Welcome to Information Technology and Society

Week 11

Here's the wiki with course material: http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/FrontPage.

In this class we'll focus on how the information technology revolution developed, especially vis-a-vis long time Berkeley Professor Manuel Castells' research on the Network Society, as well as http://webnographers.org - a wiki bibliography on virtual ethnography.

I invite your questions, and I'll post a version of the text from each class to http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/FrontPage over the weeks.

There's already a lot of information on this wiki, which will develop with this class.

And please join the Google Group for World University and School - like Wikipedia with MIT Open Course Ware -

http://groups.google.com/group/World-University-and-School.

Today's class (20 Nov 2010) was primarily in voice.

[11:07]  801210 Lennie: AhahAHAahahAH
[11:07]  801210 Lennie: *HihihihihihihI*
[11:07]  drak Bayn: tiene mil cosas
[11:08]  801210 Lennie: no se usarlo
[11:08]  drak Bayn: jaj pues practica
[11:08]  drak Bayn: jaja mensa
[11:08]  Second Life: Your object 'Object' has been returned to your inventory lost and found folder by Synthetic Berkman from parcel 'Berkman sandbox area - 4 hour return limit' at Berkman 223, 212 due to parcel auto return.
[11:08]  Connecting to in-world Voice Chat...
[11:08]  mShakespeare Messenger: mShakespeare's Twelfth Night, Act 3 is opening December 7 @ 6 PM and Dec 12 @ 1 PM! http://bit.ly/9n1VUN Now is your chance to place a special message or your logo in our upcoming programme booklet to be distributed live during the show and online on our website, issuu, and beyond. Details @ http://advertise.mShakespeare.com
[11:08]  Connected
[11:08]  mShakespeare Messenger owned by Ina Centaur gave you 'mShakespeare Company - Play Programme Logo Sponsorship (rev)'  ( http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shakespeare/253/253/23 ).
[11:08]  801210 Lennie: jajaj
[11:08]  801210 Lennie: AhahAHAahahAH
[11:08]  801210 Lennie: *HihihihihihihI*
[11:08]  You decline Minerva Pier from A group member named Kate Miranda.
[11:09]  Roman Takacs: ciao !
[11:09]  Aphilo Aarde: Ciao, Roman!
[11:09]  Roman Takacs: On a november afternoon, i felt like dancing around a bit :)
[11:09]  Aphilo Aarde: Ncie to see you ... how are things in the digital world for you?
[11:10]  Aphilo Aarde: Here in SL ... ? Did you find a great dance island?
[11:10]  Roman Takacs: one one side, my mac is still giving me occassional kernel panics ... perhaps corrupt system file ...
[11:10]  Aphilo Aarde: yes
[11:10]  Aphilo Aarde: and on the other?
[11:11]  Roman Takacs: I was reminded of your posting "Kool aid wino" .... withthe quote from Richard Brautigan :)
[11:11]  Roman Takacs: (neither a beat nor a hippie, i think ...)
[11:11]  Aphilo Aarde: Brautigan has a wonderfully clear-minded apprehension of a writer's reality which I revel in
[11:12]  Roman Takacs: but on the larger digital view, been trying to wrap my head around china ...
[11:12]  Aphilo Aarde: Welcome Andromeda
[11:12]  Roman Takacs: there was a nice article on slashdot ... will Google lose android to Bing and Baidu ..
[11:12]  Roman Takacs: Ciao !
[11:12]  Aphilo Aarde: I enjoy Taoist approaches to China ... but there are some resources about China
[11:13]  Aphilo Aarde: at Webnographers.org, some very beginning ones at World University and School
[11:13]  Roman Takacs: (I'm an aging Maoist ... )
[11:13]  Roman Takacs: (with a bit of fondness for the Gang of Four :) )
[11:13]  Aphilo Aarde: From T to M ... different from TM ...
[11:14]  Aphilo Aarde: Those kinds of worlds in China still seem to have resonance in my reading of Chinese culture
[11:14]  Roman Takacs: The big change in china is it's movement from a "peasant" society to an "urban" society ...
[11:14]  Aphilo Aarde: The Trading Crowd by Ellen Hertz is one good anthropology of China (Cambridge Univ Press).
[11:15]  Aphilo Aarde: ... where she looks at Chinese traders in the Shanghai stock market, who were given special license to trade, still in the context of communist China - 1990s, I think
[11:15]  Aphilo Aarde: Hello Steve!
[11:16]  Steve100 Juanos: hi
[11:16]  Roman Takacs: Ciao ...
[11:16]  Aphilo Aarde: and in a way these Chinese also had a certain kind of new moral sphere they were working in ...
[11:16]  Roman Takacs: Yes, definitely.
