- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Re: [Air-l] An Internet Without Space
by andrew.herman＠comcast.net 05 Feb '04

05 Feb '04

Friends- I think this is a great idea--but why not do a panel or two at the conference on this issue (not that I don't think the pre-conference workshop is a bad idea). I'd be willingto organize one. Would you be interested Michelle? AH -- Visiting Professor and Research Fellow in Digital Communications and Cultural Policy Joint Graduate Program in Communication and Culture York University 4700 Keele St.TEL 3007 Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 (416)736-2100 x 30157 > Dear Colleagues, > > I want to thank all of you for an interesting set of questions. I am > particularly touched by Charles' kind words and challenging remarks. I > like Charles' larger call for new methods and alternative languages for > viewing and experiencing. My project may attempt this in a very small way > but not, as Charles suggests, at the level of a total epistemology shift. > > Wouldn't it be interesting to do an AoIR pre-conference workshop or > journal issue that interrogates the ways that different disciplines and > academic practices read a specific Internet setting? What fun to talk > through how we come to understand sites and the implications of these > readings. Such a project might allow us to articulate, change, and rework > methodologies and question the implications of our academic practices. > > I think that one of the ways that Charles' and my reading diverge is at > the level of understanding the term "space." While I certainly relate what > is understood as "three-dimensional space" to the expression of relational > arrangements between colors, forms, or other patterns, I also think there > may be a number of differences between saying "I enter the screen" and > "the 'enter' message in the middle of the web image suggests that the body > can enter the screen." > > Charles' model might encourage us to question the term "middle" or such > art history designations as "lower quadrant" and "upper right corner." I > believe that these terms rely on a certain understanding of centered and > singular embodiment and yes arrangements and have interestingly remained > largely uninterrogated even with feminist and postmodern scholars. > > In writing about the web, such relational phrases as "middle" and "right > side" also suggest a stability and regularity of the image that is not > always reliable or present. We may be able to find some form of > alternative reading and system of knowledge in the work of net artists > like Mark Napier (http://potatoland.org/ see especially > http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/shredder.html) and Lisa Jevbratt > (http://www.whitney.org/artport/exhibitions/biennial2002/jevbratt.shtml) > Their works provide us with ways to look at web and other Internet content > differently. Napier's browsers indicate that images, texts, and viewing > are structured by software. They also provide a kind of shock to the > viewer. Is there a reason to think about chat without word spacing and > linewrap or a web sites without a translation of html tags and images into > a more "easily" readable arrangement? > > I would agree with Nancy that the spatial metaphor is employed more often > in some Internet settings than others and is also more easily deployed > when critically writing about some settings. It seems to me that there may > also be an ever present convention that is conveyed by windows, browser > directional arrows and other menus, and is made present even when the user > chooses software that has rejected such conventions. > > I am not suggesting that we ignore the ways that users design, write, and > represent such settings with spatial terms. Instead, I would like to pay > more attention to the ways that the term "space" and an accompanying set > of ideas function. For instance, I would like to ask why varied gaming > settings render certain kinds of spaces and embodied experiences and to > consider the ways that these renderings affect the user's engagement with > the game, other sites, and society. > > All my best, > Michele > > > _______________________________________________ > Air-l mailing list > Air-l(a)aoir.org > http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l

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Call for Participation - PDC 2004 - Please distribute!
by Charlie Breindahl 05 Feb '04

