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Still time to submit POSTERS for 2nd Researh Data Access and Preservation Summit
by Richard Hill 01 Mar '11

01 Mar '11

[Apologies for multiple postings] The 2nd Research Data Access and Preservation (RDAP) Summit Denver, CO | Hyatt Regency | March 31-April 1, 2011 http://www.asis.org/Conferences/RDAP11/ Early Registration deadline is on or before 2/18/2011 In cooperation with the Coalition for Networked Information The second Research Data Access and Preservation (RDAP) summit will take place on March 31-April 1, 2011 in Denver at the Hyatt Regency Denver. The RDAP summit will focus the state of institutional repositories in the academy and government agencies and efforts toward interoperability across these emerging systems. Clifford Lynch will keynote the meeting and the summit will include panels that focus on different approaches to building and operating IRs, efforts to support national (e.g., NSF�s data stewardship requirements) and scholarly (e.g., open and commercial publishers) linkages to IRs, and open discussions about the future of IRs and digital libraries. Submit Posters by Feb. 28: http://www.softconf.com/asis/RDAP-2011/ complete program at http://www.asis.org/Conferences/RDAP11/ Program outline: Keynote Clifford Lynch, CNI: Institutional Repositories Today and Tomorrow Panel 1 Institutional Repository Case Studies: Erin O'Meara, UNC: Organizer/Moderator Panel 2 NSF Data Management Plan Case Studies: Michael Giarlo, Penn State: Organizer/Moderator Panel 3 Data Publication Repositories: From Small to Large Data Joe Hourcle, NASA: Organizer/Moderator Panel 4. Data Archives in Federal Agencies: Bill Anderson, UT Austin, Oranizer/Moderator Panel 5. Policy-based Data Management Reagan Moore, UNC-RENCI: Organizer/Moderator Panel 6 Future of Digital Libraries: Gary Marchionini, UNC Organizer/Moderator Group activity and discussion: Main challenge in your institution; main challenge to field Posters Submit Posters to ASIST by February 28: http://www.softconf.com/asis/RDAP-2011/ Dick Hill _____ Executive Director American Society for Information Science and Technology 1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 510 Silver Spring, MD 20910 FAX: (301) 495-0810 (301) 495-0900

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Reminder: SMS 2011 call for abstracts DEADLINE 10 March 2011
by Klara Chlupata 01 Mar '11

01 Mar '11

Dear All: Please don't forget the deadline for submitting abstracts for the Small Media Symposium taking place in London, UK on 8-9 April 2011 is 10 March 2011. More info here: http://www.smallmediainitiative.com/ All best, Klara

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Reminder: Amsterdam Digital Methods Summer School 2011, Call for Participants
by Anne Helmond 01 Mar '11

