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

Avatar interactions in virtual spaces: just mechanics?
by Sarah Brooke Robbins 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

Some of you may have read this article. I'm very curious about the findings here. I've always held that conventions and social mores in virtual environments are more dependant on the mechanics of the environment (what's possible dictates what is done). It also seems the user skill wasn't really taken into account. If I don't know how to perform that actions required to display social interaction with another avatar does that mean I'm not interacting? In case you missed it: Title: Concept of 'personal space' survives in virtual reality Sub: Psychologists find real-world social rules mirrored in 'Second Life' interactions. By Jim Giles (Published 11-SEPT-06) http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060911/full/060911-3.html<https://webmail.bsu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.nature.com/new…> -- Sarah "Intellagirl" Robbins http://www.intellagirl.com http://secondlife.intellagirl.com Yahoo: Intellagirl Skype: Intellagirl SecondLife: Intellagirl Tully

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recent discussion on relevance
by Carol Perryman 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

"I wouldn't say we all have the 'have to' impulse, having deleted a number of these recent emails outright rather than wade through them all while hoping for something list-relevant :)" I would appreciate it very much, myself, if people did not feel the need to include the entire previous message when responding. I can track back if I want to, and sometimes do (in my digested list). -- Carol Perryman MSLIS TRLN Doctoral Fellow School of Information & Library Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill It has taken me all of sixty years to understand that water is the finest drink - Taha Muhammad Ali

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Dr. Aristotle
by Dr. W. Reid Cornwell 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

If I am so out in left field why have so few addressed the "truth of the assertion?" Why does this produce such anger? Do you see your name on any of this or do you have such a powerful group identity that a criticism of the group becomes personal? Both of these articles were part of an Encyclopedia Britannica editorial series by request. You should look at the comments on Gather to the same editorials. http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976788155 and http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976781580 I welcome your comments. I truly intended to leave quietly, but Jeremy and Charles seemed so intent on pinning the tail on Rasputin I said what the heck. Reid ________________________________ Dr. W. Reid Cornwell The Center For Internet Research P.O. Box 6369 Breckenridge, CO 720.212.0719 (phone) 970.485.5109 (mobile) wrc(a)tcfir.org http://tcfir.org

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Re: [Air-l] Open access publishing (was a modest proposal)
by William Bain 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

On Elija's post of "In the circles of "digital humanists" or "technorhetoricians", it is fairly frequently discussed that the common currency of a humanities tenure case is frequently the *book*, rather than the article. Books are, of course, [or perhaps *not* of course...] less frequently OA or released 'gratis' than journal articles or entries into conference proceedings are.... : points taken and thanks very much! When I sent my original question I hadn't seen the Directory of Open Access Journals (http://www.doaj.org/) . 85 hits for languages and literatures, 58 for llinguistics; journals represented in different languages (as you're probably already aware). Thanks again, William William Bain PhD Student Comparative Literature Department of Spanish Philology Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona --------------------------------- All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

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Re: [Air-l] Air-list
by William Bain 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

I'd be against censoring and right now can't see the point of the kind of limiting that's being suggested in terms of number of posts permitted. Won't classification of what's on or off topic work itself out? Ways of addressing colleagues seems already to be written into the charter, though admittedlly respectful speech is hard to define. Could there be a sysstem of voting on sanctioned offenders? I don't know. William William Bain PhD Student Comparative Literature Department of Spanish Philology Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona --------------------------------- All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

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Rensselaer HCI Faculty Position
by James P. Zappen 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

