Away from Keyboard

Changelog Media

Exploring the human side of creative work (retired). Host Timothy Smith talks with creative professionals from different industries about the nitty gritty: life, mistakes, burnout, and finding balance while creating satisfying work.

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15 episodes
Updated Jan 31, 2019

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Episodes15

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Jan 31, 2019 · 31 min
Laura Gaetano doesn't want to be a manager
Laura Gaetano was born in Italy, and by my count has lived in at least four different countries. Her multicultural upbringing has had a huge impact on her life. In fact, she currently works at the Travis Foundation with a focus on diversity and inclusion. We talk about her upbringing, her troubles with art school, the work she’s doing now, and changes that may be on the horizon. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We move fast and fix things because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes. Deploy with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Algolia – Our search partner. Algolia’s full suite search APIs enable teams to develop unique search and discovery experiences across all platforms and devices. We’re using Algolia to power our site search here at Changelog.com. Get started for free and learn more at algolia.com. Featuring: Laura Gaetano – Website, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Abi Prado – Show Notes: A big thank you to Abi Prado, who did the narration for this episode since my voice is gone (and who knows if it will ever return). Travis Foundation If you or someone you know would make a great guest for this show, send us an email at: afk@changelog.com. Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Jan 17, 2019 · 27 min
Adam Clark wants to be independently wealthy
Adam Clark and I met back in 2013. We started a podcasting company together (which we both left), he shut down his consulting business to move to California and work for Apple, and now he’s back in Tennessee. Last year he launched a new business, Podcast Royale, a company he says will afford him more freedom to do whatever he wants to do. He talks to me about growing up in a cult, losing his father, marriage, and how being a parent gives him a purpose in life. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Algolia – Our search partner. Algolia’s full suite search APIs enable teams to develop unique search and discovery experiences across all platforms and devices. We’re using Algolia to power our site search here at Changelog.com. Get started for free and learn more at algolia.com. Featuring: Adam Clark – Website, GitHub, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Adam’s company, Podcast Royale I can’t remember the particular episode of Today Explained that I referenced in the show, but it’s a fantastic podcast you should subscribe to. Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Dec 20, 2018 · 24 min
Maria Boland Ploessl found her home in technology
In our last episode of the year, I talk with Maria Boland Ploessl. Maria’s path to technology has been interesting to say the least. A Saint Paul native, she studied Spanish and Latin American studies in college. In 2016, after living in a few different cities (even a year-long stint in Brazil), she moved back to Minnesota. Now, she’s the Executive Director of Minnestar, a non-profit organization with the aim of supporting and growing Minnesota’s tech community. Maria talks to me about what Minnestar does, the work they’re doing to bring more people of underrepresented groups into tech, married life and how she’s grown from it, and parenthood. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Algolia – Our search partner. Algolia’s full suite search APIs enable teams to develop unique search and discovery experiences across all platforms and devices. We’re using Algolia to power our site search here at Changelog.com. Get started for free and learn more at algolia.com. Featuring: Maria Boland Ploessl – Website, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Maria and her husband welcomed baby William Otis in early December She’s the Executive Director for Minnestar Minnestar puts on quite a few events, two of them being Minnebar and Minnedemo I actually did a talk on CSS Grid at Minnebar 2017 Twin Cities Startup Week The 5 Love Languages Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Dec 5, 2018 · 31 min
Jeremy Fuksa is a unicorn
Jeremy Fuksa has had a rough few years. After deciding to go out on his own, his third year in business was filled with anxiety. Going back to working a full-time job may sound like a failure to some, but Jeremy doesn’t look at it that way. He talks to me about his unique skill set, dealing with anxiety and depression, and how his recent experience has taught him some great lessons. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Algolia – Our search partner. Algolia’s full suite search APIs enable teams to develop unique search and discovery experiences across all platforms and devices. We’re using Algolia to power our site search here at Changelog.com. Get started for free and learn more at algolia.com. Featuring: Jeremy Fuksa – Website, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Listen to Jeremy and Paul’s podcast, Uncle Weepy’s Depression Dungeon If you or someone you know would be a great guest for this show, send an email to afk@changelog.com Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Nov 19, 2018 · 1 min
