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FW: CfP: ICTs & Sustainable Development
by Christian Fuchs 27 Dec '07

27 Dec '07

Dear Sir/Madam, My name is Robert Bichler, together with Prof. Gunilla Bradley and Prof. Wolfgang Hofkirchner I will edit a special issue of the journal /Information, Communication and Society (iCS)/ on the topic /ICTs and Sustainable Development. /I kindly ask you to include the attached /Call for Papers/ in your next newsletter. Thanks in advance and best wishes, Robert Bichler __________________________________________________ Mag. Robert Bichler, Research and Teaching Assistant Internet and Society Unit ICT&S Center, University of Salzburg Center for Advanced Studies and Research in Information and Communication Technologies & Society Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 18 5020 Salzburg, Austria Phone +43 662 8044 4822 Fax +43 662 6389 4800 Mail robert.bichler(a)sbg.ac.at www.icts.uni-salzburg.at/bichler Call for Papers for a Special Issue of the Journal of Information, Communication & Society http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713699183~db=all on ICTs & SD Information and Communication Technologies and Sustainable Development Guest Editors: Gunilla Bradley, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm Wolfgang Hofkirchner, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg Assistant Editor: Robert Bichler, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg Deadline for Submission: March 1, 2008 Tentative Publication Date: November, 2008 The objective of this special issue is to discuss current developments in the field of ICTs and Sustainable Development (SD) by providing a forum for both academic researchers and practitioners interested in broadening and deepening the understanding of the sustainability concept. In the discourse on sustainability there has been a shift from a focus on ecological issues towards the inclusion of broader societal issues. The so called ?Agenda 21? (1992) in the Rio ?Earth Summit? stated four mutually independent dimensions of sustainability: ecological, economic, social, and cultural. Such a perspective becomes especially important if one wants to formulate indicators for sustainability. How did so far, can in principle, and could in future, a more comprehensive approach like this influence the understanding of how ICTs can help foster SD? Authors are invited to submit original, unpublished work, not under consideration for publication elsewhere, with a theory, research or practice focus on the relationship of ICTs and SD. Authors may submit articles up to 7,000 words in length by sending an electronic version preferably in Word to the following address only: robert.bichler(a)sbg.ac.at Additional details about the submission guidelines can be found on: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t713699183~tab=submit… .

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CFP --- Changing the Change Conference
by Ken Friedman 27 Dec '07

