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
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
All our grievances do, in fact, remain connected
[hi, long-lost other writer here, apologies for the long absence] Two things got libraryland heated last week, and at first glance they have little to do with each other. First … Continue reading
Technological Lessons from the Pandemic
“The public be damned is the private motto of the majority of our citizens: which means that they are damning themselves; and at a serious crisis like the present one, … 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
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-Second Week
I asked how she was and my colleague said these are scary times, so I said I agree with all the horrid things happening int he world these certainly are … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninety-First Week
I asked a lawyer about the list of extremism indicators and he said: worry, but don’t worry too much these won’t stand up in court. And then I asked a … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Ninetieth Week
I know, my friends, that in this moment we have other things to worry about that this ongoing pandemic, and yet, my friends, that in this moment we have other … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Ninth Week
An open note to the reader who asked why I never write love poems: thank you for your question, but please understand I wouldn’t keep trying to tell people to … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Eighth Week
When I was young group projects annoyed me but from school I learned if a few of us are willing to put in the work it would be enough, older … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Seventh Week
As a new month begins remember: you have made it through another month, but have not yet made it through this pandemic. * To the reader who asked how much … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Sixth Week
A word of advice to teachers and students who are still masking: when you are asked (and you will be asked) why you are still masking, calmly and politely explain … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Fifth Week
I’ve heard what’s happening reminds people of 1984. I’ve heard what’s happening reminds people of Brave New World. I’ve heard what’s happening reminds people of Parable of the Sower. But … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Fourth Week
My friend, the historian, says she is worried. My friend, the epidemiologist, says they are worried. My friend, the climatologist, says he is worried. My friend, the activist, says she … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Third Week
When they tell you (and they will tell you) that the precautions you take are pointless thank them for their opinion but politely inform them that you are hesitant to … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-Second Week
Had you asked at the pandemic’s start how long I planned on documenting it for I would have said I didn’t expect the pandemic to last too long. If you … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eighty-First Week
It used to be that catching the summer wave was how a surfer described what they caught at the beach, as opposed to now when catching the summer wave is … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Eightieth Week
The climatologists say if you look the signs of change are everywhere. The epidemiologists say if you look the signs of the pandemic are everywhere. The political scientists say if … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Seventy-Ninth Week
My friend, look around and you will see that these are dark times. And, my friend, look around and you will see that these are disastrous times. But, my friend, … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Seventy-Eighth Week
If you would protect yourself from this summer’s sun make sure to wear sunscreen. And if you would protect yourself from this summer’s heat make sure to stay hydrated. And … Continue reading
Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Seventy-Seventh Week
Apologies, my friend, I know that these are dark and difficult times but you must remember it is in the moment when you cannot imagine how things can get any … Continue reading
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