August 2014 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

CFP: Closed Systems / Open Worlds ( extended deadline: Sept. 15, 2014)
by Jeremy hunsinger 19 Aug '14

19 Aug '14

Closed Systems / Open Worlds ( extended deadline: Sept. 15, 2014) Contact: ClosedandOpenBook(a)gmail.com Deadline for précis: 15 September 2014 Edited by: Jeremy Hunsinger (Wilfrid Laurier University), Jason Nolan (Ryerson University) & Melanie McBride (York University) This book will consist of explorations at the boundaries of virtual worlds as enclosed but encouraging spaces for exploration, learning, and enculturation. Game/worlds like Second Life, OpenSim, Minecraft, and Cloud Party are providing spaces for the construction of alternatives and reimaginings, though frequently they end up more as reproductions. We seek to challenge those spaces and their creativities and imaginings. These worlds exist as both code and conduct. Code is a modulating multiple signifier, in that the interpreters of the code vary from human to machine and that our understanding of the signifier changes the worldliness in itself. The conduct of both participants and administrators of these spaces influences how they flourish and then fade. As such the worlds and their anima/animus are socially constructed fictions where authors/creators/users, both above and below the actions are sometimes in concert, yet often in conflict with the space and intentions of the originators. This book seeks critically engaged scholars who want to risk the possibility of change in the face of closed systems. We are looking for critical or speculative essays that must be theoretically, empirically and/or contextually grounded chapters of 5000-6500 words plus apparatus. Doctoral students and non-tenure faculty members will be afforded blind peer review upon request. We are aiming for 12 -14 chapters that define the boundaries and thus likely futures of research on virtual worlds. Dates Sept. 15, 2014 – 250 word précis with 5-10 key references Sept. 30, 2014 – accept/reject proposals Feb 1, 2015 – final draft due July 1, 2015 – feedback from reviewers September 1, 2015 – final version December 1, 2015 – in press Queries and submissions: ClosedandOpenBook(a)gmail.com Topics may include: • alternative and minor game/virtual/etc. worlds • archeologies/genealogies of virtuality • augmented and mixed-reality worlds • distributed cognitions • early explorations in virtual learning environments • the freedom of limitations • identity construction and/or identity tourism • the limits of simulation and emulation • memories and forgetting in virtual worlds • multisensory virtual environments • multisensory exclusions in virtual worlds • narratival and post-narratival andragogies, ‘learning worlds’ • negative spaces as learning spaces (bullying, trolling, flaming, etc.) in virtual worlds • non-social virtual worlds (dwarf fortress, some forms of minecraft, etc.) • real world virtual worlds and boundaries (Lego, Hello Kitty, WebKinz, etc.) • replication of real world environments/problems • surrealism, unrealism and constructable alterities of/within virtual worlds • transformative virtual classroom • vapourware and virtuality • the virtuality of learning -- jeremy hunsinger Director of Cultural Studies Assistant Professor Communication Studies Wilfrid Laurier University www.tmttlt.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.stswiki.org/ sts wiki http://transdisciplinarystudies.tmttlt.com/ Transdisciplinary Studies:the book series I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. -Pablo Picasso

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Book announcement: Introduction to Game Analysis
by Clara Fernandez-Vara 19 Aug '14