New episodes coming in December!
There hasn’t been a new episode in a few weeks so I wanted to give you a small update. We’ll be back with new episodes on December 4th. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Featuring: Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: If you or someone you know would be a good fit for this show, send an email to afk@changelog.com. Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Oct 10, 2018 · 31 min
Eryn O'Neil isn't afraid to speak her mind
Eryn O’Neil grew up in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago. When it came time for college, it was easy for her to move a few states over and go to college in a small town in Iowa. She now lives in Minneapolis, and after years of being self-employed, she just finished a months-long journey to find her next job. Eryn talks to me about being the first female engineering manager at her new company, what excites her about technology, the hurdles of married life, and staying healthy in a demanding industry. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Featuring: Eryn O'Neil – GitHub, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Grinnell College - Wikipedia Modern Tribe Inadvertent Algorithmic Cruelty by Eric Meyer Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Sep 26, 2018 · 28 min
Suz Hinton says find your allies
Almost eight years ago, Suz Hinton made one of the biggest decisions of her life: move away from her home in Melbourne, Australia and move to the United States. After amicably breaking up with her boyfriend, another decision lied ahead: would she stay? Suz talks to me about culture shock, the hoops she had to jump through to get her visa, her parents, and dealing with burnout. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Featuring: Suz Hinton – GitHub, Mastodon, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: The world’s most liveable cities in 2018 | CNN Travel TAFE NSW - Wikipedia noopkat - Twitch John Resig Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Sep 6, 2018 · 16 min
Mahdi Yusuf knows being healthy is a constant struggle
Mahdi Yusuf worked a startup in his twenties and wasn’t worried too much about his health. When he quit that job, he decided to take better care of himself and lost fifty pounds. Now, he’s the CTO of Gyroscope, a startup that aims to be the operating system for the human body, but ever since joining, has gained weight back. Mahdi talks to me about how Gyroscope is trying to help people understand their bodies better, growing up with a love for computers, and trying to be healthy with a busy life. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Hired – Salary and benefits upfront? Yes please. Our listeners get a double hiring bonus of $600! Or, refer a friend and get a check for $1,337 when they accept a job. On Hired companies send you offers with salary, benefits, and even equity upfront. You are in full control of the process. Learn more at hired.com/afk. Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Featuring: Mahdi Yusuf – GitHub, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Gyroscope Mahdi Yusuf on Gyroscope Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Aug 29, 2018 · 18 min
Justin Dorfman’s passion is advocating for developers
After a very difficult 2014 that put Justin Dorfman in the hospital, he vowed to never go back. Justin has Bipolar I disorder, so coming to terms with his limitations and the sacrifices he needs to make to stay healthy hasn’t been easy. He talks to me about his early BMX dreams, his transition from engineering to marketing, and the stigma around mental health. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Hired – Salary and benefits upfront? Yes please. Our listeners get a double hiring bonus of $600! Or, refer a friend and get a check for $1,337 when they accept a job. On Hired companies send you offers with salary, benefits, and even equity upfront. You are in full control of the process. Learn more at hired.com/afk. Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Featuring: Justin Dorfman – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Sticker Mule: Custom stickers Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Aug 8, 2018 · 31 min
Jeff Robbins is an actual rockstar
While some dream of having a successful career, Jeff Robbins has already had several. Once the lead singer and guitarist for Orbit, Jeff has worked on some of the most famous Drupal websites. He talks to me about his early interest in computers, starting Lullabot, and adjusting to life after leaving the company he built and ran. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Hired – Salary and benefits upfront? Yes please. Our listeners get a double hiring bonus of $600! Or, refer a friend and get a check for $1,337 when they accept a job. On Hired companies send you offers with salary, benefits, and even equity upfront. You are in full control of the process. Learn more at hired.com/afk. Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Featuring: Jeff Robbins – Website, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Yonder Lullabot 123 Astronaut Tim O’Reilly Book Drupal Project We’ll be taking a break, and will be back on August 29th. If you or someone you know would make a great guest on the show, send an email to tim+afk@changelog.com. Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Aug 1, 2018 · 27 min
