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)
Episode 023: Politics and Software with Lorena Mesa
00:16 – Welcome to “Hey! I Made a Bong Out of This Podcast!” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”
01:26 – Origin Story
05:46 – Politics and Software; Data Collection
Danah Boyd: Be Careful What You Code For
16:43 – Working in Python for Data Collection
19:46 – The Python Software Foundation (PSF)
23:55 – Communication and Organization Within Communities
MINSWAN: Matz is Nice So We Are Nice
33:49 – Power Structures and Forming Relationships
36:39 – PSF Funding
Reflections:
Jessica: Each of our languages has a metalanguage that people use to talk about the language.
Sam: Needs more sleep
Astrid: Code can and should touch everything: What is it not doing that it should be doing?
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
Coraline: Software is not neutral.
Rein: Software is inherently political. It is made for people by people. There’s no way it can’t be political.
This episode was brought to you by @therubyrep of DevReps, LLC. To pledge your support and to join our awesome Slack community, visit patreon.com/greaterthancode.
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