Stanford University has a course in the history of videogames the student output of this course is available online in the â??history of computer games collectionâ??. Most student papers are about 10 pages long and include some good work.
Academia
Nya svenska ord
Språknämnden har kommit med en lista över nya svenska ord. Här finns:
Blogga: skriva en blogg.
Blåljusyrke: Yrke där man har blåljus vid utryckning, som polis, brandkår, ambulans.
Podda: ladda ned mp3-musik, i synnerhet till Apples mp3-spelare Ipod.
Snålsurfa: via trådlös teknik utnyttja grannens bredbandsuppkoppling.
Kolla hela listan på SVT
Technological Determinism
A quote attributed to Homer’s Odyssey (but I have been unable to find it there) is:
The blade itself incites to violence
The quote is a good example of how technological determinism does not need to be taken from examples based in the modern world. A nice example of the same sentiment deals with the problem of intellectual property and modern technology. “The iPod has room for 10000 songs – what do they expect us to do with them?”
Bodströmsamhället
P O �gren har skrivit en snyggt inlägg (16/12-2005) om den nya förslaget om datalagring som EU-parlamentet röstat ja till. Förslaget innebär att alla EU-länders IT- och teleoperatörer måste lagra alla trafikuppgifter i sex till 24 månader. Alla uppgifter om din kommunikation via telefon eller dator kommer att lagras.
Ã?gren skriver “Det finns mÃ¥nga problem med detta beslut till direktiv. Jag nöjer mig med att resonera kring tre.” Sedan lägger han fram tre huvudomrÃ¥den: (1) För det första är det integritetskränkande. (2) För det andra är risken för ändamÃ¥lsglidning uppenbar. (3) För det tredje är det ett irreversibelt beslut.
Rättigheter & Besk
På ITceum i Linköping finns avtalet mellan Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget och Matematikmaskinnämnden för att utveckla den första svenska datorn Besk. Lite kul att se att avtalet som ligger till grund för IT industrin naturligtvis innehåller ett stycke om rättigheter.
Avtal mellan Matematikmaskinnämnden, här nedan kallad nämnden, och Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, här nedan kallad bolaget, har följande avtal träffats om teknisk information för tillverkning av matematikmaskin av typ Besk.
§4. Avtalet innebär rättighet för bolaget att utan licenskostnad nyttja alla eventuella patent som nämnden eller av nämnden anställd personal kan erhålla berörande konstruktion Besk i dess nuvarande utformning jämte kommande modifieringar under tiden fram till den 1 januari 1958.
1958
Stockholm (Matematikmaskinnämnden)
Linköping (Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget)
BESK på Drottninggatan
BESK (Binär Elektronisk Sekvens Kalkylator) var uppbyggd av 2.400 elektronrör och var mest använd till meteorologiska beräkningar och för att beräkna skjuttabeller till militären. Saab ville ha BESK bl.a. till att beräkna vibrationer i flygplansvingar. Under en kort tid var BESK världens snabbaste dator.
Panorama of Constantinople 1740
The Swedish library has put Ferdinand von Gudenus’ Panorama of Constantinople from 1740 online. Its an excellent view with zoom functions.
The Mosque built by Suleiman I, also known as Suleiman The Magnificent.
Minister of (in)Justice – part 2
Sweden has never had a Minister of Justice who has managed to push through so much legislation hostile to civil liberties in such a short space of time as the minister we have today: Thomas Bodström. Here are some of the highlights
Dagens Nyheter 22 December 2005.
Phone tapping – Secret surveillance with hidden microphones will be permissable for a long list of crimes (not only the present day murder, manslaughter and armed robbery. This is despite the fact that investigators have been unable to show whether these devices are efficient police tools.
Data retention – Sweden has stood on the forefront demanding that the EU implement data retention. The EU have now approved rules (BBC report) that will force ISP’s and other telecommunication companies to retain data for at least six months. This data includes the time, date and locations of both mobile and landline calls (as well as whether or not they were answered) along with logs of internet activity and email.