27 Dec '07

10-12 July 2008 CHANGING THE CHANGE: DESIGN VISIONS, PROPOSALS AND TOOLS An international conference on the role and potential of design research in the transition towards sustainability Torino, Italy http://www.changingthechange.org -- Organised by Co-ordination of Italian Design Research Doctorates in cooperation with the Conference of Italian Design Faculty Deans and Programme Heads In the framework of WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL TORINO 2008 An ICSID initiative of the IDA -- Endorsed by the Design Research Society -- The conference "Changing the Change" seeks to make a significant contribution to a necessary transformation that involves changing the direction of current changes toward a sustainable future. It specifically intends to outline the state-of-the-art of design research in terms of visions, proposals and tools with which design can actively and positively take part in the wider social learning process that will have to take place. At the heart of the conference, design researchers will present concrete and documentable research results. This will be complemented by invited keynote speaker presentations that will help paint a clearer picture of the common ground from which the conference will take off. -- AIMS The conference seeks to make a significant contribution to the twofold transformation underway. It specifically intends to outline the state-of-the-art of design research in terms of vision, proposals and tools with which design can actively and positively take part in the wider social learning process that we refer to as "changing the change." The conference has a double aim: - to consolidate a design research culture and practice oriented towards a constructive critical attitude able to reach all design disciplines. The conference intends to focus on the way in which the question of "changing the change" is present and widespread throughout the research community and in relation to all design fields: from product design to communication design; from interior design to interaction, service and strategic design; from social design to fashion design. - to outline the state-of-the-art of contributions that design research is today able to bring to social conversation about the future. The conference seeks to bring visibility to significant results. This with particular attention to visions of the future, to feasible solutions and to tools to help bring them into being. It will also enable us to make of the conference and its published output a tool for communication with the outside world; a tool able to demonstrate what design research can offer today to help re-orientate the transformation underway. In view of these aims, the conference will centre on the presentation of research results that could make a positive contribution to 'changing the change'. It will welcome contributions that take as their starting point transformations that have already taken place and those underway, and the necessity to re-orient them towards more sustainable outcomes. It hopes to present the widest range of possible world visions, feasible proposals and the design tools that could bring them into being. -- THEMES The field of interest of the conference is vast and will be divided into various specific themes within which more precise, focused discussion will be possible. This organisation into specific themes will be undertaken after contributions have been selected, so as to take into account what will actually be proposed. For the moment we only indicate an initial, general division into the three themes already introduced: visions, proposals and tools. Visions: this section will present research results that lead us to imagine possible worlds, or parts of possible worlds. It includes the results of activities in the field of scenario design and more general visions produced by research into specific products, communications and services. It also includes a comparative analysis of visions emerging from design history and from a comparison of different cultures. Proposals: this section presents results of design research that give rise to concrete solutions containing elements of systemic innovation. They are also legible as concrete steps towards a new generation of sustainable products, services and systems. So, products, services and product and service systems are proposed along with the communicative artefacts that link several actors and artefacts together. It also proposes places for a new everyday life, the activities that take place within them and the new production and consumption networks that emerge from them. Tools: this section presents the results of research that aims to redefine and develop conceptual and operational tools which enable designers to operate within change and influence its direction. Such tools enable them to participate constructively in new design networks, and deal with emerging problems. Tools may be proposed for conceptualisation and representation, for calculation and appraisal of results or for stimulation and prototype making. -- AUDIENCE The conference will mainly be a meeting point for academics, researchers and research students in the field of design theory and practice. However, in uniting a high academic level with the effort to present concrete results of activities carried out, it will also be of considerable interest to the wider design community and to those economic and social operators who recognise the potential of design practice and design research. -- CALL FOR PAPERS Abstracts should be between 500 and 700 words long, excluding the bibliography. The deadline for the reception of abstracts is January 21, 2008. Reception of abstracts will be acknowledged and notices of acceptance or rejection will be sent by March 3, 2008. The abstracts will be evaluated and selected by a blind peer review process. Full papers are limited to 6000 words. The deadline for full papers is on May 26, 2008. Selection criteria The abstracts will be evaluated and selected by a blind peer review process. Coherently with the conference aims, the Peer Review Committee will base its decisions on three major criteria: (1) relevance to the topics of "Changing the change"? as outlined below and in the website, (2) focalisation, in terms of clarity of the vision, of the proposal or the design tool and theory they present, and (3) reliability, in terms of the quality of the design research on which the paper is based. More precisely: - abstracts must be clearly defined as visions, proposals or design tools and theories (please select the proper option at the head of the abstract template and delete the others) : visions refer to scenarios of possible worlds, or parts of possible worlds; proposals present specific solutions to specific problems; tools and theories introduce conceptual and operational devices enabling designers to operate in contemporary contexts. - abstracts must clearly refer to the contemporary context and to its on-going transformations (considering the different ways they are taking place in different regions of the world). In this framework, they should present design research results that, moving from a deep understanding of these transformations, propose a design contribution involving a re-orientation towards more sustainable directions. - abstracts must present design research results and clearly indicate the specific research programme they are based on (with its aims, methodology and main actors). Given these three pre-requisites, abstracts (and the papers that will follow) can deal with any topics in any design fields: from product to communication; from interior to interaction; from service to strategy; from social design to fashion. -- CALL FOR VISUALISATIONS Special consideration will be dedicated to abstracts/papers presenting design research projects with highly communicative visual results. Therefore, together with the abstract/paper, a visualisation can be submitted as material for an exhibition that will be organized parallel to the Conference. The visualisations do not substitute the papers. To be accepted for evaluation they have to refer to a paper that has to be selected by the Peer review Committee. The conference will host an exhibition based on the visualisations proposed by selected papers. These visualisations are not the traditional scientific posters. They are visual presentations of design research results. They have to show visions of possible worlds and proposals for sustainable solutions. Whoever intends to deliver a visualisation must submit a first draft together with the abstract of the paper presenting the research on which the visualization is based. (Deadline: January 21, 2008) -- PUBLICATIONS All selected and presented papers will be published on line, and placed in the conference website in printable form. A special peer review jury will adjudicate the best papers submitted. The best papers and the presentations of the keynote speakers will be published in book form. http://www.changingthechange.org --

