
Hope in Source
What are the parallels between faith and open source software? Join Henry Zhu for an off-the-cuff conversation between friends. Check out hopeinsource.com and nadiaeghbal.com/public-faith for the backstory!
Latest episodes

Aug 24, 2022 • 29min
The Dorean Principle (Conley Owens)
Conley Owens, author of The Dorean Principle, discusses the commercialization of Christianity and the concept of the Gospel being freely given. Topics include being a colaborer vs. a customer, Bible translation, Christian music licensing, copyright, and the open source ethos.

Sep 1, 2021 • 59min
Attending to Silence (L.M. Sacasas)
How can we think about digital communication, let alone silence? Is it possible? L.M. Sacasas is back to chat about a few of his last newsletter posts: the nature of silence, attention not as a resource, on hope vs. expectations, the arms race of escalation, manufactured needs, askesis or discipline, the commons vs. the public, and trustlessness and codes of law. (Recorded in July 2021) Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/silence.

Jun 18, 2021 • 50min
Ivan Illich (L.M. Sacasas)
Why read Ivan Illich today? In this episode, Madhu Suri Prakash and Dana L. Stuchul of Penn State University (and Journal of Illich Studies) interview L.M. Sacasas on his work as being a sort of bridge or interlocutor of Illich's thoughts. They talk about schooling and inequality in COVID, ways of thinking about technology, a life of planning vs. gift, convivial tools, redemption of work, and more. (Recorded in December 2020) Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/illich

10 snips
Apr 5, 2021 • 28min
Digital Disembodiment (Maggie Appleton)
How does the digital life shape our perceptions of ourselves? Maggie Appleton starts us off on a discussion of school in pandemic times which lead to a discussion of the disembodiment that technology can create, somehow bringing us further towards our thoughts on time and space? (Recorded in November 2020) Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/disembodiment

Mar 9, 2021 • 42min
Software Tetris (Stephen Kell)
How is the state of modern software like losing at Tetris? Stephen Kell joins Henry to chat about Ivan Illich's thought (counter-productivity, radical monopoly, critique of institutions) applied to modern software culture! We talk about the software/hardware arms race, how our default is more is better, tech being all-consuming, the tyranny of updates. (recorded in Dec 2020) Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/tetris

Feb 20, 2021 • 28min
TabFS (Omar Rizwan)
Omar Rizwan talks about TabFS, opening browser APIs like a filesystem. Topics include DIY projects vs scripts, defining 1.0, literate documentation, and maintaining open source projects. They discuss project extensions, few dependencies, and taking community feedback seriously.

Feb 19, 2021 • 45min
Essence (Sonya Mann)
Sonya Mann and Henry discuss the nature of conversion, using jargon within a community, and transformation. Topics include tools of a worldview, flavors of faith, individuation, interwoven histories, extensions of the body, and agreeing to disagree.

Jan 3, 2021 • 35min
Reconversion (Sonya Mann)
How does one come to faith, let alone come back to it? Sonya Mann graciously shares some raw thoughts on her re-conversion to Christianity. We cover a lot of ground, going through doubt and spiritual malaise, the phenomenology of faith, fractal reality, "happeningness". (Recorded in September) Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/reconversion.

Dec 9, 2020 • 36min
Approaching Advent (Alex Kim)
What is Advent anyway? Alex Kim joins Henry to chat about the season of waiting, memory, our loss and discovery of tradition, teaching ritual as meaningful, a Christian conception of time, and opening ourselves up to hope. Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/advent

15 snips
Nov 3, 2020 • 33min
Technology as Process (Maggie Appleton)
Is technology just of chips and gadgets? Maggie Appleton joins Henry again in a 2-part chat to discuss how tech isn't such a static thing, building off of Mcluhan's thought of media and Dan Wang's article, "How Technology Grows". We cover how tech itself contains it's own process knowledge involving how it is used, built, and maintained as well as going into digital immortality and the protestant work ethic, and chat about how our cultures are intertwined with tech. Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/process.