March 2004 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Masters Degree in ICT in Education, TCD
by Inmaculada Arnedillo Sanchez 08 Mar '04

08 Mar '04

[Forwarded on behalf of Brendan Tangney <tangney(a)tcd.ie>; please address any queries directly to Brendan.] =========== Masters Degree in ICT in Education. Applications now invited for the academic year 2004-05. This is a two-year, part-time, Master's programme offered by the Departments of Education and Computer Science at Trinity College. The course focuses on the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Learning. The aim of this postgraduate degree is to produce a cohort of people who will be able to play a leadership role in the use of ICT in all areas of learning - both formal and informal. See www.cs.tcd.ie/courses/mscitedu/ for further details.

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FWD: PFIR Conference Announcement: "Preventing the Internet Meltdown"
by David Akin 08 Mar '04

08 Mar '04

PFIR Conference Announcement "Preventing the Internet Meltdown" Spring/Summer 2004 Los Angeles, California, USA --------------------------------- March 6, 2004 PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org [ To subscribe or unsubscribe to/from this list, please send the command "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" respectively (without the quotes) in the body of an e-mail to "pfir-request(a)pfir.org". ] ================================== --- Please Distribute Widely --- PFIR Conference Announcement "Preventing the Internet Meltdown" Spring/Summer 2004 Los Angeles, California, USA http://www.pfir.org/meltdown People For Internet Responsibility (PFIR) is pleased to preliminarily announce an "emergency" conference aimed at preventing the "meltdown" of the Internet -- the risks of imminent disruption, degradation, unfair manipulation, and other negative impacts on critical Internet services and systems in ways that will have a profound impact on the Net and its users around the world. We are planning for this conference (lasting two or three days) to take place as soon as possible, ideally as early as this coming June, with all sessions and working groups at a hotel in convenient proximity to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). A continuing and rapidly escalating series of alarming events suggest that immediate cooperative, specific planning is necessary if we are to have any chance of avoiding the meltdown. "Red flag" warning signs are many. A merely partial list includes attempts to manipulate key network infrastructures such as the domain name system; lawsuits over Internet regulatory issues (e.g. VeriSign and domain registrars vs. ICANN); serious issues of privacy and security; and ever-increasing spam, virus, and related problems, along with largely ad hoc or non-coordinated "anti-spam" systems that may do more harm than good and may cause serious collateral damage. All facets of Internet users and a vast range of critical applications are at risk from the meltdown. Commercial firms, schools, nonprofit and governmental organizations, home users, and everybody else around the world whose lives are touched in some way by the Internet (and that's practically everyone) are likely to be seriously and negatively impacted. Most of these problems are either directly or indirectly the result of the Internet's lack of responsible and fair planning related to Internet operations and oversight. A perceived historical desire for a "hands off" attitude regarding Internet "governance" has now resulted not only in commercial abuses, and the specter of lawsuits and courts dictating key technical issues relating to the Net, but has also invited unilateral actions by organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that could profoundly affect the Internet and its users in unpredictable ways. Representatives from commercial firms, educational institutions, governmental entities, nonprofit and other organizations, and any other interested parties are invited to participate at this conference. International participation is most definitely encouraged. The ultimate goal of the conference is to establish a set of *specific* actions and contingency plans for the Internet-related problems that could lead to the meltdown. These may include (but are not limited to) technical, governance, regulatory, political, and legal actions and plans. Scenarios to consider may also include more "radical" technical approaches such as "alternate root" domain systems, technologies to bypass unreasonable ISP restrictions, and a wide range of other practical possibilities. It is anticipated that the conference will include a variety of panels focused on illuminating specific aspects of these problems, along with potential reactions, solutions, and contingency planning for worst-case scenarios. Breakout working groups will be available for detailed discussion and planning efforts. Formal papers will not be required, but panel members may be asked to submit brief abstracts of prepared remarks in advance to assist in organizing the sessions. The ability of this conference to take place, and necessary conference details such as the specific program, costs, etc. will depend largely on the response to this announcement and particularly on the number of persons and organizations who express a potential interest in attending. If you may be interested in participating (no obligation at this point, of course) or have any questions, please send an e-mail as soon as possible to: meltdown(a)pfir.org or feel free to contact Lauren at the phone number below. As appropriate, please be sure to mention how many people from your organization may be interested in attending. If you express an interest in attending, you will be added to a private mailing list for upcoming announcements regarding this conference unless you ask not to be so notified. Together, we may be able to stop the Internet meltdown. But we need to act now. Thank you for your consideration. - - - Lauren Weinstein lauren(a)pfir.org or lauren(a)vortex.com or lauren(a)privacyforum.org Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy http://www.pfir.org/lauren Peter G. Neumann neumann(a)pfir.org or neumann(a)csl.sri.com or neumann(a)risks.org Tel: +1 (650) 859-2375 Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org Moderator, RISKS Forum - http://risks.org Chairman, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy http://www.csl.sri.com/neumann David J. Farber dave(a)farber.net Tel: +1 (412) 726-9889 Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Computer Science Member of the Board of Trustees EFF - http://www.eff.org Member of the Advisory Board -- EPIC - http://www.epic.org Member of the Advisory Board -- CDT - http://www.cdt.org Member of Board of Directors -- PFIR - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org Member of the Executive Committee USACM http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~farber (Affiliations shown for identification only.) ------ End of Forwarded Message