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Reminder: Call for Papers IAMCR-CPT Section Stockholm 2008
by Jo Pierson 26 Dec '07

26 Dec '07

Dear all, Thank you for distributing widely. Kind regards, Jo Pierson ---------------------------------------------- International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) 26th Annual Research Conference, 20-25 July 2008 Stockholm University, Stockholm (Sweden) Theme: Media and Global Divides Call for Papers COMMUNICATION POLICY AND TECHNOLOGY (CPT) Section Sub-theme: DIGITAL DIVIDES - NEW MEDIA, ICT POLICIES AND USER EMPOWERMENT The theme ‘Media and Global Divides’ reflects one of the prevailing challenges of public policy-making in digital domains globally. It also represents one of the primary research areas of the Communication Policy and Technology Section of the IAMCR. The Section therefore welcomes this subject as the overall theme of the Stockholm 2008 IAMCR Conference and invites the submission of abstracts bearing on the related Sectional sub-theme: Digital Divides - New Media, ICT Policies and User Empowerment. Economic, gender, age, racial and social divides have typified global society from ancient times to the present, and are frequently reflected in conventional media representations and output. These traditional divides often re-emerge in the context of New Digital Media, at the centre of which are the Internet, Web 2.0 applications and Next Generation Networks. The CPT Section is inviting further and deeper research and reflections on social context, policy implications and solutions to the related issues. Are public and corporate policies keeping up with changes in citizen demand for greater access to the new communication tools? Is there now a more balanced inclusion of the voices of varied demographic groups such as youth, the elderly, women, men and the disabled in digital media output? Do the burgeoning information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer more access or less for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid? What are the new innovations that offer a greater chance of social equity? Can New Media help to redress imbalances in conventional communications output or do these emerging applications mainly create new info-elites? Are the new patterns of user-generated content and online communities a form of emancipation from conventional output inequalities and how do they affect concepts of quality, ownership, participation and identity? Is there now more scope for redressing the historic access and informational chasm between the global North and the Global South? The questions abound. The CPT Section welcomes abstracts of between 300 and 500 words from scholars of any academic discipline bearing on these and related issues. Topics of particular interest in abstract submissions to the Section include: * The Impacts of National or Regional Communications Policies on Minorities * The Meaning and Significance of Digital Technologies and Global Divides for varied communities of interest, such as Rural or Urban residents, youth and the elderly * Technology, Communications Policy and Inequality in Historical Perspectives * Mobile Broadband, Telephony Usage Patterns and Poverty * Emerging Divides in Relation to New Media use within Families, Personal Relationships, Neighbourhoods, Communities and Cities * Mediating Dominance - ICT’s and Alternative Media * Emerging Technologies, Markets and New Business Models * New Media, First Nations and Cultural Challenges or Empowerment * Technology Designs, Markets and Issues of Consumer Usage * Digital Divides and the future of NGNs and Web 2.0 * Wars, Conflicts and the Digital Divide * Internet Governance, the WSIS Process and Global Divides * Gender, Race and Social Representations on the Internet * Intellectual Property, Open Source Policies and the Future of Research * Public Policy-making, ICTs and e-Inclusion Abstracts of no more than 500 words, addressing one or more of the above topics should be submitted in Word format to Maria Michalis (M.Michalis(a)Westminster.ac.uk) and Jo Pierson (CPT08(a)telenet.be) before January 31, 2008. Abstracts should state the title as well as the methodology or approaches used and introduce the empirical material on which the paper is based. Each abstract may be presented in only one Section of the IAMCR Conference. Offering duplicates of the same paper to different Sections of the Association is likely to result in elimination of the duplicate abstract. Each abstract must include title, presenter’s name(s), institutional affiliation and email addresses of author(s). Applicants will be advised by March 31, 2008 of the outcome of their submissions. The full text of accepted papers will be required no later than 15th June 2008. Please visit the following website for more and updated information about the conference: http://www.jmk.su.se/contents/sidor/ english/info/scientific_conference.php. SUBMISSION SYNOPSIS Abstract Submission Deadline: January 31, 2008 Abstract Length: Maximum 500 words, incl. keywords To be sent to: Maria Michalis (M.Michalis(a)Westminster.ac.uk) and Jo Pierson (CPT08(a)telenet.be) Notification of Acceptance: March 31, 2008 Full Papers to be submitted by: June 15, 2008 IAMCR CPT Section Hopeton S. Dunn and Jo Pierson (Section Chairs) Maria Michalis and Bart Cammaerts (Deputy Section Chairs)

