User:Kieran

This kitten is a Communist


I'm just kidding, of course. This kitten isn't *actually* a Communist. He's more of a Marxist-Leninist. You can tell by that terrified look on his face. It's the look that says, "I'm a Marxist-Leninist kitten and I'm trapped in this tree! I'd mobilize the working class to march on the halls of capitalist power, but I can't get down.  I shouldn't have snorted all that catnip.  GOD I'm an idiot!  Now I'm stuck here until the fire department shows up.  Well, I guess I'll just have to hang out for a while.  I wish Antonio Gramsci were here - he'd know what to do.  I wonder if this branch is edible. . ."

Research interests
My research, which is currently in stasis (see below), concerns the use of vacuum-tube technology in high-end audio gear. I am particularly interested in the confluence of engineering and enthusiasm that keeps this otherwise antiquated technology thriving, and hope to use examples from the high-end community to make broader arguments regarding the role of enthusiasm in technological progress writ large. I will be working to publish my first paper on this topic over the summer. Stay tuned.

Schooly-School
The generals lists:

 [[Media:hist_of_tech.pdf|History of Technology]] [[Media:cold_war_science.pdf|Cold War Science]] [[Media:Modern_american_hist.pdf|Modern American History]] 

Bio
Kieran Downes grew up in the Pacific Northwest, which is the opposite of the Northeast in a whole variety of ways. For one thing, there is a lot more fuzzy plaid fabric out of which comfy hats are made. Also: tall trees.