Category — Social Policy

Wow, that’s creepy:

install a grid of little cameras on the ceiling of their stores that can track people as they walk around the store, starting from when they walk in the door until they leave. The grid would be self-organizing, adjacent cameras talking to each other and handing off trackees to each other. It couldn’t recognize people, although if you buy something with something other than cash, it’d know who you were from that transaction. This isn’t intended for loss control (retailese for shoplifting) but more for marketing. They could, for example, rent a rack in a prominent position to a supplier, and charge them by the number of people who stop to look at it.

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this is an interesting phenomena… it is a growing phenomena too. how many shopper cards are already rfid tagged? want to bet that you have one that is?

The Australian: Muzzling of science [ 08mar06 ]:

The censorship against which more and more leading Australian scientists are speaking out is both overt and covert. It exists in managerial directives not to communicate, to comment or otherwise share information and scientific conclusions with the public. It exists in the reprimand, the bullying, the sidelining, the punishment and the actual dismissal of those who dare to transgress. This is not supposition; it is on the public record.

But it also exists in self-censorship. Step out of line and your paper won’t be published, you won’t get the next grant, you’ll be passed over for promotion, you’ll be made redundant. Nothing is ever said, just a veiled threat and the rest left to the victim’s imagination. And in science it’s hard to find another job that isn’t in a taxi.

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another great tragedy proceeding as normal….

Disappearing Government Information – New paper by Susan Nevelow Mart:

You can download it for free from SSRN.   Susan Nevelow Mart, Let the People Know the Facts: Can Government Information Removed from the Internet be Reclaimed

Abstract:     
This article examines the legal bases of the public’s right to access government information, and examines and analyzes the types of information that have recently been removed from the Internet and the rationales given for the removals. The concerted use of FOIA by public interest groups and their constituents is suggested as a possible method of returning the information to the Internet. There article concludes with a brief review of recent FOIA cases that might provide some guidance on the litigation sure to follow such concerted requests.

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this is important

Ian Buchanan, “The Axiomatic, or, The Seven…:

Ian Buchanan, “The Axiomatic, or, The Seven Givens of the Contemporary World”

another of buchanan’s interpretation of deleuze. could be useful.

——————————————————————–
CALL FOR WORKSHOP PAPERS
——————————————————————–
„Abuse: the darker side of human-computer interaction‰
An INTERACT 2005 Workshop
====================================================================
Date: Monday, September 12 (Full day)
Location: Rome, Italy
Submission Deadline: extended to May 30
Web-site: www.agentabuse.org
====================================================================

AIMS AND SCOPE OF THE WORKSHOP
==============================
Computers are often the subject of our wrath and often, we feel,
with good reason. There seems to be something intrinsic to this
medium which brings out the darker side of human nature. This may
be due to the computer complexity which induces errors and
frustrations in the user (bad interface design), to the human
tendency to respond socially to computers (media equation), or to a
disinhibition effect induced by the interaction with a different
form of information processor, perceived as inferior (master/slave
relationship).

As software is evolving from the tool metaphor to the agent one,
understanding the role of abusive behaviour in HCI and its effect on
the task-at-hand becomes increasingly important. The reaction of
traditional software to abuse is obvious – it should, like a hammer,
ignore it. With the agent model, however, software can be
autonomous and situated. That is, it should be possible to create
software that takes note of its surroundings, and responsibility for
its actions. Conversational agents are a clear case of a software
entity which might be expected to deal with abuse. Virtual
assistants, to take a classic application instance, should not just
provide timely information; a virtual assistant must also be a
social actor and participate in the games people play. Some of
these games appear to include abusive behaviour.

This workshop aims to bring together papers that transcend
disciplinary boundaries. Papers are solicited from researchers and
practitioners who have encountered the occurrence of abuse in HCI
and CMC and given some thought to why and how it happens. Papers
that explore virtual abuse and the abuse of agents as cultural
artifacts are particularly welcome. We hope this will provide a
forum for discussing both the reasons behind aggressive behaviour
and suggestions for how software should deal with abuse.

Relevant topics include but are not limited to
* determinants and correlates of end user frustration
* emotional reactions to computing technology
* emotional interfaces ˆ how to deal with negative emotions
* conversational agents and abusive language
* conflict resolution in face-to-face communication and CMC
* flaming and disinhibition in HCI and CMC
* art on the edge
* relationship of the virtual and the real, the literal and metaphor
* Outing, passing, hiding, covering — how are agents designed to seem
“normal”
and what are the assumptions about “being human” that inform the design

INTENDED AUDIENCE AND WORKSHOP FORMAT
=====================================
The workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary group of
researchers and practitioners in human computer interaction,
computer mediated communication, intelligent virtual agents, game
design, social psychology, cultural critics and art. The program
will feature the presentation of refereed papers, demos and poster
followed by interactive sessions drawn on a number of scenarios
which will be distributed prior to the workshop. A part of the
discussion will concentrate on the definition of a roadmap for
future research.

