RE: nettime Democracy divided by Corporations = US Elections
It doesn't has to be this way. A while back somebody posted on Kuro5hin a smart approach on how to this open, verifiable and honest: http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/9/4/18148/56550 - - - Douwe Osinga http://douweosinga.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Are Flagan Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 12:47 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: nettime Democracy divided by Corporations = US Elections Anyone interested in expressions of democracy and computers may find this thorough overview very interesting. The facts and figures have been bouncing around for awhile in different features, but The Independent, today, finally put many of them together on the front page online -- as the computerized revolution of US democracy. One of the more astonishing facts is that the voting systems and software solutions are protected by trade secrecy acts, making independent review and checking, well, a felony. And there are, in many cases, no paper trails or verifiable back ups. Anyone who has ever written a single line of logical code to run on an insecure computer would question the checks and balances -- and many computer scientists are doing just that, loudly. One line of audited code, lifted from an open FTP site used to distribute a patch for the deeply flawed Diebold (one of three major players) software, included an inexplicable instruction to divide the number of votes by 1. You do the math for 2004. -af + + + + + http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=452972 All the President's votes? A quiet revolution is taking place in US politics. By the time it's over, the integrity of elections will be in the unchallenged, unscrutinised control of a few large - and pro-Republican - corporations. Andrew Gumbel wonders if democracy in America can survive. # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: nettime What *ARE* New Media?
hmm, i always thought new media was just a way to talk about multimedia without sounding dated audio/visual - multimedia - new media - integrated media - whatever or maybe this is the history: computer art - new media - digital art anyway, imho new media is not a very descriptive term, an ephemera of historical note, and not really worth an effort to fix its definition steven # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
nettime At Your Own Risk
Medrano says she doesn't know what kind of chemical she splashed on her face, nor was she warned about the product or its potential danger -- and such perilous oversights are all too common in the industry. Injuries related to chemical exposures such as Medrano's range from skin irritation and burns to allergic reactions in the lungs or on the skin. Other hazards include lacerations from material such as broken glass left in trash cans, lung problems from removing mold, and nasty falls on slippery floors. If the elevator is broken, I have to drag heavy bags to the basement using the stairs, says a Salvadoran janitor who cleans dot-com offices. - Michele Holcenberg, Janitors and Custodians, www.buildingbetterhealth.com/topic/janitors If you become aware of an unusual and suspicious release of an unknown substance nearby, it doesn't hurt to protect yourself. Quickly get away. - from the US Dept. of Homeland Securitys www.ready.gov A couple of years ago, I attended a presentation by an artist who had worked with the web-based group RTMark (www.rtmark.com), among other politically-motivated arts groups, that was about political art after September 11. During the question and answer session, another attendee expressed her dislike for the work of RTMark and questioned the political commitment of such work in general. The problem was the seeming lack of risk for the artists, which was translated as a lack of genuine commitment. In other words, if the artists really meant what they said, they would be on the front lines of demonstrations risking injury, fines and jail. Or at least theyd be politicians. I left wondering what it means to consider art, or even political action, in terms of heroic risk taking. This anecdote has stuck with me, and I often come across other situations and debates where similar terms arise. On a recent trip to Germany, I was fortunate enough to catch At Your Own Risk, an exhibition at the Shirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, and further consider the concept of risk. Curated by Markus Heinzelmann and Martina Weinhart, works were included by Christoph Büchel, Critical Art Ensemble (with Beatriz da Costa and Shyh-shiun Shyu), Camilla Dahl, gelatin, Jeppe Hein, Carsten Höller, Ann Veronica Janssens, Sven Påhlsson, Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Julia Scher and Ann Maria Tavares. The particular relationship to risk varied from work to work, as was the aesthetic and conceptual strategies used by each artist. One possible way of reading conceptual differences among the works is in how each creates a different sense of time for the viewer. Simply put, there seem to be differences in how each work positions the relationship between risk and the exhibitions visitors. Some work, for example, creates the experience of an aftermath, a risk in the past tense. This is more significant than a simple difference in narrative approach however. How we are positioned/position ourselves in relation to our understanding of risk says a lot about how we perceive our ability to enact change in our own lives. Or as Neils Werber discusses in the catalogue, whether we are taking risks (making decisions about our own future) or experiencing danger (living with the choices of others). The environmental/architectural installation by Christph Büchel creates such an experience of a past, a past where the outcome of taking a risk is now known. Upon entering Büchels work, one finds herself within a decomposing, yet not completely destroyed, apartment. A radio and electric lights still function amid the vacant rooms that include a collapsed kitchen filling with dirt and a completely flooded, and eerily still, bathroom. As a visitor, walking through with other visitors, the feeling is voyeuristic, as if you are part