Tartle Best Data Marketplace
Tartle Best Data Marketplace
Tartle Best Data Marketplace
Tartle Best Data Marketplace
January 11, 2022

Technology and Humanity: Introducing the TARTLE Philosophy

Introducing the TARTLE Philosophy
BY: TARTLE

Does technology make you feel human? 

As we continue to evolve in technology and capabilities, we wonder if we remain at the focal point of progress. After all, these are tools that were designed to alleviate our quality of life. If we aren’t doing it for humanity, then why are we doing it at all?

Here at TARTLE, our job is to remind people about the purpose of technology. We are dedicated to creating tools that will bring people back to the forefront of evolution.

Jinba Ittai: Applying the Horse Analogy to Data

Jinba Ittai is a Japanese word that represents the unity of the horse and their rider. This was an important relationship that archers needed to foster so that they could perform effectively in battle. 

In a similar manner, data is the vehicle and the ‘creature’ you need to learn to tame. We already respect and understand the impact of technology on us. But we need to take control of how technology is carving out our future.

This balance can only be achieved when we accept that responsibility on an individual basis. It’s not something we can pass off to multinational corporations or governments.

They cannot accurately represent our unique skill set and preferences. They don’t have the same ideas to contribute. Here at TARTLE, we are all capable of creating something new with data using technology that is readily available to us. 

Here at TARTLE, you are the Sherpa.

Alexander McCaig likened our work here to that of the Sherpa. These are members of a Tibetan people who live on the high southern slopes of the Himalayas, known for providing support to foreign trekkers and mountain climbers. 

They are people who have an intimate understanding of the mountain. They’ve dedicated their lives to helping people walk their path. 

Working for TARTLE is making that same commitment to helping people walk their path. The platform is the technology and the tool people need to take the next step forward in data evolution. It’s their opportunity to take control of their data. 

Closing Thoughts

Choosing to work for TARTLE means that you are one of the earliest supporters of our system. You’re helping us carve out a path to the top of the mountain. 

We aren’t the ones in the limelight. Our goal is to help others trek through a treacherous online landscape. We are responsible for opening people’s eyes to the reality that tech companies benefit more from us than we do for them.

The TARTLE philosophy is to turn that around and bring humanity back to the spotlight. 

What’s your data worth? Sign up for the TARTLE Marketplace through the link here.

Summary
Technology and Humanity: Introducing the TARTLE Philosophy
Title
Technology and Humanity: Introducing the TARTLE Philosophy
Description

As we continue to evolve in technology and capabilities, we wonder if we remain at the focal point of progress. After all, these are tools that were designed to alleviate our quality of life. If we aren’t doing it for humanity, then why are we doing it at all?

Feature Image Credit: Envato Elements
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For those who are hard of hearing – the episode transcript can be read below:

TRANSCRIPT

Alexander McCaig (00:10):

Everybody, welcome back to TARTLECAST.

Jason Rigby (00:14):

Yeah.

Alexander McCaig (00:14):

Many years in the making, still going.

Jason Rigby (00:17):

Still going and we'll continue to go. I'll be 90 and you'll be 70-

Alexander McCaig (00:23):

I'll be prepping, yeah.

Jason Rigby (00:24):

Welcome to the TCast. Because we just did an episode on why work with TARTLE.

Alexander McCaig (00:33):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (00:34):

And we encourage you if it's something that... after we encourage you to watch the video first, if that's something you're interested in jobs at tartle.co, you can apply. But I want to get into the philosophy at TARTLE. And I want to start with the premise of all of TARTLE, and you as a CEO, your envision of a data philosophy. Because I think this will correlate to our employees.

Alexander McCaig (01:02):

So when I looked at data-

Jason Rigby (01:08):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Alexander McCaig (01:08):

... in the earliest days, it was just sort of something that was just generating itself, whether it was some third party observing or some sort of system just keeping a log, which is all well and good. But a lot of it lacked an idea of where these things actually came from. It lacked insight, the data did, into why the data even existed at all.

Jason Rigby (01:37):

Yes.

Alexander McCaig (01:40):

And so I said, well, the data packet at TARTLE, that fundamentally has to change because data completely missed the human element, all together, since the earliest parts of the tech boom, right? Where is the human element? Where is the why? Why is this thing even being recorded? Why the interaction? And we walk around and we leave footprints in the snow or in the dirt, and all these other things. And someone can look at that and know that we walked in that direction, or somebody did walk there without even knowing who they are.

Jason Rigby (02:16):

Right.

Alexander McCaig (02:16):

But do they know why they chose to walk that way? If somebody goes to a crime scene, all you can do is try and guess what occurred.

