POPULARITY
21 episodes with Octo
7 episodes with Octo
5 episodes with Octo
5 episodes with Octo
13 episodes with Octo
19 episodes with Octo
3 episodes with Octo
4 episodes with Octo
6 episodes with Octo
Jay Shah, former Chief Operating Officer of Octo and now Strategic Advisor at Technomile joins the show to explore how small and mid-sized companies can scale effectively and thrive amid federal market shifts. We also unpack his personal journey from helping build Octo from the ground up to navigating multiple acquisitions and get his candid perspective on the evolving landscape of government contracting, particularly the increasing focus on performance-based acquisition, innovation, and the rising expectations for industry to deliver differentiated value. Finally we dive deep into how tools like Technomile's platform are equipping businesses to capture growth opportunities with precision, optimize resource alignment, and meet the moment of generational disruption in federal procurement.
Grab a snorkel, it's time to go under the sea in this swimming round of Two What's?! And A Wow! Find the facts from the fiction about everyone's favorite eight-armed sea creature, the OCTOPUS! Want more WHATs and WOWs? Visit https://bit.ly/40hR1P0. Did you know you can watch full episodes of Two Whats?! And A Wow! on YouTube and YouTube Kids?! Visit https://bit.ly/3WlHLbk to start watching and WOWing with us!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Octo Åeterna is a producer and DJ deeply embedded in the darker edges of electronic music. With roots in South America's underground, he's spent years fine-tuning a sonic identity that draws on mathematical structures, probability, and organic chaos. His work, solo and through his Technologia Organica label, explores textured psychedelia, often grounded in nature's strange logic. Releases on Danza Nativa and his imprint showcase a careful but adventurous mind, balancing abstract sound design with dancefloor weight. Whether curating Noctambula nights or crafting vinyl releases, Octo's aesthetic is precise, immersive, and alive with intent. His "Delayed with…" mix is a live recording from Berlin's legendary Tresor that happened in June 2023, and it plays like a transmission from a parallel biome. It begins in murky waters, ambient textures that ripple and curl like oil on a dark tide, then gradually locks into a loose-limbed, halftime pulse. Octo leans into polyrhythmic percussion and deep, sticky synths, shifting between grooves with surgical control. As the set evolves, four-to-the-floor rhythms rise like tectonic plates, grinding under a thick atmosphere. By the end, he cracks the structure open with broken beats and UK-leaning breaks, closing on a haunting and strangely euphoric note. It's a mix that mutates without losing shape, like watching an alien ecosystem reorganize in real time. https://soundcloud.com/octoaeterna https://www.instagram.com/octoaeterna https://technologiaorganica.bandcamp.com write up by @gilleswasserman Follow us on social media: https://soundcloud.com/itsdelayed https://linktr.ee/delayed https://www.delayed.nyc https://www.facebook.com/itsdelayed https://www.instagram.com/_____delayed https://www.youtube.com/@_____delayed Contact us: info@delayed.nyc
It's the Weekend! This week Octopimp returns to confront his past, and talk Sonic, Homestuck, Minecraft and more! Are you ready to geek out this weekend? Join Jesse and Dodger on the Geekenders podcast as they bring you the ultimate dose of geekiness. From their hilarious banter to their in-depth discussions, this is the podcast you've been waiting for. Follow them now and discover why they are the number one geek podcast without a doubt. Subscribe and let the geeking begin! Theme by: MegaRan Animated Intro by: JulesDrawz Want to watch live, tune in to Dodgers twitch every Friday at 11am est/8am pst : https://www.twitch.tv/dexbonus Hosted on Audioboom. See https://audioboom.com/about/privacy for more information.
At Google Cloud Next 2025, Google Cloud VP and CTO Will Grannis joins Bob Evans to explore how AI is reshaping enterprise technology. Grannis shares how Google Cloud's OCTO team works with customers on complex challenges, using DeepMind research, next-gen TPUs, and AI-native infrastructure, while noting the fading line between B2B and B2C and the cultural changes needed to adapt.Inside Google Cloud's AI Strategy Google Cloud Is AI-Native at Its Core: Grannis says that Google Cloud's approach to AI is foundational. The organization's mindset, shaped by Google's long-standing leadership in AI, infuses every layer of its stack, from infrastructure to user interfaces. With a legacy of deploying machine learning at scale for over a decade, Google Cloud doesn't just offer AI tools—it helps customers reimagine their businesses through AI-native thinking, using products like DeepMind and innovations born across Google's consumer ecosystem.The OCTO Team Solves the Hardest Problems with Customers: Grannis leads the Office of the CTO (OCTO), a team he jokingly calls “the nerdy Navy SEALs.” They tackle highly complex, unsolved customer challenges that can't be addressed by existing products. Rather than building solutions in isolation, they co-create alongside customers. They start with business outcomes and design backward.Multi-Modality and Multi-Agent Systems Are the Future: Looking ahead, Grannis predicts that multi-modal AI, i.e. models that process images, text, speech, and even scent, will become the standard. He also foresees a shift from single-function agents to “agentic workflows” powered by multiple orchestrated AI agents. Google is prototyping orchestration with projects like Astra, that signal a future where AI is not only intelligent but contextually aware and collaborative.The Big Quote: “People . . . spend a lot of time just trying to take a PDF and analyze it. It seems very true. It is a pain . . I think that's one reason why a NotebookLM or a product like that has been so popular because it really attacks like the heart of what people hate doing at work. [AI] puts them in the driver's seat. They can ask questions, they can do analysis.”Learn more:Check out OCTO, NotebookLM, and Google Cloud.
An octopus riding a shark! I'm joined by comedian and writer Ella Yurman as we discuss the evolutionary biology concept of "phoresis," the symbiotic act of one organism riding another. Yeehaw! Footnotes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we sit down with Cody Morgan and Jamie Muñoz, the powerhouse duo behind Octo Hospitality and Blue Oak BBQ in Huntsville's MidCity District. Originally from New Orleans, Cody and Jamie share how their early roots in the restaurant industry shaped their approach to hospitality, community, and culture.We dive into their journey from Bourbon Street to North Alabama, their first impressions of Huntsville, and the serendipitous meeting that led to their now-signature events at The Camp. From the explosive success of their first Mardi Gras Day celebration to Crawfish Fest and the WhistleStop BBQ Festival, they talk about building experiences that go beyond food—and the “gumbo effect” that makes it all feel special.You'll also hear about the launch of Blue Oak in MidCity, their plans for the restaurant inside the new Hotel Indigo, and how they've built teams that live and breathe hospitality. Plus, they reflect on how a single book—Unreasonable Hospitality—helped shape their leadership style and guest philosophy.Whether you're in the restaurant industry or just love good food and great stories, this episode is packed with insights on growth, grit, and giving people more than they expect.SponsorYellowhammer is a local craft brewery serving Huntsville for the past 14 years. They are known for their premium craft beers like T-Minus and Rebellion, but what you might not know is they also offer spirits, wine, seltzers, and non-alcoholic drinks. Next time you stop by their location try one of their seasonal cocktails made with Gemini Bourbon or Yellowhammer Vodka. Or try this year's big hit, Pineapple Punch seltzer. You can find out more information about Yellowhammer Brewing by visiting their website https://www.yellowhammerbrewery.com or visiting their taproom located at Campus 805.MusicAny Day by Them Damn Dogshttps://open.spotify.com/artist/3HrncTSw4a7J9YiyMIxHdu?si=qw6Df7J6SwKm6-WOEc7U7w
LIVE FROM (somewhere on the internet) IT'S (a podcast about) SATURDAY NIGHT!!! Saturday Night Live is more than a TV show, it's an American institution. As much a part of our lives as apple pie and cutting people off at intersections. Now in it's 50th season, the show is older than any of the Octo-hosts, but that just means that it's been a staple for our entire lives! For this first part of 2 SNL themed episodes, we are concentrating on the sketches. Each of us picking out 3 of our all time favorites to spotlight and to (ahem) to to reproduce parts of. We had an awesome time with this episode and laughed more than usual! Side note: There was a glitch with Parasite Steve's audio and it does get pretty distracting. We apologize and hope that it doesn't completely ruin the fun. ----------------------------------------Retro Ridoctopus is:• Parasite Steve (read)• 8-Bit Alchemy (listen) • Coopster Gold (join) • Nintenjoe (subscribe)----------------------------------------All original heavy metal music by Enchanted Exile
Join T, Father Fortenberry and Marty Mar the Bourbon Nerd as they tackle headlines from the day!What's a magic money machine? I don't know but I need one!Nature strikes back, the OCTO strangler!Space-X to the Rescue!We will be at Spillway April 5th, 2025 for the big block Party& at Cathead Distillery Friday April 4th. Buy some Merch:https://lifefromthepatio.com/merchfollow us on TikTok: / lifefromthepatio2 #bourbon #whiskey #fye #KnobCreek#Jack Daniels#comedy #podcast#funnyvideo #buffalotrace #distillery#buffalo #LFTP#oldforester #jimbeam #heavenhill#Bluenote#Shortbarrel#rye #ark #arknights#arkansas #nba #nfl #razorbacks #newyears #resolutions#LFTP Fred Minnick
Today, we're excited to have Program Development Specialist, Donald Clark, join us with the DC Department on Disability Services (DDS). Making tech accessible to all, is a core OCTO principle that always informs our work – which is why having DDS as a guest is so important. The District's Tech Plan is focused on Unleashing the Possible. OCTO knows everyone can't unleash the possible – unless everyone has tech access. Whether it's our Web Team using tools to scan all DC Government websites for accessibilityor deploying the full suite of Microsoft Accessibility Solutions, when OCTO leads or supports initiatives, we strive to effectively serve people with different hearing, sight and neuro-diverse needs. In the works now is an exciting collaboration with ODR to require DC Government agencies to ensure that their websites are fully accessible…so having DDS' Donald Clark – as our guest today is perfect!
Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Guadalupe Squares - Friday February 14, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Guadalupe Squares - Friday February 14, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Guadalupe Squares - Friday February 14, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Guadalupe Squares - Friday February 14, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Cultura em Pauta #890 30/01/2025
Cultura em Pauta #887 27/01/2025
Am Donschtkrees vum stayfou Kollektiv an am Prodzentestall vum Turnup Tun gëtt et ee Rapper, dee mat sénger leschter EP de ganze Paradox vum Rappen op de Punkt bréngt. D'Staerkt wiesen, Schwächten äusdrécken. Muskele weisen, an dach vulnerabel sinn. Mam Marc Clement erzielt den Octo hien iwwert säin neien EP "Kraischen beim Flexen".
Look... I didn't think anyone would ACTUALLY take me up on talking about "Religion & Rocketry" again. But here we are. This time, I was invited on my good friend Amos Martel's apologetics podcast, Missionary District, to discuss the threat (if any) of Non-Human Intelligence to the Christian faith. While, of course, I use C. S. Lewis' masterful essay "Religion & Rocketry" (which, yes, I have memorized now), we also get into alot of new territory and I explain my most outlandish conspiracy theory yet... Octo-aliens. Think about it. Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis Instagram: @lesserknownlewis Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com Graphic Design by Angus Crawford. Intro Music - Written by Jess Syratt, arranged & produced by Jordan Caruso and Jordan Duncan.
Featuring Mal from the Demigod Debut Podcast, we dive into the octopus magic vision of Gale's transformation at the hands of Hecate, and figure out what exactly went down in that rich, rich dialogue. Featuring also, Owl-abeth, Octo-percy, and terrifying Man Grover. Supplemental suggested media this week include Mrs. America on Hulu and BoJack Horseman. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON for exclusive Discord access, monthly special episodes, and On-Demand Watch-Alongs of PJOTV! patreon.com/seaweedbrain (Anyone can still stream) Our Episodes 1&2 Watch Party on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/live/RoNsTTI2whQ?si=tsJGQVlK_clrcyqL Follow our show on Instagram @SeaweedBrainPodcast, on Twitter @SeaweedBrainPod, and on TikTok @EricaSeaweedBrain Check out our merch shop! https://www.teepublic.com/stores/seaweed-brain-podcast?ref_id=21682
Scott MacKenzie interviews Justin Sirotin from OCTO, a company that designs complete customer experiences across various industries. OCTO, named after the octopus's adaptability, has been in operation for 15 years. Justin, with nearly 30 years in industrial design, emphasizes the importance of usability in technology. They discuss the challenges of integrating edge technology with utility grids to improve efficiency and user experience. Justin highlights the need for seamless, user-friendly designs to avoid user frustration. They also touch on the rapid prototyping and testing approach of companies like SpaceX and Formula One, which emphasize real-world testing and continuous improvement. Action Items [ ] Reach out to Justin on LinkedIn or through the Octo website to discuss further. Outline Introduction and Purpose of Industrial Talk Scott MacKenzie introduces the Industrial Talk podcast, emphasizing its focus on industry professionals and their innovations. Scott highlights the platform's mission to amplify messages and support industry professionals worldwide. He expresses his admiration for industry professionals who solve problems and make the world a better place. Scott mentions the ease of getting involved with Industrial Talk for those interested in amplifying their message or technology. Introduction of Justin and OCTO Scott introduces Justin and his company, OCTO, and explains the company's name and its origin. Justin shares the story behind the name OCTO, which was inspired by the adaptability of an octopus. Justin explains that the name OCTO is a shortened version of octopus, as the full name was unavailable. Scott and Justin engage in a light-hearted discussion about the name and its superhero-like connotations. Justin's Background and OCTO's Services Justin provides a brief overview of his background in industrial design and his nearly 30 years of experience in the field. He explains that OCTO designs complete customer experiences, including pre-product, product, and post-product services. Justin mentions that he has started several companies and also teaches manufacturing techniques at the Rhode Island School of Design. He emphasizes the importance of embracing constraints and building market-validated creative solutions. Challenges and Insights from Teaching Industrial Design Justin discusses the challenges of staying current in the industry and the impact of his students on his learning. He shares his experiences visiting factories in Vietnam and China to stay informed about production processes. Justin highlights the generational differences in attitudes towards consumption and the environment. He emphasizes the importance of efficiency and zero waste in the manufacturing sector. The Role of Design in Technology and User Experience Scott and Justin discuss the importance of designing technology that is user-friendly and meets the needs of end-users. Justin explains that OCTO's role is to connect technology with user needs, ensuring seamless integration and usability. They discuss the evolution of the design field from being seen as just making things pretty to being integral to functionality. Justin shares an anecdote about a client who believed that complex software should be hard to use, illustrating the shift in thinking. Designing for the Utility Grid and User Experience Scott and Justin delve into the complexities of designing for the utility grid and the challenges of integrating new technologies. Justin explains the role of OCTO in...
