Good to hear from you. About 8 months ago, I heard a former co-host of yours advertising their new show, and I thought "I wonder what Alex Goldman is doing these days-- he was always the more talented of the two." (That's how you know I'm not talking about Emmanuel.) And then I found Western Kabuki, and have been subscribed to that for a while.
I'm glad to hear that you have irons in the fire, and that they involve reporting. That's always been something I love hearing you do. Since you asked for leads, there's one thought that crossed my mind. You've talked before about how your early experiences online were on MLive (not too dissimilar to my Detroit-area BBS experience in the late 80s and early 90s), and there's a couple of different directions that I think you could go in making a kind of historical retrospective of the explosion of the Internet, from regional BBS' to college kids getting an email address to that period of time where "If you have AOL, you aren't really on the Internet."
One direction that might be an interesting, specific perspective (which might involve more reporting, which could be good or bad right now) would be this: with identity theft and internet scams like Pig Butchering being such a huge industry right now, a look at the history of scammers on the internet, from the 90s through today, could be a fascinating retrospective, and I think hearing it in your voice would be amazing.
Some good ideas here imo! How did the emergence of computers and the internet amongst mainstream consumers back in the day affect how scammers reached their targets? I also see a lot of talk on the internet that computer literacy is decreasing and younger users may be more susceptible to scams now than previously - are there parallels with what it was like when the internet first became popular? With how popular 90s/nostalgia content is right now, could be an angle both younger and older folks would enjoy learning about.
A look at the history of internet scams is interesting -- I was totally ignorant to scammers and hackers before the existence of malware detection software. That feels like abook to me!
Oh man, my buddy in like 1993 had an app on his computer called AOHell that works steal credit card numbers from other AOL users and he'd use that for free time on AOL and other internet stuff. It seemed so innocuous at the time but I probably watched him ruin a few lives by running up $1000 AOL bills on other people's cards.
I might have some leads on scams and hacks of that era. And heck, if you want to write a book together, I could be down for that. (I haven't published much of anything, but I do have a PhD in education-- I just went back to being a teacher instead of going on to academia, because that's a shitshow-- so I have written a serious book-length project before). I'm working as a high school teacher now, and the depression of pandemic-era *doing that* is starting to wear off, so I'm starting to take on some new projects myself. Let me know if that's something you want to talk about, and I'll DM on you a social media or something.
Welcome back! No need to apologise for spending time with kids at the park.
Writing ideas - I loved the one SubStack about hardware constraints on consoles and how it shaped the music that came with games. Anything more on hardware x music would be really cool to read!
Oh nice. Yeah that one was fun to right. I am kind of. . . a big dummy, because I love hardware and I hate using software - something about being able to twist a knob makes it feel more real than clicking my mouse and using a slider. But yeah, there are definitely a lot of limitations that make things very cool. For example, did you know the vocoder was originally designed as a decoding device in WW??
Not sure it's dummy-ish -- hardware is real, software is layers upon layers of (bad) abstraction, imo. Like being forced to play guitar with a hastily made Rube Goldberg machine.
And no, but that is so cool?? Encrypted envelopes? With their perfectly synced records on either side? Bring it back.
I too miss your reporting - my husband and I bring it up every now and again and wonder if we’ll ever hear your voice regularly again (podcasts do start to feel like friends after a while, for better or worse... and you miss them when they go!). I hope we do!
I've been wondering what you were up to since Reply All ended. Thanks for the update. I look forward to hearing in my ears again whenever that comes to be.
Years ago I wrote an email to Reply All in hopes that you would investigate the insane, spooky mystery of the "CastleZZT" website and the guy that founded it, especially with regard to the creepy chat textbox interaction I had there.
Kind of inline with what another commenter mentioned below (CastleZZT), it would be cool for you to do a deep dive into maybe a few different ARGs. One that I’m always trying to learn more about was one called SilverLadder. A more well known one that was actually fictionalized and turned into a shower with Jason Seagall was also showcased in a sort of documentary style film on Netflix called The Institute.
I am quite sure have a lot of valuable insights into the business of podcasting, music and tech platforms that I know you are reluctant to share, but scholars could use them. So think about that. Or maybe check out some of their books and tell them (us) what they're not seeing?
So good to read this, mate. A lot of people out here count you as formative voice of beauty, art and journalism and we deeply appreciate following your updates and projects =)
My spouse, and a few of my friends, are in a similar position right now. Laid off from their media jobs, trying to work on their mental health while also coping with this unsettling job market and the general sense that their identities as writers/reporters/producers is just suddenly gone. I know it’s been a deeply lonely time for my spouse. I wonder if you’d be into hosting some kind of Zoom meetup or something for folks in this situation, just so y’all can commiserate and share strategies and remember you aren’t alone.
I love this update! To echo what others have said, no need to apologize for anything. I've been racking my brain trying to think of something that I'd like to hear you report on, because I rightfully recognized this as a huge opportunity even though it's just one comment, but I can't think of anything.
Anyone here need some supertechsupport?
Good to hear from you. About 8 months ago, I heard a former co-host of yours advertising their new show, and I thought "I wonder what Alex Goldman is doing these days-- he was always the more talented of the two." (That's how you know I'm not talking about Emmanuel.) And then I found Western Kabuki, and have been subscribed to that for a while.
