Posts tagged books

Aca-article: Between play and storytelling, an augmented reading experience

This paper presents an attempt to combine gaming and reading. We want to achieve an expansion of a story-world by transmitting the sensual, emotional and cognitive expression of the book into a tablet game.

Authors: Jos Van Es, Lisbeth Bomberg and Christian Olin, Master students at IT-University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Download full article: http://www.cse.chalmers.se/research/group/idc/ituniv/sider12/wp-content/uploads/van-es_et_al_paper.pdf

ABSTRACT - This paper presents an attempt to combine gaming and reading. We want to achieve an expansion of a story-world by transmitting the sensual, emotional and cognitive expression of the book into a tablet game.

The paper presents a prototype implementation of an augmented reading experience for children in which a physical copy of the book ”The Little Prince” is tagged with QR codes. When scanning these codes using an iPad 2, a series of mini-games, that relate to the corresponding narrative in the book, can be played The main focus of the paper is to reflect upon our transmission of the story-world of the book into a series of tablet mini-games, and how the game interactions reflect back on the users perception of
the story.

New Journal: Book 2.0 - exploring book production, design, distribution and consumption - free issue!

Book 2.0 re-evaluates the place of the book in the 21st century within the context of the book medium’s rich history as a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas, and explores the possibilities for the book afforded by recent developments in communication technologies, speculating on what the future holds for the book.

Issue 1.1 is available to view online free: http://tinyurl.com/73xneb2

For centuries the book has been the most widely used and powerful medium for the exchange of ideas and information - not only bringing pleasure, but also stimulating discussion and debate, inspiring imagination and invention, and even inciting revolution. Book 2.0 is an exciting new interdisciplinary journal exploring current developments in all aspects of book production, design, distribution and consumption. Re-evaluating the place of the book in the twenty-first century within the context of the medium’s rich history as a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas, the journal also explores the possibilities for the book afforded by recent developments in communication technologies, speculating on what the future holds for the book. Book 2.0 assembles writers, teachers, researchers, artists, designers, editors, publishers and book lovers of all backgrounds to provide a forum for debate, discussion and original thinking.
 
In Book 2.0’s inaugural issue, contributors examine the changing role of the book and of literacy. In what could be considered a controversial stance, Lissa Paul questions what it means to be ‘literate’ in the context of the 2011 London riots and the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests, contrasting official state-mandated ideas of literacy in schools with the communication strategies that have been embraced by young people through social networking. The difficulties in producing electronic editions of early modern literature are discussed by Eugene Giddens who, with emphasis on the works of Shakespeare, identifies the reasons as to why this transition has been unexpectedly slow, offering potential solutions. Sarah Gibson Yates looks at how online and offline worlds intersect through the development of User, a creative writing work-in-progress that analyses how social media has turned the self into a creative work and a digital identity to be marketed. Anthropologist Mark Turin shares his experiences as a founding member of the Digital Himalaya Project, a collection and distribution portal for scholarly and research content regarding the Himalayan region, relating how it has grown from a research project into a global user base that shares and stores information, connecting Nepal to a worldwide online community.
 
In his portrait of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman, Jimmy Smith examines the influence, scope and importance of Spiegelman’s work and his unique ability to combine autobiographical narrative with experimentation. Award-winning writer Colette Paul discusses the art of the short story with Mick Gowar in an insightful interview, sharing her thoughts on the appeal and potential of this enduring form of fiction, and Edward Hadley provides an uncompromising analysis of Andrew Motion and to what extent he has created his own reputation, exploring how the politics of his position as Poet Laureate have influenced both his work and the critical response to it.

Issue 1.1 is available to view online free: http://tinyurl.com/73xneb2

Call for Papers: Book Live! The book as a space-time continuum (Jan 15, ‘12)

The “Book Live!” conference will bring together theorists, researchers and practitioners to stimulate a dialogue across disciplines on the ability of the book to keep up with digital culture and the emergence of new modes of writing, of photographing, of reading, or archiving and of disseminating ‘on the page’ work. The purpose of the conference is to examine the current ‘transforming’ and ‘expanding’ of the book rather than its virtual disintegration.

Abstracts due January 15, 2012.

Call for Papers: BOOK LIVE! 8-9 June 2012. International symposium and related live events at London South Bank University.

Since the 1960s the book has been reclaimed by photographers, writers, musicians and thinkers as a space for both experimentation and dissemination of their ideas; a familiar space with its own structure, boundaries, history and economy which is there to be explored or transgressed. A worldwide interest in the artist’s book, as a creative practice and field of study, has grown significantly in recent years, partly reflecting a return to, and recognition of, the aesthetic of materiality in an increasingly digital culture. With this an interesting dialogue between electronic and print culture has started to take place. Could cyberspace become a new dimension in Ulysses Carrion’s 1960s definition of a book (as more than just an assemblage of pages but a ‘space-time continuum’ for the unravelling of verbal, visual, or sonic narratives)? Beyond the conference we will be bringing together papers and other contributions as a publication in its own right; an interesting survey of current thinking and innovative practice informed by both the themes and the findings of the conference, edited and designed by bookRoom press, and published by RGAP.

