Illusion Sciences: why are we surprised by only some of the things that we see?
Arthur Shapiro blogging on research-generated phenomena. A new illusion every week.
30 abril 2008
Ondrej Brody & Kristofer Paetau
What is this project about?
Ondrej: The dog carpets are essentially about society’s hypocrisy. It questions the special status that dogs and cats have in our, western society. Although we can see that in China, despite the local culture and cuisine, the pet culture is on its rise as well. The Bolivian experience was about hypocrisy as well, but it involved on a larger and direct scale mechanisms and structures within the society.
Kristofer: It’s about the tradition of producing carpets with wild animals as a hunting fetish. But in this case we were using an inappropriate animal, a pet - and like this we wanted to question the values behind this tradition. Ondrej was speaking to me about this idea already before the Bolivia show, but when I got the opportunity to participate in that show I thought it would be interesting to realize the dog carpets there with Ondrej, mainly for three reasons: more adventure, lower production costs and the problem of street dogs in South America (in contrast to the beloved inhouse pet in North America and in most European countries).
Ondrej: The dog carpets are essentially about society’s hypocrisy. It questions the special status that dogs and cats have in our, western society. Although we can see that in China, despite the local culture and cuisine, the pet culture is on its rise as well. The Bolivian experience was about hypocrisy as well, but it involved on a larger and direct scale mechanisms and structures within the society.
Kristofer: It’s about the tradition of producing carpets with wild animals as a hunting fetish. But in this case we were using an inappropriate animal, a pet - and like this we wanted to question the values behind this tradition. Ondrej was speaking to me about this idea already before the Bolivia show, but when I got the opportunity to participate in that show I thought it would be interesting to realize the dog carpets there with Ondrej, mainly for three reasons: more adventure, lower production costs and the problem of street dogs in South America (in contrast to the beloved inhouse pet in North America and in most European countries).
Thomas Sydnor vs. Lawrence Lessig
Is Lessig's Free Culture just a modern Das Kopyright? Now, the Progress and Freedom Foundation is stirring dull roots with spring rain, unleashing a fresh attack on Lessig's four-year-old book Free Culture in a paper released Monday by senior fellow Thomas Sydnor. The argument itself is frankly bizarre: Sydnor brands Lessig's views on copyright as a species of "quasi-socialist utopianism," and he peppers his critique with breathless invocations of Soviet dictatorship and Orwellian panopticons. But the piece also provides potent testament to a fissure within the contemporary right, as Lessig's ideas find a friendly audience among some libertarian public intellectuals, leaving the content industry with a shrinking stable of credible defenders.
29 abril 2008
28 abril 2008
Razão antes de tempo
Parachute that Da Vinci drew is made to work... after 523 years: Olivier Vietti-Teppa, 36, jumped at the weekend using a parachute based on sketches made by the Italian Renaissance artist in 1485.
24 abril 2008
Realmente, é uma questão de perspectiva
"Terrorists use surveillance to help plan attacks. Have you seen anyone taking pictures or filming CCTV cameras or making notes about other security arrangements? Has it made you suspicious? If you have seen this or know someone who takes an unusual interest in security measures, we need to know."
Realmente, para a polícia inglesa, numa sociedade onde se plantam videocâmaras desde o metropolitano aos edifícios culturais, todos os que ali fotografam ou filmam devem ser denunciados. Claro, é uma questão de perspectiva...
[imagem]
Realmente, para a polícia inglesa, numa sociedade onde se plantam videocâmaras desde o metropolitano aos edifícios culturais, todos os que ali fotografam ou filmam devem ser denunciados. Claro, é uma questão de perspectiva...
[imagem]
Uma análise interessante a dois anúncios publicitários online
The Future Of Online Advertising: Entertainment vs. Information
Propostas de cientistas
Life-changing books: Recommendations from 17 leading scientists:
1. Farthest North - Steve Jones, geneticist
2. The Art of the Soluble - V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist
3. Animal Liberation - Jane Goodall, primatologist
4. The Foundation trilogy - Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist
5. Alice in Wonderland - Alison Gopnik, developmental psychologist
6. One, Two, Three... Infinity - Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist
7. The Idea of a Social Science - Harry Collins, sociologist of science
8. Handbook of Mathematical Functions - Peter Atkins, chemist
9. The Mind of a Mnemonist - Oliver Sacks, neurologist
10. A Mathematician’s Apology - Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician
11. The Leopard - Susan Greenfield, neurophysiologist
12. Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior - Frans de Waal, psychologist and ethologist
13. Catch-22 / The First Three Minutes - Lawrence Krauss, physicist
14. William James, Writings 1878-1910 - Daniel Everett, linguist
15. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Chris Frith, neuroscientist
16. The Naked Ape - Elaine Morgan, author of The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis
17. King Solomon's Ring - Marian Stamp Dawkins, Zoologist
1. Farthest North - Steve Jones, geneticist
2. The Art of the Soluble - V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist
3. Animal Liberation - Jane Goodall, primatologist
4. The Foundation trilogy - Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist
5. Alice in Wonderland - Alison Gopnik, developmental psychologist
6. One, Two, Three... Infinity - Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist
7. The Idea of a Social Science - Harry Collins, sociologist of science
8. Handbook of Mathematical Functions - Peter Atkins, chemist
9. The Mind of a Mnemonist - Oliver Sacks, neurologist
10. A Mathematician’s Apology - Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician
11. The Leopard - Susan Greenfield, neurophysiologist
12. Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior - Frans de Waal, psychologist and ethologist
13. Catch-22 / The First Three Minutes - Lawrence Krauss, physicist
14. William James, Writings 1878-1910 - Daniel Everett, linguist
15. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Chris Frith, neuroscientist
16. The Naked Ape - Elaine Morgan, author of The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis
17. King Solomon's Ring - Marian Stamp Dawkins, Zoologist
Selecção para 2008
The 100 top Web apps for 2008: These are the 100 best Web 2.0 applications, chosen by Webware readers and Internet users across the globe. Over 1.9 million votes were cast to select these Webware 100 winners
23 abril 2008
Como se compra em Portugal
Buying overseas: Laughing all the way to the banks
*Vendors in Portugal often ask for part of the purchase price to be paid in cash to avoid declaring tax on it. The practice is illegal and best avoided.
