Fun in programming and hacking vending machines

Turkey, turkey turkey turkey. Turkey turke turkey (turkey) turkey turkey turkey. Turkey turkey turkey!https://isotropic.org/papers/chicken.pdf

Sarah invites us to walk through the last several decades of technology use in education (particularly K-12). This one is dedicated to the under-appreciated school IT departments.

Pam brings the topic this week of "fun in programming." More nostalgia, talking about how it feels in modern programming, the joy of problem solving. Also, we talk about how Sarah is hacking vending machines!

This episode, Sarah brings the topic and Pam & Sarah explore the intersection of technology and nostalgia, sharing personal experiences with early computers and video game consoles. The talk about the evolution of technology, the resurgence of "old tech", and how nostalgia influences modern culture.

Pam and Sarah bring back the podcast! I guess? Pam seems unsure. They talk about "unjaded internet." AI is discussed (of course), reflecting on AI since they last chatted in the new year's episode. What about social media and the youth? And Pam misquotes TS Eliot.

Pam Selle and Helen Horstmann-Allen, a self-identified radical optimist, talk about optimism, the challenges of decentralized products, the contrast between online and physical communities, and the importance of aligning personal values with financial decisions. What if there are ethics in investing? What are yours? Helen shares her insights on finding sustainable paths in personal and professional endeavors, and has encouraging words to get involved in their communities and recognize the impact of their actions.

Pam is joined by Meredith Finkelstein, an engineer, herbalist, and artist, who shares her unique journey from an early interest in nature to her current exploration of herbalism and blockchain technology. They end up diving into lucid dreaming, the wellness industry, menopause, and intuition. And Pam gets to ask Meredith about blockchain and why she's interested in it, crypto (cryptocurrency) and finance not being real. Pam ponders her quitting zine that remains on the idea plateau.Meredith's Blog: https://thewitchofendor.com/

Pam and Ben Garvey talk about data viz, remote work, job searching, IRL networking, startups, and more. There's a dash of AI discussion (of course), the magic secret of Networking (the people kind), and what if all software was modifiable? They also talk about the future of decentralized platforms and in praise of boring technology.Pam's job search eBook: https://pamselle.gumroad.com/l/beyondtheresumeBen's website: https://bengarvey.com/Ben on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bengarvey.comGo see Ben speak in NYC: https://www.meetup.com/datavisualization/events/305741335/

Pam and Kelley talk about developer relations and the changing landscape of "developer communities." They wonder where all the cowboys, er, developers, have gone. Kelley teaches Pam about 'product-led growth' (aka make things good and people buy it?). They also talk about how centering humans in technology, ephemeral data, and being vulnerable online, and of course a dash of philosophy and ethics.

Pam and Sarah Withee, of pilot episode fame, get together to reflect on 2024 and ring in 2025. When in doubt, put an AI on it. And what about that dog who just wants to play basketball?