Monday, September 29, 2003
Following on the last blog, The Bruce Sterling Online Index: Science Columns is worth a visit. Sterling is the author of some excellent novels, especially DISTRACTION - a unique look at biotech.
Ten Technologies That Deserve to Die Bruce Sterling writes:
Technologies die rather routinely—seen a Conestoga covered wagon lately?—but it’s rare for them to be singled out and righteously put to death. Some technologies, however, are so blatantly obnoxious that the human race would rejoice if they were obliterated. A wise society would honor its young technical innovators for services rendered in annihilating obsolete technologies that are the dangerous hangovers of previous, less advanced generations. Let me offer some candidates...."
nuclear weapons, coal-based power, etc....
Technologies die rather routinely—seen a Conestoga covered wagon lately?—but it’s rare for them to be singled out and righteously put to death. Some technologies, however, are so blatantly obnoxious that the human race would rejoice if they were obliterated. A wise society would honor its young technical innovators for services rendered in annihilating obsolete technologies that are the dangerous hangovers of previous, less advanced generations. Let me offer some candidates...."
nuclear weapons, coal-based power, etc....
Friday, September 26, 2003
SIBIS - Statistical Indicators Benchmarking the Information Society This project, very helpful for the EUFORIA study, is part of the EC's Information Society Programme, running from January 2001 to June 2003.
"SIBIS has taken up the challenge of developing innovative information society indicators to take account of the rapidly changing nature of modern societies and to enable the benchmarking of progress in EU Member States. These indicators will be tested and piloted in a representative survey in all EU member states. The SIBIS project is closely related to the eEurope and eEurope+ initiatives of the European Union and contributes to measuring the progress of eEurope actions covering all EC member states, Switzerland, the USA and 10 candidate countries." Many useful reports here, much valuable data.
"SIBIS has taken up the challenge of developing innovative information society indicators to take account of the rapidly changing nature of modern societies and to enable the benchmarking of progress in EU Member States. These indicators will be tested and piloted in a representative survey in all EU member states. The SIBIS project is closely related to the eEurope and eEurope+ initiatives of the European Union and contributes to measuring the progress of eEurope actions covering all EC member states, Switzerland, the USA and 10 candidate countries." Many useful reports here, much valuable data.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
The STAR network looks at the emerging digital economy - iST indicators, ecommerce, etc. Star
Janus study on Information Society and government; many interesting papers from two conferences, the second is located at http://www.janus-eu.org/Temp2/index-f.htm and the first conference (dealing more with e-work etc) can be found by going up from this.
Linus Torvalds and Alan Cox (Linux pioneers) on softwarer patenting - open letter to EU:
Linus Torvalds and Alan Cox: Open Letter to the European Parliament: "Linus Torvalds Alan Cox"
"Open Letter to the Honourable Pat Cox, the President of the European Parliament, members of the European Parliament:
"Dear Mr. Cox,
We have been following with growing concern that Europe has been extending patentability to computer programs. Now European Parliament is about to vote on a directive that could put a stop to this development, or make it worse, depending on how it is amended by the Parliament.
US experience shows that, unlike traditional patents, software patents do not encourage innovation and R&D, quite the contrary. In particular they hurt small and medium-sized enterprises and generally newcomers in the market..."
Linus Torvalds and Alan Cox: Open Letter to the European Parliament: "Linus Torvalds Alan Cox"
"Open Letter to the Honourable Pat Cox, the President of the European Parliament, members of the European Parliament:
"Dear Mr. Cox,
We have been following with growing concern that Europe has been extending patentability to computer programs. Now European Parliament is about to vote on a directive that could put a stop to this development, or make it worse, depending on how it is amended by the Parliament.
US experience shows that, unlike traditional patents, software patents do not encourage innovation and R&D, quite the contrary. In particular they hurt small and medium-sized enterprises and generally newcomers in the market..."
