May 2003 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Rob Kling, rest in peace
by Mete Yildiz 18 May '03

18 May '03

Hi, I had the opportunity to work with Rob as the managing editor of The Information Society Journal for a year. He was a very intelligent and a generous person. He was also very humble and personable, something you do not normally expect from a person of his stature/ fame. He will be missed deeply. Mete Yildiz Ph.D. Candidate in Public Affairs Indiana University, Bloomington

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Re: [Air-l] Rob Kling, rest in peace
by peichi 18 May '03

18 May '03

Dr. Kling was just here in Taiwan two months ago. His works have played influential role in shaping CMC studies in Taiwan. It's just trememdously sad that he passed away at such young age. My condolence goes to his families and loved ones. He will be remembered here. --peichi -- Peichi Chung Institute of Communication Studies National Chiao Tung University Hsinchu, Taiwan Office Phone: 886-3-5712121 ext. 58208 Office Fax: 886-3-5727143

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Rob Kling, rest in peace
by bakera＠ohiou.edu 17 May '03

17 May '03

I wanted to add my voice of sadness to Rob's passing. I knew him only in passing, having met him at the first aoir conference, where he greeted me with gracious friendliness. His major contributions to internet research including two editions of <i>Computerization and Controversy</i> and his seminal journal <i>The Information Society</i> will live on with all of us. --andrea baker

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any historians out there?
by Jonathan Sterne 17 May '03

17 May '03

Hi All, I was just in the National Archives (U.S.) doing some research that, among other things, involved looking at a pile of documents the Department of Defense just turned over to the National Archives (Archives II in Maryland). There's a huge mess of stuff in the finding aid, and much of the material (including ALL the things I was interested in) will require FOIA requests for you to actually see them, BUT there was a TON of material on ARPA that had been turned over. If anyone's doing a 'net history and interested in ARPA, I'd strongly recommend a trip to look at the finding aid. The materials aren't, to my knowledge, yet indexed online and the finding aid is very rudimentary. But there appears to be a LOT there. To see the finding aid, you'll need to talk with one of the archivists specializing in army and DoD stuff. Best,, --J, who recently had a conversation with some other scholars about how the internet-as-revolutionary-force was, you guessed it, "so 90s"

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Re: Air-l digest, Vol 1 #721 - 12 msgs
by iepf 2001 17 May '03

