James A. Hodges
banner
jameshodges.net
James A. Hodges
@jameshodges.net

human scholar with phd (digital archives) • www.jameshodges.net

Political science 18%
Chemistry 12%
Pinned
🌊 New article out now in Social Studies of Science

🌊 How do common web development frameworks shape our experience of coastal pollution?

🌊 Two case studies from NYC's beaches

Link: journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....

Imagine a dog chewing gum

Crying is a major part of the beginning ski experience

Today, as I turned the key in my 2007 Honda Accord, I thought: “This machine never asks me to use two-factor authentication. Or to install a software update 🥹”

Happy “the gym is going be way too crowded until mid-February” season, everybody 🌲☃️🎁

2026 plan is to do everything exactly the same

My big 2025 plans were: 30 surf sessions, 6 days snowboarding, and no broken bones. I am pleased to report I was successful on every count 🫡

Reposted by James A. Hodges

you're telling me the massive speculative bubble that's only making five already-rich guys even richer, and in a *best case scenario* results in massive job losses for most of the country... isn't popular? that can't be right, let's get the consultants in here and figure this out

Meat Puppets deserve more credit as the jam band for punk rockers who hate jam bands
"A [28-minute] mashup of the free improv sections from 'Up On the Sun,' as performed live on tour, May 2022"

meatpuppets.bandcamp.com/track/up-on-...
Up On The Sun 2022 MegaMix, by Meat Puppets
track by Meat Puppets
meatpuppets.bandcamp.com

But that was in the Covid economy, when labor had more power. Now we’re in an era of what I have been calling the “fuck you” management style. I’ll be watching closely. The value of human labor has never been this contested in my lifetime.

After decades of marginal status, ski patrol unions doubled in size from 2021-2025, during the tight labor market caused by Covid.

There were a handful of strikes in recent seasons, largely successful at securing workers’ demands.

5280.com/why-are-ski-...
Why Are Ski Patrol Unions Everywhere Right Now?
The ski patrol strike in Park City brought more attention to organizing efforts at Colorado mountains. History helps us explain why.
5280.com

Telluride ski patrollers are striking for a $24/hr wage.

Seems like a pretty reasonable ask to me, considering these are highly skilled workers preventing deadly avalanches at a resort that charges many guests $200+ per day. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/u...
Slopes Are Empty as a Labor Dispute Shuts Down a Colorado Ski Town
www.nytimes.com

One of the most slept-on Earth records imo

Reposted by James A. Hodges

"A [28-minute] mashup of the free improv sections from 'Up On the Sun,' as performed live on tour, May 2022"

meatpuppets.bandcamp.com/track/up-on-...
Up On The Sun 2022 MegaMix, by Meat Puppets
track by Meat Puppets
meatpuppets.bandcamp.com

Reposted by James A. Hodges

New article out by me and @ashleyblewer.com titled “Each character you create requires a full 15 blocks!” Preserving Video Game Memory Cards in the Age of Cloud Storage." In it, we examine the sociotechnical challenges of preserving video game memory cards.

Read it here:

tinyurl.com/53pnv64b
“Each character you create requires a full 15 blocks!” preserving video game memory cards in the age of cloud storage
The act of saving in video games has shifted from a material, active practice to a passive, near imperceptible occurrence. However, until systems like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 were releas...
www.tandfonline.com

Reposted by James A. Hodges

Really excited to be both presenting as part of this series and to be helping @ryancordell.org conceptualize the series as well! More from me hopefully in the coming months on this intersection between queerness, archives, and format obsolescence!
Our inaugural speaker will be @drtlwagner.bsky.social on "The Persistence of Obsolescence in Queer Information & Media Technologies," showing how "obsolescence can serve as a generative tool to think about the past, present, & future of queer archives" skeuomorph.ischool.illinois.edu/our-research...

Reposted by James A. Hodges

As part of our project to preserve the history of Sega Channel, we have recovered OVER 100 new Sega Channel ROMs, including the legendary lost game Garfield: Caught in the Act - The Lost Levels.

Read more: gamehistory.org/segachannel/

Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth

I try to do one millennial nostalgia gig a year. Just bought tickets for Bright Eyes in June 😂

Reposted by James A. Hodges

Federal workers refused to stay silent and WON.

The Protect America’s Workforce Act is moving forward because workers organized, built a working majority, and forced Congress to act.

WORKER POWER MADE THIS HAPPEN. 🎉

aaaaaand grades are posted. that's a wrap!

Thank you

La-Le-Lu-Le-Lo reveal coming soon

Today is my last teaching day of Fall 2025 semester 👍

Never forget how stupid this was
Mark Zuckerberg’s gamble on the "Metaverse" has lost his company more than $77 billion.

Q: Why are reviewer comments taking so long on my article manuscript?

A: They were sent to an email address from the institution I left in 2020 😭

Just a little PSA in case anyone else also needs to do a little check-up on their old neglected inboxes
Mark Zuckerberg’s gamble on the "Metaverse" has lost his company more than $77 billion.

Reposted by James A. Hodges

In a new Points piece, Hannah Lipstein & @tamigraph.bsky.social examine VA’s Data Center Alley, and explain why their research examines not only individual sites but “how the politics, economics, & cultural factors of a place" inform effective organizing strategies. datasociety.net/points/situa...
This Tuesday, December 2, you can buy my book about books about computing...

Treat yourself...😀

mitpress.mit.edu/978026255348...

🗃️ #HistSci

Reposted by James A. Hodges

My book on the history of fanzines created by Washington, D.C.'s punk community was just published last month via @georgetownup.bsky.social. It's called "Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, D.C." and more info is available here: press.georgetown.edu/Book/Keep-Yo...

University leadership: “We love innovation!! 😇☺️🥳”

The innovation in question:

theintercept.com/2025/11/21/f...
How Universities Used Counterterror Intelligence-Sharing Hubs to Surveil Pro-Palestine Students
Internal university communications reveal how a network established for post-9/11 intelligence sharing was turned on students protesting genocide.
theintercept.com