Tom Swift is on the Move...

The Tom Swift Academy, and other advances.

Tom Swift was founded to counter digital involution and develop parallel societies. Here, a wide variety of ideas has been introduced, from distributed manufacturing of electronics to fighting robot matches to Great American Libraries. I have also begun my own efforts to strengthen Catholic society in my own remote region of the Upper Peninsula. Although it is only in its beginning stages, an open source alternative form of educational laboratory equipment is already under development. However, all of these ideas will require a substantial amount of capital to come to fruition. It is for this reason that I have decided to monetize Tom Swift.

Firstly, it must be noted that free subscribers will continue to receive the hard hitting takes on science, technology and civilization unique to Tom Swift. There is now also a repository of scientific and technical films which represent some of the highest and best of Space Age culture, aligned with the Tom Swift curriculum. The profound need to counter digital involution is a message that must be spread as widely as possible. However, a series of new benefits available to paid and founding subscribers will soon be rolled out. From here on in, paid subscribers will have access to original science fiction, as well as the exclusive Tom Swift Subscriber chat. This is a place to discuss strategy with regards to achieving computational independence, parallel societies or any of the myriad problems that shall arise in the construction of the next chapter of Western civilization. Here I will also provide in-depth updates regarding existing parallel societies, particularly within the Upper Midwest.

At this point I must digress to provide an explanation of some problems prevalent in the math and science instruction of today. In my experience as a tutor of mathematics and physical science, I have found that the material typically encountered in American schools and universities is poorly organized, and does not build towards a coherent goal. For instance, it is rare that students are acquainted with binary or hexadecimal numbers before entering an electrical engineering class. In addition, the form of this math and science instruction is designed to produce large numbers of identical drones for lifetime employment in megacorporations. It fails to provide the necessary mindset and skills for independent inventors. This is shown by the crippling uniformity of experiments conducted in freshman engineering labs. Therefore, it is necessary to provide focused instruction specific to the needs of the student. This can range from drill in algebraic equations, to conceptual simulations in physics and even assistance in setting up a home electronics laboratory.

For this reason paid subscribers now have access to a set of articles outlining the fundamental concepts which comprise the Tom Swift Academy curriculum. These articles will cover a variety of mathematical, technical and scientific subject, the first being an overview of number systems employed in computing. These articles will be augmented with interactive material; simulations and problem generators, the first of which is available here. Pencil and paper are strongly recommended.

How does this advance the goals of Tom Swift? What does this have to do with digital involution? The truth is that every problem outlined in Tom Swift will require well trained scientists and engineers, and therefore I believe that it is my duty to increase the supply thereof throughout the West. Therefore, every Founding Subscription should be seen as a stake in the next Heroic Age of Invention.

The Tom Swift Academy is an exclusive program available only to founding subscribers. It provides math, physics, and engineering instruction, and cultivates independent inventors. There are several types of customer I envision for this service. Homeschooling families might see focused tutoring as an alternative to failing public schools. Religious traditionalists could use it as an alternative to college, thereby obtaining top-level technical education without progressive education. Practicing engineers and scientists might see this as a way to begin a new phase in their careers, without the expense of a graduate degree. At present, the material available will be mathematics up to differential equations, university and college physics, and scientific computing. Unless otherwise specified, all programming lessons will be conducted in Python. In addition to ordinary academic tutoring, Tom Swift will also offer consulting in setting up independent laboratories. In a future article, I shall outline my experience doing so within my own domain of electrical engineering.

For the one-time price of $240, all founding subscribers will receive four live tutoring sessions administered by Tom Swift.

The first shall be an orientation/assessment session in which the student will be tested in mathematics/physics, and will be able to specify desired goals and content for the subsequent lessons. These will consist of one hour lessons delivered via videoconferencing in a technical subject in which the student will be able to achieve his goals. Methods will include problems worked in class, in addition to exclusive learning materials available nowhere else. The ability to commission unique learning material will be a benefit exclusive to founding subscribers. These materials will eventually be released as independent desktop software. After the conclusion of the first three lessons, an interview will be conducted to determine whether the student is meeting his goals. Further lessons will be available at a cost of $50 per session.

Alumni of the Tom Swift Academy will have permanent access to an exclusive discussion forum. In time, I fully expect this forum to become an engine of scientific innovation. In any case, this program should greatly increase the number of inventors and researchers outside the current sclerotic structures of academia. In short, the Tom Swift Academy is intended to be the fastest possible path towards the next Heroic Age of Invention.