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CFP: Persistent Conversation Minitrack (15 March: abstracts due)
by Tom Erickson 08 Mar '04

08 Mar '04

One week until optional-but-strongly-recommended abstracts due. The curious may be interested in pictures of the 2004 minitrack and workshop, and a link to a cumulative list of the previous five years' papers at: http://www.pliant.org/personal/Tom_Erickson/HICSS38pc.html * * * Please forward as appropriate * * * CALL FOR PAPERS Sixth Annual Minitrack on Persistent Conversation at the Hawai'i International Conference on Systems Science on the Big Island of Hawaii, January 3-6, 2005 *** AT A GLANCE *** * Topic Area Conversation via digital media such as email, chat, IM, texting, web boards, blogs, wikis, mailing lists, 3-D VR, multimedia computer-mediated communication, etc. The focus of work may range from the analysis of structural characteristics of conversation such as turn-taking and threading, to the use of digital conversation in domains such as distance learning, knowledge management, and workplace collaboration, to the design of novel systems for supporting computer-mediated conversation. * Who Researchers and designers from fields such as anthropology, computer-mediated communication, HCI, interaction design, linguistics, psychology, rhetoric, sociology, and so forth. * Chairs Thomas Erickson, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center Susan Herring, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University * Important Dates Abstract submission - Monday, March 15, 2004 [instructions below] Abstract feedback - by Wednesday, March 31, 2004 Paper submission - Tuesday, June 15, 2004 [instructions below] Accept/Reject notice - Sunday, August 15, 2004 Final papers due - Friday, October 1, 2004 One author must register for HICSS - Friday, October 1, 2004 Deadline for conference-negotiated hotel rates - Wednesday, December 1, 2004 * For More Information - The online call, including pictures of the 2004 minitrack, and a list of previous years' papers: http://www.pliant.org/personal/Tom_Erickson/HICSS38pc.html - Contacts: snowfall(a)acm.org, herring(a)indiana.edu - About the HICSS conference: http://www.hicss.org/ *** DETAILS *** * About the Minitrack This interdisciplinary minitrack and workshop brings designers and researchers together to explore persistent conversation, the transposition of ordinarily ephemeral conversation into the potentially persistent digital medium. The phenomena of interest include human-to-human interactions carried out using chat, instant messaging, text messaging, email, weblogs, mailing lists, news groups, bulletin board systems, multi-authored Web documents, structured conversation systems, textual and graphical virtual worlds, etc. Computer-mediated conversations blend characteristics of oral conversation with those of written text: they may be synchronous or asynchronous; their audience may be small or vast; they may be highly structured or almost amorphous; etc. The persistence of such conversations gives them the potential to be searched, browsed, replayed, annotated, visualized, restructured, and recontextualized, thus opening the door to a variety of new uses and practices. The particular aim of the minitrack and workshop is to bring together researchers who analyze existing computer-mediated conversational practices and sites, with designers who propose, implement, or deploy new types of conversational systems. By bringing together participants from such diverse areas as anthropology, computer-mediated communication, HCI, interaction design, linguistics, psychology, rhetoric, sociology, managment, and the like, we hope that the work of each may inform the others, suggesting new questions, methods, perspectives, and design approaches. * About Paper Topics We are seeking papers that address one or both of the following two general areas: Understanding Practice. The burgeoning popularity of the internet (and intranets) provides an opportunity to study and characterize new forms of conversational practice. Questions of interest range from how various features of conversations (e.g., turn-taking, topic organization, expression of paralinguistic information) have adapted in response to the digital medium, to new roles played by persistent conversation in domains such as education, business, and entertainment. Design. Digital systems do not currently support conversation