Jason Rigby (02:26):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Alexander McCaig (02:27):

And they've been pretty good at it, but it's really the why, the meat of the understanding of what data is. So the philosophy had to occur that data missed the human element, and the human element added to the data meant that it has to go back to the first party. The first party has to really take control over their own thoughts and actions. They have to take ownership over this log that is being created of themselves. Because if they do that, it affords real understanding to what the story of that data is. Each one of us has our own individual story. And the way I see it into the future is that as our programming becomes more advanced, our ability to analyze algorithms, everybody has the unique aspect of being an outlier. Yes, statistically in a sense we all are human beings, we have standard deviations. We know how tall we are, eye color, all of those other things. It doesn't matter. But what is come completely different, which makes us all inherently unique is our personalities and the way we think.

Jason Rigby (03:22):

It's even more than the personalities. The work that you do is so uniquely yours.

Alexander McCaig (03:28):

Correct.

Jason Rigby (03:30):

This quick fun fact just to kind of be fun with this. There's a part of your body that has an indefinite... A lot of people think it's just your fingerprint. You can do the fingerprint, but there's another part of your body that is uniquely yours and just yours and no one else has it.

Alexander McCaig (03:47):

Is it my tongue?

Jason Rigby (03:47):

Yes, your tongue. Yeah-

Alexander McCaig (03:49):

I'm thinking about all the prints on my tongue, yeah.

Jason Rigby (03:50):

Yeah. So they could take a print of your tongue and it would be so unique and different. And the work that people do, whether you want to be an employee of TARTLE, whether you are an employee of TARTLE, the work that people do is so uniquely and distinctly theirs.

Alexander McCaig (04:05):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (04:05):

Now we're doing it online, which is creating data, and that is our work. But what TARTLE's philosophy is, is the data transparency and ownership.

Alexander McCaig (04:16):

Yeah. Well, because, this is my point. The old logs of data were not transparent. Nobody knows where they started. They were flying around everywhere.

Jason Rigby (04:27):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Alexander McCaig (04:28):

No one had any clarity unto why it existed. The transparency has to be there, but that can't happen unless somebody takes ownership of it first.

Jason Rigby (04:37):

Yes.

Alexander McCaig (04:38):

And if we can engineer a technology to essentially create a fabric or a timeline of ownership, it helps solve what was missing. It's not that there was anything inherently wrong with data. It was just missing its other half. It's like a good relationship, right? Where's the balance? Where's the equilibrium? The human element ceased to exist in transparency and ownership, that sovereignty, that right over that thing that's being created. Now that that's here, data has become this fingerprint of you, this identity of who you are, this timeline of your work that is uniquely your own that you deserve to have the right towards. If you put it-

Jason Rigby (05:19):

That you deserve to have the right towards, because that's the work that you're putting in.

Alexander McCaig (05:22):

You put in that work. No one else did.

Jason Rigby (05:24):

Yeah, and I think that's what I love. The word transparency to me is, we show the smoke and mirrors of data. And I've shared with you that before, and you can speak to this, but the Wizard of Oz is still a great analogy of this.

Alexander McCaig (05:38):

[inaudible 00:05:38] it pokes that out and stuff.

Jason Rigby (05:39):

Yeah, it's this big wizard in this big, huge thing. [crosstalk 00:05:43] And everybody thinks it's such a big monster of a thing and like, oh my God, it's almost godlike.

Alexander McCaig (05:49):

It's a big screen.

Jason Rigby (05:50):

And that's what they're saying we have godlike technology, but really it's smoke in mirrors. And you pull back the curtain, there's this little tiny wizard guy just... And you-

Alexander McCaig (06:01):

There's an algorithm-

Jason Rigby (06:02):

Yeah.

Alexander McCaig (06:03):

... that only says if this, then that.

Jason Rigby (06:05):

Yeah.

Alexander McCaig (06:05):

You know what I mean? And it's absolute, pure simplicity. That's all it is.

Jason Rigby (06:09):

But I think we're pulling back the curtain of data and showing those fake wizard that are out there.

Alexander McCaig (06:17):

Yeah.

Jason Rigby (06:17):

And that's a beautiful revolution to be a part of.

Alexander McCaig (06:21):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (06:21):

So when you're coming to work from TARTLE, you're doing something that is so uniquely different. One, you're being respected as a human, as an individual. Two, you're putting in work, creativity. And we talked about this in the last episode, and that's something that you can leave for a lifetime, past your lifetime. And then on top of it, it's this new, we talk about Web 3.0 and all these buzzwords that venture capitalists like using and startups are using. But it's way beyond that. It's not a buzzword, it's the metaverse and meta, and all this stuff that's going on right now. And that everybody wants to be a part of, because they are saying, "This is the future. This is where technology's going." We're like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're riding this monster horse. But that horse has a human on it, and it has reins."

