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In Men in Black, Tommy Lee Jones’ character makes a comment that is dishearteningly, universally true: “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it.” This is at the core of mob mentality and why idealistic social structures like socialism and anarchy—the lack of government kind—are impractical. With that in mind, the conversation around free and open access (OA) to academic literature via the internet smacks of the same kind of starry-eyed arguments that happen to leave out the more pragmatic and logistical concerns that come with OA implementation. This isn’t to say that I’m opposed to making academic andRead More →

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Rebellion against the capitalist digital realm seems alluring in the same way that tipping over cars does while apart of a mob. In the heat of the moment, the act might feel like a statement to some establishment, but in reality, an innocent owner of the vehicle takes the hit. The question then becomes how can we express our dissatisfaction against the system without harming (possibly innocent) individuals? In Chris Gilliard’s “Pedagogy and the Logic of Platforms,” he speaks of “leveraging the classroom to make visible the effects of surveillance capitalism” (Gilliard). I am concerned with this statement for a few reasons. Firstly, any timeRead More →

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  Zach is a 3rd year transfer student at UCSD pursuing an education in both Philosophy and creative writing. He served for 8 years in the U.S. Coast Guard as an electronics technician before becoming a full-time academic, humanities enthusiast, and pedant of language. By combining his background and scholastic endeavors, he hopes to write both creative fiction and creative nonfiction that blends the humanities with the sciences. Zach is committed to the intersection of humanities and technology, and is excited to explore how the two can be integrated.Read More →