Welcome to ππ ππ¨π
I write about how technology is changing education, specifically how the bundle of cultural technologies we call artificial intelligence is shaping our work as educators and technologists.
What is AI Log? is the best thing I have written about why I write.
This is what youβll find here:
historically informed cultural criticism about technology and educational reform;
review essays about books that helped me understand how to think about transformer-based AI models as an educational and cultural technology;
long-form essays exploring how the ideas of philosophical pragmatists, especially William James, relate to technology today.
People find ππ ππ¨π through reader recommendations. Please consider sharing if you find what I do here interesting or valuable.
Why subscribe?
All the content here is free, so subscribing simply means each post goes directly to your email inbox. I will never share your email address, but if I depart Substack, I will use it to let you know where to find my writing.
If you are on social media, follow me on Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Substack Notes. In addition to links to each essay when it goes up, I post commentary on writing and writers that I find interesting.
ππ ππ¨π speaks
The best essays on ππ ππ¨π started as invited talks. I speak at conferences and talk with educators and technologists in a variety of settings. Just like teaching, I much prefer speaking at events and meeting in person. I live in Philadelphia, which means I can travel easily and cheaply to most of the eastern seaboard.
Email me: Rob.Nelson at hey.com or find me on LinkedIn.
Why do you call this thing ππ ππ¨π ?
I chose the name because I wanted to log my impressions of AI over time, think captainβs log on Star Trek without the stardates.
The name is an homage to the best blog joke ever. Bob Loblaw, a lawyer fromΒ Arrested Development,Β played by Scott Baio, writes the "Bob Loblaw Law Blog." This is Robβs AI Log Blog.
Robβs AI Log Blog is not a good joke. But it is inspired by one, and I need you to know that.
The ππ ππ¨π is a metaphor or a trope or something. Read this post where I explain the name ππ ππ¨π by telling two stories, one from 1871 and one from 1967.
Alsoβ¦
AI Log is better than bad. Itβs GOOD!
Where did you get that cool logo and the other graphical elements of your blog?
I donβt use AI generators to create images for this blog. You can read why here.
Phil Scroggs, a designer and illustrator based in Seattle, created the logo, banner, and wordmark (I had to ask him what that meant) for this Substack. We collaborate on illustration and visual elements of my talks.
If you are starting out on Substack or want to improve your graphics for an existing site, I highly recommend working with Phil. Check out Phillustrations.com.
Who are you?
My name is Rob Nelson. For a while now, I have been teaching courses in cultural and educational history that explore how gender roles, slavery, technology, and social justice movements have shaped institutions and individuals in North America. Lately, I have spent time writing and giving talks about the social and historical contexts of educational technology.
For nearly two decades, my day job was with a fully accredited university located in southeastern Pennsylvania and offering degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.1 There, I led university-wide projects to implement academic information systems for course evaluation, curriculum management, graduate admissions, learning management, and student records.
Before that, I was at Rutgers University, where I was an academic advisor, taught first-year writing courses, served a year as a visiting assistant professor of American Studies, directed a program for Japanese students studying in the US, and pursued a PhD in American History.
Before that, I lived in Athens, Ga, where I thought about writing novels, or maybe for the movies. While there, I occasionally attended classes at UGA. On several occasions, I drank coffee sitting two tables over from Michael Stipe but never talked to him. I did talk to Bill Berry and Mike Mills once, though, hanging out in the back alley of theΒ Georgia Bar.
Why Substack?
As it gets tougher to make a living as a writer, some of my favorite journalists, novelists, and cultural critics have started publishing on Substack. Even though I donβt charge for ππ ππ¨π , I publish here to support writers being paid for their work and in hopes that my writing finds an audience.
That said, Substack is funded by venture capitalists, and they will eventually want a return. That means it is likely that this platform will become unpleasant, either gradually or all at once. If this happens (plan for the worst), I will depart for another platform. If an open digital platform for writers and readers emerges (hope for the best), I will depart for that greener pasture. For now, I am happy to take advantage of the largess of Andreessen Horowitz.
I stole this joke from the funny and talented writer John Hodgman, who likes to say something similar about his alma mater, Yale University. As penance, I ask you to check out Johnβs Substack, Secret Society, and subscribe if it seems like your kinda thing.
