The Undersea Network: An Interview

Nicole Starosielski’s new book brings an environmental and ecological consciousness to the study of digital media and digital systems, and it is a must-read. The Undersea Network (Duke University Press, 2015) looks carefully and imaginatively at the geography of undersea cable networks, paying special attention to the materiality of network infrastructure and its relationships with the histories of the Pacific. The book revises what we think we know … Continue reading The Undersea Network: An Interview

Beautiful Data: An Interview

The second half of the twentieth century saw a radical transformation in approaches to recording and displaying information. Orit Halpern’s new book traces the emergence of the “communicative objectivity” that resulted from this shift and produced new forms of observation, rationality, and economy. Beautiful Data: A History of Vision and Reason since 1945 (Duke University Press, 2014) beautifully accomplishes this by creating a dialogue between fields that don’t … Continue reading Beautiful Data: An Interview

The Nature and Nurture of Love: An Interview

Marga Vicedo’s new book explores the emergence of the science of children’s emotional needs in the twentieth century, contextualizing the work of British psychoanalyst and psychiatrist John Bowlby (1907-1990) within a broader history of scientific studies of human and animal behavior. She was kind enough to talk with me about it, and you can find our conversation here. Continue reading The Nature and Nurture of Love: An Interview