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oops - publisher was named.
by Barry Wellman 25 Dec '07

25 Dec '07

I just noticed buried that the publisher in the recent submission is listed as IGI, formerly Idea Group. I apologize to the enterprising editor. Knowing this gives me some idea of the book's price, where it will be promoted, and how selective it will be. Nevertheless, my main point still holds. Please give us publishing information. Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________ S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC NetLab Director Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Room 418 Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman fax:+1-416-978-7162 Updating history: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php Elvis wouldn't be singing "Return to Sender" these days _______________________________________________________________________

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google and wikipedia
by Barry Wellman 25 Dec '07

25 Dec '07

By now, readers of this list have heard about Google's move to develop a user-contributed encyclopedia. If not, here's an intro from the Official Google Blog (via Complexity Digest): "Encouraging People To Contribute Knowledge , The Official Google Blog Excerpts: The web contains an enormous amount of information, and Google has helped to make that information more easily accessible by providing pretty good search facilities. But not everything is written nor is everything well organized to make it easily discoverable. There are millions of people who possess useful knowledge that they would love to share, and there are billions of people who can benefit from it. We believe that many do not share that knowledge today simply because it is not easy enough to do that. The challenge posed to us by Larry, Sergey and Eric was to find a way to help people share their knowledge. This is our main goal." Encouraging People To Contribute Knowledge, Udi Manber, 07/12/13, The Official Google Blog http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/encouraging-people-to-contribute.html Barry again: I've been pretty active on Wikipedia for a year+ as a hobby, altho having to limit myself to 30 minutes a day for fear of addiction. I've come to think of it as the un-Google. Where Google supplies an unorganized list, Wikipedia tries to organize information chaos into comprehensible bytes. Despite the problems that all experienced Wikipedia editors know, IMHO, it does a pretty good job of synthesizing, presenting and self-correcting. But here's the trap for Google. Google has gotten really far by ripping off social network analysis with its algorithims, but ignoring the sociology. By contrast, Wikipedia has evolved into a socially complex system. Not only are misleading edits frequently (but not always) corrected by others, but there are elaborate informal and formal mechanisms for mediation, appeals, deletion of garbage, cross-referencing, syntax correction, etc. I have seen edit wars break out over many things, large and small, over the articles that I and my Wikibuddies watch: Anna Nicole Smith, social networks, The Bronx, female cartoon heroes, Iran, Jane Jacobs, etc. Google will have to develop these, even if they go to a quasi-expert model. Moreover, Google will have to develop the clientele of Wikipedia -- I note that Citizendum -- another expert model encyclopedia developed by Larry Sanger -- the co-founder of Wikipedia -- hasn't really taken off. Of course, Google will have vastly more resources to drive people to their site, but will this be enough. And how will the search capacities of Google be used by the new G-Encyclopedia, if the busy expert who wrote the thing has moved on. Indeed, I cannot even keep up with the 10s of thousands of Google entries about myself. YMMV, Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________ S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC NetLab Director Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Room 418 Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman fax:+1-416-978-7162 Updating history: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php Elvis wouldn't be singing "Return to Sender" these days _______________________________________________________________________