In your face! Times eight! Ouch! 11/26/24
Yes, the Little Mermaid is an animated movie, but if it were real, where would this mermaid paradise be? Is it plausible that Ursula the Octo-woman would have henchmen in the form of eels? Ann Jones is examining the biological accuracy with the help of scientists and fans of classic movies in the series "Hollywood Lied to Us."Featuring:Flo Rama- The Little Mermaid super fan. Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith, Sydney University. The Little Mermaid, Disney Studios.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Isabella TropianoThis episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.
In January of 1959 residents of Ohio were forced to reckon with a frightening, otherworldly creature - or was it just a piece of trash? Today we investigate the Invasion of the Octo People with special guest Easton Hawk. Follow Easton Hawk on Instagram Question, comment or suggestion for the show? Email aaron@smalltownmonsters.com
In January of 1959 residents of Ohio were forced to reckon with a frightening, otherworldly creature - or was it just a piece of trash? Today we investigate the Invasion of the Octo People with special guest Easton Hawk. Follow Easton Hawk on Instagram Question, comment or suggestion for the show? Email aaron@smalltownmonsters.com
For the week of 11-13-2024 It's a special twenty-fifth episode of former Babylon Bee podcasters Adam Yenser and Ethan Nicolle. We've got Talk Down syndrome! This week Adam is out of town again so Ethan went into the sound booth and Matt joined as the cohost this week. Become a subscriber, get bonus content, and join the community at www.TheTalkDown.comSend your questions and comments to info@theTalkDown.com The Talk Down on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-down/id1745919012Follow us on X https://x.com/TheTalkDown_Follow Ethan at https://x.com/AXECOPFollow Adam at https://x.com/CleanComedian69Follow Matthew at https://x.com/@Matthew_McDavid Add your own slides for us to comment on here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1eZ__idNcAdJVUCpFZeSBwYQUljL9JpDAsXZjOuHHtsY/edit?usp=drive_link Links from the show: https://ground.news/article/5255c318-dcb6-4f57-8fd2-c1b1579a9629?emailIdentifier=blindspotReport&edition=Nov-13-2024&token=37a47340-2b90-4334-9224-d0bc7da7de1c&utm_medium=email&utm_source=blindspot&utm_campaign=Nov12 Covid Lady Sues For Millions: https://ground.news/article/5255c318-dcb6-4f57-8fd2-c1b1579a9629?emailIdentifier=blindspotReport&edition=Nov-13-2024&token=37a47340-2b90-4334-9224-d0bc7da7de1c&utm_medium=email&utm_source=blindspot&utm_campaign=Nov12 Abu Ghraib Dudes Sue For Millions: https://ground.news/article/c8a69ff5-b748-469e-b0ee-7eceff778612?emailIdentifier=blindspotReport&edition=Nov-13-2024&token=37a47340-2b90-4334-9224-d0bc7da7de1c&utm_medium=email&utm_source=blindspot&utm_campaign=Nov12 Woman Marries Concussed Man: https://people.com/woman-marries-man-who-sustained-a-concussion-and-forgot-they-broke-up-exclusive-8740681 43 Monkeys: https://www.pennlive.com/life/2024/11/did-43-escape-from-a-medical-lab-heres-what-to-know.html The Fish-Punching Octopus: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/octopuses-hunt-with-fish-punch-video-rcna171705 Raccoon Sausages: https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/german-butcher-sells-racoon-sausages-in-bid-combat-rodent-plague/ Subscribe at TheTalkeDown.com to join us for the bonus subscriber content, or as we like to call it, Down Time. 00:00 Introduction04:38 Covid Lady Sues05:49 Abu Ghraib Dudes Rich08:11 Falsely Accused Squirrel Killer10:51 Concussed Wedding12:36 43 Monkeys14:15 Octo-puncher16:33 Raccoon Sausage20:00 Mid-Show Promo23:14 Orthodoxy26:00 Hinchliffe Will Not Apologize46:48 Trump is a Good Grandpa49:25 Trump's Decorum54:31 Hundreds of Beavers Downtime (Subscribers Only) In the Subscriber portion: we discuss our stories Become a subscriber, join the Discordwww.TheTalkDown.cominfo@theTalkDown.com
Wherein AWS gaslights Chris and Frank goes all Japanophile.
Ep 368 VIRUSI MBAYA - BEEF WITH MWAF & OCTO, BATTLING ADDICTION, SURVIVING MOB JUSTICE Iko Nini
Awooooooo!! The moon is full and things are about to get HAIRY! For our second monster-riffic epsiode in a row, we are going werewolf hunting! Along for the ride is Hollywood special effects artist, Michael Broom! Mike is the writer/artist of the insanely original graphic novel Membrane and with credits like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Predators, X-Men First Class, Wolves, Creepshow (the series) and more... nobody's about to question this dude's pedigree! Octo-host, Coopster Gold leads the discussion as we talk creature designs, transformations, folklore and eventually, our favorite werewolf movies. It's a HOWLING good time! Follow Mike Broom on Instagram at michaelbroomart And snag your copy of the gore-geous 200 page graphic novel MEMBRANE: BOOK ONE! ----------------------------------------Retro Ridoctopus is:• Parasite Steve (read)• 8-Bit Alchemy (listen) • Coopster Gold (join) • Nintenjoe (subscribe)----------------------------------------All original heavy metal music by Enchanted Exile Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/retro-ridoctopus/e141e89a-6c94-4299-9472-0f6c122fae9d
What's up Big Wigs. We're back with a jam packed episode full of recaps of our weeks - Anna went to the Golden Bachelorette tea party, Dre went to the RHONY premiere event (so consider this your MCU), Diddy and the charges against him (gross), the fact that Octomom is an Octo-grandmom now, Anna's broadway roundup of the week, and Dre coming in hot with Big Wig sports updates. We also discuss in detail the article that rated which US cities are the worst to date in and coming in at number one is NYC! We get into our childhood memories where Anna tells a story about getting lost in Disney World as a kid, and Dre remembers a fun house she used to go. Also, did you know that Mike worked at Disney world?! Now WE ALL DO! This episode is fun and nostalgic and unhinged...and we love that you're here. Follow us on Youtube & Instagram.
On this episode of Bounced From The Roadhouse:Special Guests in 4B:Deans VacationOcto GrandmaBig DaddyBrian's DogsP DiddyRamen BombsAge DiversityQuestions? Comments? Leave us a message! 605-389-3456Don't forget to subscribe, leave us a review and some stars! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join hosts Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes as they welcome principal engineer Lachlan Wright from PWD. Solutions. This episode of Unplugged dives deep into the world of industrial IoT, touching on Lachlan's career in automation, IIOT vs. IOT, the power of open frameworks, and the future of industrial automation. Lachlan shares his experiences with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and emerging PLC technologies, alongside discussing the importance of data accessibility and the role of agile development in today's evolving tech landscape. Tune in for an enlightening conversation filled with valuable industry insights. 00:00 Introduction to Unplugged IIoT Podcast 00:45 Meet Lachlan Wright, Principal Engineer of PWD. Solutions 02:43 Phil's Passion for 3D Object Creation and Gaming through Blender 04:22 Ed's Journey with Python and Databasing 07:08 Versatility of Skills in Industrial and Control Systems 11:35 Lachlan's Home Automation: PLC MQTT for Power Monitoring 14:58 Lachlan's Experience with Chat GPT and New Facebook Tools 17:24 Phil on Llama 3.5 Models and Their Vast Resources 21:46 Lachlan's Industrial Anecdote: PLC, TCP Driver, InfluxDB, and Ignition 27:15 Pitfalls of Agile Methodology in IoT Digital Transformation 32:03 Importance of Community Collaboration in Open Source 35:16 Evolving PLCs: The Role of Software and Programming Languages 38:45 Integration of Docker Containers in Development 41:18 User Experience and Visualization in Industrial Applications 43:09 Shift Towards Web Native Technology 44:38 From Traditional SCADA to the WebDev Mindset 48:49 Interest in Time Series Databases like InfluxDB and Timescale 50:20 Enthusiasm for Continuous Learning and Technology Exploration 52:35 Unique Solutions for Different Industries and Sites 55:10 Raspberry Pi and Beckhoff CX 7000 Series in IIoT Deployments 58:46 Cost-Effectiveness of New Systems like Octo 22 Groove and PLC Nexts 01:02:19 Adoption of Raspberry Pi for Initial Automation Testing Connect with Lachlan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/plcexpert/ Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-seboa/ Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-fuentes-2046121a/ ------ About Industry Sage Media: Industry Sage Media is your backstage pass to industry experts and the conversations that are shaping the future of the manufacturing industry. Learn more at: http://www.industrysagemedia.com
We're excited to have the OCTO Innovation Team joining us! Started in 2021, by a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Innovation Team – or iTeam –was created to enhance public services and create an exceptional digital experience for District residents. Key takeaways: Gratitude Powers DC: Discover how this art and community engagement project is celebrating what DC residents love and is also shaping improvements to the District's recruitment and hiring process. Data-Driven Storytelling: Learn how Lindsay and Matt are leveraging data to weave compelling narratives about DC government services and their impact on residents' lives. Cherished Cityscapes: From parks to coffee shops, the podcast highlights the places and experiences that make DC special, showcasing the deep bond between residents and their city. Supporting Educators: Gain insights into the Innovation Team's focus on community engagement and their upcoming event designed to uplift District educators and school administrators. Mark Your Calendars: The Gratitude Powers DC initiative will culminate in a special celebration honoring DC's teachers and education administrators on Tuesday, October 8th, at 6:00 PM at the Deanwood Recreation Center. Event details can be found at Gratitude Powers DC.
Lundi 16 septembre 2024, SMART TECH reçoit Tristan Nitot (directeur associé en charge des communs et de l'anthropocène, OCTO) et Vincent Champain (membre du comité exécutif, Framatome)-----------------------------------------------------------------------SMART TECH - Le magazine quotidien de l'innovationDans SMART TECH, l'actu du numérique et de l'innovation prend tout son sens. Chaque jour, des spécialistes décryptent les actualités, les tendances, et les enjeux soulevés par l'adoption des nouvelles technologies.
The crew is talking about the bizarre sightings of the Ohio Octo-Man; then we discuss werewolf politics in the great country of Argentina.
Find me and the show on social media. Click the following links or search @DrWilmerLeon on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! FULL TRANSCRIPT: Wilmer Leon (00:00): So here's a question. How does the false construct of race, and yes, it is a false construct or the real constructs of culture and cultural identity factor into our opposition to or support for a political candidate. Let's find out Announcer (00:26): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge. Wilmer Leon (00:33): Welcome to the Connecting the Dots podcast with Dr. Wilmer Leon and I am Wilmer Leon. Here's the point. We have a tendency to view current events as though they occur in a vacuum, failing to understand the broader historical context in which most events take place. During each episode of connecting the dots, my guests and I have probing, provocative, and in-depth discussions about the broader historic context in which most events occur. This enables you to better understand and analyze the events and the impact that these events have on the global village in which we live on today's episode. The issue before us is, as I stated, how does the false construct of race and it is a false construct and or the real issues of culture and cultural identity factor into our opposition to and support for candidates for insight. Let's turn to my guest, Dr. (01:35) Chantel Sherman is a historian and journalist whose work documents deconstructs and interprets eugenic themes in popular culture, identity formation among African-Americans and reproductive apartheid in carceral spaces and within marginalized communities. Publisher of Acumen Magazine, author of In Search of Purity, eugenics and Racial Uplift among New Negroes, 1915 and 1935, as well as popular eugenics in television and film. Also, she's a novelist of Fester and Spill. Dr. Chantel Sherman, welcome back. Good morning. Thank you for having me. And as always, thank you for joining me. And I got to add, she's a very, very dear friend as well, so I get to call her Chantel, before we get to the question posed in the open, A viewer of our last discussion reached out to me and wanted us to elaborate on the issues of eugenics in medicine because many of us know some things about the Tuskegee study as well as Ms. Henrietta Lacks, but there's an awful lot more to eugenics and medicine than just those two issues. So starting there, particularly with the Tuskegee experiment, I elaborate, clarify what you know to be some of the misunderstandings about that, a little bit about Henrietta Lacks and then where are we with eugenics in medicine? Shantella Sherman (03:10): Sure. It's a loaded question because it actually has, the response is almost a series of volumes, quite frankly, but to synthesize this understanding, eugenics means what you're trying to do is create better people. And in order to create better people, you have to know what they're made of, what makes good stock, what makes good genes. And so what we've tried to do in this country through eugenics is to create better people by restricting who can and who cannot have children incarcerating people performing sterilizations for sterilizations on folks who we deem as unfit. And so it's not just about the body, but it's the body politic. So if I determine that you're poor, for instance, it's believed that poverty is in your DNA diseases are automatically in your DNA. And so black people as a whole, were considered to be contaminated. We are still considered to be largely contaminated. (04:17) We are a bad gene pool, we are a subhuman group according to science and eugenics. So based on this, studying any type of disease means studying black people, and sometimes it means injecting them with certain things. So with Tuskegee, there's been a bit of a revisionist history about these are black people who had syphilis and we simply did not treat them in order to see the development of the disease or the course of the disease over years. The truth of the matter is many of these men were injected with syphilis, and that's the original documentation that we don't necessarily look at. We have to get to a point where we're looking at the entire scope of information and data. Alabama, Tuskegee was not the only place where these syphilis studies were taking place. The serological studies were taking place in six different states and they were all connected to sharecropping or farming communities, sharecropping communities where the black people there could not necessarily leave of their own free will. (05:23) And then based upon that, you had a population that you could study, you could inject with different things. I've seen studies where folks are literally looking at how pesticides work by spraying cotton fields and leaving the black people who are working in the cotton fields in the fields so that as they develop lung conditions, you now start to talk about how black people don't have the capacity to breathe in certain places or they have bad lungs or these other things as if they're genetic, when the truth of the matter is you are experimenting on them. And so we've been the Guinea pigs unwittingly in this country for a long time, but because the stroke and the core of the information is based upon black people being somehow contaminated anyway, being less human, then we become like the lab rats or the little white mice in the labs where constantly we're having things tested on us and we don't necessarily know this. Then the scope of that becomes black people are 10 times more likely to have this. They're 10 times more likely to do this or to die of these conditions, or their behaviors lend themselves to these particular things. Wilmer Leon (06:39): When you said make better people, it was inferred, but I want to state the obvious. When the Nazis were trying to make the superior race, they were not doing this for the betterment of mankind, even though in their warped racist minds, they thought, so this was not altruistic by any stretch of the imagination. They were trying to make better white people at the expense of people of color. Is that hyperbolic on my Shantella Sherman (07:22): No, it's on point. I mean, the fact of the matter is if you consider non-white people to be subhuman, there we go. Or a subspecies. Let's pull this into America. When you say American, you're not talking about black people, you're talking about white people. That's why you have to add these hyphens, African-American, because America is the culture. It is also the race. It is also the health. It is also the patriotism. It is also the citizenship. And so this language becomes loaded. So when you say American, I'm looking at things that are talking about the American birth rate. The American birth rate is not going down when we're talking about black people or Hispanic people. So where in America is the birth issue? It's an American issue. It's a white issue. Wilmer Leon (08:15): It's a very white issue. And I'm quickly trying to put my hands on a piece by Dr. Walters here. I think I have it that speaks to this in the political context where, well, I can't find the quote, but he basically talks about, it's very important to understand that, oh, here we go. This is from white nationalism, black interests, and so this is your eugenics. On the policy side, if a race is dominant to the extent that it controls the government of the state defined as the authoritative institutions of decision-making, it is able to utilize those institutions and the policy outcomes they produce as instruments through which it is also structures its racial interests. Given a condition where one race is dominant in all political institutions, most policy appears to take on an objective quality where policymakers argue they're acting on the basis of national interests rather than racial ones. So that's Dr. Walters telling us, if I can just cut to the chase, when white folks run the show and they speak in the national interest, they're talking about their interests, not ours, and that's absolutely okay. Alright, Shantella Sherman (09:55): That's it. Wilmer Leon (09:55): So two other points about Tuskegee that I think are very important for people to understand. I know there were black nurses involved and weren't there also black physicians involved? Shantella