19 Aug '14

Dear all, If you'll excuse the self-promoting email, I'd like to announce that my book Introduction to Game Analysis is now for sale at your usual outlets. Its goal is to introduce students and scholars new to game studies to the building blocks of games and the various approaches that one can follow to write an analysis. For those of you who teach in academic institutions, there are review copies available - just click on the title of the book below. If you end up using it in class, I would love to hear from you. Thank you all! Clara Fernandez-Vara Out Now: Introduction to Game Analysis <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHIWweLaDrWeYSHWatcrb> Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/q/121TGhkDbSoaXQXbA7K3/wv> | Add to safe senders <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/n/1c8p4l3w6cZo7> | Forward to a Friend <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/f/134PYVgPOwWyoLSee96e> [image: Routledge] <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHJZsxp6Q4ANmjCRd7dNm> *Introduction to Game Analysis* <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHL2oQ332HflJKxMfLf9x>By *Clara Fernández-Vara* *Introduction to Game Analysis* <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHM5l8GZfjTU7bsHipgvI> serves as an accessible guide to analyzing games using strategies borrowed from textual analysis. Clara Fernández-Vara’s concise primer provides instruction on the basic building blocks of game analysis—examination of context, content and reception, and formal qualities—as well as the vocabulary necessary for talking about videogames' distinguishing characteristics. Examples are drawn from a range of games, both digital and non-digital—from *Bioshock * and *World of Warcraft *to Monopoly—and the book provides a variety of exercises and sample analyses, as well as a comprehensive ludography and glossary.. Best, *Routledge Marketing* *"As video games become increasingly important in our lives, the need for a guide towards a deeper understanding of games as media experiences has never been greater. Introduction to Game Analysis accomplishes this task brimming with depth, precision, and heart."*--Mikael Jakobsson, Comparative Media Studies & MIT Game Lab *"With this volume, the field of game studies now has a thoughtful and comprehensive approach for how to engage in meaningful critique of digital games. Fernández-Vara offers a multitude of theoretical and analytical building blocks and frameworks to help writers produce well-honed critiques of games as well as the social, cultural and technical contexts that surround them."*--Mia Consalvo, Concordia University *Check out our latest catalog...* <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHN8hrkVrWysuCnCl3hRT> ------------------------------ *[image: Like us on Facebook]* <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHObdJYREzd0S3ixnHje4> [image: follow us on Twitter] <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHQh6lgK3Ow7CV8nsZlWq> *[image: Join us on LinkedIn]* <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/o/1OV5uGhVDgHpk?mini=true&url=%24AMF_PERMALINK%24…> <http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/114yHRk2DUGgraG0m3ivDniB>[image: Taylor & Francis - Routledge - Psychology Press - CRC Press - Focal Press] Copyright 2014 Taylor & Francis, an Informa business. Taylor & Francis is a trading name of Informa UK Limited, registered in England under no. 1072954. Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London, W1T 3JH. We respect your privacy and will not disclose, rent or sell your email address to any outside organizations.

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Professionalization Website
by Jonathan Sterne, Dr. 19 Aug '14

19 Aug '14

Dear Colleagues, Apologies for crossposting. Since 1999, I have maintained a collection of web pages that provides links to useful resources for people on the academic job market in communication studies, though others in critical humanities fields may find the materials useful as well. In recent years, I have added material on other aspects of professional life and will continue to do so. You can find it at: http://sterneworks.org/Academe New this year: links on disability and the PhD, peer review ethics, and campus rape culture. I am always looking for good suggestions for material to add to the site, and as you'll see, I have used it to archive some material that has been circulated in other fora. If you have a suggestion for a link or a document worth archiving, or a correction to a typo or missing or expired link, please email me at jonathan.sterne(a)mcgill.ca<mailto:jonathan.sterne@mcgill.ca>. Please note that I do not post or keep track of job ads, nor am I interested in promoting commercial services or people's websites. I intend to continue building the site, so suggestions for other areas to cover would be appreciated. Thanks for reading. Sincerely, --Jonathan -- Jonathan Sterne Professor and James McGill Chair in Culture and Technology Acting Director, Media@McGill (2014-15) Department of Art History and Communication Studies McGill University http://sterneworks.org | http://media.mcgill.ca | http://mcgill.ca/ahcs MP3: The Meaning of a Format<http://www.dukeupress.edu/Catalog/ViewProduct.php?productid=47544>

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Survey Research Being Collected on Second Life Avatar Usage
by Dr. Pam Kirk 18 Aug '14

18 Aug '14

My graduate student is collecting data for a new study about avatar usage in Second Life. If you use this virtual world software and would like to participate in the approximately 10-minute survey, please click on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/marxweber Thanks for helping a fellow educator and researcher! Pam Hunt Kirk (professor) & Danny V. Sherman (graduate student) University of West Georgia -- ____________ Pam Hunt Kirk, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Sociology University of West Georgia

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2014 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium - Context in Information Behavior Research: Call for Participation
by Lu Xiao 18 Aug '14

