Elizabeth K. Joseph
@pleia2.bsky.social
I lead the Open Source Program Office for IBM Z (mainframes) at IBM. ❤️ Linux, open source, mainframes, typewriters, and trains. Wrote books on Ubuntu & OpenStack. KN6QGG. She/her. Opinions mine.
San Francisco Bay Area ✈️ Philadelphia
San Francisco Bay Area ✈️ Philadelphia
Pinned
Elizabeth K. Joseph
@pleia2.bsky.social
· Nov 11
I don't want to be here. It's another company that controls a platform that can ruin things at any time. Find me on Mastodon at pleia2@floss.social where I believe in the platform, consider joining me!
That said, I'm feeling the network effect, so here I am again 👋
That said, I'm feeling the network effect, so here I am again 👋
I hope my current obsession with Lego passes soon, it's very expensive 😅
But my kids (5 & 7) are total Lego wizards now!
But my kids (5 & 7) are total Lego wizards now!
January 18, 2026 at 8:40 PM
I hope my current obsession with Lego passes soon, it's very expensive 😅
But my kids (5 & 7) are total Lego wizards now!
But my kids (5 & 7) are total Lego wizards now!
"See, you just stuff the changelog into the chatbot and you get a release announcement!"
But I like writing release announcements 🥺
But I like writing release announcements 🥺
January 16, 2026 at 7:39 PM
"See, you just stuff the changelog into the chatbot and you get a release announcement!"
But I like writing release announcements 🥺
But I like writing release announcements 🥺
My husband and me, for years: "We should get a 3D printer."
He finally did it. Here we go!
He finally did it. Here we go!
January 16, 2026 at 4:52 PM
My husband and me, for years: "We should get a 3D printer."
He finally did it. Here we go!
He finally did it. Here we go!
My life is like:
"Mom, where's the Lego cat figure?"
"In the kitchen, next to the microwave."
Where did I leave my phone? Who knows!
"Mom, where's the Lego cat figure?"
"In the kitchen, next to the microwave."
Where did I leave my phone? Who knows!
January 11, 2026 at 5:26 PM
My life is like:
"Mom, where's the Lego cat figure?"
"In the kitchen, next to the microwave."
Where did I leave my phone? Who knows!
"Mom, where's the Lego cat figure?"
"In the kitchen, next to the microwave."
Where did I leave my phone? Who knows!
In case you wanted to know, "Tron: Ares" is on Disney+ now
Was Tron: Ares a silly action movie?
Yes.
Was Tron: Ares also a great two hour Nine Inch Nails music video?
Also yes. 😍
Yes.
Was Tron: Ares also a great two hour Nine Inch Nails music video?
Also yes. 😍
January 8, 2026 at 2:12 AM
In case you wanted to know, "Tron: Ares" is on Disney+ now
I am either famous or infamous for liking #COBOL 😂
But I've re-posted an archived blog post from 2023 w/ some add'l commentary about taking the the "Learning COBOL Programming with VSCode" course: princessleia.com/journal/2026...
Featuring @wmankowski.bsky.social @adventofcomp.bsky.social & others
But I've re-posted an archived blog post from 2023 w/ some add'l commentary about taking the the "Learning COBOL Programming with VSCode" course: princessleia.com/journal/2026...
Featuring @wmankowski.bsky.social @adventofcomp.bsky.social & others
January 7, 2026 at 8:01 PM
I am either famous or infamous for liking #COBOL 😂
But I've re-posted an archived blog post from 2023 w/ some add'l commentary about taking the the "Learning COBOL Programming with VSCode" course: princessleia.com/journal/2026...
Featuring @wmankowski.bsky.social @adventofcomp.bsky.social & others
But I've re-posted an archived blog post from 2023 w/ some add'l commentary about taking the the "Learning COBOL Programming with VSCode" course: princessleia.com/journal/2026...
Featuring @wmankowski.bsky.social @adventofcomp.bsky.social & others
Being described as "not as deeply technical" by a [kind, well-meaning] developer because my expertise is in infrastructure/SRE instead of programming is such a delight 😅
I'm not even upset, it was contextual and the wording was just clumsy. It was mostly funny in a "life-of-SRE" way.
I'm not even upset, it was contextual and the wording was just clumsy. It was mostly funny in a "life-of-SRE" way.
