to keep me sane

Mega

2007-08-06T19:02:46Z

Last week, SR and I ventured to travel to Chicago by public transport. Since we have lived in BG for a few years and have learned to drive, we have not tried pub transport for a while. We grew up with buses, street cars, trolleys, trains, and other ways to travel in and between cities without touching the steering wheel of a car. We were longing for the opportunity to find an alternative for the 4 hour drag of driving.

On Friday our friend had to take us to Toledo to “the bus station” – a random place in an abandoned parking lot of a dying mall. I was happy to see a few more people waiting at the bus stop. I realized that we were not alone.
The bus did not come at the scheduled moment. I did not come in ten minutes and even in twenty. What do you do? SR called the dispatcher, and found out that the bus got broken on the way to from Pittsburg to Cleveland and would be late. Good beginning is half the battle, I thought. Maybe we should go back, and drive to Chicago? – asked SR. I insisted that we wait. The bus arrived just 1 hour and 30 minutes late. We boarded the nice looking vehicle painted dark blue, with screaming 1 dollar fair printed on its side. The last person to get on the bus was a lady on a scooter: The driver was supposed to open the back door and use the platform to lift the scooter with the passenger. By the end of this successful operation, the driver had no idea how to close the back door. Two hours of waiting - we were still 30 miles from home. After dancing around the bus and trying some tricks, the driver managed to close the door. We hit the road.

The drive was nice, given the circumstances at the point of departure. I enjoyed the bus – comfortable seats, air conditioning, and friendly people. What else did I need from a public bus? If I were to change that ride, I would seat next to SR. You know, sitting for four hours I could lean on him… In any case, we reached Chicago!

Sunday morning, SR and I walked back to the Union Station where we were supposed to catch the bus. We figured if Chicago was the first station on the way, we had a pretty fat chance to sit right next to each other. This time the bus was late only 15 minutes. I suppose it was within “the acceptable limits of on-time” After hustling in between three buses that stopped by the sidewalk near the Union Station, we boarded the blue bus again. “The system works!” rushed through my mind. The bus rapidly filled in with passengers, and we headed home almost without delay. We passed a dozen of traffic lights, raced through skyway, and crossed the state line to Indiana. About 45 minutes on the road. “The system works!” rushed through my mind again. The next moment the driver pulled over and switched off the engine. She dialed her radio and informed the other side that the bus did not work. The company sent another bus from Chicago station and in another hour we were truly going home. A friend had to pick us up in four.

Well, I enjoyed the ride again. The service was worth the price we paid – almost nothing. The public transportation does exist, yet it is unsystematic and amateurish. Oh, the life of fabulous and privileged! Booking the tickets online, having cell phones to call, having friends to give us a ride. The trips could have been better.

Most likely, I am using MegaBus for traveling to NCA. I plan to take more snacks for the road. Good luck to you too!

long time

2007-07-24T18:11:09Z

I haven't posted or written anything for SO long.

twitter

2007-03-28T01:48:26Z

Invalid video URL.
follow Mora at http://twitter.com

march 8

2007-03-08T23:15:37Z

I've got this from a friend...Scary!

ICA

2007-02-13T15:55:15Z

presentations to attend:
Patricia G. Lange - "Fostering Friendship Through Video Production: How Youth use
YouTube to Enrich Local Interaction"

stuart hall: race the floating signifier

2007-02-08T21:22:38Z



"stuart hall: race the floating signifier" on Google Video
video of British Cultural Studies theorist Stuart Hall discussing the cultural production,and reproduction of race relations-

You Belong in London?

2007-02-07T01:45:48Z

You Belong in London
A little old fashioned, and a little modern.
A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock.
A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything.
No wonder you and London will get along so well.

http://ynr.blogthings.com/whatcitydoyoubelonginquiz/

International Journal of Communication

2007-01-12T01:36:33Z

The International Journal of Communication (IJoC) is now
officially
launched. Volume 1, 2007, including scholarly articles,
book reviews and
features, is available to any interested reader, free of
charge - just
go to the website [http://ijoc.org] and register.

The Journal of Social Change and Critical Inquiry (JoSCCI)

2007-01-10T17:58:22Z

The Journal of Social Change and Critical Inquiry (JoSCCI) is the international refereed journal of the Institute of Social Change and Critical Inquiry. The journal is committed to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences concerned with the social, cultural and political causes and effects of globalisation, economic restructuring and social change. It focuses on multidisciplinary approaches in various sites of social transformation. It is particularly concerned to explore processes of social disadvantage and strategies for empowerment. In particular, JoSCCI is concerned with presenting ways of achieving social justice and the fuller participation of previously excluded groups- locally, nationally and internationally.
http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/joscci/joscci1/mission.html

my b-day

2007-01-03T18:00:47Z

Today is my b-day. What's next?