17 May '03

It is a shock to me when I read the news about the death of Professor Kling. Professor Kling was our external reviewer for the Information and Communication Management Programme, at the National University of Singapore, Singapore. We benefited from many of his constructive comments for the development of this new program. With his passing, we not only lose an excellent scholar, but a dear friend. --- air-l-request(a)aoir.org wrote: > Send Air-l mailing list submissions to > air-l(a)aoir.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, > visit > http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l > or, via email, send a message with subject or body > 'help' to > air-l-request(a)aoir.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > air-l-admin(a)aoir.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it > is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Air-l digest..." > > > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Internet information sources (Denise > Carter) > 2. impressions? (Charles Ess) > 3. Re: impressions? (Nathaniel Poor) > 4. Re: impressions? (DJ Smith) > 5. Re: impressions? (Karim R. Lakhani) > 6. Rob Kling, rest in peace (Steve Jones) > 7. Re: Rob Kling, rest in peace (elijah wright) > 8. Re: Rob Kling, rest in peace (jeremy > hunsinger) > 9. Positive Aspects of Spam (Art McGee) > 10. Re: Rob Kling, rest in peace (Guillaume > Latzko-Toth) > 11. Re: impressions? (Frank Schaap) > 12. Re: Positive Aspects of Spam (Christian > Nelson) > > --__--__-- > > Message: 1 > From: "Denise Carter" > <denisecarter(a)denisecarter.net> > To: <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Subject: Re: [Air-l] Internet information sources > Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 17:52:24 +0100 > Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > >Jenny said > > Another side benefit is that I started small > dialogues with a number of > > the people who sent me recommendations after the > request went out to the > > list. From a social network/social capital > perspective, it is beneficial > > to query and start these conversations. I "met" > some people I didn't > > know, and a few asked me to keep in touch . . . . > The social net widens. > > > > like jenny i have also benefitted enormously from > the social network/social > capital perspective of asking questions on different > lists. Since many of > the subsequent conversations take place off list > then perhaps this side of > it is not immediately apparent. > > >Marj said > >Today for example there was an 'urgent' request on > a list for info on > Terrence Malick's use of Walt Whitman, from a > >Cultural Studies professor. A > web search on the two names brought up a number of > good articles. > > even though a web search brings up a number of good > articles I like to ask > colleagues and list members just in case I miss the > 'perfect' article. I > also feel that it is valuable because not all > articles are reviewed, so it > is beneficial to ask the opinion of someone who has > read it > > regards > denise > > Denise Maia Carter, > CASS, > University of Hull, > Hull , > HU6 7RX > Email:denisecarter@denisecarter.net > Web: http://www.denisecarter.net > > > > > > > --__--__-- > > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 12:29:38 -0500 > From: Charles Ess <cmess(a)lib.drury.edu> > To: <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Subject: [Air-l] impressions? > Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > Dear aoir-ists (like the Greek...) > > We're in the midst of finals grading, but I had a > rather extraordinary > experience with a class that has raised a question > for me - or, rather, you > (I hope). > > I teach a "Global Futures" course, the capstone of > our general education > curriculum (Global Perspectives) which restructures > liberal arts education > to focus squarely on becoming "liberated persons who > participate > meaningfully in a global community." > We look at a lot of texts, ranging from Biblical and > Islamic utopias to > Plato's Republic to Erich Fromm's _To Have or To Be_ > - all of which, > somewhat to my surprise, the students really like. > (These are largely > critical of consumer society - but the students see > the criticisms and agree > with them in varying degrees.) > In that context, I've also been using an anthology > by Erik Bucy, _Living in > the Information Age: A Media Reader_ which offers a > terrific selection of > essays from a range of perspectives on a range of > topics, including the role > of the Internet in catalyzing a new revolution that > would help realize > Enlightenment dreams of greater democracy, freedom, > and prosperity. > > My assumption was - in keeping with a lot of the > common wisdom of higher > education specialists, sociologists, etc. - that my > students, as having > grown up with the Internet and being deeply immersed > in electronic media, > would find these readings directly relevant to their > lives. > > Imagine my surprise when my sections this year (fall > '02 and spring '03) > with near unaninimity (sp) agreed that this > selection of readings could be > dropped with no loss to the class! > > Their summary judgment: especially the more radical > visions of the Internet > and the Web (ala Barlow and many others) leading to > a new Renaissance, etc. > just seemed "so '90s"! > > For them, it appears that these technologies are > utilitarian in the most > boring of senses; precisely because they have grown > up with them, they seem > no more "revolutionary" than cars or telephones - > even cellphones. Rather, > these technologies are really, merely tools for > them. While as a researcher > and ethicist, I think there are all sorts of > questions to be asked as to > impacts of using these technologies - for them, > these questions are far less > pressing than examining the impacts of globalization > on economies and the > environment, for example. > (And, FWIW, these are not, as a group, especially > "liberal" students.) > > I've no idea if my students are representative of > anything. But I was > _stunned_ by this - especially as it so sharply > contrasts with the buzz and > excitement about all of these things in other > quarters.. > At the same time, it fits with a comment Phil Agre > passed on a couple of > years ago as we were discussing the apparent death > of postmodernism. I > asked him why he thought it had passed, and his > simple comment was: because > the art students aren't interested in it anymore. > > This may just be an excuse to avoid grading papers > and === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. http://search.yahoo.com

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Internet as merely a tool
by Matthew Jason Eliot 17 May '03

