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New Book > _Mobile Technology and Libraries_ / Jason Griffey
by gerrymck 09 Jan '10

09 Jan '10

Colleagues/ For Those (Few?) Librarians Who Doubt That The Future Of Libraries / Library Services Are/Is Mobile >>> /Gerry Jason Griffey / Neal-Schuman / 2010 / ISBN: 9781555707118 / 6x9 / 125 pp. / $55.00 Mobile technology is fast becoming the preferred method for connecting to the Internet, especially for people on the go. Librarians must keep pace with this trend and integrate themselves into the mobile realm if they wish to deliver enhanced user services. Mobile Technology and Libraries is a practical, easy-to-follow new resource that will walk you through the start-to-finish steps for strengthening your library’s mobile presence. Author Jason Griffey outlines the different mobile platforms, devices, and services, and shows you how to create mobile library websites and implement a number of important developments including mobile reference and SMS. He also explains how the various affected parts of the library –reference, I.T. circulation--can work together. You’ll learn techniques for marketing and measuring your services, and best practices to follow during planning, implementation, and evaluation. This highly practical new Tech Set title will help both novice and experienced librarians embrace these crucial new technologies and stay relevant in an increasingly mobile society. Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction: Mobile Technology Basics > •Definition and Examples / •Importance to Libraries •Platforms Chapter 2: Planning > •Become Part of Your Patron’s Information Ecosystem / •Get Staff Buy-In •Explore the Uses of Mobile Technologies Chapter 3: Implementation > •Create a Mobile Library Website > •Make Your OPAC Mobile / •Create Portable Instructional Resources / •Offer Mobile Library Tours / •Offer Mobile Collections / •Provide SMS Services in Your Library / •Explore Other Implementation Ideas Chapter 4: Marketing > •Get the Word Out / •Promote Open Communication Chapter 5: Best Practices > •Establish Mobile Reference Services / •Make Your Services Simple Chapter 6: Measures of Success > •Track Services / •Ask Questions Conclusion / Bibliography and Recommended Reading / Index About the Author Preface Worldwide mobile telephone subscriptions reached 3.3 billion – equivalent to half the global population. In over 50 countries, cell phone penetration (the number of cell phones per person) is above 100%. By 2010, 90% of the world’s population will have access to acell phone signal.These statistics are indicative of a major shift in the way that the world interacts with information, and illustrate the next real paradigm shift in information gathering, use, and sharing. As phones become more and more capable, fewer and fewer people find the need to connect with their infosphere via computer. Instead, the majority of people use a cell phone as their primary interface for surfing the web, listening to music, watching television, reading books, and communicating with friends. The mobile phone has become, over the last 10 years, one of the major methods by which people interact with information around the world. Librarians need to be aware of these changes, peer forward, and prepare for the future of library mobile interaction. Mobile Technology and Libraries will help integrate your library into the mobile revolution, showing you the steps to development a mobile library website, reach library patrons in a new and exciting way, as well as use Short Message Services (SMS) communication. The book is aimed at librarians just beginning to step foot into the mobile environment, but will include code samples and other technical information that will assist in more advanced development of mobile systems. The book will also speak to the various functional parts of the library, demonstrating places in public services that mobile technology is applicable, as well as provide the recipe for the production of services used by information technology librarians. At the conclusion of this book, you will be able to launch your library into the mobile realm. Chapter One begins with an introduction of mobile technology in libraries and a discussion on what mobile technology is and why it is important to libraries. Chapter Two discusses the topic of planning, including learning the major and minor platforms, cell phone types,and other mobile related services. Chapter Three covers how to implement a mobile technology plan, including what to know aboutmobile services, why your library should go mobile along with tips for getting buy-in. Chapter Four covers mobile services marketing techniques. Chapter Five covers general best practices, while Chapter Six covers measuring the success of your library’s mobile services and how to build off one success and into another. Mobile Technology in Libraries is designed to help put librarians ahead of the technology curve and integrate the new mobile movement into their everyday services. Links To > Source > TOC-Preface > Review Available At [ http://tinyurl.com/yctn9vh ] Regards, /Gerry Gerry McKiernan Associate Professor Science and Technology Librarian Iowa State University Library Ames IA 50011 Follow Me On Twitter > http://twitter.com/GMcKBlogs "The Truth ?, You Can't Handle The Truth !" > "It's All A Battle Of Ideas ...