01 Mar '11

- Please note that the early bird application deadline is *7 March 2011*. Early bird candidates will be informed on 7 April 2011 - *Digital Methods Summer School 2011* Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, 27 June - 8 July 2011 *After Cyberspace: Data-rich Media* The Digital Methods Summer School, now in its fifth edition, trains post-graduates, PhD candidates and motivated students and scholars in how to undertake Web research after cyberspace. The idea of "after cyberspace" is an invitation to think through and study the web without resort to the traditions informing "virtual" and "cyber" corporality, politics and identity. Rather the web, first with locative technology, later with language and national webs, and more recently with college and corporate networking software (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) continues to be grounded. In the 2011 Digital Methods Summer School we will pay homage to cyberspace, in the opening, by presenting thought on a particular strand of media coverage about WikiLeaks, where cybergurus and cyberwar experts reappear on the scene. Just as importantly, we will ask, how to make use of the leaks, and their containers, for research purposes? From data-driven journalism to bespoke cablegate engines, does WikiLeaks spawn an online ecology of tools, visualizations and other substantive practices and outputs? Is such an ecology typical for data platforms? For comparative purposes, we will introduce and study the tool and visualization universes of Twitter as well as Wikipedia, both of which are examples of data-rich media. We would like to learn from platform media analytics and apply it to other data-rich media, so as to further develop tools for cultural diagnostics. One challenge is the question of device effects. For example, when comparing the Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian Wikipedia entries for the Srebrenica Massacre, does Wikipedia's "neutral point of view" policies overdetermine the content, perhaps neutralize it, or can one read culturally distinctive views on the events? Another strand of study is networked content, which is thought of as online content held together, maintained or even co-authored by software and bots. The interplay of search engines and content interests us this year, not just because Wikipedia articles are routinely at the top of Google results. (The relationship between Google and Wikipedia remains understudied.) But there is also content seemingly authored for engines first and readers only second, as in the case of "demand media." We would like to study efforts that seek to fill in engine results with content, reopening the question of engine epistemology. Presentations will include work on engine log analysis. Apart from (Google) flu trends, are log analyses able to identify and geo-locate cultural and political preference? *About "Digital Methods" as Concept* Digital Methods is a term coined as a counter-point to virtual methods, which typically digitize existing methods and port them onto the Web. Digital Methods, contrariwise, seek to learn from the methods built into the dominant devices online, and repurpose them for social and cultural research. That is, the challenge is to study the info-web and the social web with the tools that organize them. There is a general protocol to digital methods. At the outset stock is taken of the natively digital objects that are available (links, tags, threads, etc.) and how devices such as search engines make use of them. Can the device techniques be repurposed, for example by remixing the digital objects they take as inputs? * * *About the Summer School* The Digital Methods Summer School, founded in 2007 together with the Digital Methods Initiative, is directed by Professor Richard Rogers, Chair in New Media & Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam. The Summer School is one training opportunity provided by the Digital Methods Initiative (DMI). DMI also has a Winter School, also known as the mini-conference, where papers are presented and responded to. Winter School papers are often the result of Summer School projects. The Summer School is coordinated by two PhD candidates in New Media at the University of Amsterdam, or affiliates. This year the coordinators are Anne Helmond (University of Amsterdam) and Carolin Gerlitz (Goldsmiths, University of London). The Summer School has a technical staff as well as a design staff. The Summer School also relies on a technical infrastructure of some five servers hosting tools and storing data. Participants bring their laptops, learn method, undertake research projects, make reports, tools and graphics and write them up on the Digital Methods wiki. The Summer School concludes with final presentations. Often there are guests from non-governmental or other organizations who present their issues. Women on Waves came along during the 2010 Summer School. Greenpeace International, based in Amsterdam, will be invited in 2011. Previous Digital Methods Summer Schools, 2007-2010, https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/DmiSummerSchool. The Digital Methods Initiative was founded with a grant from the Mondriaan Foundation, and the Summer School is supported by the Center for Creation, Content and Technology (CCCT), University of Amsterdam, organized by the Faculty of Science with sponsorship from Platform Beta. * * *Summer School Training Certificate* The Digital Methods Summer School issues completion certificates to participants who follow the Summer School program, and complete a significant contribution to a Summer School project. For previous Summer School projects, see for example https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WikipediaAsASpaceOfControversy. * * *Applications & Fees* To apply for the Digital Methods Summer School, 27 June - 8 July 2011, please send a one-page letter explaining how digital methods training would benefit your current work, and also enclose a CV. Mark your application "DMI Training Certificate Program." The early bird application deadline is 7 March 2011. Early bird candidates will be informed on 8 March 2011. The regular deadline for applications for the Summer School is 8 April. Notices will be sent on 15 April. Please address your application email to the Summer School coordinators, Anne Helmond and Carolin Gerlitz, and send to info [at]digitalmethods.net. Informal queries may be sent to Anne or Carolin, anne [at] digitalmethods.net or c.gerlitz [at] digitalmethods.net. The Summer School costs EUR 295 per person. Accepted applicants will be informed of the bank transfer details upon notice of acceptance to the Summer School. The fee must be paid by 15 May 2011. * * *Logistics* Participants must arrange their own travel and accommodation. The Summer School meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and all participants also work on the Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please bring your laptop. We will provide abundant connectivity. * * *Summer School Location* New Media & Digital Culture, University of Amsterdam, Turfdraagsterpad 9, 1012 XT Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Rooms 0.13 & 0.04 We look forward to welcoming you!

