Biohack? or BioWhack!
This newsletter is about all the bullshit that falls under the umbrella of ‘biohacking.’ Why? People are sick of me ranting about this stuff at parties, I’m sick of arguing with strangers about it on reddit, and I’m trying to not curse so much in my lectures. So here I am beetches!
But who am I really? You’ll have to take my word for it but I’m a professor of biological psychology. That’s more expertise that some VC Bro with magnets taped to his head.
But I don’t fall under that camp of thinking that us SciCommers and education types call the Deficit Model. Basic knowledge acquisition is important. Sure, I would like my surgeon to know what my kneebone is attached to. But I can’t just regurgitate facts at you and think that’s going to grow your knowledge and wisdom. What is more important is the ability to know how to learn, and how to discern what the truth is as more information pummels us on the daily. Ya know, all that critical thinking the state legislatures and No Child Left Behind have gutted from education these days.
Gonna try to keep this going on the DL tho. This will be fairly NSFW. Tenure is supposed to give me academic freedom, but time again, higher education fails professors the second some busy body two-bit state legislature gets pissy.
So here it is, Biowhack! Sorta weekly posts about current and past pseudoscientific marketing drivel, with the occasional concept that might actually have some truth to it. I also rant about the conditions of society and history of science and education that led us to this point. I like to think of it as Gonzo Science.
All newsletters are available for free. Because that’s how we fight this bullshit- by getting the information out there by any means necessary, without paywalls. Ad based models are dying and are never truly independent, ever. And social media is curating via algorithms what they want you to see and extort money out of creators. So if you have means, please be a paid subscriber. This helps me keep this going without selling out. The money will go to hosting the website, buying reference materials, and hopefully getting me to spy on the Biohacking Conference cuz there’s no way in hell they are going to give me a press pass.
Sincerely,
Your New Favorite Whackologist