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On squatting supermarkets by augmented reality practices
by FEDERICO MONACO 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

Hi there, for whom might be interested in iSee, Augmented Reality for complex shopping narratives, check: http://www.artisopensource.net/2009/10/27/squatting-supermarkets/ -- Federico Monaco Ph.D. M.A. Dipartimento di Studi Politici e Sociali Università degli Studi di Parma B.go Carissimi, 10 43100 Parma Italy

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CFP: Canadian Communication Association
by Guillaume Latzko-Toth 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

I didn't see this call for papers posted here yet. A good occasion and a perfect time in the year to (re)discover Montreal ;-) Please note: the deadline is close (January 15). Guillaume --- Call for Papers (Version française sur le site: http://www.acc-cca.ca/fr/node/397) Canadian Communication Association Annual Conference, 2010 (CCA) June 1-3, Concordia University, Montréal Connected Understanding is the theme of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS) 2010 Congress within which the Canadian Communication Association (CCA) will hold its Annual Conference from June 1 - 3 at Concordia University. We are calling for proposals that explore, critique and extend this theme as well as for proposals on any other relevant themes to Communication Studies. History Group: For the first time this year, we will be hosting a day of panels (June 1) focusing on the historical study of communications. Proposals concerning all topics pertinent to the historical study of communication(s), media, technology and key thinkers in communication studies are welcome. These sessions will be jointly hosted by the CCA and the Media and Communication History group of the Canadian Historical Association. During the conference, we will host a meeting to gauge interest in establishing a more formal History Interest Group (HIG) within the CCA. Please send queries regarding the History Group to Sandra Gabriele [gabriele(a)uwindsor.ca] We invite scholars and professionals to submit proposals that develop the range and depth of scholarship in communication studies. Proposals may take the form of: Single-paper presentations Multi-paper panels Roundtables or Workshops Performances or Screenings Graduate Masters Sessions (GMS - for MA students only). Please note that Masters students interested in taking part in the conference must submit through the Graduate Masters Sessions. See the GMS terms of reference: http://acc-cca.ca/en/annual_conference Full details on submission, proposal forms, prizes, accommodation, etc., are included in our Conference FAQ: http://acc-cca.ca/en/annual_conference . Awards and Prizes The CCA is very pleased to offer the annual Van Horne Prize for the best student paper presented at the Conference, as well as the Gertrude J. Robinson Book Prize. The CCA also proudly hosts the Dalton Camp Award, sponsored by the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting for excellence in essay-writing on democratic values and the media in Canada. Full details for all prizes are available at http://acc-cca.ca/en/members/awards_prizes Submission Details All proposals must be submitted using the online submissions form. Full details are available at http://www.acc-cca.ca/reg/ . Please follow the directions on this website carefully and review the Conference FAQ for more details: http://acc-cca.ca/en/annual_conference . All proposals will be peer-reviewed by the conference organizing committee. In order to present a paper at the conference, you must be a member of the Canadian Communication Association. You must pay your dues for that calendar year by March 1st in order to be included in the schedule. If you are not already a member and wish to join the CCA, please go to the CCA website (http://www.acc-cca.ca/) and click "Members / Become a Member" : http://acc-cca.ca/en/services/our_members/membership You may only submit one single-authored abstract for consideration. You may also present another co-authored paper, but only if the other authors are present. You can also act as a respondent on a panel or participant on a workshop or roundtable. Please see our Conference FAQ for more details : http://acc-cca.ca/en/annual_conference . The CCA has limited funds to help defray the travel costs of student participants. Details are available on our website: http://acc-cca.ca/en/annual_conference . Paper and