07 | Software Is For The Birds with Andy Balinsky

Andy Balinsky spent his career in computer security—tracking intruders through military networks, back when that meant sleeping under a desk waiting for the alarm. Retired now, he's pointed that same attention at the things he loves: a podcast player that finally lets music keep playing underneath, a crib sheet for the hundreds of traditional Irish session tunes he's learned, and "Purple Skies", a field app for the Purple Martin colonies he and his wife have tended for 25 years. We get into why the challenging part of building software now isn't the code, but rather all the decisions that make it usable in the nebulous human realm. It's a whole new world when anyone can make helpful software like this—apps so specific, they certainly would never have been built and sold as commercial software. And yet, it means a lot to the people (and birds!) who benefit from it. It's an inspiring story, and a guide for anyone who wants to step up for their own interests and communities.

Links:

• Purple Martin Conservation Association — and Project MartinWatch, the continent-wide nest-check database.
• Merlin Bird ID and eBird — the Cornell Lab apps Andy mentions
• Kevin Crawford — flute player with Lúnasa, whose online lessons are the source of the tunes in Session Buddy
• Takedown by Tsutomu Shimomura and John Markoff, which Andy mentioned related to his days in cybersecurity.