Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk with the CEO of OpenUK Amanda Brock about the role of open technology in the UK's tech industry and wider economy.

Amanda explains the work of Open UK and highlights some of the work the organisation does to promote open technology. She also discusses exactly why this work matters so much, and suggests that the UK doesn't always do as good a job as it could in talking about the extent to which it contributes to the global communities of developers and other practitioners making use of open technologies and data.

We also talk about some of the challenges facing the open movement, and Amanda also highlights some of confusion that the increasingly complex world of software licensing has caused. 

Finally, we also touch on the State of Open report which provides some detailed insights on the importance and role of open in the UK right now, and the Open Awards, which celebrates the people that are making an impact in the field. 

• Follow Amanda Brock on Twitter: @AmandaBrockUK
• Learn more about Open UK
• Read OpenUK's State of Open report

Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk with digital anthropologist Caitlin McDonald about what it means to be a digital anthropologist and why it matters in helping us to understand the way we build and use technology today. 

Caitlin begins by talking through how her work intersects with questions of agency and digital literacy, providing some useful context on how perceptions and understanding about what techbology does and how it's made can have an impact on the way it influences our lives. 

She also explains why there's a growing need for anthropological thinking in the tech industry, and why businesses and governments are starting to see the value in the disciplines specific ways of thinking about culture and communication. She also talks about digital anthropology in the context of the emerging conversation around ethics, and how changes in legislation and compliance rules is increasing demand for work that can help companies tackle these issues head on.

We also discuss ethnography, and compare it to quantitative research. Caitlin notes that there's an emerging scepticism of quantitative methods and its ability to deliver value. 

Finally, we talk about Caitlin's work outside of digital anthropology, such as her work as a coach and her personal technology projects.  She emphasises the value of having a space to adopt a more playful and less productive approach to technology and to "reconnect with technical skills in a low-stakes way."

• Follow Caitlin MacDonald on Twitter: @cmcd_phd
• Explore Caitlin's techy projects
• Learn more about EPIC and ethnography in industry
• Learn more about Microsoft's ethics game, Judgment Call
• Read Tricia Wang's Why Big Data Needs Thick Data

Rich Gall (@richggall) and Jennifer Riggins (@jkriggins) talk with Sarah Drinkwater, the Director of Responsible Technology at Omidyar Networks to discuss how we can cultivate organisations and people that will enable a more equitable, responsible - and ultimately compassionate and exciting - technological future. 

We talk about the challenges the tech industry faces, and why it can be difficult to talk about responsibility and ethics. Sarah explains how the work she does at Omidyar Network attempts to support projects that will help us to reimagine the way that we build and use technology in society. 

We also discuss the ways storytelling can help us improve accountability in the industry, and how it can restore some sense of agency in an environment where it can feel like it's impossible to create change on a personal level. Sarah also talks about the Ethical Explorer project she put together, which offers tools to people in the industry - from engineers to product managers to founders - for tackling a range of ethical issues seriously.

Finally, we touch on a theme that exemplifies Sarah's work - joining the dots between different domains, and getting different groups of people talking to one another. We discuss the limitations of the core institutions that shape tech - large corporations and universities - and explore what could replace them and offer us a more effective way forward.

• Follow Sarah Drinkwater on Twitter: @sarahdrinkwater
• Learn more about Omidyar Network
• Get the Ethical Explorer pack (it's free!)
• Watch the Ada Lovelace Institute event mentioned in the episode
• Listen to the conversation between Claire Stapleton and Ifeoma Ozoma that Sarah references towards the end
• Read Casey Newton's comprehensive piece on Basecamp (an incident mentioned a couple of times in the episode)