Sherman (10:08): Absolutely. Wilmer Leon (10:09): And there is some question about whether there was actual consent. How much of this did they actually know or were they dupes? Isn't that a question that gets posed? Shantella Sherman (10:24): It's a question that's posed often because the belief is that if there's a black person in the room that they're going to side for black people, they're going to defend, they're going to try and help. But the reality is when we're talking science, we're talking medicine and science on behalf of the nation, on behalf of American Americans, we want to make sure that we have a healthy pool of black people as well. So it benefited and it benefits currently many black leaders to hold onto these eugenic things and these eugenic tropes and these eugenic theories where even though we don't talk about sterilizing people in the same way we did, then you still hear people say, black people, even this person has too many kids, they don't need to have any more kids. They're on welfare already. So what do you do? You Wilmer Leon (11:18): Give them Ronald Reagan's welfare queen, Shantella Sherman (11:20): Right? Well, right. If a white person says this, it's racist. If a black person says she already has 10 kids, she doesn't need anymore. She can't afford 'em, now she's neglecting them. We start with this other thing and it becomes, so what do we do? Give her no plan or something. And if that doesn't work, go ahead and give her a hysterectomy. That's eugenics. Wilmer Leon (11:41): An example of that on the other side is Octo mom. Shantella Sherman (11:45): Exactly, Wilmer Leon (11:47): Exactly. She got a TV show or she was trying to get a, there were people who were saying, oh, this woman is out here tripping and something needs to be done. But there were also those that wanted to glorify her, put her on television in order to generate revenue, Shantella Sherman (12:11): Generate revenue, but also public opinion, where she was one, a single woman, she already had one child that she was having trouble supporting. Then it became who should have access to IVF and all these other things, and then who's going to pay for all of these eight now nine children that she has? And it was like, what is she going to do with them and dah, dah, dah, dah. But you give the duggars one, she's single. If it's the Duggars who are just full of all types of deficiencies over here, I'm using eugenic terms. I'm sorry. All of a sudden it was like, right, give them a TV show. Give them money, give them this, give them that. Because what you're doing with television is programming people to believe some people need this, some people don't. If this was a black female in Chicago, in the Robert Taylor homes years ago and she had 10 or 11 kids, you'd be running her up a flagpole at this point and talking about the degeneracy and her kids are going to be this and there's no father in the house and all of these other things. (13:09) So when you push this politically and you start talking policy, this is what you're concerned about. We should be concerned about on a local, national, and even an international scale. And so as you start to talk about candidates, we have to have a clear understanding of where our potential leaders fall, whether they're black or white, because black people are also Americans. And so we're living the American dream, and I don't want these people living next to me and I don't want a prison next to me and I don't want halfway house over here, and I don't want the school of kids over here and I don't want this, this, this and this. And that's an American thing, even if the person or the kids or the people I'm talking about happens to be brown just like me. Wilmer Leon (13:57): So to wrap up the Tuskegee, what are the two biggest misnomers about Tuskegee that you want this audience to have a better understanding of before we get to Henrietta Lacks? What do you want people to understand about Tuskegee? Shantella Sherman (14:13): The Tuskegee was not the only place, and I don't even like it being named, that it was the Eugenics records office. Serological studies. And you had five other places, five other places other than Tuskegee, where these serological tests were being done and they did not necessarily stop. Wilmer Leon (14:34): Oh, meaning that they're still ongoing. I know they were going well into the seventies at least. Shantella Sherman (14:43): And if Tuskegee is the only one that they're talking about, what makes you think that? The serological studies that were taking place in Mississippi and in Tennessee, in Georgia, just in North Carolina. In North Carolina, and again, there's a whole record of this, but we don't talk about that and we don't talk about the black people intrinsically involved in these studies and in this research, Wilmer Leon (15:08): Henrietta Lacks, if you would elaborate, Shantella Sherman (15:13): One thing that we don't discuss with Henrietta Lacks is that the fact of the matter is that she was at Crownsville, she was in Maryland. Once again, you must make the connection between eugenics and these carceral spaces, either asylums places where you need to have a mental rest. I don't like even calling them. It's a home for the mentally ill. This person may have been having menopausal symptoms. They have women in there, they were reading too much. There's a Howard University professor and his name Escape Smith, the moment high ranking Howard University professor. He was caught up in Crownsville at some point and died there. And Wilmer Leon (15:52): For those that don't know, what is Crownsville? Shantella Sherman (15:54): Crownsville was the Maryland, it's, we would say asylum now, but it was a place for people who were feeble minded or had mental health issues. And you could be put there for any of a number of reasons. But once you were there, this was the one specifically for black folks. So a whole black neighborhood was cleared in order to put this asylum there and to let you know what they thought of black people, they made the black people who were supposed to be the patients actually build the hospital itself. And it remained open for quite a while, but it was a place of torture. It was a place of experiments. And Henrietta Lacks ended up there. And so while people are, she's telling people, okay, I'm having fibroid issues. The potential cancer issue, once you're in these spaces, you don't have rights over your own body. (16:45) So the experiments and the biopsies and the whatever else are also taking place in these spaces. And so that's where she was when all of this transpired, grabbing her cells, studying her cells. If you knew the cells could give us the cancer treatments that we have today, were you actually trying to treat her or were you trying to advance science? And so we have to start looking at who were some of the black doctors that were there, who were the other universities? You have universities that are attached to these asylums. And so it's not just, even if you're talking to Tuskegee, it's not just Tuskegee as the area, it's Tuskegee, the university, it's Howard or it's me, Harry. It's black institutions as well. And you have to look at this. Some of this is a class issue, but it's always a consciousness issue. You all right? Wilmer Leon (17:40): And just so people know that Henrietta Lacks, she was the first African-American woman whose cancer cells are the of the hela cell line, which is the first immortalized human cell line, and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. And a lot of people made a lot of money, Shantella Sherman (18:05): Still are Wilmer Leon (18:06): Hundreds of millions of dollars off of her body. And up until recently, her family did not receive any type of compensation for the illegal use of her body. And I want to put it in the context of body because when you talk about cells and people go, oh, cells, what the hell? No, it was her body that they used to create an incredibly valuable, some would say invaluable. You really can't even put a value on it. And up until recently, her family, I can see you want to go ahead. Go ahead. Shantella Sherman (18:52): Well, when you start talking about the value of black bodies, we can go currently, as of last year, the children that were involved, there was a situation in Philadelphia, 1985 where it was a group of what they called militant resistant black folks, the Africa Family Wilmer Leon (19:12): Move Shantella Sherman (19:12): Movement community. They were in a lovely community. And so they had this move project that they were doing, this is their thing. And you had a black mayor at this point who said, Wilmer Leon (19:23): William, good, Shantella Sherman (19:24): There you go, mayor. Wilmer Leon (19:26): Good. Who was bad? Shantella Sherman (19:28): I'm sick of having to deal with this. And instead of charging the house which had children in his whole family communal type of space, he said, let's drop a bomb, get a helicopter to drop a bomb on the house. Which of course ended up spreading. It tears up the entire neighborhood. But here's the point with this, two of the children that died in the bombing, somehow their bodies were sold given over to the University of Pennsylvania for study for research. Because the idea is, is there a difference in the brain and the mentality of a resistant black family and their children, their progeny that we need to be aware of? So now you have a university studying the brains and the body parts of dead children. The family does not know. The family did not know until last year that the university didn't even know that the bodies were sitting on the shelf Now Wilmer Leon (20:30): Because some of the other children survived and are now in their thirties and forties. Absolutely. Shantella Sherman (20:36): Absolutely. Absolutely. So they had to give those but become, we're going to give you the bodies back so they can be interred. What were you doing with these children? You were studying them, you're studying them not just as cadavers. They were being used in the classroom for what purpose though? And so I think that we need to really grapple with the fact that there's a value to black bodies, even if there's not a value to black people. The culture is amazing and this and this, but there is a value to black bodies that we don't talk about. And so there are folks that are, you have dollar signs on you when they see you, they have dollar signs on your womb, they have dollar signs on you as you matriculate through life and you navigate different systems. And the goal is to extract as much as possible while we are just kind of not paying attention to any of it. Wilmer Leon (21:34): There is the adage, you are a product of your environment. And so people will look at me, look at you. And how did you all become PhDs? Well, they haven't met your mother. I've had the blessing. They haven't met your parents. They haven't met my parents. We are products of our environment. So when you look at the children in the Africa family from move in Philadelphia, those children, there was nothing biologically different that made them one way or another. They were products. They were raised a certain way just as they want to talk about black on black crime, ignoring the fact that crime occurs everywhere. You tend to commit crime in the space that's closest to you against those that are closest to you. And that poverty is one of the greatest contributors to a criminal element. Not psychosis, not phenotype. And final point as they talk about black crime, who did the mafia commit most of its crime against other Italians? Who did the Polish Mafia? Who did the Russian mob? Who does the Israeli mob commit crime against those that are closest to them, but we don't understand it in that context. Shantella Sherman (23:19): Wiler, I'm going to throw this in here real quick. The University of Pennsylvania has a long history of studying black folks, especially ones that they consider to be degenerate types. For years, I did a series for Acumen Magazine called the Crack Baby Turns 30. And it looked at a study, a longitudinal study that the University of Pennsylvania was doing where they actually studied the children, the newborn babies that were left at the hospital by women who were crack addicted at that point. And they had these terrible lines in their notes saying things like, these children don't look you in the face. They are born with a pathology. They will be criminals and they will be murderers. And they don't even cry like real babies. They're like animals, okay, 30 years on and they're studying these kids every month 30 years later, they come back and say, each one of those children provided they were given to an aunt, a grandparent or someone else, and they were loved on and taken care of. (24:21) They turned out just fine. None of them have been in prison. None of them have committed crimes. None of them have had out welock babies, most of them. I think they said 90% of them have been to college. Alright. So it automatically tells you that the nature versus nurture is really just a dream. It's a dream sequence in some madman's laboratory where you're going to try and make a case by creating an environment where you're defunding this and unhinging people and then saying, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy or this is all about the numbers and these are the stats and this is where this goes. And it is simply not true. Wilmer Leon (25:04): Some may have heard me tell this story before, but nature versus nurture, really quick example, I went to a private Catholic high school in Sacramento, Christian brothers high school and had to pay tuition to get there. So whether it was hook or by crook, I can obviously afford to be there. I'm there. So the guidance counselor at the time, Mr. Patrick O'Brien sees me wearing a Hampton sweatshirt and I'm walking down the hall and he says, Wilmer, what is that? And I said, oh, this is the sweatshirt from the college I'm going to go to. And he says, you're going to college? I said, yeah, Mr. O'Brien, I'm going to college. He said, Wilmer, have you ever thought about trade school? I said, no, I have never thought about trade school. He says, well, why not? I said, because honestly, Mr. O'Brien, I don't want to have to take the ass whooping that I'm going to take if I go home and tell my parents I'm not going to college. Now there's nothing against going to trade school, but in my house. Shantella Sherman (26:13): Exactly. Wilmer Leon (26:14): That was not an option, Shantella Sherman (26:16): Not one. So Wilmer Leon (26:21): It was all a matter of environment. And so people look at my son now who just graduated from Hampton, and the boy understands he has two options, conform or perish. So it's not a miracle, it's an environment. It's a level of expectation that is set. It's a matter of standards that must be maintained and understanding if you follow the path, life is great. If you deviate from the path, you might have a problem on your hands and you have to make a decision, do I want this problem or do I? That's all. Am I wrong? Shantella Sherman (27:12): No, I mean it's spot on. And I think that again, we understood this 50 years ago in a way that we are not passing that information down now. So the fact that someone can come to me now with eugenic thoughts and tell me if a black child hasn't learned to read by the time they're in the third grade, they have automatically lined themselves up to go to prison. Who came up with that foolishness? Wilmer Leon (27:38): Wait a minute, I'm one of those kids. I'm one kids. Shantella Sherman (27:45): Come on now. Wilmer Leon (27:46): I was reading well below grade level when I was in the third grade and they had shifted, and that was the time when they had shifted how they were teaching reading away from phonics to sight words. Fortunately for me, my parents, we had a very dear friend, Mrs. Bode, Mrs. Gloria Bode, who was a reading specialist, she would come to the house three times a week after dinner. She taught me phonics. And within Goy, it wasn't even a month, I went from reading below the third grade level in third grade to reading at the seventh grade level. All she did was teach me phonics. Shantella Sherman (28:40): Exactly, exactly. So the fact that you can add fake science over here with the eugenic themes, add it to policy, trickle it into the school system, add some funding issues with this, it's like I need you to understand that's what public libraries are for. I need you to understand that every child learns at a different rate. I need you to understand that if there's calamity all around this child outside in the neighborhood, they're not listening for concentration purposes and it may be hindering them. There are things that we knew and we knew how to meet those challenges to ensure that the children in this great space would be able to matriculate. We haven't gone bonkers. So why is it that we are feeding into this and actually accepting that it's true? And then getting on television and saying yes, as a black psychologist, it is true that if black kids don't start reading, you have black people who don't know how to read until they are adults, but they've never committed crimes and they didn't turn into degenerates. So why are we leaning this 10 toes down? It really is a fact. Wilmer Leon (29:47): I know some of those people who became very productive individuals and education became very, very important for them because they understood the value of what they didn't have. And they instilled in their children who went on to college and went on to get master's degrees and other advanced degrees, and many of those kids didn't even realize until after they got out of school that their parents couldn't even read. Shantella Sherman (30:13): Many people went to their graves as black people and white people who never learned to read period, but that was not a part of their character. If you can't read, you're automatically going to become a criminal. That's not the way this works. It's not the way it works. So the fact that we bought into this again tells me that we're moving back into these eugenic themes without, it's the popular social eugenics that the average everyday person is just like, yeah, that makes sense. It does not. Wilmer Leon (30:43): It only makes sense if you don't have any sense. So moving into these popular eugenics themes, getting to now the question that I opened the show with, how does the false construct of race and yes, race is a false construct or the real constructs of culture and cultural identity factor into our opposition to or support for a political candidate. And that all centers around, and I'll state the obvious here at right now, the presumed democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, whose father is Jamaican, whose mother is Indian, and she in some circles is considered to be an African-American woman. I've heard her referred to as such. I've also heard her in many current commercials referred to as an