#AcademicRunPlaylist - 11/11/25

I had a great last full day in Japan, and before the incredible People Analytics ＆ HR Technology Association Japan event organized by 長瀬昭彦 I was able to go for a nice run and listen to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was an essential talk by Thea Riofrancos on the dynamics of the extractive industries that underlie "clean" technologies at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsyRE85_qcQ

Next was "The Digital Factory" by Moritz Altenried. This book is mostly a philosophical exercise, with very little original research that isn't culled from popular press articles or PR statements. That's a shame, because the premise of the book - that the human labor underlying modern digital platforms is essentially a reconceptualization of factories, with even more powerful management tools and processes underlying them - is compelling. If you've read articles on the perils of gig work, however, you already basically know what's in this book, absent the mandatory overuse of obtuse critical studies terms (if you drank every time you read "logics" you'd black out by the third chapter). Nearly every claim made here, however, is unsupported by anything beyond vibes and single case studies https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo123166001.html

Next was "Delicious" by Rob Dunn and Monica Sanchez. Dunn and Sanchez distill fast changing science that spans multiple fields into an enjoyable if slightly breezy book that digs into how and why animals taste, why organisms evolve flavors, and the complex interactions with individual experience and culture that yields the holistic feeling of "deliciousness." Some of the theories explored here, such as why people like spicy food, aren't quite fully baked, although the authors do point that out, but there are far more sections with stronger science. Overall, this is an eye-opening book. Highly recommend https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199474/delicious

Last was "Materials of the Mind" by James Poskett. This book mostly keeps the focus on the individuals at the center of advancing phrenology's popularity, demonstrating how central racism and social processes were in driving its rise and fall. The big hole in this book is any macro perspective - while the different institutions and practices of the field are mentioned in passing, they aren't systematically interrogated. What was most surprising to me was that it wasn't the preposterous nature of the field that brought it down, but rather the ascendancy of other scientific fields that choked off funding and attention. It's also important to note how even abolitionists used phrenology, demonstrating the folly of attempting to use racist tools as a corrective. Highly recommend https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo38181419.html