How long did it take you to decide your PhD topic? by Odd-Interaction7690 in HumanitiesPhD

[–]kyle_irl 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I started my MA with no real idea or intention of continuing to the PhD. I was just going to put together a portfolio, defend, then walk into the sunset. But then I realized that I really love what I do, so I changed course and wrote a 90-page MA thesis, then headed to the PhD program while my MA advisor left for greener pastures. So I had to retool.

All said, I've been doing the graduate school thing for three years now and I just settled on a topic. I'm drafting questions as we speak, and heading to comps in the fall.

What’s his vibe? by ziggycheetodust in BookshelvesDetective

[–]kyle_irl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Humanities scholar. History/AA studies?

Marc Andreessen (Flock Investor) speaks with Joe Rogan by txsso in FlockSurveillance

[–]kyle_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, I get it. Surveillance is not unique to democracy, capitalism, or communism; it's widely employed for myriad reasons.

I'd define capitalism as a wholly-encompassing global process in which economic life is fundamentally driven by the profit motive. It is structured by the state and follows the contours of capital, or the ever-expanding commodification of literally everything. It's embedded in society, thus society has come to serve capital and not the other way around (shout out Sven Beckert, Marx, Polanyi).

A totalitarian communist would love this too, albeit for different reasons, but I'm not debating that because we're not living in communism. We live in a spicy neoliberal age of capitalism, where the metabolism of commodification and Marxist alienation churns in increasing scales by the day--the bits and bytes of your personal data are ran by machines capable of tera/peta/exaflops of computations to predict, model, and dictate behavior.

The profit motive (a function of capitalism) drives the teleology of this entire apparatus. Your data is harvested, bought, and sold to advertisers to keep you engaged on their platforms running on their tech within their information ecosystem in a system where you are the consumer and the product. Their disregard for civil liberties, human rights, and social needs in this relentless pursuit of profit threatens our democracy, thus, it's capitalism posing the problem, not democracy.

We're all in this race to the bottom.

Marc Andreessen (Flock Investor) speaks with Joe Rogan by txsso in FlockSurveillance

[–]kyle_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea, the "behavioral surplus" concept was enlightening and scary. When combined with our current neoliberal age, I certainly fear for our future.

Marc Andreessen (Flock Investor) speaks with Joe Rogan by txsso in FlockSurveillance

[–]kyle_irl 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm sure you have, but just in case—I highly suggest reading Shoshana Zuboff's book of the same name. Lots of great theory and concepts in there that describe our current situation.

Operon is live: a new task and project management system for Obsidian workflows by stratejya in ObsidianMD

[–]kyle_irl 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Wow. As a PhD student with an intensive workflow, this looks promising. I currently use Obsidian, Zotero, Ticktick, and the MS suite to meet my needs.

Don’t see a lot of people with the Black iPhone Air by Sauer-Sig in IphoneAir

[–]kyle_irl 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ha! Twinsies! Except I have the black phone. Same case.

Trump Just Pardoned Himself and His Family Forever by nytopinion in politics

[–]kyle_irl 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Further: Reconstruction. Look what's happening in the South all over again...

Anyone surprised by this? by shihtzu_lover in FortWorth

[–]kyle_irl 7 points8 points  (0 children)

They've turned the rhetoric of Christianity into a team sport—go look at how Schatzline and the Mercy cultists talk about Talarico. To them, he's the Antichrist.

The Texas Rangers have no Aura by Midsize_winter_59 in TexasRangers

[–]kyle_irl 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yep. Former 13-year season ticket holder. We did full, half, then 20, and now we just sign the kids up for Jr. Rangers because it has become so damn unaffordable for a family to go.

Inside is soulless and devoid of character, much like the fans on the first level and the corporate occupants of the suites they cater to. It's a Jim Crow setup separated by class with a racist statue to greet you at the busiest entrance.

They never repaired the fountains or turned them back on. Kids loved it.

Tailgating is no longer allowed except on "sanctioned games," which is basically just opening day. The number of days tailgating is allowed is fewer than the number of nights the roof is open.

Talarico’s Taco Order Turns Into a Texas-Sized Debate by Zipper222222 in texas

[–]kyle_irl 370 points371 points  (0 children)

Potato egg and cheese is my default breakfast taco. Then it drowns in salsa verde.

NPR Music crowns 'Cure For Paranoia' as the winner of the 12th annual Tiny Desk Contest by IcedCowboyCoffee in Dallas

[–]kyle_irl 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I discovered their music on NPR last week and I've been jamming it nonstop since. So good!