panel proposals will be reviewed by the conference committee to ensure that presentations meet the scholarly standards of the Association, and in order to facilitate the organization of coherent and high-quality panels. Presenters must select from the following list the sub-field in which they would prefer their proposal to be considered. Conference organizers will attempt to place presenters with other papers in their desired subfield, but may elect to place a paper in another subfield as programming requires. Please select one (1) of the following subfields: Graduate Masters Sessions [GMS] International Communication and Development Journalism and News Media and Culture Media History Organizational and Interpersonal Communication Policy, Regulation and Governance Public Relations, Advertising and Political Communication Race and Media Sexuality and Gender Technology and Emerging Media Theory and Ethics Paper proposals must include: Authors name, rank/status, and affiliation. Please use full first name (not an initial) and properly capitalize all names. Paper title. Please be brief because longer titles may be truncated during the online submission process. An abstract (maximum 250 words) outlining: the research object, problem or question; the findings, argument or inquiry to be developed; the method of analysis used; the significance of what is proposed in relation to existing scholarship in the field; relationship with the wider research interests of the author(s). Panel proposals should be submitted by the panel chair, and must include: Chairs name, rank/status, and affiliation. Please use full first name (not an initial) and properly capitalize all names. Panel title. Please be brief because longer titles may be truncated during the online submission process. An abstract (maximum 250 words) outlining: the research object, problem or question; a list of the presenters and papers (maximum 4) to be included in the panel; the significance of the panel in relation to existing scholarship in the field. A separate proposal, as above, for each paper included in the panel. Roundtable proposals should be submitted by the roundtable chair, and must include: Chairs name, rank/status, and affiliation. Please use full first name (not an initial) and properly capitalize all names. Roundtable title. Please be brief because longer titles may be truncated during the online submission process. An abstract (maximum 250 words) outlining: the workshop theme, problem or question; a list of the presenters to be included in the roundtable and a brief indication of their contribution; the significance of the roundtable in relation to existing scholarship in the field. Performance or screening proposals must include: Presenters name, rank/status, and affiliation. Please use full first name (not an initial) and properly capitalize all names. Title of the work. Please be brief because longer titles may be truncated during the online submission process. An abstract (maximum 250 words) outlining: the nature and themes of the work to be presented; the medium and duration of presentation; the significance of the work in relation to existing concerns in the field; the presenters previous experience with this medium; anticipated special requirements for the presentation (e.g. space; equipment, etc). Deadlines Paper and Panel proposals: January 15, 2010. Van Horne Prize: April 1, 2010. Prize guidelines: http://acc-cca.ca/en/members/awards_prizes Gertrude J. Robinson Book Prize: March 1, 2010. Prize guidelines: http://acc-cca.ca/en/members/awards_prizes For additional information, please visit the CCA web site : http://www.acc-cca.ca/ http://www.acc-cca.ca/en/annual_conference http://acc-cca.ca/en/conference/upcoming_conference Conference Chairs Yasmin Jiwani (Local area / English language coordinator) Communication Studies Concordia University CJ 4.411 7141 Sherbrooke St. West Montréal, QC, H4B1R6 514-848-2424 x. 2583 yasmin.jiwani(a)gmail.com Colette Brin (French language coordinator) Département d'information et de communication Pavillon Louis-Jacques-Casault, salle 5604 Université Laval Sainte-Foy, QC, G1K 7P4 Tel/tél: 418-656-2131, x. 6736 Fax/téléc: 418-656-7807 colette.brin(a)com.ulaval.ca =============== Dale A. Bradley Assistant Professor :: Dept. of Communications, Popular Culture, & Film :: Brock University 905.688.5550 x.3180 President :: Canadian Communication Association www.acc-cca.ca Book Review Editor :: Canadian Journal of Communication www.cjc-online.ca ===============