18 Aug '14

Sorry for cross-posting. CALL FOR PARTICIPATION All the interested researchers, graduate students, and information professionals are invited to submit a proposal for a short presentation (i.e., approximately 5-8 minutes in the form of lightning talks). Proposals for lightning talks should be one to two pages long (500-1000 words) and outline the topic and themes that will be addressed during the talk. Proposed topics must be relevant to the Symposium theme - "Context in information behavior research" (See below). ABOUT THE 2014 SIG-USE SYMPOSIUM: Theme: "Context in Information Behavior Research" Date: November 1, 2014 (Saturday) Time: 1:30 to 6:30 pm Location: Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Seattle, WA, USA The importance of context in human information behavior research has been well established. Nonetheless, it has been observed that although contextual aspects are included in most research, they tend to serve as the backdrop of a study, and not as its focus. Stronger emphasis on context will enhance our understanding of information behavior. The purpose of this symposium is to explore the role and impact of context, aiming to advance scholarship and knowledge concerning this key component of information behavior research. This symposium will focus on themes including, but not limited to: • Conceptual and theoretical aspects: Focusing on the conceptual and theoretical understanding of context in information behavior research, papers may explore questions such as the following: What does “context” really mean? What is the nature of context in the research frameworks of information behavior studies (e.g., as the background/setting, the explanatory factor, the manipulation condition, or the outcome variable of a research study)? How are relationships between individuals, groups, and contexts surrounding the information behavior conceptualized? To what extent and in what way do variables representing features at broader levels of aggregation (e.g., group level, organizational level, societal level) affect the information behavior of an individual? What philosophical and theoretical perspectives and frameworks can be used to study contexts? • Methodological aspects: From the research method perspective, papers may examine issues such as: What factors need to be considered when selecting methods and/or instruments for studies of various contexts? What are the methodological challenges and opportunities of studying information behavior in a particular context? • Context-related research: With strong focus on contexts, papers may probe questions such as: What is the typical information behavior in a particular context? How different is the information behavior in one context from the other? How does the context factor interact with other factors (e.g., user characteristics)? • Meta-analysis of context-related research: Context-related research may be analyzed to explore questions such as: What kinds of research have been done in relation to contexts? How do different aspects of context impact different LIS areas (e.g., information literacy, design of information systems/services, etc.) and in what way? Submission guidelines for Lightning talk proposals: - Author’s name, title, and institutional affiliation should be included at the top of the proposal. - Proposal text must be 500-1000 words. - Submission should be in pdf or doc format. The file should be named as ‘2014_SIGUSEsympo_FirstAuthor'sLastName". - Submission should be done by sending your draft to sigusesym2014(a)gmail.com (Subject: SIGUSE_FirstAuthor’sLastname). A proposal should be submitted by midnight Hawaii Time on September 1, 2014. - Accepted submissions will be made available through the public SIG-USE website both before and after the Symposium. - Accepted submissions may be invited for publication in the next volume of the SIG USE/ASIS&T Monograph Series. - If there are still open spaces available, the symposium will be open to ASIS&T attendees who do not have a Lightning talk. Registration is still required. IMPORTANT DATES: September 1, 2014: Submission due date for extended abstracts or position papers September 20, 2014: Notification of acceptance October 25, 2014: Submission due date for Lightning talk slides REGISTRATION FEES: * SIG-USE Members: $90 * ASIS&T (but not SIG-USE) Members: $100 * Non-Members: $120 The registration fee will cover workshop costs, wireless Internet access, and coffee breaks. WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Lu Xiao (Co-Chair), University of Western Ontario K.-Sun Kim (Co-Chair), University of Wisconsin-Madison Nicole Cooke, University of Illinois Nicole Gaston, Open Polytechnic of New Zealand Amelia Gibson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Sei-Ching Joanna Sin, Nanyang Technological University Sue Yeon Syn, Catholic University of America Pertti Vakkari, University of Tampere For more information about SIG-USE: http://siguse.wordpress.com/ Please forward any questions that you have to Lu Xiao (lxiao24(a)uwo.ca) or K.-Sun "Sunny" Kim (kskim(a)slis.wisc.edu) Lu Xiao & K.-Sun Kim 2014 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium Co-chairs Lu Xiao Assistant Professor Faculty of Information & Media Studies, Department of Computer Science University of Western Ontario London, Canada http://hii.fims.uwo.ca Recent JASIST publications: The Effects of Rationale Awareness in Iterative Human Computation Processes <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.23079/abstract> What Influences Online Deliberation? A Wikipedia Study <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.23004/abstract>

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Final reminder: CFP - Entanglements: Activism and Technology (Fibreculture Journal)
by Jean Burgess 18 Aug '14