05 Feb '04

The due date for research papers is fast approaching and there are lots of other ways to participate. We hope to see you this summer in Toronto! Call for Participation PDC 2004 the eighth biennial Participatory Design Conference Artful Integration Interweaving Media, Materials and Practices <http://cpsr.org/conferences/pdc2004/> July 27-31, 2004 University of Toronto Toronto, Canada Sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) In cooperation with the ACM and IFIP (pending) Academic sponsors: Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI), University of Toronto Faculty of Information Studies (FIS), University of Toronto Participatory Design (PD) is a diverse collection of principles and practices aimed at making technologies and social institutions more responsive to human needs. A central tenet of PD is the direct involvement of people in the co-design of the systems they use. The Participatory Design Conferences, held every two years since 1990, have brought together a multidisciplinary and international group of software developers, researchers, social scientists, designers, activists, practitioners, users, citizens, cultural workers and managers who adopt distinctively participatory approaches in the development of information and communication artifacts, systems, services and technology. Participatory design approaches have been used in traditional application domains (such as computer systems for business, health care and governmental) and are also relevant in emerging areas such as web-portal design, e-government services, community networks, enterprise resource planning, public (and other) CSCW (computer supported cooperative work) systems, social administration & community development, university/community partnerships, tele-health, communities of practice and political deliberation / mobilization (e-democracy), digital arts and design, scholarship and teaching with mediated technologies (e-learning), the experience of a sense of place, cultural production and cultural institutions. We further welcome submissions that explore the relationship between PD approaches and the design of ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructures such as open source projects, standards, protocols, new media, policy, broadband and WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks and the like, and how in turn they may enable and constrain the possibilities for participation. Participatory designers of ICT-applications may learn from, and, hopefully contribute to, work in other fields, such as community and organizational development, architecture, urban planning, policy development, media, design and art, especially insofar as these fields increasingly use ICTs. Participatory design approaches can be applied in various social settings such as local communities, government agencies, civil society, NGOs, schools and universities, companies, trade unions, etc. each with its own distinctive stakeholder arenas and power relations. The overall theme of the 2004 conference, "Artful Integration: Interweaving Media, Materials and Practices" describes a central reality of participatory design. It recognizes that an essential ingredient in design practice is the working together of multiple, heterogeneous elements. Whereas conventional design approaches emphasize the role of the designer and the creation of singular "things," artful integration calls attention to the collective interweaving of people, artifacts and processes to achieve practical, aesthetic or emancipatory syntheses. The conference will include the inauguration of the "Artful Integrators Award" for exemplary work in participatory design. We invite contributions on all aspects of participatory design, especially those that address concerns discussed above. Share your artful integrations with the broader community! TYPES OF SESSIONS We invite submissions for the following types of sessions (described more fully below): + Research papers (maximum 10 pages) + Short papers (maximum 4 pages) research works in progress, field experiences / stories from reflective practitioners, tools and techniques reports) + Pre-Conference workshops (2 page proposals) Conference workshops (2 + page proposals) Art Installations, Environments, Projects, Designs, + Demonstrations (proposals include statement and sketch, see below) + Tutorials (2 page proposals) + Doctoral consortium ---------------------------------- Research Papers Deadline: February 13, 2004 For the first time, the accepted PDC research papers will be published by an academic press, specifically the ACM in their International Conference series. In addition to the hardcopy form, papers will also be published via the web in ACM's Digital Library. High academic standards will be expected. Maximum length of research papers is 10 pages. Each submitted paper will be double blind reviewed by at least 3 reviewers. Authors are invited to suggest names and contact information of one or two possible reviewers to supplement reviews by Program Committee members. Such prospective reviewers should