August 2002 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

abstract: Brave New Women of Asia: How distance education changed their lives
by jeremy hunsinger 07 Aug '02

07 Aug '02

not mine, but interesting The Net, Issue 35 http://www.netn.org/net35.htm Brave New Women of Asia: How distance education changed their lives Description: A Report: Brave New Women of Asia: How distance education changed their lives by Asha S. Kanwar and Margaret Taplin as editors. They review and analyze the impact of distance education on women in Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,and Bangladesh. The aim of this report is to inspire and encourage women to participate in open and distance learning. The aim of this book of case studies is to inspire and encourage women to participate in open and distance learning. Going through the case studies, potential women learners will see that most of their reservations and fears are unfounded. Other questions in their minds about how to cope with studies after a long gap, at a mature age or without regular tutorials will be answered as they read about the experiences of other women like themselves. More...http://www.netn.org/net35.htm jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu on the ibook www.cddc.vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy www.dromocracy.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments

1 0

Chat Room Study
by Marj Kibby 07 Aug '02

07 Aug '02

Hi all, A PhD student is doing research into Enjo Kousai or teenage prostitution in Japan. Her primary source of personal information is chat room archives. Our review board has said that we can do a study of the chat room but "The research can only be about chat room discourse and not about how Japanese teenagers behave" Can tentative 'conclusions' be drawn about attitudes and behaviours from online conversation? Does anyone know of published work along these lines? Cheers, Marj Dr Marjorie Kibby, Senior Lecturer in Communication & Culture The University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia Marj.Kibby(a)newcastle.edu.au +61 2 49216604

2 1

History lessons for wireless networks
by jeremy hunsinger 07 Aug '02

07 Aug '02

from the telecom-cities list Tuesday, 6 August, 2002, 11:41 GMT 12:41 UK History lessons for wireless networks A battered piece of technology history at New Barnet Barnet in North London has much to recommend it but few would associate it with the history of UK technology. Yet Platform 1 of New Barnet station is home to a relic of an almost forgotten technology whose demise may hold lessons for anyone cashing in on the current craze for all things wireless. On the platform is a sign showing that it was once possible to use the Rabbit phone service on the station. Subscribers to the service, backed by Hutchison Whampoa, could make mobile calls when they were within 100 metres of a Rabbit transmitter. Rabbit redux? Rabbit was one of four location-specific phone services given licences in Britain in 1989. The others were Phonepoint, Mercury Callpoint and Zonephone. Sadly, none have survived to the present day. Mobile phone services that let people roam were taking off at the same time and proved more popular. All that remains of Rabbit are a few lonely signs in places such as New Barnet and Brighton stations. Now another craze for location-specific technology systems has sprung up, although this time it is for wireless data networks rather than phones. Platform 1 at New Barnet Companies such as BT and Megabeam are setting up wireless networks around the country that let anyone who has signed up sit down and get a fast link to the net. BT plans to create hundreds of wireless hotspots by the end of 2003 in places such as airports and hotels. But if the history of Rabbit and its peers is any guide, location-specific services may prove unpopular. Peter Sahnen, who uses a Rabbit phone point in his home, thinks it does have a good chance. "I don't think there are too many parallels between Rabbit and the new networking craze," he told BBC News Online. "It's a lot more versatile, and will probably stay the course," he said. "At least till something better comes along. "Also," he said, "it's not subject to the whims of a telecoms company." Zones and nodes But others are more sceptical. Adam Zawel, an analyst at the Yankee Group, said the wireless, or WiFi, craze had taken off in the US but there were no guarantees that it would be a success. Wifi could be coming to sports grounds Mr Zawel said many cities were now dotted with wireless hotspots. One company, Wifi Metro, is planning to create a wireless zone six blocks long in San Jose, California. But, he said, this early enthusiasm had its downside. "There has definitely been some over-hyping and some companies have had to pull back or go bust," he said. Although the industry was relatively new, he said, there had already been some mergers and bankruptcies. "The business models are still uncertain," he said. "That's why we've seen some early failures. It's an uncertain opportunity." There were several problems facing the companies setting up the wireless networks, said Mr Zawel. Free as air To begin with, few companies know what to charge for occasional access to a wireless network. BT is reportedly considering prices of up to £85 per month. Mr Zawel was also sceptical about the potential audience for such wireless services. Chalk marks can help spot wifi networks The numbers of businessmen using data services on the move was low at the moment and was unlikely to be boosted by the creation of point specific services, he said. The only places that might make something out of it were hotels which bundled in the charges with room rates, said Mr Zawel. There were also technical problems to overcome, he said. Currently there were few standardised ways of connecting up to WiFi hotspots, said Mr Zawel, which might make networks only a few metres apart hard to use by the same person. The chances of anyone making money out of the wireless hotspots could be dented by the fact that many community groups and well-intentioned individuals are setting up networks anyone can use for free. A craze called "warchalking" has sprung up that involves people putting chalk marks on the pavement or wall near to a wireless access point. The chalk marks give people basic information about how to use the node. But the chalk marks could also mean that the writing is on the wall for commercial WiFi networks. --- jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu on the ibook www.cddc.vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy www.dromocracy.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments

