Episodes
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Join us on a journey to learn more about the intersection of linguistics and AI with special guest Emily M. Bender. Come with us as we learn how linguistics functions in modern language models like ChatGPT.
Episode Notes
Discover the origins of language models, the negative implications of sourcing data to train these technologies, and the value of authenticity.
▶️ Guest Interview - Emily M. Bender
Learn more about Emily M. Bender Read On the Danger of Stochastic Parrots(2021) by Emily M. Bender, Timnit Gebru, Angelina McMillan-Major, and Margaret Mitchell. Check out the publications by cognitive scientist Abeba Birhane. See work from AI research scientist Meg Mitchell. 🗣️ Discussion Points Emily M. Bender is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington. Her work focuses on grammar, engineering, and the societal impacts of language technology. She's spoken and written about what it means to make informed decisions about AI and large language models such as ChatGPT. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a marketing term developed in the 1950s by John McCarthy. It refers to an area of computer science. AI is a technology built using natural language processing and linguistics, the science of how language works. Understanding how language works is necessary to comprehend large language models' potential misuse and limitations. Language model is the term for a type of technology designed to model the distribution of word forms in text. While early language models simply determined the relative frequency of words in a text, today’s language models are bigger in terms of the data they store and the language they are trained on. As a society, we must continue reminding ourselves that synthetic text is not a credible information source. Before sharing information, it’s smart to verify that something was written by a human rather than a machine. Valuing authenticity and citations are some of the most important things we can do. Distributional biases are generated in the data output used for large language models. The less care we put into curating training data, the more various patterns and systems of oppression will be reproduced, regardless of whether they are presented as fact or fiction in the end result. Being a good digital citizen means avoiding using products built on data theft and labor exploitation. On an individual level, we should insist on transparency regarding synthetic media. Part of the problem is that there is currently no watermarking at the source. There is a major need for regulation and accountability around synthetic text nationally. We can also continue to increase the value of authenticity. 🔵 Find Us Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us @Fastmail. Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected]. 💙 Review UsIf you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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With Frank Lee, Shawn Pierre, and Jessica Creane, we discuss the future of the video game landscape and the transition from game player to game maker. We explore what draws people into the gaming space, what video games mean to the people who play and create them, and what gaming organizations are doing to push the narrative.
Episode Notes
Discover the real-world applications of gaming, how to get into the game making community, video game conferences that you need to know, events that test game makers’ skills, and suggestions from coaches in the video game world.
▶️ Guest Interview
Learn more about Frank Lee and his work at Drexel. Read about Shawn Pierre’s work at New York University. Take a look at Jessica Creane’s work at iKantKoan Games. Check out the Independent Games Festival (IGF). Explore Games for Change and Everything Immersive. Learn more about TechGirlz and Philly Game Mechanics.🗣️ Discussion Points
Special guests Frank Lee, Shawn Pierre, and Jessica Creane are three video game makers and educators from the Philadelphia area. Generally, a video game is a game played on a computer device. Many people play video games to connect with others. Video games provide an outlet for creativity, power, and control in a very curated way that we often don’t get in daily life. The barriers to creating games have significantly decreased in the last five years. Sometimes, creators have an easier time getting their work out there and placing it into a storefront for free. However, this also means that there is more competition in the field than ever before. If you want to make games, try to mod games that already exist rather than creating something new from scratch. This will allow you to experiment without having to build tools yourself. If you enjoy that, then you may start creating entire levels. If you’re not comfortable with this creative software yet, start with board games and think about how systems are used to engage people. Shawn says by educating people on video games, you teach them to think critically and solve problems for themselves in a coaching role. In discussing coaching work, Jessica talks about how she supports people with the execution of becoming game makers. She helps them find buoyancy in transformation and reminds them that even in fictional games, everything is real– the team and the people who will play the game are real. Frank also suggests being proactive in the types of games that kids play and what can be a positive and negative experience for them.🔵 Find Us
Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen.
Check out our blog.
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We explore Philadelphia's thriving tech scene and share expert advice on how to succeed in the city. From attracting and retaining tech talent to building a sense of community, we're joined by two special guests who are passionate about helping individuals and companies thrive.
Episode Notes
In this special LIVE recording of Fastmail’s Philly Tech Week event “You Can Thrive Here: Local Leaders on Philly’s Move Into Ethical Tech”, listen to the Co-Host and Senior Producer of Digital Citizen Haley Hnatuk in conversation with Senzwa Ntshepe and Tempest Carter, two people on the cutting edge of building Philadelphia technology scene.
▶️ Guest Interview - Tempest Carter and Senzwa Ntshepe
Learn more about Tempest Carter and Senzwa Ntshepe. Look into the Commerce and the City of Philadelphia. Check out The Connect on their website, Linkedin, and Instagram. Explore other Philadelphia organizations 1Philadelphia, Hopeworks, Launchpad, Per Scholas, and Tribaja. 🗣️ Discussion Points Tempest Carter's work is centered around building an ecosystem in Philadelphia that allows tech companies to thrive. She is also responsible for creating a series of events called Tech Talks, which aim to bring people together and foster connections. As President of The Connect, Senzwa Ntshepe is dedicated to solving the problem of black and brown professionals leaving Philadelphia by fostering a sense of community and validation among its members. With a community of over 20,000 professionals nationwide, they focus on community needs and how people can thrive in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a great place for tech, with over 100,000 tech positions and over 9,000 tech companies in the region. Additionally, the city is home to universities, robotics, and other innovative fields that offer unique career paths. Philadelphia has something for everyone whether you're looking for a lively atmosphere or a more laid-back space. If you are breaking or transitioning into tech, do a personal audit and determine what you love to do. Be aware of what skills you need to work on, and don’t be afraid to upscale and seek education. Rather than chasing a job, focus on finding a mission that aligns with your values. Balance is so important. Your mind works better when it’s not plugged in all the time. 🔵 Find Us Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us @Fastmail. Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected]. 💙 Review UsIf you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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We dive into the Right to Repair with Aaron Perzanowski. Hear about the benefits of fixing our own devices rather than replacing them and the reasons why some companies create roadblocks to prevent the average consumer from doing so.