17 May '03

Charles wrote: >Their summary judgment: especially the more radical visions of the Internet >and the Web (ala Barlow and many others) leading to a new Renaissance, >etc. just seemed "so '90s"! >For them, it appears that these technologies are utilitarian in the most >boring of senses; precisely because they have grown up with them, they seem >no more "revolutionary" than cars or telephones - even cellphones. Rather, >these technologies are really, merely tools for them. I think there are two basic reasons for the current view of many students that the Internet is merely another communication device: Clinton-Gore and the dotcom bust, the mainstreaming of the Internet and personal media into people's lives. Clinton-Gore and the dotcom bust: Students today have grown up along with the Internet. These students have lived through the various stages of Internet hype--the utopian "information superhighway" days, the "We are all going to make a ton of money" days, the Internet as "place for wierdo's" days. I suggest that the dotcom bust has had a major influence on current students and their relationship with the Web. They see the Internet as something that has been over-hyped, and perhaps confuse the revolutionary aspects of the Internet with the failed media rhetoric. Mainstreaming of the Internet: I would be greatly interested in how many of our current students actually do anything online beyond e-mail, gaming, IMing and music. (Okay, maybe looking for homework sources too ;) Do they really experience themselves as participating in distributed community? Are they engaging that much in identity play? It would be interesting to begin to develop a working profile for a mainstream user, one for whom the Internet is merely an extension of their personal computing experience rather than a dynamic realm in itself. Mainstreaming of personal media: With pocket computers and Web-enabled phones, when does an individual decide that they have enough Internet access already? When the Web becomes ubiquitous, the user has to choose what features they will use on a regular basis, and what features they will ignore. Perhaps the many access choices have lead users to devalue the potentialities of the Web and focus on those aspects which are most immediately available/useful. A few thoughts, Matt Eliot PhD Student Department of Technical Communications University of Washington

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Positive Aspects of Spam
by Art McGee 17 May '03

17 May '03

Greetings, Is anyone doing any research on the positive aspects of Spam? I'm thinking of something in particular, so let me know if this makes any sense: Most of the commercially oriented spam is directed at men, specifically, men's insecurities about their virility (penis size, stamina, etc.) or fanstasies about their sexuality (huge-breasted nymphomaniac women who just turned 18, etc.). I got to thinking about how this forced sexual bombardment was different from the male-focused advertising and female objectification that we have grown used to, which tends to be more subtle, or less "aggressive." I started thinking about the theories behind aversion therapies, you know, where you immerse someone in something and make them engage in it, eat it, look at it, or whatever, until it makes them sick and they can't stand it anymore. I started wondering if the spam bombardment, particularly in terms of how it is perceived by men who receive it, is having any effect on them or their behavior, world view, or anything. I mean, after you receive your millionth email telling you that your penis is too small, maybe you start to believe it. Then I thought, this is exactly the type of insecurity around their bodies and sexuality that women have been dealing with for centuries. I wonder if maybe, just maybe, there is a slim chance that some of the madness of spam is starting to have an unintended side-effect, or maybe, the people behind most spam are women, and this is actually an aversion therapy conspiracy? Am I making any sense? Am I on to something or just on something? Art

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Re: [Air-l] impressions?
by Frank Schaap 17 May '03

17 May '03

Charles wrote: > Their summary judgment: especially the more radical visions of the > Internet > and the Web (ala Barlow and many others) leading to a new Renaissance, > etc. just seemed "so '90s"! > For them, it appears that these technologies are utilitarian in the most > boring of senses; precisely because they have grown up with them, they > seem no more "revolutionary" than cars or telephones - even cellphones. > Rather, these technologies are really, merely tools for them. While as I certainly know this sentiment from my students. The 1990s hyperbolic statements about the internet strike them as odd, and they don't really know what to do with them. But then again, most are not particularly interested in the way the internet works technologically, socially or politically anyway, as long as it allows them to MSN with their friends. Video games are also not highly regarded by most, but they appear to agree that statements about the future of gaming by game industry luminaries says something about how technology and thinking about technology shapes our future. Statements like: "My ultimate online gaming experience would be a game that allows you to experience virtual senses through the network, not with television as a medium. You would not only be able to hear, see and feel but also even taste and smell," by Yuji Naka, president and CEO of Sega's Sonic Team, or, "I think that some kind of global virtual world, recreating a better clone of our world, and in which anything possible in real life (and more...) would be possible, would be absolutely fantastic," by Sylvian Constatin, project manager at Ubisoft Entertainment. I haven't quite figured it out, but I think that many students consider video games, even if they don't think highly of them, as somehow pushing the envelope of technology more than the internet. In any case, I think these quotes from a 2002 games magazine are equally usable in discussing the issues that need to be discussed, as would quotes from a 1990s issue of Wired. Frank.