Book Live! is a collaboration between the Centre for Media and Cultural Research (CMCR) at LSBU and bookRoom Research Cluster at UCA Farnham, organised by Emmanuelle Waeckerle (Reader in Photography and Relational Practices at University for the Creative Arts and BookRoom lead academic) and Professor Richard Sawdon-Smith (Head of Arts & Media at London South Bank University).

The event will bring together theorists, researchers and practitioners to stimulate a dialogue across disciplines on the ability of the book to keep up with digital culture and the emergence of new modes of writing, of photographing, of reading, or archiving and of disseminating ‘on the page’ work. The purpose of this conference is to examine the current ‘transforming’ and ‘expanding’ of the book rather than its virtual disintegration.

In addition to this call for papers and presentations the conference will include international guest speakers from the broader world of publishing, photography and experimental writing as well as short presentations of book works and a series of live experimental and durational ‘readings’.

This will include keynote speakers Sharon Helgason Gallagher (founder and director of D.A.P and ARTBOOK in New York) and Joan Fontcuberta (photographer, artist and all-round critic of contemporary culture from Barcelona) as well as a performance of the full twelve hours of John Cage’s Empty Words (first published in1979 by Wesleyan University Press) by Sylvia Alexandra Schimag (Germany), coinciding with the release of the complete recording by Editions Wandelweiser.

CALL FOR PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS max 25 minutes

We welcome proposals for presentations, panels and ‘readings’ dealing with (but not limited to) the following themes and research questions:

• How has digital technology allowed the book to expand its boundaries, both in space and time?
• Innovative convergence of traditional craft skills and advanced technologies in the making, reading, archiving or disseminating of books.
• Interdisciplinary experiments that addresses the cultural translations between traditional skills and advanced technologies.
• Explorations that reconsider the contemporary or future role of the book socially, culturally, politically.
• Innovative or disastrous explorations and transgressions of ebook readers.
• What do we gain and lose with on screen ‘reading’?
• How is conventional publishing adapting to fast changing digital economy?
• What has become of collecting in our digital culture?
• What is knowledge now that computers can provide and keep everything?
• High culture versus digital culture.

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS: 15th January 2012 - Decision sent by 15th February. Please send abstracts to Emmanuelle Waeckerle (ewaeckerle(at)ucreative.ac.uk). Submissions from doctoral students and early-career postdoctoral researchers are encouraged, as well as submissions from non-academic publishers, collectors, artists, writers and thinkers.

A SUBMISSION SHOULD CONSIST OF A ZIPPED FOLDER CONTAINING:

• Individual paper: up to 500 word abstract with a 50 words summary, up to 200 words artist statement, a curriculum vitae headed with author name(s), organizational affiliation (if any), contact address, telephone, and email address (2 pages maximum). All in pdf format.
• Panel proposal: up to 500 word abstract with a 50 words summary, of the panel’s theme, details of the panel’s chair (up to 200 word artist statement) and contributors, a curriculum vitae headed with author name(s), organizational affiliation (if any), contact address, telephone, and email address (2 pages maximum). All in pdf format.
• Project presentation: up to 500 word abstract with a 50 words summary, up to 200 words artist statement, a curriculum vitae headed with author name(s), organizational affiliation (if any), contact address, telephone, and email address (2 pages maximum). All in pdf format. Website link or 2 images (jpg max 2MB each) of documentation and YouTube or Vimeo link for video documentation.
• Experimental or durational reading or performance: up to 500 word abstract, 200 words resumé, A curriculum vitae headed with author name(s), organizational affiliation (if any), contact address, telephone, and email address (2 pages maximum). All in pdf format. Website link or 2 images (jpg max 2MB each) of documentation and YouTube or Vimeo link for video documentation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Richard Sawdon Smith sawdonsr(at)lsbu.ac.uk or Emmanuelle Waeckerle ewaeckerle(at)ucreative.ac.uk

REGISTRATION
Full Conference
Early Bird Rate: £150/£75 concessions
Standard Rate: £200/£100 concessions

Single Day
Early Bird Rate: £80/£35 concessions
Standard Rate: £120/£55 concessions

Performances only (Saturday 9am to 9pm; ‘Empty words’ and other durational readings)
£15/£10 concessions

The Early Bird Rate will be available from 1 April 2012, when registration opens, until 1 May 2012, after which the standard rates apply.

New Book: Transmedia Storytelling - Imagery, Shapes and Techniques

Transmedia Storytelling explores the theories and describes the use of the imagery and techniques shared by producers, authors and audiences of the entertainment, information and brand communication industries as they create and develop their stories in this new, interactive ecosystem.

By: Max Giovagnoli, italian transmedia storyteller and cross-media researcher.

This book is available for free from Feedbooks: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/23793/transmedia-storytelling-imagery-shapes-and-techniques (CC:BY-NC-ND)

Language: English
Published: 2011-11-11
Word count: 36,064 words (≈ about 2 hours)

Book: New Media Technologies and User Empowerment

By: Jo Pierson, Enid Mante-Meijer and Eugène Loos (eds.)