of a scientific team exploring an urban ecosystem post catastrophe. Its this feeling of being an observer that provided me with the feeling of temporal distance, along with the nostalgia provided by my experiences with dated, post-apocalyptic films like Mad Max and The Omega Man. Relating to present trauma through the past is one way of making sense of new experiences, as well as a way of using traumatic experience in order to harness emotional power for good or bad. Many of the works dealt with an abstract sense of the present, offering the chance to make theatrical choices within the confines of the work. Camilla Dahls Champaign Bar dares viewers to suck champaign from rubber nipples (on their knees, of course) as its poured over a seductive, faux-porcelain appliance. If you like taking blank pills for fun, Carsten Höllers Placebo Tablet Tank, a lotto-like machine that spits placebo pills out of a large aquarium, may help you out. Stepping into Ann Veronica Janssenss fog filled room (if you dont have asthma), it takes about five seconds before you have no idea how you got in, as you wander through a mist that changes colors from one spot to the next. Only a couple of the works in the
Re: nettime New Media Education and Its Disconnects
jonCates wrote: part of the benefit of an emphasis on critical thinking is that students can be taught to recognize that they will not be able (in the current situation @ least) to secure any single job [+/or] avoid being uninsured for periods of time [+/or] not experience various degrees of institutionalized poverty. these are very clear realities in the current situation as i experience it here in the us. And, why is that our reality? Because here in the good ol' USofA we must give great returns to those who DON'T WORK: investors. What are we teaching our children? You must work for nothing so that some stockholder can retire early. What a truely bogus system! -- When you hear some men talk about their love of country it's a sign they expect to be paid for it. H.L. Menkin # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
nettime Re: executed-coat-thief
On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 18:28:22 +0100, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Von: richard barbrook [EMAIL PROTECTED] Rather than refighting ancient faction fights, it's more interesting to question why the English don't have their equivalent of the 14th July and 4th July holidays: an annual celebration of the modernising revolution. Even though it happened over three centuries ago, our ruling elite is still embarassed by this inspirational moment in our history. Apart from it being so cold in mid-winter, I like the suggestion that we should celebrate 30th January: the day in 1649 when the tyrant king was executed for his crimes against the people. If nothing else, this date would prevent the holiday's recuperation for an official ceremony which included the current royal family... How about February 13th? -- An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown: Whereas the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons assembled at Westminster, lawfully, fully and freely representing all the estates of the people of this realm, did upon the thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty-eight [old style date] present unto their Majesties, then called and known by the names and style of William and Mary, prince and princess of Orange, being present in their proper persons, a certain declaration in writing made by the said Lords and Commons in the words following -- This is the preamble to the English Bill of Rights. Didn't include rights for Catholics too much, but then you can't have everything in a national day, can you :) And it's the day the constitutional monarchy started ... another good idea that didn't quite work out. Brett # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: nettime Linux strikes back III
Am Mittwoch, 15. Oktober 2003 um 11:48:53 Uhr (-0700) schrieb Morlock Elloi: A gentle proposition given that the product was in breach with the GPL. Alternatively, the FSF could have asked to revoke all Linksys routers from the market and pay, say $10 compensation for each unit already sold. (In other words: $4M which could be used, for example, to pay Linus Torvalds the next ten or twenty years for Linux kernel development.) The whole FSF/GPL thing is silly, and the above illustrates that - it all simply boils down to money. FSF/GPL messiahs captured the imagination of many, and as any other religion got a lots of free work done, and then capitalized on that big time. Why should FSF be paid ? Or L.Torvalds ? Because they appear on TV ? Well, they didn't ask for $4M (as in my hypothetical scenario, and as any commercial software company would have done whose licenses had been breached), but for releasing the modified code in public. So I don't know what you take issue with?! -F -- http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~cantsin/homepage/ http://www.complit.fu-berlin.de/institut/lehrpersonal/cramer.html GnuPG/PGP public key ID 3200C7BA, finger [EMAIL PROTECTED] # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: nettime New Media Education and Its Disconnects
David Patterson writes: jonCates wrote: part of the benefit of an emphasis on critical thinking is that students can be taught to recognize that they will not be able (in the current situation @ least) to secure any single job [+/or] avoid being uninsured for periods of time [+/or] not experience various degrees of institutionalized poverty. these are very clear realities in the current situation as i experience it here in the us. And, why is that our reality? Because here in the good ol' USofA we must give great returns to those who DON'T WORK: investors. What are we teaching our children? You must work for nothing so that some stockholder can retire early. What a truely bogus system! If the system is bogus, how would you change it? It is not constructive to cry foul unless you have a better idea. And remember - the reason that today's young people have these issues is several fold 1) Their parents and grandparents voted that their children pay for massive benefits, not very much caring how this might impact on the children. 2) The maligned Stockholder is probably an ordinary retired person. 3) American consumers, for some completely selfish reason, seem to like to buy cheap, high quality, goods made overseas. Also observe that all this has made the US so unattractive a place to live that the rest of the world has closed it's borders to American economic migrants. Cheers -- ian dickson www.commkit.com phone +44 (0) 1452 862637fax +44 (0) 1452 862670 PO Box 240, Gloucester, GL3 4YE, England for building communities that work # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: nettime Re: executed-coat-thief