1 0

Language Choice Online: Globalization and Identity in Egypt
by Mark Warschauer 07 Aug '02

07 Aug '02

And another... Mark Language Choice Online: Globalization and Identity in Egypt by Mark Warschauer, Ghada R. El Said, and Ayman Zohry Abstract: The dominance of English on the Internet in the medium's early years caused great consternation about a possible threat to local languages and cultures. Though the hegemony of English online has since weakened, there is still concern about how English and other languages interact online, but there has been almost no research on this issue. This paper combines linguistic analysis, a survey, and interviews to examine English and Arabic language use in online communications by a group of young professionals in Egypt. The study indicates that, among this group, English is used overwhelmingly in Web use and in formal e-mail communication, but that a Romanized version of Egyptian Arabic is used extensively in informal e-mail messages and online chats. This online use of English and Arabic is analyzed in relation to broader social trends of language, technology, globalization, and identity. Full Text: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue4/warschauer.html

1 0

Re: deft kitchens
by Adrian Miles 07 Aug '02

07 Aug '02

At 12:01 -0400 6/8/02, air-l-request(a)aoir.org wrote: >Would it be possible to request that abstracts posted to the list should be >marked as such in the subject line (as in the rather absurd example above)? damn, that was the only thing in the digest i wanted to read :-) victim of kiwi irony. again. cheers adrian miles -- + lecturer in new media and cinema studies [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vog/vlog] + interactive desktop video developer [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vog/] + hypertext rmit [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au] + InterMedia:UiB. university of bergen [http://www.intermedia.uib.no]

