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Academic Labor in Communication Studies -- Call for Papers, Commentary and Multimedia (deadline: 1 June 2011)
by Jonathan Sterne, Dr. 05 Apr '11

05 Apr '11

(apologies for cross-posting; please distribute widely) International Journal of Communication Feature Special Section on Academic Labor and Administration in Communication Studies Edited by Jonathan Sterne Academic labor today is characterized by a series of disconcerting trends: an increasingly casualized professoriate; universities that increasingly depend on chronically undercompensated part-time and graduate student labor to support their course offerings; a top-down managerial style and erosion of faculty governance; increasing economic exploitation of staff and undergraduates; rising student debt; governments that attack public education; shrinking endowments (for the schools that had them) and heighted expectations for sponsored research; wooden research assessment exercises; and the acute uncertainty of the academic job market for recent PhD graduates. Against these, there is a growing academic labor movement, with its own intellectual organs like Workplace and Edufactory and a wide range of activist manifestations, from labor unions to non-commercial alternative universities. Academic journals have also fielded debate in this area, from Social Text’s foray into the Yale Strike to Topia’s announced special issue on the anniversary of Bill Readings’ The University in Ruins. This special forum of the International Journal of Communication aims to make two contributions to the ongoing discussion of academic labor. 1. To encourage university administrators – current and former – who are sympathetic to the academic labor movement and the new student activism to reflect on their experiences in administration and thereby provide useful knowledge for activists, organizers, and others. Much of the existing literature on academic labor treats university administrations as a fairly monolithic “management,” yet university administrations are riddled with conflict, contradiction and constraint. In most instances, administrators used to be faculty members, and in many they will be again, once their administrative terms are over. A better understanding of the politics and conflicts of administration may be useful in the struggle for better conditions within universities as places to work and study. 2. To encourage people in Communication Studies – at all levels in the field – to reflect directly on the state of academic labor in our field. Much of the academic labor literature has come from fields with considerably worse job markets than Communication Studies, like English and History. Yet Communication Studies does not conform to so well to models of those other fields, either academically or institutionally. More importantly, it is possible that within professional organizations and within departments we can begin to address some of these issues. But first, we need to confront them. Submissions should be 500-4000 words in length and may come in any form of critical commentary piece, ranging from academic analysis of some aspect of the current crisis; to personal/political reflection; to recommendations for activism, policy, or best practices; or any other style of critical commentary. We are particularly interested in pieces that not only identify problems but offer potential solutions or new perspectives. Multimedia submissions are also welcome. Although the section will be edited and reviewed, it will not be subject to blind peer review. For the purposes of this forum, “Communication Studies” will be interpreted broadly to include all related fields and subfields, theoretical and applied. We welcome commentary from any and all parts of the world, though submissions should be made in English. Submissions by current or former administrators in fields outside Communication Studies are most welcome. Send queries, proposals or essays to al(a)sterneworks.org<mailto:al@sterneworks.org> . Deadline for submissions: 1 June 2011 Decisions, and comments on accepted submissions will be returned by 1 July 2011 Expected date of publication will be September 2011. All submissions must follow IJOC style. Author guidelines for the IJOC are available at: http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/about/submissions#authorGuidelines This CFP is also available here: http://sterneworks.org/academiclaborijoccfp.pdf

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Digital library/repository suggestions?
by Michael Zimmer 05 Apr '11

05 Apr '11

Dear AIR-L members: I'm looking for recommendations regarding smaller-scale digital library/repository platforms for personal research use. I have a few research projects that are going to require basic digital library functions. I want to collect/scan/import documents, and then have a nice web-based platform for indexing, searching, displaying them. The library would be publicly accessible, both for my own research, and as a resource for others. I've found a few open source digital library platforms that might serve this purpose: - DSpace: http://www.dspace.org/ - Greenstone: http://www.greenstone.org/ - Fedora Commons: http://fedora-commons.org/ Does anyone have experience with these, or other suggestions? Thanks, Michael. -- Michael Zimmer, PhD Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies Co-Director, Center for Information Policy Research University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee e: zimmerm(a)uwm.edu w: www.michaelzimmer.org

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UNESCO urges everyone with an interest in mobile phones and development
by Monica Murero 05 Apr '11

