Joe LitobarskiJul 9, 2023
Jacob Ward

I've finally decided to experiment with Mastodon, so here's an #introduction #histodons

I'm a historian of science, technology, and neoliberalism. My first book (coming out Spring 2024) investigates the digitalisation and privatisation of Britain's telecom infrastructure, and I've recently started a new project on the history of futurology in British government.

I grew up and went to university in London, and now I work at Maastricht University, in the History department and STS research programme.

I had a Twitter account but was shocking at actually using it. Twitter always felt a bit too "broadcast" and exposing for me, which I think I reacted to by only posting declarations and announcements (when I posted at all). I'd like to be more active here and I hope there's more space for dialogue and interaction. Thanks for reading!

Jul 5, 2023 at 12:56pmWeb
Show threadPaula Clarke BainJul 5, 2023
@jacobward
Welcome, Jacob. I’m trying to say hi to someone new to me regularly so here’s a hello to you today. Your future projects sound good.
Show threadJacob WardJul 5, 2023
@pc_bain Hi Paula, thanks and hello! Funnily enough, I just started indexing my book today, my naive optimism might have taken a bit of a knock...
Show threadPaula Clarke BainJul 6, 2023
@jacobward
Quite a time to say hello then! It can be tricky. Lots of good advice in the Chicago Manual of Style ‘Indexes’ chapter if you have that, and always keep your likely readers in mind. Some more info below which may be helpful. And feel free to ask questions. Good luck with it!
https://www.indexers.org.uk/about-indexing/authors-indexes/
Authors and indexes

Some authors feel that they are the best people to index their own books, as they are the experts on the subject matter and familiar with the books’ structure. However, unless an author is experienced in indexing, this is often unwise. It takes skill, experience and considerable time to produce a really professional index, whichRead More

Show threadnevJul 7, 2023
@jacobward British telecom infra?! Paging @vfrmedia
Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@nev @vfrmedia if you want to talk about telephone exchanges and communications cables from roughly the 60s to the 80s, I'm your guy 
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKJul 7, 2023
@jacobward @nev I did work experience at British Telecom in 1987 (when at high school) and got to see various TXE, TXS and TXD in operation (including one of the first System X exchanges in Reading, SE England). Also lived in Caversham, which at the time hosted a lot of circuits used by BBC Monitoring so much info about their Telephone Exchange (TXE4, later TXD) was classified..
Show threadReal_JamesCainJul 7, 2023
@jacobward Welcome Jacob!
Show threadJack Yan (甄爵恩)Jul 7, 2023
@jacobward Welcome, Jacob! Your research areas sound fascinating (speaking as a layperson).
Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@jackyan always lovely to hear, feel free to ask questions if/when anything pops into your head!
Show threadSolarbird Jul 7, 2023

@jacobward Since I run a Mastodon instance myself, I maintain a moderately popular getting-started guide to all this. Here it is, if you like:

https://mastodon.murkworks.net/@moira/110640605054053513

Solarbird :flag_cascadia: (@[email protected])

Attached: 2 images Aaaaand we're off again! Hello to the new wave of #TwitterMigration #Twitter #TwitterExodus and please enjoy a few tips for getting started! 1: There's no algorithm to fill your Home feed for you. You _must_ explore. 2: What are the feeds? "Home" is who and what you _explicitly_ follow "This server" is everyone on your instance "Other servers" is everyone followed by anyone on your instance. 3: #Hashtags are important here, and can be followed. To do so, search for one, then click the "add" icon in the search results bar. 4: Follow (and unfollow) with abandon! Follow people who boost a lot, that helps you find stuff. But you can also follow people and choose _not_ to see their boosts, see first photo. Welcome, and good hunting! 🧵:

Mastodon
Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@moira thanks, super helpful!
Show threadM.S. Bellows, Jr.Jul 7, 2023
@jacobward I'll follow you simply from joy at the phrase "the history of futurology." :-)
Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@msbellows That was one of the things that appealed to me too. Once I realised it was possible to be a "historian of futurology", I couldn't resist the allure!
Show threadDilman DilaJul 7, 2023

@jacobward You'll find it nicer here. I was a lurker on twitter too, and all the others, but here I find more engagement with my toots though I have only about a third of the followers on twitter, there is always someone dropping a nice conversational response to them.