ordert his book

2006-12-16T21:06:39Z

social shaping of technology, Ed. MacKenzie & Wajcman.

my web

2006-11-29T20:33:27Z

Anthropology Matters encourages the sharing of experiences and ideas at a level beyond departmental settings. Specifically, the journal addresses issues of relevance to the learning and teaching of anthropology, as well as work in progress.

http://www.anthropologymatters.com/journal/index.html

Mylene Farmer -- Tristana

2006-10-25T22:07:16Z

Facebook Co-Founder

2006-10-22T19:21:59Z



"Facebook Co-Founder" on Google Video
Facebook is hugely popular among college and high school students. And a staggering of number of companies use Facebook to establish social networks. We hadn't really known how widespread business use was of the very cool platform. We had an expansive interview with co-founder Chris Hughes about Facebook's early beginnings, its business model, privacy concerns and the future of social networking. We were amazed to learn from Chris that 10,000 companies use Facebook. btw, Chris just graduated Harvard this Spring. Unlike his two partners who dropped out after their sophmore year, Chris received his degree. Congrats, Chris! This is an incredible story. Wow. - View this post on Beet.TV, http://www.beet.tv/2006/07/10000_companies.html - Contact us at beettv@plesser.com

journal

2006-10-13T13:15:44Z

Flow's mission is to provide a space where researchers, teachers, students, and the public can read about and discuss the changing landscape of contemporary media at the speed that media moves.

http://jot.communication.utexas.edu/flow/about.php

journal

2006-10-11T15:16:55Z

Journal - "Postmodern Culture" http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/pmc/index.html
Founded in 1990 as a groundbreaking experiment in scholarly publishing on the Internet, Postmodern Culture has become a leading electronic journal of interdisciplinary thought on contemporary culture. PMC offers a forum for commentary, criticism, and theory on subjects ranging from identity politics to the economics of information.

rlj

2006-10-02T19:50:04Z

http://gigienishvili.livejournal.com/profile

today's news

2006-09-25T00:45:59Z

will social networking get you a job? http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/networking/Will_Social_Networking_Get_You_a_Job__20060911-082016.html?subtopic=Networking+Tips
social networking as a career tool.

on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking

articles (USA today)

2006-09-24T01:27:09Z

FB = Just 15.....
http://search.usatoday.com/search/yahoo/search.aspx?kw=facebook&qt=both&nr=5
MS = 47
http://search.usatoday.com/search/yahoo/search.aspx?kw=myspace&qt=both&nr=5

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-09-19-friending_x.htm

changes

2006-09-05T16:52:07Z

Facebook Gets a Facelift - what?!? wow?!?

security question

2006-09-03T23:29:25Z

do you expect a comment or response when you mark your post as public (leave the default status, sorry security, and do not change it to friends or private)?

Weibe Bijker

2006-08-25T21:26:34Z

Social construction of technology (2001) in International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences / eds.-in-chief Neil J. Smelser, Paul B. Baltes (pp.15522-15527). Amsterdam [etc.] : Elsevier ref H41 .I58 2001

"the world as laboratory: the social construction of bicycle" in Laboratorium / ed. by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Barbara Vanderlinden (pp.227-230). [S.l.] : Dumont, Antwerpen Open and Roomade

"Understanding technological culture through a constructivist view of science, technology, and society " in Visions of STS : counterpoints in science, technology, and society studies / ed. by Stephen H. Cutcliffe and Carl Mitcham (pp.19-34). Albany : State University of New York Press T14.5.V574 2001

Lieshout, Marc van Egyedi, Tineke M. Bijker, Wiebe E (2001). Social learning technologies : the introduction of multimedia in education.  LB1028.3 .S624 2001

Of bicycles, bakelites, and bulbs : toward a theory of sociotechnical change  T14.5.B54 1995

Shaping technology/building society : studies in sociotechnical change / edited by Wiebe E. Bijker and John Law  T14.5.S49 1992

Philosophy of technology : the technological condition : an anthology / edited by Robert C. Scharff and Val Dusek T14.P534 2003

The Social construction of technological systems : new directions in the sociology and history of technology / edited by Wiebe E. Bijker, Thomas P. Hughes, and Trevor J. Pinch  T14.5 .S6375 1989

prelim list with RG

2006-06-13T23:11:33Z

MY LIST

Altman, M and Gajjala, R. (2006). Exploring the Production of Race through Virtual Learning Environments in "International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments" Editors: Joel Weiss, Jason Nolan, Peter Trifonas: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Bell, D., & Kennedy, B. (2000). The cybercutures reader.

Cooper, Geoff, Green, Nocola, Murtagh, Ged, & Harper, Richard. (2002). Mobile society? Technology, distance, and presence. In. S. Woolgar (Ed.), Virtual society: Technology, cyperbole, reality (pp. 286-301). New York: Oxford University Press.

