July 2006 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

WRYTING-L email list for theory and writing
by Charles Baldwin 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

WRYTING-L As the open spaces of the internet narrow between bureaucracy and greed, email lists become ever more important. The aim of WRYTING-L is to maintain a balance between dissemination and conversation, to offer the possibility of a space of writing not overdetermined by academic rule, party line or limit of genre. All kinds of writing and discussion are welcome. The list is run with a minimum of management by Alan Sondheim and Sandy Baldwin, and is open to all. WRYTING-L is an email list for theory and writing, focusing on texts and comments presented by the participants. The list is managed out of the Center for Literary Computing at the West Virginia University. It is open to anyone, in or outside the University. The object is to provide a forum for writing and theory that may not fit within the confines of a particular discipline, in recognition of the recent interest in operating between and across theories and genres in the humanities and beyond. We're interested in all sorts of issues - 'avant-garde' pieces, psychoanalytical, phenomenological, or deconstructive approaches, etc. Wryting is cross-platform, cross-gender, cross-reason; it may involve embodiments of reader and writer, codework and sestinas, abstract language, the collapse of genre. If you are working with images, please give a URL; they won't come through the list. If you are working on an extremely long piece, you might want to give a URL as well (there is a 500-line limit on every post). WRYTING-L stems from the older fiction-of-philosophy list, which presented work between literature and theory, fiction and poetry, philosophy and lyric, and so forth. Any discussion and original work is welcome. To join send the message "subscribe wryting-l [your email address] [your name]" without the quotation marks and square brackets to listserv(a)listserv.wvu.edu Alternatively, you can go to the following online subscription screen: http://listserv.wvu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=wryting-l&A=1 A digest option is available.

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Re: [Air-l] air-l Digest, Vol 24, Issue 25
by Eduardo Villanueva 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

Mark, it is interesting that your point of view regarding the OLPC project is so different from the stated objectives by the promoters, like Negroponte, who insist that OLPC is not a computer project but an educational one (as stated in their project wiki). My opposition to OLPC, as I have stated before (macareo.pucp.edu.pe/evillan/shdf.htm), has to do with the educational perspective and the way governments are suppossed to heed the higher knowledge coming from "there", instead of developing local answers to local problems. While I would certainly cheer for lower cost hardware in my country, I do believe that OLPC will bring, in the long run, too many problems to make the cost-saving aspects worth anything at all. I support the OLPC project because I basically see it as an > additional low-cost hardware alternative. I'm all for computer > equipment becoming cheaper and more accessible, rather than > exclusively targeting the high end market. To be honest, even though > I see other aspects of technology implementation, such as teacher > development or curriculum development, as crucial, it never bothered > me that OLPC didn't provide these, because I never saw OLPC as a > single be-all, end-all, or any kind of total integrated package, but > just an additional hardware alternative. One of the positive > benefits I predicted from OLPC is that it would put downward pressure > on the computer price market, and I think that has already occurred, > through sparking other laptop and desktop projects targetted at > low-income groups in developing countries. OLPC also appears to be > developing some innovative design features that again might be more > broadly useful beyond this particular product (see the most recent > issue of Wired). Wojciech, I will not get into a debate on development theory here, but I believe my > organization should be defended. There are different stages of > development, > and to say that all we should do is provide people with nutritious food is > to ignore the complexities of development and the needs of society as a > whole. This is why there are eight Millennium Development Goals, and not > one. I cannot agree more with you. And precisely, OLPC reduces everything into one sole objective. That's wrong. For instance, regarding the comment on "one glass of milk per child": it has more or less happening here in Peru since the eighties, and good as it is, it has just solved one aspect of one problem (a specific kind of malnutrition) and has brought many others, like corruption and dependence on hand-outs when they are no longer needed, especially in urban areas where income has risen. So even specific solutions have to be retooled in the long run, to avoid creating newer problems. Sorry for the drift. Eduardo

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Fwd: ::fc-announce:: Mediamatic workshop: RFID and the Internet of Things
by Jeremy Hunsinger 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

