Tom Morris - Oppression, identity and sexuality
Anger is an energy, especially when it’s coming from Tom …and for once, it’s not about the Semantic Web.
Seriously though, this is a great piece of writing. This is what blogs are for.
Tags: society
One Cut - jonronson’s Space
This is one of the best pieces of journalism I’ve read …and it just happens to be posted on a blog. Please read it, particularly if you are a voter in the UK.
The New Patterns of Culture: Slow, Fast & Spiky
A thoughtful piece from Matt on the changes in cultural transmission that we should be embracing instead of bemoaning.
School surveillance: how big brother spies on pupils | UK news | The Guardian
Having just seen Anna Debenham’s superb but scary presentation at Update about the shocking state of UK schools, this is a timely piece of journalism.
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Stuart McMillen - cartoon Recombinant Records
Pitching Orwell against Huxley in an argument that is ironically shallow: it only holds up if you accept the premise that activities involving the web, television and video games are inherently “bad” and anti-social: a pathetically, narrow-minded and condescending worldview.
FuturICT: FuturIcT
An attempt to turn psychohistory into reality using a “Knowledge Accelerator.”
Web science a new frontier - Find Events - The Royal Society
This looks like being a thoroughly excellent event at The Royal Society, featuring Tim Berners-Lee and Albert-Laszlo Barabasi.
How to Access the Internet (A Guide from 2025)
An entertaining missive from the future.
Is Happiness Catching? - NYTimes.com
An examination of behavioural contagion in social networks.
IT's a man's world? - The F-Word
Sue Schofield plugs Ada Lovelace Day while taking a long hard look at the sniggering sexism endemic to the IT industry.
How your friends' friends can affect your mood - life - 30 December 2008 - New Scientist
The spread of happiness, obesity and smoking habits through social networks.
Locus Online Features: Cory Doctorow: Why I Copyfight
This is a brilliant and inspiring essay by Cory on the why the copyists—avid consumers who are branded as criminals—are not our enemy. Please read this; it is important for the survival of our culture.
Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone | The New York Sun
The heartening story of a mother who allows her child some independence instead of living in fear of a Black Swan.
The Escapist : The Myth of the Media Myth
A piercing article by Brenda Brathwaite examining people's attitudes towards gaming. Substitute "videogames" for "social networking sites" for equal slices of moral panic.
Open Tech 2008 - 5th July in London.
I missed this last year but it looks like a good event. I must remember to leave some room in my calendar for this "informal, low cost one-day conference on technology, society and low-carbon living."
A Few Notes on the Culture
A great 1994 newsgroup posting by Iain M Banks that gives us a peek behind the scenes of the Culture: fascinating and fun.
Chinese Culture Versus German Culture » Adino Online
A series of infographics comparing Chinese and German culture. Amusing and astute.
::HorsePigCow:: marketing uncommon » The insidious danger of danger
Tara talks about the damaging effect on women who believe that to protect themselves, they cannot be truly open online.
WikiHome - JotSpot Wiki (continuouspartialattention)
There's been a steady increase in talk around continuous partial attention (what with Twitter and all) so I here's the mother lode: Linda Stone waxing lyrical and expanding our vocabularies.
Co-evolution of neocortex size, group size and language in humans
The Dunbar number gets bandied about a lot in conversations about social networks these days. Here's the original paper that shows the research behind the oft-misused term.
Royal Society | About the Society | Library and Archives | Using the Library | Group tours & talks
I think this could be a fun side-event to organise around @media: a guided tour of the Royal Society. What self-respecting geek wouldn't like that?
TIME Magazine -- The Road Ahead
A fun debate featuring Tim O'Reilly, Esther Dyson, Malcom Gladwell, Clay Shirky and Moby.
Etiquette and the Singularity - Reboot 7
Slides from Ben Hammersley's talk at Reboot 7 in Copenhagen. I can't wait for the MP3.