On 21 January, 1793 (2 Pluviose?, Year I of the Republic, One and Indivisible), Citoyen Louis Capet was beheaded. Absent other notable prunings of the Royal family tree, Europeans could combine, as Americans did with Presidents' Day (combining birthdays of Lincoln and Washington) the two regicides into one January holiday. But late January is just the worst time for a holiday. All the post-Christmas sales are early-mid January, and most people don't get paid until the end of the month. But why not turn the royal family itself into an emblem of modern Europe (a New/Old Europe, if you will)? Replace the crowned heads with a single monarch, like the Holy Roman Emperor, but with a modern twist. Europa I would be a hermaphrodite cloned, quickened and decanted from the genes of the rulers (or pretenders, in republics) of each EU member state (if the EU expands again, DNA from new countries goes into Europa II, the next iteration). The U.S., thanks to short-sighted government policies concerning genetic research and failed corporate strategies for exporting GM technology to Europe, is ceding its lead to Europe. Naturally, European geneticists would screen for funny lips, haemophilia, and talking to trees. So that Europa I, II,...,N would have the pick of palaces and rotate hir presence among them, existing royal couples would be pensioned off and each given the second best palace in their respective countries. They and their immediate families would get modest but comfortable stipends and perform local ribbon-cutting ceremonies, etc. The rest would just have to get jobs. Local Old Boy/Sloane networks will see to them. Messieurs and mesdames, Europe is being handed a golden opportunity. Think of the tourist draw! I sorta got the idea from Gore Vidal's 1960s novel The Judgment of Paris. King Carl Brett Shand wrote: On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 18:28:22 +0100, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Von: richard barbrook [EMAIL PROTECTED] Rather than refighting ancient faction fights, it's more interesting to question why the English don't have their equivalent of the 14th July and 4th July holidays: an annual celebration of the modernising revolution. Even though it happened over three centuries ago, our ruling elite is still embarassed by this inspirational moment in our history. Apart from it being so cold in mid-winter, I like the suggestion that we should celebrate 30th January: the day in 1649 when the tyrant king was executed for his crimes against the people. If nothing else, this date would prevent the holiday's recuperation for an official ceremony which included the current royal family... How about February 13th? -- An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown: Whereas the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons assembled at Westminster, lawfully, fully and freely representing all the estates of the people of this realm, did upon the thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty-eight [old style date] present unto their Majesties, then called and known by the names and style of William and Mary, prince and princess of Orange, being present in their proper persons, a certain declaration in writing made by the said Lords and Commons in the words following -- This is the preamble to the English Bill of Rights. Didn't include rights for Catholics too much, but then you can't have everything in a national day, can you :) And it's the day the constitutional monarchy started ... another good idea that didn't quite work out. Brett -- Games are very educational. Scrabble teaches us vocabulary, Monopoly teaches us cash-flow management, and DD teaches us to loot the bodies. -- Steve Jackson # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: nettime What *ARE* New Media?
Lots of people ask me what do you mean by 'new media'?. To me, it is a term that only has meaning in relation to older media at any given time in history. Paper was once a new medium. Television, telegraph, radio, the alphabet, etc were all new media at one time. It is a term that, for me, implies and entails historical analysis rather than narrowly signifying ICTs or whatever is the new medium du jour. The specific questions the term implies is what are the social implications of these particular new media?; how do they change human capacities to relate and organise?; how do they affect political economic formations?. People like Lynne White Jnr, Innis, and McLuhan seem to me to have asked the questions that frame the notion of new media, at least as an area for research. I am always surprised when people define a specific group of obviously ephemeral (or transitional) technological objects as new media. My two cents. Best regards to all, Phil At 05:31 AM 14/10/2003, steven schkolne wrote: hmm, i always thought new media was just a way to talk about multimedia without sounding dated audio/visual - multimedia - new media - integrated media - whatever or maybe this is the history: computer art - new media - digital art anyway, imho new media is not a very descriptive term, an ephemera of historical note, and not really worth an effort to fix its definition steven # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: nettime Linux strikes back III