Interesting op-ed from Guardian Society supplement arguing that government strategy in Uk to develop new homes and jobs is biassed toward already overheated (and I'd add high-tech-biasssed) South east: SocietyGuardian.co.uk | Comment | How England should develop Refers to a paper by Brendan Nevin of CURS, Birmingham, but I cannot locate this in a free downloadable form (a papeer from a York conference is due in a Regional Studies journal, the York URL does not work)
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
The report GENETIICALLY MODIIFIIED CROPSS AND
SUSSTAIINABLE POVERTY ALLEVIIATIION IIN
SUB--SAHARAN AFRIICA by Aaron deGrassi ia available at GENETIICALLY MODIIFIIED CROPSS AND
SUSSTAIINABLE POVERTY ALLEVIIATIION IIN
SUB--SAHARAN AFRIICA
Tthe results of the UK's public debate on GMos have now been published
http://www.gmnation.org.uk/docs/GMNation_FinalReport.pdf
These have also been much discussed, eg by Michael Meancher on radio 4 this morning.
SUSSTAIINABLE POVERTY ALLEVIIATIION IIN
SUB--SAHARAN AFRIICA by Aaron deGrassi ia available at GENETIICALLY MODIIFIIED CROPSS AND
SUSSTAIINABLE POVERTY ALLEVIIATIION IIN
SUB--SAHARAN AFRIICA
Tthe results of the UK's public debate on GMos have now been published
http://www.gmnation.org.uk/docs/GMNation_FinalReport.pdf
These have also been much discussed, eg by Michael Meancher on radio 4 this morning.
If you go to the BBC - Radio 4 - Science Index: and click on "Brief History of the End of Everything", you'll find a very interesting programme about the social context of theories of the end of the world and/or the universe... plus some interesting new theories abiout e.g. quantum fluctuations...
Earlier in the week the Guardian had a good piece on multiverse theories; a websearch hasnt yielded it up, though "multiverse" gets some fun sites. The article had a good point - either nothing exists or everything exists that can exists - or there has toi be some rule deciding what exists, which begs the question of what gives rise to such a rule. So maybe everything exists....that can (but even this might inviolve a rule??). It went on to some stuff about Matrix simulations and the like that is another story altogether. Of which the single best source is Stanislaw Lem's short fiction (not a story) on Personetics, the Cruellest Science, in A PERFECT VACUUM. The fiction is called Non serviam, here's an extract:
"Non-Serviam
1971
(an extract)
(Personetics): A “world” for personoid “inhabitants” can be prepared in a couple of hours... A specific personoid activity serves as a triggering mechanism, setting in motion a production process that will gradually augment and define itself; in other words, the world surrounding these beings takes on an unequivocalness only in accordance with their own behavior... From four to seven personoids are optimal, at least for the development of speech and typical exploratory activity, and also for 'culturization’... It is possible to 'accommodate' up to one thousand personoids... Many different philosophies (ontologies and epistemologies) have arisen among them... I can enlarge their world or reduce it, speed up its time or slow it down, alter the mode and means of their perception; I can liquidate them, divide them, multiply them, transform the very ontological foundation of their existence... "
that I Got from
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/geog/gessler/topics/lem.htm
Earlier in the week the Guardian had a good piece on multiverse theories; a websearch hasnt yielded it up, though "multiverse" gets some fun sites. The article had a good point - either nothing exists or everything exists that can exists - or there has toi be some rule deciding what exists, which begs the question of what gives rise to such a rule. So maybe everything exists....that can (but even this might inviolve a rule??). It went on to some stuff about Matrix simulations and the like that is another story altogether. Of which the single best source is Stanislaw Lem's short fiction (not a story) on Personetics, the Cruellest Science, in A PERFECT VACUUM. The fiction is called Non serviam, here's an extract:
"Non-Serviam
1971
(an extract)
(Personetics): A “world” for personoid “inhabitants” can be prepared in a couple of hours... A specific personoid activity serves as a triggering mechanism, setting in motion a production process that will gradually augment and define itself; in other words, the world surrounding these beings takes on an unequivocalness only in accordance with their own behavior... From four to seven personoids are optimal, at least for the development of speech and typical exploratory activity, and also for 'culturization’... It is possible to 'accommodate' up to one thousand personoids... Many different philosophies (ontologies and epistemologies) have arisen among them... I can enlarge their world or reduce it, speed up its time or slow it down, alter the mode and means of their perception; I can liquidate them, divide them, multiply them, transform the very ontological foundation of their existence... "
that I Got from
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/geog/gessler/topics/lem.htm
New ESRC report on growing individualism, limited social participation etc., discussed on Radio 4 this morning (and responded to by David Blunkett, who will talk atan ESRC conference, with a tirade about rights and responsibuilkities). The first thing on this I can find by the authors is: "Is Britain Still A Civic Culture?" by Patrick Seyd and Paul Whiteley (Sheffield and Essex) which is a Word document at:
Civic Culture?
