Episode 227: OSCA 2023 with Adewale “Ace” Abati on Made. In. Nigeria.

Sustain

Guest

Adewale “Ace” Abati

Panelist

Richard Littauer

Show Notes

In this episode, host Richard Littauer sits down with Adewale “Ace” Abati, a staff developer advocate at TBD and member of the Open Source Community Africa. Today, they discuss Ace’s work in building a decentralized future of the web and advocating for open protocol and Web5 technology. Ace provides insightful perspectives on the pressure of content creation, the importance of repetition for skill acquisition, and the role of community in open source project management. The conversation also touches on Ace’s ‘Made. In. Nigeria.’ project, a website that highlights the contributions of Nigerian developers to the open source community. Hit download now to hear more!

[00:00:42] Ace talks about his role at TBD, advocating for decentralized technology and Web5, an open protocol for user-controlled identity and data across platforms.

[00:01:25] We hear the difference between open protocol and open source, to which Ace confirms that while Web5 is open source, it is also a protocol that allows building on top of it. Also, Ace explains the relation of Web5 to blockchain.

[00:02:21] Ace shares his journey to Amsterdam, starting from working at Code Sandbox, an online code editor, and moving for new experiences.

[00:03:11] The conversation shifts to the topic of Nigerian developers in open source and the diaspora. Ace discusses his project ‘Made. In. Nigeria.’ highlighting the contributions of Nigerian developers both locally and abroad.

[00:04:19] Ace introduces Buzz, a recent project on the list that uses OpenAI’s Whisper for audio transcription.

[00:04:50] The discussion moves to Ace’s activities as a staff developer advocate and his hobbies, including YouTube and video game streaming.

[00:05:46] Richard questions if creative individuals in the open source community burn out faster due to the constant need for new content. Ace agrees and discusses the pressures of project maintenance and content creation.

[00:08:19] Richard talks about a designer in Australia and his YouTube video where he drew an Ibis every day for a year and what happened, then brings up the concept of repeated practice, and he asks Ace if he finds the skills gained from daily activities useful for the future. Ace sees the value in repetition for learning but doesn’t plan to repeat the exact same activities.

[00:10:46] Ace previews a new version of the Made. In. Nigeria. project website focused on the stories behind the developers of the projects listed.

[00:12:47] Find out where you can learn more about Ace on the web.

Quotes

[00:06:39] “At the end of the day we are not machines.”

Links

• SustainOSS
• SustainOSS Twitter
• SustainOSS Discourse
• [e-mail]
• SustainOSS Mastodon
• Open Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
• Richard Littauer Mastodon
• Richard Littauer email
• Richard Littauer Sustain
• Richard Littauer blog email
• Adewale “Ace” Abati X/Twitter
• Adewale “Ace” Abati Website
• Adewale “Ace” Abati LinkedIn
• Adewale “Ace” Abati YouTube
• Adewale “Ace” Abati Instagram
• TBD
• Made. In. Nigeria. (GitHub)
• Made. In. Nigeria.
• Buzz
• The drawing advice that changed my life (YouTube)

Credits

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

Special Guest: Adewale “Ace” Abati .

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