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Registration for the Remix Cinema workshop (Oxford, 24-25th March 2011) is now open
by Daniel Villar Onrubia 01 Mar '11

01 Mar '11

Registration for the Remix Cinema workshop (Oxford, 24-25th March 2011) is now open. The programme and details about registration and accommodation are available at www.remixcinema.org The Remix Cinema Workshop is a student-led initiative funded by the Beyond Text programme of the Arts & Humanities Research Council - AHRC (UK). It is organised by the Oxford Internet Institute (University of Oxford) in collaboration with UNIA Prácticas y Culturas Digitales and it is supported by St. Antony’s College, Modern Art Oxford and the Instituto Cervantes. Please note that, thanks to the support of the AHRC, we are able to offer free accommodation on the night of the 24th to a limited number of UK students. Those students interested in applying for free accommodation must send a short statement of interest (including their affiliation, programme of study, and motivations to attend the workshop) to submission(a)remixcinema.org before registering. Apologies for cross-posting. Best wishes, The Remix Cinema organising committee. www.remixcinema.org

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UCL Anthropology Virtual Open Day (12pm GMT, Wed 9 Mar)
by Lane DeNicola 01 Mar '11

01 Mar '11

Virtual Open Day UCL Anthropology 12.00-1.00pm GMT Wed 9 March, 2011 http://www.ucl.ac.uk/anthropology/digital-anthropology/vod The Anthropology Department at University College London is pleased to announce a special "Virtual Open Day" event. Intended especially for those applicants from outside the UK or who otherwise would have difficulty attending one of our "in-person" Open Days, this event will be live-streamed over the Web at the address above and offers an opportunity to interact with academic staff in a more interactive way than email alone. The only requirement for viewing is an Internet-connected computer or mobile device with a Flash-enabled web browser. Prospective students and other viewers (whether already admitted or yet to apply) are invited to submit questions during the event via Twitter, Facebook, Skype, or email, and participating staff will respond immediately to as many inquiries as possible (following up later via other channels on those we are unable to field during the live event). Specific details on how to submit questions will be available at the URL above. For this first virtual event, in addition to their discussion of the department as a whole staff will profile the following subset of programmes and modules offered within the department: Material & Visual Culture (MA) Digital Anthropology (MSc) Culture, Materials & Design (MA) Documentary & Ethnographic Film (modules) Your questions need not be limited to these programmes, but inquiries specific to the department's other programmes will likely be deferred for later response by appropriate staff. After live-streaming, the full recorded version of the event will remain available online as a video on the Anthropology Department website. Please join us for what is sure to be a unique and informative event -- Dr. Lane DeNicola Lecturer in Digital Anthropology Department of Anthropology University College London http://www.lanedenicola.name

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question about creative class
by jellicle Ye 01 Mar '11

01 Mar '11

Hi, every distinguished professor, I have a question about creative industries and especially the creative class when I am preparing my essay, I was wondering whether you could spare some minutes and offer me some suggestions, thank you very much. " Is it possible to say that the continuing growth of creative class can be a potential advantage of those developing countries which have large market of human resources and collective intelligence as the creative industries or knowledge economy is developing? And I am searching some information about different macro strategies and micro tactics in cultivating creative class in different countries. If you have related materials, I am really grateful for your kindness. O(∩_∩)O regards and best wishes Ke Ye (Jellicle) The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China School of International Communications

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Blogpost: Egypt: From the Iron Rule of Tyranny to the Iron Law of Oligarchy: Can ICT Change the Rules?
by Michael Gurstein 28 Feb '11

28 Feb '11

This may be of interest... M http://wp.me/pJQl5-5Z "In this, I think that the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia have access to skills and resources which were unavailable to earlier movements that is-the Internet, social networking, mobile telephony and perhaps most important, the experience and knowledge of how to use these in support of collective social ends."

