What We Talk About When We Talk About Tech

Rich Gall & Jennifer Riggins

A podcast about tech storytelling. Jennifer Riggins and Rich Gall explore the way words and narratives shape the technology landscape with the people who define, explain, and sell it.

  1. 08/09/2021

    Open technology in the UK with OpenUK CEO Amanda Brock

    Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk with the CEO of OpenUK Amanda Brock about the role of open technology in the UK's tech industry and wider economy. Amanda explains the work of Open UK and highlights some of the work the organisation does to promote open technology. She also discusses exactly why this work matters so much, and suggests that the UK doesn't always do as good a job as it could in talking about the extent to which it contributes to the global communities of developers and other practitioners making use of open technologies and data. We also talk about some of the challenges facing the open movement, and Amanda also highlights some of confusion that the increasingly complex world of software licensing has caused.  Finally, we also touch on the State of Open report which provides some detailed insights on the importance and role of open in the UK right now, and the Open Awards, which celebrates the people that are making an impact in the field.  Follow Amanda Brock on Twitter: @AmandaBrockUKLearn more about Open UKRead OpenUK's State of Open report

  2. 18/08/2021

    Why we need digital anthropology: culture, ethics, and power in tech with Caitlin McDonald

    Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk with digital anthropologist Caitlin McDonald about what it means to be a digital anthropologist and why it matters in helping us to understand the way we build and use technology today.  Caitlin begins by talking through how her work intersects with questions of agency and digital literacy, providing some useful context on how perceptions and understanding about what techbology does and how it's made can have an impact on the way it influences our lives.  She also explains why there's a growing need for anthropological thinking in the tech industry, and why businesses and governments are starting to see the value in the disciplines specific ways of thinking about culture and communication. She also talks about digital anthropology in the context of the emerging conversation around ethics, and how changes in legislation and compliance rules is increasing demand for work that can help companies tackle these issues head on. We also discuss ethnography, and compare it to quantitative research. Caitlin notes that there's an emerging scepticism of quantitative methods and its ability to deliver value.  Finally, we talk about Caitlin's work outside of digital anthropology, such as her work as a coach and her personal technology projects.  She emphasises the value of having a space to adopt a more playful and less productive approach to technology and to "reconnect with technical skills in a low-stakes way." Follow Caitlin MacDonald on Twitter: @cmcd_phdExplore Caitlin's techy projectsLearn more about EPIC and ethnography in industryLearn more about Microsoft's ethics game, Judgment CallRead Tricia Wang's Why Big Data Needs Thick Data

  3. 28/07/2021

    Responsible technology and ethical venture capital: Reimagining possible futures with Sarah Drinkwater

    Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk with Sarah Drinkwater, the Director of Responsible Technology at Omidyar Networks to discuss how we can cultivate organisations and people that will enable a more equitable, responsible - and ultimately compassionate and exciting - technological future.  We talk about the challenges the tech industry faces, and why it can be difficult to talk about responsibility and ethics. Sarah explains how the work she does at Omidyar Network attempts to support projects that will help us to reimagine the way that we build and use technology in society.  We also discuss the ways storytelling can help us improve accountability in the industry, and how it can restore some sense of agency in an environment where it can feel like it's impossible to create change on a personal level. Sarah also talks about the Ethical Explorer project she put together, which offers tools to people in the industry - from engineers to product managers to founders - for tackling a range of ethical issues seriously. Finally, we touch on a theme that exemplifies Sarah's work - joining the dots between different domains, and getting different groups of people talking to one another. We discuss the limitations of the core institutions that shape tech - large corporations and universities - and explore what could replace them and offer us a more effective way forward. Follow Sarah Drinkwater on Twitter: @sarahdrinkwaterLearn more about Omidyar NetworkGet the Ethical Explorer pack (it's free!)Watch the Ada Lovelace Institute event mentioned in the episodeListen to the conversation between Claire Stapleton and Ifeoma Ozoma that Sarah references towards the endRead Casey Newton's comprehensive piece on Basecamp (an incident mentioned a couple of times in the episode)

  4. 21/07/2021

    We need to talk about EdTech: Online resilience and privacy with Michelle Wolfe

    Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk to privacy advocate Michelle Wolfe (aka "Stella" on Twitter) about the challenges of security and privacy in today's increasingly sinister landscape of surveillance capitalism.  Taking in key terms (including the monstrosity that is "cyber"), and looking closely at some of the limits and flaws in the conversation around online security, Michelle/Stella explains how she approaches her work and why she thinks we need to reevaluate the way we talk about cybersecurity and online safety.  She discusses some of the problems with the field, such as the perception that it's somewhat insular and elitist, and argues that we need to stop thinking about user fallibility as a problem, and instead urge greater accountability across the tech industry for the systems that are designed to confuse, dupe, or simply exhaust us. We also talk about the problems with EdTech, and examine exactly why so many private companies are eager for a piece of a sector that has never been particularly lucrative (hint: it's probably not altruism). While Michelle/Stella raises plenty of issues that we should be seriously converned about, it's not all doom and gloom: she also explains why she thinks the younger generation are a cause for optimism and hope when it comes to privacy and taking on big tech. Follow Michelle on Twitter: @RisuToInuRead her writing on her blog

