Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The old saw goes 'give a man a fish and you have fed him for a... Continue Reading →
Generosity and conviviality in the age of algorithmic oppression: #Manchester #odmnoble
This was a superb event. A diverse audience of somewhere between 80 and 90 attended a truly excellent event on 'algorithms of oppression' yesterday in Manchester. The event, hosted by Open Data Manchester with the support of The Federation and Manchester School of Art, was centred on a lecture and q and a with Dr Safiya... Continue Reading →
Events, dear boy, events – of oil slicks, rich people and creeping
Musing #1 on Molotch, H. 1970. Oil in Santa Barbara and Power in America. Sociological Inquiry, 40, 131-144. In January 1969 the first big Oil Slick That Mattered washed up on the beaches of rich people in California. Sure, there had been the Torrey Canyon in 1967, where someone took an ill-advised shortcut and hit... Continue Reading →
Justice or Just us? “Data Justice” and the big questions #Manchester
The newspapers and webfeeds are full of stories of the (un)intended consequences of the increased “datafication” of society, and the ways in which people are sorted, silenced and discriminated against by ‘algorithms.’ It is rich terrain for academics and activists (the two beasts need not be totally distinct), and today at the University of Manchester... Continue Reading →
How to lose, for sure. Aka “the information deficit model is killing us.” #vasectomy
We are losing. All we need to do to keep losing is to keep on doing what we are doing. Simples. Reflecting on the mirror-image of master and slave We can see it in our opponents. And if we denounce them for their condescension and silence, well, our tribe rewards us for seeing it and... Continue Reading →
Of Aristotle, courage and #ussstrikes
Anger fades. This is both a 'good' thing and a bad one. After all it's no fun to go through life as angry as I am (trust me on this). Angry at our so-called 'leaders' who mouth pieties and platitudes while not taking actions which would give our species the slenderest chance of survival. Angry... Continue Reading →
“You’ve had your fun” – on emotions, rituals and resistance #USSStrike
So, the USS strike moves into its fourth week, with more industrial action likely. I've just lost a small gig because of it, but am not on the breadline yet. For the Vice Chancellors to climb down now, and admit that their scare campaign around the pension scheme is based on the rubberiest of figures... Continue Reading →
IAM what IAM – on models, muddles and human failure.
Six weeks or so I went to a talk by a man I respect immensely. I knew exactly what I would be getting – he's delivered basically the same talk every time I've seen him, going back over a decade. He explains what we need to do, starting now (we should have started decades ago,... Continue Reading →
Brilliant neglected book: “Ecological Pioneers” #Australia #environment
I like to believe I've read a lot these three and a half years (even by my own somewhat Rabelaisian standards). Specifically, on the Australian environment movement/climate change/climate policy etc. I've read a few excellent books, a few stinkers and lots in between (thankfully mostly at the 'excellent' end, and towering piles of journal articles... Continue Reading →
Tom Uren and the class war
So, to my shame I don't know enough about people like Tom Uren. That shall be rectified #afterthethesis. For now, this, from a speech he gave in 2007, which touches on his time as a POW working on the Burma railway. Talk about natural experiments... "There are many people and experiences that have nurtured my... Continue Reading →