have demonstrable expertise in the relevant field and be at arms-length from the author(s) and the work presented. Accepted papers should be revised according to the review reports and the language should be checked by a native English speaker. Deadline for submitting the camera-ready manuscript is June 4, 2004. ---------------------------------- Short Papers (maximum 4 pages) (Chair: Joan Greenbaum) Deadline: May 7, 2004 Short papers cover a range of possible formats and audiences + Research works in progress: research which is not yet ready to be evaluated in a peer review. Short papers could cover research designs, fieldwork, and/or preliminary research results. + Stories about experiences by reflective practitioners: we are especially interested in short papers in which practitioners describe their practical experiences with the (non) participation of users. These reports may be derived from a variety of settings, but should as a general feature describe the various stakeholders in the design process, their mutual interactions, and how they were affected. + Tools and techniques reports: the description of tools and techniques, and of the application of these tools and techniques, showing their usability for participatory design. + Short papers are also welcome that fit the "pattern" format organized by problem, context, discussion, solution and references. Potential short paper contributors are invited to contact the session chair for further details. <joanbaum(a)ix.netcom.com>. Pre-Conference Workshops (Chairs Thomas Binder & Judith Gregory) Deadline: March 5, 2004 Full- or half-day invitational workshops will be held Wednesday, July 28, 2004. The proposal should contain a title, goals, technique, relevance to PD and a schedule. Intended participants and how they will be recruited should also be described. Workshop topics can include methods, practices, or other areas of interest. Note that fees may be charged to cover workshop expenses (such as lunch, materials, or equipment set up) but workshop organizers are not paid. Potential pre-conference workshop contributors are invited to contact the session co-chairs for further details. <thomas.binder(a)interactiveinstitute.se> and <judithg(a)ifi.uio.no>. ---------------------------------- Conference Workshops (Chairs Peter Mambrey & Patricia Sachs) Deadline: May 7, 2004 Conference workshops will be convened on July 30 from 2-5 PM. Attendees will sign up for these workshops at the conference itself. Please submit a two page proposal which includes title, goals, objectives, and methods for making the workshop interactive with the participants. Please indicate as the relevant background of the leaders, intended participants, the maximum number of participants and whether you would need special equipment. Feel encouraged to apply with others as a group. Potential conference workshop contributors are invited to contact the session co-chairs for further details. <mambrey(a)fit.fraunhofer.de> <pascha(a)social-solutions.com>. ---------------------------------- Art Installations, Environments, Projects, Designs, Demonstrations (chairs Yvonne Dittrich & Leah Lievrouw) Deadline: May 1, 2004 The objective of this portion of the conference is to present and debate works that combine outstanding aesthetic vision with a commitment to the principles and philosophy of participatory design. Successful proposals will demonstrate both design/artistic merit and the collaborative involvement of designers, users, audiences, and/or other relevant groups. Works may incorporate any forms or genres of information/communication technologies or digital media (e.g., sound, still/moving images, touch, space, text, etc.), either alone or combined with other media and/or live performance. Proposals must include: + A statement (maximum 500 words) describing the title and goals of the submission, the techniques/media employed, the piece's relevance to participatory design, and how it will occupy, challenge, provoke, involve, entice or otherwise engage those involved in its design, distribution and/or use. + A sketch, layout, design or plan that conveys the look/feel/ experience of the work (e.g., 30 seconds of Flash animation, storyboards, web pages, etc., submitted as URLs, Zip/CD/DVD, or other format). + The technical specifications for presentation and exhibition, including hardware/software platforms, projection or other playback equipment, time and space requirements, network/web access needs, and so on. + Complete contact information (name, affiliation, mailing address, telephone/fax/email/URL) for each artist/author of the entry. All required parts of the proposal should be submitted to the conference chairs in electronic form. Works selected for PDC 2004 will be chosen by an international, multi-disciplinary jury (representing arts/design/critical studies as well as social sciences, informatics and computer science) and will be exhibited for the duration of the conference. Artists/authors will be expected to present and discuss a brief precis of their piece in a roundtable session at the conference. