BOOK OUTLINE

THE FIVE ACTS

The CODE SWITCH manuscript is divided into five distinct ‘acts’ that collect the chapters that are most related thematically.

ACT 1 “Kernel”

Where all things begin for computers. It’s the ‘id’ of the operating system, almost like consciousness. In reality it’s just the low-level code of the machine that allows it to function, translating electricity and machine code into visuals and tasks. This chapter of the book traces my background, my life, and what led me to becoming a music producer in the early 00’s. Music is what led me to coding. Coding is what led me to travel and code switch my way around the globe.

ACT 2 “Vermilion”

Vermilion describes the rust-colored hue of the lands where I grew up in South Georgia and the rust-colored dirt found all over Sub-Saharan Africa where I once lived. It also just so happens to be the name of an almost mythical tool used by hackers in the late 70s and early 80s. I learned this while traveling through 19 countries across Eastern and Western Europe.

ACT 3 “Askari”

In Luganda askari translates to guard or guardian. In Africa, as I worked and traveled with entrepreneurs and technologists from 22 African countries, I was pulled into a network of activists who made open source technology that helped the world. During earthquakes, floods, wildfires, oil spills, bombings, plane crashes, political coups — you name it — our open source community of digital activists was there. Open source and altruistic communities had their merit but sustainability wasn’t one of them. As they were increasingly co-opted by corporations, I transitioned to the for-profit ventures I went on to run in years to follow.

ACT 4 “Clearance”

In 2012 I was asked by various national security groups to use the skills I’d developed working with big tech companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook/Meta while in Africa and apply them to counter-intelligence and youth de-radicalization interventions around the globe. It was important work, but heavy, and sensitive. Eventually, I began to notice the technologies once used for humanitarian and philanthropic efforts being turned against activists and civilians.

ACT 5 “Options”

The idea of being able to adapt to any room, any situation, or any place around the world had come to define my career and personal life. The book concludes with what this means as technology, capitalism, and politics continue to evolve around us all.