Source Code Berlin

It is an old discussion for a very young industry. How to reconcile the needs and demands of parenting, with the needs and demands of programming, developing, or working at a startup. Whereas employees so often cheer at the innovative work arrangements and environments that encourage things like playing, relaxing, and working from anywhere… what you won’t hear much cheering for is how these environments address employees who are new parents. In the past few months alone we’ve seen lawsuits between big names in the tech industry and former employees who felt belittled and harassed over their commitment to their children over the alleged demands of the company. Whereas other industries have been fine tuning their approach to this important issue, the world of programming is still new territory. And as today’s guests will explain, it isn’t easy, and it is a tremendous task to be the first in your company to have a child and teach your boss how to manage this. MY guests today work or have recently worked as progr

Although there are many examples where social entrepeneurship is just a buzz world or a marketing tool, in Berlin, within the startup world, there is a strong emphasis on running a business that does some good for the world. Spend any time talking to founders and CEO’s of startups in this town and chances are you will hear how they both meet their needs as a business and as a part of a community or society, often starting out with some social issue that they want to address through their work. Today on the program we explore Social Entrepeneurship done the Berlin way, or running a successful business while making a difference in a community/society. And to do that we bring you two experienced voices, Fabienne Riener of Source Fabric, and Evgeni Kouris of Toywheel and Gamewheel, who will help describe how they see and navigate this combination, in this town, at this particular moment in history.

A few days ago EnthusiastiCon at Wikimedia Deutschland brought together a group of energetic and inspired individuals who love programming or are interested in programming at some level (from the most basic to wow my brain hurts so good right now). Together, over the course of two days, they presented what they love and explained why they love it. They inspired one another and there was plenty of laughing, learning and entertainment along the way. On today's podcast we present to you some of the voices from EnthusiastiCon!

Today on the program we explore the state of the cyborg, or to phrase it more accurately, we conduct a measuring of where we are as a society when it comes to changing ourselves using technology. With the help of someone who isn’t just talking about it, he’s living it.

At the height of the hacker space movement in 2008, technology enthusiasts around the world were busy creating spaces for co-working, experimenting, and learning.. among other things. Many of the design layouts and organizing methods they were using came from the established hacker spaces in places like Berlin, Hamburg and San Francisco. Of course what works in Berlin does not necessarily work in Baghdad, which is an issue today’s guest has been tackling for the past few years. Beyond cultural differences, as an organizer and fascilitator of co-working and hacker spaces throughout the Middle East, North Africa, North America and beyond, Bilal Ghalib believes there is a fundamental re-evaluation needed in the quest to make creative spaces for people, a new way of thinking that goes beyond having cool devices or making things and instead focuses on community and the idea of supporting one another.

Copyright. Licenses. It used to be a secret world that only concerned a few people in the world. Now no matter who you are, if you wright some text, snap a photo, watch a film, you’re stepping into the world of copyright and your actions could have consequences you don’t even know about.

It is an area of information long protected by those deemed experts and worthy… I’m talking about cultural institutions; museums, library, vast collections of the things that make up our planet. Forget what you know about traditional museum or library visitations, this is about the interested and innovative individuals having a chance to use data - legally- and create with it! And for many it all begins in Berlin at an event called Coding Davinci where cultural institutions meet the creative public and say — to put it in simple terms - here’s what we’ve got to offer, what can you make out of it? Today on the program we’re exploring this new paradigm of cultural institutions and talking with everyone involved - Its Coding Davinci and the world may never be the same again...

Have you ever heard the term craftsmanship? When you hear the word you probably think about quality work and beautifully created products. I picture an elegant hand crafted wooden chair from my grandmother’s house or a beautifully designed cadillac from the 1950’s. The pictures in my head are often about things from the past, but of course, craftsmanship is very much relevant in the products of today. One particularly essential area that finds its way into almost every aspect of our lives is software.. some of it efficient and beautiful just like a piece of fine crafted furniture or a quality automobile, some of it… quite the opposite. Within the larger discussion of software development.. there is a term and a movement by the name of Software Craftsmanship.

Moreso than perhaps any other place on earth, Berlin is the epicentre of projects that push the limits of sound and making new connections between art, science, and technology. On today's program with help from Peter Kirn, Leslie Garcia, and Mads Lindgren, we're looking at what elements have come together in this place that have led to so much innovation and creativity when it comes to pleasing or intriguing the human ear.

Over the past year a movement of coders, artists, journalists and concerned citizens have joined together in a way that could change the long disfunctional relationship between citizens and government or citizens and societal issues. What they're doing is called Civic Tech, and while the term itself is new, the area is growing quickly and making a difference is what happens in our communities. To better explain it we have two very special guests from the Code For Germany project.. Fiona Krakenbürger and Julia Kloiber. Also on today's program a special announcement, the call for papers for our Enthusiastic Con taking place from the 19th to the 21st in Berlin this June.

