Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Twentieth Week
As we discussed the news my work friend asked if I ever feel like we are all just stuck in an episode of the Twilight Zone but I replied that … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Nineteenth-Week
As the week begins I often wonder how it is that all of us just keep going to work when everything is falling apart. And as the week begins I … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Eighteenth Week
As we waited for the elevator my work friend told me “I have a really bad feeling about this week,” and though I wanted to joke “hey, stop stealing my … Continue reading
You can’t spell “machinery hurtful to commonality” without AI
“I have a reputation as being anti-technology; in fact, as being something of a neo-Luddite. People who have labeled me as such usually know nothing about the Luddites. If they … Continue reading
Apocalypse When – Y2K and the end of the world as we knew it
“We discovered we were more dependent on technology than we had thought,” – Cathy Hotka of the National Research Foundation There is a tendency to remember Y2K as the … Continue reading
An open letter to students considering submitting AI generated work
“We have concluded a Faustian pact with our science and technology generally, and with the computer in particular. So it seems to me. And in such a pact with Mephistopheles … Continue reading
If the work seems fake, does that mean the crisis is too? – A Review of Leigh Claire La Berge’s “Fake Work”
“There is a general agreement that the Y2K transition went more smoothly than any of us would have imagined. In fact, as noted in the week since the rollover, some … Continue reading
Digital Technology Will Not Set You Free – A Review of David Golumbia’s “Cyberlibertarianism: The Right-Wing Politics of Digital Technology”
“This is how cyberlibertarianism works: it is not so much about party politics as it is about controlling the terms of discourse and the conversation itself. This ensures that only … Continue reading
Do Draugveil’s roses have AI thorns? – What the debate about a black metal album says about AI and art
“I feel like we are nearing to the end of the times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.” – Hayao Miyazaki If you spent much time online in the … Continue reading
No, university students aren’t all using AI (and the idea that they are just helps AI’s advocates)
“The myth of technological and political and social inevitability is a powerful tranquilizer of the conscience. Its service is to remove responsibility from the shoulders of everyone who truly believes … Continue reading
Tell No Lies, Claim No Easy Victories : Libraries as Sites of Oppression and Resistance
Friends, I wrote the following on the topic of libraries and their relationship to resistance for the second issue of a nascent journal. But in the year+ since I first … Continue reading
“The bargain we are being asked to ratify” – AI as technological bribery
“The bargain we are being asked to ratify takes the form of a magnificent bribe.”- Lewis Mumford (1964) Something has changed. At least in the way that AI is … Continue reading
A Few Eggs of Advice in These Trying Times
Hello, long-lost other blogger here. So, uh, it’s pretty bad out there! You are probably trying to figure out what the hell to do about it. Here are some words … Continue reading
What to Know About Y2K, Before You Watch Kyle Mooney’s Y2K Movie
Nearly 25 years after the year 2000 began without the much-hyped possible computer catastrophe, Y2K is enjoying a resurgence as Americans become nostalgic for the late ’90s and early ’00s. … Continue reading
Mix CDs, instant messenger, and the end of the world – a review of Kyle Mooney’s Y2K (the movie)
“Y2k is an opportunity to educate ourselves first hand about the nature of 21st century threats. Technology has provided the U.S. with many advantages, but it also creates new vulnerabilities. … Continue reading
In the Shadow of Future Catastrophe – A review of Jean-Pierre Dupuy’s “How to Think About Catastrophe”
“from now on we must learn to think in the shadow of future catastrophe.” In recent years, as images of disaster-wrought destruction have proliferated throughout the media—and across social media—concern … Continue reading
Y2K Sent A Warning. The CrowdStrike Outage Shows We Failed to Heed It
* We were warned that our embrace of computer technology would lead to disaster. By incorporating computers into ever more areas of our lives, we were told, we had created … Continue reading
“the ultimate religion of our seemingly rational age” – Revisiting Mumford’s “megamachine”
“If you fall in love with a machine there is something wrong with your love life. If you worship a machine there is something wrong with your religion.” – Lewis … Continue reading
Who are you calling a Luddite? – A review of Blood in the Machine
“If the Luddites had never existed, their critics would have to invent them.” – Theodor Roszak There are two kinds of work about the Luddites. One of these takes … Continue reading
“Y2K was a very real threat indeed” – a review of the HBO documentary Time Bomb Y2K
“Ironically, the greater our success, the more ‘evidence’ critics will cite for declaring that Y2K was an illusion. But it’s always easier to predict the future after it becomes history.” … Continue reading
If Only Beating Climate Change Was This Easy – A review of the boardgame Daybreak
“I’m a pessimist about probabilities, I’m an optimist about possibilities.” – Lewis Mumford (1977) If you’re a fan of complicated boardgames, chances are good that you have some experience sitting … Continue reading
Okay, what now? – Thoughts in the Aftermath of Students Submitting AI Generated Work
“To be ‘against technology’ makes no more sense than to be ‘against food.’ We can’t live without either. But to observe that it is dangerous to eat too much food, … Continue reading
In Memory of David Golumbia
“The lesson from the work that this book deploys is that we have to learn how to critique even that which helps us (much as computers help us to write … Continue reading