05 Apr '11

UNESCO will launch a series of online debates: the first on ICTs and development on the WSIS Platform of Communities website on 11 April. The debate will last until 25 April. A summary of insights from the debate will be published as a contribution to this year's WSIS Forum which is to be held in Geneva from 16 to 20 May 2011, and to discussions by international development agencies. The debate is on the Social and Economic Impact of Mobile Phones in Developing Countries. It can be found at www.wsis-community.org. Best, Monica ------------ Monica Murero , Ph.D. AoIR Exec, 2003-2009; AoIR Treasurer, 2005-2009 AoIR Lifetime Member Director E-Life International Institute Associate Professor in Politics of e-Government and in Sociology of New Technology University Federico II, Italy Consultant, World Health Organization LinkedIN: http://it.linkedin.com/pub/monica-murero-ph-d/16/52/606 Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/monica_murero or @monica_murero Facebook: murero monica

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Lecturer in European Politics - UK, University of Surrey
by Monica Murero 05 Apr '11

05 Apr '11

For those of you interested in the call (below) closing day for applications is 5th May 2011. (other job openings can be found here: https://jobs.surrey.ac.uk/index.htm ) Best, Monica -------------------- Monica Murero , Ph.D. AoIR Exec, 2003-2009; AoIR Treasurer, 2005-2009 AoIR Lifetime Member Director E-Life International Institute Associate Professor in Politics of e-Government and in Sociology of New Technology University Federico II, Italy Consultant, World Health Organization LinkedIN: http://it.linkedin.com/pub/monica-murero-ph-d/16/52/606 Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/monica_murero or @monica_murero Facebook: murero monica Lecturer in European Politics (European External Relations)Department of PoliticsUniversity of Surrey - Faculty of Arts & Human Sciences An ambitious, forward-thinking institution, the University of Surrey has an international reputation for world-class research in the physical, biomedical and social sciences and the humanities as well as a distinctive excellence in teaching and learning. Following a high level international campaign, the Department of Politics has recently appointed a new Professor in International Politics with a view to establishing a Centre on International Intervention. The Department is now expanding its provision in the area of International Relations and EU Politics. As a Lecturer in European Politics (with a specialism in European External Relations), you will be committed to achieving the highest quality research output, as well as promoting excellence in the wider teaching and learning agenda. You will be expected to develop a research programme in line with the Departmental research strategy and will actively contribute to postgraduate and undergraduate teaching and to the governance of the department. Successful candidates are likely to be committed to establishing links between the academic and policy communities with a view to increasing the impact of our work on policy formulation and application. The Department of Politics runs a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in politics, international politics, and policy studies. We have a long history of excellence in the area of European Studies/politics. The department hosts the interdisciplinary Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Migration (CRONEM). We are now seeking to further consolidate our position nationally and internationally as a leading centre for the study of international intervention. To apply online please visit www.surrey.ac.uk/vacancies. Alternatively contact Louise Gibbons via email atl.gibbons(a)surrey.ac.uk or by telephone on 01483 689646 quoting reference number 8073. To send an application, please email or post to Louise Gibbons, Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH. Closing date for applications: 5th May 2011 Interviews: 1st/2nd/3rd June 2011 We acknowledge, understand and embrace diversity

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Public disclosure of university salaries in Ontario
by Peter Timusk 05 Apr '11

05 Apr '11

Looks like Salaries in excess of 100K http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/publications/salarydisclosure/2011/univer11a.htm l Peter Timusk B.Math statistics. BA legal studies Legal studies of the Information Age Vice President Computers for Communites School work blog http://notebook.webpagex.org Some papers www.webpagex.org

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Call for Nominations for AoIR Executive Committee
by Mia Consalvo 04 Apr '11

