My review of Shawn Bender's Feeling Machines for JRAI has just been published. Because it's a book about robots by an author named Bender, I could not resist making a Futurama joke. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author...

This book looks fascinating. A translation of a translation of an imagined travelogue. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/b...

"Hacking Monsters of Deep Learning Technologies On Unexpected Effects of Co-creative Practices in Algorithmic Art and Higher Education" Visiting researcher Thea Sofie Engstrøm Vejlin (Aarhus University) is giving a presentation in Komaba on May 25, 16:00. Rm. 407, 4F Building 14. Please come!

DIJ's @celiaspoden.bsky.social will present her research on avatar robots, work & disability in a panel on the past and present of technology in Japan’s engineering of the future at the #AAS2026 in Vancouver, March 13, 3:30-5:00 PM PDT @shawnbender.bsky.social @otsuki3c.bsky.social @asianstudies.org

Virtual launch for Southern Anthropocenes hosted by Sarah Milne at the Crawford School of Public Policy Thursday March 12th 4 pm to 5 pm (+) - Canberra time. Zoom meeting ID and QR on the poster. Speakers: Iveta Silova and Juan Francisco Salazar.

4 days left to submit! Call closes Feb. 9, 2026. You can submit (either hybrid or in-person) here: xcdsystem.com/4sonline/abs...

I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures". Open panel submissions portal is open! ls! Deadline: 2nd February 2026 www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...

*** It turns out Google Groups is more terrible than I remember. You can join the newly de-Google group here: groups.io/g/anth-in-to...

📢Issue 10.3 out now! 8 articles on environment, extractivism, air pollution, climate change, digitalization, automation, care, and surveillance The editorial, includes thanks to reviewers and a call for new editorship: doi.org/pcf8

I'm part of a workshop at ACM CHI 2025 in Yokohama. Please join! Submissions due by the end of March. digitalcommunicationecologies.wordpress.com Digital communication ecologies moving beyond human-centric replication

Japan anthropologists and STSers: I've started an informal mailing list to share information about things happening in Tokyo, and to keep in touch. Please feel free to share the link to anyone who might be interested. groups.google.com/g/anth-in-to...

The call is now officially out for a new editorial team for @estsjournal.bsky.social ! Please share widely, and email me to chat if you are interested in leading @4sweb.bsky.social's diamond OA journal. I am happy to help you put together your proposal and team! #STS 4sonline.org/news_manager...

In today’s devastating news for social science and humanities researchers, the NZ govt has updated the Marsden Find and disbanded these panels to focus on core science www.beehive.govt.nz/release/mars...

His last work was to reduce the word count when writing poetry. www.theguardian.com/books/2024/n...

I happened to be reading Alan Turing's paper on the #turingtest, and tried asking his sample questions to ChatGPT. Here are his examples, followed by ChatGPT's responses.

Anyone know if the SCA or Cultural Anthropology have an RSS feed? Can’t find one on their site..

In honor of Anthrodendum, I've put together a short post on how to keep track of what anthro blogs are out there using RSS and a newsreader. Download a newsreader and the linked OPML file to be instantly subscribed to 90+ anth blogs. www.gjotsuki.net/reconstructi...

An excellent post by @lorenagibson.bsky.social on how she teaches her first-year anthropology post: "how to anthropology" and "how to university." anthropod.net/2023/12/20/t...

The video of the keynote from this past 4S is now on YouTube. "Aloha `Āina for Our Future" by Prof. Kamanamaikalani Beamer of the University of Hawai`i. youtu.be/HweQRiVK7VQ?... #4SHonolulu

Obscene profits for “open access” publishing. english.elpais.com/science-tech...

There’s OJS for open access journals, and it had a counterpart for conferences called OCS that looks like it’s been retired. There’s a need for something open source in its place.

#4shonolulu has ended, and I’m sitting down in Toronto for my first unrushed breakfast in a week. It had its hiccups, but it was amazing to see people and ideas come together. It really felt like connections were being built. Thanks all for your understanding, and for supporting us and each other.

🚨 It is time to announce (*drumroll*) that we are holding an STS School next year, June 2024 in Singapore. 4 packed days of seminars, workshops, keynotes and fieldtrips. See sthvschool.org for details and the call for applications! 🚨

For people curious about what's going on at 4S 2023, join workshop W6 on Zoom for free: bit.ly/4S-W6 W6. Imagining AI through Indigenous Knowledge Systems #4sHonolulu

Our YouTube livestream has bugged out but we’ll have a recording later. #4sHonolulu

The Student Section of 4S (6S) would like to invite early career scholars for an informal meet and mingle on 7th November at 8:30pm, The Social, Honolulu. Register to join! #4SHonolulu23

Hello world! We're finally here, and excited to start (checks notes) skeeting? 🤔 about social studies of science, technology and medicine. Our annual conference starts next week, so follow us for updates from 4SHonolulu, Nov 8-12. #sts #histsci #philsci #philtech #philsky #medanthro #bioethics

Just over 8 days until #4sHonolulu. Even if you're not registered, you'll be able to see some of the main events online. We're planning to stream the keynote and both plenary sessions on the 4S Youtube channel, if I can make everything work in time. www.youtube.com/@4SYouTube

4S, the Society for Social Studies of Science, is now on Bluesky! @4sweb.bsky.social Not much happening there yet, but you can expect things to pick up when #4sHonolulu starts on November 8.

My department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is hiring an assistant or associate professor of Japanese studies (broadly defined). Please share widely! www.h-net.org/jobs/job_dis...

Attn: #sts members of the Society for Social Studies of Science 1. ru going to 4S, remotely or in person? 2. ru located outside of North America? 3. ru interested in using games, film, performance, sensory and participatory frameworks in STS research? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

This quote has kind of rewired the way I see stuff happening