Civic Culture?
Nuffied Council on Pharmacogenetics Nuffield Council on Bioethics - Introduction: "Pharmacogenetics, the study of the extent to which genetic differences influence the response of individuals to medicines, is still at an early stage in its development. Claims of personalised prescriptions may be unrealistic, but it is not too early to consider possible applications of this new area of study as well as ethical and legal issues which may arise."
Today's Guardian also cites a Nuffield Council discussion of developing countries and GMOs, and sets against this an IDS evaluation showing poor resturns to farmers in three field trials; will try to get more on this uip soon. Nuffield Council is an excellent organisation, whose report on gene IPR a year or so ago was very well-informed.
Today's Guardian also cites a Nuffield Council discussion of developing countries and GMOs, and sets against this an IDS evaluation showing poor resturns to farmers in three field trials; will try to get more on this uip soon. Nuffield Council is an excellent organisation, whose report on gene IPR a year or so ago was very well-informed.
A great deal of information on spamming and anti-spam law moves, and other topics like GPS tracking, P2P vs recording industry, etc. is here:
Politech: Declan McCullagh's technology and politics mailing list
Politech: Declan McCullagh's technology and politics mailing list
Monday, September 22, 2003
News links on e-marketing
I found this site while looking for the Guardian article on spamming - it has many web news links on spam and anti-spam.
I found this site while looking for the Guardian article on spamming - it has many web news links on spam and anti-spam.
Th Guardian last Friday (September 19, 2003) ran a story entitlesd Unlimited fines threatened for spam emails: Senders will need recipients' consent under crackdown by Alok Jha their science correspondent
The plan apparently is that from December organisations (err... what is the definition?) will need prior consent to send unsolicited emails to individual users, although sending messages to company email addresses will be exempt from the law. ....anti-spam campaigners said the new laws would make little difference to individual users and will effectively legalise the spamming of company email addresses.
Spam is defined in the legislation as "unsolicited email sent without the consent of the addressee and without any attempt at targeting recipients who are likely to be interested in its contents"... The new legislation means that unsolicited emails or mobile phone text messages cannot be sent to users without their prior agreement or unless there is an existing customer relationship.
This could make it very difficult to engage in online delphi or other questionnaire studies for scholalrly research purposes!
The plan apparently is that from December organisations (err... what is the definition?) will need prior consent to send unsolicited emails to individual users, although sending messages to company email addresses will be exempt from the law. ....anti-spam campaigners said the new laws would make little difference to individual users and will effectively legalise the spamming of company email addresses.
Spam is defined in the legislation as "unsolicited email sent without the consent of the addressee and without any attempt at targeting recipients who are likely to be interested in its contents"... The new legislation means that unsolicited emails or mobile phone text messages cannot be sent to users without their prior agreement or unless there is an existing customer relationship.
This could make it very difficult to engage in online delphi or other questionnaire studies for scholalrly research purposes!
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Report on Policies for Sustainable Consumption (UK): UK Sustainable Development Commission
Post-Autistic Economics.
Following an interesting article in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago, a quick websearch reveals some very rich links of the theme of economics that is not dominated by models basded on fairly normative assumptions about homo economicus:
for instance:
Post-Autistic Economics Network
The PA network again - but different
an article from an anti-debt newsletter
a history of the movement! already
Following an interesting article in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago, a quick websearch reveals some very rich links of the theme of economics that is not dominated by models basded on fairly normative assumptions about homo economicus:
for instance:
Post-Autistic Economics Network
The PA network again - but different
an article from an anti-debt newsletter
a history of the movement! already
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Scientists Debate Value of Citizens' Advisory Panels August 5, 2003
By Robert S. Boyd
Knight Ridder Newspapers
... the National Science Foundation, an
arm of the federal government, is experimenting with a
system of citizens' advisory panels that it hopes can help
head off future eruptions. The panels consider the ethical,
social and practical implications of new technologies and
recommend policies that might reduce misunderstanding and
obstruction.
...Each panel consists of 15 nonexpert volunteers who spend
three months studying a particular controversy. They read
background materials, question authorities representing
various points of view, debate among themselves and try to
reach a consensus. Finally they write a report offering
their advice on the issue to policy-makers such as state
governors and members of Congress.
