The Conversation: independent analysis, commentary and news
"The Conversation is an independent source of analysis, commentary and news from the university and research sector - written by acknowledged experts and delivered directly to the public. Our team of professional editors work with more than 3,900 registered academics and researchers to make this wealth of knowledge and expertise accessible to all.
We aim to be a site you can trust. All published work will carry attribution of the authors' expertise and, where appropriate, will disclose any potential conflicts of interest, and sources of funding. Where errors or misrepresentations occur, we will correct these promptly.
Sincere thanks go to our Founding Partners who gave initial funding support: CSIRO, Monash University, University of Melbourne, University of Technology Sydney and University of Western Australia.
Our initial content partners include those institutions, Strategic Partner RMIT University and a growing list of member institutions. More than 180 institutions contribute content, including Australia's research-intensive, Group of Eight universities.
We are based in Melbourne, Australia, and wholly owned by The Conversation Media Trust, a not-for-profit company."
(The Conversation Media Trust)
Fig.1 Nobel Laureate and former Australian of the Year Peter Doherty, supports The Conversation.
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
The9Billion: Sustainability, Clean Technology News and Views
"Here at THE9BILLION you'll find the latest news, information and opinion related to living a happier and more sustainable life, one day at a time. Main categories cover Earth, Technology, Living, Business, Politics, Culture, Entertainment, and the Social aspects of life.
It's estimated that the world's population will reach around 9 billion people by 2050, and then begin to fall. We are currently approaching 7 billion. Many of us living today will still be around in 2050. The question is: given our many social and environmental issues, how are 9 billion people going to learn to live sustainably by 2050?"
(John Johnston)
Fig.1 "Greenaid Seedbomb Vending Machine", SpontaneousInterventions [http://www.spontaneousinterventions.org/project/greenaid-seedbomb-vending-machine].
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
UK Budget 2012: Tax breaks for TV production
"A tax credit scheme for TV production and animation firms is to be introduced, in a bid to keep creative talent in Britain. Chancellor George Osborne announced the plans in Parliament as part of the new Budget for 2012. Mr Osborne said it was the government's 'determined policy' to keep Wallace and Gromit animators Aardman in Britain. Last month, Aardman bosses admitted they had been considering moving production abroad where it was cheaper. In reaction to the news, Aardman said the tax credit would be 'transformational for our industry'. 'We have seen a dramatic decline on UK television of home produced animation and we now have a shot a reversing that trend,' said Miles Bullough, head of broadcast and development. 'The credit will create thousands of UK jobs and our research shows that there will be a long term financial gain the for the UK.'"
(BBC Entertainment & Arts, 21 March 2012)
Fig.1 Mikey Please (2011), "The Eagleman Stag", Trailer for the BAFTA award winning short. Featuring the esteemed vocal talents of David Cann, with sound and score Benedict Please.
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
Individual output would be no more than that-an individual output
"The social demassification of newspapers-targeting an audience of one-is made possible by physical demassification, and it is no less problematic. The immutability and mobility of print on paper across a society (ensuring that the 'same' news is available to everyone at roughly the same time) turns items into 'social facts'-common to a broad readership, not merely selected by individuals. If news items were gathered individually out of a vast data base, even if the resulting copy looked like a conventional newspaper, imitating its fold and front page headlines, it would lack the social significance that arises from editorial juxtaposition. A senator is disturbed to find his or her scandalous behavior splashed across the front page not because the story is news to him or her, but because it has become front-page news to 100,000 other people. The newspaper is essentially, as Anderson (1991) described it, a 'one-day best seller' (p. 35)-and, as with a best seller, the point is that 'everyone' is reading it. The personally tailored, genuinely unique 'newspaper' selected privately from a data base-the ultimate outcome of the social and physical demassification of the newspaper as we now know it-offers neither physical, nor social continuity. Each individual output would be no more than that-an individual output. The juxtaposition of the senator and the pork bellies would then be not a composite, if oblique, social fact, but merely a result of personal serendipity."
(John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid, p.24-25)
1). 'Lionel Luthor Reading Newspaper'
2). Brown, J. S. and P. Duguid (1994). "Borderline Issues: Social and Material Aspects of Design." Human-Computer Interaction 9: pp. 3-36.
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
Demise of first generation meme tracker 'Popdex'
"Popdex was initially created and developed as a website popularity index. As such, many people, bloggers especially, linked in to Popdex in order to increase their popularity. A site would receive its popularity ranking based on the number of visitors and pings it sent to Popdex through the link on its site. In fact, you may have arrived at this article as a result of one of those links! If so, we welcome you!
Popdex also used to be a place to get the latest news or post an online gamer's profile. Within the profile, many gamers would leave tips, strategies and cheats for their favorite online games.
Times have changed since those days and now Popdex has entered a new phase of web development. The site is hanging in the balance between what it once was, a website popularity index; what it now is, a collection of informational articles on a variety of subjects and what it will become, yet unknown.
Take some time to browse around the site. You may find some wisdom here. Give yourself a moment to think and to imagine what you would like to see the Popdex website become. How would you develop this website if you were given the title of Podex web developer? Then, send us a message and tell us about it. If we like your idea, you could be featured on the front page of the new Popdex as a premier web idea developer!"
(Popdex admin)
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