Alexander McCaig (07:11):

Yeah.

Jason Rigby (07:11):

And first of all, what journey are you going with the horse? We need to define that.

Alexander McCaig (07:15):

What's the end goal?

Jason Rigby (07:17):

Yeah. Not just trying to just rein it back all the time, and take control of it because... you ride horses, you know this and many people out there have been on a horse, all around the globe.

Alexander McCaig (07:26):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (07:27):

So I think this is a great analogy. What happens if you're fearful, and you over use the reins, and you're just... the horse can feel all that control that you're trying to give it instead of flowing with it.

Alexander McCaig (07:40):

There's sensitivity in the mouth. Mouth is a very sensitive area for human beings. So if the horse, if you're fearful, they feel the extra stress on the mouth.

Jason Rigby (07:48):

Right.

Alexander McCaig (07:48):

And then your legs, the inside of your quads will squeeze harder around its torso.

Jason Rigby (07:52):

Yes.

Alexander McCaig (07:52):

What happens when something feels constricted? What you feel will directly translate through the reins and through your legs, into the horse.

Jason Rigby (07:59):

Well, there's a Japanese word, and I'm probably saying it wrong. It's [foreign language 00:08:02] and it means horse and rider as one.

Alexander McCaig (08:05):

Yeah. That's right.

Jason Rigby (08:07):

Because they were archers. Like you're saying, you had to use your legs. So you had to be one with that horse-

Alexander McCaig (08:14):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (08:14):

... understand exactly. The horse could sense every part of you and transmute that. Horses are great with that.

Alexander McCaig (08:22):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (08:22):

That's why we've used them for centuries, but that horse and rider is one. So when we look at data transparency, when we look at data ownership, the rider respects a horse as much as a horse respects the rider.

Alexander McCaig (08:34):

Right. There has to be that balance.

Jason Rigby (08:35):

Yes. There has to be that balance. And that's what we're trying to create.

Alexander McCaig (08:38):

Yeah. I can tell you with 100% certainty, what TARTLE's end goal is. That is to elevate human understanding through data.

Jason Rigby (08:49):

Yes.

Alexander McCaig (08:50):

That's it. We know exactly what our end goal is. What is Instagram's end goal?

Jason Rigby (08:57):

User engagement, user acquisition, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Alexander McCaig (09:00):

Okay. So nothing meaningful. What's Facebook's end goal? Online experience?

Jason Rigby (09:05):

Yeah.

Alexander McCaig (09:06):

What does that do for anybody?

Jason Rigby (09:07):

To have time on site more?

Alexander McCaig (09:10):

What's Goldman Sachs' end goal? Adobe, Google, what's your end goal? I don't know. It's not clear. None of it's clear.

Jason Rigby (09:22):

But I think this pulls back the curtain, but behind that curtain, there's a door, and in that door, there's a hinge on every door. And those hinges, to me, that allows access to open the doors of free will. And I don't want to get too philosophical, but I do. We, at TARTLE want to offer choice.

Alexander McCaig (09:45):

Yeah.

Jason Rigby (09:46):

And when we allow people... I'm going to use this word specifically on what you talked about. We allow people to exercise choice.

Alexander McCaig (09:54):

Yeah. We show you the path to the door, and you can choose whether or not you want to turn the knob and walk through it.

Jason Rigby (10:03):

Yes.

Alexander McCaig (10:05):

We engineered the hinges. We engineered the door. We gave you a roadmap. Are you going to take the journey? As simple as that.

Jason Rigby (10:13):

Yeah. And I think to our final point on this, in understanding the philosophy TARTLE on why if you feel like this aligns with you, and what we're saying that you could work at TARTLE. Maybe you could explain it to them, for them as an individual, you could explain them being a Sherpa and what that means. And maybe people don't even know what the word Sherpa means.

Alexander McCaig (10:38):

Yeah. I will. For the people that have already been a part of TARTLE, millions of human beings that use it, they decided to take a risk. I'm going to adopt a system early. I'm going to carve out a path. I'm going to walk through that door. I'm going to make this choice for myself, but I'm going to understand that journey. And they went out a Sherpa and they shared what that path looked like to the top of the mountain. What's the end goal? And every time there was a success for that data champion, that initial one, they were able to share that, and then be the Sherpa for those other individuals to start their own journey, to become their own champions. The Sherpa's not the one that takes the limelight, but they're the ones that always did the heavy lifting, but they're only there strictly to support and keep safe that person on their journey.