The search for a faculty member in human-computer interaction at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is open and ongoing (since last February). I append an updated announcement below, with the new dates for this year's search. Please apply and/or circulate this announcement among potentially qualified candidates. Thank you. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of Language, Literature and Communication Tenure Track Faculty Position (Rank Open) in Human-Computer Interaction The Department of Language, Literature and Communication seeks a strong scholar/researcher in human-computer interaction. We will consider candidates in any area of HCI; however, we are especially interested in candidates whose research interests are in the areas of social computing, mobile/ubiquitous computing, or user-centered design, and who implement systems or perform rigorous laboratory or field studies as part of their research approach. Candidates are expected to develop a substantial program of research leading to peer-reviewed publication and external funding. A junior candidate should show evidence of strong promise in teaching and scholarship and a senior candidate should have a strong record in teaching and scholarship. Teaching opportunities will be at the undergraduate and graduate level with the typical teaching load set at two courses per semester. Desirable teaching expertise includes interface prototyping and implementation, HCI usability and evaluation techniques, and design methodology. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary faculty conducting state-of-the-art research on communication in technologically mediated contexts in areas such as human-computer interaction, communication studies, digital rhetoric, technical communication, media studies, and graphic design. The department has just added a new M.S. in Human Computer Interaction to a program portfolio that includes one of the top-ranked Ph.D.s in Communication and Rhetoric and a joint B.S. in Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication. The department also makes substantial contributions to teaching in a B.S. and M.S. in Information Technology and has a joint B.S. in game studies under development. Faculty and students have access to the Social and Behavioral Laboratory (http://www.sbrl.rpi.edu) and other Institute research facilities. More information about the department is available at http://www.llc.rpi.edu. Rensselaer is a U.S. News and World Report top-50 university with approximately 5000 undergraduate and 2500 graduate students. It is located in the emerging "Tech Valley" region of the Hudson River Valley with New York City, Boston, and Montreal only a few hours away. The region is known for its quality of life: Outdoor recreation opportunities in the Adirondack and Berkshire Mountains are only an hour or so away. The area boasts affordable Victorian architecture and is a cultural center for the arts. Rensselaers own EMPAC the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center will provide unsurpassed facilities for creative exploration and for research linking art and technology when it opens in 2007. Appointment begins August 15, 2007. Review of applications will begin October 15, 2006 and will continue until suitable candidates are identified. Application letter, current c.v., writing samples, and three letters of recommendation should be sent to: James P. Zappen, Search Committee Chair Department of Language, Literature, and Communication Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th Street Troy, NY 12180 Email: zappenj(a)rpi.edu Telephone: (518) 276-8117 Fax: (518) 276- 4092 10-0-0

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Re: [Air-l] (no subject)
by Nancy Baym 14 Sep '06

14 Sep '06

> I understand that they are young and that they are computer scientists. > > Does anyone realize how astoundingly irrelevent and pseudo-scientific these > remarks seem? Are you proud that you made them? I don't see why it is either irrelevant or psuedoscientific to say that young people whose training and expertise is in designing computer systems are not as likely to be as savvy about communication or social scientific research methods or as well attuned to how those affect their own sites as people who specialize in those topics and skills. As Ive said on last.fm, I don't think it makes sense for the developers to also be in charge of user-assessment and communication with users. Those are different skill sets. In my discussions with the last.fm staff their status as developers rather than social scientists or PR people is a point they themselves make in defense of their communicative shortcomings. I think one of the critical problems in the future of Web2 sites is how well those who are designing them will be able to successfully understand what makes their users want to participate, how their users use the sites, and how they can best interact with their users. I would expect people who have more life experience and who specialize in understanding people and communication to be better at that. Given my own age and background, I would not expect others to think I'd be great at writing code that will capture the spirit of youth, nor would I take it as an insult if people noticed that about me. Nancy

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Dear Dr. Aristotle
by Dr. W. Reid Cornwell 13 Sep '06

