Monthly Checkins

Regular checkins documenting we’ve learned and what’s stood out in the Openscapes community.

November 2024

Paul Graham and the Cult of the Founder – a short essay by Dave Karpf, an Internet politics professor at GWU. Describes how Aaron Schwarz and Sam Altman, 2 totally different views of what the internet could be, were in the first cohort of YCombinator. H/t Liz Neeley

October 2024

Making R work in government - A short recent blog post by Peter Ellis on H/t (heard through) EPA Openscapes Mentor Mike McManus

Indigenous People’s Initiative at NASA - Nikki Tulley’s work

September 2024

White Supremacy Culture by Tema Okum on Dismantling Racism - h/t Erin Robinson

August 2024

Workplace Democracy and Open Source – by Zane Selvans, a “bloggified version” of their talk from csv,conf,v8

Want to Improve Your Relationship? Start Paying More Attention to Bids – heard through Aaron Friesz: “I was in trainer training for the UW Hackweek where this was shared, which after reading really resonates. It’s written from a relationship perspective, but it’s definitely applicable to interactions with colleagues and workshop/cohort participants”. Also: Wheel of Privilege and Power

Governor Tim Walz - Uniting One Minnesota | We’re All on the Map – heard through Dr. Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist of ESRI. Gov Walz’s keynote as ~2 weeks before becoming Kamala Harris’ VP runnning mate

Reproducible Research: A Retrospective by Roger Peng & Stephanie Hicks; herard through Sean Kross (Fred Hutch Cancer Center)

A letter to researchers that want to make the world a better place by Dr. Antoinette Foster, as part of the the Pathways to Open Science Program. Also links to [How to Deliver Constructive Feedback in Difficult Situations[(https://www.dave-bailey.com/blog/nonviolent-communication) by Dave Bailey

June 2024

AI isn’t useless. But is it worth it? - By Molly White, Citation Needed - heard through Yuvi Panda

Feb 2024

This 1957 drawing reveals the brilliant strategy behind Disney’s lasting success - heard through Sean Kross, and paralleling Issa Rae’s business map – heard through Ileana Fenwick in May 2023!

Jan 2024

Unicorns, Show Ponies, and Gazelles - Jed Sundwall, Executive Director of Radiant Earth

Where Does DEI Go from Here? - Roberts 2023, Harvard Business Review. > Summary: “Amid economic uncertainty, corporate belt-tightening, and efforts to dismantle diversity efforts through both court rulings and legislation, the push for diversity, equity, and inclusion has slowed. The author, a researcher in positive psychology and diversity and inclusion, argues that to bring advocates and critics of diversity together, leaders must orient around a broader goal: creating the conditions for all workers to flourish. Given the high rates of disengagement and burnout, especially for those in historically marginalized groups, companies need a new approach. The author argues for fostering four freedoms at work: the freedom to be, the freedom to become, the freedom to fade, and the freedom to fail. Currently the four are unevenly distributed, but interventions such as encouraging individual allyship, implementing strengths-based development programs, and enabling flexible work can make organizations safer and more welcoming for all.”

Dec 2023

White House Releases Fifth Open Government National Action Plan to Advance a More Inclusive, Responsive, and Accountable Government White House Office of Science, Technology and Policy 2022.

Recoding America