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History of dot-com bubble and crash
by Matt Crain 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

Greetings all, Does anyone have a recommendation for a history of the dot-com stock bubble and crash? I am interested in book-length studies for my own work, but also in a readable summary for my undergrads. I looked a bit for a feature-length piece in some popular magazines (Forbes, BusWk, Time, etc) and came up empty handed. Many thanks, Matt -- Matthew Crain Ph.D. Candidate Institute of Communications Research University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign InfoStructure Speaker Series: http://go.illinois.edu/infostructure

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Call for Contributions--Public Intellectuals
by Karyn Hollis 07 Jan '10

07 Jan '10

TRUTH TO POWER: PUBLIC INTELLECTUALS IN AND OUT OF ACADEME Edited by Silvia Nagy-Zekmi and Karyn Hollis Villanova University Under contract Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholar Publishing [1]http://www.c-s-p.org/ We are searching for articles to accompany the essays we have already assembled for this volume which presents new scholarship on the role of the intellectual in society and specifically in academe. Intellectuals have been negotiating access to public discourse for centuries, but never have their opinions been more crucial to the public good. According to Edward Said, the main function of the intellectual is to "speak the truth to power" (hence our title) and to be "a witness to persecution and suffering, supplying a dissenting voice in conflicts with authority." That these voices, however, are often drowned out in the media fray or are absent altogether, cries out for public deliberation itself. Our book provides one arena for this essential deliberation. Essays included address such notions as the decline of American public intellectuals and their entrapment between Academe and the "real" world as well as between the private and the public spheres. In an era of a worldwide political and economic crisis, these concerns are timelier than ever. We are looking for essays that address these general topics or more specific questions, such as how can the voices of scholars and erudite thinkers penetrate the globalized, corporate media? And how do media receive and represent the contribution of intellectuals to the academic and public spheres? Our volume addresses the transition from the restrictive Bush era to the more open public discourse under the Obama administration and explores possible answers to these questions with a special focus on the humanities. If you have written an essay which you believe might fit our volume, please sent it to ([2]silvia.nagyzekmi(a)villanova.edu or [3]karyn.hollis(a)villanova.edu) no later than January 31, 2010. Articles will be reviewed by the editorial board of the publisher and should be no longer than 15 pages (double spaced), MLA format of (in-text citation and works cited section). Use footnotes only for comments, not for bibliographical references. Times New Roman, 12pt. References 1. http://www.c-s-p.org/ 2. mailto:silvia.nagyzekmi@villanova.edu 3. mailto:karyn.hollis@villanova.edu

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Fwd: [IFIP-EC-NEWS] IFIP ECS 2010: Call for Papers
by jeremy hunsinger 07 Jan '10

07 Jan '10

> > First Call for Papers > -------------------------------------------------------------- > 2nd IFIP Entertainment Computing Symposium (ECS 2010) > "Cultural Computing: New Frontier for Entertainment Computing" > Supported by IFIP=ACM+ACS+BCS+CIE+GI+IEEE+IPSJ+KIISE+SEE++ > Hold in conjunction with 21th IFIP World Computer Congress > September 20-23, 2010, Brisbane, AU * http://www.wcc2010.org/ecs2010 > -------------------------------------------------------------- > Deadlines: > January 31,2010: A full paper (8 to 10 pages) or short paper (4 pages). > April 15,2010: Authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection. > May 15,2010: Full versions of accepted papers (camera-ready). > -------------------------------------------------------------- > Scope and Topics > In the 21st century we are getting into the era of "Cultural Computing" where computers would be able to handle specific forms and human characteristics that hide behind each culture. > In this symposium we want to introduce and discuss still unveiled possibilities of Cultural Computing which would analyze and visualize substantial cultural issues such as sensitivity, memory, spirituality, storytelling, racial characteristics, etc. that have not been treated in computer science and engineering so far. > There are various possibilities in this area. From art point of view, Cultural Computing could go beyond the present media art by treating various kinds of cultural issues. From technology aspect, it would open up a new area in computer technologies that so far have been only treating the digitization of cultural heritages/contents to preserve them. > The 2nd IFIP Entertainment Computing Symposium attempts to focus this emerging and challenging area by bring various fields together and explore boundaries and new frontiers. This symposium will be a single track, highly selective set of presentations and discussions of visionary concepts, advanced technology, interactive demonstrations/installations, etc. > -------------------------------------------------------------- > Topics: > The symposium will include, but is not limited to, the following topics: > 1) Preservation of cultural heritage using computers > 2) Preservation of traditional technologies using computers > 3) Treating models and types in cultural contents > 4) Education of cultures using computers > 5) Interactive installation treating cultural contents > -------------------------------------------------------------- > Paper submission: > English written papers presenting original research in conference topics are being sought. > Proceedings of IFIP ECS 2010 will be published in the IFIP ICT (Advances in Information and Communication Technology) Series by Springer. More information can be found in due course at http://www.wcc2010.org. > Acceptance will be based on quality, relevance and originality of the work. > -------------------------------------------------------------- > Symposium Co-Chairs: > Naoko Tosa (JP), Hyun S. Yang (KR), Fazel Naghdy (AU) > Program Co-Chairs: > Kevin Wong (AU), Paolo Ciancarini (IT), Matthias Rauterberg (NL), Ryohei Nakatsu (SG) > > > **************************************************** > ** To send and receive IFIP-EC-NEWS, go to > ** http://listserver.tue.nl/mailman/listinfo/icec > ** and subscribe directly > **************************************************** > ** News archives: > ** http://listserver.tue.nl/mailman/private/icec/ > **************************************************** > ** To join the IFIP ENTERTAINMENT COMPUTING Group > ** contact: g.w.m.rauterberg(a)tue.nl > ****************************************************

