For a long time, tech culture has focused too narrowly on technical skills; this has resulted in a tech community that too often puts companies and code over people. Greater Than Code is a podcast that invites the voices of people who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of color, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of software development and technology. Greater Than Code is providing a vital platform for these conversations, and developing new ideas of what it means to be a technologist beyond just the code. Featuring an ongoing panel of racially and gender diverse tech panelists, the majority of podcast guests so far have been women in tech! We’ve covered topics including imposter syndrome, mental illness, sexuality, unconscious bias and social justice. We also have a major focus on skill sets that tech too often devalues, like team-building, hiring, community organizing, mentorship and empathy. Each episode also includes a transcript. We have an active Slack community that members can join by pledging as little as $1 per month via Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/greaterthancode)
093: BOOK CLUB! Cybernetic Revolutionaries with Eden Medina
Cybernetic Revolutionaries: Technology and Politics in Allende’s Chile (Print Version)
01:57 – Eden’s Superpower: Being a Patient Learner
06:51 – Determining Your Ability/Eligibility to Speak as an Expert
08:55 – Electrical Engineering => Law => PhD Work
12:47 – The History of Cybernetics
15:51 – American vs British Cybernetics
The Cybernetic Brain: Sketches of Another Future by Andrew Pickering
17:37 – The Many Definitions of Cybernetics
25:03 – Project Cybersyn
45:56 – Sociotechnical Engineering
53:24 – Creating Ethically Sound Tools
Reflections:
Astrid: The power dynamics that are already baked into our tools and the history of computing is global.
Jessica: Looking into second-order cybernetics.
Rein: The importance of learning about history, culture, and how people work as being necessary for a technical career.
Eden: Making connections throughout the show.
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Special Guest: Eden Medina.