Pursuance
Democracy bites back
|
|
After a stint of radio silence, we're back!
For the past few months we've been fully immersed in building Pursuance -- secure, open source software that amplifies the efforts of activists, journalists, and nonprofits, leading ultimately to a vast and formidable ecosystem of opposition to institutionalized injustice.
We've made a lot of progress on the platform, we're excited about the future, and we want you to get involved. Here's the rundown.
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING (aka "the haps")
1. Pursuance software development and alpha testing
Pursuance Project staff and volunteers have been hard at work on building the Pursuance System. It's reached the stage in its development where the Pursuance team has begun using it to coordinate ourselves internally -- that's right, using Pursuance (the software) to coordinate Pursuance (the nonprofit)! -- helping us to ensure the software is developed to meet real-world needs by using it ourselves and sorting out the kinks as we go.
Want to play around with the platform yourself and help shape its direction? Schedule a session with our technical lead and project manager Steve Phillips by emailing team@pursuanceproject.org with the subject line "Pursuance testing: let's do this".
(And if you're a Linux-y/sys admin/command line person or developer, check out github.com/PursuanceProject/pursuance ("check out", git it?). We've written a deploy script and some documentation that will make it easier for you to spin up your own instance. Oh, and send us feedback!)
2. Spreading the message
The Pursuance team has traveled far and wide over the past few months, recruiting developers and communicating the greater vision. We performed the first public, live demo of Pursuance at Aaron Swartz Day in San Francisco, right after attending re:publica in Dublin, where we spoke to nonprofits about their software needs, especially related to managing and amplifying the effectiveness of volunteers.
In December, project lead Steve Phillips conducted a session on Pursuance at Chaos Communication Congress in Germany, working alongside our Director of Operations Annalise Burkhart and security/programming volunteer AJ Bahnken. We enjoyed showcasing Pursuance and the associated vision, learned a lot from the international crowd, and got some great ideas and feedback during a couple epic brainstorming sessions.
![]()
(Image: AJ, Steve, and Annalise in Germany at CCC.)
3. Explaining the platform (videos)
Just last week, Barrett Brown busted out the ol' whiteboard and his brand-spankin'-new web cam to describe the organizational structures the Pursuance System will support; you can watch that video here.
In case you missed it: here's the recording of the Live AMA that Barrett and Steve did in September, answering your questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOoPyovqk2Q .
WHAT'S COMING UP
1. We're putting together a Kickstarter campaign!
To rapidly accelerate the development of Pursuance, we're designing a Kickstarter campaign that will cover costs for two of our core developers to work on the system full-time! And it's going to include some killer (though non-violent) rewards. Be on the lookout for more information about this, and tell all your friends! We'll alert you when it goes live near the end of May.
2. We're going to RightsCon!
RightsCon is an international tech and human rights conference, organized by the digital rights NGO Access Now. RightsCon 2018 will take place May 16-18 in Toronto, Canada.
Members of the Pursuance team have been invited to speak at not one, but two sessions! Technical lead and project manager Steve Phillips will be presenting a live demo of the Pursuance platform, and Barrett Brown will speak as part of a truly all-star panel covering lessons learned from past activism, plus their visions for 21st century activism. The other panelists include Naomi Colvin (Courage Foundation), Birgitta Jónsdóttir (poetician, spokesperson for the International Modern Media Institute (IMMI), and prominent member of the Pirate Party in Iceland), Jesselyn Radack (whistleblower, attorney representing many whistleblowers, and heads the Whistleblower and Source Protection Program (WHISPeR) at ExposeFacts), Diani Barreto (journalist and researcher on whistleblowing at ExposeFacts and Courage Foundation), and Thomas Drake (NSA whistleblower).
Our team will be at RightsCon the entire weekend, so if you'd like to chat, let us know!
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
1. Volunteer for user testing
As mentioned above, if you’re interested in testing out Pursuance, email us! This is a great way to help us tailor the software to your needs; that, or you just really want to dole out some criticism. Either way, we'd love your feedback.
2. Lend your design/UX skills!
With all these recent developments, we’re looking for a lead product designer to join our growing team. Ideally, you would be able to contribute 15 hours/week to perfecting Pursuance's app UX on both desktop and mobile (web). You'll be actively engaged with the rest of the team, and play a critical role. It's helpful if you're located in the Bay Area, but not a requirement; a number of us work remotely.
Pursuance is a labor of love; nobody is getting paid to do this (yet). We are looking for an individual who, just like everyone else involved, is willing to volunteer their time and energy for a future they believe in. We have a Kickstarter campaign going live in the near future; if it’s successful, we’ll be able to compensate you for your hard work. Until then, we offer camaraderie and bottomless gratitude. Help us make this great!
All interested parties should contact team@pursuanceproject.org with "Pursuance UX" in the subject line.
3. Contribute code
Calling all (React) coders! Here's what you need to get started:
Tech stack: React, Redux, Bootstrap; Go, Postgres, PostgREST; WebSockets; NaCl and miniLock for crypto. Will later use React Native to build Android and iOS apps, and Electron for the cross-platform desktop app, once the web app and backend APIs have further stabilized.
GitHub gist getting you up to speed ASAP: gist.github.com/elimisteve/452f68191295362d76cbdfc09543fc01 .
Primary GitHub repo: github.com/PursuanceProject/pursuance . See README.md for dev environment setup instructions.
Link to our developer chat server (join the "pursuance" channel): bit.ly/cwc-mminvite .
4. Contribute $$$
The funds you donate will enable our programmers to devote more of their time to developing the Pursuance System. We accept various cryptocurrencies and PayPal. Every bit helps!
GET IN TOUCH
Do you have a question or would like to get involved somehow, but don't know where to start? Just send an email to Annalise Burkhart, Director of Operations. She has been coordinating outreach, and would love to hear from you.
We'll keep you updated on Pursuance's developments and the team's activities in the coming weeks and months. Thanks again for your support!
Sincerely,
The Pursuance Team
"Political questions are far too serious to be left to the politicians." --Hannah Arendt
|
|
|
|
|