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publisher, svp
by Barry Wellman 24 Dec '07

24 Dec '07

Twice in the past few days, enterprising editors have put out requests for proposed chapter submissions to books they hope to enter. In neither case, did they say who their publisher would be: contracted, probable, or intended. Yet many scholars want to know this information before they submit possible chapters. While we all want to be published, we all want to be read, and we all want to be under the covers with kindred folks. This means that as a courtesy to hardworking authors, aspiring editors should name their publishers, or if they don't have a firm one in mind, at least mention whom they intend to approach. Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________ S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC NetLab Director Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Room 418 Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman fax:+1-416-978-7162 Updating history: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php Elvis wouldn't be singing "Return to Sender" these days _______________________________________________________________________

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Re: [Air-L] snide, cute, ignorant, surprising
by Peter Timusk 24 Dec '07

24 Dec '07

Sorry I should have read this piece (Our Lives in Digital Times, November 10, 2006) first by my employer Statistics Canada and Sciadas, George http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=56F0004M2006014 Available in French too. apparently paper consumption is up world wide. I really have to stop relying on business news to make statements. again sorry On 16-Dec-07, at 10:48 PM, Peter Timusk wrote: > Internet is bad message in the newspapers. I note newsprint > companies are down on the stock market at least one big Quebec > company is way down for a few years now. Paper is on the way out > apparently. Unless a newspaper is selling me the latest gadget they > are negative on the Internet because they feel they compete (IMHO). > This is also why some newspapers are so off with their web sites > and have not got it right. I have not seen a lot of articles in my > daily paper about open source for instance.

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Call for Chapters: Handbook on Research in KM
by Holly Kruse 23 Dec '07

23 Dec '07

Forwarded on request -- please do not respond to me. Holly ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jay <jparaki(a)gmail.com> Date: Dec 22, 2007 10:17 PM Subject: Membership of AOIR and Call for Chapters to Handbook on Research in KM in Telemedicine I am inviting all Members of AOIR to contribute to the inaugural edition of the Handbook wholeheartedly. Call for Chapters can be accessed at IGI GLobal website also. Regards Dr Jayanth G Paraki CALL FOR CHAPTERS Proposals Submission Deadline: 12/30/2007 Full Articles Due: 2/15/2008 Handbook of Research on Knowledge Management in Telemedicine: Advanced Ethics, Policy and Regulatory Applications A book edited by Dr. Jayanth G. Paraki, Telemedicine Research Laboratory Introduction Telemedicine is intertwined with Internet, Semantic Web and Data mining. Internet is a phenomenon that supports evolution of both Semantic Web and Telemedicine. While Telemedicine is best understood by medical professionals it is common knowledge that Internet is accessed by almost everyone with flair for English language. Telemedicine lies far beyond Internet itself and suffers from lack of global technology standards and profuse applications, which would make it a household name like Google or Yahoo. Herein lies the significance of the Semantic Web. A technology interface or enabler that can rapidly develop simple and efficient applications for telemedicine is urgently required. This is the area from which new innovations are likely to emerge within the next 2-3 years. The Handbook of Research on Knowledge Management in Telemedicine: Advanced Ethics, Policy and Regulatory Applications covers a wide range of topics from early adopters of Telemedicine to the latest innovation and futuristic tele-robotic technologies. The Overall Objective of the Book In the fields of Knowledge Management in Telemedicine and associated fields of Datamining and Biomedical Ontology, there exists a need for an edited collection of articles in this area. The book aims to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and latest empirical research findings in the area. It is written for professionals who want to improve their understanding of the global significance of Telemedicine and apply it in their profession. Since Telemedicine is expected to provide a strategic thrust at different levels of the global information and knowledge society and bridge the knowledge gaps in developing nations, the book addresses the all important ethics, policy and regulatory applications in a detailed and comprehensive fashion. The Target Audience Professionals and researchers working in the field of information and knowledge management in various disciplines, e.g. library, information and communication sciences, administrative sciences and management, education, adult education, sociology, computer science, information technology. Moreover, the book will provide insights and support decision-makers at local, regional, national and international levels to implement Telemedicine initiatives in their country to advance quality of healthcare, medical education and research and elevate the overall health and well-being of society and communities. Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following: History And Evolution Of Telemedicine Internet, Semantic Web And Telemedicine Telecommunications And Telemedicine Information Technology And Telemedicine Devices, Equipments, Instruments And Accessories And Telemedicine Medical Applications Of Telemedicine Global Ethics And Telemedicine Local, National And International Policies In Telemedicine Total Quality Management In Telemedicine University- Industry Alliance In Telemedicine Tele-Robotics- Theory And Applications Biomedical Ontology: Theory And Applications Datamining Applications For Telemedicine Decision Support Systems For Telemedicine SUBMISSION PROCEDURE Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before November 30, 2007 a 2-5 page manuscript proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by December 15, 2007 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter organizational guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by February 15, 2008. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. The book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global, www.igi-pub.com, publisher of the IGI Publishing (formerly Idea Group Publishing), Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing and Information Science Reference (formerly Idea Group Reference) imprints. Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to: Dr. Jayanth G Paraki Telemedicine Research Laboratory India jparaki(a)gmail.com -- -- // // This email is // [ ] assumed public and may be blogged / forwarded. // [X] assumed to be private, please ask before redistributing. // // Alexander C. Halavais // Social Architect // http://alex.halavais.net // ------ End of Forwarded Message

