Rework

In August, Basecamp ended its practice of using pixel trackers in emails. Co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson shares what prompted that decision, which is part of a larger discussion about how to push back against Big Tech anti-privacy policies and the impact of individual action on big problems (it's not as futile as you might think)! Show Notes Mike Davidson's blog post on Superhuman, "Superhuman is Spying on You" - 00:13 Mike Davidson's tweet about Superhuman - 00:35 "Marking the end of pixel trackers in Basecamp emails" and "Let's stop shaking people down for their email addresses" (Signal v. Noise) - 00:57 "You can heal the internet" (Signal v. Noise) - 1:18 The EU's official website about GDPR - 11:00 "California Passes Sweeping Law to Protect Online Privacy" (New York Times) - 11:08 Basecamp stopped reimbursing employees for Uber rides in 2017. DHH elaborates on that decision in our episode "Take A Stand" - 15:26 IndieBound - 16:37 DuckDuckGo - 17:45 "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the 'future is private'" (The Verge) - 21:46 "Facebook Has Watched You Browse The Web For Years. And No, 'Clear History' Won't Really Stop It" (BuzzFeed News) - 22:15 Our episode on becoming 100% Facebook Free - 22:28 "Mister Gotcha," a four-panel cartoon by Matt Bors - 22:55 A lavina is an avalanche - 26:00 The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's page about the Equifax data breach - 29:21 "Apple apologizes for listening to Siri conversations" (CNBC) - 30:30

"Dreams shouldn't be sensible." In 2011, David and Clare Hieatt launched Hiut Denim in a small Welsh town that had been home to a jeans factory for 40 years. The Hieatts saw an opportunity to restore those lost jobs—and to do it in a way that fit with their ideas about building a sustainable business. In this episode, David Hieatt talks about taking the slow money; what it's like when a mega celebrity endorses your brand; and his efforts to reduce the environmental impact of a ubiquitous item of clothing. Show Notes A GQ profile of Japan's Kapital Denim - 1:26 Pure Blue jeans - 1:44 Meghan Markle - 2:39 For a great peek into the denim industry and its environmental impact, we recommend this episode of the Articles of Interest podcast - 2:57 David Hieatt - 3:18 Hiut Denim | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter - 3:20 A 2002 BBC story about the closure of the Dewhirst jeans plant in Cardigan - 3:58 Howies - 4:20 A selvedge denim explainer - 5:25 A story in the Independent about Meghan Markle wearing Hiut's jeans - 13:56 Denim Breaker Club - 17:52 No Wash Club - 21:46 Do Purpose: Why Brands With a Purpose Do Better and Matter More by David Hieatt - 24:35 The DO Lectures - 24:42

Basecamp has a new website and a new logo. If this is the first you're hearing about it, it's because CEO Jason Fried opted out of the big rebranding announcement that many companies undertake. On this episode, Jason and marketing designer Adam Stoddard talk about what prompted the new look and the laidback way it came together. Show Notes Basecamp.com - 00:19 Adam Stoddard on Twitter - 00:29 "Connecting the dots: How we put a smile on the Basecamp logo" (Signal v. Noise, October 2015) - 1:22 You can see the 37signals logo in the upper right corner of this website - 3:48 37signals changed its name to Basecamp in 2014 - 4:20 Jonathan Van Ness - 5:23 Garmin's BaseCamp - 6:51 The original 37signals manifesto - 8:40 Pentagram - 11:35 UnderConsideration's review of the new logo - 14:40

On Tuesday, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried tweeted about some shady business involving Google Ads and search results. The tweet got a lot of attention, so we brought Jason on the show to talk about what got him so riled up over Google. No punches were pulled in the making of this episode! Show Notes Jason's tweet - 00:18 "Six Hours of Phone Calls," our episode about hiring an SEO consultant - 00:44 Adam Stoddard, Basecamp's marketing designer - 2:17 CNBC's story on Jason's tweet - 3:35 CNN story on Burger King's mobile app promotion that trolled McDonald's - 10:18

We're back from summer break! It's time to get back to work, but it's important not to overdo it. In this episode, Ty Fujimura, president of web design firm Cantilever, talks about how he escaped the Cult of Overwork; why it's important to rethink the relationship between hours "worked" and actual productivity; and how establishing healthier patterns in the workplace has helped diversify his staff. Show Notes Ty Fujimura on Twitter - 00:52 Ty's Medium essay, "The Cult of Overwork (And How to Avoid It)" - 00:54 Cantilever website - 1:10 Cal Newport's website - 8:47 "The Cult of Overwork," James Surowiecki's New Yorker piece - 22:56 Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken - 25:54 (Wailin would like to say that she describes the circus trick incorrectly: The rider actually mounts a moving horse before diving off the platform. Wailin would also like to say that she corrected herself on mic but Shaun cut that part.)

We're taking off the month of August! During our hiatus, we'll be playing some vintage episodes of the 37signals Podcast, a show that Basecamp ran from 2009-2011 (and then forgot all about until Wailin came across the show during an unrelated Google search). In this episode, Basecamp (then 37signals) co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson answer questions from Signal v. Noise readers about the company's affiliate program, staying motivated, playing the stock market, and more. We'll be back with new episodes of Rework next week!

We're taking off the month of August! During our hiatus, we'll be playing some vintage episodes of the 37signals Podcast, a show that Basecamp ran from 2009-2011 (and then forgot all about until Wailin came across the show during an unrelated Google search). In this episode, Basecamp (then 37signals) co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about when to give something away and when to charge.