Jason Rigby (11:28):

If somebody wanted to see what a Sherpa was, or maybe they don't understand that word. What is a Sherpa, and how does a Sherpa help? So we can understand this as an employee of TARTLE?

Alexander McCaig (11:38):

A Sherpa is a form of Himalayan mountain guide. They understand the mountain, they understand the path.

Jason Rigby (11:45):

They're an expert on the mountain.

Alexander McCaig (11:46):

They're an expert on all the nuances, everything that is occurring. And they take people there that want to have that journey themselves. But they understand intimately the risks that are involved. They are there not to take the steps for them, but to help guide them on the steps which they are taking. But they're not going to be the one to pick up the foot and move it further in the snow to walk up the mountain. But if you want to make that choice to go higher, to get to that peak, to get to that end point, to become a data champion, they're with you to support you in every part of that journey.

Alexander McCaig (12:18):

So everybody that becomes a data champion, the second they go to share that aspect with others around them, they become the Sherpa. And now you've left a realm of service to self, and you become a realm of service to others. And through that, you are now helping others evolve. Others take that path of truth, finding themselves self-empowerment choice, self responsibility. And that is something so rich and so valuable that all of us around the world really can't get enough of it. That's the thing that propels us forward as human beings.

Jason Rigby (12:52):

So you're speaking as a data champion, the user on the system, filling out data packets, whether they're taking it to feed their family and help support them, or whether they're giving it to NGOs, not for profits all across the globe.

Alexander McCaig (13:07):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (13:08):

And we get to be a part of that as an employee. As the CEO, what do you envision a Sherpa employee looking like?

Alexander McCaig (13:17):

I envision employees that every time there's a great change in that work, that they are outside, speaking about it in the streets. That they find joy in sharing what they're doing at TARTLE. That those employees becomes Sherpas of human evolution, that they can go home and say, "I have impacted 55,000 people today. I have impacted 2.7 million human beings today. This change that I did with a few keystrokes or whatever it might be, helped someone's life for the better." Because when they have those stories, when they have that narrative, not only for themselves, but they share it with others, that's a power, that's a good will that can't be found anywhere else. And that's the type of employees that you want, ones that are respected in their creativity and what they're doing. And they can be the torch bearers-

Jason Rigby (14:13):

Yeah, I see.

Alexander McCaig (14:13):

... for their own responsibility and good work. TARTLE is just a platform. It's a foundation for us all to stand on. And how it evolves organically is the choice of everyone that chooses to interact with it.

Jason Rigby (14:26):

100%. So if somebody wants to be that Sherpa-

Alexander McCaig (14:29):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jason Rigby (14:29):

... if they want to help others become data champions, what's the best and easiest way to do that?

Alexander McCaig (14:34):

They can just email jobs@tartle.co. And guess what? Maybe it's jobs that we've posted for, or maybe you think TARTLE needs to have a specific job that doesn't exist.

Jason Rigby (14:43):

Yeah. You're talking to me about offer. Talk about this is really cool.

Alexander McCaig (14:45):

Yeah. I said it's all well and good for us to tell the world what we need, but what about the world telling us what we need?

Jason Rigby (14:51):

Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yes.

Alexander McCaig (14:51):

Define for us. You tell us. You sell us on a position that you think needs to exist. We're all ears.

Jason Rigby (14:58):

Well, people don't even realize TARTLE, like for instance, we need, yes, I don't really know tech. Do you know how to communicate with people well?

Alexander McCaig (15:08):

Yeah.

Jason Rigby (15:08):

We need salespeople all across the globe.

Alexander McCaig (15:12):

Yeah, we do.

Jason Rigby (15:13):

So maybe you are in India, and you could go to a data center in India and have a conversation with them. That's valuable to us. We would love to have you be part of the team.

Alexander McCaig (15:23):

100%. Oh, when you are on the team, it doesn't stop there.

Jason Rigby (15:26):

No.

Alexander McCaig (15:27):

I've had employees come over to us and pitch us on new jobs that need to exist.

Jason Rigby (15:31):

Yes.

Alexander McCaig (15:32):

I never thought about it, but that's the point. When creativity flows, things that you never even thought of will arise, and it's beautiful things that occur, but they're natural. They're so organic. It's so fluid with which it is happening. It's always the right time. And so I want you to look at TARTLE and say, "Is it the right time for me?" And I want you to email us, jobs@tartle.co.

Speaker 3 (16:05):

Thank you for listening TARTLECAST with your hosts, Alexander McCaig and Jason Rigby, where humanities steps into the future and source data defines the path. What's your data worth?