Tom Peters: "If Today Was Your Last Day"
Stayin' Alive in Technology
Tom Peters first burst onto the management and thought leadership scene way back in 1982 with the groundbreaking and massively influential management book he co-authored, In Search of Excellence. His prolific output hasn’t slowed since, and now he’s back with yet another book: Tom Peters’ Compact Guide to Excellence, a collection of quotes he developed in collaboration with iconic designer Nancye Green. Albeit different from his previous releases, this book upholds Tom’s inherent and core belief that treating one another humanely is the best path forward. In this episode,...
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Wagner James Au: "Virtual Reality"
Stayin' Alive in Technology
When Linden Lab’s Second Life debuted in 2003, few anticipated just how much it would popularize the concept of the metaverse. That’s certainly true for James Au, a freelance tech writer who was hired by the company to report on the platform and its users shortly after its launch—by becoming an avatar within the virtual world himself. Listen as he recounts the early days of the platform, how it foreshadowed many of today’s toxic social media issues, and why so many have returned to it during the pan
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Rachel Chalmers: "Three Horses"
Stayin' Alive in Technology
A veteran of Silicon Valley for 25 years, Rachel Chalmers is certainly at home in the world of tech—though her first home is continents away. As the Head of Corporate Services at AlchemistX, the Corporate Services division of Alchemist Accelerator, some of the world’s most innovative companies rely on her insights when charting their paths. Listen as she discusses how enterprises can stay curious, how to fight burnout, and what she means by saying she prefers gardening over strip-mining.
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Shireen Mitchell: "You Can't Stop the Girl" Part 2 of 2
Stayin' Alive in Technology
As a woman of color in tech who was hosting coding workshops for women in the early 90s, Shireen Mitchell is well aware of the issues facing minority women in this industry. Founder of Stop Online Violence Against Women, she fights to protect women from unrelenting sexism and harassment online. In part 2 of our time with Shireen, hear about everything from ineffective social media abuse policies and diversity hiring practices to the marks of true allyship and the prevalence of disinformation.
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Shireen Mitchell: "You Can't Stop the Girl) Part 1 of 2
Stayin' Alive in Technology
Born and raised in 1980s Harlem, Shireen Mitchell is an award-winning woman of color in tech. Her story is filled with overcoming a number of challenges—the same ones she helps other women overcome. And she’s not done. In this first of two episodes, you’ll hear Shireen share candid insights on what women are still facing in tech today, revisit the early days of building BBS boards, and recall stories from her childhood that positioned her to be where she is today.
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Kara Goldin: "I Won't Back Down"
Stayin' Alive in Technology
After leaving a career in tech to focus on being a mom, Hint Water’s Kara Goldin probably didn’t envision starting a new company just a few years later—especially in an industry she had no experience with. But as always, her curiosity and willingness to take risks won out. And it worked. In this episode, Kara recalls her early career adventures in NYC, what prompted her move to Silicon Valley in the 90s, and why being curious and trusting your gut can often be more valuable than straight experience.
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Heidi Williams: “History Repeating”
Stayin' Alive in Technology
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Bob Alberti: Go Your Own Way (Pt. 2)
Stayin' Alive in Technology
While the ability to send data across the earth in seconds has completely changed our civilization, it’s also had some profound consequences that are nowhere near being settled. In this second of two episodes, Bob Alberti continues an enlightening conversation about the progression of the internet he himself had a key role in shaping and where it stands today. Listen as Bob discusses the difficulties of data security and combatting disinformation and closes by offering a helpful bit of career advice.
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Bob Alberti: "Go Your Own Way" - Part 1
Stayin' Alive in Technology
Chat rooms, emails, multiplayer network games, search queries—those all existed in the 1970s. And Bob Alberti was right there in the middle of it all, helping to craft what would become the internet into the version we all use now. In the first of two episodes, hear Bob talk about what computer tech was like during the earliest internet days, and how Minnesota was the original Silicon Valley.
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Jenifer Daniels: “Hustle”
Stayin' Alive in Technology
Lack of diversity and representation has always been an issue in the world of tech and B2B—an issue that led Michigan-based entrepreneur Jenifer Daniels to create Colorstock, a hub for original stock photos featuring people of color. In this episode, Jenifer discusses how she launched Colorstock and how its immediate success eventually created some unforeseen dilemmas down the road. She also offers advice and encouragement to women and people of color entering any industry still struggling with inclusivit
info_outlineIn our first episode with Bob Alberti, we heard what it was like to be at the forefront of the new world of computers and early internet of the 1970s, along with all the innovations he had a key role in during the decades that followed. Do you play games like World of Warcraft? Thank Bob for that. Ever search for something on the internet? He helped develop that, too. (If you missed the first episode, give it a listen, too.)
While Bob was certainly excited to see the primitive internet of the 1970s and 80s develop into what we use now, the rapid advances in speed, usage, and capabilities presented a whole new set of problems—many of which he was already sounding the alarm on in the mid-90s. What do we do about data security and the massive potential disinformation that practically anyone can put out there? There wasn’t an easy answer then, and there definitely isn’t one now.
In this second of two episodes with Bob, you’ll hear him discuss why the creation of the internet is just as significant as the invention of the first printing press, and the unintended consequences that come with being able to send information from one corner of the world to the next in a matter of seconds. He also reflects on the new world we find ourselves in since the pandemic began and how, if it weren’t for the newfound need to work from home, many of us may have been unnecessarily bound to cubicles for the next few decades.
Ultimately, Bob closes his time with us by offering some simple advice on determining what your life and career path should be—advice that comes from a man who’s tried his hand at more than a few things in life, including his more newfound passion: improv.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- GamBit Multisystems—Bob’s company credited with developing the world’s first MMORPG, along with other commercial email, chat, and interactive games.
- Sdf.org—A real, living, working example of a Gopher server you can still use today
- “After 32 years, dad is now grad,” article featuring Bob in the Minneapolis Star Tribune
- “Sorting through electronic keepsakes: Sentimentality has turned many of our computers into ‘the new attic.’" from the Star Tribune
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead™, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco.
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