“If you don’t have a printing press, you don’t have a movement,” – A Review of Kathy Ferguson’s “Letterpress Revolution”
“Anarchists fiery, revolutionary publications embodied their determination to struggle. Their aesthetically pleasing publications embodied their beautiful ideal.” What comes to mind when you hear the word “anarchist”? A crust … Continue reading
“Y2K is real. It’s coming” – On the Righteous Gemstones and Remembering Y2K
A furious crowd had gathered in front of a prominent televangelist’s church. With placards denouncing the church’s leadership—accusing them of lying—the former members of the flock chanted angrily. And when … Continue reading
What I Wish I Had Known About Applying for Academic Jobs
The start of August brings with it the first smattering of academic job postings. Professors from all over begin excitedly posting “come work with me” messages on social media, academic … Continue reading
What I Wish I Had Known Before Writing My Dissertation
So, you’re getting ready to write a dissertation. Or, you’re contemplating going down a path that (if taken) will eventually require you to write a dissertation. Good for you. Normally, … Continue reading
“Computers enable fantasies” – On the continued relevance of Weizenbaum’s warnings
“The computer has long been a solution looking for problems—the ultimate technological fix which insulates us from having to look at problems.” – Joseph Weizenbaum (1983) Trying to keep … Continue reading
No Such Thing as a Free Lunch : Labor in Open Source Systems Implementations
This post is adapted from a presentation I gave at the Amigos Library Technology Roadmap conference earlier this month. I supervise the library systems unit at a public R1 university … Continue reading
A Luddite Library
“If the Luddites had never existed, their critics would have to invent them.” – Theodor Roszak One way of telling that controversies about technology are intensifying is to watch … Continue reading
Waiting for the Fail Whale – What Y2K can teach us about Twitter
“What we use is not ours simply because we use it.” – Erich Fromm Breakdowns have an annoying habit of not arriving on time. It often seems as if … Continue reading
Theses on the Techlash
“The problem is not to use technology but to realize that one is used by it.”- Paul Virilio Once a term gets widely adopted by the press, and earns … Continue reading
The Internet is Broken. Can We Fix It? – A Review of Ben Tarnoff’s “Internet for the People”
Can you remember the moment when you first suspected that there was something wrong with the internet? Was it when you started to get creepily specific targeted ads? Was it … Continue reading
Life’s a Glitch – what the non-apocalypse of Y2K can teach us
As families watched from home, Dick Clark stood on the steps of the town hall hosting the final New Year’s Rocking Eve of the millennium. The excited crowd chanted the … Continue reading
Where We’re Going, We’ll Probably Still Need Roads – a Review of Paris Marx’s “Road to Nowhere”
You can learn a lot about your society’s relationship to technology by looking at its streets. Are the roads filled with personal automobiles or trolley-cars, bike lanes or occupied parking … Continue reading
Singing About the Dark Times – Theses on Doomerism
In the dark times Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times. – Brecht It sure seems like things aren’t going particularly … Continue reading
Jonah, Cassandra, and the Doom-Sayers — Reading Lewis Mumford During the Pandemic
“If we would conquer the hell that now threatens to engulf us, we must not seek merely for a little less hell, we must not content ourselves with a sort … Continue reading
“Technology in the Present Tense” – Notes from a Weary Luddite
“The future is not a blank page; and neither is it an open book.” – Lewis Mumford 1. Here is a confession from a weary, self-identified Luddite: For someone … Continue reading
Balance of Terrors – on Günther Anders
“You should not begin your day with the illusion that what surrounds you is a stable world.” – Günther Anders It has been 70 years since Bert the Turtle instructed … Continue reading
“I’m so sick of Y2K!” – A review of Y2K: The Movie
“I’m so sick of Y2K!” Contrary to the stereotype that every disaster movie begins with the experts being ignored, there is at least one disaster movie that begins with … Continue reading
“Things Just Go On” – More Theses on Doomscrolling
“That things just go on is the catastrophe” – Walter Benjamin. One of the risks of declaring victory is the possibility that your declaration will prove to have been premature. … Continue reading
Look Around – Yet Another Piece about “Don’t Look Up”
Truly, I live in the dark times! The guileless word is folly. A smooth forehead Suggests insensitivity. The man who laughs Has simply not yet heard The terrible news. – … Continue reading
Inventing the Shipwreck
“Our societies have become arrhythmic. Or they only know one rhythm: constant acceleration. Until the crash and systemic failure.” – Paul Virilio “Conversations about technology tend to be dominated by … Continue reading
Against Technological Inevitability – On 20th Century Critics of Technology
“The myth of technological and political and social inevitability is a powerful tranquilizer of the conscience. Its service is to remove responsibility from the shoulders of everyone who truly believes … Continue reading
The Magnificent Bribe
“The bargain we are being asked to ratify takes the form of a magnificent bribe.”- Lewis Mumford (1964) “Nearly 50 years ago, long before smartphones and social media, the social … Continue reading
Specters of Ludd – A Review of Gavin Mueller’s “Breaking Things at Work”
A specter is haunting technological society—the specter of Luddism. Granted, as is so often the case with hauntings, reactions to this specter are divided: there are some who are frightened, … Continue reading
Imagine the End of Facebook
“On the one hand the computer makes it possible in principle to live in a world of plenty for everyone, on the other hand we are well on our way … Continue reading