Indian-American woman. And I want to stress this is not a judgmental conversation. Shantella Sherman (31:54): No. Wilmer Leon (31:55): Let me throw it to you, Dr. Sherman. Shantella Sherman (31:59): The issue at hand warmer is that however many of those boxes she chooses to check that show diversity or Wilmer Leon (32:06): Check for her Shantella Sherman (32:08): Either way, either way, all of those lend themselves to the greater eugenic conversation, which is she is non-white. Okay, 1924, racial integrity, that act coming out of Virginia said there are only two races. Skip the Monga, Loy Caucusi. We're going to scratch all of that. There are only two races, white and non-white and the fact that she's also female, that's another thing that we have to deal with. Public perception, American public perception, sometimes global public section of what it means to be any of these things or an amalgamation of all of these things. And some people may be offended by the term amalgamation, a mixture. We're all a mixture of a bunch of other things. What does that mean? And so each one of these people who are definitive about whiteness and Americanism and patriotism, they're questioning as they did with Obama citizenship. They're questioning her womanhood at this point. They're questioning as Wilmer Leon (33:15): They did with Michelle Obama. Shantella Sherman (33:17): Exactly. They're questioning. But on this side, how many kids does Kamala have? And then the fact that, Wilmer Leon (33:26): Didn't JD Vance call her a cat woman because she doesn't have any biological children of her own? Shantella Sherman (33:31): What is that exactly? Wilmer Leon (33:34): Wait a minute. I got to mention when I mention his name, we always must say for those who don't know, JD Vance is now Donald Trump's vice presidential nominee. He's the same guy who about three years ago compared Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. So one has to ask the question, how does the guy who three years ago called another guy Adolf Hitler, wind up standing next to that guy as his vice presidential nominee. He didn't even call him Mussolini. He called him Hitler Shantella Sherman (34:07): And pay attention to the fact that when Kamala, Kamala was named as Joe Biden's running mate, once again, I heard the senator call say, okay, now we are going to have aunt your mama in the White House. This woman doesn't look like aunt your mama, no connections whatsoever. But all of a sudden this is what folks are thinking of you in these spaces all along. And so the nastiness of it starts to come out the thing. Wait Wilmer Leon (34:40): A minute, and that takes me to Tiger Woods when he first won the master's tournament and the year after the master's tournament, the winner gets to determine the menu for the player's dinner. And Fuzzy Zeller says, oh, we going to have fried chicken tonight. Shantella Sherman (34:58): Fried chicken and watermelon. Wilmer Leon (35:00): There you go. Shantella Sherman (35:01): Yeah. So again, my question is if we are that removed from the plantation at this point, why are you constantly trying to throw people back onto it? Or these are the only references that you're coming up with when you can clearly see in front of you that this isn't the case, it's the Fair State University, their whole thing, their memorabilia collection that they have of racist items that came up 1870 and moving forward. And it was like while we are saying they're racist, these are the things that keep peace in many white minds. I need an anama salt and pepper shaker. I need an anama cookie jump. I need to put her face on the pancake box. I need to have two little black kids as the icons or the folks that I'm using for gold dust soap powder and for this and for that and for the other. (36:00) And so in researching how labels and emblems and mascots were created, you start to find that when white people feel uncomfortable in this country, they tend to hold onto the things that they did love about black people. And so that hasn't changed. We're going to show Kamala dancing and we're going to show her doing all of these things, loving cats, the things that make white people feel good and feel comfortable and feel wholesome and feel whole. She is a part of our group. And at the same time you have black people who are going, but she's married to someone who's not black. Wilmer Leon (36:40): I was asked that question, I won't mention the woman's name who said to me, Wilmer, why do black men, Hey Kamala Harris. And I said, I don't know that black men do hate Kamala Harris. I haven't seen any data. I said, but let me pose this to you. Why does she hate black men? And it was what I said, well, she didn't marry her brother. And I said, so I'm not equating the fact that she didn't marry a brother to say that she hates black men. I am just posing that as a ridiculous premise to your ridiculous premise and riddle me that and I couldn't get an answer. Shantella Sherman (37:28): No, we are still stuck in an antebellum mindset. Many folks are just still stuck there. And so it doesn't make sense that I can walk into a room and someone is waiting for me to flip some pancakes or am I the cleaning lady? Am I here for any type of servant position? Nothing wrong with servants, but when you visually look at a person and you start to assess them, not my character, not any of these other things, but sight, you're seeing me for the first time. If your reaction is to put me into this particular position, you need to ask yourself why. This is something that as the commander in chief, potential commander in chief of this country, that she's going to have to face down in the same way that President Obama had to. But she's also going to have this added level of this is a female who does not have children and all of these other, she's suspicious to folks. She's suspicious to the nation. And that is simply unfair and it's unfounded, but it's how we do things here a lot of times. Wilmer Leon (38:40): So let's take the other side of this because when she first announced that she wanted to be president in this, after Joe Biden stepped down, the narrative was she's earned it. She deserves it. I think it was Simone Sanders Townsend who was saying, and some of her other surrogates who were saying, what does the Democratic, what problem does the Democratic party have with wanting a black woman at the top of the ticket? It was all about her being an AKA. She went to Howard and she can do the electric slide. We were falling into that same mindset in terms of rallying the troops around her instead of asking the questions, where does she stand on Gaza? What's she going to do about Ukraine? What's her policy on Cop city? Where is she on the George Floyd Act and policy issues? And when we started listing policy issues and wanting her to articulate where she stands on policy, then the question becomes, why are you hating on the sister? Why do you hate black women? No, I don't hate black women. I know that AKAs Howard University and I have two degrees from Howard, so I ain't hating on Howard and being able to do electric slide that ain't going to feed the bulldog. Shantella Sherman (40:16): Well, and the truth of the matter, I don't believe our percentage is 13% still because it's just not fathomable we've been producing. So I'm going to say the black population is country. Let's say it's at about 18% right now. Alright? You still have the whole rest of the country that to some extent mentally and emotionally, you're going to have to reunite in the same way Obama had to reunite them because they had blown apart with even the thought of having a black man in office. Okay, you're going to have to suture us back together. Wilmer Leon (40:54): Donald Trump was the reaction to Barack Obama. Shantella Sherman (40:58): Absolutely. And the belief that even at this point, I still have people saying, Barack Obama is running the White House behind Biden all this time. And I'm going, are you serious? So it doesn't matter the truth. The truth doesn't matter at this point. It's what you feel. And I'm telling people it's not about what you feel. Your feelings don't enter into the facts at this point. Thank you. I need you to start talking about the fact that the housing in this country is so deliberately greedy and ridiculous that working people are living in homeless shelters. All right? I need you to talk. College Wilmer Leon (41:33): Professors in California are living in their cars. Shantella Sherman (41:38): I need you. And this is across the country and quite frankly across the globe. So I need you to talk to me about investing and divesting in certain things. I need to know where Kamala stands on certain things. I haven't really heard. I don't know what her platform is on certain things. I would love to have someone talk to her rather than having Megan thee stallion up dancing with her. I don't care about that. I don't want to hear about that right now. You're telling me people are blowing me up about Project 2025, which by the way is nothing but the NATO group and some other folks from 1925 still trying so much conservative policy. This isn't new. Wilmer Leon (42:14): It's not new. It's called New Gingrich's Contract with America. Shantella Sherman (42:18): Thank you. Nothing on that list is new. Nothing on it is new. So it's like even if it were true, and I understand that a lot of it is not true. It wasn't in the 880 page document that most people haven't read. When I started sifting through it, it was like that didn't happen. That's not in the document. That's not there. These are proposals. And do you know how many think tanks put out proposals every time there's about to be a change of leadership? So it's like don't get up in arms. This is something that we always face. But in the meantime, can you tell me where if this were something that was about to take place, where are your local leaders positioned on this? Because we got Biden in office right now, but you still can't afford to get a bag of potato chips for less than $4 or $5 right now. What is going on with the cost of living and the American dream? Why are you having corporations buying up housing so that the average person can't afford 'em? Wilmer Leon (43:10): BlackRock, Shantella Sherman (43:12): Help me out. Wilmer Leon (43:14): People don't understand that As a result of the Covid crisis and the mortgage crisis and all of these homes that people were put out of BlackRock and other venture capitalist companies were buying up the housing stock and they weren't putting the housing stock back on the market for sale. They were putting the housing stock back on the market for rent. Absolutely Shantella Sherman (43:45): For rent. And if you're charging, there's nothing, I'm going to say it on the record, there's nothing inside Washington DC that's worth $5,000 a month as a two bedroom apartment. Nothing. Nowhere in this city is it worth it. But those are the going rates. And so we can look at this. Go ahead, I'm Wilmer Leon (44:02): Sorry. And as Vice President Harris is on the stump saying, Donald Trump is a convicted felon. And as a former prosecutor, I know how to deal with felons. I know that personality well, when you had Steve Mnuchin in your sights when he was the bankster in California and your staff brought you a thousand felonies committed by the man, you didn't pursue the case against Steve Mnuchin who wound up being our Secretary of Treasury under Donald Trump. So don't hate Malcolm said, when my telling you the truth makes you angry, don't get angry at me. Get angry at the truth. I don't do the electric slide. I'm not an A KAI am in the divine nine, but I don't do that. And so those things don't matter to me, Dr. Sherman, Shantella Sherman (45:00): It's going to have to matter to us what the policies and standpoints are that Kamala Harris brings to the table. I just want to know her positions on things. I have the lesser of two evils true as it appears, and I believe she would make a wonderful president, but I would love to know where she stands on all of these issues that are also international issues that are also, I've been trying to get someone from the state of California, a representative, and I don't have to call the person's name to talk to me about the sterilizations that are being forced on black and Spanish women inside California penitentiaries for the last eight years. And I can't get a callback. So I want you to understand that it's not about blackness. It's about I need you to make sure that my American dream isn't a nightmare, that you get to blame on Donald Trump or anybody else. We have black elected officials. We're not holding anyone accountable and we're not holding them accountable from the moment we elect them. You're not asking the proper questions, and so you Wilmer Leon (46:04): Won't get the right answer. Shantella Sherman (46:06): I want Kamala Harris to win. I put on the T-shirt, all of that. But in the meantime, I want to know where she stands on some things that impact my quality of life and the quality of life for the folks who are around me. I've crossed 50 years old at this point, so I'm trying to figure out if I had to go lay down and retire somewhere, is there a patch of dirt in the woods for me that you want going to then come through and arrest me for being homeless on and lock me up for it? That's a reality. They're locking up homeless people. It's their laws in certain states now. And these states have black representatives. No one's talking about this. We are talking about the suits that people are wearing and their connections and affiliations with other things that don't benefit us at the moment. Wilmer Leon (46:51): And rappers Shantella Sherman (46:52): Well, and just while you dancing, when it comes time to pick your kid up from the daycare center, are you going to find out that they've raised the rates? So you got to pay $3,500 a month for the kid to go to the daycare? Wilmer Leon (47:04): And two things. One is we keep hearing that we can't afford to provide quality daycare to people across the country, but we can send a trillion dollars to Ukraine. See, budgets are numeric representations of priority. Shantella Sherman (47:26): And also add to that, even if we didn't have the money, we had the consciousness, we had the heart to say that the grandmother in the neighborhood who was opening her home should still be able to do that without being licensed to a point where she has to pay $2,500 to the city and go to a class for eight. She raised 10 kids and 15 grandkids. She knows what she's doing. You've kept us from being able to have that communal space. Now that's not just, I want some money that's being vindictive. You're setting up the parameters, the variables that are going to lend to the things that you're talking about as black people and poor people. You're creating poverty. That's what you're doing right now. Wilmer Leon (48:11): Norway can do it, Finland can do it. Denmark can do it. They're doing it. Shantella Sherman (48:19): Anyone who is for their citizens can and will do it. The difference here is that we're not working together. We've always been fighting against each other. It's the infighting. I want my kids to be able to have it, but not your kids. I don't want immigrant kids. I don't want my kids around the Spanish kids. They're going to learn Spanish and it's too many of 'em and they're undocumented and they can have diseases, and I don't know what they're into. Well, the same thing was said about black people coming into white spaces. So if we're going to do America, we got to do America for everyone, and we got to make sure that these policies don't hurt this person in order to make me feel better. And in the long run, end up hurting me as well. Wilmer Leon (48:58): My current piece is you're with her, but is she with you? And the premise of the piece is, and I say this in the piece, it's not about her. It's about us. And what are we going to demand of her relative to us? Because that's what policy politics is all about. It's about policy output. It's not about the Divine nine and Howard University and the electric slide. It's about policy output. She went to the Cara comm meeting as vice president and try to convince the leaders of those Caribbean nations to be the minstrel face on American imperialism to invade Haiti. How does a black woman whose father is from Jamaica believe that our invading Haiti is a good idea? She didn't go alone. She went with Hakeem Jeffries and some other folks, Linda Thomas Greenfield. How do these black people, how do these black people buy into imperialist, neo-colonial policies like that? And so I make that to take us back to the eugenics question and the identity Shantella Sherman (50:26): Question, and I'll throw that to you because it's all about the fitness of the individual person or the group. And so Haiti has always been the bastard black child that even black folks don't want to claim a small minority of black folks always down for Haiti, always. I'm there with you. But there are all these people who are still, you want to glamorize Africa, but you won't set foot there. You want to go to Africa, but you don't want to stay there. You don't understand the politics, the culture, the language, the faith, none of it. But since it's been tagged onto you as African-American, you claim it. But again, when you get down to it, we still have eugenic thoughts as black people about who is fit and unfit, who is worthy, who is unworthy. And it's about nothing related to character. It is about nothing related to morality or how people handle you or them being good people. (51:27) It's all about the same things that white people use the litmus test to define you. And so we cannot get away from that as easily as we think and things like this. When we get into a space like this, it magnifies it and we start to see ourselves and it does not look good. It doesn't look good on us at all. Haiti, poor black people, folks living in the projects historically by colleges and universities, not the elite eight, the big eight, but the rest of 'em, the ones that we don't really want to talk about this in them other states that we don't want to deal with, alright? We don't want to deal with that. There are things that we need to discuss to make sure that HBCUs and the Divine Nine still exists. If the federal government starts pulling money back. We've had the heirs desegregation case. (52:20) We've had a similar case in Maryland where basically HBCUs are being said to be anti-white at this point. And in order to get the money that these HBCUs won for having been discriminated against with funding, it's being said, in order to get the money, you now have to have five to 10% of your student population be minority. That minority has to be white. So now you are giving free education to white students in order to get the money that's owed to you from having been discriminated against in the first place. You have to understand in street terms, we've been in a trick bag for a minute, right? And