Thomas D. Mullaney et al., "Your Computer Is on Fire" (MIT Press, 2021)

An interview with Thomas D. Mullaney, Benjamin Peters, Mar Hicks, and Kavita Philip

Episode 290 of the New Books in Critical Theory podcast, hosted by Marshall Poe, titled "Thomas D. Mullaney et al., "Your Computer Is on Fire" (MIT Press, 2021)" was published on July 9, 2021 and runs 78 minutes.

July 9, 2021 ·78m · New Books in Critical Theory

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

This book sounds an alarm: after decades of being lulled into complacency by narratives of technological utopianism and neutrality, people are waking up to the large-scale consequences of Silicon Valley–led technophilia. This book trains a spotlight on the inequality, marginalization, and biases in our technological systems, showing how they are not just minor bugs to be patched, but part and parcel of ideas that assume technology can fix—and control—society. The essays in Your Computer Is on Fire (MIT Press, 2021) interrogate how our human and computational infrastructures overlap, showing why technologies that centralize power tend to weaken democracy. These practices are often kept out of sight until it is too late to question the costs of how they shape society. From energy-hungry server farms to racist and sexist algorithms, the digital is always IRL, with everything that happens algorithmically or online influencing our offline lives as well. Each essay proposes paths for action to understand and solve technological problems that are often ignored or misunderstood. Mathew Jordan is a university instructor, funk musician, and clear writing enthusiast. He studies the history of science and technology, driven by the belief that we must understand the past in order to improve the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Episode Description

This book sounds an alarm: after decades of being lulled into complacency by narratives of technological utopianism and neutrality, people are waking up to the large-scale consequences of Silicon Valley–led technophilia. This book trains a spotlight on the inequality, marginalization, and biases in our technological systems, showing how they are not just minor bugs to be patched, but part and parcel of ideas that assume technology can fix—and control—society. The essays in Your Computer Is on Fire (MIT Press, 2021) interrogate how our human and computational infrastructures overlap, showing why technologies that centralize power tend to weaken democracy. These practices are often kept out of sight until it is too late to question the costs of how they shape society. From energy-hungry server farms to racist and sexist algorithms, the digital is always IRL, with everything that happens algorithmically or online influencing our offline lives as well. Each essay proposes paths for action to understand and solve technological problems that are often ignored or misunderstood. Mathew Jordan is a university instructor, funk musician, and clear writing enthusiast. He studies the history of science and technology, driven by the belief that we must understand the past in order to improve the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Apr 13, 2026 ·3m

Apr 13, 2026 ·4m

Apr 13, 2026 ·2m

Apr 13, 2026 ·4m

Apr 13, 2026 ·3m

Apr 13, 2026 ·5m

Similar Podcasts

Bible (ASV) NT 19: Hebrews by American Standard Version LibriVox The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbr. Heb for citations) is one of the books in the New Testament. Though traditionally credited to the Apostle Paul, the letter is anonymous and most modern scholars, both conservative and critical, believe its author was not Paul himself but some other member of his Pauline community. The letter has carried its traditional title since Tertullian described it as Barnabae titulus ad Hebraeos in De Pudicitia chapter 20 ("Barnabas's Letter to the Hebrews".) (Summary from Wikipedia) Defiant Health Radio with Dr. William Davis William Davis, MD William Davis, MD, cardiologist and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Wheat Belly books, as well as Undoctored and, most recently, Super Gut, brings the unvarnished truth about many health conditions. So much information in health is crafted by industry, bent to the benefit of healthcare systems, delivered by willfully ignorant physicians. Yet a critical mass of truly useful, safe, effective health information has been reached--but someone has to deliver it to you. That is Dr. Davis' intention. Among the topics the Defiant Health Podcast covers are:--Microbiome health--The key to so many health conditions, as well as preservation of youth and vigor, can be found in the microbiome.--Heart health--You will find no mention of cholesterol or statin drugs here, only hard-hitting, science-based insights.--Thyroid health--Why do endocrinologists and other doctors get thyroid health so wrong? Let's get it right.--Weight loss--We don't count calories, don't push the plate away, or ech Author David Alexander Bestselling Thrillers Author David Alexander David Alexander is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose books have sold over five million copies. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Paris Sorbonne. David Alexander's novels and nonfiction titles have won critical acclaim from USA Today, The New York Times, The London Times, The Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, The Wall Street Journal and many other venues in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. His prizewinning thriller, Threatcon Delta: Assault on the Pentagon, reached first place on numerous bestseller lists. Scottish Review of Books Scottish Review of Books The Scottish Review of Books Podcast amplifies the print and online offerings of Scotland’s critical quarterly. Episodes contain interviews with the magazine’s writers and editors, discussion of articles in new issues, original essays, and reporting from across Scotland’s cultural landscape.

URL copied to clipboard!