[independent bookshop hires bloggers]

Frontline Books is an independent bookseller located in Leicester. As part of a new media initiative Frontline Books has hired several bloggers to make weekly contributions to the site, and I'm one of them thanks to my own blogging. In this way Frontline Books is acting as a bridge, bringing together the structural holes existing between print and new media. While structural holes are sometimes necessary (as discussed in lastnight's seminar given by Bruce Mason and Sue Thomas at the IoCT), in this case the bridging of the two media allows for fruitful contagion. This is already occuring through the blog comments. Additionally, Frontline Books is hiring bloggers! Frontline is paying professional bloggers to blog; this will come as great news for those interested in monetizing their blogging. There is a call for professional bloggers here and Frontline Books would particulary like to be involved with those who have interests in black history.

[a text message a day gives writers their way]

Article from the Toronto Globe and Mail:


HELSINKI — A novel in which the entire narrative consists of mobile phone text messages was published Wednesday in Finland.

The Last Messages tells the story of a fictitious executive in Finland who resigns from his job and travels throughout Europe and India, keeping in touch with his friends and relatives only through text messages.

His messages, and the replies — roughly 1,000 altogether — are listed in chronological order in the 332-page novel written by Finnish author Hannu Luntiala. The texts are rife with grammatical errors and abbreviations commonly used in such messages.

“I believe that, at the end of the day, a text message may reveal much more about a person than you would initially think,” said Luntiala, who also is head of a company that keeps databases on people living in Finland.

Sari Havukainen, spokeswoman at Finnish publishing house Tammi, said the company is considering translating the book into other languages.

The taciturn Finns, keen on all mobile gadgets, have wholeheartedly accepted text messages as a tool to communicate even in most private matters.

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen recently made tabloid front pages after reportedly having broken up with his girlfriend with a text message.

[anatomy of a tag cloud]

We all know what tag clouds are, usually text of varying sizes indicating importance and frequence of said idea. Wikipedia (the ever trusty resource) notes that tag clouds were first used by flickr (yay web 2.0) and:

can be used as a visual depiction of content tags used on a website. Often, more frequently used tags are depicted in a larger font or otherwise emphasized, while the displayed order is generally alphabetical. Thus both finding a tag by alphabet and by popularity is possible. Selecting a single tag within a tag cloud will generally lead to a collection of items that are associated with that tag.

Just have a look at flickr's "all time most popular tags":

However, I wonder if tagging today has evolved into something more than just words. Does tagging have links with the way people tag and how they represent knowledge? Recently I read about tagging people (not sure I would want to see tags people associate with me!), a del.icio.us for people. Melanie Swann has an interesting approach to this next generation of tagging here. According to Melanie, tagging people would include "tagging people with words; annotating their interest areas, likes and dislikes, how you know them, where you met them and probably many other aspects of meta data." Hrm...good idea but only if you can edit the tags!

Rashmi Sinha presents a social analysis view of the way people use information through tagging. If "our concepts and languages are constantly in flux. If tagging systems allow a loose coordination of terms across people, then the question arises: "What role do tagging systems play in ebb and flow of concepts." Exactly. An fun project might conduct an analysis of tag clouds and attempt to track the changes in descriptions, tags, and consistency that occur over time and with users. Also, one could look at the anatomy of trackbacks and how that might play into folksonomy.

Just look at how these tag clouds seem to embody the sites/ideas to which they are related.

The Felixstowe Scribblers, a "writers circle" based in Felixstowe:

PaRT: Production and Research in Transliteracy, a new research group of which I am a member:

The IoCT tag cloud:

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Importantly, if you have thoughts on folksonomy or tagging in general, why not contribute to current research based at the IoCT? Here is the call for participants:

TAGS NETWORKS NARRATIVE
Exploring the use of tagging and folksonomy in digital narrative research.
* Tagging as a form of communication.
* Folksonomy as an emergent knowledge network.
* Narrative as a common ground.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
We are interested in the ways in which academic researchers studying narratives might develop people-to-people models of knowledge-sharing across disciplines. To that end, we are seeking researchers working in any type of narrative in any discipline to include in our database of projects and individuals. We would also welcome your suggestions for other researchers who might like to hear from us.