18 Aug '14

Call For Papers- June 2014_Entanglements: Activism and Technology<http://fibreculturejournal.org/files/2014/06/FCJ_CFP2014_Entanglements.pdf> (PDF) http://fibreculturejournal.org/ http://fibreculturejournal.org/cfp_entanglements/ —- Please note that for this issue, initial submissions should be abstracts only Issue Editors: Pip Shea, Tanya Notley and Jean Burgess Abstract deadline: August 20 2014 (no late abstracts will be accepted) Article deadline: November 3 2014 Publication aimed for: February 2015 all contributors and editors must read the guidelines at: http://fibreculturejournal.org/policy-and-style/ before working with the Fibreculture Journal Email correspondence for this issue: p.shea(a)qub.ac.uk <mailto:p.shea@qub.ac.uk> This themed issue explores the entanglements that arise due to frictions between the philosophies embedded within technologies and the philosophies embedded within activism. Straightforward solutions are rarely on offer as the bringing together of different philosophies requires the negotiation of acceptance, compromise, or submission (Tsing 2004). This friction can be disruptive, productive, or both, and it may contribute discord or harmony. In this special issue, we seek submissions that respond to the idea that frictions between technologies and activists may ultimately enhance the ability of activists to take more control of their projects, create new ethical spaces and subvert technologies, just as it may also result in tension, conflict and hostility. By dwelling in between and within these frictions and entanglements – through strategic and tactical media discourses as well as the very concept of an activist politics within technology – this special issue will elucidate the context-specific nature, constraints and possibilities of the digital environments that are co-habited by activists from proximate fields including social movements, human rights, ecological and green movements, international development, community arts and cultural development. Past issues of the Fibreculture Journal have examined activist philosophies from angles such as social justice and networked organisational forms, communication rights and net neutrality debates, and the push back against precarious new media labour. Our issue extends this work by revealing the conflicting debates that surround activist philosophies of technology. Submissions are sought that engage specifically with the ethics, rationales and methods adopted by activists to justify selecting, building, using, promoting or rejecting specific technologies. We also encourage work that considers the ways in which these negotiations speak to broader mythologies and tensions embedded within digital culture – between openness and control; political consistency and popular appeal; appropriateness, usability and availability. We invite responses to these provocations from activists, practitioners and academics. Critiques, case studies, and multimedia proposals will be considered for inclusion. Submissions should explore both constraints and possibilities caused by activism and its digital technology entanglements through the following themes: * Alternative technology versus appropriate technology * Pragmatism and technology choice * The philosophies and practices of hacking technologies * Activist cultures and the proprietary web * Digital privacy and security breaches and errors * Uncovering and exposing technology vulnerabilities * Technology and e-waste * The philosophies of long/short term impact * Authenticity and evidence Initial submissions should comprise 300 word abstracts and 60 word biographies, emailed to p.shea(a)qub.ac.uk<mailto:p.shea@qub.ac.uk> and t.notley(a)uws.edu.au<mailto:t.notley@uws.edu.au> References: Tsing, A. 2005 Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection. Princeton: Princeton University Press. The Fibreculture Journal (http://fibreculturejournal.org/) is a peer reviewed international journal, associated with Open Humanities Press (http://openhumanitiespress.org/) that explores critical and speculative interventions in the debate and discussions concerning information and communication technologies and their policy frameworks, network cultures and their informational logic, new media forms and their deployment, and the possibilities of socio-technical invention and sustainability.

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Public Lecture, National Library of Australia: Working with the Crowd
by Mathieu.O'Neil 18 Aug '14

18 Aug '14

The News & Media Research Centre (N&MRC), University of Canberra, presents a Public Lecture: WORKING WITH THE CROWD: ENGAGING PARTICIPATION IN ONLINE CROWDS AND COMMUNITIES Ferguson Room, National Library of Australia Tuesday August 26, 5.30PM-7PM The lecture will be delivered by the N&MRC's Visiting International Scholar Professor Caroline Haythornthwaite About the Speaker Caroline Haythornthwaite is the Director and Professor of Library, Archival and Information Studies at The iSchool at The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. Her research areas explore the way interaction, via computer media, supports and affects work, learning, and social interaction, primarily from a social-network-analysis perspective. Lecture Abstract The organization of work is changing. The change began with the first move to online communication and has accelerated with each new innovation in social media and social networking. The latest challenge entails harnessing the crowd - crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, crowd creativity, and more - to address work needs. This focus promises the contributory power of many without the obligation to plan for long-term maintenance of the workforce. The turn to the crowd represents a marked change from earlier attention to communities. What have we gained and lost in focusing on the crowd over the community? What do we know about each form of organizing that can help in matching tasks and goals to crowd and community options? How can we harness the power of crowds as well as the commitment of communities? This presentation outlines two models for design and analysis of contributory practice: a lightweight model that draws on a crowd perspective to address tasks and rewards from discrete contributors, and a heavyweight model that draws on a community perspective to address contributions from connected contributors. The future of crowdsourcing entails multiple models of contributory practice, some of which entail full commitment to the goals of the work, trust in the use of contributions, and payoffs - however near or far - for society, the environment, and the next generation. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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Ratio FTP servers?
by Nicholas John 17 Aug '14