*Vendors in Portugal often ask for part of the purchase price to be paid in cash to avoid declaring tax on it. The practice is illegal and best avoided.
22 abril 2008
Dia da Terra
Crew Earth Observations 'Top Ten' Photos: From the International Space Station Astronaut Photography Collection
How the rich starved the world: World cereal stocks are at an all-time low, food-aid programmes have run out of money and millions face starvation. Yet wealthy countries persist with plans to use grain for petrol.
Tanto caminho para... nada?
You Walk Wrong: It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human foot. But we’re wrecking it with every step we take. [...]
Look, it’s not your fault. It’s your shoes. Shoes are bad. I don’t just mean stiletto heels, or cowboy boots, or tottering espadrilles, or any of the other fairly obvious foot-torture devices into which we wincingly jam our feet. I mean all shoes. Shoes hurt your feet. They change how you walk. In fact, your feet—your poor, tender, abused, ignored, maligned, misunderstood feet—are getting trounced in a war that’s been raging for roughly a thousand years: the battle of shoes versus feet.
Mantra: curate more and create less
“Curate more and create less,” is the new mantra for the 21st century journalist, Richard Stengel TIME’s managing editor told [...]
[J]ournalists must focus more on the WHY rather than the WHAT and WHEN. Journalists must be moderators of information utilizing all the new technological tools and must not be afraid of voicing their opinion when they are the experts and authority on the subject matter at hand. He went on to say, if someone else is a better authority on a specific subject matter, you should not be afraid of sending them to that someone else.
[J]ournalists must focus more on the WHY rather than the WHAT and WHEN. Journalists must be moderators of information utilizing all the new technological tools and must not be afraid of voicing their opinion when they are the experts and authority on the subject matter at hand. He went on to say, if someone else is a better authority on a specific subject matter, you should not be afraid of sending them to that someone else.
Uma boa colecção II
Inspirational PDF Magazines: View great illustration, photography, graphic design, painting, typography, and various other visual and communication arts.
Pdf-Mags Magazine [obrigado, António]
Uma boa colecção
Celebration Of Vintage and Retro Design — ads, illustrations, book covers, pins and posters from 1920-1980s.
Notícias e população
Where News Breaks: Researchers extracted the dateline from about 72,000 wire-service news stories from 1994 to 1998 and modified a standard map of the Lower 48 US states (above) to show the size of the states in proportion to the frequency of their appearance in those datelines (below). Some notable results:
* Washington DC accounts for a huge proportion of the news stories - not surprising, since it is the nation’s capital, and the home of Congress, the Presidency and other political news generating institutions. But still: DC (pop. 600,000; metro area 5.8 million) generates more news than the most populous state, California (pop. 36.5 million).
* New York is the largest news provider of the country, of course nearly all originating in New York City (pop. 8.2 million; metro area 18.8 million).
21 abril 2008
Duas visões, o mesmo resultado
Bush administration manipulated TV military analysts: report
The administration of President George W. Bush has manipulated military analysts working for leading US television networks to generate favorable coverage of the war in Iraq and other issues, The New York Times reported on its website Saturday.
Newspaper that angered Putin closes: Moskovsky Korrespondent, the newspaper that first reported rumours of a marriage between Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva, a 24-year-old gymnast, has closed, shortly after the President told journalists it was unacceptable to pry into his private life with "snotty noses and erotic fantasies".
The administration of President George W. Bush has manipulated military analysts working for leading US television networks to generate favorable coverage of the war in Iraq and other issues, The New York Times reported on its website Saturday.
Newspaper that angered Putin closes: Moskovsky Korrespondent, the newspaper that first reported rumours of a marriage between Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva, a 24-year-old gymnast, has closed, shortly after the President told journalists it was unacceptable to pry into his private life with "snotty noses and erotic fantasies".
O problema destas listas está nos detalhes (e nos comentários)
Who Are The Top Tech Bloggers? based on the total number of headlines they have had on TechMeme from January 1, 2008 until today. The data isn’t 100% perfect as we’ve been grabbing it only once per hour, so a headline that was up for less than one hour may not be counted.
18 abril 2008
Acção ambiental
Nuage Vert: Thermal camera tracking and high power laser beam animation onto the vapour emission of a coal burning CHP power plant. As local residents consume less electricity the larger the green cloud grows.
Visão de Hong Kong sobre a tocha olímpica
1,020 persons age 18 were interviewed by telephone on April 14-16, 2008 at 57.0% response rate
Q1. The Olympic torch relay is taking place overseas with some interference taking place. Do you approve such actions?
48.9%: Extremely disapprove
44.5%: Disapprove
3.2%: Approve
0.9%: Extremely approve
2.5%: Don't know/hard to say
Hong Kong By The Numbers com estudo realizado pelo Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong. A ler...
Apocalíptico desintegrado?
How Social Networking Could Kill Web Search as We Know It: The point is that even though Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Amazon and others all have elements of this new relationship with users, nobody owns this space the way Google “owns” search. And as it evolves, there will be an unholy mess of privacy and security issues to work out. So in the future, the way we are guided around the Web may look very different from search as we know it. In the meantime, search is not, in fact, dead … yet.
É sempre bom saber a quem se entrega o dinheiro
Bancos abusam da ignorância dos clientes:
- Um dos maiores problemas encontrados pelo Banco de Portugal, foi a falta de informação, prestada pelos bancos, nas condições dos créditos à habitação.
- Algumas das instituições financeiras cobram encargos aos clientes indevidamente.