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CfP EASST 2010, TRACK: DIGITAL GAME PLAY AS SOCIOTECHNICAL PRACTICE
by Stefano De Paoli 07 Jan '10

07 Jan '10

Apologies for cross-postings. Please circulate it to interested colleagues and students. Thanks! ************************************************************************************************************* EASST Conference 2010, European Association for the Study of Science and Technology 'Practicing Science and Technology, Performing the Social,' University of Trento, Italy, 2-4 September 2010. Abstract submission deadline: 15 March 2010. http://events.unitn.it/en/easst010 ************************************************************************************************************** TRACK: DIGITAL GAME PLAY AS SOCIOTECHNICAL PRACTICE The Digital Game industry has become one of the fastest growing, innovative and globalised industries in advanced Western economies and Digital Games have become a key cultural artefact and leisure practice in contemporary societies. Developing out of the American military industrial and academic complex in the 1970s the study of Digital Games design and play is the study of a range of sociotechnical practices and the negotiations between a range of human and non-human actors operating within systems of rules. The complexity of these relationships brings forth a series of questions that can be investigated using Science and Technology Studies approaches. However, to date games studies, with few exceptions, have failed to adopt STS approaches and the STS community has largely ignored this area of study. This track seeks to develop the relationship between the game studies community and the STS community. Several research questions can be used to guide this: What STS theories can be used to understand Digital Games as sociotechnical phenomenon? Is the concept of practice and the practice-based approach useful to investigate Digital Games? Is there a relationship between power as inscribed and imposed by artefacts and the technical dimensions of Digital Games? What rules are inscribed into Digital Games technologies and what social worlds do these rules describe? What contribution can the study of Digital Games make to the STS discipline at large? And what contribution can an STS approach make to game studies? Can we foresee an after-method approach for Digital Games? We invite papers that tackle the sociotechnical dimensions of Digital Games and address some of the questions outlined above. Contributions might include (but are not restricted to): • Digital Games as material semiotic artefacts • Digital Games as sociotechnical assemblages • The mess of digital games • Innovation in game design as actor-networking and social shaping • Digital Game design and/or play as performance and practice • Disruptive sociotechnical users’ practices (e.g. hacking, modding) • The scripting of gendered gaming practices • Governance and regulation of gaming practices Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be sent by email (following website instructions: http://events.unitn.it/en/easst010/abstract-submission) by 2010 March 15th. Please include also a preliminary references list (up to 4). Contact for inquiries: stefano.depaoli(a)nuim.ie Convenors Aphra Kerr is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. Her research focuses on the regulation, production and consumption of digital media and in particular of digital games; she established and runs the industry and community website. (www.gamedevelopers.ie) Helen W. Kennedy is Deputy Head in the Department of Culture, Media and Drama at the University of the West of England (UWE) in the UK. She has been researching and writing about games since 1993 and co-founded and chaired (from 2004 – 2009) the Play Research Group at UWE. Jennifer Jenson is Associate Professor of Pedagogy and Technology in the Faculty of Education at York University. Her research interests include gender and gameplay and the design and development of digital games for education. Stefano De Paoli is postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Sociology at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. Stefano has worked in STS since 2004 and recently his research interest has embraced Massive Multiplayer Online Games (http://www.nuim.ie/nirsa/people/postdocs/stefano_de_paoli.shtml) -- My institutional page http://www.nuim.ie/nirsa/people/postdocs/stefano_de_paoli.shtml

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REMINDER: Queering Middle Eastern Cyberscapes: call for contributions
by Adi Kuntsman 07 Jan '10

