Twitter Evolutions: The Changing Role of Social Media in War and Protest
In this half-day conference, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication will host two panels of experts on social media’s role in political protest and civil war across the Middle East and Europe as part of a discussion on the latest Blogs and Bullets report: Syria’s Socially Mediated War.
It takes a certain kind of genius to make genius entertaining, and that's what Ron Campbell does in D.W. Jacobs' “R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe” for nearly 2 1/2 hours.
Fuller as played by Campbell is still getting excited over icosahedrons and vector equilibrium and “ephemeralization” (doing more and more with less and less), much the way he did when we first encountered him in this beguiling solo drama 14 years ago in San Francisco. Now the show is at San Jose Repertory Theatre in the heart of Silicon Valley to preach Fuller's gospel of saving his “Spaceship Earth.”
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Campbell renders Fuller's complex ideas clear and compelling, often imbued with the touch of a poet. There are moments when he demonstrates the elegance of a dancer and the precision movement of a mime, but just as often the lanky Bucky, as he was known as, is gangly and awkward. Campbell dazzled 14 years ago, and if anything, he seems to feel it even more deeply to the extent that we can almost feel Bucky thinking.
Sometimes watching Campbell move and listening to him talk brings to mind Jimmy Stewart crossed with Albert Einstein (who was apparently a fan of Fuller's). What really comes through in Campbell's Bucky, though, is grace and wonder and the integrity of original thought.
Combining the life, writing and work of Fuller – who died in 1983 at age 87 a forward-thinking inventor, philosopher, architect and all-around smart guy – writer-director Jacobs' “History” works as a lecture demonstration of Fuller's extraordinary mind as well as a theatrical examination of genius devoted to practical use and the serving of others.
March 22-23, 2014 – Anticipating 2025 in London – as a collaboration between London Futurists and Humanity+. David Wood is the organizer of this his two-day conference brings together 18 expert speakers and an audience of over 200 budding futurists of all shapes and sizes.Speakers include: David Wood, Natasha Vita-More, Aubrey de Grey, David Pearce, and Anders Sandberg. Themes include: Paths to 2025: visions, nightmares, roadblocks, and plans, and Transhumanism for 2025: health, spirituality, politics, and transcendence. Registration is now open: http://anticipating2025.com/registration/. Good Luck David Wood!
Conference on ‘Spy Chiefs: Intelligence Leaders in History, Culture and International Relations
To be held 6-7 May 2014 at Warwick's conference facility in Venice, Italy–the Palazzo Pesaro Papafava. In many countries today spy chiefs are the public face of intelligence. They speak to the media, appear before public inquiries and committees, and even write books. This has not always been the case. In the United Kingdom, for example, heads of agencies were historically appointed in secret, their names and roles not officially disclosed to the public. This international conference brings together academics and practitioners from across the world to broaden and deepen our understanding of what makes an intelligence leader. Conference website including registration information is here: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/paisseminars/spychiefsconference/
Conference on Intelligence and the Transition from War to Peace
Registration is open for a 19-20 March 2014 conference at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA on “Intelligence and the Transition from War to Peace, A Multidisciplinary Assessment” examining declassified CIA documents on intelligence support to U.S. decision-making on Bosnia, 1992-1996. The conference—organized by Tim Walton–will include scholars from the United States and abroad presenting papers exploring the role of intelligence in war and peace, and the multidimensional nature of conflict resolution, as well as eyewitness accounts from individuals who actively participated in the Bosnian War and Dayton Peace Accords.
CALL FOR PAPERS from the Journal of Intelligence Analysis for its Fall 2014 Issue on Intelligence Canaries: Applications in Strategic Early Warning – Towards a New Intelligence Analysis Paradigm*. Guest editor: Robert C. Fahlman, O.O.M.; Director General, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Criminal Intelligence (Retired).
The predominant analytical methodologies, applications and tools employed across the analytical community today are designed for a static, hierarchical environment and are best suited to either historical or current threat-risk assessment and mitigation strategies. Is this paradigm out of sync with the current realities of the 21st Century, characterized by the twin forces of complexity and an ever-changing environment and, at times, complete chaos?
This special issue of the Journal of Intelligence Analysis will explore the relatively new intelligence analysis paradigm that has a focus on strategic early warning – the intelligence canaries employed across the spectrum of intelligence disciplines: law enforcement, military, national security, environment and competitive (business) intelligence. Understanding and anticipating emerging threats, to prevent surprise and implement mitigation strategies before the event fully manifests itself – early warning – is the ultimate goal of early warning analysis. The advancement of new pattern discovery technologies, aided by sophisticated sense-making tools, visualization software and collaborative networks provide the foundation for the realization of this new intelligence analysis paradigm. Manuscripts from intelligence analysts, intelligence officers and managers of early warning units from across all intelligence disciplines are cordially invited. All submissions will be peer-reviewed and the resulting Journal of Intelligence Analysis will be available not only to IALEIA members, but to others through partnership activities. Book reviews on early warning are also welcome. Call for Submissions: Articles must be submitted byJune 1, 2014. If you or your agency is interested in learning more about this special focus issue of the Journal of Intelligence Analysis, or would like to submit a paper to the editorial board, please contact Robert Fahlman: robert.fahlman@rogers.blackberry.net General enquiries may be forwarded to Journal@ialeia.org.
Social problems are often addressed through the top-down forms of “distributive justice”: intervention from government agencies and regulations for example. But science and technology innovations have opened new possibilities for “generative justice”: bottom-up networks that strive for a more equitable and sustainable world through communitarian value generation. Some examples of generative justice involve lay innovation: maker spaces, DIY movements, and “appropriated” technologies. Other examples are more focused on nature as a generator of value, such as urban agriculture, food justice, and indigenous harvesting. Some focus on the framework of Open Source, putting code, blueprints and manufacturing processes into the public domain. Generative justice can apply to social entrepreneurship, restorative justice, community media, social solidarity economies, and many other structures that allow those who generate value to directly participate in its benefits, create their own conditions of production, and nurture sustainable paths for its circulation.
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We invite presentation and panel proposals on the theory and practice of generative justice. What theories of ethics, law, epistemology and politics can help to define this concept and improve its utility? What research methods are best used to explore it, and in what analytic frameworks can it be deployed? Are the relations between distributive and generative justice best viewed as opposite ends of a continuum? As mutually supportive symbiosis? How might generative justice experiences and outcomes differ across identities such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation; across geographic and national differences; across ideological and institutional spectrums? How can we distinguish generative justice from bottom-up forms of exploitation, oppression, or unsustainable ecologies? What kinds of technologies and scientific programs might foster more generative justice, and conversely, how might generative justice contribute to better STEM education, research, and infrastructure? (For more see the Generative Justice wiki)
Please complete the form below to submit a proposal. Proposals will be considered through March 31, 2014.
Proposals can be individual or panels. We ask that all participants be on board before you submit your proposal. Additionally, you can propose a panel and ask for others to apply to participate.
The near future deserves more of our attention!