Hemlig telefonavlyssning. En regeringsutredning vill ge Säkerhetspolisen utökade möjligheter till hemlig teleavlyssning. Den ska ske även i “preventivt syfte”, alltsÃ¥ innan ett brott har begÃ¥tts. Enligt förslaget ska ocksÃ¥ den öppna polisen ges utökade möjligheter att registrera svenskarnas telefonsamtal, vilket Advokatsamfundets generalsekreterare Anne Ramberg kallar för “ett paradigmskifte i svensk tvÃ¥ngsmedelshantering”.
Den pÃ¥tänkta lagstiftningen ger staten kraftigt utökade möjligheter att övervaka medborgarna. TillämpningsomrÃ¥det är ytterst brett och möjligheterna till ett rättssäkert förfarande minimala. BÃ¥de Säpo och polisen skulle ges laglig rätt att kontinuerligt avlyssna miljöer som de finner intressanta. Varken nÃ¥gon lagÂöverträdelse eller konkret misstanke krävs.
Försvarets underrättelseverksamhet. En departementspromemoria föreslår att den traditionella signalspaningen ska utvidgas till att omfatta all trådbunden trafik som passerar Sveriges gränser. Försvaret ska alltså inte som i dag bara kunna övervaka etern, utan också telefonsamtal, e-post, fax och dylikt som strömmar genom landet naturligtvis utan domstolsprövning. Förslaget innebär ett genombrott för övervakningsstaten, särskilt om det kombineras med tankarna på att försvaret även ska hantera vissa polisiära uppgifter.
Secret Data Surveillance – A proposal has been put forward that will allow the police (with a court order) can enter and insert software to eavesdrop on individuals computers.
These are just a few of the ideas which have been pushed through on the ministers initiative or suggestion. There are many more examples of tough stances against civil liberties – all done to fight crime or terrorism.
Sweden is no longer the country fighting for rights and liberties but it is using the ghost of terrorism to frighten and bully through oppressive legislation. Leadership by fear. In addition to this the approach has been to argue that oppressive legislation actually improves civil liberties. In a comment on the recent data retention decision a fellow party official stated that data retention protects civil liberties. Swedish quote here – “Jag är tacksam och glad att vi fÃ¥r en gemensam lagstiftning för hela Europa. Det här är ocksÃ¥ garantin för att integriteten och de mänskliga rättigheterna inte Ã¥sidosätts, säger Inger Segelström, s”.
This is straight out of Orwell! Remember: “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength”. Big Brother would have been proud.
Intelligent Design?
BBC report that the American Supreme Court have banned the teaching of “intelligent design“. While intelligent design sounds like a valuable course at a technical university it actually refers to the newest form of anti-Darwinism. Basically the idea is that nature is too complex for natural selection.
Do you want proof that there must be an “intelligent” force guiding the choices nature makes then look at any complex animal or organism. This is of course bull. If anyone wants to believe – thats fine. But proof? No way. Also I would like to know if these people find “flawed” or even really bad design in nature as a proof that unintelligent design forces are at work?
Is the Platypus evidence of humorous design?*
However since Darwinism is not compatible with a litteral interpretation with the bible schools have attempted to ban the teaching of evolutionary theory. Therefore to comply with this certain schools of thought began developing intelligent design. Its not a well grounded theory – it does not have to be since it demands faith rather than proof.
Anyway the US Supreme Court have now found that Darwinian evolution must be taught as fact in biology lessons. Good work!
—
*Robin Williams about the platypus:
“Do you think God gets stoned? Take a look at the platypus… I think you think he might.” (mimes toking on a joint) “Hey Darwin! Yo. Here ya go! I’m gonna take a beaver, and put a duck’s bill on it.” (cackles stonily) “Then, I’m gonna give it webbed feet, and it’s gonna live in water. Then (tokes again) it’s gonna be a mammal, but it’s gonna lay eggs! Muahahahaha! Hey, I’m God, what’re you gonna do, eh?”
