digital

7 Ways To Ruin A Technological Revolution

Here is an online talk by one of the most interesting of tech-lawyers, the intellectual James Boyle talk is on YouTube and the subject is 7 Ways To Ruin A Technological Revolution. From the abstract:

If you wanted to undermine the technological revolution of the last 30 years, using the law, how would you do it? How would you undercut the virtuous cycle that results from access to an open network, force technological innovation into stagnation, diminish competition, create monopolies over the basic building blocks of knowledge? How many of those things are we doing now?

Boyle has been an impressive figure since his book Shamans, Software and Spleens: Law and the Construction of the Information Society came out in 1997 since then his writings include Papers on the Public Domain (James Boyle ed. 2003) and Bound by Law – A ‘Graphic Novel’ (a.k.a. comic book) on Fair Use.

He has also been central in the launching of Creative Commons and Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain.

(via DigitalKoans)

Posted on by mklang

Open Access Films

The Open Access movement is gaining momentum and still there are too many people who are unaware of what it is all about, its goals and effects. There are some very persuasive arguments being presented by key people but don’t worry if you have missed out on these. They are available on YouTube

Film One is a conversation with Sydney Verba, Director of Harvard University Libraries and professor of political science, and Charles Nesson, Professor of Law on the serials crises and the fact that “even Harvard” cannot afford the developments. 

Film Two is Chris McManus, a researcher at UCL, describes why research needs to be openly shared not only by other researchers but also by the general public. 

Film Three is an interview of researcher Erik Svensson the Department of Ecology, Lund University by Lund librarian Helena Stjernberg on the pros and cons of Open Access.

You might also want to look at the short ad boosting the Public Library of Science, maybe not so informative as fun! The last film is an occupational film from 1947 about the library profession, and becoming a librarian it’s kind of cute – also it shows the idea and image of the librarian of the time.

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Librarians (circa 1947)

Being a natural skeptic I must admit to not being totally persuaded by the educational value of YouTube but I did enjoy these films.

Posted on by mklang

For as little as £25…

Aab_homeApparently the British Library cannot afford to take care of all its old books and has come up with scheme to protect their books: Adopt a book.

“The beneficiary of your gift can enjoy benefits such as a personalised bookplate added to your chosen book and the chance to view it on a behind the scenes tour. Adopt a Book supports our conservation team, helping us preserve the world’s knowledge for future generations.”

How to adopt a book:

(i) decide what level of donation you wish to make,
(ii) add a title from the list to your shopping basket, and then
(iii) go the checkout to give your details and make your gift.
You can choose for the certificate and, where applicable, tour vouchers to be sent to yourself or directly to the beneficiary. We use first class post and aim to reply within three working days.

This is really a good cause but the whole tone “For as little as £25…” makes the whole thing a bit of a car boot sale. Hardly the way to engender a deepened respect for old valuable books… or is it just me?

(via Biblioteksrelaterat)

More news from the British Library is their increased digitalisation project. The British Library has begun a new digitalisation project. This entails the digitalization of over 100 00 books. The focus is on 19th century literature which has not been issued in new editions. It is hoped that the Internet will breathe new life into the old books.

(via Humaniorabloggen)

Posted on by mklang

London, Dublin

The recent lack of posts in the blog are not a sign of disinterest but more a question of lack of proper access to blogging technology. In the last few days I have been in London and Dublin. London is one of my favourite cities in the world and I try to be there on a regular basis. This trip was a very brief visit and no real time to visit my friends who live there. So if you are reading this post please forgive me and I will be back.

Besides the usual stuff I managed to go running on Hamstead Heath which was a great early morning experience. Naturally I also managed to do a bit of street art spotting and I came across this one near Oxford circus showing the pointlessness of CCTV.

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I also think I spotted some Banksy from the taxi out but I could not be sure so it could be copies. Dublin is a great city and I have found lots of interesting stuff but I will have to write more later…

Posted on by mklang

One ring to…

And finally here it is. The ring which all my work has been leading up to. In Sweden the choice stands between the doctors hat or the doctors ring. Never heard of anyone buying both and considering the fashion statement of this pleated hat the decision to choose the ring was easy.

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the doctors hat

The ring is not really much of a major fashion statement but it does seem slightly more usable and practical than the hat. The ring is worn on the second finger on the left hand – the same hand as the wedding ring. So as my friend quickly pointed out – I look like I am very married.

The ring has a laurel wreath motive around it which actually gives it a bit of a tacky look. Really not sure if I will use the ring on a regular basis (not because of the married look) but I felt that after all the work I had earned it.

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It doesn’t feel like I am married – more that I belong to some kind of strange club…

Posted on by mklang

Information overload is passé

It used to be called information overload but after reading Jonny’s latest post on the Industrial IT Group blog I have been educated, updated you might even say, that the current term is actually frazzing.*

Frazzing, short for frantic multitasking, refers to a form of mental channel switching caused by all the distractions we face today: cell phones, sms, e-mails, and loads of web interactions. We should be warned, or so they tell us, about the danger of new technology and the ways in which they disrupt our working life.

Jonny, you make an interesting observation that a CEO of a tech firm, quoted as saying,

“There’s plenty of technology. There’s way too much technology, in our opinion, and certainly too much complexity in technology.”

may in fact be a closet luddite. The argument is – that if people don’t get, or cannot handle, the technology you are secretly against it. Of course the underlying argument is that the luddite’s are wrong and technology is good. You continue:

Yes, when people are trying to get more done by doing several things at once, it often means that they are able to do nothing particularly well. Technology that is supposed to make us more productive by keeping us connected may only enhance this problem. Then again, technology may be something else than a productivity tool? If people are bored at work and editing their Facebook profile all day, maybe the problem isn’t Facebook?

