Greater Than Code

Greater Than Code

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Greater Than Code episodes

  • Episode 028: Brains, Feedback Systems, Demons, and Goats with Janelle Klein

    00:16 – Welcome to “Goats On Podcasts” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”

    01:19 – Origin Story

    04:36 – The Development of Development

    06:58 – Automated Tests and Mistake Detection

    09:21 – Designing Releases and Best Practices

    20:13 – “The Code is Better”

    There is no "the code is better."
    There is only "our experience is better." (users and developers)@greaterthancode with @janellekz

    — Jessica Kerr (@jessitron) April 12, 2017

    15:08 – Measuring Effort, #CollaborativePain, and The Error Handling Process

    abstraction: great when it works.
    when something breaks it's like an egg cracking and all its guts spill out.@janellekz @greaterthancode

    — Jessica Kerr (@jessitron) April 12, 2017

    Why Software Gets In Trouble by Gerald M. Weinberg

    33:24 – Discovery and Documentation

    37:44 – Agile Fluency

    Agile Fluency Project: Chart Your Agile Pathway

    Quality Management Maturity Grid

    40:42 – Building a Conceptual Model of our Brains with Code

    Hindsight Bias

    51:56 – Identifying Project Pain: Slicing and Dicing

    57:23 – Change Sizing

    Reflections:

    Rein: Gerald M. Weinberg’s Quality Software Management Series

    Janelle: The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge

    Sam: The pain that we experience in software development is really cognitive dissonance.

    Jessica: Programming is like summoning a demon.

    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.

    To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

    Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

    Support Greater Than Code

    1 hr 6 min
  • Episode 027: Hackathons and Flirting with Failure with Rachel Katz

    00:16 – Welcome to “Plotting the Rebellion” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”

    01:39 – Origin Story and Superpowers

    03:05 – Getting Hooked on Hackathons

    04:42 – Corporate Hackathons; Making Hackathons Accessible and Inclusive

    Greater Than Code Episode 015: Zuri Hunter as Queen of Hackathons

    DataHack4FI

    09:38 – Organizing Hackathons

    12:21 – Non-programmers and Hackathons; Bringing in Diverse Perspectives

    “Some people, when confronted with a problem, think ‘I know, I’ll use regular expressions.’ Now they have two problems.” ~Jamie Zawinski

    Code: Debugging the Gender Gap

    22:46 – Building Things for Others, Leadership Roles, Group Dynamics, and Men vs Women

    Ctrl Alt Delete Hate Hackathon

    Lady Problems Hackathon

    35:28 – Overnight Hackathons vs Non-Overnight Hackathons

    36:38 – The Value of Celebrating Glorious Failure and Responding to Stress and Pressure

    Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical music [TED Talk]

    Reflections:

    Astrid: Talking about hackathons is talking about all kinds of other issues.

    Sam: Make room and seek out non-developers.

    Rein: Benjamen Zander: Leadership on Display

    Rachel: Show up, contribute, and listen.

    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.

    To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

    Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

    Special Guest: Rachel Katz.

    Support Greater Than Code

    57 min
  • Episode 026: Codeland, Capitalism, and Creating Inclusive Spaces with Saron Yitbarek

    00:16 – Welcome to “Unrepentant Cyborgs” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”

    01:28 – Codeland Conference

    02:02 – Making Conferences Accessible, Affordable, and Unintimidating for People

    13:00 – Ticket Prices and Structure

    15:01 – Creating an Immersive Experience and Community With and For People You Care About

    25:11 – Leading by Example and Maintaining a Positive Persona

    29:49 – The Importance of Money and Financial Freedom

    Tech Done Right Episode 002: Career Development with Brandon Hays and Pete Brooks

    39:52 – Ethics as Automatic Technology Scales and Capitalism

    Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam M. Grant

    49:45 – In summary: Codeland Conference

    Reflections:

    Sam: Thank you for the book recommendation for Give and Take.

    Astrid: People first.

    Rein: Support worker-owned cooperative organizations. Leadership is doing things, not being given a title.

    Saron: The principles and values that led to what people will experience as a really great conference.

    CodeNewbie References:

    • @CodeNewbies
    • Twitter Chat
    • Slack Community
    • Podcast
    • Episode 118: Truck Driver with George Moore
    • Codeland
    • 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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

      Special Guest: Saron Yitbarek.

      Support Greater Than Code

      1 hr 3 min
    • Episode 025: MotherCoders with Tina Lee

      00:16 – Welcome to “Not Your Mother’s Podcast!” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”

      00:55 – Origin Story and Getting Involved in Coding

      03:17 – Programming Perspectives From People of Different Backgrounds; Teaching Adults vs Children

      08:19 – Work/Life Balance

      11:32 – Changing Culture Around Gender Roles and Caregiving

      “Culture is like water in that it flows from the top down.”