REQUEST FOR PARTICIPATION
We are especially interested in researchers who are willing to participate in our tagging experiments, due to take place Spring 2007. For more information please contact Bruce Mason as soon as possible at bmason01@dmu.ac.uk.

THE PROJECT
Tags Networks Narrative is a unique speculative project exploring the potential for collaborative keyword tagging (folksonomy) in narrative research. We want to know:
- What kinds of collaborative social network tools are available for the gathering and classification of information?
- Which researchers are making online narratives the focus of study, and how are those projects categorised by discipline?
- How can these researchers make effective use of social network tools to share knowledge and develop interdisciplinary collaborations?

The project is based in the Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT) at DeMontfort University and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Boardfrom October 2006-September 2007. The Project Team comprises Professor Sue Thomas, Simon Mills and Bruce Mason.

If you'd like to be involved in the research, add your information to our database, or just be kept informed, please contact Bruce Mason at bmason01@dmu.ac.uk.

[web 2.0 in pics]

Apparently (I've been told) web 2.0 is like *so* yesterday. I must be into retro things as I think this cute rendition of the web 2.0 scene looks more like a Where's Waldo (or "Wally" for the English readers....) rather than a who's who of new web/social software techy developments. However, can you spot any (1?) visible minorities?

Although already enrolled in a research degree and not really interested in Management, I am tempted to apply to the Singapore Institute of Management based solely on their amazingly game-like website (play the "play hooky" game or try the course wizard) and web 2.0-type ad (by EBoy like the posters above):


What is it about these images that I find so endearing? Perhaps there is something innocuous about all the rounded shapes that adds to the utopian outlook of web 2.0 and associated offshoots. According to Ewa Mazierska and Laura Rascaroli there are two main facets of contemporary (filmic) Londinium - posh and chaotic. Eboy's images seem to intertwine the the two which is probably why I'm drawn to these images, they are portraits of a city rather than floating fragments.

Click here for a little taste of the world beyond web 2.0.

[gaming helps students with literacy and numeracy skills]

"Modified computer games aimed at disaffected learners could help win the war against poor basic skills."

A group of proactive teachers at West Nottinghamshire College modded a networked multiplayer game (Neverwinter Nights) in order to help students brush up on basic skills. Looks like all is going well as success rates in the key skills classes have "trebled to 94%."

For the bbc article continue reading here.

[what superhero are you?]

Your results:
You are Iron [WO]Man
Iron Man

---

100%

Inventor. Business woman. Genius.


Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

[who am i?]

You're The Hobbit!
by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring, but keep its value in perspective!


Take the Book Quiz

[avatar]

Ok. So out comes my naughty side.

[kitty chillin']

[my birthday]

And so yet another year passes. Although still nursing my sickly self I was innundated with lovely birthday wishes from friends far and wide. I received some hilarious ones like this from jo-ann featuring dancing cats:

and this one from Keith...so cute:

Some people know me too well:

And Steve has promised me an evening of fun at the roundhouse featuring Ojos de Brujo (now that will be excellent!

[my birthday meal]

Poor me...ill but still intent on enjoying my birthday meal. Here is me looking like I've had too much to drink but it is only juice...really! And here is the lovely birthday cake from Steve's folks...(what are they suggesting with only one candle eh?)

[amazing job opportunity: Research Fellow in Electronic Arts]

Research Fellow in Electronic Arts
Lansdown Centre for Electronic Arts
Middlesex University
London

£25,723 - £31,933

Closing date 29 January 2007.

SHORT DESCRIPTION

An opportunity to undertake research at the Lansdown Centre for Electronic Arts, a
multidisciplinary research centre with an international reputation.

Possible areas of research include Sonic Arts, Interactive Media, and Film, Video and Interactive Arts, but applicants are welcome to make proposals which extend the Centre’s current range of activities. Applications are welcome from those with art, design, science or other backgrounds. You will be expected to produce research outputs of national, and preferably international, significance.

