| |
| compos mentis. Concision. Media. Clarity. Memes. Context. Melange. Confluence. Mishmash. Conflation. Mellifluous. Conviviality. Miscellany. Confelicity. Milieu. Cogent. Minty. Concoction. |
|
Issues in Science & Technology, Fall 2001 |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Technology |
8:34 pm EST, Nov 5, 2001 |
The latest issue of the National Academy's quarterly publication is now online. Check out articles on the following range of topics: Military; infotech, biotech, and food safety; climate change; science funding; energy policy; stem cell research; illicit arms trade; genomics; info-age economics; The Advanced Technology Program; US-Russian nuclear policy. Issues in Science & Technology, Fall 2001 |
|
Building a Case: Copyrights apply to buildings, and suits are growing |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Intellectual Property |
10:46 am EST, Nov 4, 2001 |
More and more these days, the alleged knockoff at issue in copyright litigation is a building. Under a little-known 1990 federal law, architectural works may be copyrighted -- not only the plans but also the structures themselves. Though the 11-year-old law has been slow to catch on, that's changing. Designers of copyrighted buildings are beginning to win big damages from copycats. [...] Building a Case: Copyrights apply to buildings, and suits are growing |
|
Linking Public Spaces: Technical and Social Issues [PDF] |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Technology |
8:02 am EST, Nov 4, 2001 |
Abstract: Three public spaces frequently used by members of a single organization who are distributed across different floors of two buildings were linked by constantly-running video and audio connections. We discuss the design of the system, including issues in providing low-latency, full-duplex audio-video connectivity, ways to increase possibilities for interaction while addressing privacy concerns, and the introduction of the system to the community. We report on responses to the system and lessons learned, including unexpected issues, such as creative decorations of the spaces and assertions by a vocal minority of employees about the private nature of "public space." Keywords: Informal communication, videoconferencing, privacy Linking Public Spaces: Technical and Social Issues [PDF] |
|
Observed Behavior and Perceived Value of Authors in Usenet Newsgroups: Bridging the Gap |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Technology |
7:37 am EST, Nov 4, 2001 |
MSR-TR-2001-93 Published in October 2001 by Andrew Fiore, Scott LeeTiernan, and Marc A. Smith In this paper we describe an evaluation of behavioral descriptors generated from an analysis of a large collection of Usenet newsgroup messages. The metrics describe aspects of newsgroup authors' behavior over time; such information can aid in filtering, sorting, and recommending content from public discussion spaces like newsgroups. To assess the value of a variety of these behavioral descriptors, we compared 22 participants' subjective evaluations of authors whose messages they read to behavioral metrics describing the same authors. We found that many metrics, particularly the longevity and frequency of participation, the number of newsgroups to which authors contribute messages, and the amount they contribute to each thread, correlate highly with readers' subjective evaluations of the authors. Keywords: Social cyberspaces, social accounting, persistent conversations, discussions, behavioral indicators Observed Behavior and Perceived Value of Authors in Usenet Newsgroups: Bridging the Gap |
|
Treemap Visualizations of Newsgroups |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Technology |
7:35 am EST, Nov 4, 2001 |
MSR-TR-2001-94, published in October 2001 by Andrew Fiore and Marc A. Smith. In this paper, we describe visualizations of Usenet created by applying treemap techniques to the data generated by tracking a large collection of newsgroups over an extended period of time. These images illuminate several major structures and suggest a method for further exploring large-scale social cyberspaces. Keywords: Social cyberspace, information visualization, persistent conversation, treemap Treemap Visualizations of Newsgroups |
|
aural codes: rewiring of reality |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Music |
7:18 am EST, Nov 4, 2001 |
"an interactive 24/7 radio installation by volkmar klien" aural codes exposes the sonic world of the internet, randomly sampling its digital data streams and remixing these to create a constantly changing, reassuringly meaningless 24/7 AM radio broadcast. a hearing aid to hidden sound.
an interaction of undiscovered noise.
a dj free space where listening makes music. enhance your local bit of ubiquity and mc the sonic broadcast at the interactive gateways. ... aural codes rewires computer networks to radio. data streams at arbitrarily selected points of computer networks in the region are interpreted as digital representations of sound. they serve as sound-sources and process-controls.
the sound sources are fed into a dsp - blackbox controlled by the process-controls. additionally interactive gateways are spread over the local area (serial-sockets on street corners, etc.). thus a hybrid network of possibilities of influences is set up. the resulting stream of sonic events is modulated onto a carrier-frequency and broadcast via radio as a reassuringly meaningless band of noise hidden between all the other noises in the AM-range.
every sonic event is information and via the mediator energy-exchange, all information can become a sonic event. aural codes acts as a hearing aid, a hearing aid for listening in its widest sense. something that originally cannot be heard is transposed into something that - without technical equipment - cannot be heard. aural codes: rewiring of reality |
|
Dumpster diving on the Web |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Intellectual Property |
10:29 pm EST, Nov 3, 2001 |
"The Internet Wayback Machine aims to archive everything online. But will copyright laws leave nothing but junk? Brewster Kahle may be the last Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur in the waning days of 2001 who isn't embarrassed to boast about his Big Idea. Maybe that's because he's not trying to make any money with it. [...]" Salon investigates whether legal barriers imposed by copyright holders will limit the utility of the Wayback Machine. (I'm assuming you already know about the Wayback Machine... right?) Dumpster diving on the Web |
|
Stupid Street Names: In Your Backyard? |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Humor |
10:02 pm EST, Nov 3, 2001 |
(URL may change) In 1994, county officials in Fayetteville, NC had to come up with a number of street names for a new subdivision. A list of candidate names was submitted for review. Names rejected include Derbyshire, Edinburgh, Sheffield, and Knightsbridge. Two names that were approved include Anthrax and Sepultura. As if to make up for past stupidity, procedures are now underway to rename Anthrax Street to one of Justice Ct, Allegiance Ave, Remembrance Dr, Memorial, and American. [...] Unsurprisingly, residents of Sepultura Street remain unmoved by recent events. (jk:) Stupid Street Names: In Your Backyard? |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Software Development |
9:42 pm EST, Nov 3, 2001 |
A Picture of Weblogs is a Java applet (source included) that produces [...] a rendering of a great many weblogs, and all the links that interconnect them. The author explains: "When I wrote this applet I was deep into my Edward Tufte phase, and came up with "A Picture of Weblogs" as the name since, really, that's what it is." A Picture of Weblogs |
|
Paul Virilio on the War in Kosovo | Ctheory Interview |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Society |
6:00 pm EST, Nov 3, 2001 |
Paul Virilio, author of the excellent and interesting book, _The Information Bomb_, talks about the war in Kosovo. From the introduction: "Paul Virilio is a renowned urbanist, political theorist and critic of the art of technology. Born in Paris in 1932, Virilio is best known for his 'war model' of the growth of the modern city and the evolution of human society. He is also the inventor of the term 'dromology' or the logic of speed. Identified with the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty, the futurism of Marinetti and technoscientific writings of Einstein, Virilio's intellectual outlook can usefully be compared to contemporary architects, philosophers and cultural critics such as Bernard Tschumi, Gilles Deleuze and Jean Baudrillard." Paul Virilio on the War in Kosovo | Ctheory Interview |
|