Episode Notes
Discover the social and intellectual function of repair, why our Right to Repair as consumers is so important, the ways companies are making this right difficult for the average person, and the environmental implications of buying new products rather than fixing the ones we already have.
▶️ Guest Interview - Aaron Perzanowski
Learn more about Aaron Perzanowski. Read The End of Ownership by Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz. Check out The Right to Repair: Reclaiming the Things We Own by Aaron Perzanowski. Get to know The Repair Association. Explore the free repair manual iFixIt. 🗣️ Discussion Points As a law professor at the University of Michigan, Aaron teaches courses primarily focusing on intellectual property law, copyright, and trademarks. His research focuses on the intersection of intellectual and personal property and how our intellectual property shapes our relationship with the devices and products we use daily. We consumers have certain rights regarding the things we buy. One of those rights is the Right to Repair them should something go wrong. This could mean fixing them ourselves or having the choice of which professional will fix them for you. The act of repairing teaches us valuable skills, such as how to analyze and address problems in the world and how to be self-sufficient. Repair is often also a community effort, as it may require asking neighbors for help and learning from others who share your interests. Companies have strong incentives to steer consumers towards replacement rather than repair. Undetectable software is all around us in the things we use every day. As soon as software is introduced into a product, the manufacturer can exert control over how the product is used after the sale. As consumers, we must be mindful about our purchases by considering the longevity of the products. If you have a functioning device, keep it. On the other hand, if a device does break, don’t be afraid to explore repair options before immediately purchasing something new. However, the repair will cost just as much as a brand-new item in some cases. Understanding how your technology works is important in the problems we hope our government will address. If we don’t understand it ourselves, we don’t have enough ground to weigh in on the topics. Repair helps people understand their technology even better, and engaging in repair can make us better digital citizens. 🔵 Find Us Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us @Fastmail. Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected]. 💙 Review UsIf you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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We delve further into the world of productivity with our special guest, David Tedaldi, CEO and Co-Founder of Morgen. Hear about Morgen’s mission and values, what makes its product stand out among other productivity tools, and the customizable workflows that are now available for Fastmail customers through our new integration with Morgen Assist.
Episode Notes
Discover insights into the significance of purposeful productivity, how to best manage your calendar in order to prioritize the most important things, and as always, how to be the best possible digital citizen.
▶️ Guest Interview - David Tedaldi
Learn more about David Tedaldi. Follow Morgen on X. Learn more about the integration. Read more from Morgen.🗣️ Discussion Points
Morgen integrates with your time management tools. It allows you to actively manage all of your calendars for tasks, projects, and scheduling in one place, solving the issue of staying on top of your timeline. One of the benefits of a tool like Morgen, is that it helps you stay on top of your tasks, making your productivity intentional. As a Morgen Power user, David follows the model that if something isn’t on his calendar, it’s probably not going to happen. He believes that “since life is so short, we should only work on important things.” Fastmail has partnered with Morgen, so you can start automating your calendar and adding customizable workflows. Connect Fastmail with Morgen Assist to set up these and other smart automations in your calendar. Fastmail customers who use Morgen vocalized their desire for this feature, which inspired us to collaborate on an integration for our shared customer base. The most important aspect of being a good digital citizen is respect. This includes respecting the people you talk to online and respecting the privacy of users as a developer.🔵 Find Us
Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us @Fastmail. Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected].💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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Abha Chiyedan wants to help anyone who struggles with productivity. If you have ever wondered how to stay productive and maintain a healthy work-life balance, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of Digital Citizen.
Episode Notes
Abha Chiyedan found the transition to adulthood to be difficult and shared her personal experiences in a blog in 2016. This passion project transformed into a full-time job when she founded The Werk Life, a productivity and wellness brand with digital planners designed to bring peace and calm to your busy life.
▶️ Guest Interview - Abha Chiyedan Learn more about Abha Chiyedan. Shop The Werk Life planners. Follow The Werk Life on tiktok. 🗣️ Discussion Points Some of us would rather enjoy the moment and put off whatever can be done until tomorrow. If you find yourself getting stuck in a procrastination rut, try practicing self-awareness and deciding what you can do as an alternative. We often don’t realize how long we have actually been doing something. Abha suggests trying timers, time blocks, and rewards to help. For example, you might reward yourself with five minutes of scrolling on your phone after thirty minutes of work. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to productivity. If the tool you are trying isn’t working, be honest with yourself and try something else. The Werk Life offers many free resources in addition to planners. Check out their website if you need inspiration on where to start. Don’t get bogged down in the planning stage. Sometimes you have to say this plan is good enough and move on to executing it. Not everything is always what it seems on the internet, and if the content you consume makes you feel bad, give yourself the room to step away. 🔵 Find Us Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us: @Fastmail. Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected]. 💙 Review UsIf you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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We delve into the intricate balance between productivity, technology, and digital culture with our special guest, Adam Conover. Explore how modern tech influences our work habits, the impact of personal knowledge management apps, and the complexities of email management in our daily lives.