[11:17]  Aphilo Aarde: And Ellen Hertz in the process traces a transition aspect from communist to capitalist China - anthropologically
[11:17]  Aphilo Aarde: (In The Trading Crowd, by Ellen Press ... C.U.P.
[11:17]  Steve100 Juanos: can hear fine
[11:17]  Steve100 Juanos: no mic today
[11:17]  Aphilo Aarde: Great ...
[11:18]  Aphilo Aarde: Can you hear alright, Andromeda?
[11:18]  Aphilo Aarde: ... voice now ...
[11:18]  Andromeda Mesmer: not yet - problems.
[11:18]  Aphilo Aarde: Let me know when your speakers are working ... and check your mic as well, if you wish.
[11:19]  Andromeda Mesmer: OK - hearing now.
[11:19]  Aphilo Aarde: http://www.webnographers.org/index.php?title=Papers#China_and_Virtual_Ethnography
[11:20]  Roman Takacs: cool !
[11:20]  Aphilo Aarde: There's a budding China subject at WUAS ...
[11:21]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/China
[11:21]  Aphilo Aarde: And I was just Ellen Hertz's - published Camridge U. P. - THe Trading Crowd
[11:23]  Aphilo Aarde: Rebecca Mackinnon
[11:23]  Aphilo Aarde: http://rconversation.blogs.com/
[11:25]  Aphilo Aarde: http://www.webnographers.org/index.php?title=Books
[11:25]  Roman Takacs: http://rconversation.blogs.com/
[11:25]  Aphilo Aarde: Books section of Webnographers.org ... you'll find Rebecca Mackinnon's book, as well as some China resources
[11:25]  Aphilo Aarde: NEW ECONOMY
[11:25]  Aphilo Aarde: 3 interrelated features
[11:25]  Aphilo Aarde: 1Global
[11:26]  Aphilo Aarde: 2 Networked aspect - vis-a-vis eBusiness
[11:26]  Aphilo Aarde: 3 Information
[11:33]  Aphilo Aarde: COMPETITIVENESS
[11:33]  Aphilo Aarde: better
[11:33]  Aphilo Aarde: cheaper
[11:36]  Roman Takacs: (or they learn how to build web pages :( )
[11:38]  Andromeda Mesmer: yes, in Canada
[11:38]  Steve100 Juanos: the other day yservices also very hard to track and terrif
[11:39]  Aphilo Aarde: Services become cheaper in international trade
[11:39]  Aphilo Aarde: But it's very difficult to trade health and education
[11:39]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/World_University
[11:40]  Steve100 Juanos: in a way .. online learning quite on rise globally..
[11:40]  Steve100 Juanos: y
[11:45]  You decline Music Island, Sea Turtle Island (52, 11, 21) from A group member named Kate Miranda.
[11:50]  Aphilo Aarde: Moving on from 2) Trade
[11:50]  Aphilo Aarde: to 3) Science and Technology
[11:50]  Aphilo Aarde: sources of knowledge and the capactity to innovate are extremely important
[11:50]  Steve100 Juanos: comment: as our science becomes more "lean" they lose innovation..
[11:51]  Roman Takacs: "lean" ?
[11:51]  Steve100 Juanos: this was a slightly cheap shot for and against lean techniques
[11:51]  Steve100 Juanos: to build exactly and only what they are to build .. and the reduction of head counts
[11:51]  Roman Takacs: "lean" science versus "big" science ?
[11:51]  Steve100 Juanos: yes
[11:52]  Steve100 Juanos: sorta
[11:52]  Steve100 Juanos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_software_development
[11:52]  Steve100 Juanos: http://books.google.com/books?id=hQk4S7asBi4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=lean+and+software+development&source=bl&ots=x4COGAdJ2f&sig=xiIuZsRRkbCZHCOpYAcGLu79BRQ&hl=en&ei=8yboTNn2IMX6lwez2dXKCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false
[11:53]  Aphilo Aarde: If you have money and NO knowledge - you lose money
[11:53]  Aphilo Aarde: I f you have knowledge and only a little money you get money
[11:53]  Aphilo Aarde: n the globalized economy, shaped by inforamtion technology
[11:54]  Roman Takacs: (is Apple leaner than Microsoft, Is microsoft leaner than IBM ?)
[11:54]  Andromeda Mesmer: And Linux?
[11:54]  Roman Takacs: LHC is BIG science.
[11:55]  Steve100 Juanos: the russians are claiming linux is end of life.. ?
[11:55]  Aphilo Aarde: Networks of Research and Development Centers
[11:55]  Aphilo Aarde: A System of Cooperation
[11:56]  Steve100 Juanos: did you see in the news how USA homeland security were going to visit/'audit "strategic" comapnies here?
[11:56]  Andromeda Mesmer: One example of having money, and developing knowledge - Venezuelan Government Begins Distribution of 350,000 Laptop Computers to School Children -- http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5792
[11:57]  Andromeda Mesmer: Venezuela is trading oil for computers with Portugal.
[11:57]  Steve100 Juanos: saw the sound bite .. no details