The DeadLine, or this is not a vida
To those of you who read this blog, friends (do friends read friends blogs?), as you may know the realest* of all my deadlines is fast approaching. At this stage I am disinclined to follow the thoughts of the sage “I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by”** and attempt to manage the impossible (hitting deadline) if only to get the damn thing*** over and done with. This first hurdle of all hurdles is not the vida but the internal seminar were the wise ancients of the Dept of Informatics (there is no place like home) climb down from their mountain-tops to throw lightening-bolts, murmer incantations and generally discuss the suitability of the dullard attempting to pass through the gates which they are set to keep. Therefore I am left to arrange my defence and attempt to explain myself. All that remains are the words “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”****
And it didnt take me 20 years even though some of you may have thought so…
the blind bard
THEN Ulysses tore off his rags, and sprang on to the broad pavement with his bow and his quiver full of arrows. He shed the arrows on to the ground at his feet and said, “The mighty contest is at an end. I will now see whether Apollo will vouchsafe it to me to hit another mark which no man has yet hit.” On this he aimed a deadly arrow at Antinous, who was about to take up a two-handled gold cup to drink his wine and already had it in his hands. He had no thought of death- who amongst all the revellers would think that one man, however brave, would stand alone among so many and kill him? The arrow struck Antinous in the throat, and the point went clean through his neck, so that he fell over and the cup dropped from his hand, while a thick stream of blood gushed from his nostrils.*****
————–
* Social Constructivists among you would dispute this but even the most active social constructivists tend to agree that deadlines exist and follow them – why is that? Wouldnt a real conference on social constructivism really be a a group of people not submitting on time, another group not following the compulsory paper format and eventually at the conference no groups turning up?
** Douglas Adams, who else?
*** Phd…if you didnt know this you have not been paying attention.
**** Douglas Adams, who did you think?
***** Odyssey Book 22 Samuel Butler (trans.) A funny illustrated story version here.
A Night in Casablanca
A brilliant tale found on the Chilling Effects Website. It contains exotic environments, legal threats, mad claims and of course the Marx Brothers. Does reality get better than this?
While preparing to film a movie entitled A Night in Casablanca, the Marx brothers received a letter from Warner Bros. threatening legal action if they did not change the filmâ??s title. Warner Bros. deemed the filmâ??s title too similar to their own Casablanca, released almost five years earlier in 1942, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. In response Groucho Marx dispatched the following letter to the studioâ??s legal department:
Dear Warner Brothers,
Apparently there is more than one way of conquering a city and holding it as your own. For example, up to the time that we contemplated making this picture, I had no idea that the city of Casablanca belonged exclusively to Warner Brothers. However, it was only a few days after our announcement appeared that we received your long, ominous legal document warning us not to use the name Casablanca.
It seems that in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, your great-great-grandfather, while looking for a shortcut to the city of Burbank, had stumbled on the shores of Africa and, raising his alpenstock (which he later turned in for a hundred shares of common), named it Casablanca.
I just donâ??t understand your attitude. Even if you plan on releasing your picture, I am sure that the average movie fan could learn in time to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and Harpo. I donâ??t know whether I could, but I certainly would like to try.
…I have a hunch that his attempt to prevent us from using the title is the brainchild of some ferret-faced shyster, serving a brief apprenticeship in your legal department. I know the type wellâ??hot out of law school, hungry for success, and too ambitious to follow the natural laws of promotion. This bar sinister probably needled your attorneys, most of whom are fine fellows with curly black hair, double-breasted suits, etc., into attempting to enjoin us. Well, he wonâ??t get away with it! Weâ??ll fight him to the highest court! No pasty-faced legal adventurer is going to cause bad blood between the Warners and the Marxes. We are all brothers under the skin, and weâ??ll remain friends till the last reel of â??A Night in Casablancaâ?? goes tumbling over the spool.
Sincerely,
Groucho Marx
Unamused, Warner Bros. requested that the Marx Brothers at least outline the premise of their film. Groucho responded with an utterly ridiculous storyline, and, sure enough, received another stern letter requesting clarification. He obliged and went on to describe a plot even more preposterous than the first, claiming that he, Groucho, would be playing â??Bordello, the sweetheart of Humphrey Bogart.â?? No doubt exasperated, Warner Bros. did not respond. A Night in Casablanca was released in 1946.
I must use this story (the full Marx letter is here) in one of my lectures.