99 Followers
206 Following
80 Posts

Is: Software architect, Chewy; was: Staff eng Wayfair, Innovation Platform Dir, NGPVAN. Loves: #progressivetech, #apis, books. Views mine only.

My big side project these days is https://codehopelabs.com and the associated slack. If you're in #progressivetech, join us!

Websitehttps://shaisachs.com
Awesome #progressivetech event coming up, check it out!
"Open Source Tools in Progressive Tech" - https://actionnetwork.org/events/talk-data-to-me-open-source-in-progressive-tech
Hi friends! I'm looking for volunteers to help out with a pretty cool #progressivetech project using #llms / #gpt on #Azure. Anyone interested in helping out?
Training on #lowcode tools isn't free, but it pays itself back many times over - both in terms of productivity, for folks in #progressive orgs who use these tools, and in business opportunities for #progressivetech incubators. Can we find a way to bootstrap trainings and recognize some of these returns?
The key to using #lowcode in #progressive organizations is training - we need to be training as wide a swatch of political operatives as possible in these tools, so they can be more efficient in their daily lives. How about a course series that combines trainings in Zapier, Airtable, and Google Sheets formulas? https://codehopelabs.com/ideas/low-code-training.html
Low code training - Code Hope Labs

Just as there are training programs in digital organizing and data management, progressives should organize a series of low-code trainings for political operatives, to encourage the use of low-code tools in campaigns and other time-strapped organizations. Such courses would cover topics like Excel macros, Zapier, Airtable, iPhone and Android app builders, Streamlit, and similar tools. They could be housed in a variety of organizations, such as the DCCC (for its Red to Blue candidates), the Arena (for a broader segment of operatives), or as a standalone organization. Such trainings could be funded by a startup incubator, which could benefit from the creation of temporary low-code tools by incubating startups that productionize such tools for longer-term adoption.

Low code training - Code Hope Labs

Just as there are training programs in digital organizing and data management, progressives should organize a series of low-code trainings for political operatives, to encourage the use of low-code tools in campaigns and other time-strapped organizations. Such courses would cover topics like Excel macros, Zapier, Airtable, iPhone and Android app builders, Streamlit, and similar tools. They could be housed in a variety of organizations, such as the DCCC (for its Red to Blue candidates), the Arena (for a broader segment of operatives), or as a standalone organization. Such trainings could be funded by a startup incubator, which could benefit from the creation of temporary low-code tools by incubating startups that productionize such tools for longer-term adoption.

One resource I want to highlight that is really exceptional in this line of thought is Rachel Kleinfeld's report, Five strategies to support US democracy. It's a must-read: https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/09/15/five-strategies-to-support-u.s.-democracy-pub-87918
The last time we faced a crisis this grave threatening our way of life, during the Cold War, we mobilized every lever of government and civic society to defend ourselves. Now that our democratic way of life is threatened by domestic problems, we need to rise to the challenge again.
Likewise, there is no holistic #progressive critique of the crisis of masculinity, no intentionally crafted positive picture of what progressive men should strive for in their personal and public lives. Why not? Again this is a tremendous cultural problem with huge implications for everyone's way of life. Conservatives are not quiet on this issue, progressives should have something to say - and more importantly, much to do - about it.
To my knowledge there is no government policy meant to address the crisis of loneliness as a societal (rather than an individual) problem. Why not? It is a serious public health problem that threatens the structure of government.
We should not take these problems "lying down" - there is a role for government, as well as civic society, to play in alleviating these crises.