A podcast about free software, free culture, and making things together

FOSS and Crafts is an interdisciplinary exploration of collaborative creation. We believe that all works (whether digital or traditional in nature) are informed by history as well as one's surrounding culture and community, whether directly or indirectly, and that everyone benefits from the expansion of the commons. We explore such topics as computer programming, craft production, user freedom and agency, especially informed by the principles of the F(L)OSS (Free, Libre, and Open Source Software) and free culture movements.

FOSS and Crafts's usual hosts are Morgan Lemmer-Webber and Christine Lemmer-Webber.

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Episodes and news

  • 62: Blender
    Sun 03 March 2024

    Blender, the absolute powerhouse of FOSS 3d (and increasingly 2d) graphics! We give an overview of the software's history, some personal history of our relationships to the software, what it can do, and where we're excited to see it go!

  • 61: A Textile Historian's Survival Guide
    Sun 10 December 2023

    How do you survive in a world that is no longer optimized for making your own clothing when you suddenly find that modern conveniences no longer accommodate you? As a textile historian, Morgan has been ruminating for years about women’s contributions to the domestic economy, the massive time investment of producing clothing for a family, and the comparative properties of different textile fibers. These research interests were informed by a lifetime of sewing and other fiber crafts. None of this experience, however, properly prepared her to face the reality of needing to rely on her own hands to provide large portions of her own wardrobe.

  • 60: Governance, part 2
    Sat 30 September 2023

    Back again with governance... part two! (See also: part one!) Here we talk about some organizations and how they can be seen as "templates" for certain governance archetypes.

  • 59: Governance, part 1
    Thu 31 August 2023

    Governance of FOSS projects, a two parter, and this is part one! Here we talk about general considerations applicable to FOSS projects! (And heck, these apply to collaborative free culture projects too!)

  • 58: WebAssembly
    Thu 15 June 2023

    WebAssembly! You've probably heard lots about it, but what the heck is it? Is it just for C and Rust programs? Can you write it by hand? (Do you want to?) And wait, how is Spritely getting involved in WebAssembly efforts? Find out!

  • 57: F-Droid (featuring Sylvia van Os & Hans-Christoph Steiner!)
    Sun 14 May 2023

    F-Droid, a repository of free software for your Android devices! Christine interviews F-Droid developers Sylvia van Os and Hans-Christoph Steiner as well as F-Droid board member and chair... Morgan Lemmer-Webber!

  • 56: Make your own dehydrated meals
    Tue 28 February 2023

    In yet another deep dive into yet another weird hobby of Christine's, we talk about how to make your own dehydrated meals! Why the heck would you want to do this? Well, maybe you want more consistent or dietary needs friendly travel food! Maybe you want to go camping or hiking! Maybe you're sick of deciding what's for lunch and you just want to scoop a cup of meal out of a jar on your desk every day! Maybe you want to weird out your fellow conference-goers as you turn a dry powder into a fully cooked meal with hot water and hot water alone!

  • 55: Free Soft Wear
    Tue 31 January 2023

    Morgan talks about "Free Soft Wear": textile processes under free culture licenses!

  • 54: Oops!
    Tue 27 December 2022

    Everyone goofs sometimes. Today we talk accidents... some happy, some not!

  • 53: Fediverse reflections while the bird burns
    Thu 01 December 2022

    Twitter is burning, and people are flocking to the fediverse. Is the fediverse ready though? How did we get here? Where should we be going? Since Christine is co-author of ActivityPub, the primary protocol used by the fediverse, Morgan decides it's time to get Christine's thoughts recorded and out there... so we hop in the car as we talk all about it!

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