well: it is difficult to converse with grace, clarity, depth and coherence over networks. But this need not remain the case. Toward this end, we welcome analyses of existing systems as well as designs for new systems which better support conversation. Also of interest are inquiries into how participants design their own conversations within the digital medium -- that is, how they make use of system features to create, structure, and regulate their discourse. Examples of appropriate topics include, but are not limited to: Turn-taking, threading and other structural features of CMC The dynamics of large scale conversation systems (e.g. USENET) Methods for summarizing or visualizing conversation archives Studies of virtual communities or other sites of digital talk The roles of mediated conversation in knowledge management Studies of the use of instant messaging in large organizations Novel designs for computer-mediated conversation systems Analyses of or designs for distance learning systems For other examples of appropriate topics see the list of previous years' papers: http://www.pliant.org/personal/Tom_Erickson/HICSS_PC_History.html * The Workshop [tentative] For the past five years the minitrack has been preceded by a half-day workshop; we hope this will be continued for 2005, but will not know for sure until April. The intent of the the workshop is as follows: The workshop will provide a background for the sessions and set the stage for a dialog between researchers and designers that will continue during the minitrack. The minitrack co-chairs will select in advance a publicly accessible CMC site, which each author will be asked to analyze, critique, redesign, or otherwise examine using their disciplinary tools and techniques before the workshop convenes; the workshop will include presentations and discussions of the participants' examinations of the site and its content. The workshop is primarily intended for minitrack authors, although other participants are welcome provided they are willing to prepare for it as described above. * Instructions for Abstract Submission 1. Submit a 250 word abstract of your proposed paper via email to the chairs: Tom Erickson <snowfall(a)acm.org>, Susan Herring <herring(a)indiana.edu> by the deadline noted above. 2. We will send you feedback on the suitability of your abstract shortly thereafter. * Instructions for Paper Submission 1. HICSS papers must contain original material not previously published, or currently submitted elsewhere 2. Do not submit the manuscript to more than one Minitrack Chair. If unsure which Minitrack is appropriate, submit the abstract to the Track Chair for guidance. 3. Submit your full paper according to the detailed formatting and submission instructions found on the HICSS website. Note: All papers will be submitted in double column publication format and limited to 10 pages including diagrams and references. * About the HICSS Conference Since 1968 the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) has become a respected a forum for the substantive interchange of ideas in all areas of information systems and technology. The objective of HICSS is to provide a unique environment in which researchers and practitioners in the information, computer and system sciences can frankly exchange and discuss their research ideas, techniques and applications. Comments and feedback from each HICSS conference indicate that the conference format continues to be professionally rewarding and stimulating to everyone who attends. More information about the HICSS conference can be found at http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/. * Conference Administration: Ralph Sprague, Conference Chair, sprague(a)hawaii.edu Sandra Laney, Conference Administrator, hicss(a)hawaii.edu Eileen Dennis, Track Administrator, eidennis(a)indiana.edu * 2005 Conference Venue Hilton Waikoloa Village (on the Big Island of Hawaii) 425 Waikoloa Beach Drive Waikoloa, Hawaii 96738 Tel: 1-808-886-1234 Fax: 1-808-886-2900 http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com -- ------------------------------------------ Tom Erickson IBM T.J. Watson Research Center Email: snowfall(a)acm.org (preferred); snowfall(a)us.ibm.com(IBM confidential) http://www.pliant.org/personal/Tom_Erickson/

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Prix Ars Electronica - Digital Communities - extension to deadline
by Denise Carter 06 Mar '04

