Out of the Software Crisis

Contents # I have a Patreon! Video Audio The full essay I have a Patreon! # I’ve been writing since the 1900s (technically the late 90s, but still) on the web, about the web, and, over the past twenty years or so, about software development and publishing. I’ve been here a while and am not going away. But I’d like to write more, make more videos and podcasts, and specifically look at the problems we have who are now outsiders in our own industries, whether that’s in software development or in publishing. For that, I’d like your help. Hence, a Patreon. It’s going to offer exclusive material, support tiers, and hopefully a few novel goodies that I’m working on at the moment. Currently, it has two membership tiers: Supporters, who get access to all the stuff. €7 / month. Patrons, who get access but also mentions in the newsletter, podcast, and are listed at the end of the video. €25 / month. Any support you can give is very much appreciated. Video # Audio # It's not our job to fix our employers Download audio…

The full essay version is below the overview and embeds. You can subscribe to the audio-only podcast feed over on Apple’s Podcast app and other apps if audio is more your speed. It’s also available as a raw podcast feed if you want to subscribe to it directly in the podcast app of your choice. Video #

An essay version of the video is below. You can subscribe to the audio-only podcast feed over on Apple’s Podcast app and other apps if audio is more your speed. It’s also available as a raw podcast feed if you want to subscribe to it directly in the podcast app of your choice. For fans of video, there’s both the YouTube channel and the TikTok account. Overview # The “parasocial” illusion that’s created by social media platforms helps deceive and misguide you, the audience. Video # Audio # Why influencers really aren't your friend Download audio Parasocial media # Those people aren’t your friends. By those people I mean social media influencers and similarly popular accounts on your preferred social media platform. Obviously online friendships are real. I’ve based my entire career on the relationships I’ve built online. None of my work over the past 25 years would have happened without the mutual connections that you can build on the various social media networks. And those friendships are as real, as…

An essay version of the video is below – not just a transcript but a text that I’ve rewritten thoroughly to work as text. You can subscribe to the audio-only podcast feed over on Apple’s Podcast app and other apps if audio is more your speed. It’s also available as a raw podcast feed if you want to subscribe to it directly in the podcast app of your choice. For fans of video, there’s both the YouTube channel and the TikTok account. Overview # Why do jokes fall flat online? Why is it so easy to get into trouble by saying something you thought was fine, but others found offensive? Turns out this is because of a basic feature of how these social media networks work. Video # Audio # Why is social media so humourless? Download audio Context collapse in social media # Have you ever made a joke on Facebook, or some other social media site only for land like a lead balloon? It might have worked for your friends – your pre-existing circle on social media – but as soon as somebody re-posted it or boosted it out of…

An essay version of the video is below – not just a transcript but a text that I’ve rewritten thoroughly to work as text. As is an audio version. You can subscribe to the audio-only unlisted podcast feed here if audio is more your speed. Overview # In this opinion piece – very much my opinion based on my experience and practice, not on academic studies – I explain one reason why short videos, such as what you get on TikTok, are bad for learning and information. Did I mention that this is my opinion? Well it is. Don’t go all “well, that’s just your opinion, man”. I already told you so. And the same goes for the academics who suddenly find themselves filled with the urge to debate me on how montage or Tarkovsky have been understood in academic writing over the years. In. My. Opinion. Video # Audio # Why are short videos bad for learning? Download audio The TikTok Problem # TikTok and its copycats have come to define how much of our societies consume information. The information that reaches us is bounded by…

Overview # Essay version of the video is below. You can also listen to the audio-only podcast version and subscribe to the unlisted podcast feed here if audio is more your speed. How do you get out of your own way when making videos or media? Download audio Let it be messy! # How do you get out of your own way when you’re trying to make media? It isn’t easy. If you aren’t used to it – if, for example, text is your primary medium – this shit is quite hard. I don’t know how many takes I’ve tried, or how often I’ve recorded videos only to find them unusable. This isn’t even my first attempt at this particular YouTube channel and starting something here. Video is not easy. There’s a reason why it often requires an entire crew for it to look good. There are people who find video to be an easy fit to how they think. They process the world using vlogs and “tic tocs”, much as I process my experience of the world using text. Text is how I think. I write even when I don’t have to – even when it’s not a part of an…