I'm glad to hear that you have irons in the fire, and that they involve reporting. That's always been something I love hearing you do. Since you asked for leads, there's one thought that crossed my mind. You've talked before about how your early experiences online were on MLive (not too dissimilar to my Detroit-area BBS experience in the late 80s and early 90s), and there's a couple of different directions that I think you could go in making a kind of historical retrospective of the explosion of the Internet, from regional BBS' to college kids getting an email address to that period of time where "If you have AOL, you aren't really on the Internet."
One direction that might be an interesting, specific perspective (which might involve more reporting, which could be good or bad right now) would be this: with identity theft and internet scams like Pig Butchering being such a huge industry right now, a look at the history of scammers on the internet, from the 90s through today, could be a fascinating retrospective, and I think hearing it in your voice would be amazing.
Some good ideas here imo! How did the emergence of computers and the internet amongst mainstream consumers back in the day affect how scammers reached their targets? I also see a lot of talk on the internet that computer literacy is decreasing and younger users may be more susceptible to scams now than previously - are there parallels with what it was like when the internet first became popular? With how popular 90s/nostalgia content is right now, could be an angle both younger and older folks would enjoy learning about.
Anyways glad to hear you're doing well Alex!
A look at the history of internet scams is interesting -- I was totally ignorant to scammers and hackers before the existence of malware detection software. That feels like abook to me!
Oh man, my buddy in like 1993 had an app on his computer called AOHell that works steal credit card numbers from other AOL users and he'd use that for free time on AOL and other internet stuff. It seemed so innocuous at the time but I probably watched him ruin a few lives by running up $1000 AOL bills on other people's cards.
I might have some leads on scams and hacks of that era. And heck, if you want to write a book together, I could be down for that. (I haven't published much of anything, but I do have a PhD in education-- I just went back to being a teacher instead of going on to academia, because that's a shitshow-- so I have written a serious book-length project before). I'm working as a high school teacher now, and the depression of pandemic-era *doing that* is starting to wear off, so I'm starting to take on some new projects myself. Let me know if that's something you want to talk about, and I'll DM on you a social media or something.
Glad to hear you're doing okay! <3
Thanks pal.
Welcome back! No need to apologise for spending time with kids at the park.
Writing ideas - I loved the one SubStack about hardware constraints on consoles and how it shaped the music that came with games. Anything more on hardware x music would be really cool to read!
Oh nice. Yeah that one was fun to right. I am kind of. . . a big dummy, because I love hardware and I hate using software - something about being able to twist a knob makes it feel more real than clicking my mouse and using a slider. But yeah, there are definitely a lot of limitations that make things very cool. For example, did you know the vocoder was originally designed as a decoding device in WW??
Not sure it's dummy-ish -- hardware is real, software is layers upon layers of (bad) abstraction, imo. Like being forced to play guitar with a hastily made Rube Goldberg machine.
And no, but that is so cool?? Encrypted envelopes? With their perfectly synced records on either side? Bring it back.
I too miss your reporting - my husband and I bring it up every now and again and wonder if we’ll ever hear your voice regularly again (podcasts do start to feel like friends after a while, for better or worse... and you miss them when they go!). I hope we do!
I just woke up at silly o’clock and in order to get back to sleep mindlessly checked my email. I saw this one, and read.
It made my day (which has barely started) to read through your thoughts and recent happenings.
I would love to hear anything from you. I don’t care. Whatever helps me walk.
I've been wondering what you were up to since Reply All ended. Thanks for the update. I look forward to hearing in my ears again whenever that comes to be.
Years ago I wrote an email to Reply All in hopes that you would investigate the insane, spooky mystery of the "CastleZZT" website and the guy that founded it, especially with regard to the creepy chat textbox interaction I had there.
...I still want someone to figure that out. :(
Kind of inline with what another commenter mentioned below (CastleZZT), it would be cool for you to do a deep dive into maybe a few different ARGs. One that I’m always trying to learn more about was one called SilverLadder. A more well known one that was actually fictionalized and turned into a shower with Jason Seagall was also showcased in a sort of documentary style film on Netflix called The Institute.
No story ideas but sending love
I am quite sure have a lot of valuable insights into the business of podcasting, music and tech platforms that I know you are reluctant to share, but scholars could use them. So think about that. Or maybe check out some of their books and tell them (us) what they're not seeing?
Here's an older one by Swedish academics: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262038904/spotify-teardown/
And here's another one by a Tufts anthropologist: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo183892298.html
Bit more on the literary criticism side, but you and RA are mentioned a fair amount in this forthcoming book: https://press.umich.edu/Books/N/Narrative-Podcasting-in-an-Age-of-Obsession3
PS: 372 NLRB 58 (2023)
So good to read this, mate. A lot of people out here count you as formative voice of beauty, art and journalism and we deeply appreciate following your updates and projects =)
My spouse, and a few of my friends, are in a similar position right now. Laid off from their media jobs, trying to work on their mental health while also coping with this unsettling job market and the general sense that their identities as writers/reporters/producers is just suddenly gone. I know it’s been a deeply lonely time for my spouse. I wonder if you’d be into hosting some kind of Zoom meetup or something for folks in this situation, just so y’all can commiserate and share strategies and remember you aren’t alone.
I love this update! To echo what others have said, no need to apologize for anything. I've been racking my brain trying to think of something that I'd like to hear you report on, because I rightfully recognized this as a huge opportunity even though it's just one comment, but I can't think of anything.
I would just like you to come back with good news.
It has been too long without you talking directly into my ears.
Lots of luck, mate.
Glad you’re back! Just emailed you about a potential story.