06 Mar '04

Usual apologies for cross-posting Dear All, The submission deadline for the Prix Ars Electronica new "non-artistic" category, Digital Communities has been extended to march 26th. For further information see Ars Electronica at http://www.aec.at/en/index.asp , or contact me direct for details and application procedure. Denise M. Carter Lecturer, Sociology and Anthropology, University of Hull, Hull. HU6 7RX Tel: 01482 465024 email: d.carter(a)hull.ac.uk

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Literature Help: Race, Marginalized Sexuality, and Online Personal Ads
by Han Lee 05 Mar '04

05 Mar '04

Dear all: I'm working on a paper on Internet personal ads and I would be very grateful for any suggestions on literature. I remember that someone else has posted this kind of message to the list last year with particular research interests in online dating. Well, I am not so much interested in how people actually date online (or then to offline, or vice versa, etc.), per se, but rather more interested in representations of race intersected with new communication technology and marginalized sexuality. So, I am looking at online personal ads as sites of study. Thanks in advance for your help. Best wishes, Han http://icarus.uic.edu/~hlee37/personal

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CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS
by Denise Carter 05 Mar '04

05 Mar '04

CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS: Images Of Difference And Different Images: Social Minorities And The Media The following is a call for book chapters to be included in a book on social minorities and the media, edited by Ruth Butler and Denise Carter. This edited text draws together ongoing and new research from across the social sciences, which focuses upon the complex interactions of minority social groups with different medias, for example newspapers, music, advertising, film, internet and TV. One of the most recently formed study groups of the British Sociological Association has been the 'Sociology of Media', reflecting the growing levels of research and teaching within this area. In Human Geography there have been a number of conference sessions, special journal issues and texts on specific medias. In some centres Journalists are coming together with Sociologists under the fundamental premise that journalism could benefit from a sociological perspective which seeks to reduce cultural biases, and that sociologists can learn much from journalists about communicating important information. At the same time, constructionist models of social minorities - disabled, gay and lesbian, gender, youth, child and race - continue to point to the need for social change and education as a necessity for greater integration and tolerance. However, although this need is often identified as a research conclusion there is relatively little comment on how such change and education may be achieved. We are looking for book chapters (5000 words) that explore various approaches to this analysis of the relationship between the media and minority groups. In particular we are looking to arrange the book in three sections:- 1.The same old stories: perpetuating stereotypes The media has been noted as being a powerful adversary to minority groups. Its role in perpetuating the stereotypical images of disabled people, ethnic minorities, women and youths for example are well documented. 2. Spaces of escape/equality/disembodiment New communications technologies may be seen to facilitate unlimited access to new social arenas that are disconnected from the traditional referents of age, race, gender, and so on. Equally the authorship of texts under pseudonyms, has at times been used to deliberately hide the gender or other factors in the social background of writers. 3. Radical voices: a space to speak. Different medias can offer a space to speak, a political platform, a space to present new images and depictions of misunderstood or previously silenced minorities. The use of music in the Black Rights movement, and the significance of recent TV programmes by gay and disabled script writers and producers are just two examples. Chapter proposals and a brief academic biography should be sent to one of the editors at the address below by 29th March. If you would like to discuss an idea informally or have any queries we will also be happy to hear from you. A timetable for submission of final work will be established in the near future. Denise Carter Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology d.carter(a)hull.ac.uk Tel: 01482 465024 Ruth Butler Lecturer in Applied Social Research r.e.butler(a)hull.ac.uk Tel: 01482 465788 CASS, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull. UK. HU6 7RX

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RE: [Air-l] RE: digital recording
by Slater,D 05 Mar '04