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Rob Kling, rest in peace
by Steve Jones 17 May '03

17 May '03

It is with heavy heart that I pass along word of Rob Kling's death. Many of us on air-l knew him, and most, perhaps all, of us knew his work. Rob was one of the keynote speakers at the first AoIR conference at Kansas University. His work and his spirit touched many and he will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues. I join you in mourning. The following was posted on the web site of the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University today: Rob Kling , Professor of Information Systems and Information Science at the Indiana School of Library and Information Science and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at IU, passed away unexpectedly Thursday morning in the pre-dawn hours of May 15th. He was 59 years old. Rob's SLIS friends and colleagues mourn his loss, and extend our sympathy to his wife, professor Mitzi Lewison. Arrangements are pending and we will post more information when it is available. The url for that site is http://www.slis.indiana.edu/news/story.php?story_id=640 and it says more information will be posted soon. Peace, Steve Jones Sj

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impressions?
by Charles Ess 16 May '03

16 May '03

Dear aoir-ists (like the Greek...) We're in the midst of finals grading, but I had a rather extraordinary experience with a class that has raised a question for me - or, rather, you (I hope). I teach a "Global Futures" course, the capstone of our general education curriculum (Global Perspectives) which restructures liberal arts education to focus squarely on becoming "liberated persons who participate meaningfully in a global community." We look at a lot of texts, ranging from Biblical and Islamic utopias to Plato's Republic to Erich Fromm's _To Have or To Be_ - all of which, somewhat to my surprise, the students really like. (These are largely critical of consumer society - but the students see the criticisms and agree with them in varying degrees.) In that context, I've also been using an anthology by Erik Bucy, _Living in the Information Age: A Media Reader_ which offers a terrific selection of essays from a range of perspectives on a range of topics, including the role of the Internet in catalyzing a new revolution that would help realize Enlightenment dreams of greater democracy, freedom, and prosperity. My assumption was - in keeping with a lot of the common wisdom of higher education specialists, sociologists, etc. - that my students, as having grown up with the Internet and being deeply immersed in electronic media, would find these readings directly relevant to their lives. Imagine my surprise when my sections this year (fall '02 and spring '03) with near unaninimity (sp) agreed that this selection of readings could be dropped with no loss to the class! Their summary judgment: especially the more radical visions of the Internet and the Web (ala Barlow and many others) leading to a new Renaissance, etc. just seemed "so '90s"! For them, it appears that these technologies are utilitarian in the most boring of senses; precisely because they have grown up with them, they seem no more "revolutionary" than cars or telephones - even cellphones. Rather, these technologies are really, merely tools for them. While as a researcher and ethicist, I think there are all sorts of questions to be asked as to impacts of using these technologies - for them, these questions are far less pressing than examining the impacts of globalization on economies and the environment, for example. (And, FWIW, these are not, as a group, especially "liberal" students.) I've no idea if my students are representative of anything. But I was _stunned_ by this - especially as it so sharply contrasts with the buzz and excitement about all of these things in other quarters.. At the same time, it fits with a comment Phil Agre passed on a couple of years ago as we were discussing the apparent death of postmodernism. I asked him why he thought it had passed, and his simple comment was: because the art students aren't interested in it anymore. This may just be an excuse to avoid grading papers and a waste of bandwidth - but I'm curious if this strikes a resonant chord with aoir folk who actually _research_ these things? Cheers, Charles Ess Distinguished Research Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies Drury University 900 N. Benton Ave. Voice: 417-873-7230 Springfield, MO 65802 USA FAX: 417-873-7435 Home page: http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html Co-chair, CATaC: http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/catac/ Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23

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