      Nev Schulman Wants to Erase Gender Stereotypes for Parents

      18:18 – The MotherCoders Organization

      What to expect when you’re done expecting

      24:27 – Teaching Frontend Development and The Stereotype that Women are Better at Frontend than Backend Work

      We can teach women to code, but that just creates another problem

      30:00 – Silicon Valley Elitism, Sexism, and Defining Cultural Norms; “The Ideal Worker”

      The Motherhood Penalty

      35:38 – Why do we not have many of women CEOs?

      37:42 – Tactical Help for Cultural Changes

      Reflections:

      Mandy: Donate to MotherCoders and/or support them via AmazonSmile.

      Rein: The empowerment of women and the challenges they face are a global problem.

      @manwhohasitall

      Coraline: Fostering entrepreneurship and empowering women worldwide. Also, thinking about role models and how to amplify voices.

      Tina: Including moms as a kind of marginalized group as well.

      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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

      Special Guest: Tina Lee.

      Support Greater Than Code

      55 min
    • Episode 024: Seeing Programming Where Other People Don’t with Felienne Hermans

      00:16 – Welcome to “The Netherlands Invented Gay Marriage, So We Should Be Scared of Them Now!” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”

      01:28 – Origin Story

      03:17 – Programming Perspectives From People of Different Backgrounds; Teaching Adults vs Children

      06:12 – Teaching Programming as a Language; Aha! Moments

      Scratch Programming

      GoldieBlox

      12:26 – Identity and why do we so often use the phrase “not real programming”? What do we define as software? Tooling

      Microsoft Excel

      Expector

      20:13 – Should everyone know programming? Why? What should they know/be able to do? (Digital Literacy)

      28:27 – What is the programming equivalent of a library/librarian?

      33:06 – Does STEM education make other forms of education obsolete? Why not?

      35:15 – Things to Get Better at Programming Other Than Programming

      CodeKata

      48:58 – Fighting Against “Real” Programming and Being Hesitant to Let in Newcomers

      50:40 – What can we do to help spread the knowledge?

      Reflections:

      Felienne: If people say they are programming, they are. Limit belittling and surprise. Do not contaminate others with what your own idea of programming is.

      Jessica: Value on reading through code and forming a model of it.

      Astrid: Thinking about programming as in thinking about writing.

      Rein: Some programming does involved math, but it is not (for the most part) the math you hated in high school.

      A Mathematician’s Lament: How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form by Paul Lockhart

      Sam: You can be fluent at a very low level of proficiency and still be fluent.

      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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

      Special Guest: Felienne Hermans.

      Support Greater Than Code

      59 min
    • 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

      Obama For America Campaign

      05:46 – Politics and Software; Data Collection

      Danah Boyd: Be Careful What You Code For

      16:43 – Working in Python for Data Collection

      Django Girls

      19:46 – The Python Software Foundation (PSF)

      23:55 – Communication and Organization Within Communities

      MINSWAN: Matz is Nice So We Are Nice

      Social Encounter Party

      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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

      Support Greater Than Code

      53 min
    • Episode 022: You Are An Asset

      00:16 – Welcome to “Mob Programming” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”

      02:39 – Origin Stories From All!

      Tim Ferriss and The 4-Hour Workweek

      12:37 – Work/Life Balance and Ideal Work Environments

      Stockholm Syndrome

      16:50 – Technical Interviews

      20:41 – Computer Science Degrees: Are they worth it?

      27:42 – Compulsions to Know: Contempt Culture

      Aurynn Shaw: Contempt Culture

      The Zens of Python and Ruby

      34:12 – Gatekeeping in Tech

      37:11 – Technical Interviews (Cont’d)

      Pair Programming

      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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

      Special Guests: Jacob Stoebel and Ryder Timberlake.

      Sponsored By:

      • Soft Skills Engineering: If you’re looking for a hilarious podcast that focuses on issues that software developers face, such as getting fired, pay raises, strategies for pushing back on bad ideas, and even stock options, check out Soft Skills Engineering!