04 Apr '11

Dear all, I am pleased to announce that AoIR has now commenced the process of electing a new Executive Committee to take office in October of this year to serve until October 2013. We are seeking members' interest in nominating for the new executive and providing notice for everyone of the voting timeline and procedures. I should also note that we have moved the election cycle up in time, in order that more people can participate in the process. Here is an overview of the election timeline, procedures and positions for nomination, as determined strictly by the Association's by-laws. Voting instructions will be provided later and separately. **Please note the different timing for officers and other positions** TIME FRAME OF THE ELECTION: 1. Call for Nominations: opens April 4, 2011 2. Nominations close for the 5 officer positions: April 18, 2011 Nominations close for the 3 open seats on the executive: May 3, 2011 3. Ballot sent to members May 24, 2011 4. Voting begins: May 25, 2011 5. Voting ends for 5 officer positions: June 3, 2011 Voting ends for 3 open seats: June 23, 2011 The new committee is formally announced and assumes its duties at the end of the Annual General Meeting during the AoIR conference, 10-13 October 2011. (Specific time of the AGM to be announced soon.) During the period of voting, a forum will be available for discussion with candidates. Candidates' statements will also be made available with the ballot sent to members. A QUICK ORGANIZATIONAL PRIMER: The organizational structure of AoIR is simple. There are 5 officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Graduate Student representative), 3 open seat representatives and 2 appointed positions who together with the Immediate Past President make up the 11-member executive committee that runs the show. Elected officials hold their positions for two years. In this election, you are invited to nominate yourself or anyone else whom you think would do a good job, for any position other than the President - the current Vice President assumes the Presidency. Here are brief descriptions of positions 1. President: the "CEO", supervises the organization, performs certain legally required duties. [The Current VP becomes the President] 2. Vice President: "back up" for President, various duties as they arise; *becomes President after 2 years* 3. Secretary: Handles records and membership matters. 4. Treasurer: liaises with Secretary to maintain membership records; takes care of financial and related administrative duties (e.g., annual report to membership and U.S. tax authorities), including close attention to the annual Internet Research (IR) conference budget. 5. Graduate Student Representative: responsible for running graduate student activities. The Graduate Student Representative must be actively enrolled in a degree program at the time of nomination and election. All members can vote for the grad student representative. 6-8. Open Committee Seats: Three open Seats on the Executive Committee Represent membership of AoIR, contribute to decision making. Take responsibility for specific projects or activities to promote the association within their term. 9-10. Appointed positions to manage systems and email lists 11. Immediate Past President Candidates should also familiarize themselves formal statement of duties and responsibilities in the Association's by-laws: <http://aoir.org/about/bylaws-statements-and-policies/bylaws> NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION PROCESSES Only a member of AoIR can run for a position, nominated by anyone. If nominated for more than one position a nominee must choose to run for one (and only one) position in this election. You may nominate yourself or another person (or people). Self Nominations: Email AoIR Secretary Catherine Middleton < catherine.middleton(a)ryerson.ca> and indicate the position for which you are nominating and you will be added to the list of nominees. Please provide, in your nomination email a short candidate statement addressing the questions below. Nominating Others: Email AoIR Secretary Catherine Middleton < catherine.middleton(a)ryerson.ca> with the name of the person you want to nominate, the position for which you are nominating this person, contact information for that person, and an indication of whether you know if this person would accept this nomination (if you don't know, we'll contact them and ask). All candidates for election will be required to provide answers to the questions listed at the end of this email, have the answers posted to the AoIR election forum website, and participate in an online candidate forum. In addition the Graduate Student candidates must confirm in their response that they comply with the by-laws: the Graduate Student Representative must be actively enrolled in a degree program at the time of nomination and election. The voting system used by AoIR is one vote per member for each of the eight positions for election listed above. Votes are counted by a ballot counter who is a member of the Association but not a member of the executive. In the case of the five officers, the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be declared the winner; in the case of the open seats, the three candidates with the highest, second-highest and third highest votes shall be declared the winners of the open seats. In the case of tied results for the officer positions, the winner shall be determined by the ballot counter, by drawing of lots, using a method that ensures each of the tying candidates has an equal chance of success and witnessed by at least 1 person independent of the association. In the case of tied results for the open seat positions, the drawing of lots shall be used only when there are more tied candidates than seats available. QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES 1) What is your interest in this position? 2) What are your qualifications for this position (including prior experience and participation in AoIR)? 3) What are two or three short-term goals you would like to achieve through membership of the executive (include a rationale for each and how you would contribute to their achievement)? 4) What is your long-term vision for AoIR? 5) What else should voters consider when deciding whether or not to vote for you? In answering the questions, please be concise and give information specific to the position for which you are nominating and which will permit voters to assess your case for election to that position. In closing - please consider carefully contributing your time and energy to making AoIR even better in the upcoming years! I would also encourage persons interested in running for a specific position to contact the current office-holder(s) with any specific questions, etc. Many thanks in advance to all who will consider running and serving AoIR in this way. Mia -- Mia Consalvo, Ph.D. Visiting Associate Professor Comparative Media Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 14N-226 Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 USA consalvo(a)mit.edu 617.324.1868

