A sociologist, philosopher, and historian of technology by training, his areas of inquiry are: ailourography (etho-ethnography), ethnography of national security institutions, ancient and contemporary philosophy (including presocratics and critical philosophies of violence, war, and state power), and television studies. He has conducted ethnographic and historical study of Los Alamos and related nuclear security sites since 1991 and etho-ethnographic study of feline-human interactions since 1995.