Ashley Baxter is excited about… insurance?
Thirteen years ago, Ashley Baxter inherited the family insurance business when her Dad passed away. Even though she’s a talented photographer, and built a successful photography business, the insurance industry kept calling her name. Ashley talks about what excites her about insurance, the challenges of running a business, and how burnout forced her to focus. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Hired – Salary and benefits upfront? Yes please. Our listeners get a double hiring bonus of $600! Or, refer a friend and get a check for $1,337 when they accept a job. On Hired companies send you offers with salary, benefits, and even equity upfront. You are in full control of the process. Learn more at hired.com/afk. Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Featuring: Ashley Baxter – Website, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Be a confident freelancer | With Jack Girl With A Camera | Pictographs of Ashley Baxter’s life. Ashley Baxter - YouTube Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Jul 25, 2018 · 33 sec
Away at OSCON
Hello everyone! No new episode this week, since I was away at OSCON last week in Portland. We had a fantastic time. The show will be back with new episodes next Wednesday! Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Featuring: Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: If you’re enjoying the podcast, write the show a review on iTunes. OSCON Portland (2018) | Flickr Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Jul 18, 2018 · 27 min
Justin Jackson finds focus
I first heard of Justin Jackson about six years ago. Back then, he was consulting full-time for a company with the dream of going independent. Fast forward to 2018, and after building a successful business, he’s now embarking on a new adventure. Justin talks about his parents, dealing with depression, and a new business he’s co-founded. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Hired – Salary and benefits upfront? Yes please. Our listeners get a double hiring bonus of $600! Or, refer a friend and get a check for $1,337 when they accept a job. On Hired companies send you offers with salary, benefits, and even equity upfront. You are in full control of the process. Learn more at hired.com/afk. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Featuring: Justin Jackson – Website, GitHub, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: EP03: Tim Smith Of The East Wing Podcast - Podcast Champion (podcast) 2017 year in review Build Your SaaS Transistor | Professional podcast hosting and analytics Justin Jackson (Basketball) Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Jul 11, 2018 · 23 min
Jason Snell is his own HR person
It’s been four years since Jason Snell left his job at Macworld and started his own site Six Colors. In that time, Jason is back to what he loves: creating. He talks about the diversity of his work day, finding the right mix of revenue streams, and taking a break when you need one. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Hired – Salary and benefits upfront? Yes please. Our listeners get a double hiring bonus of $600! Or, refer a friend and get a check for $1,337 when they accept a job. On Hired companies send you offers with salary, benefits, and even equity upfront. You are in full control of the process. Learn more at hired.com/afk. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Featuring: Jason Snell – Website, X Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: Six Colors: Apple, technology, and other stuff from Jason Snell and Friends The Incomparable - Smart, funny pop culture podcasts Free Agents - Jason is no longer a co-host of this show, but the archives are full of awesome Jason-ness Liftoff Upgrade Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Jul 10, 2018 · 2 min
Welcome to Away from Keyboard
Away from Keyboard is a new show from Changelog that talks to creative professionals about how they do what they do, where they started, and how they deal with the things that make us all humans. As exciting as our work can sometimes be, we all face burnout, a lack of motivation, mental and physical health issues, and more. While these are topics that can be difficult to talk about, our experiences shape who we are and teach us so many things. AFK is a show that explores the human side of creative work. Join the discussion Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today! Sponsors: Fastly – Our bandwidth partner. Fastly powers fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. Move beyond your content delivery network to their powerful edge cloud platform. Learn more at fastly.com. Rollbar – We catch our errors before our users do because of Rollbar. Resolve errors in minutes, and deploy your code with confidence. Learn more at rollbar.com/changelog. Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2018. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog Featuring: Tim Smith – GitHub, X Show Notes: If you’d like to suggest someone for the show, please get in touch. Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!