We're taking off the month of August! During our hiatus, we'll be playing some vintage episodes of the 37signals Podcast, a show that Basecamp ran from 2009-2011 (and then forgot all about until Wailin came across the show during an unrelated Google search). In this episode, Basecamp (then 37signals) co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss a satirical press release they wrote to skewer overblown tech company valuations. That leads to a broader discussion about investment, exits, and serial entrepreneurship.

Pam Daniels had an idea to make an everyday household item more useful and fun. When her first plan to get her product into the world fell through, she found a different path. Show Notes Our previous two episodes, Shape Up and Shape Up Roundtable - 00:37 Welcome Industries website | Twitter | Instagram - 1:16 Pam's bio at Northwestern University - 1:31 Brandon Williams' website - 3:31 Umbra - 3:39 Brandon's original idea for Float | Umbra product page - 3:54 Kickstarter for the cork bag - 5:23 Kickstarter for the photo frame - 5:56 Kickstarter for the measuring cups - 6:52 Most funded Kickstarter campaigns - 7:31 Yanko Design's Instagram - 13:01 International Home + Housewares Show - 13:53 Janler Corporation - 14:41 The cups are made of a plastic called Tritan - 18:58 Crazing is cracking on the surface of an object - 19:07 MoMA Design Store - 22:35 Welcome Industries page to purchase the cups - 23:48 Drink those claws - 27:19 Wailin's explanation of "Hot Girl Summer" is mortifyingly inaccurate, so read this explainer instead - 27:28

Basecamp's new book, Shape Up by Ryan Singer, explores the way designers and programmers at the company build and ship software. In this episode, Ryan, designer Conor Muirhead, and programmer Jeff Hardy go deep into Shape Up principles, talking about the parts of the process they find most useful and sharing real-life examples of both successes and setbacks. Show Notes Last week's episode, an introduction to Shape Up - 00:11 Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters by Ryan Singer - 00:18 Ryan Singer on Twitter - 1:18 Conor Muirhead on Twitter - 1:22 Jeff Hardy on Twitter - 1:27 "Get One Piece Done" - 5:08 "Affordances before pixel-perfect screens" - 10:02 "Work is like a hill" - 12:44 "The circuit breaker" - 21:16 "Risks and Rabbit Holes" - 22:15 "Watch out for grab-bags" - 23:43 "Decide When to Stop" - 25:50 "Bets, Not Backlogs" - 28:26

Basecamp's head of strategy, Ryan Singer, sits down to discuss his new book, Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters. The book is a culmination of Ryan's 15+ years working at Basecamp and explains how small teams of designers and programmers can ship great work in six-week cycles. Ryan's book is about product development and software, but many of its ideas around working with the right level of abstraction, embracing constraints, and making smart bets are applicable to other creative pursuits. Show Notes Books by Basecamp - 00:13 Ryan on Twitter - 00:19 Breadboard on Wikipedia and in Shape Up - 6:30 Forrest M. Mims III on Wikipedia - 7:00 "Planning is Guessing," our episode featuring Jason Fried on six-week cycles (his segment starts at 10:03). See also his Signal v. Noise post, "What six weeks of work looks like" - 13:20 "Bets, not Backlogs," a chapter in Shape Up - 16:17 The section on appetite in Shape Up - 17:13 The section on the circuit breaker in Shape Up - 19:16

Basecamp is known for hiring infrequently, but it's in the midst of adding five new employees to its roster—including the company's first-ever director of marketing. Over 4,000 applications have come in for the open positions. In this episode, we go deep into how we knew it was time to hire, why we spend so much time writing job ads, and how teams of future co-workers evaluate candidates without using automated filtering software. Show Notes Big Integer, our episode about the outage - 3:56 DHH's posts on subsequent outages - 3:59 "Basecamp is hiring a Head of Marketing" (Signal v. Noise) - 6:15 archive of past talks by Basecampers - 6:29 Books by Basecamp - 6:30 Six Hours of Phone Calls, our episode about looking for an SEO consultant to help with Basecamp's Google ranking - 6:46 Basecamp Support - 8:28 "Basecamp is hiring Customer Support Representatives" (SvN) - 8:38 "We're hiring a Director of Operations" (SvN) - 9:19 "Basecamp is hiring a Senior Programmer" (SvN) - 11:12 Workable - 14:38 Hiring Is Not Hazing, our episode about code reviews and other aspects of tech interviews - 20:00 Know Your Team, our episode about the company formerly known as the product Know Your Company - 29:25 "Why work doesn't happen at work," Jason Fried's 2010 TEDxMidwest talk - 31:27

In this episode, Basecamp marketing designer Adam Stoddard joins Jason Fried to talk about a marathon session of interviewing Search Engine Optimization consultants. Hear why they squeezed all the interviews into a six-hour block and what it's like to shop for something you don't really know anything about. Show Notes Adam Stoddard on Twitter - 00:45 Jason's tweet asking for SEO consultant recommendations - 1:36 For more on design challenges as part of the hiring process, check out our episode "Hiring Is Not Hazing" - 4:12

The open office has gone from the dominant workplace layout to cultural pariah, with these environments seeming to produce more interruptions than collaboration. But the open office itself isn't entirely to blame for the distractions that plague office workers. In this episode, two tech workers share their experiences in open offices—with some surprising findings. Show Notes A peek inside Basecamp's office in Chicago - 00:21 "The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea" (Signal v. Noise) - 00:34 "Library Rules: How to make an open office plan work" (Signal v. Noise) - 00:43 Tommy George on Twitter - 1:30 YouVersion Bible app - 1:31 Zemana - 13:39

A curious snack food aficionado calls the home of Mr. Peanut. Show Notes Nikki Sylianteng on Twitter - 00:34 "Thanks to Popular Demand, Planters Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls Are Back" (Kraft Heinz press release) - 2:54 Nikki's tweets about eating Cheez Curls - 3:24