      Support Greater Than Code

      56 min
    • Episode 021: Social Justice Warrioring and Codes of Conduct with Phil Sturgeon

      00:28 – Welcome to Greater Than Code: The SJW Takeover

      00:53 – Origin Story, Superpowers, and Bike Messengering

      Build APIs You Won’t Hate

      Instacart

      Had pesto chicken pasta for dinner, in honor of @philsturgeon’s interview on @greaterthancode today. 😋

      — Sam Livingston-Gray (@geeksam) February 23, 2017

      07:59 – Long-form Blogging (aka Rants)

      08:50 – Codes of Conduct: Adoption, Enforcing, Conspiracy Theories

      The Contributor Covenant

      “Codes of Conducts are so full of slippery slope arguments, they could open a waterslide park.” @philsturgeon

      — Greater Than Code (@greaterthancode) February 23, 2017

      17:40 – What it means to be a “Social Justice Warrior”, Tolerance, and “Being Nice”

      Tolerance is not a moral precept

      Coraline Ada Ehmke: On Opalgate

      27:46 – False Reports vs Genuine Issues; Dogmatic Logic vs Empathy

      Susan J. Fowler: Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber

      Phil Sturgeon: Talking About Diversity: Marginalization

      39:40 – Transitioning From a Men’s Rights Activist and Being a Good Ally

      I Was a Men’s Rights Activist: One man’s journey from misogyny to feminism

      Sarah Sharp Tweetstorm

      “Being an ally isn’t a badge that you earn. Being an ally is a process and you’re going to fuck it up.” @CoralineAda

      — Greater Than Code (@greaterthancode) February 23, 2017

      47:56 – PHP vs Ruby

      Aurynn Shaw: Contempt Culture

      Greater Than Code Episode 002: Avdi Grimm

      Reflections:

      Jessica: Turning confusion into something that assuages everyone else’s. Also, failing upwards: When something doesn’t work out, something better will.

      “Being an ally isn’t a badge that you earn. Being an ally is a process and you’re going to fuck it up.” @CoralineAda

      — Greater Than Code (@greaterthancode) February 23, 2017

      Sam: In tech we have tools for doing root cause analysis, and we’re really used to using those to figure out technical issues, but those very same tools can work for social issues as well. Try The 5 Whys on something that isn’t technical.

      Coraline: Thinking about how to get past people’s visceral reactions against social justice issues and think about how to create better allies.

      Phil: Start bookmarking things that are helpful.

      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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

      Special Guest: Phil Sturgeon.

      Support Greater Than Code

      1 hr 6 min
    • Episode 020: Sexuality in Tech with Jenn Schiffer

      00:16 – Welcome to “Neon Abstract Podcast Erotica!” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”

      01:15 – Origin Story

      Bocoup

      03:05 – Art

      06:37 – Viewing Source and Learning How to Code

      11:02 – Getting a Computer Science Degree

      13:56 – Pixel Art, Sexuality in Tech, and Online Presence

      @aphyr (Kyle Kingsbury)

      Ashley Madison Data Breach

      26:54 – How do potential employers react to your satire?

      28:41 – CSS Perverts

      36:03 – Vetting Potential Employers and Company Culture; Dealing with Toxic People

      Takeaways:

      Jessica: Everyone has something that they keep quiet about because they aren’t sure of the consequences.

      Coraline: Being privileged enough to have the responsibility to be public and show people that it’s okay that they are who they are.

      Astrid: You don’t have to separate your passions.

      Jenn: We all need a space to feel uninhibited.

      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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!

      Special Guest: Jenn Schiffer.

      Support Greater Than Code

      57 min
    • Episode 019: It’s Made of People!

      01:11 – What it means to be a Senior Engineer When You Don’t Want to Go Into Management

      05:07 – Generativity: The difference between your team’s output with you on it and your team’s output without you.

      Gregor Hohpe: 37 Things One Architect Knows About IT Transformation

      13:46 – The Job of An Architect

      22:09 – What are the managers doing? “It is too much to ask for your manager to be your career mentor?”

      Sam Gerstenzang: The Happy Demise of the 10X Engineer

      Everything's an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford, et al.

      Reflections:

      Astrid: From Jessica’s perspective, what a software architect actually is supposed to be doing.

      Sam: Everything's an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford, et al.

      Coraline: I’m going to read ^ book.

      Jessica: More surprise episodes!

      Darin: Think less about me and more about the team around me. And I’m looking for a mentor!

      Cheryl: Greater Than Code > Mission Taco

      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.

      To make a one-time donation so that we can continue to bring you more content and transcripts like this, please do so at paypal.me/devreps. You will also get an invitation to our Slack community this way as well.

      Amazon links may be affiliate links, which means you’re supporting the show when you purchase our recommendations. Thanks!_T

      Special Guests: Cheryl Shaefer and Darin Wilson.

      Support Greater Than Code

      52 min

    About Greater Than Code

    From the publisher's feed

    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.