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the chairs for further details about the aims and evaluation criteria for submissions, at <ydi(a)itu.dk> or <llievrou(a)ucla.edu.> Entries must be received by the program chairs no later than midnight (U.S. Pacific time) May 1, 2004. ---------------------------------- Tutorials (pre-conference) (Chairs Volkmar Pipek & Bettina Toerpel) Deadline: March 5, 2004 Full-day (6 hour) and half-day (3 hour) tutorials will be held Tuesday July 27, 2004. The proposal should contain a title, goals, technique, relevance to PD and a tutorial schedule. Please describe any handouts that you intend to make available in the proposal. Please include a budget for tutorial expenses (lunch, materials, equipment set up, for example) in your proposal. Fees will be charged, with tutorial organizers receiving surplus over tutorial expenses. Potential tutorial contributors are invited to contact one of the session co-chairs for further details. <volkmar.pipek(a)iisi.de> and <beetee(a)itu.dk>. ---------------------------------- Doctoral consortium (Chairs: Jeanette Blomberg & Finn Kensing) A full day, invitational doctoral consortium will be held Tuesday, July 27, 2004. Doctoral candidates are invited to contact the one of the session co-chairs for further details. <jblomberg(a)almaden.ibm.com> and <kensing(a)itu.dk>. ---------------------------------- General submission information: + Submissions should be formatted according to the requirements specific to each type of submission as listed on the conference website and sent electronically to the chairs using the upload facility to be found there. + Each submission will include a cover sheet with title, submission type, submitter name(s) and affiliation(s), address(es) and email address(es). + Receipt notification will follow over email. + All accepted contributions will be posted on appropriate web sites and published in book form provided to conference participants as part of the conference fee. + Volume I of the Proceedings will include all research papers and be published by ACM Press as part of the International Conference series. Research papers must be formatted according to ACM guidelines (<http://www.acm.org/sigs/pubs/proceed/template.html>). Additional information as needed will be made available on the PDC 2004 web site (<http://cpsr.org/conferences/pdc2004/>). + Volume II of the Proceedings will include all the other accepted contributions in the traditional PDC-format. + Before a submission is included in either Volume I or Volume II, at least one author of the submission must be registered for the conference. More details can be found on the conference website or by contacting the Program co-Chairs or the Chair of the appropriate session. IMPORTANT DATES 2004 + February 13 Due date for research paper submissions + March 5 Due date for pre-conference workshops and tutorials + March 19 Acceptance notification for workshops and tutorials + April 23 Acceptance notification to authors of research papers + May 1 Due date for Art Installations, Environments, Projects, Designs, Demonstrations submissions + May 7 Due date for short papers, conference workshop submissions + May 21 Acceptance notification short papers, conference workshops, Art Installations, Environments, Projects, Designs, Demonstrations + May 31 Early registration date + June 4 Due date for Final Proceedings Vol 1 versions of research papers + June 11 Due date for final Proceedings Vol 2 versions of pre-conference and conference workshops and other submissions + July 27-31 PDC 2004 ALSO OF INTEREST The ACM SIGCHI conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS2004) takes place August 1-4, immediately following PDC2004 in Cambridge, MA, 1 1/2 hrs by air from Toronto. More information is available at: <http://sigchi.org/dis2004/> CONFERENCE COMMITTEES Conference Co-Chairs: Andrew Clement, University of Toronto, Canada Peter van den Besselaar, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Netherlands Program Co-chairs: Fiorella de Cindio, University of Milano, Italy Doug Schuler, The Evergreen State College, USA PROGRAM COMMITTEE Liam Bannon (Ireland), Thomas Binder (Sweden), Jeanette Blomberg (US), Tone Bratteteig (Norway), Jacob Buur (Denmark), Debra Cash (US), Todd Cherkasky (US), Andrew Clement (Canada), Peter Day (UK), Fiorella De Cindio (Italy), Yvonne Dittrich (Sweden), Frank Emspak (US), Gerhard Fischer (US), Joan Greenbaum (US), Davydd Greenwood (US), Judith Gregory (Norway), Robert Guerra (Canada), Michael Gurstein (Canada), Bo Helgeson (Sweden), Vidar Hepso (Norway), Finn Kensing (Denmark), Sarah Kuhn (US), Leah Lievrow (US), Peter Mambrey (Germany), Preben Holst Mogensen (Denmark), Gale Moore (Canada), Michael Muller (US) Julian Orr (US), Norberto Patrignani (Italy), Volkmar Pipek (Germany), Rob Procter (UK), Toni Robertson (Australia), Patricia Sachs (US), Partha Sarker (Bangladesh), Doug Schuler (US), Steve Scrivener (UK), Lucy Suchman (UK), Randy Trigg (US), Peter van den Besselaar (Netherlands), Ina Wagner (Austria), and Volker Wulf (Germany).