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New Paper: ICTs and Society: The Salzburg Approach
by Christian Fuchs 23 Dec '07

23 Dec '07

Dear colleagues, I want to inform you about a new research paper that you can find online. It presents a social theory approach on ICT research. In case you find social theory more interesting than Christmas, this might be something to check out now. Hofkirchner, Wolfgang/Fuchs, Christian/Raffl, Celina/Schafranek, Matthias/Sandoval, Marisol/Bichler, Robert (2007) ICTs and Society: The Salzburg Approach. Towards a Theory for, about, and my means of the Information Society. Salzburg: ICT&S Center Research Paper No. 3. ISSN 1990-8563. http://icts.sbg.ac.at/media/pdf/pdf1490.pdf With Kind Regards, Christian Fuchs -- _____________________________ Univ.Ass. Dr. Christian Fuchs Assistant Professor for Internet and Society ICT&S Center - Advanced Studies and Research in Information and Communication Technologies & Society http://www.icts.uni-salzburg.at University of Salzburg Sigmund Haffner Gasse 18 5020 Salzburg Austria christian.fuchs(a)sbg.ac.at Phone +43 662 8044 4823 Fax +43 662 6389 4800 Information-Society-Technology: http://fuchs.icts.sbg.ac.at http://www.icts.uni-salzburg.at/fuchs/ Managing Editor of tripleC - peer reviewed open access online journal for the foundations of information science: http://triplec.uti.at New Book: Fuchs, Christian. 2008. Internet and Society: Social Theory in the Information Age. New York: Routledge. 408 Pages. http://fuchs.icts.sbg.ac.at/i&s.html http://www.routledge.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?sku=&isb… PETITION: http://www.austria4arigona.at

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Where Are You?
by James Watt 22 Dec '07

22 Dec '07

At 01:12 PM 12/19/2007, Barry Wellman wrote: >I recently did an interview with a smart reporter, Eric Weiner, from >NPR (US National Public Radio). In it, I opined that one of the most >prevalent Qs when people talk on mobile/cell phones is "Where are you"? I don't know the facts of this case, but it does raise an intriguing question in my mind: If ubiquitous communication breaks down geographical limitations, as many have assumed, why would a question about physical location be the most prevalent thing people ask? Why would it matter where you are if all geographic locations are 2 seconds away on speed dial? I have some data-free suspicions, but I'd be interested in others' ideas. ======================================================== James H. Watt Professor of Communication Director, Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory (http://www.sbrl.rpi.edu) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th Street, Sage Lab 4518 Troy, NY 12180-3590 email: wattj(a)rpi.edu voice: (518) 276-4130 or 276-2784 fax: (518) 276-3740 SBRL Office: 3142 Winslow Building

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