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The Grind
I’m in the grind part of the semester at Virginia Tech–wrapping up my own teaching as well as the class I’m taking (Economics in Science, Technology, and Society). As such, I’m clearing the decks, so to speak, of extra obligations so that I can get done what I need to get done.
One major achievement that took up quite a bit of effort this semester was coming to an agreement with my PhD committee on my Preliminary Exam reading list, which is a list of 60 books from History, Sociology, and Philosophy that I will be tested on some time next year or early 2024. Coming up with such a list that both sufficiently represents my research interests as well as Science, Technology, and Society’s “canon” took three versions before we all came to an agreement, and I appreciate my committee’s help in getting there.
That now done, I wanted to check in with you, give you an update on a few podcasts and newsletters I’ve created since we last spoke, and sketch a way forward into 2023.
TechnoSlipstream Podcast
Though much of my attention was on my teaching, class-taking, and Preliminary Exam reading list creating, I was able to create two more podcast episodes.
How true are the myths and legends of Silicon Valley? To help us answer that question, starting with this episode, in a special two-part podcast series we’ll work our way through the book The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America written by Margaret O’Mara.
How true are the myths and legends of Silicon Valley? To help us answer that question, we wrap up our journey through the book The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America written by Margaret O’Mara.
Pseudodragon Newsletter
And I wrote two more Pseudodragon newsletter articles.
Books Read in 2022
What did you read this year? Anything you would recommend?
As something new I thought I would try keeping track of all my reading throughout the year. I didn’t keep track of articles and papers–far too many to track–but here’s a page with all the books I read in 2022.
Note that I suspect my 2023 books list will include books from my Preliminary Exam reading list! 😀
Plans for 2023
Once I wrap up the fall semester at Virginia Tech I’ll be going dark to recharge and plan for the next year. Each year I spend time looking back at what went well in 2022 and what didn’t, as well as thinking about ways to make 2023 better and planning new goals and projects. That’s also one reason this newsletter is coming to you now at the top of the month, since I’ll be doing dark as soon as I can get through the end of the semester. But right now, off the top of my head, here’s a short list of 2023 plans already in the queue:
Continue teaching at Virginia Tech
Continue PhD coursework in Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
Prep for STS Preliminary Exam
Continue TechnoSlipstream Podcast
Continue Pseudodragon Newsletter
Create more YouTube videos
…
Creating More Content
I’d love to be able to create more podcasts episodes, newsletters articles, and even YouTube videos, but they do take extraordinary amounts of time and energy. While I do put out most of the content I create for free (there is some content I create just for Patreon supporters), I would appreciate support if you get some value out of what I’m doing: consider signing up on my Patreon page.
One Last Thing: Chat
Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: The TechnoSlipstream Newsletter subscriber chat.
This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way each week, and you can jump into the discussion if you’d like.
Twitter used to be great for short quick messages, but new ownership has made that environment a little trashy.
To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app (chat messages are sent via the app, not email). Turn on push notifications so you don’t miss a chance to join conversation as it happens.
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but chat is coming to the Android app soon.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ. I’ve already started my first chat thread so come on over and say hello!
Until Next Time
That’s all for now. I hope you are doing well. Thank you for reading my newsletter, and don’t forget to read more books! And I’m here for chat if you’d like.
May you have a great end-of-2022 and an energized 2023.
See you in the new year.
Kendall
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About
Just joining us? Or maybe you’ve forgotten why you signed up? I’m Kendall Giles, a writer, researcher, and drinker of much coffee. Currently I work at Virginia Tech in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering in Falls Church, Virginia. I also teach in the Master of Information Technology Program, teach in the ECE Master of Engineering Program, and am a PhD student in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. I write and speak at the intersection of science, technology, and society, including the TechnoSlipstream podcast and the Pseudodragon Newsletter.