[11:57]  Steve100 Juanos: sad that olpc died .. got corrupted
[11:57]  Steve100 Juanos: maybe new life
[11:59]  Roman Takacs: ... not sure which "olpc" sound bite that was ...
[11:59]  Steve100 Juanos: sound bite was about homeland security .. recently
[11:59]  Andromeda Mesmer: Venezuela is also using Linux.
[11:59]  Steve100 Juanos: olpc is old news
[11:59]  Roman Takacs: (Yes, Venezuella is not OLPC)
[12:00]  Roman Takacs: ???
[12:00]  Steve100 Juanos: computer prices have been in free fall for awhile
[12:00]  Roman Takacs: so is the iphone :)
[12:00]  Steve100 Juanos: hopeuflly cars too
[12:00]  Steve100 Juanos: olpc opened eyes
[12:00]  Roman Takacs: OLPC has "mind share"
[12:01]  Aphilo Aarde: Android with Gingerbread ... will offer access to sources of knowledge and the capacity to innovate
[12:01]  Aphilo Aarde: as does the iPhone
[12:01]  Roman Takacs: (though the kids have their own eyes on cell phones ... schools (education/educators) have a way of getting in the way ...
[12:01]  Andromeda Mesmer: I have not heard of this "Strategic audit" - do you have a link?
[12:02]  Steve100 Juanos: looking for it. saw i tthis week
[12:02]  Andromeda Mesmer: Not sure about authoritarianism stopping innovation - Sputnik was a great achievement.
[12:02]  Aphilo Aarde: One question ... how to expand knowledge generation and innovation ... ?
[12:02]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/World_University
[12:03]  Steve100 Juanos: "A new bill unveiled Wednesday by House Homeland Security chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) would give the Department of Homeland Security the authority to enforce federal cybersecurity standards on private sector companies deemed critical to national security. The Homeland Security Cyber and Physical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2010 authorizes DHS to establish and enforce risk and performance-based cybersecurity standards on federal agencies and private sector companies considered part of the country's critical infrastructure. Such firms include utilities, communications providers and financial institutions."
[12:03]  Aphilo Aarde: How to engage students with highest quality approaches to knowledge
[12:03]  Steve100 Juanos: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/129879-house-bill-would-give-dhs-authority-over-private-sector-networks
[12:03]  Aphilo Aarde: when focus, study habits, aspirations in the classroom are significant?
[12:04]  Steve100 Juanos: thx
[12:04]  Aphilo Aarde: Let's come back at 12:20 SLT
[12:04]  Steve100 Juanos: 12:20
[12:04]  Aphilo Aarde: See you soon !
[12:04]  Andromeda Mesmer: All right -
[12:05]  Andromeda Mesmer: Steve - that is disconcerting news.
[12:14]  Roman Takacs: The HSA "net grab" is reminiscent of similar struggles in the Pentagon ... each agency wants to become "Cyber Czar" !
[12:23]  Roman Takacs: (The Israeli (?) hacking of the Iranian production facilities is being taken as clue that security might be important !)
[12:23]  Aphilo Aarde: Greetings! ...
[12:23]  Roman Takacs: (Us, or the pet ?)
[12:26]  Andromeda Mesmer: yep.
[12:26]  Roman Takacs: (not in a "school" setting)
[12:26]  Andromeda Mesmer: US universities may have been more open at the time ...
[12:26]  Andromeda Mesmer: There re always changes.
[12:27]  Andromeda Mesmer: Sure - Australia and Canada try to attract foreign students.
[12:28]  Andromeda Mesmer: I can hear ok.
[12:30]  Aphilo Aarde: AnnaLee Saxenian, a UC Berkeley professor
[12:30]  Aphilo Aarde: who wrote THe New Argonauts
[12:31]  Aphilo Aarde: which makes the argument for a brain circulation, and not a brain drain
[12:31]  Aphilo Aarde: (published by Harvard)
[12:41]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/World_University
[12:41]  Andromeda Mesmer: Well -- I have been paid trivial amounts, for work I did in SL.
[12:42]  Steve100 Juanos: I know more and more americans outsourcing .. but that usually is to americans. often language barrier too tough for us to move elsehwere
[12:42]  Roman Takacs: Al la S100, ... yes, I've had "local" gigs ...
[12:42]  Steve100 Juanos: I used to work for an ex-pat NRI indian .. based in us and he had an indian firm
[12:42]  Andromeda Mesmer: There is a potential for teaching English via SL - or other languages. One can get paid, or one can volunteer for free -
[12:42]  Steve100 Juanos: a friend quiped that Chicago was outsourcing to the 3rd world 0 the mishagan upper pen.