January 7, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Being described as "not as deeply technical" by a [kind, well-meaning] developer because my expertise is in infrastructure/SRE instead of programming is such a delight 😅
I'm not even upset, it was contextual and the wording was just clumsy. It was mostly funny in a "life-of-SRE" way.
I'm not even upset, it was contextual and the wording was just clumsy. It was mostly funny in a "life-of-SRE" way.
My oldest turned 7 years old today 🥳
Time flies 😮
Also, it was a long 7 years 😂
These are both true, somehow.
Time flies 😮
Also, it was a long 7 years 😂
These are both true, somehow.
January 6, 2026 at 9:48 PM
My oldest turned 7 years old today 🥳
Time flies 😮
Also, it was a long 7 years 😂
These are both true, somehow.
Time flies 😮
Also, it was a long 7 years 😂
These are both true, somehow.
One of my favorite things about computers is sometimes you have bugs when the year changes, even if it doesn't seem like an unusual year change for mere humans.
(Say, someone made some odd decision 34 years ago and in 2026 - hey! Surprise! That's weird!)
(Say, someone made some odd decision 34 years ago and in 2026 - hey! Surprise! That's weird!)
January 6, 2026 at 5:40 PM
One of my favorite things about computers is sometimes you have bugs when the year changes, even if it doesn't seem like an unusual year change for mere humans.
(Say, someone made some odd decision 34 years ago and in 2026 - hey! Surprise! That's weird!)
(Say, someone made some odd decision 34 years ago and in 2026 - hey! Surprise! That's weird!)
Saw "Wicked: For Good" this evening, and you bet I noticed that the Wizard had an Oliver #typewriter! We only get a glimpse from the edge, but those batwings are unmistakable.
And Madame Morrible using a Mignon index typewriter was pure typewriter geek fuel.
And Madame Morrible using a Mignon index typewriter was pure typewriter geek fuel.
January 6, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Saw "Wicked: For Good" this evening, and you bet I noticed that the Wizard had an Oliver #typewriter! We only get a glimpse from the edge, but those batwings are unmistakable.
And Madame Morrible using a Mignon index typewriter was pure typewriter geek fuel.
And Madame Morrible using a Mignon index typewriter was pure typewriter geek fuel.
Today I "met" Grip the Raven, who was once the pet of Charles Dickens, and if lore serves, also inspired Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven. Quite the celebrity!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grip_(r...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grip_(r...
January 5, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Today I "met" Grip the Raven, who was once the pet of Charles Dickens, and if lore serves, also inspired Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven. Quite the celebrity!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grip_(r...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grip_(r...
I finished reading "How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States" by Daniel Immerwahr last week and it's... very timely. #Venezuela
I also learned a lot. Good book.
I also learned a lot. Good book.
January 4, 2026 at 7:15 PM
I finished reading "How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States" by Daniel Immerwahr last week and it's... very timely. #Venezuela
I also learned a lot. Good book.
I also learned a lot. Good book.
Just finished my second course of antibiotics in less than a month. Let's hope that's the end of it, being unwell sucks.
January 4, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Just finished my second course of antibiotics in less than a month. Let's hope that's the end of it, being unwell sucks.
I love California, but nothing beats the dessert counter in a New Jersey diner 😋
It's probably for the best that I don't live here 😅
It's probably for the best that I don't live here 😅
January 3, 2026 at 8:22 PM
I love California, but nothing beats the dessert counter in a New Jersey diner 😋
It's probably for the best that I don't live here 😅
It's probably for the best that I don't live here 😅
My poor husband, he married someone who notices when our internet connection no longer supports ipv6
(Long story, but we shuffled up our connections on this trip to Philly, blah blah cost, static ips)
(Long story, but we shuffled up our connections on this trip to Philly, blah blah cost, static ips)
January 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM
My poor husband, he married someone who notices when our internet connection no longer supports ipv6
(Long story, but we shuffled up our connections on this trip to Philly, blah blah cost, static ips)
(Long story, but we shuffled up our connections on this trip to Philly, blah blah cost, static ips)
Some day I'll get used to seeing emojis in code.
December 30, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Some day I'll get used to seeing emojis in code.
Happy to report that when I was in Barnes & Noble yesterday afternoon it was SWARMING with teenagers and their arms were full of books.
Hooray for young people embracing long-form content!
Hooray for young people embracing long-form content!
December 29, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Happy to report that when I was in Barnes & Noble yesterday afternoon it was SWARMING with teenagers and their arms were full of books.
Hooray for young people embracing long-form content!