Begin forwarded message: > From: workshops <workshops(a)mediamatic.nl> > Date: July 26, 2006 6:17:17 AM EDT > To: announce(a)fibreculture.org > Subject: ::fc-announce:: Mediamatic workshop: RFID and the Internet > of Things > > Upcoming workshop: RFID and The Internet of Things > 11, 12, 13 September 2006 > @ Mediamatic Amsterdam > > After a succesfull CrashCourse in May, Mediamatic now presents a > second workshop on RFID and The Internet of Things. > > > > RFID allows for the unique identification of objects, and any kind > of online data can be linked to these unique ID's. If RFID becomes > an open web-based platform, and users can tag, share, and > contribute content to the digital existence of their own places and > objects, we can truly speak of an Internet of Things. This opens > perpectives for new sustainability scenario's, for new relations > between people and the stuff they have, and for other locative > applications. > > > The participants of this workshop will develop critical, utopian or > nightmarish concepts for an Internet of Things in a hands-on way. > Ideas can range from scripts for small new rituals to outlines of > societal changes of epic scale. Prototypes can be tested with the > workshop tools The Symbolic Table or the Nokia3220 phone with RFID > reader. > > The workshop has room for 16 designers, artists, thinkers and > makers. Participation fee is €350 per person, ex BTW. Lunches, > technical equipment and assistance are included. If you want to > participate in this workshop, please register at our online > registration form: > http://www.mediamatic.net/workshopregistration > > > For questions or more information, surf to http:// > www.mediamatic.net/workshops, > > mail to workshops(a)mediamatic.nl, or call Klaas Kuitenbrouwer: +31 > 20 6389901. > > _______________________________________________ > ::fibreculture::announcements:: > To subscribe or unsubscribe from fibreculture announce, please > visit the List Info page: > http://fibreculture.org/mailman/listinfo/announce_fibreculture.org > > Fibreculture website: > http://www.fibreculture.org jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu wiki.tmttlt.com www.tmttlt.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.stswiki.org/ sts wiki http://cfp.learning-inquiry.info/ Learning Inquiry-the journal http://transdisciplinarystudies.tmttlt.com/ Transdisciplinary Studies:the book series

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Re: [Air-l] Social software and ICT on Wikipedia
by paolo massa 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

I found the blog post "Tracing the Evolution of Social Software" [1], published on October 13, 2004, very interesting. It starts with "The term 'social software', which is now used to define software that supports group interaction, has only become relatively popular within the last two or more years. However, the core ideas of social software itself enjoy a much longer history, running back to Vannevar Bush's ideas about 'memex' in 1945, and traveling through terms such as Augmentation, Groupware, and CSCW in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. By examining the many terms used to describe today's 'social software' we can also explore the origins of social software itself, and see how there exists a very real life cycle concerning the use of technical terminology." So here there is one more term "social software", luckly enough nobody mentioned "Web2.0" [2] yet ... ouch! ;-) And about ICT, you might like to know that there is no page for ICT on Wikipedia, in fact the "Information and communication technology" Wikipedia page [3] redirects to the "Information technology" Wikipedia page. Of course I'm not saying that if something is not on Wikipedia then that something does not exist but simply that someone might want to edit the Wikipedia pages related to the many concepts we are discussing on this mailing list, such as for example the CMC one [4] P. [1] http://www.lifewithalacrity.com/2004/10/tracing_the_evo.html [2] http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.… [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communication_technology [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-mediated_communication

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Moodle conference
by Derek McMillan 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

In the Moodle In the past “Virtual Learning Environments” were regarded with suspicion by teachers as a sci fi concept in which teachers are replaced with computers. After attending Moodlemoot ’06 at the Open University, I can honestly say that Moodle, the open source course management system, is actually whatever the teacher wants it to be. The course seminars included teachers from diverse disciplines from Science to English to Music and of course ICT who all used Moodle to teach in the way which suited them. Although the system is based on a social constructivist model of education, teachers frequently start out using it to replicate traditional classroom activities like essay-writing, feedback and redrafting or quizzes/tests with the slight difference that these are self-marking and pupils get instant feedback. Teachers only then go on to some of the more unusual features of Moodle like Wikis, blogs, asynchronous discussion groups and podcasting. And because it is Open Source free software, teachers can contribute to the future design of Moodle without some acquisitive corporations we could mention seeking to block them under the pretext of “business secrets”. Moodle is now used by over 100000 registered users, including the Open University. It is free to download and use and many schools and local authorities who have poured hundreds of thousands of pounds into the coffers of Microsoft are keen to find free software. If you want to find out more there is a website which talks about the conference and demonstrates the program at the same time. It is called http://moodlemoot.org/ and all of the conference is available as audio or video files. I recommend the audio file because the video quality will depend on the quality of your computer. ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - NEW crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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India Rejects One Laptop Per Child
by Wojciech Gryc 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

