Under the impact of this information explosion, different degrees and types of anticipation result among the professionals who participate in the technology of the next generation of machine translation. [...] Each of these “users” has got hold of some major or side effect of the information explosion, and each is a potential supporter and advocate, [...]
I just went through some of my old stuff, and came across my old articles for the University of Copenhagen Institute of Anthropology magazine known as “Den Vilde Tanke” – which is the Danish translation of the French La Pensée Sauvage. I helped with the layout, editing and writing for most of my first 3 [...]
My friend and fellow anthropological fieldworker, Geraldine, is currently doing her graduate fieldwork in Toronto, studying how young Canadians use mobile phones to manage social relations and the culture that arise around that piece of technology. After having some initial trouble getting access to the field (some bureaucracy and permit-juggling had to be negotiated), she’s [...]
Yesterday I went shopping with my mother and my little sister in Randers (being back home for Easter and all). Both are preparing for my little sister’s big day of confirmation in May. Danish tradition bids that this coming-of-age rite is turned into a grand feast of consumerism, elevating the young teens to a whole [...]
Last night, I went to attend a debate at the Department of Anthropology on the much-discussed Mohammed-cartoons. It focused on the anthropological perspective of the reactions and counter-reactions to the drawings and how anthropological theories can help win broader understanding in the current situation. Now this is a rare thing. In all my time at [...]
Having been ill for a couple of days this week has left me completely zonked. This resulted in a rather bizarre case of insomnia which brought me through Samuel Delany’s Babel-17 last night. Uh, Spoiler alert! Babel-17 reminds me a lot of Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. Both books use the idea of languages that function [...]
I guess it was just a matter of time before the growing field of ludology began using games themselves as a way to explore its boundaries. Finnish ludologist Aki Järvinen has made a game about games which he obviously had to call Game Game. He says that it is the same kind of meta-referential use [...]
Today, I participated in a scientific experiment. At the promise of a solid gold payment (well almost, anyway), I went to the Faculty of Medicine to play my part as the guinea pig in a test examining the levels of BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrofic Factor) before, during and after physical activity. Now, I don’t know [...]
One of the few radically politically active anthropologists today is David Graeber, currently of Yale University. He has written some brilliant articles on the new generation of “anti-globalization” radicals, among who he has been doing some informal fieldwork of late. Among his articles I can recommend his look upon the role of anarchism as a [...]
I’ve just finished my third of four essays. Leaving me with just one. Of course, since I haven’t actually turned any of the first three in yet (they’re not due until the 13th of May), there’s still ample room and chance for improvement. Therefore, I’ve made the three essays I’ve finished available in .pdf-format. Helpful [...]