Category Archives: Digital Humanities

A #History of the Critique of #Technology: A response to @LatourBot #sts

I wrote a history of the critique of technology as a response to Latour’s “Why Has Critique Run Out of Steam?” There have been few, if any, adequate responses to Latour’s ground-breaking essay. This is my second response to Latour and concurs to a degree with his thesis. My first response (“The New Critiquette“) was also a history but offered a defence of critique, or rather an analysis of the critique of critique.

This new response to Latour is the opposite of the first. I wanted to write something resourceful, something we didn’t already have. Now we have a working history of the critique of technology.

It’s big history in that it extends over an expansive historical scale (550 BCE-present) and geographic scope. I tried to be inclusive, attending to questions of gender for instance, but realize there are omissions. It’s a work in progress. I wrote nearly each paragraph as a mini-essay of sorts, meaning that it has it’s own integrity as a case study. Each of these mini-essays gives an empirical example; they demonstrate critique or criticism of media and technology at different times in different places.

The chapter sets up a series of theses, not the least of which is that the critique of media and technology has run out of steam.

If critique barely changes a thing, including youth consciousness, what is its utility? Most critiques of media and technology are instrumental by definition and intended to have an effect or make a difference. If it has been enough for criticism and critique to offer a counter to progress narratives, then how effective has this been? Has the critique of media and technology run out of steam, as Latour (2004) suggests? If out of energy drawn from the steam age, should critique be retrofit to run on light and signals? Meantime, the trend in vaping may conceivably pressurize critique enough to sputter into the future. Is the critique of media and technology over time sufficiently prejudicial or probative? Instrumental or terminal?

I had great fun writing this and have an idea of what to do next with it. It’s most immediate setting is as a chapter in Critique in Design and Technology Education, edited by P. John Williams and Kay Stables. Thank you to Kay and John, who invited me to write this. I also thank Belinda von Mergenson, David Barlex and Marc de Vries, who gave superb feedback along with other colleagues at a conference in Marseille and workshop in Sausset les Pin. The conference and workshop were hosted by Jacques Ginestiè, his wife Marjolaine, and team from Marseille University.

Sausset les Pin Workshop

Sausset les Pin Workshop

That was tremendous fun as well. And yes, despite the beauty of the tranquil setting on the coast, we did work! Merci.

Sausset les Pin Workshop

Sausset les Pin Workshop

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3D Printing: Paper as media, in the 3rd Industrial Revolution

Interesting conference and expo, specializing in 3D printing technologies as the emergent third industrial revolution (perhaps Vancouver next, for its upcoming Expos?), where it has become possible, to print any content in any form (see the 3D printed guitar!) in any media- even paper, in full color 3D- dispelling possible prior preconceptions of paper, in which paper emerges as durable material, for our design considerations, that due of its unique properties, can also be coated, to extend its initial properties with the strength and properties of other as/more durable materials. 3D printing

The SPRING 7th International Conference on Knowledge Generation, Communication and Management: KGCM 2013

Call for participation from the KGCM 2013 Organizing Committee, for the 7th International Conference on Knowledge Generation, communication, and Management: KGCM 2013

(www.2013iiisconferences.org/kgcm), to be held on March 19-22, 2013, in Orlando, Florida, USA. (image below from site)

Submission Deadline:

December 14th, 2012 (other deadlines are included in the conference web site)

**************** Special Tracks ****************

  • Case Studies and Methodologies
  • Interdisciplinary Research, Education, and Communication

• International Symposium on Integrating Research, Education, and Problem Solving

  • Action Research and Action Learning
  • Peer Reviewing

    Information about the general topics can be found at the conference web site

    Submissions for face-to-face and virtual presentations are both accepted. Best papers will be published in the Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics (JSCI)

    JSCI is indexed by Cabell, EBSCO, and DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), as well as in Google Scholar. (All papers to be presented at the conference will be included in the conference printed and electronic proceedings)

Details about the following issues have also been included at the conference web site (URL given above):

  • Pre- and post-conference virtual session
  • Virtual participation
  • Two-tier reviewing combining double-blind and non- blind methods

• Access to reviewers’ comments and evaluation average
• Waiving the registration fee of effective invited session organizers
• Best papers awards

Possible deadlines extension and information about the events being organized for the IIIS Summer Conference on July 9 – 12, 2013, in Orlando, Florida, USA, can be found at http://www.2013iiisconferences.org/current- deadlines.asp

Treasure Trove for BC Women’s History

The West Kootenay Women’s Association Digital History Project, under direction of Marcia Braundy, has just made available a treasure trove for BC woman’s history and feminisms.  The timelined site provides easy navigation and documentation for students, teachers, or researchers interested in localizing history through the everyday records of women and pro-feminist activists in the Kootenays.  Students of history are given a rare glimpse of the types of records that it took to sustain a feminist movement and culture, and scale up activism to change across the province and country.  Records such as the West Kootenay Women’s Association newsletters and images are priceless!  Well done Marcia and thank you!!!

http://www.kootenayfeminism.com/categories.php#newsletters