[12:42]  Andromeda Mesmer: There is probably more free teaching of English than otherwise -
[12:43]  Steve100 Juanos: I have read that some amecrans who have moved to india .. lower total pay, but higher standard of living . .yet again language is tough.
[12:46]  Roman Takacs: There are some federally funded (e.g. Fulbright) programs to "export" scholars for year long stints ...)
[12:46]  Roman Takacs: (Hmm. Apple always has someone in France present at their conferences ... using iChat :) )
[12:47]  Roman Takacs: (I've set up gigs for faculty in vermont teaching in, e.g., Mexico, via skype ...)
[12:48]  Roman Takacs: (or are the indian students "creating" the "education" ...)
[12:48]  Andromeda Mesmer: I know of one case involving the US border guards & a Canadian where that did not work out - the guy was working from Canada, on a US web site, but when he was crossing the border into the US, he told them honestly what he was doing, and they barred him from coming into the US for 5 years. This happened about 10 years ago. The complaint was, he was working illegally in the US -
[12:48]  Steve100 Juanos: wow but makes sense
[12:49]  Roman Takacs: (I come from it as "education" is a "process", not a "product")
[12:50]  Roman Takacs: (I'd say it's a "relationship")
[12:50]  Steve100 Juanos: :)
[12:50]  Andromeda Mesmer: The laws are subject to lots of interpretation ...
[12:50]  Aphilo Aarde: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast
[12:51]  Steve100 Juanos: apparently paypal is facilitating international service payment
[12:51]  Steve100 Juanos: easier than credit card
[12:51]  Aphilo Aarde: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events
[12:52]  Aphilo Aarde: Berkman Center for Internet and Society
[12:52]  Aphilo Aarde: free real time talk on Tuesdays at 12:30 pm EST
[12:52]  Aphilo Aarde: and other times ... subscribe to their email list
[12:52]  Aphilo Aarde: http://www.webnographers.org/index.php?title=Videos#Google
[12:53]  Aphilo Aarde: Talk / interview with Eric Schmidt - CEO of Google - at Web 2.0 - which
[12:53]  Aphilo Aarde: is happening now in San Francisco
[12:53]  Aphilo Aarde: partly about Android's Gingerbread operating system ... and the ability to do payments in a secure way with your phone ...
[12:54]  Aphilo Aarde: http://www.itproportal.com/2010/11/16/why-nexus-2-called-nexus-s-google-ceo-gives-hint/
[12:54]  Andromeda Mesmer: Story here about 2 researchers, moving to China from the US, shocking their US colleagues http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/world/asia/07scholar.html?ref=world
[12:55]  Roman Takacs: (it shoudl all be doable ove bluetooth, local field, bump, etc ..)
[12:55]  Roman Takacs: (thinking of the Japanese SUICA model)
[12:56]  Andromeda Mesmer: Sure - Tycho Brahe moved around from Denmark to Prague ...
[12:58]  Andromeda Mesmer: Russia has been trying too -
[12:58]  Steve100 Juanos: . rtp has have had some success too.
[12:58]  Steve100 Juanos: vis silicon valie
[12:58]  Aphilo Aarde: technomeritocratic culture
[12:59]  Steve100 Juanos: not as much. but its there
[12:59]  Aphilo Aarde: hacker culture
[12:59]  Aphilo Aarde: counterculture
[12:59]  Aphilo Aarde: thinking differently
[12:59]  Roman Takacs: (When in Japan ? The "bubble" economy had a fairly big impact ...)
[13:00]  Andromeda Mesmer: I know that US physicists have been moving to Canada and to Europe - but that is a subset ...
[13:00]  Aphilo Aarde: http://socinfotech.pbworks.com
[13:00]  Andromeda Mesmer: For big physics projects, you go to CERN if possible.
[13:00]  Aphilo Aarde: I think the 70s and 80s ... but I"m looking for a reference for this ... Castells once said this
[13:00]  Steve100 Juanos: thx
[13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: There will not be a class next Saturday
[13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: so, NO class on Saturday Nov 27
[13:01]  Roman Takacs: (Happy Holiday !)
[13:01]  Roman Takacs: (unless you are a turkey)
[13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: Happy Thanksgiving holiday ! :)_
[13:01]  Andromeda Mesmer: lol
[13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: :/
[13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: http://facebook.com/macleod
[13:02]  Roman Takacs: Ciao !
[13:02]  Steve100 Juanos: adeu
[13:02]  Aphilo Aarde: Ciao!!
[13:02]  Andromeda Mesmer: http://www.physorg.com/news184269403.html

 

http://socinfotech.pbworks.com