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Re: [Air-L] The Meaning of Play
by Tuszynski, Stephanie 28 Feb '11

28 Feb '11

Ren - this is interesting since I don't think of "play" as something that applies only to gaming and your definition is very deeply rooted in that form and only that form. I've seen a lot of female fans engage in play, both with identity and with creative activities, that have very little to do with any of this. No rules, no boundaries, no object. I would still consider it playing but it's far removed from the idea of a game with rules and an object. Interesting. Dr. Stephanie Tuszynski Assistant Professor of Communication Bethany College Message: 6 Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:04:58 +0000 From: Ren Reynolds <ren(a)aldermangroup.com> To: list aoir <air-l(a)aoir.org> Subject: [Air-L] The Meaning of Play Message-ID: <735A8F73-97A5-4ECC-A1EB-5FD2EAA0B857(a)aldermangroup.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii All, & with apologies to games scholars and twitter followers for cross posting & general apologies for shameless self promotion... I've been thinking about what play is for some time, I've now blogged these thoughts at a little length (3k+ words) over at TerraNova: http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2011/02/the-meaning-of-play.html As I note there, I did this for a general reason: existing definitions did not satisfy me; and for a specific reason: I'm looking at the governance of online play by researching the history of sports law and governance and needed a theory that explained what is going on when law does not intervene in contact sports, even when there is injury. So this is a very general definition which I hope is useful in any field where one is looking at what play is, I'm interested in comments to help de-bug it: Play is the recognised, negotiated, process of a purposeful shift in the dominant meaning; and contextual attribution of value, of acts. Games are normative forms of play. ludic-meaning - the meaning that has been shifted or attributed ludic-semiotics - the system of the signs product through play ludic-capital - the degree to which these ludic-meaning and semiotics are operational in a given context e.g. when set against institutional-capital. Magic circle - the term we use to denote the bounds of the context wherein the ludic-meaning of an act prevails over the co-existing non-ludic meaning (or lack thereof). Ren --8<-- web: www.renreynolds.com Think Tank: www.virtualpolicy.net blog: terranova.blogs.com This message may contain confidential information for the use of the addressee(s) above and may contain legally privileged information. If you are not the addressee, or the person responsible for delivering it to the addressee, you are hereby notified that reading, disseminating, distributing or copying this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message by mistake, immediately notify us by replying to the message and delete the original message immediately. Thank you.

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Seek resources about digital media development in China in the last 10 years
by jellicle Ye 28 Feb '11

28 Feb '11

Dear staff, I want to ask a question about " resources and critical ideas about digital media development in China in the last 10 years" Thank you very much. O(∩_∩)O best regards and best wishes -- Ke Ye (Jellicle) The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China School of International Communications

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WMF looking for summer interns
by Andrea Forte 28 Feb '11

