The Puerto Rico Connection

Episode 16: The Robots are in Charge

https://prconnection.cogdog.casa/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/episode-16.mp3 It’s been a while since fans of the Puerto Rico Connection podcast have had a new episode to listen to. In fact, the last episode aired back in 2020. In an unusual turn of events, the latest episode was discovered by none other than the Robot Podcast Overlords in collaboration with the Descript Underlord. The recording, originally created by hosts Alan Levine and Antonio Vantaggiato in late 2022, had been gathering dust in the studio. Now, this dynamic duo of digital assistants has taken the reins to edit and publish the episode without any human intervention. Highlight Reel The Unveiling of an Archived Episode Alan Levine kicks off this special episode by warmly welcoming listeners to the Puerto Rico Connection Podcast, introducing his longtime friend and colleague, Antonio Vantaggiato, who resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They share a mutual love for the open web and a rich history of collaboration on various projects. Throughout their conversation, the past projects and current endeavors of Antonio are explored, illuminating the vibrant academic landscape of Puerto Rico. Rediscovering Academic Innovation Antonio shares insights about his teaching role at a university in San Juan. His enthusiasm for programming and algorithms is apparent as he discusses his approach to fostering student engagement through interactive and open web platforms. Antonio reminisces about the transformation of education from content delivery to creating dynamic and experiential learning environments. His commitment to open education is highlighted through his efforts to integrate open web principles into his curriculum, emphasizing the value of practical experience in understanding digital ecosystems. The Zen of Teaching The conversation delves into Antonio’s past project, “The Zen of Teaching,” an exploration of the web as a revolutionary educational tool. This project aimed to challenge traditional educational perceptions and promote a dialogical approach to learning. Antonio’s passion for reclaiming the open web and revitalizing educational practices stands out as he outlines the need for creativity, collaboration, and understanding in contemporary education. AI, Media, and Future Conversations The dialogue transitions to the realm of artificial intelligence, where Antonio shares his plans to revamp an AI course. His curiosity about how AI can transform education echoes throughout the discussion, touching on ethical considerations and the role of AI in shaping future learning environments. Alan and Antonio contemplate a forthcoming digital storytelling course, leaving the door open for future conversations on integrating media and technology in education. The Power of Open Conversations As the episode nears its conclusion, Alan extends an invitation to Antonio’s workshop in Berlin, focusing on open education. Antonio emphasizes the importance of collaborating with colleagues and expanding open educational resources within and beyond Puerto Rico. Their conversation underscores a shared vision of transforming educational spaces through openness, dialogue, and innovation. Outro: A Community of Voices The episode wraps up with Alan inviting Antonio to contribute to the podcast’s introduction, symbolizing the spirit of collaboration and shared voices in open education. Antonio’s voice joins others in creating a unique auditory experience that underscores the podcast’s mission. Thank you for joining us on this journey through the reinvigorated world of PR Connection. Be sure to stay tuned for more episodes that explore the intersection of technology, education, and the open web. — This blog post encapsulates the essence of PR Connection Episode 16, shedding light on the pertinent topics of open education, technology’s evolving role, and the significance of fostering global conversations. It was edited and this post written and featured image generated by the Descript AI Underlord. View Transcript Featured Image: Generated by Descript Underlord / AI Descript Underlord AI generated image, usage rights are vastly unknown.

Episode 15: Orange You Glad It’s Pumpkin Soup?

