neocolonialism

You know the world has straight up descended into madness when an academic owning more dogs than cats holds an AMA.

DAVID!

The domain is https://thewayitwas.uk/david-lewis-hodgson-sixties-photojournalist/

First off: you seem like a genuine bad-ass-mtherfcker. Do you miss those days or are you grateful for having survived?

I recently began entertaining the possibility of pursuing photojournalism and fashion photography; my inner cynic is telling me that the future for journalism looks bleak - in a sense. Journalists are receiving less compensation, less protection, and so on... Any thoughts?

What are your thoughts on the current vs the past state of journalism & photo-journalism? What are your opinions about people such as Sebastian Junger, Tim Hetherington, Don McCullin, Marie Colvin & Paul Conroy, etc.?

I'm left with the impression that the state of today's journalism is completely different than what it was yesterday. It all seems quite romanticized -- in hindsight.

Sorry for all of the questions, but it's not every day that we have the opportunity to pick the brains of people such as yourself.

What kinds of differences or commonalities would you say are present when contrasting or comparing the policing of then vs now? I recently met someone who worked for the London MPD in Prague (traveling with his female co-worker -- naughty, naughty!); I left that conversation with quite a positive impression of how various operations are both managed and handled by staff. I was especially blown away by the community-centric approach of these officers both as individuals and teams. Which is why I'm surprised to hear about the brutality you just described.

Do you think it was just something about the era that attracted certain enforcer-type persona types to the field of law enforcement back in the days in the UK?

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond -- especially to such lengths. I recently watched a documentary about David Bailey - did your paths ever intersect?

I love how life is such a mystery-filled journey filled with unexpected twists and turns - you began as a photographer, and now you're rocking a PhD, have given numerous lectures, and launched a startup.

You're -- quite literally -- an academic bad ass.

I've done some similar work and research, and dabbed in similar fields -- I'm really shocked at the lack (based on personal experiences and observations) of active demand for this type of work. On the flip side of that -- the world has graced us with the likes of MIT and Microsoft Research. Sorry, this is total stream of thought: If you don't mind I'd like to ask you a follow-up question related to your current field of work: any specific areas of research, individual researchers, or research initiatives which you think are either under-rated, less-known, or simply ground-breaking?

Myself, I'm a huge fan of Alex Pentland @ the MIT Media Lab. Highly recommend his book Social Physics. That's all. Thanks again!

As a follow, to my follow-up: what's your opinion on wireless EEG readers and sensors such as the Emotiv and people such as Ariel Garten (founder of Interaxon).

Thanks again for taking the time to respond!

That's interesting to hear - my blissfully ignorant self thought these EEG signals yielded more of a binary reaction; I never considered the impacts (or presence) of noise in the results. That said, I'm a casual observer in the field -- at best; however, I always had a gnawing suspicion that there was a consumer/marketing push behind potentially borderline pseudo-science. I don't think I even know more than 2-3 people who could potentially even contest the validity of the research. Also, wasn't it Einstein who said something about the pursuit elegant solutions to complex problems? One recurring theme I've come across in both mathematics, social sciences, design, and even politics/governance is that complex problems very rarely yield elegant solutions which are sustainable and/or valid.

But I'm equally impressed by the results (I never thought to google the failures!) of consumer-grade EEG readers/BCI (brain computer interface) devices, such as the experiments which were carried out in Berlin, whereby an Emotiv BCI was used to control a vehicle (possibly a VW Touareg ). Should you manage to get some time away from your animal kingdom, here's a link: http://dcis.inf.fu-berlin.de/rojas/brain-computer-interfaces/

Thanks again and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.