we need to stop playing games. It's late in the day. You need to heal your line. Alright, I'm going back to Hurston. Heal your line. You need to understand that you're about to get caught up in the very trap that you've been setting and you're not paying attention. You're simply not paying attention. We haven't been paying our alumni fees like we're supposed to. Our schools are still dependent on federal government funding and state funding. We are not standing alone. So we need to make sure that our leadership also understands that, that we need to have practical solutions and policies so that we're not reacting to things, but literally charting a course and setting it and staying on that course. Wilmer Leon (53:44): What are you demanding? And two things to your point about funding and HBCUs, the HBCUs in Maryland won a case against the Maryland government for not properly funding those HBCUs. As the state had funded, the predominantly white institutions went all the way to Maryland Supreme Court and the schools won. The Republican governor, Larry Hogan refused to give them the money that the court awarded and forced those institutions to negotiate a lower number. I don't remember what the numbers were off the top of my head, but Shantella Sherman (54:33): What? Yes, sir. What again? The exact same thing happened in Mississippi. And that's why I said that was the heirs desegregation case. And it was the exact same thing. The money that came down to fund the Mississippi schools, they gave the HBCUs less money when they disseminated. And it was like, okay, Mississippi won the HBCUs won the case, but the content, the little fine print said, we are going to give you the money, but now you are required at this point to add 10% of your population needs to be minority on a black campus that's not black students. And they said, we can pull in some Africans and some people that still fit. No, you need to have some white students on this campus now. So that was the quote. That's how they got around it. And it was like, wow, these are the nasty tricks that I'm talking about. And so if it happened in Mississippi and it's happened in Maryland, where else is this happening? Can I get leadership to understand this is how you tie black hands behind the backs of citizens that actually want to go to school. Wilmer Leon (55:45): Final thing, symbolism. And again, I'm getting back to ethnicity and cultural identity as it relates to Vice President Harris. And I'm not picking on her, she just is the poster child of this in the moment because there's an awful lot of symbolism that is being used here. And again, they rather be symbolic than talk about substantive policy output. Shantella Sherman (56:22): The symbolism goes to the heart of the nation. Whose nation is it? Whose America is it that's which one of the presidents? Wilmer Leon (56:39): Well, you mean we want, we want, oh Shantella Sherman (56:41): No, no, Coolidge, Calvin Coolidge. Okay, whose country is it anyway? And so you literally, you're having white Americans say, this is ours and we've allowed you to be here, Wilmer Leon (56:56): Tom Tancredo, and we want, and the Tea Party, which was the precursor to Donald Trump. We want our country back. Shantella Sherman (57:06): So again, but how have you lost it? Wilmer Leon (57:09): Who has it? Because I don't have it. Tom Tan credo. If you're listening, if you're watching, I don't have your country. Shantella Sherman (57:18): And again, so that's how you start again. You're going to see an explosion of language about women having babies and birth control and all this. And again, it's this. They're having natal conferences once or twice a year where people are talking about we need to get the country back. And getting the country back means we need white women to have babies and they're not having them. And so based on that alone, any white female who's out here supporting Donald Trump and all of these policies, they don't necessarily understand what you're about to do is send yourself back into the house because there's a good white man that needs the job that you're sitting in. You need to be producing babies bottom line. And if you're not, you serve no purpose. Now to the nation, that is a Hitler esque thing, but Hitler got it from us. So that is a Francis Galton thing. Wilmer Leon (58:11): In fact, thank you very much because you and I had talked about that Francis Galton father of modern eugenics, there's a book Control the Dark History and troubling present of Eugenics just by Adam Rutherford. Talk about Francis Galton and talk about Adam Rutherford's book. Shantella Sherman (58:32): Just the idea First Rutherford's book is an amazing examination. I think that it's something that pulls together a lot of the research from different spaces and different years and to synthesize it the way he has it makes it make sense to the average person, which is critical at this point. It's not talking above folks head. So you get to the critical analysis of we need these birthing numbers. Statisticians started coming in and Galton is right here in the middle of this. And you have the eugenics record office who are literally charting birth rates and they're trying to figure out with immigration, emancipated black people. And then you end up with Chinese people and all these other folks that are coming in. And then you start having women who decide they're not going to stay at home. These rates matter and they have mattered for the last 150 years because whoever has the birth numbers, when we start talking politics, these are voting blocks. (59:32) And if I can put you under duress, if I can incarcerate you and then tell you based on the fact that you're in prison, you are no longer a citizen, so you are not able to vote because you have a felony charge. That is a reality for those black men who are huddled in prisons. But the other part of that reality is that because during the reproductive height of their lives, they're in prison, it means that they're not reproducing children. And so there's a duality to having black men and Spanish men and locked into these prisons and degenerate white men. We don't want babies from them anyway. Wilmer Leon (01:00:08): And the fastest growing cohort in prisons are women. Shantella Sherman (01:00:13): And when the women go into the prisons, they are automatically taken before what used to be the sterilization board. They're given a physical examination. If you're a black woman, a Spanish woman, and you have fibroids, they're going to tell you, we're not going to manage your fibroids while you're here. We're just going to recommend that you have a hysterectomy. Or they may not even tell you. So great documentary Belly of the Beast looks at the California state Penitentiary system and they're just ad hoc deciding to sterilize black and Spanish women without their consent and without their knowledge because they said, once we open you up, it's easier just to go ahead and snip you than to worry about having to pay for your children, either ending up in prison, being slow and retarded mentally having to go to special schools or having to pay through the welfare system because they're not normal. Because you're not normal. You're breeding criminals. And so we have to look at these things. I think Rutherford did a great job, but Galton has been talking about, he started talking about this when he coined the phrase, we were already talking about this and the black bodies on plantations started this whole, let's check the women's bodies and see what they can manage and hold as far as their fecundity, as far as they're being able to breed the next crop of Americans. Wilmer Leon (01:01:28): Are those eugenic practices relative to women of color in California? Prisons still going on as you and I are speaking right now. Shantella Sherman (01:01:38): Absolutely. Wilmer Leon (01:01:40): So our vice president, Kamala Harris, who is the presumptive Democratic Party nominee is from Berkeley, was the DA in San Francisco, was the attorney general in the state of California, was the senator from California. I haven't heard anybody ask her this question. Shantella Sherman (01:02:05): I have not heard anyone ask Wilmer Leon (01:02:10): Anybody Shantella Sherman (01:02:10): Elected official. You've only had the Congressman Ell from North Carolina who got reparations for folks who had been sterilized, many of them black in North Carolina. He's since passed away. Virginia asked that people come forward if they had been sterilized, but people couldn't come forward because they didn't know they'd been sterilized. You took them in and told them that they had an appendicitis. So they didn't know that the reason why they didn't produce children is because when they went into the hospital, you decided to do a hook and crook on 'em. They didn't know. So based on just that information, you have very few people in the state of Virginia to come forward and to receive the money. California is now offering some reparations to folks. But if you're in those penal systems, it's still going on. You don't have control over your body. Wilmer Leon (01:03:08): And I want to be very clear to say, I'm not for those that just heard me ask that question and Wilmer, why are you blaming her for this? I'm not. I'm saying I haven't heard anyone ask her this question again because it's not about her. It's about us. And what are we as a political constituency? What are we going to do? What are we going to demand? What are we going to get if we are responsible for putting her in office, which everybody says Democrats can't win without black people. Speaker 4 (01:03:55): Okay, Wilmer Leon (01:03:56): All right. Speaker 4 (01:04:00): Again, I think that she would make an amazing president again. I simply want to know what her policies are. I want to know how she's going to fight against and how she's sizing up her time in office. And that's what I want to hear from her. That's it. Wilmer Leon (01:04:19): Dr. Chantel Sherman, I am so appreciative of you joining me today, as always, dear. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, Speaker 4 (01:04:27): Thank you. Anytime, Wilmer Leon (01:04:29): Folks, thank you all so much for listening and watching the Connecting the Dots podcast with me, Dr. Wilmer Leon, and my brilliant, brilliant friend and guest, Dr. Chantel Sherman. Stay tuned for new episodes each week. Also, please follow and subscribe. Leave a review, share the show, would greatly, greatly appreciate it. Follow me on social media. You can find all the links below to the show there. And remember, folks, that this is where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge talk without analysis is just chatter. And you can tell by this, we don't chatter on connecting the dots. See you all again next time. Until then, I am Dr. Wier Leon. Have a great one. Peace.
In this episode of the NAF Adam talks with Claire about what Strength and Conditioning means, some of its benefits and limitations in MSK rehab, and some thoughts on the recent kickback by some therapists against it. We also find out what Octo-push is and if you can be a basketball player at 5 foot 7 Claire can be found on Twitter/X here and on Instagram here Her website can be found here
Octo Åeterna joins us with a live recording of his DJ Set from Onyro Methods night at Espacio Perpendicular located in Madrid, Spain in February of this year. Expect a somewhat eclectic set which Octo himself defines as “A breakfast in DUB”. A session made from 10am to 1pm of experimental beats for a 3 hours long trip going from different intentionality's and emotions but at the same time, with a core sound thats the conductor element of the session. Follow : https://soundcloud.com/octoaeterna https://www.instagram.com/octoaeterna/ https://www.facebook.com/octoaeterna https://www.instagram.com/onyro.methods https://www.instagram.com/espacio.perpendicular
Victoria Guido hosts Robbie Holmes, the founder and CEO of Holmes Consulting Group. The conversation kicks off with Robbie recounting his initial foray into the tech world at a small web hosting company named A1 Terabit.net, chosen for its alphabetical advantage in the white pages. This job was a stepping stone to a more significant role at Unisys, working for the state of New York's Department of Social Services, where Robbie inadvertently ventured into civic tech and public interest technology. Robbie shares his career progression from supporting welfare systems in New York to becoming a technological liaison between the city and state, leading to a deeper involvement in open-source solutions. His journey through tech spaces includes developing websites, diving into the Drupal community, and eventually establishing his consulting business. Robbie emphasizes the serendipitous nature of his career path, influenced significantly by community involvement and networking rather than a planned trajectory. Additionally, Robbie gives insights on the impact of technology in public services and his stint with the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), where he contributed to significant projects like vets.gov. Robbie promotes the value of community engagement in shaping one's career, stressing how connections and being in the right place at the right time can lead to unexpected opportunities and career pivots. Follow Robbie Holmes on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbiethegeek/), X (https://twitter.com/RobbieTheGeek), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/robbiethegeek), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/robbiethegeek), or GitHub (https://github.com/robbiethegeek). Check out his website at robbiethegeek (https://about.me/robbiethegeek). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Transcript: VICTORIA: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Victoria Guido. And with me today is Robbie Holmes, Founder and CEO of Holmes Consulting Group. Robbie, thank you for joining me. ROBBIE: I'm so happy to be here. It's great to talk to you, Victoria. VICTORIA: Yes. I have known you for a long time now, but I don't know everything about you. So, I thought I would start with the question: What was your first job that you ever had? ROBBIE: My first technical job, I ended up working for an internet web hosting company called A1 Terabit.net. And note the A1 because it came first in the white pages. It was a really small web hosting company run by a man named [SP] Maxim Avrutsky. I worked there for about six months before I submitted my resume to an online job forum. That's how old I am. And it ended up in the hands of Unisys, where I eventually worked for the state of New York. VICTORIA: Wow [laughs]. So, what a journey that you've been on to get from starting there, and what a marketing ploy back in the day with the white pages. So, tell me a little bit more about how you went from that first job to where you are today with having your own business in consulting. ROBBIE: Yeah, I wasn't even aware that I was jumping into the sort of civic tech space and public interest technology because the job I ended up with was working for New York State in the Department of Social Services. And welfare is federally funded and distributed to states and then states to localities. And New York City and New York State have a weird parasymbiotic relationship because over 50% of the welfare in New York State goes to the five boroughs in New York City. So, so much of my job was supporting the welfare system within the city, which was run by the human resources administration. So, that just led to this cascade of me, like, getting invested in supporting that, and then eventually jumping over to the other side where I worked for the City of New York. And at that point, I ended up becoming sort of a technology project manager and almost a tech liaison between the city and state. And I was out in the welfare centers, helping get the job centers up to a new application called the Paperless Office System, which was a client-server app that was a wrapper around welfare. All of that ended up leading to me finally making it to the network operation center for the City of New York, where I started replacing expensive solutions like HP OpenView with open-source solutions like Nagios and another open-source solution that provided an interface. And it really opened my eyes to the idea of open source. And I had really paid attention to a lot of open-source operating systems. So, I was kind of just a general tech nerd. And eventually, I started building websites, and that led me to the Drupal community in New York City, which was sort of this cascade that led me to communities. And I think that's sort of a through line for my entire career is I don't really think I ever had a plan. I think my entire career has been this sort of a lucky happenstance of being prepared when an opportunity arose and sometimes being in the right place because of my connections and community. VICTORIA: That's interesting about being involved with the people around you and seeing what problems are out there to solve and letting that lead you to where your interests lie. And then, following that, naturally led you to, like, this really long career and these really interesting, big projects and problems that you get to solve. ROBBIE: Yeah. And I think one interesting aspect is like, I feel I spent a lot of time worried about what I was going to do and where I was going to do it. I don't have a bachelor's degree. I don't have an advanced degree. I have a high school diploma and a couple of years in college. Well, 137 credits, not the right 125 or 124 to have a bachelor's degree. I have enough credits for a couple of minors though, definitely Greek art history, I think mathematics, maybe one more. I just never got it together and actually got my degree. But that was so interesting because it was limiting to what jobs I could find. So, I was in the tech space as an IT person and specifically doing networking. So, I was running the network operation center. I helped, like, create a whole process for how we track tickets, and how we created tickets, and how things were moved along. And, in the process, I started building websites for family and friends. And I built a website for our network operation center, so that way we could have photos to go with our diagrams of the network. So that way, when we were troubleshooting remotely, we could actually pull up images and say, "The cable that's in port six goes off to the router. I think that port is dead. Can we move it to the port two to its right, and I'll activate it?" And that made a really interesting solution for something we weren't even aware we had, which was lack of visibility. So many of the people in the fields were newer or were trying to figure it out. And some of us had really deep knowledge of what was going on in those network rooms and hubs. It led me to this solution of like, well, why don't we just start documenting it and making it easier for us to help when they're in the field? That led me