07 Jan '10

Reminder: deadline for abstracts is February the 1st. Apologies for cross-posting; please distribute widely thank you Queering Middle Eastern Cyberscapes Special issue of Journal of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies http://sites.google.com/site/queeringmideasterncyberscapes/home Guest Editors: Noor Al-Qasimi and Adi Kuntsman Call for Papers Digital media and cybercultures have long been explored as fields of identity formation, cultural contestations, and political tensions. Digital mediascapes have also been of particular interest to scholars of gender and sexuality for their potential to transform some gendered, racial, and sexual power structures while reaffirming, and often violently reinforcing, others. This special issue of Journal of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies aims to bring feminist and queer analysis of media and communication technologies (the Internet, mobile phones, surveillance technologies, digital television, and telecommunication) to the field of the Middle East as both a geo-cultural space and a political entity. Our intention is to examine the intersections, tensions, and co-constitutions of queer sexualities and communication technologies; queerness as a form of digitalized affect and as a political practice; mediated violence and violence of mediation; new technological frontiers and frontiers of identities; and practices of everyday use and digitalized imaginaries. We hope to explore these and other phenomena as they emerge in Middle Eastern countries and communities and their diasporas. In recent years, much work has focused on media in the Middle East, and gender/sexuality in the Middle East; however, there is a paucity of scholarship on the intersection of these fields. Still less work has emphasized queering as a political metaphor in relation to the field of Middle East Studies. The aim of this special issue is to acknowledge the utility of a postcolonial queer critique as applied to this region and its diasporas. We are soliciting work that engages with the intersection of media and sexuality with reference to the Middle East. Possible topics thus include: Surveillance, war on terror The policing of sexuality Orientalism in new media cultures Governmentality, biopolitics, and the Middle East Sexuality and media censorship Media technologies (e.g., YouTube, mobile phones, bluetooth, picture/video messaging) and queerness Queer and/or social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace) Queer Middle Eastern diasporas in cyberspace HIV/AIDS-related online communities Homophobia LGBT and NGO activism Drag, cross-dressing, butch/femme identities, other queer subjectivities Gay imperialism We welcome abstracts of articles to be considered for inclusion in this special volume. Please send a bio and a 500-word abstract detailing the topic of your article, the overall context, your material, methodology, and theoretical argument by the 1st of February 2010 to qmecissue(a)googlemail.com . Authors will be notified by the 15th of February 2010 of the outcome of their submissions. If accepted, full papers should be submitted by the1st of July 2010. Papers will then be reviewed individually in the standard double-blind review process. We also welcome shorter pieces of creative or analytical writing (up to 1000 words, or 4000 words for interviews) or visual material on the theme of this special volume. These pieces may be topical and/or polemical. They are not sent out to be peer-reviewed but are selected by the editors of the issue. If you would like to submit a short piece, please contact us to discuss the format and deadlines. Abstracts and inquiries about this issue should be sent to qmecissue(a)googlemail.com .

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REMIDNER: Queering Middle Eastern Cyberscapes: call for contributions
by Adi Kuntsman 07 Jan '10

07 Jan '10

Reminder: deadline for abstracts is February the 1st. Apologies for cross-posting; please distribute widely thank you Adi Queering Middle Eastern Cyberscapes Special issue of Journal of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies http://sites.google.com/site/queeringmideasterncyberscapes/home Guest Editors: Noor Al-Qasimi and Adi Kuntsman Call for Papers Digital media and cybercultures have long been explored as fields of identity formation, cultural contestations, and political tensions. Digital mediascapes have also been of particular interest to scholars of gender and sexuality for their potential to transform some gendered, racial, and sexual power structures while reaffirming, and often violently reinforcing, others. This special issue of Journal of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies aims to bring feminist and queer analysis of media and communication technologies (the Internet, mobile phones, surveillance technologies, digital television, and telecommunication) to the field of the Middle East as both a geo-cultural space and a political entity. Our intention is to examine the intersections, tensions, and co-constitutions of queer sexualities and communication technologies; queerness as a form of digitalized affect and as a political practice; mediated violence and violence of mediation; new technological frontiers and frontiers of identities; and practices of everyday use and digitalized imaginaries. We hope to explore these and other phenomena as they emerge in Middle Eastern countries and communities and their diasporas. In recent years, much work has focused on media in the Middle East, and gender/sexuality in the Middle East; however, there is a paucity of scholarship on the intersection of these fields. Still less work has emphasized queering as a political metaphor in relation to the field of Middle East Studies. The aim of this special issue is to acknowledge the utility of a postcolonial queer critique as applied to this region and its diasporas. We are soliciting work that engages with the intersection of media and sexuality with reference to the Middle East. Possible topics thus include: Surveillance, war on terror The policing of sexuality Orientalism in new media cultures Governmentality, biopolitics, and the Middle East Sexuality and media censorship Media technologies (e.g., YouTube, mobile phones, bluetooth, picture/video messaging) and queerness Queer and/or social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace) Queer Middle Eastern diasporas in cyberspace HIV/AIDS-related online communities Homophobia LGBT and NGO activism Drag, cross-dressing, butch/femme identities, other queer subjectivities Gay imperialism We welcome abstracts of articles to be considered for inclusion in this special volume. Please send a bio and a 500-word abstract detailing the topic of your article, the overall context, your material, methodology, and theoretical argument by the 1st of February 2010 to qmecissue(a)googlemail.com . Authors will be notified by the 15th of February 2010 of the outcome of their submissions. If accepted, full papers should be submitted bythe 1st of July 2010. Papers will then be reviewed individually in the standard double-blind review process. We also welcome shorter pieces of creative or analytical writing (up to 1000 words, or 4000 words for interviews) or visual material on the theme of this special volume. These pieces may be topical and/or polemical. They are not sent out to be peer-reviewed but are selected by the editors of the issue. If you would like to submit a short piece, please contact us to discuss the format and deadlines. Abstracts and inquiries about this issue should be sent to qmecissue(a)googlemail.com .