1 0

MelbourneDAC: call for papers
by Adrian Miles 06 Aug '02

06 Aug '02

Apologies for any cross posting that may occur. This announcement may be of interest to some list members. ---------- Digital Arts and Culture::2003::Streaming Wor(l)ds The 2003 iteration of the Digital Arts and Culture (DAC) international conference series is to be held on the city campus of RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia from May 19 to 23, 2003. keywords: Augmented Reality, Cyberculture, Electronic Fiction, Electronic Music, Electronic Nonfiction, Electronic Poetry, Electronic Spatiality, Electronic Temporality, Flash Fiction, Flash Nonfiction, Games Culture, Games Sociology, Games System Design, Games Theory , Hypertext Literature , Hypertext Theory , Interactive Architecture, Interactive Cinema and Video , Interactive Graphic Narrative, Interactive Performance, MOOs, MUDs, RPG, Networked Improvisation, Networked performance, Streaming Narrative, Time Based Interactive Media, Virtual Reality, Virtual Worlds, , ++proposals++ Artists, scholars, developers and practitioners working in these and cognate fields are invited to submit 500 word proposals for papers and panels by September 15, 2002. All proposals for papers and panels must be submitted via the submission page which will shortly be available from the conference web site: http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/ All contributions will be reviewed by the conference academic board and short listed nominations will be contacted by November 1, 2002. Short listing does not mean that your work has been accepted for the conference. Short listing means you will be invited to write a full paper, panel proposal, or forum description for review by the program committee. Only complete papers, panel submissions and forum descriptions will be considered for acceptance and this is subject to full peer review by the program committee. Paper and panel submissions must be completed and submitted by February 1, 2003 for final peer review and consideration. All accepted work will be published in a full conference proceedings. ++papers++ Papers are academic presentations that reflect any of the conference themes. Proposals for papers are limited to 500 words and should give the program committee an indication of your major argument or arguments, and your theoretical approach. It is expected that only abstracts that suggest an original contribution to the field will be short listed. ++panels++ Panels are themed discussions that concentrate on any of the conference themes. Panels are to consist of a position statement (that may or may not be collectively authored) that panel members respond and contribute to. Panel proposals ought to include a draft position statement (maximum of 500 words) and list the members of the panel. Panels are expected to make a constructive and original contribution to debate and ideas in the field. ++what is dac?++ DAC is an international conference focusing on new media theory and practice in critical contexts. It has nurtured a significant international community of young and innovative researchers, artists and scholars in the interdisciplinary field of new media, and has become the benchmark conference for research and collaborative endeavour in new media. DAC has always offered a specialised forum that has emphasised the importance of bringing together leading practitioners for the exchange of ideas and to develop international professional networks and knowledge economies. MelbourneDAC:Streaming Wor(l)ds recognises and intends to continue this role through the papers, panels, and forums it hosts, and the innovative series of collaborative workshops and events that will be undertaken by all conference participants. The mission of MelbourneDAC is to not only exchange ideas and promote new developments in digital arts and culture but to ensure that all participants develop relevant and sustainable professional communities. Adrian Miles Conference Chair adrian.miles(a)rmit.edu.au Antoanetta Ivanova Conference Producer antoanetta(a)novamediaarts.net _______________________________ end of announcement -- + lecturer in new media and cinema studies [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vog/vlog] + interactive desktop video developer [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vog/] + hypertext rmit [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au] + InterMedia:UiB. university of bergen [http://www.intermedia.uib.no]

1 0

Online Surveys?
by discuss＠research.inkblot.cdc.com.my 06 Aug '02

06 Aug '02

Hello! My name is Cornelia Hon, I am conducting a survey as part of the work building toward my Honours Degree in Monash University. The survey is about online sampling techniques and online questionnaire distribution methods that you, as a researcher, may have used. There is also a short section about emerging standards concerning online survey ethics and reporting. If I have already emailed you this survey before, and you completed and returned it, I thank you most gratefully. Unfortunately, the data file that captured your completed form was corrupted. I would therefore really, REALLY appreciate it if you would save my thesis from the brink of disaster and complete the survey and submit it again. You also may be happy to hear that this survey is shorter and easier than the last one. Participating is really easy, and the completing the survey should not take more than ten minutes. Even if you don't use on-line survey methods we would appreciate your comments. To get the survey form, just click-through to: http://research.inkblot.cdc.com.my/cgi-bin/wsm/PubWSM?REF="AOIRL"& For more information about my study, please visit my home page at: http://research.inkblot.cdc.com.my/wsm/index.html Thank you in advance for your extremely helpful participation. Yours truly, Cornelia Hon.