to, like, the Drupal community because I started building sites in the Drupal CMS. And I went to, like, my first Drupal meetup in 2007, and there was, like, five of us around the table. That led to eventually me working for Sony Music and all these other things. But the year before I found my way to the Drupal community, I probably sent out, like, 400 resumes for jobs in the tech space, didn't really get any callbacks. And then, I met the community, and I started attending events, and then eventually, I started organizing events. And then, Sony I interviewed and talked to them a couple of times. And then, a friend of mine became the boss. And she contacted me and was like, "Hey, are you in the market?" And I was like, "I don't know. Why? What's up?" And she's like, "I became Doug." And I was like, "What?" And she was like, "I'm now replacing Doug at Sony. I'm running the team." And I was like, "Yeah, I'm happy to talk." And that was the big transition in my career from IT to sort of development and to delivery, right? Like, when it comes right down to it, is I became the manager of interactive media at Sony Music, which was really a job I landed because I was connected to the community, and running events, and getting to know everyone. VICTORIA: Yeah. And I think it's really cool that you had this exposure early on to what you called civic tech, which we'll get into a little bit, and then you went from the community into a commercial technology space and really getting into engineering with Drupal. ROBBIE: Yeah, it was an interesting transition because what they needed at Sony was sort of somebody who could ride the line between systems engineer, database administrator, and Drupal engineer, and also probably pre-DevOps DevOps person. So, I was responsible for all deployments and all tickets that came in. I was sort of both the technical arm of the help desk. When I joined, there was 24 websites on the Drupal platform, and when I left, there was over 200. And we upgraded it from Drupal 5 to Drupal 6 to Drupal 7 while I was there. So, I was heavily involved in all of those updates, and all those upgrades, and all of the deployments of all the new themes, and all the changes to all these sites. So, what was great was they, I believe, if I understand it correctly, they actually created a role for me out of, like, two or three jobs because they needed a me, and they didn't have a role that existed. So, all of a sudden, they made a manager of interactive media role. And I was able to work there for two years, sort of being what I jokingly say, like, a digital janitor. I used to say that I had, like, an eight-bit key ring in a push broom. And I was always mad at your kids for trying to break my stuff. VICTORIA: [laughs] That's so good. A digital service janitor [laughs]? The connection for me between that and where I met you in the U.S. digital service space [laughs] I feel like there's a lot of parallels between that and where your career evolved later on in life. ROBBIE: Yeah. What's amazing is I did all this early work in my career in civic tech and didn't realize it was civic tech at the time. I just realized what I was doing was providing this huge impact and was value. You know, I spent a couple of years in the welfare centers, and I used to say all the time that the two hardest jobs in the welfare center are the person applying for welfare and the person deciding whether or not that person gets welfare. So, being a technologist and trying to help make that as simple as possible or easier and smooth the edges off of that process was really important. And it really taught me how important technology is to delivering service. And I really never thought about it before. And then, when I was working for Phase2 technologies, I was a director of Digital Services. And I read in a blog post, I believe that was written by Mikey Dickerson, who was the original administrator for USDS, and he talked about HealthCare.gov. And he walked in the door, and he said, "How do you know HealthCare.gov is down?" And I think there was some allusion to the fact that we were like, we turn on the television and if they're yelling at us, we know it's down. And Mikey was like, "We know how to monitor things." So, like, if you don't know Mikey Dickerson, he's the person who sort of created the web application hierarchy of needs in Google. He was an SRE. And his pyramid, like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, was all over Google when I was there. I was so impressed with the idea that, like, we aren't talking about how do we solve this problem? We're talking about knowing when there's a problem. And then, if we know there's a problem, we can put some messaging around that. We can say, like, "We're aware," right? Like if the president calls the secretary, the secretary can say, "We know it's down. We're working on it," which is building up political capital. It's a really amazing process that I kept reading this blog post, and I was like, God, that's how I would approach it. And then, I was like, wow, I wonder if I could use my skills to help America, and very shortly submitted an application and was like, well, we'll see what happens. And about six months later, I walked in the door at the VA and was the eighth employee of the Digital Service team at the VA. That was a franchise team of the USDS model. VICTORIA: And can you say a little bit more about what is the U.S. Digital Service and expand upon your early experience there? ROBBIE: Yeah. So, the United States Digital Service was created after HealthCare.gov had its issues. Todd Park had convinced President Obama to reach out to get support from the private industry. And the few of the people who were there, Todd convinced to stick around and start creating a team that could support if there was this kind of issue in the future. I believe the team that was there on the ground was Mikey Dickerson, Erie Meyer, Haley Van Dyck, and Todd. And there was a few other people who came back or were very close at the beginning, including the current administrator of USDS. She has been around a long time and really helped with HealthCare.gov. It's amazing that Mina is back in government. We're very lucky to have her. But what came out of that was what if we were able to stand up a team that was here in case agencies needed support or could vet solutions before these types of problems could exist? So, USDS was what they called the startup inside the White House that was created during the 2014 administration of President Obama. The team started that year, and I joined in May of 2016. So, I would be, like, sort of the beginning of the second team of the VA U.S. Digital Service team. So, USDS supported this idea of tours of duty, where you're a schedule A employee, which meant you were a full-time government employee, but you were term-limited. You could do up to two years of duty and work, and then you could theoretically stick around and do two more years. That was how these roles were envisioned. I think there's lots of reasons why that was the case. But what's nice is it meant that you would come in with fresh eyes and would never become part of the entrenched IT ecosystem. There are people that transition from USDS into government, and I think that's a huge value prop nowadays. It's something that I don't know they were thinking about when the original United States Digital Service was stood up, but it was hugely impactful. Like, I was part of the team at the VA that helped digitize the first form on vets.gov and all the work that was done. When the VA team started, there was a team that was helping with veteran benefits, and they worked on the appeals process for veteran benefits. And I joined. And there was a team that was...eventually, it became dubbed the veteran-facing tools team. And we worked on vets.gov, which was a new front door to expose and let veterans interact with the VA digitally. And over time, all the work that went into the tools and the solutions that were built there, everything was user-researched. And all of that work eventually got brought into VA.gov in what they called a brand merger. So, we took, like, the sixth most trafficked front door of the VA and took all the modern solutioning that that was and brought it into VA.gov, the main front door. So, all of a sudden, there was an identity, a login provided on VA.gov for the first time. So big, impactful work that many people were a part of and is still ongoing today. Surprisingly, so much of this work has now fallen under OCTO, which is the Office of the CTO in the VA. And the CTO is Charles Worthington, who was a USDSer who's the epitome of a person who goes where the work is. Charles was a Presidential Innovation Fellow who helped out in the times of HealthCare.gov and, joined USDS and did anything and everything that was necessary. He interviewed engineers. He was a product person. Charles is one of the most unique technologists and civic tech people I've ever met in my life. But Charles, at the end of the Obama administration and in this transition, realized that the VA was in need of someone to fill the CTO role. So, he came over to become the interim CTO because one of the values of USDS is to go where the work is. And he realized, with the transition, that Marina Nitze, who was the CTO who was transitioning out, there was going to be a need for continuity. So, he came in to provide that continuity and eventually became the full-time CTO and has been there ever since. So, he has helped shape the vision of what the VA is working towards digitally and is now...he was just named the Chief AI Officer for the agency. Charles is a great person. He has successfully, you know, shepherded the work that was being done early by some of us into what is now becoming a sort of enterprise-wide solution, and it's really impressive. VICTORIA: I appreciate you sharing that. And, you know, I think there's a perception about working for public service or for government, state or federal agencies, that they are bureaucratic, difficult to work with, very slow. And I think that the USDS was a great example of trying to really create a massive change. And there's been this ripple effect of how the government acquires products and services to support public needs, right? ROBBIE: Yeah, I would say there's a couple of arms of the government that were sort of modernization approaches, so you have the Presidential Innovation Fellows, which are the equivalent of, like, entrepreneurs and residents in government. And they run out of...I think they're out of the TTS, the Technology Transformation Service over at GSA, which is the General Services Administration. But the PIFs are this really interesting group of people that get a chance to go in and try to dig in and use their entrepreneurial mindset and approach to try to solve problems in government. And a lot of PIFS work in offices. Like, Charles' early team when he first became the CTO included a lot of Presidential Innovation Fellows. It was basically like, "Hey, the VA could use some support," and these people were available and were able to be convinced to come and do this work. And then, you have the Presidential Management Fellows, which I think is a little bit more on the administration side. And then, we have 18F and USDS. The United States Digital Service is a funded agency with an OMB. And we were created as a way to provide the government with support either by detailing people over or dropping in when there was a problem. And then, 18F is an organization that is named because the offices of GSA and TTS (Technology Transformation Service), where it's housed, are on the corner of 18th Street and F in DC. And 18F is sort of like having a technology or a digital agency for hire within the government. So, they are full-time employees of the government, sort of like USDS, except government agencies can procure the support of that 18F team, just like they would procure the support of your company. And it was a really interesting play. They are fully cost-recoupable subcomponent of TTS, which means they have to basically make back all the money that they spend, whereas USDS is different. It's congressionally funded for what it does. But they're all similar sibling organizations that are all trying to change how government works or to bring a more modern idea or parlance into the government. I used to say to people all the time that at USDS, you know, we would set a broken bone say, and then we would come back around and say, like, "Hey, does your arm hurt anymore?" The idea being like, no. Be like, "Cool, cool. Maybe you should go to the gym, and you should eat better." And that would be, like, procurement change. That would be, like, changing for the long term. So, all the work I was doing was building political capital so we could do better work in changing how procurement was done and then changing how the government delivered these things. So, what was awesome was, like, we used to have these fights at USDS about whether or not we were a culture change or we were firefighters. And I think the reality is once we're involved, culture changes happen. The bigger question is, are we going to be there for the long haul, or are we only there for a shorter period of time? And I think there are reasons why USDS teams had both plays. And I think it really is just two different plays for the same outcome. VICTORIA: Yeah, that makes sense. And to pivot a little bit, I think, you know, our audience, we have clients and listeners who are founders of products that are aimed at making these, like, public service needs, or to give some examples, like, maybe they're trying to track Congressional voting patterns or contact information for different state representatives, and they're trying to navigate this space [laughs]. So, maybe you can give some advice for founders interested in selling their products to government agencies. What can they do to make it more appealing and less painful for themselves? ROBBIE: I wouldn't consider myself a procurement expert, but at USDS, the procurement team called themselves the [SP] procurementati. And I was a secret member of the procurementati. I often was the engineer they would call to evaluate statements of work or sometimes be on technology evaluation panels. And it was fun to be a part of that. Things that most companies don't realize is government agencies will put out things like request for information or sources sought in the government space. And this is a way for industry to influence how government tries to solve problems. If you are trying to go after government work and you're only responding to an RFP, you're probably behind in your influence that you could have on the type of work. So, you'll see if a procurement seems to be, like, specifically focused on an approach, or a technology, or a framework, it's probably because some companies have come through and said, "I think this would probably solve your problem," and they gave examples. So, that's one way to be more connected to what's going on is to follow those types of requests. Another is to follow the money. My wife is this amazing woman who helped write The Data Act and get it passed through government. And The Data Act is the Data and Transparency Act. And that led to her heading over to treasury and leading up a team that built USAspending.gov. So, there is a website that tracks every dollar, with some exceptions, of the funding that comes out of Congress every year. And what's great is you can track it down to where it's spent, and how it's spent, and things like that. For education purposes, I think that is a really good thing that business and growth people can focus on is try to see and target where competitors or where solutions that you've looked at have gone in the past. It's just a good set of data for you to take a look at. The other piece is if you're creating a solution that is a delivery or a deliverable, like a SaaS solution, in order for something to be utilized in the government, it probably needs to be FedRAMP-approved, which is a process by which security approvals have been given so that government agencies have the green light to utilize your solution. So, there's tons of documentation out there about FedRAMP and the FedRAMP approval process. But that is one of those things that becomes a very big stopping point for product companies that are trying to work in the government. The easiest way to work your way through that is to read up on it a bunch, but also find an agency that was probably willing to sponsor you getting FedRAMP approval. Most companies start working with a government agency, get an exemption for them to utilize your product, and then you get to shape what that FedRAMP process looks like. You start applying for it, and then you have to have some sort of person who's helping shepherd it for you internally in the government and accepting any issues that come along in the process. So, I guess FedRAMP approval is one that's a little complicated but would be worth looking into if you were planning on delivering a product in government. VICTORIA: Right. And does that apply to state governments as well? ROBBIE: So, lots of state-related and city and locality-related governments will actually adopt federal solutions or federal paradigms. So, I think in the state of California, I think FedRAMP as one of the guiding principles for accepting work into the state of California, so it's not consistent. There's not a one-to-one that every state, or every city, or every locality will pull this in. But if you are already approved to be a federal contractor, or a federal business, or a federal product, it's probably going to be easier to make your way into the local spaces also. VICTORIA: Right. And as you said, there's plenty of resources, and tools, and everything to help you go along that journey if that's the group you're going for [laughs]. Mid-Roll Ad: When starting a new project, we understand that you want to make the right choices in technology, features, and investment but that you don't have all year to do extended research. In just a few weeks, thoughtbot's Discovery Sprints deliver a user-centered product journey, a clickable prototype or Proof of Concept, and key market insights from focused user research. We'll help you to identify the primary user flow, decide which framework should be used to bring it to life, and set a firm estimate on future development efforts. Maximize impact and minimize risk with a validated roadmap for your new product. Get started at: tbot.io/sprint. VICTORIA: So, kind of bringing it back to you, like, you're saying you want those partnerships within the government. You want someone advocating for you or for your product or your service. Drawing that back to what you said earlier about community, like, how do you form a community with this group of people who are in the state, or federal government, or civic tech spaces? ROBBIE: Yeah, I think it's an interesting problem because so much of it feels impenetrable from the outside. Most