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Call for Nominations for AoIR Executive Committee
by Mia Consalvo 04 Apr '11

04 Apr '11

Dear all, I am pleased to announce that AoIR has now commenced the process of electing a new Executive Committee to take office in October of this year to serve until October 2013. We are seeking members' interest in nominating for the new executive and providing notice for everyone of the voting timeline and procedures. I should also note that we have moved the election cycle up in time, in order that more people can participate in the process. Here is an overview of the election timeline, procedures and positions for nomination, as determined strictly by the Association's by-laws. Voting instructions will be provided later and separately. **Please note the different timing for officers and other positions** TIME FRAME OF THE ELECTION: 1. Call for Nominations: opens April 4, 2011 2. Nominations close for the 5 officer positions: April 18, 2011 Nominations close for the 3 open seats on the executive: May 3, 2011 3. Ballot sent to members May 24, 2011 4. Voting begins: May 25, 2011 5. Voting ends for 5 officer positions: June 3, 2011 Voting ends for 3 open seats: June 23, 2011 The new committee is formally announced and assumes its duties at the end of the Annual General Meeting during the AoIR conference, 10-13 October 2011. (Specific time of the AGM to be announced soon.) During the period of voting, a forum will be available for discussion with candidates. Candidates' statements will also be made available with the ballot sent to members. A QUICK ORGANIZATIONAL PRIMER: The organizational structure of AoIR is simple. There are 5 officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Graduate Student representative), 3 open seat representatives and 2 appointed positions who together with the Immediate Past President make up the 11-member executive committee that runs the association. Elected officials hold their positions for two years. In this election, you are invited to nominate yourself or anyone else whom you think would do a good job, for any position other than the President - the current Vice President assumes the Presidency. Here are brief descriptions of positions 1. President: the "CEO", supervises the organization, performs certain legally required duties. [The Current VP becomes the President] 2. Vice President: "back up" for President, various duties as they arise; *becomes President after 2 years* 3. Secretary: Handles records and membership matters. 4. Treasurer: liaises with Secretary to maintain membership records; takes care of financial and related administrative duties (e.g., annual report to membership and U.S. tax authorities), including close attention to the annual Internet Research (IR) conference budget. 5. Graduate Student Representative: responsible for running graduate student activities. The Graduate Student Representative must be actively enrolled in a degree program at the time of nomination and election. All members can vote for the grad student representative. 6-8. Open Committee Seats: Three open Seats on the Executive Committee Represent membership of AoIR, contribute to decision making. Take responsibility for specific projects or activities to promote the association within their term. 9-10. Appointed positions to manage systems and email lists 11. Immediate Past President Candidates should also familiarize themselves formal statement of duties and responsibilities in the Association's by-laws: <http://aoir.org/about/bylaws-statements-and-policies/bylaws> NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION PROCESSES Only a member of AoIR can run for a position, nominated by anyone. If nominated for more than one position a nominee must choose to run for one (and only one) position in this election. You may nominate yourself or another person (or people). Self Nominations: Email AoIR Secretary Catherine Middleton < catherine.middleton(a)ryerson.ca> and indicate the position for which you are nominating and you will be added to the list of nominees. Please provide, in your nomination email a short candidate statement addressing the questions below. Nominating Others: Email AoIR Secretary Catherine Middleton < catherine.middleton(a)ryerson.ca> with the name of the person you want to nominate, the position for which you are nominating this person, contact information for that person, and an indication of whether you know if this person would accept this nomination (if you don't know, we'll contact them and ask). All candidates for election will be required to provide answers to the questions listed at the end of this email, have the answers posted to the AoIR election forum website, and participate in an online candidate forum. In addition the Graduate Student candidates must confirm in their response that they comply with the by-laws: the Graduate Student Representative must be actively enrolled in a degree program at the time of nomination and election. The voting system used by AoIR is one vote per member for each of the eight positions for election listed above. Votes are counted by a ballot counter who is a member of the Association but not a member of the executive. In the case of the five officers, the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be declared the winner; in the case of the open seats, the three candidates with the highest, second-highest and third highest votes shall be declared the winners of the open seats. In the case of tied results for the officer positions, the winner shall be determined by the ballot counter, by drawing of lots, using a method that ensures each of the tying candidates has an equal chance of success and witnessed by at least 1 person independent of the association. In the case of tied results for the open seat positions, the drawing of lots shall be used only when there are more tied candidates than seats available. QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES 1) What is your interest in this position? 2) What are your qualifications for this position (including prior experience and participation in AoIR)? 3) What are two or three short-term goals you would like to achieve through membership of the executive (include a rationale for each and how you would contribute to their achievement)? 4) What is your long-term vision for AoIR? 5) What else should voters consider when deciding whether or not to vote for you? In answering the questions, please be concise and give information specific to the position for which you are nominating and which will permit voters to assess your case for election to that position. In closing - please consider carefully contributing your time and energy to making AoIR even better in the upcoming years! I would also encourage persons interested in running for a specific position to contact the current office-holder(s) with any specific questions, etc. Many thanks in advance to all who will consider running and serving AoIR in this way. Mia -- Mia Consalvo, Ph.D. Visiting Associate Professor Comparative Media Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 14N-226 Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 USA consalvo(a)mit.edu 617.324.1868

