Saturday Jul 25, 2009
Ludibria
Wikipedia defines a ludibrium as "an object of fun, and at the same time, of scorn and derision, and it also denotes a capricious game itself: .... This conception can function as a technique whereby mental projections can be cast into the social imagination."
Saturday Feb 7, 2009
Postmodernism, history, and simulation
I recently bought a second-hand book which discusses the impact of post-modernism on history, which it sees as a denial of the validity of past experience, and hence of hope for the future. This started me wondering about the role of simulation in a post-modernist (or post-post-modernist?) age.
Friday Dec 5, 2008
Schneier on ephemeral conversation
Excellent essay by Bruce Schneier points out that what was once 'ephemeral' conversation is now diligently recorded and can be instantly searched and used in evidence against us. He argues that there is a change in our communications paradigm. I agree, but not for the same reasons.
Wednesday Sep 24, 2008
Failures in Bayesian assumptions
Good Math Bad Math has an excellent piece on the misunderstandings of Bayes which underlie recent credit problems.
Monday Mar 24, 2008
Intellipedia
Intellipedia has announced its second anniversary in a press release. It's the sort of thing that would have been unimaginable ten years ago.
Thursday Mar 20, 2008
Influence of language on brain activity
Linguistic philosophers would like this posting on Deric Bownds' Mindblog: a demonstration that our language influences how we see things.
Wednesday Mar 19, 2008
The Fundamentals of Digital Art
This is a new book by Richard Colson which was launched last night at the ICA during the Node London '08 season of new media art. Good book. Shows the value of art in helping us navigate the current explosion of technical possibilities, and should be read by non-artists as well.
Monday Mar 3, 2008
You read it here first.
The BBC has now covered the Project Reynard story (see my previous blog posting.) I'm surprised it's taken so long.
Sunday Mar 2, 2008
A taxonomy of data mining?
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence has just published a 'Data Mining Report', which outlines its current data mining research activities. This is a fascinating if incomplete survey of the field and hints at a taxonomy.
Sunday Jan 13, 2008
Programming Collective Intelligence
I recently bought a really interesting book which opens up some new horizons for the ordinary programmer. We are living in an exciting period: an intellectual version of the great ages of exploration, when ordinary seamen from Devon could sail off in simple wooden boats to find or colonise whole new worlds.
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