but to rerun an old story or a continuing one for me - this is what troubles me about the reliance of fsfer's in whatever there guise on rigid forms of law ... if the fsf thingy is possibly anti - property or proprietary why not make the blatant choice of styling your legal language or protection mechanism in a non contractual form. Even the allegedly most radical fsfer's still can't remove themselves from the shackles of rigid rule based notions of law. As I keep saying the structure and organisation of os means you don't need to rely on them to represent you ... we can all sue them all (if we so desire) ... users and contributers alike ... I am confused. Do you think that the FSF should simply let companies do what they like with Open Source code? Including make money out of it? This would be the practical effect of moving to an each person sue on their own account or code supplied on non enforceable terms basis. (People as individuals cannot afford to sue, and it wouldn't stop the FSF suing anyway for those individuals who opted into any such action). Of course if you want to write code and release it without any strings attached, you can. If you think that Linux should be released on a such a basis, personally I think you'd see a lot of programmers stop contributing. Cheers -- ian dickson www.commkit.com phone +44 (0) 1452 862637fax +44 (0) 1452 862670 PO Box 240, Gloucester, GL3 4YE, England for building communities that work # distributed via nettime: no commercial use without permission # nettime is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and info nettime-l in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
nettime Rethinking Tactical Space in Vienna
After nearly 100 events- from political discussions to performances and parties- the tactical media squat Freies Mediencamp on the Vienna Karlsplatz has received notice of a planned forced eviction. Although high level politicians (like the Vice Mayor) have been on location discussing the issues with the protesting groups and promising to meet some immediate demands, not too surprisingly no tangible results have been achieved. For 27th October, exactly 4 months after the camp's setup on 27th June, and after increasing police pressure in the past weeks, the alliance decided to give up its current position in order to avoid a violent confrontation, and to regroup with new forms of protest in the city of Vienna. Since the first week of october 0100101110101101.org together with Public Netbase staged the hardly believeable Nikeplatz trick with a mobile high tech showroom located on Karlsplatz explaining that the square will be renamed to Nikeplatz by next year and will sport a 36 meter monument in the form of a swoosh as part of a worldwide branding campaign. A flood of responses by mostly angry locals stirred up media interest in the project rethinking space - nikeground. A countercampaign against Nikeplatz by the citizens group Oeffnet den Karlsplatz made it a nationwide issue even in the tabloids. While Nike had their business intelligence and crisis management units swarming the place and repeatedly threatening legal action, no injunction has been served so far. Eva Mattes, 0100101110101101.org spokeswoman, explains in their press release: For this work, we wanted to use the entire city as a stage for a huge urban performance, a sort of theatre show for an unaware audience/cast. We wanted to produce a collective hallucination capable of altering people's perception of the city in this total, immersive way. Nikeground is not just a hyperreal statement for the artistic freedom to manipulate the symbols of everyday life but an intervention into urban and media space, in order to bring up the issues of symbolic domination in public space by private interests. http://www.t0.or.at/nikeground HTTP://0100101110101101.ORG http://www.nikeground.com http://mediencamp.t0.or.at -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 2:43 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Nike buys streets and squares 10 October, 2003 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nike buys streets and squares Guerrilla marketing or collective hallucination? Picture this: a hi-tech container right in the middle of Karlsplatz, one of Vienna's historic squares. It's the Nike Infobox: a slick, demountable, walk-in container, two semi-transparent floors, dynamic shapes and a red plastic cover. On the outer windows a curious sign attracts the attention of passersby: This square will soon be called Nikeplatz. Come inside to find out more. Over the last month, the plan to change the square's name has also been advertised on a website: http://www.nikeground.com, while thousands of brochures were distributed all over the city. Inside the Infobox a charming couple of Nike-dressed twins welcomes curious citizens, and explains to them the revolutionary Nike Ground campaign: Nike is introducing its legendary brand into squares, streets, parks and boulevards: Nikesquare, Nikestreet, Piazzanike, Plazanike or Nikestrasse will appear in major world capitals over the coming years!. A 3D project displayed in the Infobox gives information about a giant sculpture to be placed in the Karlsplatsz ? or Nikesplatz ? from next year. It is a giant sculpture of Nike's famous logo, a Swoosh, a 36 meter long by 18 meter high monument supposedly made from special steel covered with a revolutionary red resin made from recycled sneaker soles. Not surprisingly, many Viennese are puzzled and concerned at seeing a historic square sold by the City to a multinational without prior consultation. Thus, immediately after the container is assembled and open to the public, handwritten letters and emails begin to jam the inboxes of local and national Austrian newspapers. After a short inquiry, the press uncover that both Nike and the City of Vienna deny any responsibility for Nike Ground. While Nike issues a press release alleging trademark infringement, the City reassures the public by saying that following World War II street names cannot be modified, unless they look very similar to others. This almost unbelievable trick is the work of the organization known as 0100101110101101.ORG, and this time it is played on a whole city. Eva Mattes, their spokeswoman, explains: Forthis work, we wanted to use the entire city as a stage for a huge urban performance, a sort of theatre show for an unaware audience/cast. We wanted to produce a collective hallucination capable of altering people's perception of the city in this total, immersive way. Thus 0100101110101101.ORG continues its history of works meant to be told instead of being