05 Mar '04

Can anyone give some quick advice on this Mini-disk system - I bought a new Sony MD because it both allowed for external mic (sound quality is wonderful) and for transfering files by USB. The problem I've encountered though is Attrac3 - you can only transfer to the computer a file that was originally transferred *from* that same computer - this is an interesting example of current desperation to establish unbreakable copyright protection. So of course all my interviews have to be played into the computer in real time because they did not originate on the computer! I'm about the go into battle with Sony over this, to see if there is any way around it (ie, can I not convince the software that I in fact originated this material!), but before I do this, does anyone know about how to deal with this issue? Don Sony hits a grand slam! Announcing Hi-MD (spec) a new Minidisc format based upon a 1GB MD medium and existing MD media reformatted to 300MB. Hi-MD equipment features uploading to PC for mic-input recordings, and built-in linear PCM as well as ATRAC3plus encoding at 256 and 64kbps. Hi-MD recorders also function as USB data drives. Available in April, recording equipment prices will be $200 (MZ-NH600D), $250 (MZ-NHF800), $300 (MZ-NH900) and $400 (MZ-NH1) with Hi-MD blanks costing about $7. Sony Press Release: http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/4270 Best, Zoe _________________________________________________ Zoe Dowling, Ph.D. Candidate Department of Sociology, School of Human Sciences University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, UK http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/~scp1zd/ Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 12:11:58 -0500 From: bernie.hogan(a)utoronto.ca To: air-l(a)aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] digital recording Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org Hi Everyone, A thread was started last week about digital transcription software. This week I was wondering what people were using to actually get the digital files. I've been using a minidisc player and a program called WinNMD, but that is subpar since it only transfers in realtime. Any suggestions? Take Care BERNiE Bernie Hogan Ph.D. Student Department of Sociology NetLab, Knowledge Media Design Institute University of Toronto _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l(a)aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l

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Internetayction research
by Troels Moeller Jensen 05 Mar '04

05 Mar '04

To whom it may concern. We are three students from the Danish School of Journalism, and we are working on a project about internetauctions. There are no recent danish research about the subject, so we are hoping that some of you can help us answering the following questions: The latest figures from danish auctionsites, where private sell to other privates, shows, that the numbers of users and sales are rapidly increasing. Why is it so popular to buy and sell stuff on these auctionsites?? We are also trying to make a profile on an average user. Which characteristics do the average user have (sex, age, employment, wealth, lives in a city/in the country.....)? If someone could help us fast, we would be very pleased. Best regards Mia Thomsen, Jesper Pedersen and Troels Møller Jensen Contact us at the following mail-adress: troels(a)mail.djh.dk

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New scholarships for OII Summer Doctoral Programme
by Vicki Nash 04 Mar '04

04 Mar '04

The OII is delighted to announce that due to extra support provided by the Open Society Institute Information Programme, up to 4 further scholarships are available for students attending the 2004 OII Summer Doctoral Programme. This brings the total number of possible bursaries up to 11. The OSI scholarships will cover full course fees and will be available to students from Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe, former Soviet Union states, Africa and Southeast Asia, although students from other less affluent countries may also be considered. The research projects of the supported candidates should focus on issues of communications infrastructure policy, civil liberties in the digital environment, intellectual property rights and the public domain, or ICT global governance. The OII Summer Doctoral Programme is open to all current and prospective PhD students working in the field of Internet Studies. The Programme will run from 14th to 31st July and up to 25 places are available. Further details of the Programme and all available scholarships can be found at: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/teaching/?rq=sdp2004 Please note that in order to give eligible students more time to apply, we have extended the closing date for applications to the 17th March. Dr Victoria Nash Policy and Research Officer 01865 287231 Oxford Internet Institute University of Oxford 1, St Giles OX1 9DT www.oii.ox.ac.uk

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ANN: BlogTalk 2.0 final call
by Thomas N.Burg 04 Mar '04

04 Mar '04

Hi all, this is the final call for BlogTalks 2.0 the international conference on Weblogs: Software, Research, and Users. In the meantime we have setup the keynote speakers ;-). Very interesting you should have a look at http://blogtalk.net. There are still some days to submit you proposal of 500 words, by now we have proposals from artists and researchers from around the world. They are reviewed by our steeering committee. The submissions are due on march 17. Details on http://blogtalk.net Thomas ----------------------------------------- Thomas N. Burg Center for New Media Danube University Krems http://randgaenge.net http://wiki.randgaenge.net http://blogtalk.net http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/znm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= BlogTalk 2.0 is online ⇒ http://blogtalk.net The international conference on the blogosphere, weblogtools, and the bloggers Don't miss that great opportunity to meet and talk! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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