13 Sep '06

Dr. Socrates P. Aristotle Provost Stellar University Dear Dr. Aristotle, I am applying for a position at your University. I believe that over the years I have acquired some knowledge that could be useful to your students. I would like the opportunity to teach and share this with them. Let me tell you about myself. I dropped out of formal education at 13. I took an apprenticeship in a local book bindery where I took the opportunity to read most of the books in our shop. After 7 years I applied for a position as a lab technician for a notable scientist. I was rejected. I attended one of his lectures and took notes. I then sent those to him and was hired. I served this scientist for many years and on occasion acted as his valet. Although he was condescending and haughty, I learned from him. I might add that during my association with him I was able to do some of my own investigations and was lucky enough to discover some basic principles in electro-magnetism. My work has been received well, but I have not had the opportunity to formally teach. Which brings me to the original purpose of this communication, you have advertised a position teaching in the Physics department. I believe I can do this with distinction. May I have an interview? Regards, Michael Faraday PS I have several publications. Please feel free to review them. _______________________________________________ Could this person get hired in any University in the United States? ________________________________ Dr. W. Reid Cornwell The Center For Internet Research P.O. Box 6369 Breckenridge, CO 720.212.0719 (phone) 970.485.5109 (mobile) wrc(a)tcfir.org http://tcfir.org

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position announcement (Web Use Project, Northwestern University)
by Eszter Hargittai 13 Sep '06

13 Sep '06

Hi, I am hiring for a full-time staff position in my research group. Details are below. If you know of someone in the Chicagoland area who may be interested (or someone somewhere else who'd be up for moving to the area), please let them know about this opportunity. Thank you! Eszter Project Coordinator The Web Use Project, a social science research group at Northwestern University, is looking for a full-time Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator will work closely with Professor Eszter Hargittai, her graduate students and undergraduate students in coordinating, overseeing and administering research studies on young people's Internet uses. See http://www.webuse.northwestern.edu for more information about the research group and http://www.eszter.northwestern.edu for more information about Prof. Eszter Hargittai's work. *Responsibilities: Coordinate the day-to-day activities for research projects; Recruit, hire, and oversee the management of undergraduate research assistants; Schedule the use of lab space for lab members and research activities; Manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions; Coordinate with off-site project consultants; Organize scheduling of data collection; Oversee and administer data collection; Interview study participants; Conduct training sessions; Manage research databases and locked data cabinets; Manage the security and use of equipment; Ensure conformity to research group policies and perform other related duties as assigned. *Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Communication, Sociology, Social Policy, Human Development, Education, Psychology, or a related field; 1-3 years of work experience; Strong organizational skills; Strong written and verbal communication skills; Excellent interpersonal skills; Strong problem solving and analytical skills; Ability to work in a professional manner as both a self-starter and a team member; Intermediate-Advanced skills in Microsoft Office (particularly Word and Excel); and Intermediate-Advanced skills in using Web interfaces. *Desired Qualifications: Master's degree in Communication, Sociology, Social Policy, Human Development, Education, Psychology, or a related field; 3+ years of social science research experience; Project management; Advanced skills in Microsoft Office (particularly Word and Excel); Experience with quantitative data; Experience with public speaking; Skills in use of Stata. *Salary: between $35,000-$38,000 (based on experience) plus benefits This position is scheduled to end after one year; based on availability of funds and satisfactory performance it may be renewed for a second year. Please send cover letter, resume and reference contact information to Eszter Hargittai at jobs06-at-webuse.org. You must also submit your application through the Northwestern eRecruit system: https://nuhr.northwestern.edu/hr89prod_er/erecruit_login.html This is position #10572. Keywords: research, project coordinator, Communication, Sociology, Education, lab manager Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. Members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

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postdoc glut and the overproduction of ph.d.'s?
by Jeremy Hunsinger 13 Sep '06

13 Sep '06

http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/24607/ http://www.the-scientist.com/2006/9/1/13/1/ http://www.the-scientist.com/2006/9/1/42/1/ The scientist has a nice series of articles and a blog post about the overproduction of ph.d.'s this is something i'm sure most graduate student colleagues are feeling, especially on the job market. the articles focus specifically on the special sciences, but given our recent job postings, i think it might be worth considering for internet research. Jeremy Hunsinger School of Library and Information Science Pratt Institute () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Association of Internet Researchers http://www.stswiki.org/ stswiki http://cfp.learning-inquiry.info/ LI-the journal http://transdisciplinarystudies.tmttlt.com/ Transdisciplinary Studies:the book series

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