Well, in your intro use a lot of hashtags, as many as you can cram in for the things you like to engage about 😊

Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@dilmandila #thanks  that's something I've noticed about here too, I'll have to up my #hashtaggame
Show threadChrisMP 😷💉💉💉Jul 7, 2023
@jacobward cool. Sounds interesting. My bit is history of tech in medicine. But that’s a side hustle. Main game is delivering care.
Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@ChrisPearce I'm a lapsed medic myself, four years of med school before realising medical humanities, science and technology studies, and history of sci and tech were things that I could do. Also fascinated by tech in medicine, hoping at some point in my career to write a history of the seemingly disastrous NHS National Programme for IT in the noughties.
Show threadChrisMP 😷💉💉💉Jul 8, 2023

@jacobward

Yep. Know that one well. Knew many of those involved. Would be a good case study. We had a similar program (PCEHR). We didn’t learn from you, alas.

Show threadJacob WardJul 10, 2023
@ChrisPearce Shame and I didn't know about that - sounds like a comparative history might be in order...
Show threadWarner CrockerJul 7, 2023
@jacobward Welcome to the land where Mastodons roam!
Show threadKristine WillisJul 7, 2023
@jacobward nice to learn about your work, look forward to hearing more. I’m a systems biologist by training, and my day job now is in cancer metabolism, with a sideline in sociology and history of biomedical science, especially in the US.
Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@kristine_willis your work sounds fascinating! I trained as a doctor at first but left medical school early to do an MSc in #STS. Would love to return to (bio)med in my research at some point, especially curious about the history of digital infrastructures for healthcare and of algorithimic thinking in medicine
Show threadKristine WillisJul 8, 2023
@jacobward thanks! Algorithmic thinking in medicine sounds fascinating. I guess if you consider algorithmic thinking as a series of (if … then) statements then you might argue the history is very long, since basically all medicine takes the form (if the patient does/has X, then do Y) 🙂
Show threadJacob WardJul 10, 2023

@kristine_willis Yes, that's a good point. I suppose more specifically I'm interested in when that became routinized and "automated" as opposed to something that was a matter of judgement and interpretation on the part of the medical professional.

During my clinical training, the main pocket reference work, the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, was full of these decision trees (which it called "algorithms") to follow depending on a patient's signs, symptoms, test results, etc. That was what got me interested in this topic!

Show threadBereniceJul 7, 2023
@jacobward Welcome. Glad you’re here
Show threadJacob WardJul 7, 2023
@Berenice101 so am I!
Show threadFrank CoteJul 7, 2023
@jacobward hi Jacob!
Show threadTonyDFJul 7, 2023
@jacobward welcome
Show threadGeorge GoodmanJul 7, 2023
@jacobward Welcome!
Show threadBraydJul 7, 2023
@jacobward sounds very interesting! You got a follow. I also think interaction is really good in the Fediverse and a big part of it.
Show threadJacob WardJul 8, 2023
@brayd thanks, I'm really enjoying the interaction so far too!
Show threadMrinappropriateJul 7, 2023
@jacobward Hreat to have you here, but I have to ask- The History of Futurology? Vs The Future of History? Sorry. Wine. 😔
Show threadJacob WardJul 8, 2023
@MrInappropriate no idea what historical research will look like in 50 years' time (ok, probably not radically different, but wouldn't be surprised if digital methods are much more commonplace, especially web history). But history of futurology (e.g. "scenario planning, "foresight", Delphi methods, "horizon scanning") I feel much more qualified to talk about!
Show threadMrinappropriateJul 8, 2023
@jacobward Oracles, scrying, crystal balls through to computer modelling?
Show threadJacob WardJul 10, 2023
@MrInappropriate exactly, and it's specifically the introduction of computer methods from the 60s onwards that I find interesting. Simulation allows forecasters to generate far more possible futures/worlds experiment with, which I think might have had interesting consequences for policymaking
Show threadMrinappropriateJul 10, 2023
@jacobward Had said policy makers been prepared to listen. #science #politics
Show threadMattJohnsJul 8, 2023
@jacobward welcome aboard!