Episode Notes
Discover insights into the profound effects of internet usage on social life, the challenges of maintaining productivity amidst technological advancements, and the evolving dynamics of fan engagement across different media platforms. Join us as we navigate the nuances of digital habits and their implications on personal and professional spheres.
▶️ Guest Interview - Adam Conover Learn more about Adam Conover. Subscribe to Adam Conover’s Patreon. Listen to Factually! with Adam Conover. 🗣️ Discussion Points Productivity apps and technological tools aim to streamline our workflows and enhance efficiency. However, there's an underlying risk of becoming overly reliant on these tools, potentially leading to a counterproductive cycle of planning without execution. This segment challenges listeners to consider how their tech use affects their actual output. The digital age has fundamentally altered our social habits and cultural dynamics. This discussion delves into the impact of digital habits on personal relationships and mental health, questioning whether our online personas and activities are enriching our lives or detracting from genuine human interaction. Personal knowledge management apps like Obsidian and Roam Research have gained popularity as tools for organizing thoughts and enhancing productivity. However, this segment probes into whether these apps truly contribute to productivity or merely serve as sophisticated distractions. The conversation sheds light on the broader question of what productivity really means in the context of information overload. Email is a part of everyday life, but it can be difficult to manage. This part of the episode explores various strategies for email management and discusses the broader implications of these practices, such as whether our quest for a clean inbox actually advances our productivity or merely feeds into a cycle of constant task management. The platform chosen to engage with an audience significantly shapes the nature of that interaction. Different mediums, from Twitter to Patreon, influence the dynamics between creators and their followers. By examining the phrase "the medium is the message," this segment invites listeners to reflect on how the constraints of each platform impact communication and, by extension, the creator-audience relationship. Internet culture reflects and amplifies broader societal issues, including inequality, racism, and online violence. Explore how digital spaces both mirror and exacerbate real-world social dynamics, prompting a critical examination of our collective online behavior and the responsibilities of digital platforms in shaping public discourse. 🔵 Find Us Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us: @Fastmail. Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected]. 💙 Review UsIf you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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Listen to a snapshot of Digital Citizen, a Fastmail Podcast. Hear clips from our guests and their perspectives on how we can all become better digital citizens.
Episode Notes
The 'Digital Citizen' podcast, hosted by Ricardo Signes and co-host Haley Hnatuk, aims to guide listeners in using the internet more thoughtfully. The show features discussions with leading technology experts focusing on the changing dynamics of cybersecurity, social media, and the overall digital environment. It emphasizes the importance of remembering the human element behind technology, offering practical advice on becoming a better digital citizen. The podcast encourages listeners to adapt to the ever-changing digital world and promotes positive technological change and innovation.
🔵 Find Us Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us @Fastmail. 💙 Review UsIf you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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Comedian and labor organizer Adam Conover talks to Fastmail CTO Ricardo Signes about Adam’s ongoing work as part of the WGA strike and the impact of AI on creative industries.
Episode Notes
Hear why the Writers Guild of America is currently on strike and the role Adam has played in the overall process as a member of the board and the 2023 Negotiating Committee.
▶️ Guest Interview - Adam Conover Learn more about Adam Conover. Check out Entertainment Community Fund. Subscribe to Adam Conover’s Patreon. Learn more about Writers Guild of America - West and Writers Guild of America - East. Listen to Factually! with Adam Conover. 🗣️ Discussion Points Adam is a comedian, writer, television host, and the host of the podcast Factually! with Adam Conover. The Writers Guild of America is a labor union that represents about 11,000 writers specifically in film and television. They have a contract with the film and TV production companies, who have spent the last 10-15 years figuring out ways to make the work of writers more precarious and pay them less. The Writers Guild is now on strike to try to fix that and put contractual protections in place so that writers will be able to make a sustainable living in their industry. Although AI text can be useful in some contexts, it can also be considered a plagiarizing machine. The only reason it can produce the output in screen and script writing is because it has been trained on the real work of writers. These large language models, however, can not actually do the work of a writer because writing is so much more than just outputting text. The biggest fear of writers today is that companies will ask them to modify the scripts written by AI. But, since the script would be written by AI, the company would feel justified in paying the screenwriters even less despite putting in the same amount of work to modify the script. Although Adam is worried about what AI may be able to do over the course of the next 5 years, he is not worried that AI will end up writing movies or make art. Another big issue right now is around streaming residuals, which are less than they have been in the past. Though this is a really important cause, it has gotten more attention compared to some of the Guild’s other equally valuable demands. This includes the fact that companies are trying to eliminate the writers’ room and operate with a freelance model. If this happened, television writing would cease to become a career. WGA is not asking that everyone cancel their Netflix subscriptions. Rather, they just ask that people boost them on social media and publicly support them. Supporters are also encouraged to donate to the Entertainment Community Fund, which gives grants to people within the industry who have fallen on hard times. 🔵 Find Us Take our survey: digitalcitizenshow.com/survey. Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen. Check out our blog. Tweet us @Fastmail. 💙 Review UsIf you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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On this special Philly Tech Week episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, Fastmail COO Helen Horstmann-Allen speaks with Alex Hillman, Will Toms, and Michelle Freeman, three of the savviest digital citizens in Philadelphia about community building offline and online.
