[SIGCIS-Members] Email "inventor" claimant to run for U.S. Senate -- alternative facts about technology and democracy collide

Mon Sep 18 14:13:31 PDT 2017

The parallel question, of course, is *why* are there so few software
engineers in politics?

The flip answer  is that standing up in front of a crowd is many engineer's
personal version of  hell.  Below though, are two observations by silicon
valley pundits that might also explain why engineers often avoid the
hustings:

>From https://youtu.be/B5kQYWLtW3Y (A Panel Discussion on "From
Counterculture to Cyberculture: The Legacy of the Whole Earth Catalog"):

Fred Turner: Minute 17:15 You talk in the [Whole Earth] catalog about it
being a place where people can get access to tools can you say a bit about
what tools meant, what access meant in that time period?

Stewart Brand: I was in the thrall of Buckminster Fuller who pretty much
put out the idea that it's no use trying to change human nature, it's been
the same for a long time and if you want to change behaviour don't try to
change human nature don't bother with politics go after the tools tools
make new practices and better tools make better practices.

Kevin Kelly:  I don't want to jump ahead but I think that point is
fundamental; the tool view of the world; that tools are more important than
politics; they eventually morph into code and then into law.  I think that
strand -- the way to change science, to change culture, to change politics
is through the tools -- is one of those overarching connections between the
hippies and Web 2.0.

And, across the bay in Berkeley here's Lanier's take on it (from You Are
Not A Gadget):

Technologists don't use persuasion to influence you -- or, at least, we
don't do it very well.  There are a few master communicators among us (like
Steve Jobs), but for the most part we aren't particularly seductive.....We
tinker with your philosophy by direct manipulation of your cognitive
experience, not indirectly, through argument.

Of course, the above are just a couple of juicy introductions to a question
that has a whole array of interesting answers.  Since I'm about to teach a
module on the civic orientation of engineers I'm curious how have other
SIGCIS members introduced this question to students?

Best,

Luke
lfernandez.org

On Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 11:59 AM, Chuck House <housec1839 at gmail.com> wrote:

> It’s a “late entry” but I would include Ed Zschau as a techie who later
> ran for the House of Representatives and won; later for the Senate and
> narrowly lost; and later as VP  for a third party
>
>
>
> *From: *Members <members-bounces at lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of
> "NOVEMBER, JOSEPH" <NOVEMBER at mailbox.sc.edu>
> *Date: *Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 10:40 AM
> *To: *"Sarah T. Roberts" <sarah.roberts at ucla.edu>, Andrew Meade McGee <
> amm5ae at virginia.edu>
> *Cc: *"members at sigcis.org" <members at sigcis.org>
>
> *Subject: *Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Email "inventor" claimant to run for U.S.
> Senate -- alternative facts about technology and democracy collide
>
>
>
> I wonder if "former video game developer" Curt Schilling is still planning
> to run against Warren.  Would Schilling and Ayyadurai face each other in a
> primary race?
>
>
>
> Joe
>
>
>
> Joseph November
> Associate Professor and McCausland Fellow
> Department of History
> University of South Carolina
> 223 Gambrell Hall
> Columbia, SC 29208
> november at sc.edu
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Members [members-bounces at lists.sigcis.org] on behalf of Sarah T.
> Roberts [sarah.roberts at ucla.edu]
> *Sent:* Saturday, February 25, 2017 12:26 PM
> *To:* Andrew Meade McGee
> *Cc:* members at sigcis.org
> *Subject:* Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Email "inventor" claimant to run for U.S.
> Senate -- alternative facts about technology and democracy collide
>
> - Carly Fiorina, folks. She just spoke at CPAC.
>
>
>
> - Meg Whitman, eBay. Lost CA gubernatorial election.
>
>
>
> Both Republicans. Both lost (obviously).
>
>
>
> Any chance we could discuss this Ayyadurai matter at the meeting next
> month?
>
>
>
> Guy's playing the long game, obviously.
>
>
>
> With thanks,
>
> Sarah
>
> ---
>
> S a r a h  T.  R o b e r t s,  P h. D.
>
> Assistant Professor
> University of California, Los Angeles
> Department of Information Studies
> Graduate School of Education & Information Studies
> https://is.gseis.ucla.edu/
>
> Blogging periodically at
> http://illusionofvolition.com
>
>
> On Feb 25, 2017, at 9:18 AM, Andrew Meade McGee <amm5ae at virginia.edu>
> wrote:
>
> Thanks for this suggestion, Debbie. I will look into this Massie fellow
> with great interest -- it would be fascinating to see how a technology
> background would shape an incredibly retail politics level of campaigning
> like for the House.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Andrew
>
>
> -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> Andrew Meade McGee
> Corcoran Department of History
> University of Virginia
> PO Box 400180 - Nau Hall
> Charlottesville, VA 22904
>
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 25, 2017 at 11:41 AM, Deborah Douglas <ddouglas at mit.edu>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Depending on how liberal a definition of software industry one uses,
> another example is:
>
>
>
> Tom Massie, now a Representative from Kentucky, invented PHANTOM while at
> MIT (he won the Lemelson Student Prize for this) and founded
> SensAbleTechnologies.
>
>
>
> http://lemelson.mit.edu/winners/thomas-massie
>
> http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2012/05/17/from-mit-
> entrepreneur-to-tea-party-leader-the-thomas-massie-story/
>
> http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2012/11/meet-representative-thomas-massie-
> constitutional-conservative-mit-pedigree
>
> https://massie.house.gov/about
>
>
>
> Debbie Douglas
>
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 25, 2017, at 10:41 AM, Andrew Meade McGee <amm5ae at virginia.edu>
>
>  wrote:
>
>
>
> As a follow up to Ayyadurai's candidacy  -- have there been any previous
> instances of people who identify with the software industry running for
> major political office in the United states or internationally?
>
>
>
> --Andrew
>
>
> -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> Andrew Meade McGee
> Corcoran Department of History
> University of Virginia
> PO Box 400180 - Nau Hall
> Charlottesville, VA 22904
>
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 25, 2017 at 10:37 AM, Andrew Meade McGee <amm5ae at virginia.edu>
> wrote:
>
> Continuing with the ongoing saga of V. A. Shiva and his claims regarding
> the invention of e-mail, that gentleman has just announced his candidacy
> for the United States Senate.
>
>
>
> https://twitter.com/va_shiva/status/835420061993218048
>
>
>
> As several SIGCIS contributors noted earlier this month, this nicely
> parallels the upcoming SHOT themes of technology and democracy. "Alternate
> facts" about the history of technology will play a major public element of
> this campaign next year.
>
>
>
> --Andrew
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion
> list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member
> posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list
> archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and
> you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/
> listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
>
>
>
> Deborah G. Douglas, Ph.D. • Director of Collections and Curator of Science
> and Technology, MIT Museum • Room N51-209 • 265 Massachusetts Avenue •
> Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 • ddouglas at mit.edu • 617-253-1766
> <(617)%20253-1766> telephone • 617-253-8994 <(617)%20253-8994> facsimile
> • http://web.mit.edu/museum • http://museum.mit.edu/150
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion
> list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member
> posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list
> archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and
> you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/
> listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
>
> _______________________________________________ This email is relayed
> from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS.
> Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not
> reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at
> http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change
> your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/
> listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion
> list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member
> posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list
> archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and
> you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/
> listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/attachments/20170918/e660c6dd/attachment.htm>