Dibbel, J. A rape in cyberpace.

Eglash, R. (2002). From Black geeks to Asian American hipsters. Social Text, 20(2), 49-64).

Eglash, R., Croissant, J., Chiro, G., & Fouche, R. (Eds.). (2004). Appropriating technology.

Fanderclai, T. L. (1996). Like magic only real. In L. Cherny & E. R. Weise (Eds.) Wired_women: Gender and new realities in cyberspace (pp. 224-241). Seattle, WA: Seal Press.

Gajjala, R (2003). Fluid Architectures running Wild: How wild are they really? in The American Communication Journal Special Issue "Inter/Active Performance" eds - Johnson, Olson, Rich

Gajjala, R and Altman, M (2006) Producing Cyberselves through Technospatial Praxis: Studying through Doing - in Health Research in Cyberspace, edited by Pranee Liamputtong - Nova Publishers

Gajjala, R., & Mamidipudi, A. (2003) "Analoging" the Digital, Digitizing the Analogue: Contemplations on Communities of Production and Virtuality. In Maria Fernandez, Faith Wilding, and Michelle Wright (eds.), Domain Errors: Cyberfeminist Tactics, Subversions, Embodiments (NY:Autonomedia)

Gajjala, R. (2000) Negotiating cyberspace/ negotiating RL in A. Gonzalez, M. Houston, & V. Chen (Eds), Our voices: Essays in culture, ethnicity, and communication. California: Roxbury Press.

Gajjala, R. (2001). Studying feminist e-spaces: Introducing transnational/postcolonial concerns. In S. Munt (Ed.), Technospaces. London: Continuum International.

Gajjala, R. (2004). Cyber selves: Feminist ethnographies of South Asian women. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.

Haraway, D. Cyborg Manifesto.

Kendall, Lori. (1996). MUDder? I hardly know ‘er! Adventures of a feminist MUDder. (pp. 207-223). In L. Cherny & E. R. (Eds.) WeiseWired_women: Gender and new realities in cyberspace. Seattle, WA: Seal Press.

Kendall, Lori. (1998). Are you male or female? Gender performances on Muds. In J. O’Brian & J. Howard (Eds.), Everyday inequalities: Critical inquiries (p. 131-154). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Kolko, B, Nakamura, L, & Rodman, G. (Eds.) (2000). Race in cyberspace. New York: Routledge.

Kolko, Beth. (2003). Introduction: The reality of virtuality. In B. Kolko (Ed.), Virtual publics: Policy and community in an electronic age (pp. 1-7). New York: Columbia University Press.

Munt, S. (2001). Technospaces.

Nakamura, L. Cybertypes

Nelson, A. (2002). Future texts. Social Text, 20(2).

Rheingld, H. (2000). The virtual community. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Silver, David. (2003). Communication, community, consumption: An ethnographic exploration of an online city. In B. Kolko (Ed.), Virtual publics: Policy and community in an electronic age (pp. 327-353). New York: Columbia University Press.

Stone, A. (1995). The war of desire and technology.

Turkle, S. The fellowship of the microchip.

Turkle, S. Tinysex and gender trouble.

Turkle, Sherry (1995). Life on the screen?

Turkle, Sherry. (2000). Who am we? In R. Baird, R. Ramsower, & S. Rosenbaum (Eds.), Cyberethics (pp. 129-141). Amherst, NY: Prometeus Books.

Turkle, Sherry. (2003). Virtuality and its discontents: Searching for a community in cyberspace. J. Turow & A. Kavanaugh (Eds.), The wired homestead (pp.385-397). MIT Press.

Woolgar, Steve. (2002). Five rules of virtuality. In. S. Woolgar (Ed.), Virtual society: Technology, cyperbole, reality (pp. 1-22). New York: Oxford University Press.

Berry, C., Fran Martin, and Audrey Yue (2003). Mobile cultures

Nelson, A., & Tu, T. L. N. (2001). Technicolor: race, technology, and everyday life.

re cyber culture

2006-06-12T19:30:51Z

Sample Syllabus Featuring Unspun:Key Concepts for
Understanding the World Wide Web
Course Title: Cultures of Cyberspace and the Web
by David Silver
http://www.nyupress.org/unspun/syllabus.html

Gender, Technology, and Computer Culture by Professor Sherry Turkle
http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/STS060.html

Designing virtual worlds/bibligraphy http://www.mud.co.uk/dvw/bibliography.html

(GENDER-NEUTRAL PRONOUN FAQ http://www.aetherlumina.com/gnp/)

my links1

2006-05-22T20:14:40Z

webology (a scholarly journal in English devoted to the various fields of Library and Information Science and serves as a forum for discussion and experimentation.) http://www.webology.ir
the virtual knowledge studio http://www.virtualknowledgestudio.nl/en/
the singapore internet research centre http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/