Category Archives: theory

Notes on Of Grammatology

It took me a bit to get started, but here we go… If, as Derrida suggests, writing threatens language, then digital technology extends this threatening, by engaging so many more people in the “play.” As the actors gather, as the … Continue reading

Posted in derrida, diss, theory, wiki, writing-tech | Comments Off on Notes on Of Grammatology

Sometimes the “Rhetoric of Change” Really Means Change

I wanted to share Norm Scheiber’s article “The Audacity of Data” on Obama’s economic theory. It seems that Obama strays from traditional political philosophy in favor of something which Scheiber labels as “non-ideological” but which I might refer to as … Continue reading

Posted in bordieu, complexity, obama, politics, rhetoric, theory, theory-in-practice | Comments Off on Sometimes the “Rhetoric of Change” Really Means Change

Davis > Derrida > Levinas

Today’s reading: John Muckelbauer’s “Rhetoric, Asignification, and the Other: A Response to Diane Davis” and D. Diane Davis’ “The Fifth Risk: A Response to John Muckelbauer’s Response”. Muckelbauer challenges the assumption that any discourse or pedagogy can claim ethical or … Continue reading

Posted in davis, derrida, diss, levinas, theory | Comments Off on Davis > Derrida > Levinas

Complexity Theory and Authorship as Plurality

There was a discussion on a listserv today regarding why the individual author has become a myth. I cranked out a short response and figured I’d share. The original poster referred to the Emersonian (right?) “nothing is original” mantra. While … Continue reading

Posted in complexity, derrida, theory | Comments Off on Complexity Theory and Authorship as Plurality

Kurzweil, The Singularity is Near

I’ve put off reading this book for awhile, since I find it so difficult to talk about. I find Kurzweil’s work fascinating and dangerous, stimulating and irresponsible. I know he’s coming to come up in my dissertation, opposite and alongside … Continue reading

Posted in diss, Kurzweil, reading-notes, technology, theory | Comments Off on Kurzweil, The Singularity is Near

Rosa & Acceleration

(I thought I might share some recent reading notes for my dissertation, I think there’s something in here for everyone. Please excuse the awkwardness of the prose, this is first draft. Overall, Rosa’s article is insightful and definately worth a … Continue reading

Posted in digital-media, diss, sophistry, theory | Comments Off on Rosa & Acceleration

Ignorance is Bliss

Last night our dulah said “The more civilized you are, the harder it is to give birth.” We we talking about Lamaze, breathing strategies, and how to remain focused during labor. The key seems to be to shut your consciousness … Continue reading

Posted in stevenjohnson, theory, theory-in-practice | Comments Off on Ignorance is Bliss

Barabasi’s Linked

Just finished the first few chapters of Albert-Laszlo Barabasi’s Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life. Barabasi, a mathematician, details the development of network theory’s most popular maxim, “six … Continue reading

Posted in diss, network-complexity, theory | Comments Off on Barabasi’s Linked

Computers, Writing, & Productive Mess

Just got back from Detriot and Computers & Writing, our talk went well. Three of us presented on wiring classrooms together for massive forum discussions (80 students participating in one discussion on the history of the higher education in the … Continue reading

Posted in computers-and-writing, presentation, productive mess, theory | Comments Off on Computers, Writing, & Productive Mess

Sorry Casey, Still No Flying Cars

This article by Charlie Stross is making its way through the interweb. Like some of the research I am working on Stross argues that the “progress” of the future won’t concern processing power, software engineering, or even (Other help us) … Continue reading

Posted in digital-media, levinas, theory | Comments Off on Sorry Casey, Still No Flying Cars