THE PSEUDODRAGON NEWSLETTER
The Pseudodragon Newsletter is a bimonthly newsletter featuring longform essays, think pieces, and curated news and information summaries regarding topics related to public interest technologies, ethical tech, responsible innovation, responsible tech, responsible AI, trust and safety, digital citizenship, and tech for good.
With the TechnoSlipstream Podcast I’ve created a space for working through the challenges of complex technologies and their effects on society. That work will continue, but analysis and critique, though essential to give pause and focus, is not sufficient for motivating people to take action or even to contemplate how things could be different. We need something more.
Pseudodragons, those sage creatures that wandered the wisps of magic and forgotten lore, were known to give critical aid to good wizards during dire times long ago. And of course, Arthur C. Clarke famously once said, ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,’ which makes technology the magic of today. Unfortunately, for many people worrying times are indeed here. Companies, organizations, and governments are increasingly developing and using technologies that have benefit and risk distributions spread unevenly and unfairly across societies around the world. We therefore want to channel the pseudodragon for energy, ideas, and a motivation to engage with and work towards a better future with technology.
Yet this path out of darkness is not for the technocharlatan so common today–pseudodragons do not help those of folly or deceit. There are formidable challenges ahead both in preventing technology from exceeding our grasp and in keeping our technosociety from becoming a place where we do not feel safe, happy, or able to pursue our goals and dreams in the world. The Pseudodragon Newsletter is for those of sincere heart, those willing to seek and learn, and those with an indomitable human spirit. If this sounds like you, then please join us.
About
My name is Kendall Giles and I am a Collegiate Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. I also teach in the Master of Information Technology program and the Master of Engineering program. Finally, I am a PhD student in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. With a focus on public engagement I write and speak at the intersection of science, technology, and society, including the TechnoSlipstream Podcast and the Pseudodragon Newsletter.
Especially with developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science algorithms, technology seems like it is evolving so quickly that it is sometimes difficult to keep up. New devices allow us to work, live, and communicate differently–sometimes for the better, sometimes not. My goal is to help mediate, critique, and understand this sometimes confusing and increasingly tech-infused world in which we live.