people don't even know where to start. There are organizations out there that are pretty good community connections, an example I would give is ACT-IAC. It is a public-private partnership where people from within the government, experts in their fields, and people in the private industry who are experts in their fields will be together on community boards and engaging in panels. And so, it's a really nice way to start connecting those dots. I have no direct affiliation with ACT-IAC. But if they'd like to give me my own account, that would be great. But it is one of those organizations I've seen be successful for people trying to find their way into a community that is a little harder to find. I think, also, so much of the community engagement happens at conferences and around...so, like, if you're in the healthcare space, this last month, you've had multiple conferences that I think were really great for people to get to know one another, you know, an example is ViVE. It just happened out in LA, which is a little more on the private sector health space, but still, government agencies were there. I know that the Department of Veterans Affairs had people there and were on panels. And then, HIMSS is another conference that takes place, and that just took place down in Miami. And in Miami, HIMSS happened and a whole bunch of other social community events took place. So, I'm close with a thing called the Digital Services Coalition, which is 47 companies that all try to deliver good government based on the Digital Services Playbook that was created by USDS that lives at playbook.cio.gov and the way that they try to accomplish this work. And that organization, while they were in Miami, hosted a happy hour. So, there's a lot of connections that can be made once you start seeing the players and getting to know who's around. So, it's a little bit about trying to find your way to that first event, and I think that will really open up everything for you. Within a week or two, I was at an International Women's Day event at MetroStar, which is a really great company that I've gotten a chance to spend some time with. And then, I was at an event for the Digital Services Coalition talking about open source in government. So, there's a lot of stuff out there for you to be a part of that isn't super cost-prohibitive and also doesn't take a lot once you start to open the door. You know, once you peek around that corner and you find some people, there's a lot more to be done. VICTORIA: Yeah. And you touched on something at the end there that wants me to bring up some of the advantages you can have being a small business, a minority-owned business, or woman-owned business, or veteran-owned business, so thinking about how you can form those connections, especially if you have one of those socio and economic set-asides that you might want to consider if they're looking to work with the government as well. ROBBIE: Yeah. Those socioeconomic set-asides include small businesses, woman-owned small business. I think it's Native and Alaskan 8(a), which is historically underrepresented and service-disabled veteran-owned. So, there are also sub-communities of associations, like there's the Digital WOSB, the digital Women-Owned Small Business alliance that was founded by Jess Morris from Pluribus Digital, and a bunch of other companies in the Digital Services Coalition. I believe she's the president of the Digital WOSB right now. That is a sub-community of women-owned small businesses that are trying to connect and create a community that they can support one another. And that's just one example of the type of connection you can make through those types of socioeconomic set-asides. But once you have those official socioeconomic set-asides, it will allow you to get specific contracts engagements in the government that are not allowed or available for others. So, the government procurement process will have some amount of these specific socioeconomic set-asides that need to be hit. Like, 8% of all procurements need to go to this and 10% of all procurements need to go to this. So, I think the VA is probably one of the most effective at hitting any of the socioeconomic set-asides, specifically related to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. So, if you happen to be a person of color and you found a business and you are female presenting, right? You may have 8(a) woman-owned small business. If you also happen to be a veteran and you're service-disabled, all of those things stack. You don't just get to have one of them. And they can be really effective in helping a business get a leg up and starting out and trying to help even the playing field for those communities. VICTORIA: Yeah. What I really appreciated about my experience working with Pluribus Digital, and you, and people who had had that experience in the U.S. Digital Services, that there is this community and desire to help each other out and that you can have access to people who know how to move your product forward, get you the connections that you need to be competitive, and to go after the work. So, I love encouraging people to consider civic tech options. And maybe even say more about just how impactful some of it can be. And what kind of missions are you solving in these spaces? ROBBIE: Yeah, I often try to remind people, especially those who are heading towards or considering civic tech, there are very few places in this world that you can work on something that can impact millions of people. Sure, I was lucky enough. I have tons of privilege. I worked at a lot of wacky places that have given me the access to do the type of work that I think is impactful, but very little has the kind of impact. Like, when I was interviewed by Marina Nitze as, my last interview when I joined USDS, she sent me an email at the end of it and said like, "Everything was great. I look forward to working with you. And remember, every time you commit code into our GitHub, you'll be helping 8 million veterans." And then, she cc'd Todd Park. And Todd was the CTO of the U.S., and he responded back within a minute. Todd is one of the most busy people. It was amazing to me how fast he responded. But he was like, "Lemme tell you, as somebody who can talk on behalf of our president, our country needs you." And those kinds of things they're hard to comprehend. And then, I joined the Digital Service team at the VA. And one of the first things that I got to support was the 10-10EZ. It's the healthcare application for veterans. And before I got there, it was a hosted PDF that we were trying to replace. And the team had been working for months to try to build a new, modern solution. What it was is it was, like, less than six submissions were happening a day because it only worked in Adobe Acrobat, I think it was 6.5 and below, and Internet Explorer 8.5 and below. And if you think about the people that could submit utilizing that limited set of technologies, it was slowly becoming homeless veterans who were using library computers that had not been upgraded. So, there was a diminishing amount of value that it was providing. And then, on top of it, it was sort of lying to veterans. If the version of the Adobe Acrobat was out of date, or wrong, or too new, it would tell them to upgrade their browser. So, like, it was effectively not providing any value over time. We were able to create a new version of that and that was already well on its way when I joined, but we were able to get it out the door. And it was a React frontend using a Node backend to talk to that SOAP API endpoint. Within the first week, we went from 6 submissions a day to 60 submissions a day. It's a joke, right? We were all 10x developers. We were like, "Look at us. We're killing it." But about three years later, Matt Cutts came to a staff meeting of USDS, and he was the second administrator of the USDS. And he brought the cake that had the actual 10-10EZ form on it, and it said, "500,000." And he had checked with the analytics team, and there were over 500,000 submissions of that form, which means there are 500,000 possible veterans that now may or may not have access to healthcare benefits. Those are big problems. All of that was done by changing out one form. It opened up the world. It opened up to a group of veterans that no one else was able to do. They would have had to go into a veteran's office, and they would have had to fill it out in paper. And some veterans just don't have the ability to do that, or don't have an address, or don't have a...so, there are so many reasons why having a digital form that worked for veterans was so important. But this one form that we digitized and we helped make modern has been submitted so many times and has helped so many veterans and their families. And that's just one example. That's just one form that we helped digitize. But now the team, I mean, I'm back in the VA ecosystem. There's, like, 2,500 people in the general channel in the office of the CTO Slack organization. That's amazing. There's people there that are working all day, every day, trying to solve the same problems that I was trying to solve when I got here. And there's so much work being done to help veterans. But that's just one example, right? Like, at USDS, I know that the digital filing for the free version of your tax form, the IRS e-file Direct, just went live. That was something that USDS had been working on for a very long time behind the scenes. And that's going to impact everybody who submits their taxes. These are the kind of problems that you get to work on or the scope of some of the problems if you work in these types of organizations, and that's really powerful. It's the thing that keeps drawing me back. I'm back supporting the VA again through some contracts in my business. But it's funny, like, I was working for another agency. I was over working at DHS on an asylum project. And a friend of mine kept telling people to tell me, "Man, veterans need you. If only there was another one of you to help us over here, that would be great." And eventually, it led to me being like, well, veterans need me. I'm going to go back to the VA. And that was my second tour at USDS at the Department of Veteran Affairs. And now I'm back there again. So, it's a very impactful place to work. There's tons of value you can provide to veterans. And, to me, it's the kind of work that keeps bringing me back. I didn't realize just how much I was a, like, impact junkie until I joined USDS, and then it really came to a head. I cannot believe how much work I've gotten to be a part of that has affected and supported those who get benefits and services from the federal government. VICTORIA: [inaudible 33:47] impact junkie. That's funny. But yeah, no, thank you for sharing that. That's really interesting. Let me see if you could go back in time to when you first started in this journey; if you could give yourself any advice, what would you say? ROBBIE: Yeah, I think I spent so much time being nervous about not having my degree that I was worried it was going to hinder me forever. And it's pretty amazing the career I've been able to thread together, right? Like, you know, I've hit on a few of them already. But, like, I started with a small web hosting company, and then New York State in the Department of Social Services, then New York City in the Human Resources Administration, Sony Music, Zagat Survey, Google, Johnson & Johnson, IDT telecommunications, Phase2 technologies, where I got to work on an awful lot of problems in lots of awesome places like NBA.com, and Major League Soccer, and Bassmaster. And then, the United States Digital Service where I got to work on things supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security over at ADA.gov in DOJ. I helped them out. And I worked over at USDA helping get Farmers.gov off the ground. So, everything on my left leg, tattoo-wise, is something that changed my life from my perspective. And I have a Drupal tattoo on the back of my leg. I have a DrupalCon. So, anytime somebody said "Drupal" anywhere near a USDS person, I would magically appear because they would just be like, "Oh, Robbie has that Drupal tattoo." So, I got to work on a lot of dot govs that eventually landed or were being built in Drupal. So, I got to support a lot of work. And it meant that I got to, like, float around in government and do a lot of things that others didn't get to do. When CISA stood up, which is the office of security inside of DHS, it's one of the newest sub-communities or subcomponents, they built DHS SchoolSafety.gov, which is a cross-MOU'd site. And I got to sit in and help at the beginning of that because of my Drupal background. But it was really fun to be the person who helped them work with the vendors and make sure that they understood what they were trying to accomplish and be a sort of voice of reason in the room. So, I did all of that work, and then after that, I went and worked at Pluribus Digital, where I got a chance to work side by side with you. And then, that led to other things, like, I was able to apply and become the director of Digital Services and software engineering for my local county. So, I worked for Prince William County, where I bought a house during the pandemic. And then, after that contract ended, I had already started my own business. So, that's led to me having multiple individual contracts with companies and so many people. I've gotten to work on so many different things. And I feel very lucky. If I could go back and tell myself one thing, it's just, take a breath. Everything's going to be okay. And focus on the things that matter. Focus on the things that are going to help you. Focus on community. Focus on delivering value. Everything else will work itself out. You know, I joke all the time that I'm really good at providing impact. If you can measure my life in impact and value, I would be a very rich man. If you can measure it in money, I'm doing all right, but I'm never going to be yacht Robbie, you know, but I'm going to do okay. VICTORIA: Oh my god, yacht Robbie. That's great. So, just to recap, everything's going to be okay. You never know where it's going to take you. And don't be limited by the things that you think, you know, make you not enough. Like, there's a lot of things that you can do out there. I really like that advice. ROBBIE: And I think one last piece is, like, community matters, if you are a part of communities and you do it genuinely, how much that will impact your career. I gave a talk from Drupal NYC to the White House and beyond. And I talked through my entire resume and how everything changed when I started doing community engagement. When I went to the Drupal community in New York City and how that led to Sony, and that led to Zagat, which led to me getting acquired by Google, like, these things all cascaded. And then, when I moved to the DMV, I was able to join here and continue supporting communities, which allowed me to bring people into the local civic tech community from the local DC tech community. So, so many of the best USDS engineers, and designers, and product people I was able to help influence to come to government were people I met in the community or the communities I helped support. You know, I was an early revivalist of Alexandria Code and Coffee. It was a community that was started and then wavered. And then, Sean McBeth reached out to the community and said, "Do we want to help and support getting it off the ground again?" And I immediately said, "Yes." And then, that led to my friends at BLACK CODE COLLECTIVE wanting to create a community where they could feel safe and connected and create a community of their own. And then DC Code & Coffee started. And from there, Baltimore Code & Coffee kicked off. And it's just really nice that, like, it doesn't matter where I've been. All these things keep coming back to be a part of community and help support others. And you will be surprised at how much you get back in return. I wouldn't be the person I am today in my community. I wouldn't have my career if it wasn't for the people who started and helped shepherd me when I was starting out. And I feel like I've been trying to do the same for people for a really long time. VICTORIA: I love that. That's what I say, too, when people ask me for advice on careers and how to grow. And my biggest piece is always to go out and meet people. And go to your community, like, look and see what's happening. Like, find people you like hanging out with and learning from. And just that should be the majority of your time probably if you're trying to figure out where to go with your career or even just, like, expand as a person sometimes [laughs]. Robbie, I was going to ask; you mentioned that you had bought a house in Virginia. One of my other warmup questions was going to be, what's your favorite thing to put on the grill? ROBBIE: My house in Virginia definitely gets a lot of use, especially in the spring and the fall. I'm a big fan of team no extreme when it comes to temperature. But during those time periods, my grill is often fired up. My favorite is probably to make skirt steak on the grill. I'm a huge fan of tacos, especially made out of skirt steak. I'm in all day. That's one of my favorites. I also love to smoke. I have a smoker because I'm a caricature-esque suburban dude. I'm going to live into all of the possible things I could have. But I've had a smoker for a long time, and I love making sort of poor man's burnt ends. It's one of my favorite things to make. But you got to have some time. That's the kind of thing that takes, you know, 14 hours or 16 hours, but it's really fun to take advantage of it. A quick thing I love to make is actually smoked salmon. It takes longer to brine it than it usually does to smoke it. But it is one of the nicest things I've made on my smoker, you know, fresh pesto on a piece of salmon is pretty awesome, or everything bagel. Everything with the bagel seasoning is a pretty fun way to smoke some salmon. VICTORIA: Wow, that sounds so good. I'm going to have to stop in next time I'm in Virginia and get some [laughs] and hang out. Do you have any questions for me? ROBBIE: I'm excited to see where you've gone and how you've gotten here. I think this is such a cool job for you. Knowing who you are as a person and seeing you land in a company like this is really exciting. And I think you getting to be a part of this podcast, which we were joking about earlier, is I've been listening to probably since it started. I've been a big fan for a long time. So, it's cool to be here on this podcast. But it's also cool that my friend is a part of this and gets to be a part of this legacy. I'm really excited to see where you go over time. I know my career has been changing, right? I worked in government. Before that, I did all kinds of other stuff. Nowadays I have my own business where I often joke I have sort of, like, three things I offer, which is, like, consigliere services. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Robbie on your executive team without having to pay them an executive salary? You know, another one is like, you know, strategy and mentoring, but these are all things I know you do also, which I think is cool. But I've been working on contracts where I support companies trying to figure out how they modernize, or how their CTO can be more hands-off keyboard, or how their new director of business development can be more of a technical leader and taking on their first direct reports. So, I just enjoy all those aspects, and I just think it's something that I've watched you do in the company where we worked together. And it's always fun to see what you're working on and getting a chance to catch up with you. I feel like you're one of those people that does a really great job of staying connected. Every once in a while, I'll get a random text message like, "Hey, how you doing?" It always makes me smile. I'm like, Victoria is a really good connector, and I feel like I am, but you're even better at it on the being proactive side. That's how this all came about, right? We caught up, and you were like, "Why don't you come on the podcast?" So, that's really exciting. VICTORIA: Well, thank you, Robbie. Yeah, I think that's one of the great things about community is you meet people. You're like, "Oh, you're really cool. And you're doing cool stuff all the time. Like, how can I support you in your journey [laughs]? Like, what's up?" Yeah, for me, it was hard to actually leave DC. I didn't, you know, really think about the impact of leaving behind my tech community, like, that network of people. It was pretty emotional for me, actually, especially when we finally, like, stopped doing the digital version [laughs]. And I, like, kind of gave up managing it from California, which was kind of funny anyways [laughs]. Yeah, so no, I'm grateful that we stayed in touch and that you made time to be here with us today. Is there anything else that you would like to promote? ROBBIE: You know, just to remind you, you've done a great job of transitioning into where you are today, but anybody can do that, right? Like, before I moved to the DC area, I was in New York, and I was helping to organize JavaScript events. And I started looking at the DC area before I moved down here. And I found the DC Tech Community. And I found the Node School DC GitHub organization and reached out to the person who had ownership of it and said I wanted to help and support. I looked at this the other day. I think I moved on May 8th, and then, like, May 11th, when I walked in the door, somebody was like, "Are you new?" And I was like, "Yeah, I just moved here." And they were like, "Oh, from where?" And I was like, "New York." And they were like, "Are you that guy who's been bugging Josh about running Node school events?" I was like, "Yeah." And like, they were planning an unconference at the end of the month. And they were like, "Would you like to run a Node school at that unconference?" Like, 27 days later. So, it was amazing that, like, I immediately, like, fell from the New York Community where I was super connected, but I went out of my way to try to, like, see what the community looked like before I got there. And I was lucky enough to find the right people, and immediately I joked...I think I wrote a blog post that said like, "I found my new friends. By, like, going from one community to another, gave a person who was in his 40s a chance to meet new people very quickly." And it was pretty amazing, and I felt very lucky. But I did spend a little bit of energy and capital to try to figure it out because I knew it was going to be important to me. So, I think you've done a really good job. You've helped launch and relaunch things that were going on in San Diego and becoming a part of this connection to more people. I think you and I have a very similar spirit, which is like, let's find a way to connect with humans, and we do it pretty effectively. VICTORIA: Well, thank you. That really boosts my confidence, Robbie [laughs]. Sometimes, you show up to an event you've never been to before by yourself, and it's like a deer in headlights kind of moment. Like, oh God, what have I done [laughs]? ROBBIE: Oh, and the last thing I need to mention is I also have a podcast. I have my podcast about film. It's called Geek on Film. I used to record it with my friend, Jon. He's a little busy right now. But I used to pitch it as a conversation show about the current films that were going on. Now, it's one lone geek's ramblings about what he just saw. It's a great podcast for me because it gives me an opportunity to think a little more critically about film, which is one of the things that I probably have almost enough credits to get a minor in. But I absolutely love cinema and film in general. And it's given me an opportunity to connect with a lot more people about this subject and also to scratch the itch of me being able to create something around a community and around a thing I really love. VICTORIA: That's super cool. Yeah. You're top of mind because I also like films. I'm like, what's Robbie up to? Like, what's the recommendations, you know [laughs]? Do you have a top film recommendation from the Oscars? Is that too big of a question? ROBBIE: So, the one I will say that didn't get enough spotlight shined on it was Nimona. So, I'm a huge fan of the Spider-Man movies. I think Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse are both masterpieces. But Nimona is an animated film that was picked up by Netflix, and it is amazing. I don't know that I laughed or cried or was more moved by a film last year. And I don't know that it gets enough credit for what it was. But it did get nominated for best-animated film, but I don't know that enough people paid attention to it. Like it may have gotten lost in the algorithm. So, if you get a chance, check out Nimona. It's one of those beautiful, little gems that, if you travel down its story, there's all these twists and turns. It was based on a webcomic that became a graphic novel. One of the production companies picked it up, and it wasn't going to see the light of day. And then, Netflix bought its distribution rights. There's going to be a great documentary someday about, like, Inside Nimona. But I think the movie itself is really charming and moving, and I was really impressed with it. So, that was the one that got me, like, just before the Oscars this year, where I was like, this is the little animated movie that could, in my opinion. It's so charming. VICTORIA: I will definitely have to check that out. Thank you for giving us that recommendation. ROBBIE: Totally. VICTORIA: Final question. I just wanted to see if you had anything to share about being an advisory board member for Gray and for Hutch Studio. Could you tell us a little bit more about that? ROBBIE: Yeah. So, Gray Digital was founded by a friend of mine. We met through United States Digital Service. And his organization...I had been supporting him for a while and just being behind the scenes, talking to him and talking through business-related issues. And it was really nice. He offered to make me an official advisory board member. It was a great acknowledgment, and I really felt moved. There's some great people that are supporting him and have supported him. They've done really great work. Gray is out there delivering digital services in this space. And I think I was really lucky to be a part of it and to support my friend, Randall. Hutch is different. Hutch is an organization that's kind of like if you think about it, it almost is a way to support entrepreneurs of color who are trying to make their way into the digital service delivery space. Being an advisory board member there has been really interesting because it's shaping how Hutch provides services and what their approach is to how to support these companies. But over the last year, I've convinced the person who's running it, Stephanie, with a couple of other people, to open the door up or crack the door so we could talk directly and support the individual companies. So, it's been really great to be a Hutch advisory member to help shape how Hutch is approaching things. But I've also been a part of, like, many interview processes. I've reviewed a lot of, like, [inaudible 48:01] who want to join the organization. And I've also created personal relationships with many of the people who are part of Hutch. And, you know, like, you know me personally, so you know I run a Day of the Dead party. We'll just party at my house every year. I have a huge amount of affection for Mexican culture and, in general, the approach of how to remember people who are a part of your life. So, this is, like, the perfect way for me to bring people together at my house is to say, like, "Hey, my dad was awesome. What about your family? Who are your people?" What's really nice is that has given me an opportunity to host people at my house. And I've had Hutch company owners at my house the last couple of years and the person who runs Hutch. So, it's a really great community that I look at that is trying to shape the next emergent companies that are helping deliver digital services across the government. And it's really fun to be early on in their career and help them grow. Again, it seems silly, but it's the thing I care a lot about. How do I connect with people and provide the most value that I can? And this is a way I can provide that value to companies that may also go off and provide that value. It's a little bit of an amplifier. So, I'm a huge fan of what we've been able to accomplish and being a part of it in any way, shape, or form. VICTORIA: Well, I think that's a really beautiful way to wrap it up. ROBBIE: Really glad to catch up with you and be a part of this amazing podcast. VICTORIA: Yeah, so much fun. Thank you again so much. It was great to be here with you today. You can subscribe to the show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. You can find me on thoughtbotsocial@vguido. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks for listening. See you next time. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.
Đây là video mở đầu trong series về ngân hàng và tài chính do Ngân hàng TNHH Một Thành Viên CIMB Việt Nam (CIMB Việt Nam) đồng hành cùng Spiderum hân hạnh đưa tới bạn đọc, nhằm cung cấp những kiến thức liên quan đến Tiền & Tài chính cho giới trẻ - hướng tới một tương lai người trẻ Việt am hiểu tài chính, đầu tư và biết sử dụng tiền thông minh, lành mạnh hơn. Thông tin trong bài viết hoàn toàn dựa trên kiến thức & trải nghiệm của tác giả, CIMB Việt Nam không cung cấp thông tin hay định hướng nội dung bài viết để đảm bảo tính khách quan và trung lập. Tải ứng dụng ngân hàng Octo by CIMB ngay tại: https://octobycimb.onelink.me/HmIr/octo Video này được chuyển thể từ bài viết gốc trên nền tảng mạng xã hội chia sẻ tri thức Spiderum
Our secret nerdom revealed at last! We at the Retro Ridoctopus cephalopodcast are all huge geeks about animals and all sorts of creatures that walk, crawl, swim and fly over this fantastic blue marble we call Earth! For this science-centric episode, the Octo-hosts each pick 4 animals we think are the most fascinating and share a bunch of fun facts about them! Pretty simple, pretty different and hopefully, pretty stinkin' fun, too! ----------------------------------------Retro Ridoctopus is:• Parasite Steve (read)• 8-Bit Alchemy (listen) • Coopster Gold (join) • Nintenjoe (subscribe)----------------------------------------All original heavy metal music by Enchanted Exile Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/retro-ridoctopus/6fcdd757-d44f-4e85-b67c-58c1af9abd90
Air Cooled Legends travels to the OCTO Show (Orange County Transporter Organization) Winter Meet 2024. This event is exclusively for 1967 and earlier Volkswagen buses, taking place at Long Beach Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Long Beach, CA, where enthusiasts gather to swap parts and showcase their vehicles. We go inside and talk to organizers, vendors, VW owners and even other podcast hosts!Find out more about OCTO here: http://octo.org/Questions? Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at aircooledlegendspodcast@gmail.comSubscribe to our newsletter:https://bio.site/aircooledlegendspod
Two new watch releases and 5 new vintage watches that we will cover on lifeonthewrist.com are the topics of discussion for this weeks Podcast.The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sketch can be found here.The Fleming Series 1 can be found here.The Rolex Oyster Perpetual reference 6549 can be found here.The Bulova MIL-W-3818A US Military Watch can be found here.The Universal Genève reference 21222 can be found here.The Omega Geneve Automatic reference 166.002 can be found here.The Girard Perregaux Sea Hawk reference 7901 can be found here.You can find us on our Website, YouTube, Instagram, X, and Facebook Check out Life on the Wrist Merch!
This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week on the Superlative Podcast, host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by Fabrizio Buonamassa, the Product Creation Executive Director at Bulgari. To start the show Ariel has Fabrizio not only dive into his duties within his role at Bulgari, but Ariel also has him unpack the details regarding the brands design department. Ariel asks about Fabrizio's love for drawing but also how important hand illustration skills are in the world of design. Fabrizio talks a bit about his process from taking the Gerald Genta icon, the Octo, and how he merged it with Bulgari DNA to create a new and interesting product. The two talk about Bulgari's ability to meet a large volume of demand for their ultra thin movements, and what advice Fabrizio can share with those who would like to wear Octo Finissimo watches. As the show comes to a close, Ariel talks about the connected universe of smart watches and Fabrizio elaborates on how Bulgari will pay attention to this section of the industry. To stay connected with Fabrizio and Bulgari:- Website - https://fabriziobuonamassastigliani.com/ - Instagram @fabriziobuonamassastigliani - https://www.instagram.com/fabriziobuonamassastigliani/- Bulgari - https://www.bulgari.com/ SUPERLATIVE IS NOW ON YOUTUBE! To check out Superlative on Youtube as well as other ABTW content:- YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ablogtowatch To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!
On this episode of Mothboys, the boys come take a dip in the Ohio river when they discuss both The Octo-Man and the equally terrifying Green Clawed Beast.Mothboys is sponsored by:Visit Braxton, WV-Braxton County, West Virginia is Home of the Flatwoods Monster, as well as sightings of Bigfoot, UFO's and ghosts… Visit the link above for more information on all the wonderful things that Braxton County offers.Follow along on our moth-journey on Instagram at @mothboyspodcast and on Facebook at Mothboys.
Riana is back to chat with Andrea about the rumors swirling about Xbox 1st party games not being console exclusive anymore, the leaked Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo, The Last of Us Part 3 tease from Neil Druckmann, and more. In hands-on Riana catches us up on her time with the latest season of Call of Duty Warzone, Fortnite, and a first look at Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. Thank you to this month's Patreon Producers: Bored Ape Gamers Club Faris Attieh Joshua Franklin Justin Foshee Punkdefied Listen to WGG Ad-Free on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/whatsgoodgames Time stamps: 04:33 - Microsoft weighs launching Indiana Jones on the PS5 10:43 - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo now available 13:39 - Break 1 13:48 - The Last of Us Part 3 concept tease 16:55 - Elden Ring Mobile Game in Development 21:56 - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Won Grammy For Its Soundtrack 24:43 - Alan Wake 2 Update 1.15 Lets Players Make the Game Less Scary 26:46 - Insomniac Games Finally Announces Marvel's Spider-Man 2's New Game+ Release Date 28:16 - Break 2 28:36 - Call of Duty: Warzone 36:06 - Fortnite 36:57 - Octo game 38:28 - Prince of Persia 38:45 - Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Merch: https://www.whatsgoodgames.com/store Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/whatsgood_games Follow on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/whatsgoodgames Follow on Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/whatsgoodgames Join our Discord community: http://discord.gg/whatsgoodgames Follow on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/whatsgoodgamesofficial Our website: http://www.whatsgoodgames.com Follow the crew: Andrea: http://www.twitter.com/andrearene http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_ http://www.tiktok.com/@andrearene Britt: http://www.twitter.com/blondenerd http://www.instagram.com/blondenerd Riana: http://www.twitter.com/rianatweetsnow http://www.instagram.com/rianagramsnow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What's better than one Octo-mom? 20,000 Octo-moms! Mindy and Guy take the Wow Machine down the Californian coast to find an underwater volcano and the Octo-moms and Octo-babies that call it home! It's the who, when, why, how and WOW of Octopuses! Check out Wow in the World activities at https://bit.ly/3V5YCgw.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Welcome back everyone, 2024 is here and so are The Geekenders! Join Jesse, Dodger, and their first guests of the new year the delightful Octopimp! Are you ready to geek out this weekend? Join Jesse and Dodger on the Geekenders podcast as they bring you the ultimate dose of geekiness. From their hilarious banter to their in-depth discussions, this is the podcast you've been waiting for. Follow them now and discover why they are the number one geek podcast without a doubt. Subscribe and let the geeking begin! Theme by: MegaRan Animated Intro by: JulesDrawz Want to watch live, tune in to Dodgers twitch every Friday at 11am est/8am pst : twitch.tv/dexbonus Hosted on Audioboom. See https://audioboom.com/about/privacy for more information.
Watch out WALL-E, there's a new WAVE of robots coming!
The 595th of a series of weekly radio programmes created by :zoviet*france: First broadcast 2 December 2023 by Resonance 104.4 FM and CJMP 90.1 FM Thanks to the artists and sound recordist included here for their fine work. track list 00 :zoviet*france: - Intro 01 Michael Begg | Human Greed - Let the Cold Stove Sing 02 Sevenism - Lepton Ice 03 Kapotte Muziek - 12-12-1995 Teatro Club, Catania, Italy 04 P. Children - Reverse Pool 05 @c - Octo _ _ _ _ [extract] 06 E.M. Nicholson and Ludwig Koch - Blackbird 07 Voice of Eye - Fish Radio 08 [unknown sound recordist / BBC] - Bowling Alley, Santa Monica, California 09 Mental Escape Pod - Collaborations 10 SiJ - Mechanical Choir 11 Ian Haygreen - Shades of Old Bones [extract] 12 The Space Cadet - Nikkal Variation 2 13 Pauline Anna Strom - At the Water Stairs ++ :zoviet*france: - Outro
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
