BOUNDARYLESS CONVERSATIONS PODCAST - EPISODE 96
#96 – Building Calm Technology and Organizations with Amber Case
We rarely (if ever) get to host a cyborg anthropologist on our podcast, so we are thrilled to have Amber Case join us as a special guest for this episode.
Amber, who works at the intersection of human and technology interactions, shares her journey into envisioning what a calm technology is. Calm Technology is a design philosophy that advocates for technology to integrate into our lives, enhancing our ability to focus rather than distracting us. She takes us through everyday objects that have been designed this way and leaves us challenging what’s really “transparent technology”?
We stretch the boundaries to include a conversation on organizations and governance: a leading thread is that of keeping asking questions and not drinking the kool-aid of truthiness in how we think about tech and organizing.
Tune in to this provocation that leaps into the future of technology, its impact on society, and how you can navigate these landscapes with mindful intent.
Podcast Notes
This podcast started on a personal note – Amber shared her experience being a child of engineers, and also having early exposure to the natural world – both of which she believes set the precedence for what she does today.
She takes us through a wealth of experience she gained in her multifaceted career – having been a renowned book author, TED speaker, serial startup founder, advisor, co-founder of DAOs, Research Director at the Meta Governance Project, and most recently the founder of the Calm Tech Institute.
Amber advocates for a future where technology “gets out of your way and lets you live your life.” This episode will elicit new questions for you and your career.
This episode has been occasionally recorded as “sound only”.
Key highlights
- Critical intersection between human behavior and technology, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of our digital coexistence.
- Calm Technology as an essential way to creating designs that respect human attention without overwhelming users.
- Building tools that help users focus on the task and not the tool.
- Complexities of governance in technological and organizational contexts, with a focus on the potentials and pitfalls of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
- Ways to bring a shift towards innovations that serve humanity and contribute to a more equitable future.
- Developing a questioning mindset for driving meaningful technological advancements.
Topics (chapters):
00:00 Building Calm Technology and Organizations – Intro
02:09 The start of a cyborg anthropologist
11:19 What happens as Technology fades into the background/ disappears?
19:55 Technology as facilitator vs. distractor
30:35 How to limit and grow technology
48:23 Organizations shaping itself to build better technology
59:07 Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Recorded on 22nd February 2024.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
To find more about the guests
Other references and mentions
- Frontiers of Interaction – Design Group Italia
- Calm Technology: Principles and Patterns for Non-Intrusive Design: Case, Amber
- Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown – Xerox PARC
- Paul Graham (programmer) – Wikipedia
- Robert’s Rules of Order – Wikipedia
- Present Shock – Rushkoff
- Future Shock – Wikipedia
- BlockScience
- Norbert Wiener – Wikipedia
- The Story of Palm Touchstone told by Manu Chatterjee – YouTube
- David Graeber – Wikipedia
- Daniel Golliher | LinkedIn
- Decentralized autonomous organization of the intelligent home according to the principle of the immune system
- Yuk Hui – Wikipedia
- What makes me a Cyborg – An interview with Amber Case, Cyborg Anthropologist. | Meedabyte
Guest suggested breadcrumbs
.png%3Fv%3D2026-07-07%2007%3A38%3A24.495%2B00&w=3840&q=75)
.png%3Fv%3D2026-07-15%2012%3A45%3A48.76%2B00&w=3840&q=75)
Stay in the loop
New podcast episodes, reports, webinars, and updates, directly in your inbox. Signal, not spam.