Hooray for young people embracing long-form content!
Reposted by Elizabeth K. Joseph
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
December 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I'm at the point of a project where we change from cute code/skunkworks names to proper public names, which are boring and I can't remember them 😂
December 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
I'm at the point of a project where we change from cute code/skunkworks names to proper public names, which are boring and I can't remember them 😂
Fellow technical, geeky types who have found themselves in positions of leadership: What books/courses helped you support a technical team?
I have a hard time taking corporate literature about team leadership skills seriously because I'm a cynical, technical IC. But surely it's not ALL junk.
I have a hard time taking corporate literature about team leadership skills seriously because I'm a cynical, technical IC. But surely it's not ALL junk.
December 24, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Fellow technical, geeky types who have found themselves in positions of leadership: What books/courses helped you support a technical team?
I have a hard time taking corporate literature about team leadership skills seriously because I'm a cynical, technical IC. But surely it's not ALL junk.
I have a hard time taking corporate literature about team leadership skills seriously because I'm a cynical, technical IC. But surely it's not ALL junk.
PSA: The Wednesday & Enid's Dorm Room LEGO set (76781) has a teeny tiny typewriter.
The set is on sale at Barnes & Noble (25% off, plus my member discount) and I said to myself, "I won't get it unless it has a little typewriter."
Behold.
The set is on sale at Barnes & Noble (25% off, plus my member discount) and I said to myself, "I won't get it unless it has a little typewriter."
Behold.
December 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM
PSA: The Wednesday & Enid's Dorm Room LEGO set (76781) has a teeny tiny typewriter.
The set is on sale at Barnes & Noble (25% off, plus my member discount) and I said to myself, "I won't get it unless it has a little typewriter."
Behold.
The set is on sale at Barnes & Noble (25% off, plus my member discount) and I said to myself, "I won't get it unless it has a little typewriter."
Behold.
At IBM TechXchange 2025 back in October I saw David Frenzel present on how he was using #Gradle to build #COBOL applications (really!)
Thrilled to see that last month he open sourced his Gradle COBOL plugin! github.com/Living-Mainf...
Thrilled to see that last month he open sourced his Gradle COBOL plugin! github.com/Living-Mainf...
GitHub - Living-Mainframe/gradle-cobol: gradle-cobol allows you to build COBOL applications using the Gradle build system directly from your IDE or inside a pipeline.
gradle-cobol allows you to build COBOL applications using the Gradle build system directly from your IDE or inside a pipeline. - Living-Mainframe/gradle-cobol
github.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:29 PM
At IBM TechXchange 2025 back in October I saw David Frenzel present on how he was using #Gradle to build #COBOL applications (really!)
Thrilled to see that last month he open sourced his Gradle COBOL plugin! github.com/Living-Mainf...
Thrilled to see that last month he open sourced his Gradle COBOL plugin! github.com/Living-Mainf...
We split Hanukkah celebrations between coasts this year, which brought some interesting challenges as far as kiddo gifts, but we made it!
We celebrated the 8th night last night, so our house beamed with candlelight and it was really nice to spend time with family here in Philadelphia 🩵
We celebrated the 8th night last night, so our house beamed with candlelight and it was really nice to spend time with family here in Philadelphia 🩵
December 22, 2025 at 4:26 PM
We split Hanukkah celebrations between coasts this year, which brought some interesting challenges as far as kiddo gifts, but we made it!
We celebrated the 8th night last night, so our house beamed with candlelight and it was really nice to spend time with family here in Philadelphia 🩵
We celebrated the 8th night last night, so our house beamed with candlelight and it was really nice to spend time with family here in Philadelphia 🩵
Doing my best to get my shit together before my first meeting of the day. How about you? 😅
December 19, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Doing my best to get my shit together before my first meeting of the day. How about you? 😅
Listen, I work in an industry where I have to learn new stuff constantly.
There's not enough room in my brain to call toll passes by their real names, they're all E-ZPass (the proper name of the one used on the east coast)
There's not enough room in my brain to call toll passes by their real names, they're all E-ZPass (the proper name of the one used on the east coast)
December 18, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Listen, I work in an industry where I have to learn new stuff constantly.
There's not enough room in my brain to call toll passes by their real names, they're all E-ZPass (the proper name of the one used on the east coast)
There's not enough room in my brain to call toll passes by their real names, they're all E-ZPass (the proper name of the one used on the east coast)