Writing
58 entries2024
Mental Models for Technology Leaders
An ongoing collection of frameworks for thinking about organizational change, digital transformation, and the people problems that look like technology problems.
Good Tinker
Design, technology, data, and social impact — for people building things that matter.
2020
Building isn't Performing
Separating out skill sets and associated guilt.
Chats are the Saving Grace of Video Calls
Don't ignore that little chat window — it can often be the best part of a video meeting.
Poor Knowledge Management Doesn't Announce Itself
Inefficient meetings, re-building identical products and processes, and always asking around for answers are but symptoms of something deeper.
Whats Wrong with Productivity
Productivity for producitivity's sake is a dead end.
Don't define yourself against technology
Refusing to engage with digital tools and opportunities is going to hurt in the short and long-runs.
Magical Thinking of AI
Machine Learning is problematic when we stop questioning the output.
Satisfice is the Spice of Life
Combining 'satisfy' and 'suffice' into the first acceptable option.
Hackathons are great, unless you want solutions
Breaking down the value, hype, and challenges of hackathons for people and organizations.
The Tech4Good Field Guide
An accessible guide to over 500 resources for those wanting to do good in the world, with a litltle nudge from technology
100 Tech4Good Resources
Part 3 of a 3-part series on Tech4Good.
Mosquito Egg Computer Vision
Designing, developing, and shipping a computer vision app to detect mosquito eggs.
15 Curated COVID19 Content and Data Hubs
15 resources jumping offtens of thousands of resources related to COVID-19.
Doing Tech4Good
Part 2 of a 3-part series on Tech4Good.
What is Tech4Good?
Part 1 of a 3-part series on Tech4Good.
Digital Peace Corps Reader
The history of Peace Corps and Digital.
COVID-19 Data Visualizations - Data, Infographics, Dashboards, and Models
A helpful round-up of some important and insightful examples.
2019
Technology’s Role in Global Development
An internal debate on the relative focus on technology.
Using Imposter Syndrome as a Superpower
Everyday concepts turned on their head.
Algorithms that Game Us
Learning how algorithms cut corners and achieve their goal.
Number Memorization Sketches Book
Publishing a sketchbook of ways to more easily remember numbers.
2017
The ICT4D Guide
An accessible guide for all kinds of Tech-for-Good resources.
The Future of the Peace Corps -- and How to Stop It
Reflections on 5 years at Peace Corps, and its unsure future.
On Presenting Well
3 Things that will make for far Better Presentations.
Hidden, Simple Signals
Extrapolating from ones and zeroes.
Changing the flow of innovation
How tinkering teaches us to reassess.
10 Concepts Everyone in ICT4D Should Know
The concepts that keep popping up (or ought to).
New Tab Random Quote
Inspirational quotes in a new tab as a Google Chrome Extension.
14 Must Read Books for Careers in International Development
In no particular order.
VR for Storytelling
Using virtual reality to tell stories and be more empathetic.
The long tail of work in international development
The long-term impact of international development is measured not in the sweeping programs and easily quantifiable statistics of projects and head-counts, but in the innumerable whole of one-off interactions, experiences, and perspectives whose seeds are sown in the catalyst of field-workers, volunteers, and entrepreneurs
Stop holding down the ‘B’ button
Slow down, relax, don't do it.
2016
Data Visualization of the Period Table
Visualizing the Periodic Table over time.
The limits of my knowledge
Reflecting on the stated boundaries of Sherlock Holmes' areas of knowledge might surprise you.
My Early Mobile Digital Devices
Secret Sender, Palm Pilot, Siemens, Alcatel.
2015
3D-Printing a Toothbrush Holder
From idea to design to device in one morning.
Are you unintentionally sabotaging meetings?
A de-classified CIA manual hits a little too close to home.
The Peace Corps Logo
Tracing the history of Peace Corps' iconic logo since 1961.
5 ways the Peace Corps embraces design thinking
'Design thinking' has become a useful lens for Volunteers to approach problem-solving in their projects.
Concept — Digital Peace Corps in-a-Box
Digital resources in one place for easy retrieval and downloading.
Data mining Peace Corps blogs
A walkthrough of web scraping and organization to consolidate over 800 blogs for news and information.
Building a Digital Expat Recipe Collection
Kicking off the side project to collect, translate, and package decades of well-worn expat recipe discoveries and wisdom.
Designing a Volunteer Matching app
'Diaspora Day of Civic Hacking' prototype app idea for matching Peace Corps volunteers with projects around the world.
TechChange 3D Printing Course
4 Areas where 3D printing can play a significant role for social good.
3D Printing for Social Good
A collection of work I did promoting 3D printing for social good, both in grad school, Peace Corps headquarters, and beyond.
2014
Redesigning the Peace Corps Landing Page
A concept for a new Peace Corps landing page.
Blog It Home
Visualizing with Mapbox for Blog Submissions Data.
Natural Experiments in Peace Corps' Impact
A partnership between the CDC and Peace Corps in Liberia offers a glimpse into the sustained connectivity of Peace Corps.
Advanced Dashboards in Excel
A walkthrough of building a responsive dashboard in Excel.
Web application to track real-time education campaigns.
Developing a real-time map visualization for Peace Corps volunteer activities focused on malaria education.
Designing a Dashboard Infographic
The process of developing a static report of country snapshot information.
PCLive — Global Content Management for the Peace Corps
A product development story of the knowledge management platform for Peace Corps Volunteers.
2013
Peace Corps Volunteers Should Embrace Digital
Changing the culture of Peace Corps to embrace digital technologies.
Why Peace Corps needs a knowledge management strategy
It's one thing to build a knowledge-sharing platform, it's another thing to understand why we are doing it.