2012-11-28
2012-11-14
EU Court refuses FFII amicus curiae brief on ACTA | ACTA
EU Court refuses FFII amicus curiae brief on ACTA | ACTA
I continue to be mystified by the insistence of courts and legislative bodies, as for international treaties, to hide what they do from the public or otherwise exclude the people affected directly from the processes. But of course I'm not really mystified, just appalled.
I continue to be mystified by the insistence of courts and legislative bodies, as for international treaties, to hide what they do from the public or otherwise exclude the people affected directly from the processes. But of course I'm not really mystified, just appalled.
2012-11-13
Colloque STandeX « Département d'histoire des sciences de la vie et de la santé
Colloque STandeX « Département d'histoire des sciences de la vie et de la santé
From the announcement:
From the announcement:
Standardisation is omnipresent in communication, production, negotiation,
and trade between partners. The means and processes of standardisation
have been explored in industrial production and the manufacturing of large
quantities, in the development of state health administrations and drug
regulations, and in changes in therapeutic and bedside practices.
This workshop will be centred on an exchange between historians, economists,
political scientists and sociologists. The goal is to strengthen historical
observations and examinations of standards by confronting diverging
interpretations of standards, standardization and parallel entities, such
as routines, norms and codes. We herein bring together studies that link
the concept of standardization to a larger history of health and medicine,
studies those that take a theoretically inspired approach of the
relationship of standardization in economy and science, as well as
contributions that look to apply, criticize or explore these concepts with
regard to pharmaceuticals and history of drugs.
Please find the StandEX programme for download on our website:
There are no participation fees, but registration is strongly recommended.
For more
details and registration please contact nils.kessel@unistra.fr or
We are grateful for funding and support from
ESF Research Networking Programme Standard drugs, drug standards (DRUGS)
2012-11-09
Facebook warehousing 180 PETABYTES of data a year • The Register
Facebook warehousing 180 PETABYTES of data a year • The Register
I have to say that I'm increasingly impressed by the sheer quantity of open source code Facebook issues each cycle. The more interesting problematic, from my perspective (as a professional in this space): the communities developing the code, working on it, productizing it--doing all the things that open source communities do--seem far less visible than one would expect. That's odd, given the essential nature of Facebook... or is it?
I have to say that I'm increasingly impressed by the sheer quantity of open source code Facebook issues each cycle. The more interesting problematic, from my perspective (as a professional in this space): the communities developing the code, working on it, productizing it--doing all the things that open source communities do--seem far less visible than one would expect. That's odd, given the essential nature of Facebook... or is it?
2012-11-07
OpenOffice.org - CNET Download.com
OpenOffice.org - CNET Download.com
Well, it ought really to be just Apache OpenOffice.... but the fun thing about this review of nearly a month ago, upon the release of 3.4.1 (more recent work to be had), is the one word summary: "Spectacular."
Okay, I can live with that. But more to the point, I live with and use OpenOffice daily for, well, everything related to document production and distribution. My needs are not particularly pedestrian, either, as I look to see how the suite of tools can be configured and adapted using templates.....
Well, it ought really to be just Apache OpenOffice.... but the fun thing about this review of nearly a month ago, upon the release of 3.4.1 (more recent work to be had), is the one word summary: "Spectacular."
Okay, I can live with that. But more to the point, I live with and use OpenOffice daily for, well, everything related to document production and distribution. My needs are not particularly pedestrian, either, as I look to see how the suite of tools can be configured and adapted using templates.....
2012-11-04
UNITY: Game Development Tool
UNITY: Game Development Tool
I was doing the usual and came across this tool and also http://www.molequedeideias.net/ and http://www.moleque.com.br/jogos/CROWD/.
From Brazil, very interesting, especially the tool for developing games, Unity. As perhaps readers know, I find the game logistics of community compelling, for several reasons. One is that I deplore the renunciation that accompanies so much of community engagement--that we must renounce pleasures of consumption to be better and more responsible producers. And I further deplore the notion that community work is somehow hostile to market activity. Or that it is, by dint of being community, insulated from the world at large and opposed to supracommunal endeavours. Gaming logistics--not "gamification" but an understanding, rather of the reward logic implicit in multiplayer games--recognizes these pleasures and scope of online (and even offline) community identity. And this tool, Unity, seems quite interesting, in this regard.
I was doing the usual and came across this tool and also http://www.molequedeideias.net/ and http://www.moleque.com.br/jogos/CROWD/.
From Brazil, very interesting, especially the tool for developing games, Unity. As perhaps readers know, I find the game logistics of community compelling, for several reasons. One is that I deplore the renunciation that accompanies so much of community engagement--that we must renounce pleasures of consumption to be better and more responsible producers. And I further deplore the notion that community work is somehow hostile to market activity. Or that it is, by dint of being community, insulated from the world at large and opposed to supracommunal endeavours. Gaming logistics--not "gamification" but an understanding, rather of the reward logic implicit in multiplayer games--recognizes these pleasures and scope of online (and even offline) community identity. And this tool, Unity, seems quite interesting, in this regard.
2012-11-02
Getting it Right: Gov.uk | TechPresident
Getting it Right: Gov.uk | TechPresident
Dave Eaves's short article points to what works well --- provided that the government site actually wants to work well, and on behalf of its users (citizens, residents, any inquirer). There are some clear user experience elements to consider, and there are also the backend components: those which anticipate that any service oriented architecture (SOA) like this will very likely grow and evolve in accord to what its users need and want. But again, it depends on whether the government in question takes seriously its role as a government for questions and also answers.
Dave Eaves's short article points to what works well --- provided that the government site actually wants to work well, and on behalf of its users (citizens, residents, any inquirer). There are some clear user experience elements to consider, and there are also the backend components: those which anticipate that any service oriented architecture (SOA) like this will very likely grow and evolve in accord to what its users need and want. But again, it depends on whether the government in question takes seriously its role as a government for questions and also answers.
Abacus adds up to number joy in Japan | Alex Bellos | Science | guardian.co.uk
Abacus adds up to number joy in Japan | Alex Bellos | Science | guardian.co.uk
My interest here is in the model: community enabled, promoted by a logic/logistics of gaming, where there are rewards, teams, cheers, and the prevailing sense of fun and games, even as something (or somethings) probably useful and practical are taught. Isn't that the point of games, at least those we play as a child? (You know, you learn teamwork, gamesmanship, and how to push or pull yourself. And perhaps what it means to consider that somethings are games and some things are not.)
My interest here is in the model: community enabled, promoted by a logic/logistics of gaming, where there are rewards, teams, cheers, and the prevailing sense of fun and games, even as something (or somethings) probably useful and practical are taught. Isn't that the point of games, at least those we play as a child? (You know, you learn teamwork, gamesmanship, and how to push or pull yourself. And perhaps what it means to consider that somethings are games and some things are not.)
2012-11-01
Read: Cabinet Office UK on Open Standards
It's a position to be praised but also to make us wonder: What's so difficult about moving toward open standards? To accountable government? To establishing a level market place, unchasmed, unrifted by monopoly or cronyism? And I suppose I answered my own question.
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