Despite the fact that I recently posted a diatribe on web 2.0 in general and Facebook in particular I agree with you. The problem is not the technology but rather our ability to interact and control it (do not interpret this as a slippery slope – the same argument cannot be used for Cocaine).

The technology is useful and the way in which we interact it defines the way in which we are capable of handling technology without frazzing. But I still have a question: Why aren’t you on Facebook? Your argument would have been more potent if he were there…

So Jonny, choosing to handle technology by not using it…. isn’t that a bit…. well…. you know…. Luddite?

—

* the problem of information overload or frazzing is old and established. In 1984 Jacob Palme wrote an article entitled: “You have 134 unread mail! Do you want to read them now?” In Computer-Based Message Services, H. T. Smith (Ed.), IFIP Proceedings, Elsevier North-Holland, New York.

Posted on by mklang

Magna Carta for sale

The Magna Carta (Great Charter) is one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy. It is one of the earliest documents granting rights to citizens. It is a predecessor for the development of the rule of constitutional law, it provided inspiration to many of the later rights documents such as the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. The document contained provisions such as:

 

  • The right of the church to be free from governmental interference,
  • The rights of all free citizens to own and inherit property and be free from excessive taxes.
  • Right of widows to choose not to remarry.
  • Due process and equality before the law.
  • Provisions against bribery and official misconduct.

 

The Magna Carta was originally written because of disagreements between King John and the English barons. After King John had violated a number of ancient laws and customs by which England had been governed, his subjects (the Barons) forced him to sign the Magna Carta. King John needed to placate the barons and therefore signed the document granting them several rights. The Magna Carta may not have been seen as such a big deal at

 

the time and nor is it obvious that King John expected to respect it but his weak position ensured the documents survival and growth into prominence.

 

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According to the New York Times article there are 17 known copies surviving this one will be auctioned by Sothebys in New York in mid-December, estimates that the document will sell for $20 million to $30 million.

Posted on by mklang

Do I believe in Web 2.0 or what is the point of Facebook

A couple of days ago at the Sour Herring dinner at Lund one of my companions at the table said that he did not believe in Web 2.0. Interaction, he said, was overrated. Most of us around the table took the remark as humor and we were satisfied with this.

But the remark has been gnawing at the back of my mind. Do I believe in Web 2.0?

At first this may seem like a strange question, coming from me. I blog and participate in other blogs. I have set up and run wiki’s and used these technologies in the classroom, in research and with friends. Still the question is rather valid.

No blogs and wiki’s don’t require that you believe in them. If they are useful they will be used. I enjoy them and use them as a central part of my work (and play). But what about the more typical social networking sites?

Just to name a few I am a member at Technorati, Linkedin and Facebook. I have even upgraded my free account on flickr to pro (which means I am paying money for it). Besides flickr the usefulness of the others is unclear to me. Technorati is not much of a social networking site it is more of an aggregator for blogs – so let’s move on.

Linkedin seems to be a more formal social networking site based upon professional contacts. It is not really designed to encourage wide scale use. Facebook on the other hand it something quite different.

Facebook is a huge social networking site where people are actively encouraged to collect friends and interact with them by comparing films, music and books. The site encourages users to play games with each other such as the presently popular war of the vampires.

With all these applications I can really see that users can spend literally hours online finding and interacting with their online friends but after some testing I still am struck by the sensation or feeling: What is the point of facebook? It is surprising to see how many people are using it – in particular its appeal the the large group of non-techie or non-Web 2.0 crowd. But I still don’t really get it. What is the allure of this site? What need or desire does the site fulfill?

Or is it simply that the social interaction between friends, even in an online virtual forum, is the whole point. Oh well, I would like to analyze this further but unfortunately I need to update my profile 🙂

Posted on by mklang

Sour Herring

Yesterday I had dinner at the lunch room in the main university library building in Lund. Going behind the scenes in buildings is always interesting but yesterday the focus was not on the building but rather on the menu. The dinner was the traditional northern Swedish dish of Surströmming (literally Sour Herring).

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The dish is considered a delicacy but this is hard to believe since the smell will blow your mind away.

The herring is caught in spring and is fermented in barrels for one to two months, the fermented fish is then tinned where the fermentation continues. About six months later the gases caused by the fermentation makes the tins bulge into a more rounded shape. One idea for the origins of the method of fish preservation is due to the high cost of salt so fermentation was used and less salt could be used.

The tin cans are opened outside (because of the smell) and served with bread, butter, potatoes, onion and gräddfil (fat fermented milk). The meal is best savored with beer and schnapps.

As an experience it was definitely great – as a culinary experience it must be an acquired taste and it does not make my top ten but it was fun. The smell was the worst part and I have been getting flashbacks all morning.

Posted on by mklang

Internet Warning Signs

Cracked has a series of humorous Internet warning signs – there is a touch of seriousness in each one. My favorite is this one.

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There is more than a grain of truth in this warning. With the Internet no one needs to have an unsatisfied curiosity however with this ability comes the burden of choice. Most users can see ugly things on the Internet but must then actively choose not to do so. Understanding of this responsibility is only gained through painful experience and even then it is difficult for most of us not to click on a link that we know may affect us negatively.

This freedom and individual responsibility on such a broad spectrum will change us individually and collectively but in what ways.

What happens to a person who can explore every twisted desire or experience all manner of horror – but without ever leaving the comfort and security of home? A dulling of the senses or a deepening of understanding of the role of choice in the lives of individuals?

Whatever happens we are on our way and will not be deterred from this development. All we can do is hang on and enjoy the ride.

Posted on by mklang