- Há bancos que aproveitam para vender compulsivamente aos clientes produtos associados ao crédito à habitação.
- O Banco de Portugal detectou preçários de bancos incompletos ou desactualizados, assim como simulações de crédito pouco credíveis.
- A ocultação de informação sobre despesas e publicidade enganosa foram outros dos problemas diagnosticados pelo Banco de Portugal.
BANCA DEVE 56% DO PIB AO EXTERIOR: A febre dos portugueses pelos empréstimos bancários está a levar os banqueiros a endividarem-se no exterior, a aumentar as responsabilidades financeira do País e a fazer disparar o défice externo. Os cifrões são inimagináveis...
Os dinheiros em dívida e os compromissos do País no estrangeiro já ultrapassam os 148,7 mil milhões de euros, o equivalente a criação de riqueza em 11 meses de árduo trabalho dos portugueses (91,3% do PIB). Deste montante, as dívidas (compromissos) da banca portuguesa no estrangeiro já atingem os 91,6 mil milhões de euros, 56% da riqueza do País. Este é o resultado de contratações de empréstimos para compra de casas próprias e de bens de consumo, como carros e electrodomésticos, resultante da queda das taxas de juro na última década.
- Um dos maiores problemas encontrados pelo Banco de Portugal, foi a falta de informação, prestada pelos bancos, nas condições dos créditos à habitação.
- Algumas das instituições financeiras cobram encargos aos clientes indevidamente.
- Há bancos que aproveitam para vender compulsivamente aos clientes produtos associados ao crédito à habitação.
- O Banco de Portugal detectou preçários de bancos incompletos ou desactualizados, assim como simulações de crédito pouco credíveis.
- A ocultação de informação sobre despesas e publicidade enganosa foram outros dos problemas diagnosticados pelo Banco de Portugal.
BANCA DEVE 56% DO PIB AO EXTERIOR: A febre dos portugueses pelos empréstimos bancários está a levar os banqueiros a endividarem-se no exterior, a aumentar as responsabilidades financeira do País e a fazer disparar o défice externo. Os cifrões são inimagináveis...
Os dinheiros em dívida e os compromissos do País no estrangeiro já ultrapassam os 148,7 mil milhões de euros, o equivalente a criação de riqueza em 11 meses de árduo trabalho dos portugueses (91,3% do PIB). Deste montante, as dívidas (compromissos) da banca portuguesa no estrangeiro já atingem os 91,6 mil milhões de euros, 56% da riqueza do País. Este é o resultado de contratações de empréstimos para compra de casas próprias e de bens de consumo, como carros e electrodomésticos, resultante da queda das taxas de juro na última década.
Uma questão e uma acção
What's A Blogger? Bloggers are younger and higher percentages are Hispanic & African American than the general population. A higher percentage of Democrats than of Republicans are blogging.
Now that Blogging might better be called a market segment rather than a market niche, it's useful with regard to positioning the marketing message to understand what a Blogger looks like, as distinguished from the rest of the population. According to the BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Survey, 26% of all adults say they regularly or occasionally blog. [...]
Analysis of Bloggers shows that they are using most forms of new media significantly more than the average market. [...]
Although Bloggers are more likely to use new media, the analysis finds that more conventional forms of media trigger their Internet searches. Magazines, at 51.6%, rank highest, followed by:
* 48.8% reading an article
* 46.1% broadcast TV
* 44.5% cable TV
* 42.5% face-to-face communication
* 39.7% newspaper
Torke 2.0 criada para activar marcas nas redes sociais: A Torke Stunt está a criar uma nova unidade de negócio que vai apostar na activação de marca nas redes sociais e na blogosfera, a Torke 2.0. [...]
A Torke 2.0, diz o criativo, ficará assim focada na produção de peças de marketing viral, na concepção de blogues interactivos, onde vão ser convidados bloguers para comentarem o lançamento de um determinado produto, na activação de acções específicas nas mais variadas redes sociais, o que também passa por convidar os consumidores para criarem conteúdos para as marcas, assim como na análise de tendências através da recolha de informação existente na blogosfera. [...]
A nova unidade já tem em vista “cinco grandes clientes”, estando prevista uma facturação de 250 mil euros no primeiro ano de actividade.
[Uma dúvida: 50 mil euros por cliente?]
Now that Blogging might better be called a market segment rather than a market niche, it's useful with regard to positioning the marketing message to understand what a Blogger looks like, as distinguished from the rest of the population. According to the BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Survey, 26% of all adults say they regularly or occasionally blog. [...]
Analysis of Bloggers shows that they are using most forms of new media significantly more than the average market. [...]
Although Bloggers are more likely to use new media, the analysis finds that more conventional forms of media trigger their Internet searches. Magazines, at 51.6%, rank highest, followed by:
* 48.8% reading an article
* 46.1% broadcast TV
* 44.5% cable TV
* 42.5% face-to-face communication
* 39.7% newspaper
Torke 2.0 criada para activar marcas nas redes sociais: A Torke Stunt está a criar uma nova unidade de negócio que vai apostar na activação de marca nas redes sociais e na blogosfera, a Torke 2.0. [...]
A Torke 2.0, diz o criativo, ficará assim focada na produção de peças de marketing viral, na concepção de blogues interactivos, onde vão ser convidados bloguers para comentarem o lançamento de um determinado produto, na activação de acções específicas nas mais variadas redes sociais, o que também passa por convidar os consumidores para criarem conteúdos para as marcas, assim como na análise de tendências através da recolha de informação existente na blogosfera. [...]
A nova unidade já tem em vista “cinco grandes clientes”, estando prevista uma facturação de 250 mil euros no primeiro ano de actividade.
[Uma dúvida: 50 mil euros por cliente?]
17 abril 2008
Mortes e caos
Morreu Edward Lorenz, pai da Teoria do Caos: wrote the first clear paper about what has come to be known as Chaos. The paper was called Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow and it was published in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences in 1963.