Michelle is the Founder of Witty Gritty, a civic-focused marketing events engagement company based in Philadelphia, and Amplify Philly, an initiative co-run with REC Philly aiming to amplify the intersection of business, tech, art, and more. Will is the Co-Founder of REC, a company that works to get independent creatives paid for doing what they love. Alex co-founded Indy Hall, Philadelphia’s first coworking community, which has been gathering people since 2006
▶️ Guest Interview - Alex Hillman, Will Toms, and Michelle Freeman
Follow Alex on Mastodon: @[email protected] Follow Will on Instagram: @thewilltoms Follow Witty Gritty on Instagram: @wittygrittyphl Learn more about Indy Hall. Learn more about Amplify Philly. Learn more about Witty Gritty. Dive into 10K Independents' mission. Get involved with RECPhilly. Explore Philly Tech Week. Read articles about PTW 2023 on Technical.ly Philly.🗣️ Discussion Points
Alex explains that the difference between community building on and offline is that offline community building gives you many things for free, such as serendipity. Natural and organic conversation is one of the things that makes a community so special, which is very difficult to build online. Online, you have to be specific and intentional in building community. In our hybrid world, being online serves as an enhancement for in-person experiences. It allows people to keep in touch between meetings through tools like email and Slack and make connections with people they can later connect with in-person. Our guests are all three extremely proud of their home city of Philadelphia. What makes the city so special is that the city has more creative talent than any other city per capita, even though they don’t have the entertainment infrastructure of New York or LA. REC Philly highlights the resources Philadelphia has to leverage to entice creatives to stay rather than relocate to another city. The first thing people can do to become better digital citizens is shift their identity online from building an audience to building a community. As a community builder, your role is to create a space for people to connect with others.⭐️ Takeaways
It is important to add value to the spaces you inhabit, whether they are on or offline. Simplicity makes participation accessible. Something as easy as encouraging people to participate in thematic name tags (or screen names on Zoom) can spark meaningful conversations. When it comes to community building, “Onboarding is forever.” Be intentional about the type of community you want to build and start laying that groundwork early on to help foster its growth.🔵 Find Us
Take our end-of-season survey: digitalcitizenshow.com/survey Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail Follow us on Mastodon: @[email protected]💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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On the final episode of season two of the Digital Citizen podcast, JiaJia Fei talks to Fastmail CTO, Ricardo Signes, in this special extra-long conversation. They discuss how museums and the art world have changed in the past few years and how they may continue to evolve.
JiaJia Fei is a Digital Strategist working at the intersection of digital marketing, web, social media, art, and culture. She has been featured in Vanity Fair and Vogue and has worked in digital marketing for 15 years for organizations, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Jewish Museum. Now, she runs her own digital media agency working with clients in the art world to help broaden their audience.
▶️ Guest Interview - JiaJia Fei
Learn more about JiaJia Fei Follow JiaJia on Twitter: @VAJIAJIA🗣️ Discussion Points
Museums are essentially repositories for telling stories. It is the job of a museum to interpret why objects have value and help visitors better understand them. Many museums are beginning to put effort into digitizing their collection for people from all over the world to enjoy. It is the job of museum technologists to speak the language of art and technology. Many activities which existed as analog, such as shopping and watching films, have quickly adapted to the digital world. However, the art world has moved very slowly into the tech space. JiaJia believes that this is largely due to the fact that art as a whole is largely experiential and requires an in-person experience. The most interesting project JiaJia saw during the pandemic was the MET and the Getty putting all of their images online for the video game, Animal Crossing. This allowed players of the game to interact with the artwork in an environment totally outside of the museums. Ultimately, this encouraged interactive digital experiences. At the beginning of social media, museums were hesitant to participate because of the protection of their images. It is the responsibility of museums in the digital world to be the steward and authority when it comes to the digital representations of art. The more museums fear reproduction, the more bad images are likely to reproduce on the internet. Thus, institutions need to share images of the artwork they house online. The most important thing the art world can do is improve access to their collection for everyone. As consumers of culture, it is important that people continue to support them and their work.⭐️ Takeaways
Don’t be afraid to try new artistic experiences. Digital technology gives us new ways of engaging with art which we should all try out and see how we feel about them. If you have a favorite cultural institution, check out their social media. It can be a great way to engage more expansively with their collection, hear about new openings and events, and find out about new institutions you might not have heard of on your own. Museums exist to preserve pieces of our culture and the stories that accompany them. If you aren’t taking the time to visit the museums around you, virtually or in-person, you should. You will likely be surprised by what you learn about the greater world and the place where you live!🔵 Find Us
Take our end-of-season survey: digitalcitizenshow.com/survey Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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On this episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, Arielle Yoder and Zack Fine of Recess talk to Fastmail CTO and COO, Ricardo Signes and Helen Horstmann-Allen, about how to foster connections within the remote workplace.
Hear about how Recess partners with companies to help them integrate play through a series of games that help the team feel more connected. Arielle and Zack explain the importance of team-building for both in-person and remote teams, the phenomenon of Zoom fatigue and why the transition to work from home early in the pandemic was so difficult, and how companies can foster positive work environments for their staff by investing in their wellbeing.
