwhile

There are valid reasons to hesitate about having “public” conversations, and it’s a hard skill to build, but the effort is worthwhile.

Posts

2026-01-21

Use your labels

A label that you don’t use complicates the experience. A label that you’re not consistent in using will lead to unreliable analysis data.

Posts

2026-01-14

Measuring contributor affiliations is complicated

Determining a contributor’s affiliation is not as easy as it seems. It’s not always clear if a contribution is part of someone’s job.

Posts

2026-01-07

GitHub Discussions versus Discourse

The GitHub Discussions versus Discourse comparison isn’t about which is better — both are good. But which is better for your specific project?

Posts

2026-01-01

Open source trends for 2026

What open source trends am I looking at in 2026? Here’s a look at what I’m expecting for this year.

Posts