Episode 53: Tofus Wang on g0v (GovZero)

Sep 24, 2024

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Guest

Terry “Tofus” Wang

Panelist

Django Skorupa

Show Notes

In this episode of Sustain Open Source Design, Django Skorupa is joined by guest Tofus Wang, a UX designer and open source enthusiast from Taipei. Tofus shares his journey into open source, which began during his high school years. Currently, he is a junior UX designer at National Taiwan University, where he also studies economics. Tofus discusses the g0v (GovZero) hackathons, the challenges and opportunities of contributing to open source as a designer, and how non-coders contribute in meaningful ways. Press download now to hear more!

[00:06:11] Django and Tofus discuss how contributions in open source design are often harder to track on platforms like GitHub, but they are equally important, and many g0v participants are not coders but contribute in significant ways. He also explains using HackMD, a note taking platform.

[00:12:13] Tofus reflects on his contributions as a high school student, participating in g0v School001 project, which promotes hackathons and the spirit of civic hacking to high school students in Taiwan.

[00:14:53] Tofus discusses his participation in Da0, a study group exploring decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Although not fully developed, the project brought together people interested in blockchain and its potential applications for grassroots communities.

[00:17:30] Tofus highlights the vital role of design in open source. He worked on visual design projects for multiple initiatives, including creating an interactive UI for Da0’s reputation accounting system.

[00:19:54] Django and Tofus dive into projects such as the Plurality Book, an open source book exploring the future of democracy and technology. Tofus worked on the visual design for the book and helped refine its logo.

Quotes

[00:22:39] “The fundamental technology of digital technology is actually the collaborations of the people.”

Spotlight

[00:23:26] Tofus’s spotlight is a project he’s working on called, Open 165, a sub-project under Cofacts.

Credits

Produced by Richard Littauer
Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree Sound
Show notes by DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound

Special Guest: Terry Wang.