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

July on -empyre-: Net Blackness with Mendi + Keith Obadike and damali ayo
by Michael Arnold Mages 05 Jul '03

05 Jul '03

-empyre- takes great pleasure in welcoming three artists whose work explores the politics of race and identity. The plasticity of identity over the internet is a well known phenomenon. Internet utopians exalt in a genderless, colorless society that is available only though a digital medium. However, race remains a inextricably formative part of identity, and plays a central, contextualizing role in the nature of communication and social discourse. In the zealous search for terrorists, racial profiling has become a tool of US security agencies, and more palatable to that nation's population. Skin color has again become an acceptable way to identify those that may pose a threat to the hegemonic culture. Increasingly, the questions that surround stereotyped or commodified portrayals of race and ethnicity require satisfactory answers. Please join us at -empyre- for the month of July, to participate in the discussion where artists Mendi and Keith Obadike, and damali ayo explore and debate these issues. ---- Mendi and Keith Obadike are interdisciplinary artists working with music, live art, and conceptual internet artworks. Their works conduct inquiry into the implications of social and cultural networks as relates to blackness. Other areas of exploration include sex toys, current events, and commodification of race and identity. In August of 2002, they exhibited The Interaction of Coloreds, commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art. At Yale University Mendi and Keith premiered their Internet opera The Sour Thunder, which was commissioned by the Yale Cabaret and will be released on CD by the classical music label Bridge Records. The Interaction of Coloreds http://www.whitney.org/artport/gatepages/august02.shtml Blackness for Sale http://Obadike.tripod.com/ebay.html The Sour Thunder http://blacknetart.com/sour damali ayo is a self-described junk artist--defining junk as "things we once bought (or bought into) and keep around because we are accustomed to their presence." Working from her studio in Portland, Oregon, ayo uses installation, assemblage, sound, paint, fabric whatever it takes to investigate concepts that engage her curiosity as well as social and community issues in the US. Her most recent online work, http://www.rent-a-negro.com/ is a performance work enabled by the internet. -- Subscribe to -empyre- at: http://www.subtle.net/empyre/ --

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Internet statistics for Australian homes, schools, and workplace
by Don Leu 04 Jul '03

04 Jul '03

Hi, I am a new member of this list. It appears to be a wonderful community of supportive colleagues. I wonder if anyone can point me to the most recent survey data on the penetration of the Internet within Australian homes, schools, and workplace settings? I have the stats from the Australian Yearbook, 2002 which covers the period from 1998-2001. Is there an updated source for this information that would also include 2002, and possibly the first half of 2003? Many thanks, in advance, for any information you might be able to point me to. Cheers, Don -- Donald J. Leu John & Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology University of Connecticut Office: 860.486.0202 Home page: http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~djleu/ Visit the Literacy Web: http://www.literacy.uconn.edu " Every one of us is given the gift of life, and what a strange gift it is. If it is preserved jealously and selfishly, it impoverishes and saddens. But if it is spent for others, it enriches and beautifies." -- Geraldine Ferraro, Acceptance speech at the 1984 Democratic Party National Convention

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Call for Papers: Social Determinants of Public Policy in the Information Age
by Merlyna Lim 04 Jul '03

