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In Today’s Issue:
Intro to the Guest and Topic
Core Takeaway
Episode References
Select Quotes
Key Moments
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Today’s Topic & Guest:
The majority of technology tools we use today, end up forcing us as humans, to conform to them. Why? Why can’t technology form to meet human needs and way of life.
Instead of being forced to learn a new language through coding, what if we could just use our english language, to write websites, and the tech could use that writing as the source ‘code’ — rather than actual code?
This is the idea that Garren is pursuing, and there are some important lessons to consider in there. Check it out.
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Core Lesson:
Software should extend human agency and creativity.
Building meaningful tech comes down to a simple choice: you either craft tools that help people accomplish real work and return to their lives, or you build engagement traps that consume their attention. Properly ordered innovation understands human nature, and helps enhance it in some way. This way, people can focus on what actually matters.
I’m in the process of learning how to use hark.com, an AI agent, and it’s showing me that this idea is possible. Now, instead of being crushed with anxiety at all the things I need to do, as soon as I think of an admin task I needed done, I just have hark take care of it. Now the distance between thought and action is much less.
There are many such technologies like this that have not yet been built, we as Catholics ought to be building them. So get out there and do it!
God Bless & Happy Building!
~Silas Mähner
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA.
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
Key Episode References:
Select Quotes:
Our mission really is centered around this question of what happens when you can code in English.” — Garren DiPasquale
“Never expose your organizational silos... because that’s what you end up seeing in a lot of software is you’re actually experiencing the organizational silos of the company, their subsystems, their subdepartments, and how they’re operated on the backend gets exposed out to you, the end user.” — Garren DiPasquale
“What kills most good software is not the people coming up with the idea or having the intent for it. What kills it is the actual organization itself, how the organization is structured. It actually just can’t change to match what they’re trying to create or what they’re trying to put out there.” — Garren DiPasquale
“Yes, it has to work, it has to function, it has to do things, it has to solve a problem, it has to be valuable to the end customer... and if you do all that well, then you might as well make it beautiful too. You might as well exercise some craft.” — Garren DiPasquale
Key Moments: (outline)
[00:10] Coding in English: Garren introduces the core mission of his company, Artifact, exploring what happens when developers can code using plain English instead of traditional syntax.
[00:49] Technology and Human Dignity: Garren discusses how Catholic social teaching and papal encyclicals shape a view of technology that serves human dignity rather than shaping humans to fit technology.
[13:34] The Bauhaus Parallel: Garren draws an analogy between the Arts and Crafts movement’s rejection of “industrial slop” and today’s AI-generated content, advocating for a new Bauhaus movement that marries art and science.
[17:51] Dieter Rams and Functional Beauty: Discussing Dieter Rams’ design principles, Garren emphasizes that software must first function and solve a problem, but once it does, it should also be beautiful and well-crafted.
[26:54] Organizational Silos in Software: Garren explains that bad software often exposes a company’s internal organizational silos and bureaucratic friction rather than failing due to poor initial ideas.
[46:58] Introducing Artifact: Garren explains what Artifact is building—a document-centered repository for intent and the “why/what” of software, distinct from rapid prototyping tools like Replit or Lovable.
[55:26] The Renaissance of Writing: Garren shares his belief that precise communication and writing will become increasingly critical as natural language becomes the primary interface for building software.
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts, and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