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YouTube in the classroom
by Michelle Everson 04 Apr '11

04 Apr '11

Hi Everyone, I'm very interested in social media and specifically how certain tools (like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) can be used for educational purposes. I haven't found a lot of articles specifically about YouTube (and possible educational uses) and I was wondering if anyone here knows of possible references I might find useful. Thank you! Michelle Michelle Everson, Ph.D. Quantitative Methods in Education Department of Educational Psychology University of Minnesota gaddy001(a)umn.edu 612-624-0691 http://www.tc.umn.edu/~delma001/CATALST/

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New issue of CyberOrient journal published
by Vit Sisler 04 Apr '11

04 Apr '11

(Sorry for cross-posting) Dear colleagues, the first issue of the renewed CyberOrient journal resulting from the collaboration of the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association and the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague is online. CyberOrient presents original, peer-reviewed articles and books reviews on the online representation of any aspect of Middle Eastern cultures, Islam, the imagined "Orient" and the use and impact of the internet in the Middle East and Islamic countries. Vol. 5, Iss. 1, 2011 The Islam-Online Crisis: A Battle of Wasatiyya vs. Salafi Ideologies? http://www.cyberorient.net/article.do?articleId=6239 Mona Abdel-Fadil Islam Online has been one of the most prominent and stable Islamic websites since it was founded in 1997. However, in March 2010 Islam Online suffered a major crisis, which has come to be known as 'the IOL-Crisis'. This is a suitable case for exploring whether multiple layers of authority are at play in online religious communities. At the time of the crisis, I was conducting fieldwork with the social team of IOL-Arabic. This article provides rich ethnographic detail about the time before, during, and after the crisis – as experienced by the social team. I outline how the social team made sense of the crisis through producing crisis-narratives that draw on Islam Online's institutional narrative. Moreover, I illustrate how narratives about the crisis gradually shift to alternate explanations, in tact with new developments of the crisis. I conclude with reflections on what types of authority were drawn on during the IOL-Crisis. Overcoming the Digital Divide: The Internet and Political Mobilization in Egypt and Tunisia http://www.cyberorient.net/article.do?articleId=6212 Johanne Kuebler Comparing the patterns of Internet use for political mobilization in Egypt and in Tunisia, this article shows how the Internet as a relative free space can be a vital factor in opening windows and expanding the realm of what can be said in public. However, the Internet as such appears not to be sufficient to radically transform the society as a whole. Instead, the case of Egypt shows how traditional media such as the press can serve as a bridge to the general public sphere, helping to operate results of discussions online and to transform the newly acquired space of discussion into actual power on the street. Beyond the Traditional-Modern Binary: Faith and Identity in Muslim Women’s Online Matchmaking Profiles http://www.cyberorient.net/article.do?articleId=6219 Anna Piela Finding a suitable partner in both diasporic and non-diasporic settings proves increasingly challenging for young Muslims, especially those unable or not wanting to search within their kinship networks. At the same time, religious matchmaking websites are becoming increasingly common especially among Muslim women. As studies of Muslim matchmaking sites tend to focus on the ever-popular topic of the headscarf and its associations in the matchmaking context, a much more comprehensive study of the specificity of the online religious identities and self-representation is required. This paper examines a number of profiles of young Muslim women using online matchmaking sites and discusses broad themes of faith, ethnicity and identity that emerge in the analysis. New Media and Social-political Change in Iran http://www.cyberorient.net/article.do?articleId=6187 Mohammad Hadi Sohrabi-Haghighat The increasing penetration of new communication technologies into everyday life has attracted a growing interest in the social, economic and political implications of these technologies. Most studies have looked at Western democratic societies and the literature on the developing countries is unfortunately small in comparison. In 2009 Iran witnessed a political upheaval in the aftermath of the presidential election in which the Internet was utilized effectively by the political opposition. News and videos of police brutality and repression were uploaded online, including onto social networking sites, in what was called the ‘Twitter Revolution’. Expectations rose on the capacity of new media to bring about democratic change in Iran. Later developments, however, showed that ‘mouse clicks’ alone do not produce profound political changes. In this article we look at the role of the new media and the social and political functions it took on in the post election period. e-Islam: the Spanish Public Virtual Sphere http://www.cyberorient.net/article.do?articleId=6206 Arturo Guerrero Enterría The increasing presence of Islamic content in cyberspace has made it possible for an ever-expanding Muslim public space to be established. In Spain, institutionalised Islam has found new routes for communication, information and visibilisation with these new technologies. However, as this paper will show, its strategy is based on traditional mass media models of communication, namely the one-way and one-to-many communication models. This leaves room for other types of actors to use strategies based on different communication models: two-way and many-to-many, taking better advantage of the potential in new information and communication technologies to more easily find a niche in Spanish Muslim cyberspace. Book Review: Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace http://www.cyberorient.net/article.do?articleId=6202 Vit Sisler With growing Internet penetration rates and the proliferation of new media outlets in the Muslim world there is a simultaneously growing academic interest in possible social and political changes endorsed by these media. A recent contribution to this rapidly expanding body of research has been provided by Mohammed El-Nawawy and Sahar Khamis. They have co-authored a book called Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace, which deals with the virtual Muslim public sphere and the contestation of and deliberation over religious authority and Muslim identity online. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CyberOrient! Feel free to forward or post this email online. All the best, -- Vit Sisler Charles University in Prague Faculty of Arts & Philosophy Institute of Information Science and Librarianship New Media Studies http://uisk.jinonice.cuni.cz/sisler/