▶️ Guest Interview - Recess
Learn more about Arielle Yoder Learn more about Zack Fine Learn more about Recess🗣️ Discussion Points
Arielle and Zack have a background in theater, and they founded Recess with this background in view. They had tools to help people have fun and connect more. As the pandemic wore on, they began applying principles of “ensemble building” in the corporate space. As in theater, in the office ensemble building involves building something from the ground up, developing trust, and quickly becoming a family. The building process can be done using play. In the workplace, the building will ideally result in a more unified team and a stronger work culture. The COVID-19 pandemic changed Zoom from a tool used alongside in-office connections to the central medium of corporate life. Gone was water cooler conversation and the casual, organic interactions it facilitated. In this new environment, as 2-D experiences of people became the norm, it was more difficult to engage on a personal level with coworkers. Work took on a new tiring and reductive element. Recess offers a different way to engage in an online space, specifically using play to help people relate in different ways and ultimately restore a sense of connection between teams and team members. The work of Recess is helpful for companies operating on a remote basis, but it’s also useful for companies that have resumed working in-person. One particular part of work life that Arielle and Zack love to be involved with is the onboarding process, as they find that Recess can ease the transition into a new and unfamiliar environment, help new employees get to know others in the workplace, and give these employees a sense of the company’s investment in their social wellbeing. Arielle and Zack also appreciate that the task they help to accomplish is, in a manner of speaking, bigger than them and their company. Different things appeal to and resonate with different people. Recess may not be for everyone. But the goal of Recess, to see people receiving the personal investment they need, should be a driving goal of company leaders. Employees will, by and large, be happier and stay longer if they see leaders investing the extra time and money to address their individual needs as people outside of their output as workers. Arielle and Zack urge leaders to make their employees feel as human as possible, and to take an individualized approach to doing this.⭐️ Takeaways
Remote work doesn’t have to mean disconnected work. There are many ways for organizations to build community among a remote workforce, but they have to work at it. It doesn’t just happen! Activities that work in an in-person world don’t always translate well over Zoom. So before you organize your next Zoom happy hour, think about what you can do to foster more connection between the people there — maybe by incorporating games or setting up breakout rooms. You want to find ways for people to connect that aren’t just doing work, ways that let people from different teams who might not naturally connect during the work day talk to each other. Play can be a great way to welcome new hires to the team and make them feel included. Ultimately, building a connected company culture requires investing in the wellbeing of your staff. They need to feel safe, supported, and like the work is not just a slog. Only then can they feel like the people working with them are their teammates and companions on this journey.🔵 Find Us
Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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On this episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, Arielle Yoder and Zack Fine of Recess talk with Fastmail CTO Ricardo Signes about their company, Recess, and the methods they use to bring the benefits of play to the virtual workplace. You’ll also hear snippets from Rik and Fastmail COO, Helen Horstmann, about how Fastmail brings play into the workday in practical ways!
Meet Arielle and Zack and learn how their respective theater backgrounds lead them to create Recess, a company that integrates play into the workday through a series of games designed for the online workplace. Arielle and Zack will share the importance of finding joy through play as an adult and explore the psychological benefits of doing so. They will also discuss how participating in activities like Recess can be a different experience for each person, especially focusing on how they encourage reluctant people to participate.
▶️ Guest Interview - Recess
Learn more about Arielle Yoder Learn more about Zack Fine Learn more about Recess🗣️ Discussion Points
Arielle and Zack started Recess early in the COVID-19 pandemic as a way of bringing play into the workday, and the company is founded on their conviction that play should be an integral part of every day - even for adults. Used in workplaces, play increases productivity, the ability to connect with others, and even general well-being. Neuroscientific studies have demonstrated the positive impact of play on the brain, and Zack and Arielle explain how play improves focus and adaptability, and fits with the biological legacy of humans as social primates. Arielle and Zack try to structure Recess sessions based on their specific clients, and they visit the clients before holding a session in order to get a feel for the company dynamic. A typical session, though, will include a warmup, a brain teaser, moments for one-on-one connections among colleagues, soft skills, and something funny to conclude the event. Recess aims to provide both a personalized and well-rounded session, often taking and utilizing elements from Arielle and Zack’s theater backgrounds. A session might include mime, improv, drawing, trivia, or any number of other activities. Understandably, not every team or every person is initially comfortable with the idea of bringing silliness into the workplace. If in getting to know a group before a session, Arielle and Zack notice reticence, they will try to start the session by leaning into silliness in a simple and easy way. With this gentle start, the room will often start to warm up quickly with a desire to play more. Arielle also finds that the idea of silliness more than the experience of it tends to spark reticence. Most people, once they get into a session, will have fun! Arielle and Zack hope that they as facilitators can take the burden of responsibility away from company leaders, helping to create light and playful cultures in the companies. They love to see bits of fun stick with an organization, knowing that the team is reaping the benefits of play and improved work culture in the long term. When it comes to being better digital citizens, Arielle and Zack first warn listeners that, in digital relationships, it can be easy to lose the simple aspects of human connection and find that people become merely 2-D in our minds. Their aim to create a feeling of human-to-human connection through theater points to our broader need for opportunities for human connection separate from work. We should, they urge, recognize that there are multiple parts of the self that are not all devoted to the workspace.⭐️ Takeaways
Play is something for everybody. Scientists have shown that play is good for your brain, so you should go for it and experience the benefits. You should remember in your online interactions, you want to center connectedness with other people. You’re there to have common communication with these other people, and that’s what you want to focus on. Don’t lose sight of the fact that everyone online is a 3-D person, even though you may be stuck looking at them through your 2-D Zoom window. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself breaks from being online when you need to. Rest is important. Information fatigue and audio/visual chat fatigue are real phenomena, and you need a break from that just like you need a break from anything that tires you out.🔵 Find Us
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If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also take our survey and send us a question for our bonus episode.