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Space and Place
by Charles Hendricksen 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

As a geographer I must put my oar into this pond. On of the more pervasive meanings of space is *context*, for example cultural. In the experienced world our reality is a set of superimposed spaces: academe, queer space, the dark nation, kid space, etc. As we move about the physical world we may have no knowledge of how important a place is in different spaces. Cyberspace is the physical world seen through the eyes of those who communicate on the internet. Cyberspace has holes in it: places not served by the internet. Cyberspace has regions served by Wi-Fi networks. Cyberspace has places or nodes where communication channels converge. Mapping is another term that is related to space. One speaks of a mapping of one phenomenon over the space of another. The space may be physical or conceptual. Martin Dodge has been the leader in defining the geographies of cyberspace. See http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/casa/martin/geography_of_cyberspace.html -- Charlie Hendricksen, PhD Research Collaboration Architect "Information technology structures human relationships." Dissertation link: http://depts.washington.edu/bkn/public/pubs/diss.html DocReview link: http://purl.oclc.org/DocReview/get

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Re: first post (An Internet without Space)
by Michele White 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

Dear Colleagues, I am resistant to the continued use of the term "space" and spatial metaphors when writing about the Internet and related technologies. In fact, part of my ongoing research practice is to address this issue. I believe that the employment of such terms as "space" and "cyberspace" in popular and academic writings about the computer and Internet technologies makes it seem like representations are a kind of material environment. This writing repeats and even enhances design strategies that describe synchronous settings as "rooms," Internet maps that produce unnecessary and fictive geographies, and programming that makes users' progression through sites seem like bodily movement. Such visceral renderings discourage critical interventions into Internet representations because sites seem tangible. The conflation of space-producing discourses with user investment in particular sites and identities threatens to make stereotypes "real." The represented bodies of Internet settings are "fleshed out" because there seems to be an environment that can support varied bodily processes. Computer representations can also justify the perpetuation of physical but certainly not necessary or natural conditions by mirroring material circumstances. I believe that such spatial vernaculars are having a significant effect on our cultural situations. I also continue to ponder other ways that we can write about and experience technologies. I would be interested in continuing such a dialog. All my best, Michele

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An Internet Without Space
by Michele White 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

Dear Colleagues, I want to thank all of you for an interesting set of questions. I am particularly touched by Charles' kind words and challenging remarks. I like Charles' larger call for new methods and alternative languages for viewing and experiencing. My project may attempt this in a very small way but not, as Charles suggests, at the level of a total epistemology shift. Wouldn't it be interesting to do an AoIR pre-conference workshop or journal issue that interrogates the ways that different disciplines and academic practices read a specific Internet setting? What fun to talk through how we come to understand sites and the implications of these readings. Such a project might allow us to articulate, change, and rework methodologies and question the implications of our academic practices. I think that one of the ways that Charles' and my reading diverge is at the level of understanding the term "space." While I certainly relate what is understood as "three-dimensional space" to the expression of relational arrangements between colors, forms, or other patterns, I also think there may be a number of differences between saying "I enter the screen" and "the 'enter' message in the middle of the web image suggests that the body can enter the screen." Charles' model might encourage us to question the term "middle" or such art history designations as "lower quadrant" and "upper right corner." I believe that these terms rely on a certain understanding of centered and singular embodiment and yes arrangements and have interestingly remained largely uninterrogated even with feminist and postmodern scholars. In writing about the web, such relational phrases as "middle" and "right side" also suggest a stability and regularity of the image that is not always reliable or present. We may be able to find some form of alternative reading and system of knowledge in the work of net artists like Mark Napier (http://potatoland.org/ see especially http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/shredder.html) and Lisa Jevbratt (http://www.whitney.org/artport/exhibitions/biennial2002/jevbratt.shtml) Their works provide us with ways to look at web and other Internet content differently. Napier's browsers indicate that images, texts, and viewing are structured by software. They also provide a kind of shock to the viewer. Is there a reason to think about chat without word spacing and linewrap or a web sites without a translation of html tags and images into a more "easily" readable arrangement? I would agree with Nancy that the spatial metaphor is employed more often in some Internet settings than others and is also more easily deployed when critically writing about some settings. It seems to me that there may also be an ever present convention that is conveyed by windows, browser directional arrows and other menus, and is made present even when the user chooses software that has rejected such conventions. I am not suggesting that we ignore the ways that users design, write, and represent such settings with spatial terms. Instead, I would like to pay more attention to the ways that the term "space" and an accompanying set of ideas function. For instance, I would like to ask why varied gaming settings render certain kinds of spaces and embodied experiences and to consider the ways that these renderings affect the user's engagement with the game, other sites, and society. All my best, Michele

