Month: May 2016

The eli4d Gazette – Issue 006

Issue 006: 2016-05-25

A Slightly Tech Pick (human and machine protocols)

For this issue, I’ve picked a perhaps depressing topic – death. Death from two aspects. They’re not mirrors of each other or related to each other except by the thread of death.

The first aspect is an article called “A Protocol for Dying” by Peter Hintjens. When it comes to cancer, there is no protocol for communication. There are default settings and a crap-load of attempts at encouragement and ‘positivity’. I like Peter’s approach to cancer-related communication in terms of a protocol, no different than HTTP. I know it sounds ridiculous but when the sh*t hits the fan – no one knows how to speak to a person that has cancer. The “Talking to a Dying Person” section is pure gold.

The second aspect is an article about men and the nature of grief. It’s a heart-wrenching article on many levels, and it reflects about some faulty society norms around grief.

Media Pick

My media pick relates to Peter Hintjens and his core work in building communities. He spoke of his effort and approach on the Ruby Rogues podcast – Episode 188. It is an eye-opening discussion about the community around an open source project (ZeroMQ), but it greatly relates to communities in general. A written encapsulation of his ideas and approach to community building can be found on his blog in this extensive article.