Jorge Cham at PhD has once again probed the depths of procrastination…
title: “Mind over matter” – originally published 7/13/2007
Images
Wellcome Images under CC
The Wellcome Trust has released its image collection under a collection named 2000 years of human culture. Launched 20 June, Wellcome Images is the world’s leading source of images on the history of medicine, modern biomedical science and clinical medicine. All content has been made available under a Creative Commons Licence, which allows users to copy, distribute and display the image, provided the source is fully attributed and it is used for non-commercial purposes. (read press release)
Mosquito, Anopheles stephensi in flight by Hugh Sturrock (2005)
(via Boing Boing)
Stone Cities
Coming from Sweden we may take space, grass and greenery for granted. Old city Dubrovnik, on the other hand, is the opposite. Everything is made of stone all spaces seem to be paved with stone and surrounded by stone walled houses with small windows (reduces the heat in the houses).
 Interestingly enough this does not stop children from playing football. Naturally a children’s game of football can be played almost anywhere and the rules tend to be flexible, but I really enjoyed the more permanent football arrangement created in a small open space in the old town of Dubrovnik.
Opposite this goalpost was another – they were not far apart but a workable solution for a game of football.
I also like the peace sign painted inside the goalpost and the word “ghetto” is painted on the outside – symbolism?
iSummit Friday
Today the iSummit (iCommons Summit 2007 in Croatia) begins in earnest. Yesterday was the legal day so today it’s the “real” thing. With keynotes and tracks till 9.30 pm. This is followed by gallery opening and a concert till after midnight. Long days with interesting people. The location today is inside the old fort called the Revelin. We are in a huge old space with limestone walls and arched ceilings and no windows. It’s brilliant, cool and dark enough to make you forget that the sun is shining outside.
 For those of you who want to see pictures from the iSummit you can go to my Flickr site or check out the iCommons group on Flickr. And if you want even more then just look at the photo’s on Flickr which are tagged iCommons.
Old city Dubrovnik
While the conference continues the Mediterranean sun is glaring outside and the sea is appealingly blue. The lecture hall is relatively cool while the discussions are lively and interesting. On the way to the city in the bus this morning I managed to capture this wonderful image of Dubrovnik’s old town.
Before breakfast this morning I managed to go swimming but right now I really wish I could go to the seaside again. Maybe the iSummit should be held on the beach with wifi…
Ok, enough goofing off it’s time to get back to the legal salt mines…
Academic Language
Every now and then academics revive the discussion on the readability, dissemination and usefulness of research. Most researchers write for a small group of peers. Most of the peers are already aware of what is being done before they actually read the research article. Add to this the depressing thought that only about eight people (this is a commonly cited figure, probably an urban myth) ever read an academic work (research article or phd thesis) and that is counting the reviewers and editor.
All this makes the practice of academic writing seem rather pointless.
Part of the reason for this is that academics tend to become linguistically narcissistic (Oops, sorry – see what I mean). Instead of writing clearly and plainly they fill their pages with complex jargon from within their research field. They then have the arrogance to be annoyed when others have a difficulty reading their texts.
So, now that I have reached this insight (again!) I shall strive to be more clear in my writing (again!)
Old Maps
There is something fascinating about maps, especially old maps. Maybe it’s because they are attempts to explain the world, or new views of the world revealing patterns and shapes or maybe just attempts of other people to find their way.
The webpage for the Norman B. Levanthal Map Center at the Boston Public Library has a pile of old maps in digital format (The library has digitised many highlights from their 200,000+ collection of maps and atlases from all times and places) and an excellent mapviewing tool which allows you to zoom in on the details.
detail of Novus planiglobii terrestris per utrumque polum conspectus (1695)
Start with the virtual tours for an overview.
The invisible man of graffiti art
The New Yorker has published a long piece on Banksy, sub-titled “The invisible man of graffiti art”. Banksy is the famous, but anonymous, UK graffiti artist whose work is a mix of cheeky social commentary and plain fun. Not much is known for sure, but the article writes:
This much is certain: around 1993, his graffiti began appearing on trains and walls around Bristol; by 2001, his blocky spray-painted signature had cropped up all over the United Kingdom…
Since street art is ephemeral, he occasionally issues books filled with photographs of his work, accompanied by his own text. He self-published his first three volumes, â??Existencilism,â?? â??Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall,â?? and â??Cut It Out.â?? His latest, â??Wall and Piece,â?? was published by Random House and has sold more than two hundred and fifty thousand copies…
Ralph Taylor, a specialist in the Sothebyâ??s contemporary-art department, said of Banksy, â??He is the quickest-growing artist anyone has ever seen of all time.â?? Banksy responded to the Sothebyâ??s sale by posting a painting on his Web site. It featured an auctioneer presiding over a crowd of rapt bidders, with the caption â??I canâ??t believe you morons actually buy this shit.â??
Besides his own website and his books there are plenty of images on Flickr (over 18000 images) that have been attributed to Banksy. They may be originals or simply followers of the Banksy style.
Multiple Mails – Multiple Lives
Jorge Cham, of Phd comics (my favorite), has drawn an excellent strip hinting at the complexity of modern communication. Recently a colleague sent me an email (and cc it to three other of my addresses) asking me which was my “real” address. It got me thinking of how many aliases I have and how many mail accounts I run – most appear in the same inbox but not all.
All the accounts are there for a reason (or several reasons) but it does sometimes feel a bit like a case of multiple personality…
Technology and Happiness
The cartoonist Andy Singer has a strip called No Exit. Here is his take on technology and happiness. Great stuff.
 (via Neatorama)