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New Book: The Philosophy of Software: Code and Mediation in the Digital Age
by David Berry 04 Apr '11

04 Apr '11

Colleagues, I would just like to take this opportunity to let you know that my new monograph is available called The Philosophy of Software: Code and Mediation in the Digital Age (Palgrave Macmillan), ISBN 9780230244184, 216 pages. http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=395958 See below for further information. Best regards David Berry --- Contents Acknowledgements 1. The Idea of Code 2. What is Code? 3. Reading and Writing Code 4. Running Code 5. Towards a Phenomenology of Computation 6. Real-Time Streams Bibliography Index Review 'This is a beautifully written book that pulls off the difficult task of introducing the subject of software and the workings of code to the non specialist whilst also providing an original take of the philosophical and the cultural importance of Code in contemporary culture.' - Michael Bull, University of Sussex, UK Product Description The Philosophy of Software is a critical introduction to the subject of code and software, and develops an understanding of its social and philosophical implications in the digital age. The book has been written specifically for people interested in the subject from a non-technical background and provides a lively and interesting analysis of these new media forms. The book argues that software is a tangle, a knot, which ties together the physical and the ephemeral, the material and the ethereal, into a complete system that can be controlled and directed. However, software exceeds our ability to place limits on its entanglement, for it has in the past decade entered the everyday home through electronic augmentation that has replaced the mechanical world of the twentieth century. From washing machines to central heating systems, children's toys to television and video; the old electro-magnetic and servo-mechanical world is being revolutionised by the silent logic of virtual devices. It is time, therefore, to examine our virtual situation. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0230244181/ref=kinw_rke_rti_1 --- Dr. David M. Berry Department of Political and Cultural Studies Room JC015 James Callaghan Building Swansea University Singleton Campus Swansea SA2 8PP Tel: 01792 602633 http://www.swan.ac.uk/staff/academic/ArtsHumanities/berryd/

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