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On this episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, Dan Rhoton, Executive Director of Hopeworks, talks to Fastmail CTO, Ricardo Signes, about the mission of Hopeworks and their trauma-informed approach to teaching.
Hear about how Hopeworks helps young people enter the workforce and the “Aha!” moments that many program participants experience. Dan also discusses Hopeworks’ trauma-informed training and what can be done at a larger scale to address some of these issues associated with poverty.
▶️ Guest Interview - Dan Rhoton
Learn more about Dan Rhoton Learn more about Hopeworks🗣️ Discussion Points
Hopeworks is located in Camden, New Jersey, and works with young adults aged 17-26. These young adults enter the program unemployed and leave the program making roughly $43,000 per year, and 80% of them are still working 12 months later. The program begins with training including the technical, social, and emotional skills needed for success. After the training stage, participants enter jobs at Hopework’s own suite of web design services to build their portfolio. Dan believes that what makes Hopeworks so successful is the fact that they recognize that a technical certification may get someone a job, but that doesn’t mean they will keep it. They really emphasize helping their people heal and become more emotionally healthy, ready for the challenges of the world, and knowing how to ask for help. The trauma-informed approach at Hopeworks means that they know that people have been hurt, and it will be harder for them to succeed if they never deal with that hurt. Hopeworks has figured out that the solution to poverty is money. They have decided that if they can help people experiencing poverty get the tools they need to make it into high-wage and high-growth fields, many of the problems associated with poverty start going away. This, for Dan, has been one of the most exciting things to observe in his role. They have even had participants go off to begin their own tech businesses and come back to Hopeworks to hire their first employees. When many of the young people begin at Hopeworks, they are consumers of technology but don’t actually understand it enough to solve their own problems. When they leave Hopeworks, they understand that technology is a force that can be used to solve problems. Dan believes it is very important that the people who understand and control technology are not the ones with lots of money who don’t understand the needs of the world.⭐️ Takeaways
There are lots of organizations doing similar work to Hopeworks. Determine the change you want to make happen and then find out who you can work with to make it happen. Technology is a means to an end, but you have to target the right end. If you’re someone who builds technology, it’s important to ask yourself if what you’re building serves the people who will be using it.🔵 Find Us
Send us a question for our bonus episode Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
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On this episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, Hopeworks graduate Kayondra Garrison talks to Fastmail CTO Ricardo Signes, continuing the conversation about Hopeworks by talking about her experience as a program participant.
Hear about Kayondra’s experience at Hopeworks. Learn about the important skills young people should develop when they are looking for a job in technology, how technology learning to build technology can change your relationship with the technology we use every day, and what it means to have hope and overcome fear to find success.
▶️ Guest Interview - Kayondra Garrison
Learn more about Kayondra Garrison Learn more about Hopeworks🗣️ Discussion Points
Kayondra describes Hopeworks as a place you come to with hope and make it work. It is a revolutionary organization for its time that is far ahead of what the modern-day workplace should look like. It helps people connect the dots, with motivation and drive and everything else under the sun. Previously, Kayondra was a student at Hopeworks. Now, she works a remote job as a Benefits Outreach Specialist helping clients apply for public benefits. As a student at Hopeworks, one of the most important lessons Kayondra learned was that if at first you don’t succeed, you should try again. She also learned that there are people you can meet in a professional atmosphere who genuinely care for you. She discovered what it means to work hard on a daily basis, and that positivity goes a long way. Kayondra emphasizes that everyone’s journey at Hopeworks looks different because everyone specializes in different things. As a motivational speaker, Kayondra specializes in soft skills and interacting with younger people. Her goal is to help people succeed in whatever way is succeeding for them and to conquer their fears. She shares that fear is only false evidence appearing real, which can be applied to any scenario in life. Success opportunities are everywhere, but we have to overcome the fear of trying new things first. Of all the training offered at Hopeworks, Kayondra believes one of the most valuable skills is learning how to code your own website. She also thinks learning presentation skills, time management, working with different types of people, and networking were key to her success. She shares her hope that people will live in the real world more rather than on social media.⭐️ Takeaways
Sometimes it’s important to take a step back from social media and live in the moment. Don’t undervalue interpersonal skills. If you want to succeed, even in tech, it’s not just technical skills that lead you to success. Building a strong foundation of interpersonal skills is a huge part of making yourself employable and successful in the current job market. Overcoming the fear that something isn’t going to work out, or that you might not be good at something, is the first step towards making a real change in your life.🔵 Find Us
Send us a question for our bonus episode Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also take our survey and send us a question for our bonus episode.
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On this episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, L.X. Beckett, Toronto-based science fiction author, talks to Fastmail CTO, Ricardo Signes, about how science fiction is often a critique of the world we live in and what it means to find hope in the communities you are part of.
Dive into the world of L.X.’s book Gamechanger and learn about the people who inhabit its pages. L.X. offers advice for feeling hopeful about the potential setbacks we will likely go through in the future as they have the potential to lead us to a brighter side. Rik and L.X. also discuss the positive and negative parts of online communities and what it means to be a good digital citizen.