Morreu Pedro Bandeira Freire: Há cerca de um mês, Pedro Bandeira Freire entregou as chaves do Cinema Quarteto, que fundara em 1975, depois de, em Novembro passado, aquele complexo de quatro salas ter sido encerrado pela Inspecção-Geral das Actividades Culturais, que detectou falhas ao nível da segurança.
[autor de "Ternura dos quarenta":
Quando penso o que passei
Fronteiras de solidão
Tinha prá dar e não dei
Olhei para mim e pensei
Não tenho nada na mão
Tive o tempo e não senti
Tive amores e não amei
Os amigos que perdi
E as loucuras que vivi
São tantas que já não sei
[refrão]
Quem eu era, quem sou eu e quem pareço
Se alguém hoje me espera, com certeza que mereço
Mereço ainda, amor a tua presença
Para enfrentar a vida, com a ternura dos quarenta
Foram tantas as idades
Da vida que atrás deixei
Não quero sentir saudades
Vou em outras amizades
Amar o que não amei
Os copos que não bebi
Os discos que não toquei
Os poemas que não li
Os filmes que nunca vi
As canções que não cantei
[refrão]
Meus amigos, importante é o sorriso
Para seguir viagem
Com a coragem, que é preciso
Não adianta, deitar contas a vida
A ternura dos quarenta
Não tem conta, nem medida]
Morreu Pedro Bandeira Freire: Há cerca de um mês, Pedro Bandeira Freire entregou as chaves do Cinema Quarteto, que fundara em 1975, depois de, em Novembro passado, aquele complexo de quatro salas ter sido encerrado pela Inspecção-Geral das Actividades Culturais, que detectou falhas ao nível da segurança.
[autor de "Ternura dos quarenta":
Quando penso o que passei
Fronteiras de solidão
Tinha prá dar e não dei
Olhei para mim e pensei
Não tenho nada na mão
Tive o tempo e não senti
Tive amores e não amei
Os amigos que perdi
E as loucuras que vivi
São tantas que já não sei
[refrão]
Quem eu era, quem sou eu e quem pareço
Se alguém hoje me espera, com certeza que mereço
Mereço ainda, amor a tua presença
Para enfrentar a vida, com a ternura dos quarenta
Foram tantas as idades
Da vida que atrás deixei
Não quero sentir saudades
Vou em outras amizades
Amar o que não amei
Os copos que não bebi
Os discos que não toquei
Os poemas que não li
Os filmes que nunca vi
As canções que não cantei
[refrão]
Meus amigos, importante é o sorriso
Para seguir viagem
Com a coragem, que é preciso
Não adianta, deitar contas a vida
A ternura dos quarenta
Não tem conta, nem medida]
Reconhecimento
Min's 2008 Best of the Web Winners: Anyone in digital media understands the challenges of working in an ever-changing medium. min's Best of the Web awards represent the increased significance in and celebration of recognition by others who are fighting the same online battles.
A antiga TV Turnoff Week
Escape the Fantasy
April 21 - 27
The idea is simple: take your TV, your DVD player, your video iPod, your XBOX 360, your laptop, your PSP, and say goodbye to them all for seven days. Simple, but not at all easy. Like millions of others before you, you’ll be shocked at just how difficult - yet also how life-changing - a week spent unplugged can really be.
Be part of one of the biggest global experiments ever to take place on the Internet. The idea behind Shutdown Day is to find out how many people can go without a computer for one whole day, and what will happen if we all participate!
Shutdown your computer on 03 May 2008 and find out!
16 abril 2008
Não há relação?
What’s News? Who Knows! Welcome to Print 2.0: By nature, breaking news stories need a break: an on-the-record quote; a clean anecdote. Those are the types of stories that get prominent placement on front pages of newspapers. And if you’re missing that? Any reporter will tell you it requires a trip back to your sources to get something more.
But is that changing? Several reporters and editors say they’re noticing an increasingly changed dynamic where more stories with little fresh news are getting packaged with strong placement. We’ll call it fake news: stories that are driven by speculation, or a rehashing of collected detritus that was already circulating among blogs and the gossip mill on a reporter’s beat.
USA sees drop in number of newspaper journalists: The number of newspaper journalists in the US fell last year by almost 5 per cent to a low of 52,600, the lowest it has been for almost 25 years and the biggest drop in 30 years.
The new figures, released by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, reflects the attrition going on in the America media.
The figures also reflect the continuing - and sometimes controversial - debate over the number of "minority" journalists employed by US papers.
But is that changing? Several reporters and editors say they’re noticing an increasingly changed dynamic where more stories with little fresh news are getting packaged with strong placement. We’ll call it fake news: stories that are driven by speculation, or a rehashing of collected detritus that was already circulating among blogs and the gossip mill on a reporter’s beat.
USA sees drop in number of newspaper journalists: The number of newspaper journalists in the US fell last year by almost 5 per cent to a low of 52,600, the lowest it has been for almost 25 years and the biggest drop in 30 years.
The new figures, released by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, reflects the attrition going on in the America media.
The figures also reflect the continuing - and sometimes controversial - debate over the number of "minority" journalists employed by US papers.
Edição especial
21st Century Muckrakers: Who Are They? How Do They Do Their Work?
Capítulo sobre The Digital Transformation
Digital Journalism: Will It Work for Investigative Journalism?
By Barry Sussman
Revealing the Disinformation Industry
By Barry Sussman
Reporting With the Tools of Social Science
By Stephen K. Doig
Building a Toolbox for Precision Journalism
By Stephen K. Doig
Reporting Is Only Part of the Investigative Story
By Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele
When Video Is King
By Stuart Watson
Are Reporters Doomed?