SUBMISSIONS AND DISSEMINATION
================================
We seek:
- Position papers (4 pages) reporting on experiences, theories, case
studies and experiments.
- Theoretical papers (4 pages) discussing cultural, artistic,
political, and philosophical issues.
- Demo submissions (4 pages).
- Poster submission (1 page description of the poster or 1 page
sketch of the poster)

Position and theoretical papers as well as demo submissions will be
peer reviewed and should be formatted according to the LNCS (Lecture
Notes in Computer Science) format (templates are available at
Springer-Verlag LNCS Authors‚ Instructions page and at
www.Interact2005.org at the Submission page ).

Please e-mail your submission in PDF to
Antonella.de-angeli@manchester.ac.uk
(cc pwallis@acm.org)

Accepted papers will appear in the workshop proceedings and will be
posted on the web (www.agentabuse.org). Outcomes of the workshop
will be summarised and posted on agentabuse.org, which is intended
to become a dynamic repository for relevant research. If enough
interest is gathered from the participants, we will explore
alternatives such as a special journal issue or a book collection.

IMPORTANT DATES
===============
May 23: submission
June 6: Notification of acceptance
June 10: Registration dead-line for presenters
July 1: camera ready copies
September 12: workshop

REGISTRATION
===============
Registration will cost 150 Euro before June 10 and 200 Euro after
this date. Participants will register through the conference
website (http://www.interact2005.org/).

ORGANISING COMMITTEE
===================
Co-Chairs:
Sheryl Brahnam (Missouri State University), US
Antonella De Angeli (University of Manchester), UK
Peter Wallis (University of Sheffield), UK

Programme Committee
Pamela Briggs (Northumbria University), UK
Alan Dix (Lancaster University), UK
Dirk Heylen (University of Twente), Holland
Graham Johnson (NCR), UK
Catherine Pelachaud (Universite de Paris 8), France
Daniela Petrelli (University of Sheffield), UK
Laurent Romary (INRIA), France
Daniela Romano (University of Sheffield), UK
Oliviero Stock (IRST), Italy
Alistair Sutcliffe (University of Manchester), UK
Sean Zdenek (Texas Tech University), US
Yorick Wilks (University of Sheffield), UK

Contact Information.
For information, expressions of interest and/or submission please
contact
Antonella De Angeli
Centre for Human-Computer Interaction Design
School of Informatics, the University of Manchester,
Manchester
M60 1QD
United Kingdom
Antonella.de-angeli@manchester.ac.uk

International Campaign Against Mass Surveillance:
An International Campaign Against Mass Surveillance was launched 20 April 2005 in London, Manila, Ottawa and Washington,with initial endorsements on its declaration from almost one hundred groups from around the world.
The introduction and detailed White Paper on the campaign’s Web site speak for themselves, specifically in highlighting the significnace of “The Registration of Populations”, “The Creation of a Global Identification System”, and “The Creation of an Infrastructure for the Global Surveillance of Movement” as 3 of 10 key “signposts” of the emergence of a global infrastructure for mass registration and surveillance — the same things I have identified as among the key trends threatening the right to travel.
I’ve immediately endorsed this campaign. I hope you will too.

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yep, this is something that I’d endorce.

011cahsi(2005)7enfinal:
Principles and guidelines for ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law in the information society

worth checking out

Guardian Unlimited | Life | Two-thirds of world’s resources ‘used up’

The human race is living beyond its means. A report backed by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries – some of them world leaders in their fields – today warns that the almost two-thirds of the natural machinery that supports life on Earth is being degraded by human pressure.

The study contains what its authors call “a stark warning” for the entire world. The wetlands, forests, savannahs, estuaries, coastal fisheries and other habitats that recycle air, water and nutrients for all living creatures are being irretrievably damaged. In effect, one species is now a hazard to the other 10 million or so on the planet, and to itself.

“Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted,” it says.

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it won’t be long now.

Researchers discover European genetic twist: printer friendly version:
It is particularly surprising that the same genetic element should promote fertility and longevity since most organisms are obliged to follow a strategy either of breeding fast during short lives or of living longer and having fewer children. “Usually people think of there being a trade-off between fertility and longevity,” said Alan Rogers, a population geneticist at the University of Utah.

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ok…. wouldn’t a better explanation of this be that with increased fertility there is a greater chance to spread the gene and thus it should grow as a percentage of population over time?

OA library of indigenous knowledge:
T. V. Padma, Digital library to protect indigenous knowledge, SciDev.Net, January 10, 2005. Excerpt: ‘South Asian countries will create a digital library of the region’s traditional knowledge and develop laws to prevent such knowledge being misappropriated through commercial patents. The plan was announced at a two-day workshop held in Delhi, India, last week by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

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this is very important. if ip does exist, and this is debatable, then much of it has been stolen.