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Anil Dash discusses the potential to create a group-edited collection of Markdown files using Glitch, what can be described as ‘Google Docs for Markdown’.
Tag: Anil Dash
Operating systems went from a product that we buy to a fundamental capability that’s bundled with the entire tech ecosystems where we live our lives. We don’t pay for operating systems directly anymore by purchasing them, but instead we pay with surveillance of our data or by being sold connected cloud services or by the cost being bundled into our devices. Operating systems are both ubiquitous and invisible, and there are now people for whom their allegiance to the operating system of their phone or video game console or even personal computer is part of their identity.
Anil Dash reflects on 25 years since the release of Windows 95 and how things have changed.
we have to demand of our technology what we have of our food, clothing, medicine and other essential needs: visibility into how they’re supplied & sourced, understanding the workers & working conditions that shape them, and accountability when the system has failures. When the supply chain for Tylenol was vulnerable, the manufacturer addressed the issue directly. When consumers wanted to know their tuna was dolphin-safe, companies responded.
That raises a few key questions: Who makes your apps? Where are they sourced? Which apps do you use that were made by people you trust?
Anil explores the lasting effects of harassment with writer and activist, Feminista Jones, and how Amnesty International is working to shine a light on the issue with Director of Gender, Sexuality, and Identity, Tarah Demant. We then turn to a conversation centered on building safer online communities and what happened in the time between social networks and social media, with Mighty Networks CEO, Gina Bianchini.
Anil Dash leads a discussion into gender and the rights of women to safe spaces on and off line. One of the points to stand out was the problem with digital dualism.
Tarah Demant: Psychological violence and abuse is real and has real impact on people and is it very clearly delineated human rights abuse, but also, post-traumatic stress disorder and things that directly impact the lived experience of survivors. That’s happening with psychological abuse online because, to get to that second part, the online space is real. There’s often the IRL verse online, but real life is online. We are deeply connected, and we use online spaces in every facet of our life. Twitter is an essential means of communication for people, and so to say, “Just turn it off,” is somewhat like telling a survivor, “Just don’t ever answer your door in case it’s someone you’re concerned about or afraid of, or just don’t ever go outside, or just don’t ever use your phone.” It’s like, sure, you could do that, but you then, you can’t participate in daily life in a way that you need to and are entitled to.
This was interesting listening, especially after what happened with Kate O’Halloran.
I don’t care about the imagined “good old days” of the web, and I’m not a pollyanna about the wild, open web being some panacea for all the harms that technology and the internet can enable. But I do think coercive methods of controlling people are a danger, and some of the most insidious techniques are when a platform subtly erases empowering opportunities for its users. So let’s look at all the apps that live under our thumbs, and interrogate the choices they’re making, and then imagine what they would look like if we demanded that our tools don’t tie our hands.
Anil, I agree with you that the web is becoming hostile to links. I often make an effort to include links in my online responses, it is the way I think, however they are usually either striped out or force my comments to be flagged by plugins like Akismet.
I thought the best way to observe the milestone, and to try to pass along some of the benefits I’ve gained from keeping a presence online all these years, would be to share some of the most important things I’ve learned since I started this site.
Anil Dash reflects on twenty years of blogging. Two insights include the associated with technology and the relationship between blogging and social media.
Marginalia
Every industry, and every social institution is both shaped by, and responsible for creating, technology, and so trying to understand tech as if it were a conventional corporate industry isn’t a useful perspective.
always write with the idea that what you’re sharing will live for months and years and decades
it’s my belief that social networks are systems that can be intentionally designed, and intelligently managed, to ensure that their primary impact is a positive one for the people who use them, and for the world.
On this episode we’re joined by Anil Dash and Allison Esposito. Anil is CEO of Glitch, a friendly community where developers build the app of their dreams. Allison founded Tech Ladies, a community that connects women with the best jobs in tech.
We reminisce about the good ol’ days of IRC, Friendster, AIM, and MySpace. A lot has changed since then, yet they continue to exhibit some of the same dynamics and challenges of today’s massive social networks. We also talk about the challenges of building a healthy community on the internet in a time when careers and reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Of course, we’ll also cover some of our favorite products that you might not know about.
Ryan Hoover speaks with Anil Dash and Allison Esposito about the web. They discuss some of the history, what their involvement has been and thoughts moving forward. Some of the interesting points discussed were:
- The Challenge of community verses team
- Going to where the people are (Facebook) verses creating a new space
Marginalia
There’s something about community that if you’re doing it right, it should feel like a mix of it just happened and it’s natural. – Allison
It turns out the hosting of the video wasn’t the thing, the community is the thing and it has a value. Whether you create an environment that you feel people can express themselves in is a rare and special and delicate thing. — Anil
via Greg McVerry
Keeping in mind that spirit of doing necessary maintenance, I recently did something I’d thought about doing for years: I unfollowed everyone on Twitter.
Anil Dash discusses the steps he took to unfollow everyone on Twitter and start again. There are some interesting ideas in this piece, such as archiving a list of people you are following. Might be one to come back to.