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Call for Papers: i-Society 2010!
by i-Society 2010 07 Jan '10

07 Jan '10

Apologies for cross-postings. Please send it to interested colleagues and students. Thanks! CALL FOR PAPERS ******************************************************************* International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2010), Technically Co-Sponsored by IEEE UK/RI Computer Chapter 28-30 June, 2010, London, UK www.i-society.eu ******************************************************************* The International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2010) is Technically Co-Sponsored by IEEE UK/RI Computer Chapter. The i-Society is a global knowledge-enriched collaborative effort that has its roots from both academia and industry. The conference covers a wide spectrum of topics that relate to information society, which includes technical and non-technical research areas. The mission of i-Society 2010 conference is to provide opportunities for collaboration of professionals and researchers to share existing and generate new knowledge in the field of information society. The conference encapsulates the concept of interdisciplinary science that studies the societal and technological dimensions of knowledge evolution in digital society. The i-Society bridges the gap between academia and industry with regards to research collaboration and awareness of current development in secure information management in the digital society. The topics in i-Society 2010 include but are not confined to the following areas: *New enabling technologies - Internet technologies - Wireless applications - Mobile Applications - Multimedia Applications - Protocols and Standards - Ubiquitous Computing - Virtual Reality - Human Computer Interaction - Geographic information systems - e-Manufacturing *Intelligent data management - Intelligent Agents - Intelligent Systems - Intelligent Organisations - Content Development - Data Mining - e-Publishing and Digital Libraries - Information Search and Retrieval - Knowledge Management - e-Intelligence - Knowledge networks *Secure Technologies - Internet security - Web services and performance - Secure transactions - Cryptography - Payment systems - Secure Protocols - e-Privacy - e-Trust - e-Risk - Cyber law - Forensics - Information assurance - Mobile social networks - Peer-to-peer social networks - Sensor networks and social sensing *e-Learning - Collaborative Learning - Curriculum Content Design and Development - Delivery Systems and Environments - Educational Systems Design - e-Learning Organisational Issues - Evaluation and Assessment - Virtual Learning Environments and Issues - Web-based Learning Communities - e-Learning Tools - e-Education *e-Society - Global Trends - Social Inclusion - Intellectual Property Rights - Social Infonomics - Computer-Mediated Communication - Social and Organisational Aspects - Globalisation and developmental IT - Social Software *e-Health - Data Security Issues - e-Health Policy and Practice - e-Healthcare Strategies and Provision - Medical Research Ethics - Patient Privacy and Confidentiality - e-Medicine *e-Governance - Democracy and the Citizen - e-Administration - Policy Issues - Virtual Communities *e-Business - Digital Economies - Knowledge economy - eProcurement - National and International Economies - e-Business Ontologies and Models - Digital Goods and Services - e-Commerce Application Fields - e-Commerce Economics - e-Commerce Services - Electronic Service Delivery - e-Marketing - Online Auctions and Technologies - Virtual Organisations - Teleworking - Applied e-Business - Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) *e-Art - Legal Issues - Patents - Enabling technologies and tools *e-Science - Natural sciences in digital society - Biometrics - Bioinformatics - Collaborative research *Industrial developments - Trends in learning - Applied research - Cutting-edge technologies * Research in progress - Ongoing research from undergraduates, graduates/postgraduates and professionals Important Dates: Paper Submission Date: January 31, 2010 Notification of Paper Acceptance /Rejection: February 28, 2010 Camera Ready Paper Due: March 15, 2010 Early Bird Attendee registration: January 01, 2010 Late Bird Attendee registration: February 28, 2010 Conference Dates: June 28-30, 2010 For more details, please visit www.i-society.eu

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