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RE: [Air-l] space and place
by Kevin Tharp 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

There is another aspect of this topic that has been overlooked in this conversation. For the majority of the world, the first connection to the Internet, or even their first phone call is still yet to happen. Even among those that consider themselves Internet fluent, there are relatively few that have 10 years of experience. And consider the change in those last 10 years. We are at a point in time when normalization in the use of this set of media is likely in the early stages of genesis. Yet we are already seeing that over time, the way that people perceive and use the Internet changes as the newness wears off and their level of access increases (for those looking for empirical evidence I have included references to three Pew reports below). In the next 10 years, it is likely that within wealthy western nations there will be a dramatic swing towards ubiquity as the technology becomes less visible and more accessible (or less escapable). As our personal possessions such as clothing and vehicles become more context aware, I believe we are going to see a blurring between the spaces cyber and geographic. I would suggest reading some of the work that Barry Wellman and associates have recently produced, Howard Rheingold's "Smart Mobs" (2002), and Castells' "The Internet Galaxy" (2001). In these works we see the emergence of the idea that place does matter, and that the separation between cyber and geographic places is possibly just a transitional phase that results from the juvenile stage of these technologies. As for the space place question, maybe the term context should be investigated. It brings with it the individual and their subjective experiences, along with the socio-technical milieux. It seems strange to me to be referencing in an email, but what the heck, references to above items are listed below. Regards, Kevin W. Tharp Horrigan, J. B., & Rainie, L. (2002). Getting Serious Online. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Horrigan, J. B., & Rainie, L. (2002). The Broadband Difference: How online Americans' behavior changes with high-speed Internet connections at home. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Horrigan, J. B., Rainie, L., & Fox, S. (2001). Online Communities: Networks that nurture long-distance relationships and local ties. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. To see some of what is going on with context aware wearable computing http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/mithril/ Barry Wellman's Publications - http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/index.html Rheingold, H. (2002). Smart mobs : the next social revolution. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub. Castells, M. (2001). The Internet galaxy : reflections on the Internet, business, and society. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.

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Call for papers: Sustainability and Community Technology: What Does this Mean for Community Informatics, Prato Italy 29 Sept-1 Oct 2004
by Michael Gurstein 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