04 Jul '03

CALL FOR PAPERS The Information Society (TIS) special issue on SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF PUBLIC POLICY IN THE INFORMATION AGE Edited by Milton Mueller (Syracuse University) and Becky Lentz (Ford Foundation) If the 1990s was the decade of market liberalization in media and telecommunication industries, what will the next decade be? What will define the agenda for communication and information policy in the next decade? Current policy discourse is focused on relatively narrow regulatory or legal issues, such as broadband regulation, the proper scope of intellectual property rights, interconnection and competition in telecommunications, and media concentration. While recognizing the importance of issue-specific policy research, this special issue would attempt to shift some attention to the underlying social determinants of public policy. The objective is to encourage the development of revised conceptions of the public interest appropriate to a transformed industrial and political environment. Interdisciplinary papers that bring together insights from political science, sociology, economics, and cultural studies are especially welcome. Ideally, papers would shed light on current developments and place them in perspective that has relevance for the future. As more specific examples of the type of papers/research we seek: * Analyses of long-term change in media and telecommunications institutions that draw upon any relevant literature of institutional change (e.g., the New Institutional Economics, the Old Institutional Economics, social movement theory, property rights economics, organizational repertoires and innovation). * Papers exploring changes in the way citizens, consumers, business groups or other constituencies are organizing to influence communication and information policy, including new analyses of how so-called global civil society or transnational advocacy networks are involved in communication and information issues. * Papers that assess the impact of globalization on communication and information policies, and explore the relationship between national policies, constituencies, and institutions on the one hand and international organizations and constituencies on the other. * How conceptions of the public interest in communication and information policy have changed in response to new technologies, new industry conditions and political and social developments. Are new theories of the public interest in communications and information policy being formed? * Explorations of the role of ideas and scholarly research in shaping, fomenting or resisting changes in policy. How are normative principles responding to the changing landscape? Manuscripts prepared according to the TIS guidelines (http://www- slis.lib.indiana.edu/TIS/vtisinst.html) should be submitted by October 1, 2003. Please send the manuscripts to: Milton Mueller <mueller(a)syr.edu>. Authors are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the guest editors.

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democracy and culture
by Charles Ess 03 Jul '03

03 Jul '03

Colleagues: I've been engaged in an interesting debate via e-mail with a colleague in the U.K. regarding a claim in a recent article, i.e., that in addition to well-known examples of organization via the Internet, etc., it takes _bodies_ to bring about significant political change, as in the cases of Yugoslavia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and elsewhere. In this context, I observed that in the U.S., the view seems to be that politicians are far less impressed with e-mail campaigns, precisely because they're so easy to organize, than with actual paper / postage stamped letters. (The current U.S. administration's ability to ignore e-mail protests over the past year or so regarding Iraq is perhaps an extreme example?) My colleague responded with an example of successfully lobbying the government in the U.K. via e-mail regarding a procedure for classroom evaluation. My response in turn - I should not be surprised that, as the Swiss say, these things vary from canton to canton, much less from country to country. And now, the query: has anyone done a systematic, comparative study of how far electronic democracy initiatives have been successful among a range of countries - especially with a view towards uncovering underlying cultural and other factors that might explain the differences? (I know from her very interesting presentation at AoIR 1.0 that Liza Tsaliki has been involved in an E.U. project on electronic democracy that had to engage with cultural differences, hence this message is copied to her. Any insights and results you can share, Liza?) Thanks in advance for any advice and assistance - and in the meantime, 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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UNESCO Studies on Virtual Education
by adipujangga 03 Jul '03

03 Jul '03

Hi: I just wish to inform that IIEP UNESCO has released/uploaded a publication on virtual education around the world at this site: http://www.unesco.org/iiep/eng/focus/elearn/webpub/home.html. Happy reading. Hasnan.

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visiting media mgmt position at IU
by ebucy 03 Jul '03

03 Jul '03

Visiting Faculty Member: The Department of Telecommunications at Indiana University seeks a visiting faculty member for the 2003-2004 academic year. The visitor would teach five courses over two semesters in the departments undergraduate Industry and Management sequence, including the departments senior-level course on telecommunications management. Salary is competitive. For more information about the department, see the departments website: www.indiana.edu/~telecom/. Those interested in the position should email a cover note and resume to Walter Gantz, Chair of the department. His email address is Gantz(a)exchange.indiana.edu. __________________ Erik P. Bucy, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Telecommunications Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Informatics Radio-TV Center, Rm. 327 1229 E. 7th Street Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405-5501 ebucy(a)indiana.edu http://php.indiana.edu/~ebucy tel 812.856.5207/fax 812.855.7955

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Re: Fwd: WHO Says Toronto No Longer SARS Infected
by JASON NOLAN 02 Jul '03

02 Jul '03

Glad that WHO has caught up with what anyone living in downtown Toronto's realized. :) Looking forward to seeing you all when you get here. Jason -- ------ Jason Nolan, PhD Knowledge Media Design Institute Bahen Centre for Information Technology University of Toronto --- mailto:jason@jasonnolan.net phone:416-946-8513 http://jasonnolan.net/

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Wired article on wardriving
by Weitzel, David S. 02 Jul '03