  5. 14/07/2021

    From technical stories to user stories: APIs and the evolution of the tech industry with Lorinda Brandon and Mike Amundsen

    Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk to Lorinda Brandon and Mike Amundsen about APIs and the evolution of the tech industry in the last 30 years in a very special episode - the first to feature two guests.  We discussed issues of equality in the industry, in particular how 'women in tech' has emerged only in recent years - Lorinda offers her perspective on what it was like working as a woman in tech in the eighties, and also explains what frustrates her about the way we talk about toxicity in the industry today.  We also talked storytelling, and how the stories we tell about technology - and the way we explain technologies - have moved from the purely technical to the user-centric. In the context of APIs, Lorinda and Mike explain, this is particularly important, as it demonstrates not only their ubiquity but also the fact that they are things for which the value is today obvious to many. It wasn't always that way - Lorinda and Mike undoubtedly played a huge role in getting us to where we are now.  The episode also looks at the nature of the information ecosystem, and how established experts like Mike and Lorinda transfer and share their knowledge. For Mike this is often about presenting and narrativising problems in books: for Lorinda it's about building relationships with teams in a way that allows her to guide people, to support them to uncover their own solutions.  Not only was this a wide-ranging conversation, it was also exceptionally fun, so thanks to Lorinda and Mike. Enjoy! Follow Lorinda Brandon on Twitter: @lindybrandonFollow Mike Amundsen on Twitter: @mamundRead Mike's takes on the MuleSoft blogLearn more about BetterCloud

  6. 30/06/2021

    Telling the stories of tech's trailblazers and laying the foundations of a more equitable future with Saron Yitbarek

    Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) and Rich Gall (@richggall) are joined by Saron Yitbarek, Founder and CEO of audio learning platform Disco and co-host of the brilliant Command Line Heroes podcast, to discuss the virtues of audio learning in age of excessive screen time and the importance of highlighting the stories of the people that have shaped the technology and software landscape today.  Saron talks about her background and some of the challenges she faced when starting out in the software industry, explaining how they informed the work she has done since. She describes the thinking behind Disco, and how her earlier venture CodeNewbie (which has now been acquired by the team behind Dev.to), has laid the foundations for the types of work she is doing today. She also explains why she believes audio learning can be an important addition to the wide varity of formats available for people learning technology skills.  We also discuss Command Line Heroes, with Saron talking about one of her favourite episodes, and touch on some of the parallels between that podcast and this. Saron also explains the importance of thinking carefully about how we onboard people into the tech and industry: she points out that we need to  better support systems for people moving into the industry from any background and at any point in their career. Follow Saron on Twitter: @saronyitbarekLearn more about DiscoLearn more about Code NewbieListen to Command Line HeroesWatch Saron's talk on CodeNewbie at Codeland 2020

  7. 23/06/2021

    Psychology and storytelling in cybersecurity and skill development with Yin Mei [Clubhouse Special]

    Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk to Yin Mei, Director of Strategy and Curriculum Design at Per Scholas about her career and background in psychology in this special episode that went out live on Chubhouse. In the conversation Yin talks about her journey into the field, and how she developed an interest in technology from a young age as a child of Chinese immigrants in Minnesota, and explains how she moved from an academic background in psychology into tech training and cybersecurity.  The episode covers everything from Yin Mei's work at Per Scholas and how she works with subject matter experts to develop curricula that are always relevant and up to date, to some of the communication issues the tech industry faces around privacy and information security. Follow Yin on Twitter: @MsYinMeiLearn more about Per Scholas

  8. 16/06/2021

    Serving coding skill realness: How coding drag queen Anna Lytical teaches tech

    Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk with the "sickeningly entertaining" coding drag queen Anna Lytical about drag, software development, and the LGBTQ+ community in tech. Anna discusses how they found their way into the tech industry and explains how they gradually discovered a way of bringing their love of software engineering, drag, and performing together. They also describe the journey from starting out making videos on YouTube, to building a huge audience of learners across many different platforms (including lots of love for TikTok). The episode is both a look at how we talk about queer experiences in the software industry as well as an exploration of how we can find more creative, engaging and unique ways of helping people to understand technical topics and ideas. (You'll have to DM Jennifer if you want to find out why her math teacher made her class watch The Great Escape.) Follow Anna Lytical on Twitter: @theannalyticalCheck out Anna's YouTube channel for tutorials and computer science lessonsTake a look at Anna's TikTok

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A podcast about tech storytelling. Jennifer Riggins and Rich Gall explore the way words and narratives shape the technology landscape with the people who define, explain, and sell it.

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