By David Leigh
What Is Muckraking Journalism? Muckraking is a term applied to journalists who use newspapers as a means of attacking injustice, exposing abuses, and circulating information about misconduct to the general public. The term was popularized in the late 1800s when some American journalists began to stray from reporting news events and started investigating and writing about prominent people and organizations. Concerned with exposing corruption in both business and politics, they helped raise awareness of social, economic, and political ills. Their work led to a number of reforms and legislative changes.
15 abril 2008
14 abril 2008
À atenção dos críticos (que estão em vias de extinção?)
LA Weekly Drops Music Critic: Alan Rich, among the most highly regarded music critics in the U.S., has been let go from LA Weekly. The newspaper, which will discontinue regular classical music coverage, is among the 16 outlets owned by Village Voice Media, which earlier this month “laid off” the staff film and dance critics from its flagship, The Village Voice.
The end of the critic? There was a time when they were our arbiters of culture. Those days are gone. [...]
As a flood of stories in recent weeks has shown, those days are going, going, gone. Critics today are viewed as cultural dinosaurs on the verge of extinction. Most of the attention lately has focused on the demise of film critics. The Salt Lake Tribune's Sean P. Means actually posted a list Wednesday of film critics, now totaling 28, who have lost or decided to leave their jobs in the last two years, including such notables as Newsweek's David Ansen, the New York Daily News' Jack Mathews and the Chicago Tribune's Michael Wilmington.
Critics are being downsized all over the place, whether it's in classical music, dance, theater or other areas in the arts. While economics are clearly at work here -- seeing their business model crumble, many newspapers simply have decided they can't afford a full range of critics anymore -- it seems clear that we're in an age with a very different approach to the role of criticism.
Obviously the Internet has played a big role in this shift.
The end of the critic? There was a time when they were our arbiters of culture. Those days are gone. [...]
As a flood of stories in recent weeks has shown, those days are going, going, gone. Critics today are viewed as cultural dinosaurs on the verge of extinction. Most of the attention lately has focused on the demise of film critics. The Salt Lake Tribune's Sean P. Means actually posted a list Wednesday of film critics, now totaling 28, who have lost or decided to leave their jobs in the last two years, including such notables as Newsweek's David Ansen, the New York Daily News' Jack Mathews and the Chicago Tribune's Michael Wilmington.
Critics are being downsized all over the place, whether it's in classical music, dance, theater or other areas in the arts. While economics are clearly at work here -- seeing their business model crumble, many newspapers simply have decided they can't afford a full range of critics anymore -- it seems clear that we're in an age with a very different approach to the role of criticism.
Obviously the Internet has played a big role in this shift.
Termos da Web 3.0
The Top 10 Made Up Words of Web 3.0
1. Socialstainable
2. Viruseful.
3. Scrollax
4. Emotrics
5. Blickroll
6. Intercommunes
7. S'more Locater
8. Twiggles
9. Grokment
10. Facehook
Do mesmo autor:
Here's The Future of Advertising. Now Go Do it.
1. Socialstainable
2. Viruseful.
3. Scrollax
4. Emotrics
5. Blickroll
6. Intercommunes
7. S'more Locater
8. Twiggles
9. Grokment
10. Facehook
Do mesmo autor:
Here's The Future of Advertising. Now Go Do it.
11 abril 2008
Alguém está a ouvir? Sim, em DAB...
Campaign to save birdsong on the radio: Half a million listeners so far have tuned in to the Birdsong station, with an increasing number choosing to wake up to the soothing sound every morning.
The station has proved so popular the company behind it has bowed to public pressure for better sound quality and upgraded the recording.
The station has proved so popular the company behind it has bowed to public pressure for better sound quality and upgraded the recording.
Nada como um bom exemplo para se perceber a ineficácia
Videovigilância outra vez: A instalação de câmara de videovigilância causa uma falsa segurança, e acredite que causa também muitos conflitos entre vizinhos, entre empregados e empregadores. Ao contrário da ideia que se tenta passar, não é nada pacifica a sua instalação. Nos condomínios a “guerra” está ao rubro ente quem defende a sua privacidade e aqueles que acreditam que com uma câmara estão a salvo de qualquer atitude que lese a sua dignidade enquanto pessoa humana, ou o seu património.
Nem mais. Um exemplo de muitos?
200 surveillance cameras at Van Dyke houses fail to stop rape suspect: A 19-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint inside the Van Dyke houses in Brooklyn early Thursday - a housing complex with more than 200 cameras supposedly monitored around the clock by the NYPD. [...]
Roughly 224 cameras feed live video to 30 small TV monitors. Each camera's image flashes for only seven seconds.
Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said the actual sex assault was not filmed. He said there was no indiction that any suspicious action was transmitted in the seven-second bursts.
Mas alguém está a ouvir (não é a ver, claro, isso já se percebeu que não...)
Nem mais. Um exemplo de muitos?
200 surveillance cameras at Van Dyke houses fail to stop rape suspect: A 19-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint inside the Van Dyke houses in Brooklyn early Thursday - a housing complex with more than 200 cameras supposedly monitored around the clock by the NYPD. [...]
Roughly 224 cameras feed live video to 30 small TV monitors. Each camera's image flashes for only seven seconds.
Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said the actual sex assault was not filmed. He said there was no indiction that any suspicious action was transmitted in the seven-second bursts.
Mas alguém está a ouvir (não é a ver, claro, isso já se percebeu que não...)
09 abril 2008
Cuidado com os números
Sobre a subida de posições de Portugal no "Global Information Technology Report 2007-2008", divulgado pelo World Economic Forum e revelado por cá à agência Lusa pelo Gabinete do Plano Tecnológico (e já que vários meios de comunicação social mais parecem o Portal do Governo :), é bom ter em atenção:
- alguns dados são de 2006-2007 (é o caso de ser o segundo governo que "mais importância dá às TIC na formulação da sua visão de futuro");
- convém brincar com esta ferramenta para se ter uma visão estatística mais focada sobre este assunto, com dados da mesma fonte (o WEP).
