..and now it almost is 2009.

I have been out of joint at uni for two semesters to find a basis to continue my studies and–as one of the last mohicaines in Germany these days– write up my M.A. without B.A that is. I will pay my extra longterm student fee for the first time the upcoming semester and for personal reasons it is ok. I have taken my time. Theres more important issues about university fees than me having to pay one semester or two. For ten yrs of education. Hey.. *winks

I never heard anyone complain about one certain paragraph that is included in our university fee reform papers [edit, if its me, pls let me know]. It targets mature students above a certain age, like 50+ or so (I shall actually research taht passage and quote), who in any case must pay 500 Euros extra for each semester they take. Even if its their first take on higher education. Thats a discrimination. But that group obviously had no lobby. [To those not familiar wth the recent historical developments of the constitutional Free Access on Education Germany calls its own, this is about laws changing. And about Germany loosing something I have been proud of–at least of the idea, even if practice hasnt shown some concepts work out in one regard. The trick is to ask why did things not work out. And it rly rly rly makes me sad to face we are on the way to give up something important, step by step–allthough I wholeheartedly give those 700 bucks that upcoming semester will cost me. Now that I can count on that I will be able to pay that fee once or twice.]

ah well.. *heh

I have had so many jobs the past two yrs I shouldnt even mention it and some I wont. A surgery in April this year brought me a completely new titanium spinal disc in my neck which giveth me reason to claim I objectively am cyborg now. :p

fellow travellers

There is a similarity in between blog rolls and friend lists on SL [Second Life].

Some are stable and some are fluent.

The authors of the former in both online spheres do not remove an entry on their blogrolls or SL friend lists once it is there.

The authors of the latter do remove entries on their blogrolls or SL friend lists.

Over the months that I’ve been away from blogsphere I’ve often wondered about the websites that do still link to my blog over that long time of absence–especially in online terms, which means that one month is longer than one month is.

The blogroll displayed on the left is one of the first blogs I found way back in 2005 when I immersed myself into academic blogsphere whose author kept (and keeps? *smiles) his blogroll fluent.

I felt honoured everytime I clicked there and found I am still linked to–still today.

tnks, man. .-)

representation follows code.

It will be another post in which I may explore a cluster of thinking I paradoxically am refusing to call myself an advocate of which is the academic reflection of causality–another is ‘constructivism’, and one more is ‘relativism’.  My refusal may be rooted in my conviction of radical contextualism’s methodological tools to be _the_ keys to the reconstruction of reality so many academic branches with their approaches and methods are dedicated to. Dunno. Not yet.   

“Have you ever thought of how is the web represented to blind people? They use screenreader software that read loudly website’s text. These need linear encoding to make quoted text recognizable for a blind recipient, because all other solutions, (…) require too much acoustic backup-ing by recipient’s brain. Just try it. I’m sure theres open source freeware somewhere. On the screenreader example one can easily and very well show how representation actually follows code.”

Said I here.

ernest cline’s planet of the monkeys

This probably already is widely known. I have come across Ernest Cline‘s via Dialogic this morning for the first time. Dance Monkey Dance, about which I’m not sure whether it is a visualization by somebody else on a slam-poem by Cline or created by Cline himself, is a magnificant example of how certain anthropologic knowledge in a non-dry and entertaining but well-elaborated and critical way can be mediated to the public.

Klicking through Cline’s bio I’m amazed by both, its digital structure simplicistically reproducing the narrative [form follows content] and the very cyberpunk exhibit that is presented over there.

forgotten flags

Forgotten Flags is an interactive documentary by Florian Thalhofer.

“Germany, summer 2006–a sea of black, red and gold. The 2006 Soccer World Cup changed the way Germans perceived their own country. What is left over half a year later? Florian Thalhofer and Juliane Henrich traveled 2562 km all over Germany to talk to people that still have a German flag outside their houses. They met astonishing ordinary people with all kinds of different German accents. (English subtitles by Anja Tachler and Wenzel Bilger.) The Korsakow-Film “Forgotten Flags” is presented by the Goethe-Institute as part of the Odysseus Project.”

This is not solely about nationalism reemerging in Germany–we learn a lot about the author’s identity here, I’d like to add to Adrian’s note by which I’ve come across the film.

Once you’re there, have a worthwhile look at Thalhofer’s other projects, too.

humour

I agree with NPepperell that this is _incredibly_ funny.

LMagee, contributor to Rough Theory and author of the strangest beta I ve ever seen, replies to a comment [“HI! I’ve have similar topic at my blog! Please check it.. Thanks.”]  on schematique.org,

to the hundreds of fastidious commentators out there – I would love to “check it”. But the link always goes to some site which sells pharmaceuticals or other products I have no interest in. I really appreciate the sincere effort to connect on an intellectual level with my various interests: social theory, philosophy, computer science, the Semantic Web – but I’m not sure how your “blog” is “similar” ?

And some part of my brain is kept going, aiming to catch why we laugh about that.

Note to myself: Reread and summarize Bruckman, The Turing Game.