Hi, Keeping in mind the long discussion that was posted a few weeks ago with regards to the merits (or lack thereof) of the One Laptop Per Child project, I thought this may interest subscribers of this list: HRD rubbishes MIT's laptop scheme for kids http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1698603,curpg-1.cms So India has decided against the One Laptop Per Child Project (for now). Two arguments that stood out for me: 1. Poor rural children often have health problems that may be exacerbated by laptop use, especially those affecting eyesight and children's backs. 2. No developed country has universalized laptops for children, so why should India? I must say that the first argument is a perfect example of how people in developed countries often lack the foresight and local knowledge required to adequately decide whether a technology truly is "appropriate". Forget the merits to education or the potential for employability skills -- those are secondary to the potentially negative health effects of the laptops. Thanks, Wojciech Gryc -- Five Minutes to Midnight: Youth on human rights and current affairs http://www.fiveminutestomidnight.org/

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CMC, network of networks
by Barry Wellman 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

I believe that Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff were first/early users of "Computer Mediated Communication" (CMC) in the first edition of Hiltz, S. Roxanne, and Murray Turoff. 1978. The Network Nation. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Yup, that's before some list members were born. (But I don't have the book handy.) THeir Network Nation title was consciously adopted from Paul Craven and my "The Network City" paper (1973). Which also introduced "network of networks" well before the Internet. And which may have begat "THe Network Society" (Castells, 1996), and certainly begat Tracy Kennedy and my "The Network Household" (2007; ICS) and my "networked individualism" (2000; IJURR) As far as CMC/ICT, I've been increasingly using ICT because it encompasses information as well as communication. (Of course, info has to be communicated to be useful.) My sense is that the CSCW crowd still uses CMC a fair amount. Talk about anachronisms -- CSCW sure is a misleading one. But yet there is an annual conference. Everything old is new again. Barry _____________________________________________________________________ Barry Wellman Professor of Sociology NetLab Director wellman at chass.utoronto.ca http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 fax:+1-416-978-7162 You're invited to visit & contribute to the new version of "Updating Cybertimes: It's Time to Bring Our Culture into Cyberspace" http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php _____________________________________________________________________

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Ph.D. studentship on the World of Uncertainty
by O'Riordan, Kate 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Apologies for x post - may be of interest to some. all the best Kate --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ph.D. studentship on the World of Uncertainty The World of Uncertainty will be an educational computer game. In it decision-makers will learn how to manage scientific uncertainty. No longer will they be forced to make decisions based on simple certain narratives that fit into a TV debate on global warming. In a computer game, players can explore alternatives as they wander through a world of uncertainty. They will practice until they are as good as a bookmaker at estimating uncertainty. The EPSRC is funding QUB, UCL and Brunel University to develop and evaluate this game. The School of Management and Economics in Queen's University Belfast is now offering a postgraduate research studentship to work as part of the project team and complete a Ph.D evaluating the educational effects of the game. Full details of the post, studentship and requirements are online at http://is.mgt.qub.ac.uk/research/uncertainty/phdadvert.html . Or contact Dr. Brian Webb (e-mail: b.webb(a)qub.ac.uk or tel: +44 (0)28 90 27 3592) for further particulars. (Note that decision-makers, or those who try to teach them about uncertainty, are welcome to contact me <d.r.newman(a)qub.ac.uk> to discuss possibilities of evaluating the game when it was ready, or talk about possible scenarios for a computer game in their field. Potential students should contact Brian Webb for further details or send their applications to Sonia O'Hare as mentioned on the web page, since, as I'm on the interview panel, I may not correspond with individual applicants, following Northern Ireland fair employment procedures.) -- Dr. David R. Newman, Queen's University Belfast, School of Management and Economics, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (UK) Tel. +44 28 9097 3643 FAX: +44 28 9097 5156 mailto:d.r.newman@qub.ac.uk http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt/