Librarian Was My Occupation – Remembering the Occupy Wall Street People’s Libary
In the fall of 2011, the angry shout of “we are the 99%!” could be heard echoing in localities big and small across the US. The movement had seemed to … Continue reading
The Climate of Despair – Climate Change, COVID-19, and the Feeling of Impending Doom
“It is only for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us.” – Walter Benjamin Whenever the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issues … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Seventeenth Week
When you hear them reminiscing about the early weeks of this pandemic by asking: “Remember baking sourdough?” by asking: “Remember zoom hangouts?” by asking: “Remember the tiger show?” ask them: … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Sixteenth Week
Based on the weather outside my office I fear sweater season is ending. Based on the coughs inside my office I fear plague season is enduring. * With everything else … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Fifteenth Week
It was on this day six years ago that many found themselves wondering how long they and their coworkers would work from home. It is on this day six years … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Fourteenth Week
Today, when you hear people groan that they thought, that they really thought they had more time than this, it may be tempting to interpret this comment as a woebegone … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Thirteenth Week
When they tell you (and they will tell you) that it is ridiculous to care about viruses in the midst of a war calmly but firmly try to remind them … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Twelfth Week
As we rode the elevator another passenger looked up from her phone and said: “I have a bad feeling about this week,” and though I was unsure exactly what news … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Eleventh Week
When asked if aliens are real a former President replied: “they’re real,” though he later clarified that he had seen no evidence they’ve made contact with us, and while I … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Tenth Week
If you look at the news you will see who won the big game, and if you look at the news you will see who won various Olympic events, and … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Ninth-Week
Considering that the groundhog in Pennsylvania saw its shadow it seems this winter season will continue for six more weeks. And considering that my colleagues and students are all sick … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Eighth Week
Will the world as you know it end this week? Well, it is possible the world as you know it will end this week. But as of now it is … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Seventh Week
At this point you need no longer greet anyone with “happy new year,” for at this point the year is not new and it is not the other thing either. … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Sixth Week
I cannot tell you everything that will happen this week. All I can tell you is this week Covid is still happening. * After I asked how her conference went … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Fifth Week
If today you are heading back to the office try your best to bring your lunch and the planner you bought to work with you, and also try your best … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Fourth Week
Remember: that you have almost made it through the year does not mean that you have already made it through the year. * As you read through the articles remembering … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Third Week
After the solstice the fall ends and the winter begins. And after the solstice plague season continues plague season just continues. * My work friend who long ago abandoned any … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Second Week
Listen! If you act now there is still time to order them a gift and have it arrive before Christmas. And, listen! If you act now there is still time … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-First Week
If they respond (and they will respond) to the mask you wear and the precautions you take by telling you that at this point nobody cares about the pandemic anymore, … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundredth Week
When we saw each other in the elevator my work friend declared that she had survived Thanksgiving with her family, but her declaration came between coughs and in a hoarse … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Ninth Week
I hope, my friend, this week you are fortunate enough to have many things for which you are thankful but, my friend, just be thankful if you can get through … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Eighth Week
It is not my place to tell you, my friend, how to grieve for our departed friends, but it falls now to us to remember them, and it falls now … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Seventh Week
He asked how I was so I replied, “fine, except for the state of the world,” and when I asked how he was he said he too was “fine, except … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Sixth Week
My coworker tells me that he isn’t feeling well but he isn’t too concerned after all, it’s November so it’s cold and flu season, and I’m trying to think of … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Fifth Week
At the pandemic’s start we anxiously confirmed that we had contracted the virus. As the pandemic continued we frustratedly confirmed that we had contracted the virus again. And as the … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Fourth Week
If you are wondering what to do, now that the march is over, remember: there is more to protecting each other than just carrying a sign, so if you are … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Third Week
There are times when I see headlines about the state of it all and I think to myself: this is a sick society. And there are times when I see … Continue reading
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