02 Jul '03

Apparently not dead yet. http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,59460,00.html -- David Weitzel, M.S., J.D. Senior Principal Mitretek Systems "innovative technology in the public interest" dweitzel(a)mitretek.org 703.610.2970

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Fwd: WHO Says Toronto No Longer SARS Infected
by Steve Jones 02 Jul '03

02 Jul '03

I know SARS has been a concern for some planning on attending the AoIR conference in Toronto in October, thus this is quite good news in that context (and for Toronto generally!). Sj >WHO Says Toronto No Longer SARS Infected > >Wed Jul 2, 6:40 AM ET > >GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday >Toronto was no longer SARS infected, leaving Taiwan as the only >place in the world where the disease was not yet fully under control. > >The announcement came after the Canadian city had gone the mandatory >20 days -- twice the normal incubation period -- without reporting a >new case of the potentially fatal respiratory sickness. > >According to the United Nations health agency, the flu-like virus >has infected 246 people and killed 35 in Toronto -- the only place >outside southeast Asia where people have died of SARS. Fear of the >disease and efforts to prevent its spread have hurt tourism and >economic growth. > >SARS, for which there is no simple treatment, originated in southern >China last November and has spread to 30 countries, killing about >800 people worldwide. > >If there are no new cases, Taiwan should be declared SARS-free on Saturday.

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RE: [Air-l] democracy and culture
by Ildiko Kaposi 02 Jul '03

02 Jul '03

Hi all, This is not quite the systematic comparison Charles asked for, but I suppose Roh Moo-hyun's victory in Korea's latest presidential elections would qualify as a case where the internet did make a decisive difference (Jenny's bottom line), and also as a cross-cultural illustration of what the internet can do in campaigns. Not reading Korean I have only western press accounts to rely on, but Roh seems to have made the most of ICTs in both getting out information about himself and mobilising his supporters. He had a narrow lead (2.x percent), but he did a good job in winning over the majority of 20- and 30-something voters - who are heavy (and often broadband) users. Ildiko Kaposi >>> jstromer(a)albany.edu 07/01/03 17:59 PM >>> The question in 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 was "did the Internet make a difference in the campaign?" Now, what "make a difference is" depends. The bottom line for a candidate is, did she win? If she did, did the campaign's use of the Internet contribute to that win? When McCain made his $2million dollars online after he won the New Hampshire primary, there was serious speculation that McCain's was the first successful Internet campaign. He successfully used the Internet, particularly his website with its secure server connection, to raise a ton of cash in a short period of time. But, McCain didn't win. More importantly, the website served as a mailbox for people to send money after McCain's surprising, exciting win in New Hampshire. If he didn't have a website it would have been harder, I think, for people to have contributed. But, the people contributed because they saw that he might be able to beat Bush and went to the website as a logical place to learn about him and contribute. But, they didn't contribute because they had learned about McCain through the Internet, through their friends sending email messages or forwarding announcements. They weren't mobilized because McCain successfully used the Internet. Now, Howard Dean. I have watched in amazement at the level of use he and his campaign staff and volunteers have made of the Internet--not just a website, not just an email list, but using MeetUp, MoveOn, and a blog to bolster support, get the word out about his positions, rally the troops, organize events, and raise money. I am going to go a little crazy here and declare that Howard Dean's use of the Internet will make a difference to his chance at winning the election. Put another way, the Internet will make a difference this time. I'll also declare (now I'm really out on a limb . . . .) that the Internet could have made a difference in the 2000 election, but none of the presidential candidates were ready or willing to use the Internet to its full organizing potential. Dean and his volunteers and staff are fully utilizing the many channels and reaching multiple audiences on the Internet. It's exciting to watch. (And, it helps that Dean seems to offer a message to which people are really responding.) Best, ~Jenny Stromer-Galley > -----Original Message----- > From: air-l-admin(a)aoir.org [mailto:air-l-admin@aoir.org] On > Behalf Of Aldon Hynes > Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 10:47 AM > To: air-l(a)aoir.org > Subject: Re: [Air-l] democracy and culture > > > (Full Disclosure: I am an active volunteer in the > Dean Campaign) <snip> > Personally, I would love to hear any comments or > insights about the Dean's campaign on the Internet > from people who have spent more time studying > Democracy and Culture. > > Aldon _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l(a)aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l

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