Este é o retrato global (é confuso mas é para se ter uma ideia das categorias e de como se podem cruzar para obtenção de dados):
Dois exemplos segmentados:
Com seis anos em análise, a visão é outra...
- alguns dados são de 2006-2007 (é o caso de ser o segundo governo que "mais importância dá às TIC na formulação da sua visão de futuro");
- convém brincar com esta ferramenta para se ter uma visão estatística mais focada sobre este assunto, com dados da mesma fonte (o WEP).
Este é o retrato global (é confuso mas é para se ter uma ideia das categorias e de como se podem cruzar para obtenção de dados):
Dois exemplos segmentados:
Com seis anos em análise, a visão é outra...
Previsões
10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 Years
Newspapers: Some people thought they were through when radio and TV news came about. Even after the fax machine revolutionized offices, some people predicted that everyone would have their news faxed in, since that would be quicker than relying on a newspaper. But the numbers have been falling precipitously since the 1990s when the internet came on the scene. In the past year, the Audit Bureau of Circulations twice has posted drops averaging 2.1 and 2.8 percent over six-month periods. Newsrooms across the country have been hemorrhaging staff.
Odds of survival in 10 years: They won't disappear; they'll be on the internet. We don't recommend startups investing a lot of money into a printing press plant.
Newspapers: Some people thought they were through when radio and TV news came about. Even after the fax machine revolutionized offices, some people predicted that everyone would have their news faxed in, since that would be quicker than relying on a newspaper. But the numbers have been falling precipitously since the 1990s when the internet came on the scene. In the past year, the Audit Bureau of Circulations twice has posted drops averaging 2.1 and 2.8 percent over six-month periods. Newsrooms across the country have been hemorrhaging staff.
Odds of survival in 10 years: They won't disappear; they'll be on the internet. We don't recommend startups investing a lot of money into a printing press plant.
O jornalismo no seu melhor
The U.S. establishment media in a nutshell: In the past two weeks, the following events transpired. A Department of Justice memo, authored by John Yoo, was released which authorized torture and presidential lawbreaking. It was revealed that the Bush administration declared the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights to be inapplicable to "domestic military operations" within the U.S. The U.S. Attorney General appears to have fabricated a key event leading to the 9/11 attacks and made patently false statements about surveillance laws and related lawsuits. Barack Obama went bowling in Pennsylvania and had a low score.
Here are the number of times, according to NEXIS, that various topics have been mentioned in the media over the past thirty days:
"Yoo and torture" - 102
"Mukasey and 9/11" -- 73
"Yoo and Fourth Amendment" -- 16
"Obama and bowling" -- 1,043
"Obama and Wright" -- More than 3,000 (too many to be counted)
"Obama and patriotism" - 1,607
"Clinton and Lewinsky" -- 1,079
And as Eric Boehlert documents, even Iraq -- that little five-year U.S. occupation with no end in sight -- has been virtually written out of the media narrative in favor of mindless, stupid, vapid chatter of the type referenced above. "The Clintons are Rich!!!!" will undoubtedly soon be at the top of this heap within a matter of a day or two.
Here are the number of times, according to NEXIS, that various topics have been mentioned in the media over the past thirty days:
"Yoo and torture" - 102
"Mukasey and 9/11" -- 73
"Yoo and Fourth Amendment" -- 16
"Obama and bowling" -- 1,043
"Obama and Wright" -- More than 3,000 (too many to be counted)
"Obama and patriotism" - 1,607
"Clinton and Lewinsky" -- 1,079
And as Eric Boehlert documents, even Iraq -- that little five-year U.S. occupation with no end in sight -- has been virtually written out of the media narrative in favor of mindless, stupid, vapid chatter of the type referenced above. "The Clintons are Rich!!!!" will undoubtedly soon be at the top of this heap within a matter of a day or two.
Um pequeno e sujo segredo
Bitter Pill: In January, Erick Turner, a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University and a clinician at the Portland VA Medical Center, shook up the medical community, provoked the pharmaceutical establishment and, perhaps, disappointed millions of depressed Americans. He published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine that revealed antidepressants are not as effective as we’ve been led to believe. For years, he implied, pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer (maker of Zoloft) and Forest Laboratories (Celexa and Lexapro) have vastly exaggerated the performance of their drugs.
Turner calls it the “dirty little secret” of the psychiatric world. [...]
Turner himself still prescribes antidepressants but admits he is careful not to overplay their benefits to patients in order not to give them false hope after decades of hype around the drugs.
Turner calls it the “dirty little secret” of the psychiatric world. [...]
Turner himself still prescribes antidepressants but admits he is careful not to overplay their benefits to patients in order not to give them false hope after decades of hype around the drugs.
Desculpas pelo SMS
BA sends over 11,000 SMS apologies: British Airways sent out over 11,000 SMSs in the week following the opening of its new Terminal 5.
The airline used SMS to contact around 25% of its 40,000 passengers who had signed up to receive text alerts in the week commencing 27 March.
The airline used SMS to contact around 25% of its 40,000 passengers who had signed up to receive text alerts in the week commencing 27 March.
Uma boa pergunta, uma resposta assim, assim e um comentário interessante...
Why Things Cost $19.95: As [University of Florida marketing professors Chris Janiszewski and Dan Uy] explain in the February issue of Psychological Science, people appear to create mental measuring sticks that run in increments away from any opening bid, and the size of the increments depends on the opening bid. That is, if we see a $20 toaster, we might wonder whether it is worth $19 or $18 or $21; we are thinking in round numbers. But if the starting point is $19.95, the mental measuring stick would look different. We might still think it is wrongly priced, but in our minds we are thinking about nickels and dimes instead of dollars, so a fair comeback might be $19.75 or $19.50.
De um comentário ao artigo: Back in olden times, when five cents was actually worth five cents (or marks or pence or drachmas, insert the currency of your choice here...), shop-keepers would price their items to deliberately avoid round numbers - 19.95 instead of 20.00. This was to ensure that their staff had to open the till (and thus record the transaction) to give change, and not pocket the money.