1 0

Posting abstracts to AoIR
by Hans Klein 05 Aug '02

05 Aug '02

I am grateful that Jay Hauben posted the abstract of Ronda Hauben's recent article. In general, I think it would be good if people on this list would announce their articles as they are published. Too often articles disappear down a black hole. By announcing them, there is greater chance of their reaching interested readers. Would other welcome other such posts? Or would it be seen as an act of immodesty? (Truth in advertising: I have a recent article that I would announce.) Hans =========================================== Message: 2 Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 21:00:59 -0400 (EDT) From: Jay Hauben <jrh29(a)columbia.edu> To: air-l(a)aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] Usenet Archives and the search engine at google.com Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org Hi, Posting on Usenet has always been freely done as contibuting to the common wealth. It has also always been expected that posts were part of ongoing discussions and would expire in some finite time at every newsfeed site. The archiving of Usenet posts and the "ownership" of such archives by commercial entitites raises many questions. An article addressing some of these questions in the context of google.com appears in the current issue of the journal Science Studies 15:1(2002), 61-68. "Commodifying Usenet and the Usenet Archive or Continuing the Online Cooperative Usenet Culture?" by Ronda Hauben http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/other/usenetstts.pdf Abstract This article explores the conflict between the cooperative online culture of users who have created Usenet and the corporate commodification of Usenet posts by companies archiving the posts. The clash of decision- making processes is presented thorough the details of how Usenet users choose to petition a company to provide protection for the public archives it had collected. The company disregarded the petition and the archives were sold to another company. The new company has begun to put its own copyright symbol on the posts in its archives. How will such a commodification affect the cooperative nature of Usenet itself and the continuing vitality of Usenet's cooperative culture The article explores this culture clash and considers possible consequences. http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/other/usenetstts.pdf Take care. Jay

6 5

CHI 2003 Call for Participation
by Tom Erickson 05 Aug '02

05 Aug '02

CHI 2003 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION, http://www.chi2003.org April 5-10, 2003, Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA You are invited to participate by submitting a paper, demonstration, design and usability report or proposing a panel, workshop or tutorial. You can volunteer to help with mentoring and reviewing. Your organisation can also recruit at, exhibit at and sponsor CHI. Students can volunteer to help on-site at CHI 2003. CHIkids offers opportunities for working with children. The Interactionary lets design and usability professionals compete against other design teams. CHI 2003 will focus on communicating via interactive digital media. Three special areas support this theme: mass communication and interaction, e-learning, and emotion. Submissions on the conference theme and the special areas are particularly welcome. The development consortium will address challenges for CHI posed by mass communication via interactive digital media. Visit http://www.chi2003.org and find out how to participate in the leading international forum for the exchange of ideas and information about computer-human interaction (CHI). Submission Deadlines: July 29, 2002 Tutorial Proposals September 16, 2002 Paper Abstracts (mandatory) September 23, 2002 Paper Submissions Also due September 23, 2002 Proposals for Design and Usability, Demonstrations, Development Consortium, Panels, Workshops December 6, 2002 Interactionary Proposals January 3, 2003 Short talks, Interactive Posters, Student Posters, Doctoral Consortium, Special Interest Group Proposals CHI 2003 is an annual conference sponsored by ACM's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI). ###

2 1

RE: [Air-l] webdiaries studies
by Frank Schaap 05 Aug '02

05 Aug '02

Lefèbvre wrote: > as Belgian teacher of psychopedagogy, I'm finalizing a complementary cursus in Educational Science. Therefore, I would like to get some more studies on webdiaries. Although a lot of works exist on online social relationships, I have found only two studies specifically on webdiaries (+1 in French): > -Biggs SMA, 2000. "Charlotte's web": how one woman weaves positive relationships on the net. CyberPsychology and Behavior 3: 655-663. I just read this article and I'm a bit puzzled by what you mean by "webdiaries". The article deals with how for one participant/interviewee her online experiences turned out to be "transformational" on a personal level; the author focuses mainly on the psychological aspects of the "relationship with the self" and "relationships with others." The article mentions that the participant kept a diary, but most of the data seems to come from the interviews. There is no mention that this diary is any different from a 'normal' paper-based diary... indeed, it may well have been a paper-based diary. When you wrote "webdiaries" I though you were talking about diaries kept online, on the web. Which leads me back to your intriguing sounding research... what is a "webdiary" for you? Frank.

1 0