[Themaintainers] Happy not-Y2K bug 🐛 20 years anniversary to all maintainer people

[Ishi Crew]

This is on a slightly different topic, but I wonder if anyone looked  at
the David Graeber video on 'bs jobs' posted on this list.  I'd be
interested in whether anyone in Washington DC area is interested in a
study/discussion  group on the economics and politics touched on in that
video.

    I'd also be interested in whether there are any academic programs in DC
which deal with these issues.  I have pretty much 'struck out' in my
semi-random queries to various social scientists at local universities
about possibilities for study (american u, george washington u, howard u,
george mason u , university of district of columbia etc. ).    I'm not
really in the demographic  they want in a grad program, and also  i do not
really feel able to deal with issues associated with universities like
going into debt , taking tests again, the application process,
etc.   Also have health problems ('disabled') though many people say these
are all in my mind.

One thing Graeber discusses is in places like universities and health
industries the growth or growth rate in the number of adminstrators has
gone up like 400% over the last few decades, while the growth  in number ,
or growth rate. in 'practicioners' has remained flat.  This is why I have
to talk to like 20 administrators before I can talk to an academic about a
field of study (in which case I'm always told 'there really is nothing
available' or 'get back to me when i finish my book in a few months'.)   '


    (The Graeber video  was posted by someone who works/lives in both SF
(in a tech company) and NYC (a collective  focused on making tech skills
available to historically marginalized communities  ---poor, people of
color, etc.  There is a collective in DC which seems similar---female, POC,
tekkies, which works with marginalized communities.)
https://colet.space or colet.space

I've read a bit of Graeber over the years  with mixed feelings--eg his
essay 'bs jobs' i view as essentially a rewrite of P Lafargue's 1880's
essay 'the right to be lazy'   (lafargue married Karl marx's daughter and
stated he he was a 'marxist', which led karl Marx to state  'i am not a
marxist').

On Mon, Dec 30, 2019 at 11:03 PM Cowan, Ruth S <rcowan at sas.upenn.edu> wrote:

> Take a look at this old-fashioned print article on the subject; seems to
> me to be better celebration of maintenance and maintainers:
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/12/30/lessons-yk-years-later/
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Ruth Schwartz Cowan. Ph.D.
>
> Janice and Julian Bers Professor, Emerita
>
> History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Author (with Matthew H. Hersch) of *A Social History of American
> Technology*, 2nd edition (Oxford University Press, 2017)
>
>
> https://global.oup.com/ushe/search?q=a+social+history+of+american+technology&cc=&lang=en
>
>
>
> *From:* themaintainers-bounces at lists.stevens.edu [mailto:
> themaintainers-bounces at lists.stevens.edu] *On Behalf Of *mace ojala
> *Sent:* Monday, December 30, 2019 7:52 PM
> *To:* Maintainers <themaintainers at lists.stevens.edu>
> *Subject:* [Themaintainers] Happy not-Y2K bug 🐛 20 years anniversary to
> all maintainer people
>
>
>
> Dear all
>
>
>
> As the year 2019 comes to a closing, it also marks the 20 year anniversary
> of the Y2K event... or rather mostly *non-event*, thanks to all the
> software maintenance labour back then. A fine occasion to celebrate and
> study and learn from it!
>
>
>
> This is being discussed on Twitter under #y2k and Computerphile made an
> episode about it too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGrKKrsIpQw. Send
> your favourite academic references :)
>
>
>
> *Happy new year everyone*
>
> --
>
> Mace Ojala
>
> Research Assistant or something, I've lost track
>
> IT University of Copenhagen
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