School. As soon as you hear the word you probably have a few flashbacks. Some of them horrible, others might be nostalgic and happy. Wherever you are in the world, there is an established concept of school, how it should work and what it should do. Now take a city like Berlin where so many people are busy re-examining and re-inventing traditional conventions. Over the past decade many unique approaches to teaching and learning have taken root here. And today on the program we will bring you three voices - Abe Pazos of funprogramming.org, Rachel Uwa of the School of Machines Making and Make-Believe and Maria Reimer of Jugend Hackt. Three pioneers of teaching and learning.. one podcast

With each passing year thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world have moved their lives to Berlin in persuit of some goal or dream. The phenomenon is well known and often discussed, but the requirements of that move; the unexpected obstacles that people face in the persuit of that dream, that story is one you rarely hear about in detail. Today on the program we hear from Free Software Company Director and Community Manager Paul Adams, who's the first to admit that there have been times where he had to run up the down escalator and overcome some very bizarre circumstances on the road to becoming a Berliner.

It is no secret that Neukolln is changing fast but the speed with which it changes shocks even longtime residents and observers who have been following changing Berlin over the past decades. Today on the program we get on the street and tap into the creativity and quirkiness one of the most fascinating and contreversial neighborhoods of Berlin.

If you use and value Free and Open Source things, you can surely lay out the benefits and joys of using them. Yet there is a whole world out there, a big world in fact, that does not use such things, does not understand why you should, and perhaps even more difficult, they get lost or stop listening as soon as you start to explain. How to overcome such an obstacle? Thats one of the issues today's program gets into. But make no mistake, this is not just a matter of software or hardware, today we get into topics like clothing, film, and large scale economics. So turn up the volume and listen in.... its Source Code Berlin time!

Not long ago, the stereotype of a journalist was someone who could ask the right questions, take excellent notes, dig deeper than the average citizen, and write well. One thing you didn't used to hear was the idea that journalists would be really good with technology.. that is until the last few decades when it became painfully clear that journalists and technology need to come together if either one was to have a healthy future. The need has inspired many around the world to find ways to build and introduce tools that can help journalists carry out their work. Annabel Church is one such concerned citizen of the world who's passion for journalism tools took her from Christchurch, New Zealand to London and eventually.. Berlin. We caught up with her at the 31C3 to discuss technology, journalism, hacker meetings, and her own personal journey.

In the world of databases and open source software there is more philosophy and social conciousness than one might imagine at first glance. Through his work as a public speaker and developer for couchdb and hood.ie, Jan Lehnardt has never made any secret about his goal to challenge the status quo and push things forward. When it comes to developing tools using principles such as independence, diversity, and mutual respect, Jan is a force to be reckoned with -- and a voice worth listening to.

Whether you've followed the conversations and developments in the open source community for 6 months or 6 years, you know that gender is a frequently disputed topic within these communities. Questions about representation, inclusion, participation and a long list of concerns have been researched, debated, and addressed (or not addressed) in different ways for well over a decade. But the idea of open discussion is not always been a welcome one. While some feel there is an awakening going on, others feel they are under attack. Thankfully regardless of how anyone feels, some passionate groups of people are taking action in new and constructive ways. Today on the podcast we begin with Laura Laugwitz of Rails Girls Berlin to discuss a project for educating and encouraging women in the programming world. And in the second half of the program we will sit down with Kathleen Danielson, a veteran of the Open Street Map community now relocated to Berlin. The big question; where are we when it comes to gender and the ope

With a booming tech industry that has captured the imagination of the entire continent, Berlin has not only attracted people from all over Germany, it has become a new home for thousands of expat coders, programmers, developers, and creative minds. City statistics say there are around half a million non Germans living in Berlin, that's not including the diverse backgrounds of many German citizens who have settled here. But beyond the numbers, what of the experience of the expat coder in Berlin. What pulled them in? What keeps them? And what surprises have they encountered along the way? How does this environment factor into the work they do? Today we examine the expat experience with the help of two talented individuals, from the land of Nokia and long winters, Henri Bergius, and from the land of chocolate, watches, and small knives, Luc De Louw.

It is no easy task to try and keep track of the ever growing number of startups and tech projects in a city like Berlin. And with those startups come a whole slew of co-working offices, hacker spaces, and cafes where people can be found working together everyday. How do these places structure themselves, who are the people working there, and what is their function in the community? What characteristics does a Berlin space have from any other place in the world? Today on the podcast we explore the places and spaces where the magic happens. A journey inside the walls of some very interesting places, to hear from the people who help keep things humming along.

Welcome to the first episode of Source Code Berlin, a new podcast project from Wikimedia Deutschland. Our goal is to better understand the talented, creative, and driven Berliners in the world of open source programming. Who are they? What do they do? Why are they here? A big questions on the road to understanding what seems to have become a world reknowned phenomenon. Today we start with the long view, the observations of writer, journalist and historian Marcel Krueger. Then we move indoors and get more specific, a look into the world of Wikimedia Deutschland with help from free culture enthusiast and Wikidata Project Manager Lydia Pintscher, as we explore some specific projects and how they connect with the big picture. Music includes: Hungaria by Latché Swing