▶️ Guest Interview - L.X. Beckett
Learn more about L.X. Beckett Check out Gamechanger here🗣️ Discussion Points
Gamechanger is set in the dawn of a new era for humankind after the twenty-first century. There are three main generations represented in the book at odds with each other. Privacy and international systems have been lost, and the wealth gap has been forcibly closed. Art, for L.X., is the biggest fight back against the negative sides of reality. Writing this book was their method of showing a good possible end result despite major setbacks, motivating people to engage with the idea that there is a viable positive outcome. For artists, hope is a moral practice that you can choose to pursue. The vast majority of us with the internet and smartphones give our personal data to companies. This is not unlike the total lack of privacy that exists in the world of Gamechanger, in which every single move a person makes goes into a large data cache. For anyone looking to have a safe and healthy relationship with the online network, L.X. suggests figuring out what your soul really needs without apology. This could be something as simple as taking a social media break when it gets to be too much.⭐️ Takeaways
Reading is both an escape and a way of getting a different view on the world we live in. It’s never too late to get involved in online communities, especially ones that are committed to having a positive impact. Self-knowledge is important. If you feel like the way you are using social media is having negative side effects, you should absolutely change your approach. A positive review can go a long way. If you have a podcast or content realtor you like, you should leave a positive review so the creators know their efforts are appreciated. Rik’s book recommendations: New Day by Sarah Pinsker. It touches on how online culture can be less connected than in-person culture, without reducing everything to "technology is bad." Axiomatic by Greg Egan. Bonus points, he's Australian. It's a story collection where many of the stories take seriously ideas that are often used as sci-fi tropes without consideration of how they'd really affect us. Helen’s book recommendations: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson and The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson are among my favorite sci-fi books ever. Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel is a book I recommend to people who say they don’t like sci-fi, but maybe just need a chance to try it.🔵 Find Us
Send us a question for our bonus episode Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also take our survey and send us a question for our bonus episode.
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On this episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, Troy Hunt, creator of Have I Been Pwned?, talks to Fastmail CTO, Ricardo Signes, about engaging in good cyber hygiene.
Troy shares how he landed a career in security and talks about his workshop, Hack Yourself First. You’ll also learn what cyber hygiene is, a concept that everybody who uses the internet should have a grasp on. RiK and Troy also discuss the advantages of passwords, the benefits of utilizing a password manager, and the red flags that often indicate phishing scams online.
▶️ Guest Interview - Troy Hunt
Follow Troy Hunt on Twitter - @troyhunt Try Have I Been Pwned? today! Learn more about Hack Yourself First Check out Troy’s blog Learn more about how Fastmail keeps your data safe🗣️ Discussion Points
Troy began his career as a software developer. Sometime later while running Pfizer’s application architecture, he began noticing recurring bad code. Rather than writing the same email over and over, he decided to create a blog post on the topic aimed at developers. This is where his career pivot towards security began. Passwords have one major thing going for them, which is that everybody understands how they work. You are better off using a new, different password when creating accounts on different sites. Password managers, such as 1Password, are great tools to help you keep track of passwords and other confidential information. While those of us who are building systems need to lead people down the path of success, users also have the responsibility of maintaining their own cyber hygiene. Good cyber hygiene includes things like choosing strong and unique passwords and turning on two-factor authentication. When it comes to phishing, a key indicator of a fake site is a misspelled URL. Luckily, some platforms very obviously display phishing warnings if you happen to click on a fake website. Comparing the severity of data breaches ranging from household lighting to bank accounts. IoT devices have massively expanded the surface of risk and expose classes of data which had never been digitized before. Troy’s workshop, Hack Yourself First, is primarily for developers and teaches participants how to hack themselves first. This gives them the opportunity to see how fraudsters actually operate and identify the areas they are most in need of extra protection.⭐️ Takeaways
You are better off using a different, unique password on every site. Password managers aren’t just for passwords, but can securely store other sensitive information. Cyber hygiene is important. We should think about what kind of passwords we’re using, if we have turned on two-factor authentication, and what information we are giving to websites that they don’t actually need. Hack Yourself First workshops are a great opportunity to discover potential vulnerabilities and learn more about how hackers operate.🔵 Find Us
Send us a question for our bonus episode Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also take our survey and send us a question for our bonus episode.
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On this episode of the Digital Citizen podcast, Troy Hunt, creator of Have I Been Pwned?, talks to Fastmail CTO, Ricardo Signes, about data breaches and what organizations and people can do after their data has been involved in one.
Learn what a data breach is and how it affects companies and individuals alike. Troy highlights his website which allows users to check whether their personal data has been compromised by data breaches. Rik and Troy also discuss the factors which impact the ways organizations respond to a breach, the different types of data breaches, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
▶️ Guest Interview - Troy Hunt
Follow Troy Hunt on Twitter - @troyhunt Try Have I Been Pwned? today! Learn more about how Fastmail keeps your data safe🗣️ Discussion Points
Data breaches aren’t limited to large companies and organizations. Users of Have I Been Pwned? are able to see if their data has been compromised in a breach. This information then goes out to both the individual and organizations who monitor domains. Over 4.1 million people have subscribed to the service, which has led to many fascinating cases in which organizations have learned things about the people in their organizations and the risk they create. It’s easy to lose sight of the most important thing which is knowing what has happened after a breach as soon as possible, so passwords can be promptly changed. However, there is no one standard for how an organization should respond to breaches. Though he had hoped GDPR would drive change, Troy sees it used more as a weapon than to change behavior or prevent breaches. Some organizations, such as airlines, are legally obligated by law to obtain customer data for good reason. Comparing the severity of data breaches ranging from household lighting to bank accounts. IoT devices have massively expanded the surface of risk and expose classes of data which had never been digitized before. We don’t have to avoid the internet completely out of fear of being involved in a breach. Rather, we should be more thoughtful about the places we willingly share our data online.⭐ Takeaways
You should use Troy’s website, Have I Been Pwned? Consider minimizing the places you choose to share your personal data in order to keep your account more secure. We should all be talking to our friends and family about why it’s important to keep their data secure.🔵 Find Us
Send us a question for our bonus episode Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
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Season 1 is complete, stay tuned for season 2! Subscribe today, so you will get notified when we are back.