De um comentário ao artigo: Back in olden times, when five cents was actually worth five cents (or marks or pence or drachmas, insert the currency of your choice here...), shop-keepers would price their items to deliberately avoid round numbers - 19.95 instead of 20.00. This was to ensure that their staff had to open the till (and thus record the transaction) to give change, and not pocket the money.
08 abril 2008
07 abril 2008
Quando os blogues são um problema ou será jornalismo tecnotablóide?
In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop: They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop. You may know it by a different name: home.
A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.
Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere, and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment. At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.
A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.
Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere, and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment. At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.
06 abril 2008
Uma pequena experiência gráfica
The Graveyard is a very short computer game designed by Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn. You play an old lady who visits a graveyard. You walk around, sit on a bench and listen to a song. It's more like an explorable painting than an actual game. An experiment with realtime poetry, with storytelling without words.
04 abril 2008
Uma casa portuguesa
A Technological Dream Home in Portugal: The owner of this villa in the exclusive 'Golden Triangle' in southern Portugal commissioned us, GTCS-Global Technologies and Control Solutions, to design and implement a system that controlled 'everything'. This included centralised multiroom audio and HD video, air-conditioning and heating, curtains and louvres, security, access control, and, especially, the full-home LED lighting with colour-changing capabilities.
Time and costs
From our official start date in January of 2006 to the completion of the installation, the project lasted over 1.5 years and involved coordination with the LED lighting system manufacturer, the air-conditioning system installer, electrical contractors and AV components suppliers.
Our total invoiced amount to the customer exceeded 140,000 Euros but the overall investment by the home-owner in this project was well over 500,000 Euros.
Mais de mil desertores?!?!
More Than 1,000 in Iraq’s Forces Quit Basra Fight: More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday. Iraqi military officials said the group included dozens of officers, including at least two senior field commanders in the battle.
The desertions in the heat of a major battle cast fresh doubt on the effectiveness of the American-trained Iraqi security forces. The White House has conditioned further withdrawals of American troops on the readiness of the Iraqi military and police. [...]
A British military official said that [Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki] had brought 6,600 reinforcements to Basra to join the 30,000 security personnel already stationed there, and a senior American military official said that he understood that 1,000 to 1,500 Iraqi forces had deserted or underperformed. That would represent a little over 4 percent of the total.
The desertions in the heat of a major battle cast fresh doubt on the effectiveness of the American-trained Iraqi security forces. The White House has conditioned further withdrawals of American troops on the readiness of the Iraqi military and police. [...]
A British military official said that [Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki] had brought 6,600 reinforcements to Basra to join the 30,000 security personnel already stationed there, and a senior American military official said that he understood that 1,000 to 1,500 Iraqi forces had deserted or underperformed. That would represent a little over 4 percent of the total.
Coerência
2008: A Direcção do Sindicato dos Jornalistas (SJ) discorda da "chamada" do Director de Informação da RTP para prestar explicações na Assembleia da República sobre os resultados da avaliação do pluralismo político-partidário, por considerar que a inquirição pode colocar em risco a autonomia do serviço público de televisão face ao poder político.
2006: Reestruturação da RTP SGPS desarticulada doutras medidas:
"17. A Proposta introduz uma audição anual dos directores no Parlamento (idem, n.º 2).
18. O SJ discorda destas audições, por representarem um risco de politização do controlo da actividade editorial. De resto, a Lei Fundamental já comete a uma entidade reguladora eleita pelo Parlamento a função de velar pela independência dos órgãos de informação detidos pelo Estado. E a proposta de Estatutos prevê igualmente a audição dos directores pelo Conselho de Opinião (alínea c), n.º 1 do Art.º 22.º)"
2006: Reestruturação da RTP SGPS desarticulada doutras medidas:
"17. A Proposta introduz uma audição anual dos directores no Parlamento (idem, n.º 2).
18. O SJ discorda destas audições, por representarem um risco de politização do controlo da actividade editorial. De resto, a Lei Fundamental já comete a uma entidade reguladora eleita pelo Parlamento a função de velar pela independência dos órgãos de informação detidos pelo Estado. E a proposta de Estatutos prevê igualmente a audição dos directores pelo Conselho de Opinião (alínea c), n.º 1 do Art.º 22.º)"
Conteúdos livres
The WikiEducator is an evolving community intended for the collaborative:
* planning of education projects linked with the development of free content;
* development of free content on Wikieducator for e-learning;
* work on building open education resources (OERs) on how to create OERs.
* networking on funding proposals developed as free content.
[Portugal ainda sem participantes]
* planning of education projects linked with the development of free content;
* development of free content on Wikieducator for e-learning;
* work on building open education resources (OERs) on how to create OERs.
* networking on funding proposals developed as free content.
[Portugal ainda sem participantes]
03 abril 2008
Coisas difíceis de entender, para mim (António Borges, Goldman Sachs e a EDP)
António Borges disse o seguinte ao Público:
"Em 2005, fui ao Congresso do PSD e apresentei uma moção onde me disponibilizei para ajudar o PSD a ter uma oposição mais activa em relação ao Governo. O congresso teve lugar no fim-de-semana e na segunda-feira, logo de manhã, fui chamado ao gabinete do ministro Manuel Pinho que me comunicou que todos os contratos com a Goldman Sachs [GS] estavam cancelados a partir daquele momento."
Sobre os montantes dos contratos, diz: "Eram contratos importantes que vinham detrás e que tinham sido celebrados, nomeadamente, para ajudar à reestruturação do sector energético. Os contratos viriam a ser retomados por outros bancos de investimento. Normalmente até teríamos em termos contratuais uma série de direitos que foram rapidamente postos de lado."