17 Aug '14

Hello all, I had some helpful responses to my recent query about early private BitTorrent trackers - thanks to all those who wrote to me. I’ve now got a follow-up question: does anyone here know anything about ratio FTP servers? I feel like I’m getting into some fairly obscure corners and would certainly love it if someone could help shed some light in them. Nik ____________ Nicholas John Department of Communication, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Tel: +972-54-7906073 @nicholasajohn https://sites.google.com/site/smarthuji/people/faculty/dr-nicholas-john

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From: ilg1953@gmail.com
by ilg1953＠gmail.com 17 Aug '14

17 Aug '14

Greetings air http://ligurianautica.tv/catch.php?vpmsk2572wyn ilg1953(a)gmail.com

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2nd CfP and scholarship announcement
by Unsworth,Kristene 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

In addition to posting the 2nd CfP for ASIS&T SIG-IFP/SIG-III workshop; I want to announce three scholarship opportunities. We are pleased to offer 2 workshop fee waivers to current students working in the areas of information policy, information ethics, legal issues of information, surveillance studies etc. We will also offer 1 workshop fee waiver to a professional in the field. This individual should be working outside of the university. These awards will be based on reviews of submitted extended abstracts or position papers by the workshop planning committee: due September 1. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ASIS&T SIG-IFP / SIG-III joint sponsored workshop: "Trust in the Age of Data (big or small)" https://www.asis.org/asist2014/seminars_workshops_Information_Policy.html Date: October 31, 2014 (Friday) Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm Location: Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Seattle, WA, USA ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: We plan this workshop as an interactive event focused around the scholarship of trust. This is an opportunity for scholars to fine-tune position papers and works-in-progress as they are informed via the workshop discussions and activities, and brainstorm about methodological approaches to studying trust in the context of government and corporate use of big data, emerging technologies, and globalized infrastructures. Participants who do not present a work-in-progress or position paper, but are in attendance as a general workshop participant, will have the opportunity to further develop ideas and interests that are related to information policy, ethics, and trust. This workshop will enable participants to engage, challenge, support, and encourage each other on questions such as: the importance of trust; theorizing the concept of trust; conceptualizing trust around a set of relationships; understanding trust in the relationship between citizens and the state; reconciling trust with NSA (and other agency) surveillance; trust in international or intra-national state to state relationships; and trust in other communities, including between and among dominant and underrepresented groups in society. We will address questions such as: ● How are researchers conceptualizing trust in the age of data? ● How can scholars investigate infrastructures of trust? ● Are understandings of trust shifting? If so, with what consequences, in which contexts? ● When is trust justified? When is it not justified? Should decision-makers focus on and build trustworthiness rather than (mere) trust? ● What are the economic, political and legal implications of trust in the age of data (big and small)? ● How does policy design build/undermine trust? ● What are the ethics of trust in the age of data? This workshop aims to bring together scholars from across the information science fields (LIS, Archives, Museums, HCI, Law, Policy) to lend their respective lens’s to a critical exploration of trust. CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: All interested researchers, graduate students, and information professionals are invited to submit a proposal for: 1) works-in-progress research papers, 2) short position statements and/or short information policy/trust scenarios (e.g., critical reflection on policies already in place or developing new policy), 3) abstracts describing possible existing or novel methodological approaches to researching the relationships between data and trust in a range of contexts. IMPORTANT DATES: September 1, 2014: Submission due date for extended abstracts or position papers September 20, 2014: Notification of acceptance October 15, 2014: Submit presentations (drafts, outlines, slides, etc.) REGISTRATION FEES: https://www.asis.org/asist2014/seminars_workshops_Information_Policy.html Fees Early-bird: SIG/IFP or SIG/III Members $190, Members $200, Non-members $220 Regular: SIG/IFP or SIG/III Members $210, Members $220, Non-members $240 The registration fee will cover workshop costs, wireless Internet access, lunch and coffee breaks. WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Kristene Unsworth, Drexel University; Lisa P. Nathan, University of British Columbia; Alan Rubel, University of Wisconsin; Bryce Clayton Newell, University of Washington; Nadia Caidi, University of Toronto; Elizabeth Shaffer, University of British Columbia; Adam D. Moore, University of Washington; Heather MacNeil, University of Toronto Please forward any questions that you have to Kris Unsworth (unsworth(a)drexel.edu<mailto:unsworth@drexel.edu>) or Bryce Newell (bcnewell(a)uw.edu<mailto:bcnewell@uw.edu>). Kristene Unsworth 2014 SIG-IFP chair ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kristene Unsworth, PhD. Assistant Professor The College of Computing & Informatics Drexel University 3141 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Tel: 215.895.6016 | Fax: 215.895.2494 Drexel.edu/cci<http://cci.drexel.edu/>

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