28 Feb '11

Hi all, reminder for students: the deadline for WMF community department summer internships is March 7. They are looking for both qualitative and quantitative analytical skills, see job descriptions below. :) -- :: Andrea Forte :: Assistant Professor :: College of Information Science and Technology, Drexel University :: http://www.andreaforte.net _____________ I. Wikimedia Foundation / Community Department Summer Fellowship (Quantitative Research) The Wikimedia Foundation is developing a community analytics platform to gain a better understanding of its contributors and readers. This platform is used both for answering ad-hoc questions and identifying long-term trends. We are seeking a small team of paid Summer fellows to help bring this platform to life on a scalable platform, create many new data sets to aid research, and begin to make the system available to the entire Wikimedia and academic communities. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR: You love data and you are a great story teller. You enjoy working with large datasets and applying state of the art algorithms. But data is not just numbers, it's telling a story and you have a knack for discovering the most important story hidden in the data. You share the values of the Wikipedia projects and the Wikimedia Foundation. CANDIDATE CHARACTERISTICS: * Currently pursing a PhD in statistics, computer science, mathematics, economics, biostatistics, physics, operations research or another discipline involving large scale data analysis. * Experience with statistical data analysis such as linear models, multivariate analysis, stochastic models, and sampling methods. * Excellent implementation skills in Python and at least one other language (Java, PHP). * Experience with Django is a big plus. * Experience with NOSQL solutions (Hadoop/HBase/Hive or Mongo) or eager to learn. * Knowledge of UNIX/Linux or Windows environments and APIs. * Familiarity with TCP/IP and network programming a plus. * Being an editor of Wikipedia is a big plus. * Self-starter: Able to mobilize the resources you need to get things done, including yourself. COMPENSATION: $3,200 per month + housing provided or housing stipend. TIME COMMITMENT: Full time employment for as much of the Summer as you’re available. HOW TO APPLY: Please send the following materials to bjones(a)wikimedia.org with “Summer Fellowship” in the subject line: a. A thoughtful cover letter explaining your interest in this fellowship. b. A brief description of your dissertation project and your interest in linking your research to support the foundation’s mission. c. An academic article you have written (published or unpublished) that shows your writing skills. d. A pointer to your website or other online presence (if available). II. Wikimedia Foundation / Community Department Summer Research Fellowship (Qualitative) Be a part of an exciting Summer of research at the Wikimedia Foundation. Our task: to understand better why the active editor base is not replenishing itself at the same rate it used to -- and to present data that can help our communities figure out what to do about it. We are looking for PhD candidates or people who have completed Masters degrees in history, other humanities fields, anthropology and other social sciences. Over the Summer, we will be working on several interdependent quantitative and qualitative research projects, as well as developing new research tools. One or two longer-term fellowships are also available. This is a paid fellowship based in San Francisco. For an exceptional candidate, and exception can be made to work remotely after a two week orientation in San Francsico. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR: You love taking a microscope to social phenomena to figure out what is really going on at the level of individuals' personal, daily, experience. You are a systems thinker who can think about interactions between many variables and hypotheses at the same time. You love both quantitative data and textual archives. You are a great story teller. You have a knack for discovering the most important story hidden in the data. CANDIDATE SKILLS/CHARACTERISTICS * Believes in the value of Wikimedia. Exudes enthusiasm for the mission and can powerfully embody and communicate it. * Intellectual curiosity and flexibility. Enjoys tackling difficult, ambiguous problems and able to incorporate new knowledge into how one approaches situations and generates solutions; loves learning from others and expanding intellectual horizons * Open and transparent: Comfortable working in a highly transparent fashion, open to input and feedback, proactive candid communicator who wants people to know what she/he is doing and isn't afraid to bring others in when things are off-track or when you need help * Action-oriented: Focuses on generating research results that are high quality and support real-world decision-making and action in a timely fashion; able to problem solve around imperfect data and make appropriate methodological judgment * Strong cultural competency: Ability to bridge cultures and geographic differences; able to navigate in a truly global movement, and understands the values in diverse communities and worldviews * Self-starter: Able to mobilize the resources you need to get things done, including yourself. QUALIFICATIONS * Masters degree, PhD candidate or PhD in relevent field such as history, sociology, anthropology. Researching Wikimedia communities requires a mix of skills unusual for any academic discipline, so we're not picky about which discipline you come from. * Experience wrestling with historical, sociological or anthropological questions pertaining to the success, growth and survival of communities, social movements and large scale collaborative work. * Experience wading through dense and complex historical archives or other textual social data. * Wikimedians are strongly encouraged to apply! COMPENSATION: $3,200 per month + housing stipend. TIME COMMITMENT: Full time employment for as much of the Summer as you’re available. HOW TO APPLY: Please send the following materials to bjones(a)wikimedia.org with “Summer Fellowship” in the subject line: a. A thoughtful cover letter explaining your interest in this fellowship. b. A brief description of your Masters degree or dissertation project and your interest in linking your research to support the foundation’s mission. c. An academic article you have written (published or unpublished) that shows your writing skills. d. A pointer to your website or other online presence (if available).

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