Stanford Center for Internet and Society

The web was abuzz with Wolfram Alpha the past week and I too took a test drive with varying results.

The New York Times runs an interesting Open-Ed piece by Kenneth M. Duberstein today: 1,000 Points of Data .

In spring 2007 I taught a class on Digital Identity in the STS Progam at UT Austin. Please find my syllabus attached below. I'd be very thankful for comments and suggestions.

I received some inquiries about what have I been up to lately. First of all I am teaching an introduction to Science and Technology Studies at UT Austin and just got some amazing mid-term video assignments handed in by my students. I will post examples soon - need to clear the copyrights first;)

I was very delighted to find iTunes downloading a new 'Entitled Opinions (about Life and Literature)' podcast . After a long hiatus of almost 2 years and much challenges Robert Harrison is back stronger than ever.

'Surveillance and You' is the title of this years Civic Forum of the Science, Technology & Society Program at UT Austin. The one day event will host an expert panel of academics as well as former CIA officers and armed forces members.

The website for the workshop 'Governmediality of Work, Welfare, and the Life Course'at the Hanse Institute for Advanced Study Delmenhorst, Germany Dec 7th/ 8th 2006 is now live: www.governmediality.net.

My colleague Boris Traue and myself are organizing a two day workshop on the governmediality of the lifecourse. We welcome contributions, please read the cfp below for more information:

Call for Papers

Graduate School of Social Sciences | University of Bremen

‘The “Governmediality” of Work, Welfare, and the Life Course: Regulating Lives in the Knowledge Society’

Workshop to be held at the
Hanse Institute for Advanced Study Delmenhorst, Germany

I had the pleasure to be guest on my fellow fellows David Levine's KSZU Radio Show 'Hearsay Culture' (iTunes needed!). David and I talked about National ID-Cards in Europe and the USA. Listen, enjoy (or rather be concerned!) and feel free to fire me emails with comments and criticism!

I am working on a small genealogy of sharing in the context of computers. Surprisingly there is very little literature on this phenomenon. The word 'share' has been prominent in the development of computers from early on: from IBMs 'Share' in 1955 over Timesharing and Shareware to file sharing today. I’d appreciate any help in finding literature and sources especially on the history of Shareware and file sharing.

Thx in advance!