https://prconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/ep015.mp3 Antonio and I recorded this episode on November 2, 2020. Was there anything of importance happening that day? Well, for me, it was a day to make soup from left over Halloween pumpkins, so you get kitchen pans rattling and oven buzzer actions going off as the orange bits were subjected to high temperatures. We spoke only of He Who Shall not Be named in critical terms… President Shlump flickr photo by cogdogblog shared into the public domain using Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0) Okay, we talked a little bit about the US Elections, and what things looked like for Antonio and other US Citizens in Puerto Rico, who sad to say, have no voice in voting for the President or representation in Congress. How do we go from the Audacity of Hope to… the orange pumpkin baking in my oven? Alan gave a hearty recommendation for Pete Sousa’s The Way I See It Antonio shared how things were going for his INF115 (New Media) students, and how they still got so much out of their podcasting projects as well as the Daily photo activity (going on now, jump in!) Una Foto Cada Día. He also shared thoughts of rejuvenating his ~2011-2103 project The Zen of Teaching maybe as a new podcast series? See the original web site as well as a Wiki which Still Lives. This warms my heart as this was what I remember early or even first as my encounter with Antonio’s work. So by putting it here, maybe there’s a little extra pressure. Speaking of pressure, Alan completely fell down on our mission to up the frequency of our podcast production. The files sat in the pantry way too long, sorry Antonio! But at least the pumpkin soup was tasty and the Orange Menace is also on the shelf of expired items. Vote for Soup! Adding just this line to nudge the podcast rss feed…. Featured Image: First Vat of Pumpkin Soup flickr photo by cogdogblog shared into the public domain using Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

Episode 14: I Lose You!

https://prconnection.cogdog.casa/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/pr-connection-ep-14.mp3 I Lose You …is my 6th-grade-English equivalent to “I’m losing you”, the distress signal we use to mean there is a broken-line communication problem. In this case, thanks to Audacity editing I was able to lessen that issue as we faced poor Internet connection just when Alan and I were recording our 14th episode. It’s a common issue, now we are Zooming all over–but, as Alan says, it’s a sort of a miracle if the networks are still functioning given the amount of traffic any day. So, welcome to our 14th episode, and enjoy it as much as I did. The frequency of the PR Connection podcast has been steadily increasing, so I’m trying to publish this not so late after the recording. Done with Zencastr.org, a beautiful platform that records people’s tracks separately but perfectly in synch–even when someone drops off for a little. 2020/366/298 All Along The Split Rail Fence Line #flickr https://t.co/7vEOJDvb1X — Alan Levine (@cogdog) October 26, 2020 So, we rtalked a bit about life in quarantine, which I say “Keeps me in sync with another part of the world outside of classes etc.”, of COVID-19 Testing and lockdown That’s pretty fine, I hear myself as saying… Then we talk about Photo habits, particularly about Alan’s One Photo Every Day challenge, where he publishes 365–or-so imageas a year (on Flickr) , and also on Instagram. “You gotta find one thing that matters,” he replies… And then we talk about Zoom (what else) and how fantastic it is that the network infrastructure has not collapsed under the pressure. It’s pleasure to have these conversations together with Alan, as often as possible, and as well-recorded as possible! Now, please, go vote! “Vote for guy who respects women” https://t.co/z1Cq4TdanK — Alan Levine (@cogdog) October 26, 2020

Episode 13: Feeling Lucky

https://prconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/ep013.mp3 Do you feel lucky? Antonio and I do. It’s been almost exactly 3 months since our last podcast (is this a confession booth?). Antonio and I have expectations of a new frequency. Maybe we spend too much time editing and writing detailed show notes. So the new model is all about S-P-E-E-D. We record, insert into our Audacity template that has opening and closing music, and then we just pop out an mp3. Leave the gaffes and ums. And then no fancy editing here. I will only spend enough time writing this to wait for the file to be sent up to the cloud. We tried a new setup I have been using for another project. A trick I learned from Terry Greene of Gettin’ Air. We record in Zencastr (I am on the cheapo freebie version) which saves each attendee’s voice as a separate audio. I have it connected to my DropBox so the files just show up. It quite saved our butts this time. About 1/3 the way in, Antonio’s router went kerflooie (technical term) and his audio went off track and then disappeared. He returned and the recording kept going. Amazingly, Zencastr kept all of the audio in sync. There was one spot where he was talking and I was talking but we could not hear each other. That was the one edit, I zeroed out my audio trying to talk while Antonio was gone. Uh oh, audio is done! So is my editing. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as Antonio and I did. If this thing takes off, the monthly costs might top 50 cents. As promised one link shared that Antonio requested (I will grab it from the tweet he saw). Impressively done. Doing a 100 word story podcast a day since 2005. Until he dies. https://t.co/BAIH3QqiHl pic.twitter.com/BjsP8EeAcb — Alan Levine (@cogdog) September 14, 2020 Us lucky podcasts could only aspire to this kind of daily habit. Image Credit: Lucky 13 flickr photo by cogdogblog shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Episode 12: The No Knead Podcast, 3 Months To Rise