-----Original Message----- From: larry Stillman [mailto:larrys@vicnet.net.au] Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 5:13 PM To: cirnadmin Cc: comm-vic(a)vicnet.net.au; aliawsis-rt(a)alianet.alia.org.au; ciresearchers(a)vancouvercommunity.net; communityinformatics(a)vancouvercommunity.net Subject: [ciresearchers] Call to papers: Sustainability and Community Technology: What Does this Mean for Community Informatics, Prato Italy 29 Sept-1 Oct 2004 Dear Colleagues, The Community Informatics Research Network Inc. (CIRN) calls for papers to its 2004 Inaugural Conference and Colloquium with the overall theme, 'Sustainability and Community Technology: What Does this Mean for Community Informatics?, at the Monash Centre, Prato, Italy, 29 September - 1 October, 2004. www.ciresearch.net/prato2004. The event is meant to provide an opportunity for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to present findings and reflect in a convivial atmosphere on key issues of concern for the future of enabling communities with Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It will also be the founding organisational conference of CIRN. Further details of the conference will be forthcoming shortly. Please bookmark the website for updates. CIRN members will receive a conference discount (see www.ciresearch.net for membership information), and the number of places available is limited. Please forward this notice to colleagues. Call for Papers Papers (full length for blind peer review and discussion or position papers) from researchers and practitioners are invited. Possible topics include: . Defining 'sustainability' in a community technology context: is it an adequate concept? What are its meanings and how are they relevant? . Are there alternate concepts which are more practicable and how are they linked to the life of communities and community networking? . Sustainability and the Digital Divide: Friend or Foe? . The political economy of community technology sustainability: dependency on government, and funders' understanding of 'sustainability' . Community Technology Sustainability in different spheres: developed, developing countries: are there universal principles? . The sustainability criteria of national and international financial institutions and donors: Explanations and Critiques . Indigenous and first nations people and the sustainability of community networks . Gendered technology and the sustainability of community networks. . Is there a connection between sustainability and 'social capital'? . Time, virtual space, geography and network sustainability . Power relationships in networking and their impact on sustainability . The policy dimensions (dementia) of sustainability . Evaluating 'sustainability' . Case studies of 'sustainability' in different community informatics settings . Case studies of the policy frameworks and applications of 'sustainability' ## A special issue of Community Informatics: A Global E-Journal will be prepared as part of this event and contributors to the event will be encouraged to submit their papers for either the peer-reviewed or the commentary section of the journal. * Doctoral Colloquium * The CIRN Doctoral Colloquium offers PhD students a special forum on 29 September 2004 where they will have a chance to present their research plans and discuss them with peers and established senior researchers. Interested students should prepare a 2 page summary of their research. This should provide a context for the research, describe the methods being used, the progress to date and expectations and hopes from the colloquium. Please submit your 2 page application by 1 April 2004 to: Marcus Foth at m.foth(a)qut.edu.au Applicants will be notified of acceptance by 1 June 2004. Successful applicants will be asked to prepare an 8 page paper on their research by 1 August 2004. For further details please contact the organiser of the CIRN Doctoral Colloquium, Marcus Foth, at m.foth(a)qut.edu.au Key Dates * Abstracts of papers (in English only) should be sent as soon as possible. Please submit abstracts to Professor Michael Gurstein (gurstein(a)njit.edu) or Larry Stillman (larrys(a)vicnet.net.au) by 1 April. 2004. * Full Papers (up to 5,000 words, including references) are due 1 August 2004 for blind refereeing via peer review and inclusion in the publication. This deadline is final if you wish to be included in the publication. Papers can be in English, French, Italian, German or Spanish. There will be a prize given for the best refereed paper and a second, for the best paper submitted by a student (please indicate on your submission whether you are a student). Position papers (up to 2,500 words) are also welcome and are due by 1 August 2004 if the abstract is accepted. Research students are particularly encouraged to attend to present work-in-progress. * Interim Conference Committee Michael Gurstein, New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA Peter Day, University of Brighton, UK Don Schauder, Monash University, Australia Michel Menou, CoVITALC (Virtual Latin American and Caribbean Consortium for Telecentres Research), México Larry Stillman, Monash University, Australia Scott Robinson, Universidad Metropolitana, México Graeme Johanson, Monash University, Australia Wal Taylor, Central Queensland University, Australia Beris Gwynn, Foundation for Community Development, Australia Barbara Craig, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ Roger Harris, Roger Harris Associates, Hong Kong Marcus Foth, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Fiorella de Cindio, Rete Civica di Milano, Italy Sergei Stafeev , Centre for Community Networking and Information Society Policy Studies St. Petersburg, CIS Tom Horan, Information and Technology Institute, Claremont Graduate University, USA Conference Host Centre for Community Networking Research, Monash University Sponsors include - Information and Technology Institute, Claremont Graduate University Further information Preliminary information about registrations, accommodation etc. can be found at www.ciresearch.net/prato2004 Registration will be approximately 150 Euros with CIRN member discounts. -------------------------------- Larry Stillman CCNR, Monash University 61 3 9903 1801 www.ccnr.net www.webstylus.net --------------------------------