This collection provides numerous and refreshing insights into the claims about the ever more proactive role of users of information and communication technologies.  Through a variety of case studies, illustrating the array of theoretical frameworks available, the authors throw light upon the diverse ways in which users engage with innovations. From outlining the challenges of involving users in design, through appreciating the diverse origins and nature of user engagement with ICTs to critically commenting upon the constraints of the user experience, this book provides a welcome and useful contribution to the field. (Leslie Haddon - LSE London School of Economics and Political Sciences)

User-generated content, produsage, collective intelligence – these terms have come into their own in recent years, filled with detail as researchers explore the finer nuances of participative Web environments. This is a rich collection of such work, exploring the successes and failures of innovative online projects, and examining how they affect the rhetoric of user empowerment that surrounds Web 2.0. A very welcome addition to this field of research. (Axel Bruns - Author of Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life and Beyond: From Production to Produsage)

Book Synopsis

Recent developments in new media devices and applications have led to the rise of what have become known as ‘social media’, ‘Web 2.0’, ‘social computing’ or ‘participative web’. This shift in ICT, from unidirectional to conversational media of mass self-communication has lowered the technological thresholds for everyday users to cooperate for their own benefit, to participate in online environments and social network sites, to co-create business value and to become ‘produsers’ or ‘pro-ams’. At the same time, we see an evolution towards people-centred design and user-driven innovation in the design of new media technologies. This has created new opportunities and heightened expectations regarding user empowerment in different societal arenas.

However, the question remains to what extent users and communities interacting in an all-IP new media ecosystem are empowered (and not disempowered) to express their creativity and concerns in their social and cultural environment and to obtain a prominent role in the process of new media design and innovation. The book attempts to answer this question through a collection of chapters that scrutinise this issue. The different chapters focus on the way that social and economic opportunities and threats enable and/or constrain user empowerment.

This work consists of four major sections, each of which examines the (potential) empowerment/disempowerment of users in relation to new media technologies from a different angle. The chapters in the first section describe different theoretical perspectives on user roles and user involvement in the new media ecosystem, referring to interpretative, positivist and critical schools of thought. Based on these overall guiding frameworks, we then explore the leverage users have, both on content level and on technological level. This refers respectively to the second and third section of the book. In the fourth section different case studies are presented, each of which highlight how user empowerment manifests itself in different new media sectors and environments (such as publishing, the music industry and social networking sites).

The book is based on interdisciplinary research. It offers innovative insights based on state-of-the-art academic and industry-driven ICT user research in various European countries. This work will appeal to post-graduate students and researchers in the field of media and communication studies, social studies of technology, digital media marketing and other domains that investigate the mutual relationship between new media technologies and society.

Details

Peter Lang - International Academic Publishers

Published in May 2011

ISBN 978-3-631-60031-3

Peter Lang published the book ‘New Media Technologies and User Empowerment’ (edited by Jo Pierson, Enid Mante-Meijer and Eugène Loos)

Volume 6 in ‘Participation in Broadband Society’ series (edited by Leopoldina Fortunati, Julian Gebhardt and Jane Vincent)

Contents

Yves Punie: Introduction: New Media Technologies and User Empowerment. Is there a Happy Ending? - Enid Mante-Meijer/Eugène Loos: Innovation and the Role of Push and Pull - Valerie Frissen/Mijke Slot: The Return of the Bricoleur: Redefining Media Business - Serge Proulx/Lorna Heaton: Forms of User Contribution in Online Communities: Mechanisms of Mutual Recognition between Contributors - Aphra Kerr/Stefano De Paoli/Cristiano Storni: Rethinking the Role of Users in ICT Design: Reflections for the Internet - James Stewart/Laurence Claeys: Problems and Opportunities of Interdisciplinary Work Involving Users in Speculative Research for Innovation of Novel ICT Applications - Marinka Vangenck/Jo Pierson/Wendy Van den Broeck/Bram Lievens: User-Driven Innovation in the Case of Three-Dimensional Urban Environments - Mijke Slot: Web Roles Re-examined: Exploring User Roles in the Media Environment - Philip Ely/David Frohlich/Nicola Green: Uncertainty, Upheavals and Upgrades: Digital-DIY during Life-change - Eva K. Törnquist: In Search of Elks and Birds: Two Case Studies on the Creative Use of ICT in Sweden - Levente Szekely/Agnes Urban: Over the Innovators and Early Adopters: Incentives and Obstacles of Internet Usage - James Stewart/Richard Coyne/Penny Travlou/Mark Wright/Henrik Ekeus: The Memory Space and the Conference: Exploring Future Uses of Web2.0 and Mobile Internet through Design Interventions - Sanna Martilla/Kati Hyyppä/Kari-Hans Kommonen: Co-Design of a Software Toolkit for Media Practices: P2P-Fusion Case Study - Ike Picone: Mapping Users’ Motivations and Thresholds for Casually «Produsing» News - Stijn Bannier: The Musical Network 2.0 & 3.0 - Enid Mante-Meijer/Jo Pierson/Eugène Loos: Conclusion: Substantiating User Empowerment.

For more information on the book, follow this link.