You should:
– have a research degree, normally a PhD, or a clear indication that you are about to successfully complete a PhD
– have experience of producing research outputs, which may be written or practice-based
– ideally have experience of writing successful funding proposals.

[poppy cottage framed]

Returning home from our trip to Canada, Steve and I set about opening the lovely Christmas pressies that had accrued while we were away. One of the gifts was this painting done by Patricia, the owner of our cottage. She even managed to draw Steve and I in the doorway and yes, that's right, little kitty on her lead:

[new jobs @ futuresonic]

GENERAL MANAGER: FutureEverything and Futuresonic are seeking an exceptional individual for a senior management post. Closing date for applications: Monday 29 January 2007.
Learn more and download info pack.

PRODUCTION MANAGERS: We are looking for experienced production/technical managers for Futuresonic International Festival and related commissions and projects. You will be highly motivated and organised, have technical expertise, strong interpersonal skills, and experience of working with artists and art installation and/or live events. Please send a CV with a cover letter to job19@futuresonic.com highlighting your strengths and relevant experience by Friday 19th January 2007.

FUTURESONIC WEBDESIGNER: We are seeking a talented web designer for the Futuresonic 2007 website with the potential for further work. We currently use a Movable Type backend. Please email job17@futuresonic.com with links to previous work and creative ideas about how Futuresonic's online presence can be enhanced by Friday 19th January 2007.

Employment opportunities copied from the Futuresonic site.

[symposium on the future of electronic literature]

MITH and the Electronic Literature Organization are pleased to announce a public symposium on the Future of Electronic Literature, May 2 and 3 at the University of Maryland, College Park, with co-sponsorship from the University Libraries and Department of English. The keynote speakers will be Kate Hayles (John Charles Hillis Professor of Literature at UCLA) and Kenneth Thibodeau (Director of Electronic Records Archives Program, National Archives and Records Administration).

See the site for more info.

"Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time." -- Georgia O'Keeffe

Late lastnight as I was mulling over an exceptionally tricky sentence (it was very late) in an article I'm editing, I was somewhat startled into reality by my inbox ringing in the reception of a new e-mail. As I begrudgingly admitted that it was too late to carry on with any decent work, I checked my e-mail. A friend and neighbour from many MANY years ago had read an article of mine (online) and had found my e-mail address. It was a startling but lovely surprise. In the time since we last spoke I completed my undergrad., masters, and became immersed in my ph.d. research. I have lived and studied in Italy, Canada, England, and travelled extensively. He too has embarked upon various experiences near and far with wonderful stories I can't wait to hear. It feels strange that it is the amorphous internet that somehow manages to make us neighbours again.

[steam whistle brewery]

Ok, so we were going to act all grown up and visit the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) and the science museum, but we wanted something really Canadian...so we headed to the historic distillary district and found the Steam Whistle Brewery at the foot of the CN Tower.

We had an excellent tour guide who was so enthusiastic we all left wanting to brew our own beer (I'm sure the seemingly unlimited "samples" of beer had nothing to do with this). He also shared with us little known facts like Health Canada (!!!) allowing the use of 108 elements in the production of beer, including fish guts (Isinglass) to assist with the distillation process and gelatin (also a meat by-product) to keep the bubbles for longer...eeew! This is slightly distrubing because "Canadian beer is recognized as one of the safest in the world."

Steam Whistle Brewery has a more old fashioned perception of beer-making and they only use four ingredients: barley, hops, yeast, and spring water...so it's healthy...really!

[a canadian sweet tooth?]

if you look very closely...can you see what's actually in the lollipop? (at least it does say "scorpion" on the ingredients list!)

[romans immigrating to toronto?]

because you always see a Roman chariot rushing through the streets of toronto...

[hilton falls]

this is where we hiked about today

[toronto]

[new year's (liquid) meal]

from the beginning of the evening...

[supervisor tricks]

hrm...when my supervisor isn't supervising...