Jessamyn West, longtime Vermont librarian, technologist and one of the first generation of bloggers, remembers Tracy Kidder, author of “Soul of a New Machine,” who died recently. West’s father was the main character of the 1981 book and he and Kidder were friends.
“Tracy basically lived at our house on weekends while he was writing Soul of a New Machine. Sometimes he and my dad would go sailing, sometimes he’d just hang out at the house or go to work with my dad,” West writes.
While Tom West was legendary for his commitment to work, that meant he was an absentee father.
“My message to the men who told me how much the book meant to them when they were entering the world of technology,” West writes, “(and it was always men even though I’m sure the book was useful for other genders of people in tech as well) was to find a more well-rounded life for themselves, to value being a good partner and parent as much as being good at their job. I work in technology now, but I’ve managed a balance that I’ve had to work for. Tech will take your life if you let it.”
I read “Soul of a New Machine” at about the time I switched from daily newspaper journalism to trade journalism in the technology industry, either just before making the career switch or just after. The book was published in 1981 and I made the career switch in 1989.
In my work, I wrote about Data General, the company that is the subject of “Soul of a New Machine.” I’m pretty sure I interviewed Tom West, the main character of the book, though I did not connect him with the book until after the interview, and the interview was straightforward and unmemorable, focused on company strategy or a new product or something like that.
“Soul of a New Machine” was a major contributor to the belief that a career in the technology industry could be more than just a career — it could be a calling, a life mission. And that was true for my career as well, as a trade journalist. I believed it.
With regard to trade journalism, I now believe that philosophy to be a myth, which of course benefits publishers, who profit from trade journalists’ commitment.
I now think of trade journalism as a trade, like plumbing or carpentry or electrical work. It’s a good job for people like me. It can be an important part of the foundation on which to build a good life. But it should not be your life purpose.
I’m an unusual Trek fan in that I just wasn’t into the series in the 80s and 90s. I checked out of TNG and Deep Space 9, which most Trek fans today consider classic Trek.
My history of Trek fandom goes TOS -> TAS -> movies -> Discovery, SNW and Starfleet Academy.
I have never clicked with the current animated Treks, though I did love the 70s animated series, which I rewatched with Julie sometime in the past 25 years or so and it was still pretty good.
I am posting this because it’s clever and also because it’s illustrative of the variety of the podcast universe. Indeed, I listen to 90+ minutes of podcasts daily and the only one of these types that I listen to with any regularity is the “recapping the movie but it’s longer than the movie” type. And it’s usually TV shows rather than movies and I quite enjoy those. And that reminds me — I need to find a good “For All Mankind” recap podcast.
And I know that listening to 90+ minutes of podcasts daily makes me sound like a weirdo — but I’m always doing something else while listening to podcasts, mainly walking the dog, and also driving and chores around the house.
‘Shameless in a Good Way’: Rahm Emanuel Is Already Shaking up 2028
He’s a fighter, which I like. He works hard, which I also like. But he was historically unpopular as mayor of Chicago, which is going to be a problem for him. And he’s already being blamed for everything working people and the left don’t like about the Obama administration. As one opponent says: “The guys who wrecked the economy took their million-dollar bonuses. You never tried to claw them back. It was a disastrous recovery, because you cut it short.”
I don’t support any candidate at this stage, but if I did it would be Pritzker.