The first of these advisory panels recommended, among other
things, that the government tighten regulations for growing
genetically modified foods and require the products to be
labeled clearly, so shoppers could choose to avoid them.
Copyright (c) 2003 KR Washington Bureau and wire service
sources. All Rights Reserved.
By Robert S. Boyd
Knight Ridder Newspapers
... the National Science Foundation, an
arm of the federal government, is experimenting with a
system of citizens' advisory panels that it hopes can help
head off future eruptions. The panels consider the ethical,
social and practical implications of new technologies and
recommend policies that might reduce misunderstanding and
obstruction.
...Each panel consists of 15 nonexpert volunteers who spend
three months studying a particular controversy. They read
background materials, question authorities representing
various points of view, debate among themselves and try to
reach a consensus. Finally they write a report offering
their advice on the issue to policy-makers such as state
governors and members of Congress.
The first of these advisory panels recommended, among other
things, that the government tighten regulations for growing
genetically modified foods and require the products to be
labeled clearly, so shoppers could choose to avoid them.
Copyright (c) 2003 KR Washington Bureau and wire service
sources. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
E-GOVERNMENT BULLETIN - ISSUE 144, 9 SEPTEMBER 2003.
The email newsletter on electronic government, UK and worldwide. Please forward this free service to colleagues
so they can subscribe by sending a blank email to egb-html-subscribe@headstar.com
for our text plus HTML version, or egovbulletin-subscribe@headstar.com for the plain text version.
++ISSUE 144 CONTENTS.
01: Biometric trials for passports announced. - UK to test face recognition technique.
02: Contact centre initiative launched - Cabinet Office encourages best practice.
03: Ireland goes for broker - project stirs again after long delay.
04: Public forum for EU constitution. - online discussion on controversial document.
News in brief: 05: E-government TV - internet station live;
06: Mon service - French portal;
07: Fast competition - procurement auctions.
Section two: Opinion - Online consultation.
08: The future of democracy? As the Foreign Office launches its first major
online consultation, Graham Allen MP asks whether the technique make government
more accountable to both Parliament and its electorate.
Section three: Focus - Citizens Advice.
09: The go-between: The position of Citizens Advice Bureaux as intermediaries between
government and public is set to make them key influencers on the development
of public electronic services. Julie Hill reports.
[Contents ends].
The email newsletter on electronic government, UK and worldwide. Please forward this free service to colleagues
so they can subscribe by sending a blank email to egb-html-subscribe@headstar.com
for our text plus HTML version, or egovbulletin-subscribe@headstar.com for the plain text version.
++ISSUE 144 CONTENTS.
01: Biometric trials for passports announced. - UK to test face recognition technique.
02: Contact centre initiative launched - Cabinet Office encourages best practice.
03: Ireland goes for broker - project stirs again after long delay.
04: Public forum for EU constitution. - online discussion on controversial document.
News in brief: 05: E-government TV - internet station live;
06: Mon service - French portal;
07: Fast competition - procurement auctions.
Section two: Opinion - Online consultation.
08: The future of democracy? As the Foreign Office launches its first major
online consultation, Graham Allen MP asks whether the technique make government
more accountable to both Parliament and its electorate.
Section three: Focus - Citizens Advice.
09: The go-between: The position of Citizens Advice Bureaux as intermediaries between
government and public is set to make them key influencers on the development
of public electronic services. Julie Hill reports.
[Contents ends].
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
new blog and RSS-newsfeed, from the Global Internet Policy Initiative (GIPI) InternetPolicy.net
Monday, September 08, 2003
So far, BLOGDEX looks like the best bet, but also strangely selective. In the meantime, here's another readble intro: WSJ.com - ...Find a Blog
Daypop - a current events/weblog/news search engine Appears to be very slow and stragely selective. Here's a useful article on weblog search engines. TRy this Will report on results of experiments down the line.
Visions of the Information Society: Resources web directory of sites with useful content on Information Society
BBC - Radio 4 - Silicon Valley This is an interesting set of 4 programmes, covering issues such as think tanks, conspicuous consumption, and so on.
Friday, September 05, 2003
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
IES publications list, some papers and many abstracts online:
Includes papers on ework and related topics:
New and Recent Publications
Includes papers on ework and related topics:
New and Recent Publications