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Crossmedia conference Amsterdam
by A.C.Vandergraaf＠lse.ac.uk 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Apologies for cross-posting --- PICNIC 06 Cross Media Week PICNIC 06 Cross Media Week is Amsterdams new annual event focused on creativity in cross media content and technology, specifically in the fields of entertainment and communication. PICNIC 06 is being organised under the direction of the Cross Media Week Foundation. The Foundation is mandated to bring together top creative professionals from around the world in Amsterdam to create new partnerships and opportunities, as well as to establish international networks. PICNIC 06 will take place from September 26 30 at the Westergasfabriek, a cultural facility located in a former gas factory. For more information, visit www.crossmediaweek.org Speakers Speakers will include top creatives and entrepreneurs such as Michael B. Johnson, Moving Picture Group Lead at Pixar Animation Studios, John de Mol, Co-Founder of Endemol and Founder of Talpa, Craig Newmark, Founder of craigslist, Philip Rosedale, Founder of Linden Lab/Second Life, Jamie Kantrowitz, Senior VP Marketing Europe at MySpace, and many more. Program The PICNIC 06 program will showcase content delivered via TV, the Internet, mobile phones, gaming, virtual reality and music services. Delegates will discuss major trends related to media, art and science, see innovative content, formats and channels, and develop new opportunities. Sessions will include networking picnics, interactive plenary discussions, content showcases, demos and a wide variety of workshops. To view the complete program, please visit www.crossmediaweek.org/program Government Partners City of Amsterdam and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs Corporate Partners MTV Networks, KPN, UPC, Liberty Global, chellomedia, KPMG, KLM, World Directories, Heineken, LB Icon, Sanoma Uitgevers and ilse media Service Partners Amsterdam Partners, Artmiks, KesselsKramer, Media Republic, nomadic | nomadic, Unit Creative Management Amsterdam, Viadesk, the Waag Society, Web Power, the Westergasfabriek and WhizPR Event Partners Association of Dutch Designers (BNO), Berkeley Cybersalon, European Archive, European Journalism Centre, Immovator Cross Media Network, Mediagilde, Mediamatic, Syntens, Virtual Institute for Research into Media Culture Amsterdam (VIRMA), Virtueel Platform, the Utrecht School of the Arts, and the Waag Society To sign up for regular event updates, visit www.crossmediaweek.org/requestinfo

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terminologies and handles
by Bram Dov Abramson 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Jillana Enteen <jillana(a)jillana.net>: > This is not to discourage specific considerations--which should use > terms as specifically as possible. At this point, studying "internet > use" may be too broad--www or IRC or mobile-to-mobile SMS, located in > a particular moment and among specific users speaks more to the point. Indeed, "Internet use" would have to exclude mobile-to-mobile SMS, for most current implementations of "Internet" and "mobile", and so it might not be broad enough. Similarly, the conflation of computers and networks and Internet would probably mean leaving things like non-networked PDAs, and digital books, and things of that ilk behind. Perhaps on that broader stage we are talking about, erm, "media", and especially digital media. I had remembered CMC, on the other hand, as especially about what used to be (still is?) called interpersonal communication. I confess I usually slip into "social software" for that range of the online world, although it doesn't conventionally catch, say, SMS either. ("Conventionally" because, if we thought too much about software on mobile phones, it'd surely lead us into wishing more mobile-service-provider-offered phones were designed to let us load our own software, and that would surely be astray.) Interpersonal media? Person-to-person communication -- a hijacking of P2P? Our terminological future is full of possibilities... Betty Hanson <betty.hanson(a)uconn.edu>: > I am searching for a label for ethnic communities that are created by > either the Internet or satellite television. That -- ethnogenesis as singly or primarily the result of Internet and satellite television participation -- sounds intriguing, and I'd love to hear more. But Stuart Hall talked about "new ethnicities", and a lot of interesting work has been done under that rubric. It doesn't foreground communications medium as you seek, but perhaps it is worth considering, or incorporating. cheers Bram

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