https://prconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/ep012.mp3 Some recipes claim to be easy. This podcast was in the oven for almost three months, and the fault is all mine. Antonio and I recorded this episode on March 21, way back in the early part of pandemic lockdown. Then I just let it sit. But in a way, it’s interesting to hear us talk while this was a bit of a novelty, not the dread filled mire it has become. Oh, was that pessimistic? No worries, because my colleague and friend Antonio is a primo optimist. Just listen to him! I did learn some Italian, OMS in Italian, is “Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità” or what you might say, as in WHO (World Health Organization). Antonio was understandably concerned about his 90+ year old mother in Italy. Antonio described that in Puerto Rico there were night time curfews. Students at his University. Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, had to leave their dorms and return to home on the island. He says that things at Sagrado were done in orderly manner for lockdown. This was his preparation week for the “online pivoting” (insert ballet puns). He noted that after Hurricane Maria, Sagrado was first in Puerto Rico to reinstate classes as hybrid (under tents), so they were used to dealing with calamity. Because that seems pretty regular there, be it from natural forces or the boot of the US Government. He described the hashtag #EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos or “We Stop this virus united” – Check out the 150,000 photos tagged on instagram. But as “always an optimist” Antonio was ready to do remote teaching. I shared a great retweet form Moia, and 80+ year old high spirited professor from Mexico I got to know form the UDG Agora Project Este es un virusito que anda buscando un descuidadito, pero si te cuidas, no va a encontrar un nidito y se va a morir solito. @ArturoZaldivarL @lopezobrador_ @BeatrizGMuller @nestora_salgado @SusanaHarp @NapoleonGomezUr @galvanochoa @AristeguiOnline @lydiacachosi @cogdog https://t.co/sIceH0ENrv — moiacost (@moiacost) March 21, 2020 Antonio noted the first COVID-19 death in Puerto Rico happened recently, a tourist from a cruise ship. I wondered if there was any singing from balconies in Puerto Rico. Antonio talked about planning for teaching his Italian film class– he was using some sites for co-watching films, and that he had plans to watch soon a Mario Bava movie with Jim Groom (who blogged it thus). Antonio’s strategies including Mixing asynchronous and synchronous. His INF115 New Media students, like always, publish to blog class summaries, with blog syndication to the main site, doing daily photos, and a class podcast project (see the class summary post by Antonio). He urges students to “enjoy” the boredom of these times, but also write about it in their blogs, be creative, do something to capture this time. Antonio relays that it’s important to talk about how we feel about this time. As optimistic as can be, Antonio says this is an ideal time to experiment. I talked a bit about grand plans to make the Daily Blank WordPress theme fully language localized so Una foto cata dia could be completely in Spanish (as it turns out this was way more work than anticipated, but still on the table. I also talked about wanting to tap into the new Creative Commons search API as a means to support a different version of pechaflickr. Postscript- om Three months I got as far as a crude prototype of fetching random images tagged “Landscape” which sometimes takes 3 reloads to cough something up. Antonio reported in Puerto Rico it feels like a sense of denia about the pandemic. At the time, despite any faux Presidential boasting of “the best testing” there were no testing kits in Puerto Rico. Results had to come from labs in Atlanta or elsewhere. So there is really no data on the extent of the virus in Puerto Rico, just knowledge than around March 21 there where ~20 people infected, and 1 death. While feeling that the Western way of life may be crumbling down, one positive of this time might be… less pollution (paging Dr Doom). Antonio’s recommendation for hanging on to optimism is… Cooking. He shared that the most bought item in Italy is wheat flour– people are discovering art of making pasta and bread. He referred me to Mark Bittman’s No-Knead Bread recipe, which thus became the name of this episode. Thanks again, my good friend, Antonio, and many sorries for taking way too long to post. Image Credit: No knead bread flickr photo by Ullisan shared under a Creative Commons (BY-ND) license