Finalmente, sobre a "retaliação do Governo", explica: "Há cerca de dois anos atrás [2006?], quando houve a mudança de presidência na EDP, uma empresa que eu conhecia bem, numa intervenção pública manifestei a minha oposição à maneira como as coisas foram conduzidas. Nessa altura houve da parte do Governo uma intervenção absolutamente extraordinária porque exigia uma apresentação de um pedido de desculpa pelas minhas palavras, com a implicitação evidente de que, caso contrário, nunca mais haveria trabalho para a GS em Portugal. Aliás, como nunca mais houve", nomeadamente "de empresas com presença estatal, mesmo minoritária, ou com golden shares."
Como refere o Correio da Manhã, "a 6 de Abril de 2005, já no Governo de José Sócrates, a Parpública propõe a denúncia do contrato. O Congresso do PSD realizou-se entre 8 e 10 de Abril, em Pombal. Para terminar o contrato com a GS foi invocado o chumbo da Comissão Europeia (CE) ao plano de reestruturação do sector energético do ministro da Economia, Carlos Tavares. Como a CE não aprovou a concentração do negócio do gás natural na EDP, considerou-se que 'não fazia sentido continuar o contrato a GS'".
Ora se tudo isto foi assim, como é que a EDP adquiriu à GS a Horizon Wind Energy a 27 de Março de 2007 (formalizada a 2 de Julho de 2007), "numa transacção que valoriza os capitais próprios da Horizon em 2,15 mil milhões de dólares (1,61 mil milhões de euros)" e duplicou a aquisição da GS ("Goldman Sachs bought Horizon Wind Energy two years ago for less than $1 billion and appears set to make a healthy profit")?
O presidente da EDP "salienta que a maior operação financeira da empresa, a compra da norte-americana Horizon, nos últimos dois anos foi precisamente com a Goldman Sachs."
António Borges enganou-se? Ou toda esta história está muito mal contada?
"Em 2005, fui ao Congresso do PSD e apresentei uma moção onde me disponibilizei para ajudar o PSD a ter uma oposição mais activa em relação ao Governo. O congresso teve lugar no fim-de-semana e na segunda-feira, logo de manhã, fui chamado ao gabinete do ministro Manuel Pinho que me comunicou que todos os contratos com a Goldman Sachs [GS] estavam cancelados a partir daquele momento."
Sobre os montantes dos contratos, diz: "Eram contratos importantes que vinham detrás e que tinham sido celebrados, nomeadamente, para ajudar à reestruturação do sector energético. Os contratos viriam a ser retomados por outros bancos de investimento. Normalmente até teríamos em termos contratuais uma série de direitos que foram rapidamente postos de lado."
Finalmente, sobre a "retaliação do Governo", explica: "Há cerca de dois anos atrás [2006?], quando houve a mudança de presidência na EDP, uma empresa que eu conhecia bem, numa intervenção pública manifestei a minha oposição à maneira como as coisas foram conduzidas. Nessa altura houve da parte do Governo uma intervenção absolutamente extraordinária porque exigia uma apresentação de um pedido de desculpa pelas minhas palavras, com a implicitação evidente de que, caso contrário, nunca mais haveria trabalho para a GS em Portugal. Aliás, como nunca mais houve", nomeadamente "de empresas com presença estatal, mesmo minoritária, ou com golden shares."
Como refere o Correio da Manhã, "a 6 de Abril de 2005, já no Governo de José Sócrates, a Parpública propõe a denúncia do contrato. O Congresso do PSD realizou-se entre 8 e 10 de Abril, em Pombal. Para terminar o contrato com a GS foi invocado o chumbo da Comissão Europeia (CE) ao plano de reestruturação do sector energético do ministro da Economia, Carlos Tavares. Como a CE não aprovou a concentração do negócio do gás natural na EDP, considerou-se que 'não fazia sentido continuar o contrato a GS'".
Ora se tudo isto foi assim, como é que a EDP adquiriu à GS a Horizon Wind Energy a 27 de Março de 2007 (formalizada a 2 de Julho de 2007), "numa transacção que valoriza os capitais próprios da Horizon em 2,15 mil milhões de dólares (1,61 mil milhões de euros)" e duplicou a aquisição da GS ("Goldman Sachs bought Horizon Wind Energy two years ago for less than $1 billion and appears set to make a healthy profit")?
O presidente da EDP "salienta que a maior operação financeira da empresa, a compra da norte-americana Horizon, nos últimos dois anos foi precisamente com a Goldman Sachs."
António Borges enganou-se? Ou toda esta história está muito mal contada?
Bandidos e Hell's Angels na Alemanha
Biker Turf War Escalating in Germany: The Bandidos and the Hell's Angels are waging all-out war for dominance in Germany. Court testimony by a former member -- who crossed his gang and is now living in protective custody -- is providing frightening details about these secretive societies.
02 abril 2008
Antes e depois
Life Before Death: This sombre series of portraits taken of people before and after they had died is a challenging and poignant study. The work by German photographer Walter Schels and his partner Beate Lakotta, who recorded interviews with the subjects in their final days, reveals much about dying - and living.
Life Before Death is at the Wellcome Collection from April 9-May 18[I wish they displayed the pairs side-by-side.]
O país que temos, segundo a Marktest
50% do poder de compra em 6% do território: 25 dos 278 concelhos do Continente concentram metade (50.1%) do índice de poder de compra regional.
01 abril 2008
Then Why?
Sidewalk Psychiatry encourages self-evaluation in transit by posing critical questions on the pavements
Primeiro de Abril
Top 10 April Fools' Day Joke Web Sites: Normally Staid Sites and Individuals Celebrate April 1 With Weird, Silly, and Elaborate Hoax Pages
Top 10 Harmless Geek Pranks
Top 10 April Fools' Pranks for Nerds
APRIL 1st is THE ANNUAL DAY WITHOUT GOOGLE! for One Day give the Alternative search engines a fighting chance and see what life would be like without Google.
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