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re:first post(Am I wrong?)
by Eero Tarik 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

when I write "there is no cyberspace", am I wrong, or am I merely not the flavour of the month? Is it wrong to not see a concept that some others can see? Or is it just like looking at an abstract painting - you see in it whatever you feel like seeing? see ya Eero Tarik Adelaide

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Post-doctoral opportunity in International Communication
by C. Courtright 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

Forwarded message -- 2004-2005 Post-Doctoral Fellowship Announcement The Annenberg Research Network on International Communication, at the University of Southern California, was established in 2003 to study the emergence of new communication infrastructures, examine the attendant transformation of government policies and communication patterns, and analyze the social and economic consequences. The project is multi-disciplinary - including communication, sociology, economics, and political science approaches - and follows an international comparative perspective - spanning North America and Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific, Western and Eastern Europe. The core faculty members are: Jonathan Aronson, François Bar, Manuel Castells, and Hernan Galperin, all four at the Annenberg School for Communication The research network also includes other faculty, at USC and elsewhere. For more information, see: http://annenberg.usc.edu/international_communication/ 2004-2005 Post-Doctoral Fellowship in International Communication We invite applications for a post-doctoral research position during the 2004-2005 academic year, from candidates who do innovative research in International Communication. The competition is open to junior scholars: those who received a Ph.D. since 1995 or who will have completed a dissertation by August 2004. Applicants from a variety of social science disciplines and from a variety of countries are encouraged. Evaluation Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of academic achievement and promise, based on publications and previous research experience, the quality of the research proposal, and the fit of their research interest with the project's focus on international communication. Compensation The project will provide an appropriate stipend in accordance with University guidelines, desk space, computer support and network access, as well as USC library privileges. Application Procedures Applicants must submit: 1) a curriculum vitae, including a list of publications when applicable, 2) a 5-page research proposal, 3) a graduate transcript, and 4) three confidential letters of recommendation. Applications must be in English. Application materials must be received by March 22nd, 2004, (either hard-copy or e-mail). Selection will be announced in April 2004. Please send application materials to: re: Post-doctoral fellowship Guita Irani Administrative Coordinator Annenberg Research Network on International Communication Annenberg School for Communication University of Southern California 3502 Watt Way, ASC 332A Los Angeles, California 90089 Tel: 213-821-5385 Fax: 213-821-1606 Email: mirani(a)usc.edu

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Internet studies job
by Greg Elmer 04 Feb '04

04 Feb '04

George Mason University Internet Studies and Information Literacy Assistant Professor New Century College seeks applications for an Assistant professor of Internet Studies and Information Literacy, to begin in August 2004. The successful candidate will join a vigorous program in New Media Studies that offers significant opportunities for pedagogical and scholarly innovation. Applicants should be prepared to contribute actively to an Integrated, technology-enriched first-year curriculum and to teach upper-level theoretical courses. Candidates should also be willing to engage in academic responsibilities, including committee work and student mentoring, unique to our learning community model of education. Prospective candidates should possess a scholarly background in computers and writing with a specialization in Internet Studies and Information Literacy. Experience of curricular development and familiarity with the integration of service learning and computer technologies is strongly preferred. A Ph.D. is required, accompanied by proven expertise in teaching and a record of scholarly publication. Information about NCC can be found at www.ncc.gmu.edu. For fullest consideration, applicants should send a cover letter, CV, statements of teaching philosophy and research interests, and three letters of recommendation to: Lesley Smith, Director, Search Committee, MSN 5D3, New Century College, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444. Review of applications will begin March 1, 2004 and will continue until the position is filled. AA/EOE. -- Greg Elmer Associate Professor Department of Communication Florida State University 356 Diffenbaugh Tallahassee, FL 32303 850.645.4692 (tel.) Co-Editor Space and Culture: An International Journal of Social Spaces http://www.carleton.ca/space/ ________________________________________________________________________________

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