Is it hyperbolic of me to say that “Artificial intelligence provides the hardware on which the software of totalitarianism runs most efficiently and effectively”? Maybe so, but July 4th put me in a mood.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/indistingu...
The final(ish) chapter in my series on digital asymmetry, featuring ghost artists, phantom friends, and the platformization of the human psyche (that last with a major h/t to @lmsacasas.bsky.social )
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/asymmetry-...
Managed my first promotion case as Chair this year, and one of the things I did this spring was to send thank you letters to each of the external reviewers (as well as the good news).
This isn't meant to be a brag, but rather an observation that this sort of basic politeness ought to be normal.
I was shocked to realize that it's been 25 years since Gladwell's Tipping Point. I'd been meaning to read his update/retrospect for a while, so I finally did and wrote about it a bit.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/side-effects
I wrote a bit about Vauhini Vara’s Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age. I definitely recommend it, although not without some friction.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/communion
I wouldn't entirely dismiss the possibility that this is a phish. Since I became chair, I've seen a whole bunch of emails allegedly from me to my colleagues asking if they're available, if they can join a "Tasks" spreadsheet, etc. It's made me become a lot more concrete in my own email practice...
I take the long way around to a quick discussion of Bracket City, which I'm still obsessed with.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/nesting
Spent some time this week reading and writing (more) about friction, specifically in the context of Ai.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/stronger-t...
Part-review, part-reflection on Ray Nayler's latest, Where the Axe is Buried. Tried to stay spoiler-free, so I write mostly about the resonances I found with Orwell, Ai, etc. But it's a great book--Nayler's quickly becoming a fave.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/2084
Can confirm that this lecture is incredibly informative and useful. Our graduate students (and I) got a lot out of that 2022 "visit" 😉
TIL about Bracket City, a word game over at the Atlantic, and I'm more than a little obsessed with it.
www.theatlantic.com/games/bracke...
"I’m still searching for the words that will set my soul apart, but I’m sure they’re just around the corner."
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/summertime
After an unfortunately light spring semester, I'm trying to rev up my writing schedule for the summer. This week, a couple of book reviews: Klein and Thompson's Abundance (cgbrooke.substack.com/p/a-bun-dance), and Wynn-Williams' Careless People (cgbrooke.substack.com/p/dirty-rott...)
Data retcon?
Wrote a few words on the passing of Jim Leach, who was a family friend and my Representative growing up. He exemplified much of what's missing from contemporary politics. RIP
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/james-leac...
Some thoughts about Ai tonewashing, and the impact that it has on our ability to trust one another.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/pretty-lit...
A quick review of Marie-Helene Bertino's Beautyland, which I really enjoyed.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/beautyland
I haven't had a lot of writing time over the past couple of weeks, but what time I've had has gone to this (sorta rambling) post, about the vanishing role of productive disagreement, a trend (imho) worth reversing.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/disagreeab...
I expect it's more acute as a dean, but I feel the same uncanniness as chair. One of the challenges was learning how and when I was being addressed as the office rather than the human. (I'm still not always able to tell the difference.)
congratulations!
In other, more personal news, my new glasses (which my ophth called "cheaters") arrived today, allowing me to see both screen and bookshelf equally well (for the first time in 2-3 years, bc cataracts) 🤓
I know that it's a little redundant to share this on Bluesky itself, but I found myself doing some gentle evangelizing today, so it was what was on my mind during my writing group.
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/should-i-s...
As the Legion of Doom is currently assembling, I found myself wondering why the Superfriends are so incompetent when it comes to media...
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/whats-afoo...
I've been seeing a small cloudburst of new follows as folks move over to the Sky. Welcome, and thanks! I haven't really posted much here--most of my writing these days is taking place on my Substack (cgbrooke.substack.com). But I'll start sharing entries more often, and try to be more present.
Haven't been around here much, but I've been writing. Today marks my 100th post on Substack:
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/centenary
In the hopes of being more public about what I'm reading, I posted a review of Dannagal Young's new book Wrong. TLDR: 👍
cgbrooke.substack.com/p/wrong
