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From exploring space to curing cancer, humans are constantly tackling new challenges or inventing new tools to revolutionize the way we live and affect the planet we inhabit. Computer scientists and programmers are the new heroes of today’s world, and our work influences the lifestyle of most, if not all, human beings. When our code is shared, we allow people … Continued

Everyone lives within certain roles (self imposed or societally imposed) and most people are unlikely to step outside of the boundaries inherent in the roles that are prescribed to them. Most of us are comfortable in our boxes and when we discover that the existence of our box is built upon problematic or unsustainable structures, … Continued

Welcoming the stranger. It’s a topic and commandment found in nearly every faith tradition—including the Abrahamic traditions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. (We don’t often talk about our faith on this blog, but I’m proud to say we’re a diverse bunch at Software for Good, from staunch atheists to deeply reflective Christians). Historically, the United … Continued

Every January, I hear the same upbeat roundtables on NPR asking listeners to call in with their resolutions for the coming year. Without fail, someone calls in saying this is the year they’ll finally get in shape. Someone else says this year is the year they finally use their passport. Maybe this will be their … Continued

2016 was–by many accounts–the worst year in modern history. Many famous people died. Politics took an alarming turn. The structure of our society and the beliefs we all share don’t seem to be as shared or as certain as we may have thought. People are hurting, and that pain is becoming public in unexpected ways. But … Continued

You read that right…this week, tell a fart joke. We’re close to wrapping up 2016, and this year has been interesting to say the least. We lost a number of amazing and inspirational people this year, and the election was…well, the election was something. The time to laugh is now. The time to enjoy the company of … Continued

This week, I’m calling to attention a terrifying and very specific form of abuse called gaslighting. Adopted from the title of the 1938 play Gas Light, gaslighting describes psychological abuse where a victim is manipulated into doubting their own memory or perception of an event—often leading them to question their own sanity. Wikipedia has this to say: Sociopaths … Continued

Working in technology, we spend a significant amount of time and effort in the transference of knowledge. Maybe it’s because our field evolves so quickly, but we are always learning. This means someone is doing the teaching. It might be your co-workers, a blog post, a book, a conference. Whatever the format, when it’s your turn to … Continued

As a software developer, there’s still many things I don’t know about computers. For one thing, I don’t know much about the hardware that I run my code on. To be honest, it’s still totally new to me. I finally decided to do something about it, so I bought a Raspberry Pi and Arduino board … Continued

My grandma Helen was an amazingly strong woman. I was fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time with her growing up and she made a huge impression on me. When I was in the 7th grade I wrote a biography about her life. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) there are many things … Continued

Faced with tough times or injustice, we often comfort ourselves by saying that “we did the best we could” or “there was nothing more we could do”. We in Minnesota were recently shaken by the conclusion of a 27-year-long investigation into the disappearance of a child named Jacob Wetterling. American Public Media’s “In the Dark” … Continued

This is a game called Luminations. It was first made in 1989. There are five levels, and your goal is to recognize the internal pattern and flip the device over until all four corners are solid red. Easy enough. On Level 1, only one color changes – the one brought up — and it cycles … Continued