Analogies
The knowledge delusion: What changes and what stays the same

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An interesting discussion took place between two prominent e-thinkers who both agree that the 'nature of knowledge' is changing but disagree on how and what the implications are. Stephen Downes summarises the notion of changing knowledge as follows.
Twitter backlash exposes shallowness of modern psychology
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The Inquisitr responds to a recent Times article on Twitter with the phrase 'load of bollocks, up to a point' but he is wrong. It is entirely and thoroughly bollocks. There is not a single quote in that article that is not at least partially nonsense. More than anything the psychiatric response to Twitter stems from the profound failure of modern psychology which for the last hundred or so years has lived off a populist reification of some of Freud's interesting insights. For instance this quote from Alain de Botton:
A load of Twitter - Times Online “To ‘follow’ someone is to have a fantasy of who this person you’re following is, and you use it as a map reference or signpost to guide your own life because you are lost,” says James. “I would guess that the typical profile of a ‘follower’ is someone who is young and who feels marginalised, empty and pointless. They don’t have an inner life,” he says.
Gendered discourse as a consequence of gendered socialisation
I've been planning to write a column or speak on the radio about this for a long time and I'm happy that Amanda Carpenter beat me to it. Her observation on fashion and make up being to women what sports are to men, is one of not insignificant sociological depth. What we talk about and consequently what we're interested in is a function of the group we talk about it with. And the discourse (and even the interest) has a dimension of group utility.
Obama, Socialist Realism and the Inventory of Expressive Units of Culture
Obama and swaying fields of corn was a major theme of his 30-minute pre-election and then Elizabeth Alexander's poem at the inauguration brought it home during the inauguration:
Scenarios behind education
Scenarios behind technology and education debate
The nation's colleges and universities should support Google's controversial project to digitize great libraries and offer books online. It has the potential to do a lot of good for higher education in this country.
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Jazz in America/Classical in Europe: Functional equivalence
NPR : Roundtable: The Future of Jazz Radio
News & Notes with Ed Gordon, August 10, 2006 · Some experts say the jazz radio format is in crisis. Some of the few stations devoted to jazz may soon change format. Guests: Suzan Jenkins, president of Jazz Alliance International, an industry group; Tom Thomas, president of the public radio research firm Station Resource Group; and Don Heckman, jazz critic for the Los Angeles Times.
Role of examples in social debate and research
Feminism as Islam
Feminismus jako islám
Muslimové majà obecnÄ rádi feministky asi stejnÄ jako feministky muslimy. PÅesto je feminismus jako islám. ProÄ?? Protože:a) islám je hlubokým a významným myÅ¡lenkovým hnutÃm s ustavenou, zajÃmavou tradicÃ.
b) islám je pestrý a mnohorozmÄrný, nabÃzà spoustu cest a smÄrů.
c) islám klade otázky, které nikdo jiný neklade, a bez nÄj by bylo naÅ¡e myÅ¡lenà chudÅ¡Ã.