On this special bonus episode of the Digital Citizen Podcast, Michael Fey, 1Password's VP of Engineering, talks to Fastmail CTO, Ricardo Signes, about a new partnership between Fastmail and 1Password.
Explore the Masked Email integration, which is available to everyone with both Fastmail and 1Password accounts, and learn how you can protect your online privacy with unique email addresses. Rik and Michael also discuss Internet security, password managers, and secure email. If you want to be more secure online, this is the episode for you.
▶️ Guest Interview - Michael Fey
Follow Michael Fey on Twitter - @MrRooni Try Masked Email today! Learn more about Masked Email Get 25 percent off your first year of 1Password Families when you create your account. Start your 30 day trial of Fastmail at fastmail.com/podcast🗣️ Discussion Points
Most places on the internet require you to provide an email and password when you signup. Using the same email address everywhere means that someone who knows your email address knows half of what it takes to access your account. Now with Masked Email, you can generate a unique email address in the same way that you generate a unique password. You can easily disable Masked Email addresses if you find they’ve been targeted with spam. 1Password is a password manager that makes it easy to store and use strong passwords. Your data is end-to-end encrypted and only you have access – 1Password can't see what you store in 1Password or which sites you visit. Michael Fey's number one piece of advice for passwords is to not reuse them. Using a different password for every service you signup for will keep you more secure online. Ideally, you shouldn’t even know your password! Let an app like 1Password generate your passwords. If you are using the same password for your shoe store and your bank, your bank details are only as secure as the shoe store’s security. Most people do not protect their email addresses and generally use the same one everywhere. When your email address gets leaked, that's a link in the chain that a hacker can exploit. Even with unique passwords, a single email address can still be a point of weakness from phishing attacks and other exploits. Security and privacy go hand-in-hand. Security is about keeping your information safe. Privacy is about keeping your information hidden. Making and Managing Masked Email addresses in 1Password will be familiar if you've used 1Password before. Keeping your email anonymous is now as easy as generating a strong password, you can create a Masked Email address without ever leaving the sign-up page.⭐ Takeaways
Being a good digital citizen involves being nice and kind online, in the same way you would be in person. We all want compassion, respect, and dignity. Using a password manager is the easiest way to store and use strong passwords and protect yourself online. Having a different email address for each online service you use gives you an extra layer of security, if you're also using unique passwords for each account. It also protects you by keeping your real email address private from the apps or services that you sign up for.🔵 Find Us
Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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Have you ever wondered how the Internet works, how it's governed, or why some devices and services work together and others don't? In the final episode of this season, Fastmail CEO, Bron Gondwana answers these questions and more, so you can learn how standards make the Internet better for everyone.
Get a crash course about open standards, how they work, and why we need to support organizations that use them. Bron and show host Fastmail's CTO, Ricardo Signes, talk about JMAP, an open standard for email that Fastmail's developers produced, which is moving email forward.
Additionally, before and after the show hear Rik and Fastmail's COO, Helen, talk about how the internet came to be what it is today and what the future of the Internet may look like.
▶️ Guest Interview - Bron Gondwana
Follow @BronGondwana on Twitter Visit ietf.org for more information about IETF Learn about JMAP at jmap.io or by reading this article Start your 30 day trial of Fastmail at fastmail.com/podcast🗣️ Discussion Points
Bron is the CEO of Fastmail and has been working with email for over 20 years. There are all kinds of standards in the world, including the very language we use to communicate meaning to each other. Most standards in the real world function as a rule of law, but standards on the internet are more agreement and consensus-based. Standards work a lot like language, they evolve and are built onto over time. Most of the standards work that Bron does is in an organization called the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which has been around for the past 50 years. Many of the devices you have in your home likely have IETF standards built into them. Email has been an open standard since the 1970s. Chat is an example of the opposite, with no open chat standards becoming dominant. Your open standard has to be as good as, or better than, the closed solutions in order to compete. Many standards have failed to gain traction because people have to discard what’s already working for them. Your standard has to be an evolution that adds value to people’s lives. If you're not a market-dominant organization, embracing and innovating through open standards produces global change while still letting users interoperate with each other. For non-programmers, it’s important to choose software and devices that use and support open standards. Using open standards is future-proofing yourself and your work and puts you outside of the whims of a company as they change over time.⭐ Takeaways
Being a good digital citizen is similar to being a good citizen in general—leave things better than you found them. JMAP is exciting because it is built on top of other modern standards like JSON and HTTP. Because most programmers are already familiar with them, it makes the barrier to entry easier to traverse. Technology and open standards have enabled a boom in opportunity for people to build products and companies they believe in. Open standards allow global communications to work. One thing everyone should be doing is thinking about whether they are locking themselves into services that restrict their choices and control the access to their data to a single, private platform. When deciding what services to use, choose services that use open standards. If you’re building software, use open standards and help other people make choices that are good for future digital citizens.🔵 Find Us
Digital Citizen Website: fastmail.com/digitalcitizen Check out our blog Tweet us @Fastmail💙 Review Us
If you love this show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Take our survey to tell us what you think at digitalcitizenshow.com/survey.
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