
this essay is centered around the idea of a remote team, but I think the general ideas are a good remedy to the kind of toxic culture I am seeing around a lot of SV! if your focus as a collaborative team is a pissing contest of optimizing hours, you’re just gonna end up with bad habits and bad morale. so what are the intrinsic goals of your project and how can every collaborator feel ownership over those goals in an autonomous way? how can those goals dovetail with each person’s individual dreams and lifestyle?
resource roundup!
boing boing has a sale this week on The Make: Arduino Hacker eBook bundle. it’s 15 books to get you started with Arduino for $19.99. looks like a sold bargain, I’m thinking of grabbing it for myself for future inspiration.
here’s a nice lil reminder on CSS specificity by Emma Wedekind, which is the #2 source of CSS issues in my life (after misspellings lol). on that note, CSS Diner is a great interactive visualizer of these principles and worth a play-through.
linear algebra! I remember learning is 1000 years ago and being like why even? but it’s crucial for deep learning. here’s a good primer on the basics to get you started.
releasing an application into production can be a nightmare but it shouldn’t be! here’s a walkthrough of junior developer Rachel Soderberg’s first experience with the process. “make the deployment process a routine, predictable, non-event…” yes please!
HTML5 introduced a bunch of new types of inputs, so how have those been adopted 4 years later? this post on Smashing Magazine tears down 8 input types with recommendations for designers and devs. worth a read if forms are part of any projects you are working on.
opportunities:
Pioneer Works is accepting applications for their 2019-2020 Technology Residency. this is a 12 week residency that supports creatives through access to advanced tools, practiced engineers, and connection to a larger multidisciplinary community. the deadline is February 15 so get cracking!
📅 upcoming events!

Friday January 25! Victoria & Albert Museum! London UK: Black Girl Gamers have curated 2 panels this Friday at the V&A on diversity in gaming: “Like many industries, diversity and inclusion are hot topics in gaming, but are they just tick boxes / buzzwords or is work actually being done? And who’s doing it?” the event is FREE and begins at 7pm. you can learn more about the line up here.
Thursday January 31! Supplyframe / Hackaday! San Francisco USA: HDDG is back with a night focused on biomedical engineering. if you’re in SF you can swing by 500 3rd St, Suite 230 for talks by Jean Rintoul and Beau Ambur, as well as a chance to demo some hardware! RSVP on Meetup.
February 9 – 10! NYC USA: Eyebeam presents Refiguring the Future: an exhibition and conference grappling with the marginalizing states of technology, curated by REFRESH. This is 2 days of talks, hands-on learning, performances, screenings and more across 2 venues. You can get tickets on Eventbrite.
Wednesday February 13! Whitney Museum of American Art! NYC USA: artists Jonah Brucker-Cohen, Katherine Moriwaki, and Tamiko Thiel along with media historian and theorist Erkki Huhtamo will explore the evolution of virtual and algorithmic practices in a panel discussion in conjunction with Programmed: Rules, Codes, and Choreographies in Art (which you should also check out if you are in the area!!!). the event is free with RSVP.
just for lulz:
*~housekeeping~*
as always, submit to the open artist call if you have anything in the works that you are excited about! and if you have an event or opportunity to promote (anywhere), please send me all the details. the next newsletter will cover the week of January 28 to February 3, but I’m happy to promote events further in the future as well and keep them on the calendar.