This weekend (23.04 and 24.04.) a congress called "Bild und Macht" (picture and power) originated by the department of philisophy is taking place at LMU.

For further information visit www.bild-und-macht.de.

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Timothy J. Hickey, associate professor of computer science and one of the key pioneers of the new program, said the main benefit of Internet studies will be that it will allow students to think more critically about Internet-related issues since they will have developed a solid understanding of the Internet from related disciplines, including computer science, legal studies, economics, anthropology, literature and fine arts. For example, Hickey explains that the Napster phenomenon can be viewed as one of many examples of peer-to-peer computing technology, or as a challenge to and popular reinterpretation of Intellectual Property law. This phenomenon can be seen as a social phenomenon with its own culture, or as harbinger of the emerging online entertainment industry, or as the beginning of a new social contract between artists and their public. "Each of these views is strengthened by a deeper understanding of the other views, and any single viewpoint alone is clearly missing important aspects of the phenomenon," Hickey said. via Brandeis Reporter 18(6) 2001

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The study Psychology and the internet: A basic psychological study on the Internet Relay Chat phenomenon by Gloria Dabiri & Dörte Helten is completely online (as html and pdf, both identical and in german). This goes well with Psychology of cyberspace. Thanks to praying mantis

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TouchGraph offers tools for information visualization, namely for mapping relations between weblogs, websites and more. Check out their news section to get an idea to which uses the tools can be put. See our older story map of the internet, too.

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The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology Halle (Saale) has the opportunity to offer the following positions · a researcher (BAT-O IIa) · a PhD Grant · a Postdoctoral Grant Starting September / October 2004. The grants are to be awarded in the context of the following research programme: read more ...Department I 'Integration and Conflict' headed by Prof. Dr. Günther Schlee Integration and conflict are central points of reference for the analysis of the interaction of ethnic groups and states. The construction, meaning and communication of identity offer an important field of research within this frame of reference. The analysis of descriptions of the self and the other in processes of peaceful and violent interaction and, in particular, the development of identities in confrontations with other groups, are at the centre of this research program. Description and analysis of conflict mechanisms also play an important role here. The regional foci of this research project are West Africa, Northeast Africa and Central Asia. Further background information concerning these projects can be found on our homepage. The BAT-O IIa Position is for three years (with the possibility of a two-year extension). BAT-O IIa Positions are open to scientists who have completed their doctorate within the last ten years. The Postdoctoral Grant is for two years (a one-year extension is possible for foreigners). Postdoctoral Grants can only be awarded to scientists who have received their doctorate within the last ten years. The grants are not taxed and are free from social security stipulations. A PhD Grant is generally awarded for 2 years, with the possibility of two six-month extensions. We expect our PhD students to complete a yearlong period of fieldwork as part of their studies. The Max Planck Society is committed to raising the proportion of women in under-represented fields; we thus explicitly encourage applications by women. Individuals with disabilities will be given priority, assuming equal qualifications. We are also seeking to make an appointment in cooperation with the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) of a Junior Conflict and Reconciliation Specialist The conflict analyst will work with the Project on the Improvement of Farming Systems Project in the Bay and Bakool regions of Southern Somalia. The GTZ will fund the conflict analyst for 2 years of practical work on the project, and the MPI will fund a subsequent three year (2 + 0,5 + 0,5 are the usual contract periods) research grant. Payment during the first phase will be in the range of Euro 1,500 (salary), plus 150 (health insurance) and 150 (housing allowance), per month. One flight home per year (up to EURO 1,200), will also be paid. The conflict analyst will spend most of his/her time in the field and concentrate on the micro and meso levels. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology Halle (Saale) Depending on the qualifications of the candidate, and on successful completion of Phase One, the MPI will offer the conflict analyst a PhD grant or similar funding to give him or her the opportunity to evaluate his/her practical experience from the perspective of social science (social anthropology). This grant will comprise a further year of field research with a more open focus than that required by the project activities of Phase One. Much of this year may be spent in the project area, so that the analyst will also be able to contribute to the project in this second phase. The scientific output will be a PhD thesis or a similar major publication. This will focus on the genesis, the course and the resolution of conflicts in Bay and Bakool, their connections to conflicts in the wider region, the interface between development intervention and local/regional peace processes, media perceptions of these processes and the international political framework in which these take place. Applications should include the standard documentations and a project resume. Final selection will be made following interviews in June-August 2004. Please send applications and the names of two referees (whom we may contact for confidential references) to the following address before May 7th 2004: Max-Planck-Institute for Social Anthropology Personnel Administration P. O. Box 11 03 51 D ? 06017 Halle/Saale, Germany

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After having succesfully finished the FLOSS-project, MERIT/Infonomics has started a new research project on open source software, which will run till 2006: "FLOSS-POLS will work on three specific tracks: government policy towards open source; gender issues in open source; and the efficiency of open source as a system for collaborative problem-solving. All areas will have a focus on studying the impact of policy and providing policy recommendations. The first track comprises three survey-based studies: on interoperability; user needs in open source e-government; and open source as a skills development environment especially important for SMEs. The second track will be the world?s first comprehensive study of gender issues in open source ? where women are hugely under-represented; based on ethnographic study, it will result in concrete policy recommendations. The third track will study open source as a productive networked organization through simulation models of collaborative (information-sharing) and selfish (information-selling) agents. Overall, there is a strong emphasis on feedback to and from the user (government) community, through a series of topical workshops as well as supporting the organization of a major conference on open standards and open source in e-government." Among the consortium partners there is the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge (UK).

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