http://alchemicalmusings.org Aurum nostrum non est aurum vulgi Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:11:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Chris Anderson, the editor-in-chief of Wired published a provocative essay last week that really caught me off-guard: The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete I have been writing lately about the effects that technology is having on epistemology, namely, what is knowable and how we go about ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/06/30/the-end-of-digirati-philosophizing/ Last week I went back to 'ol Nassau and attended the annual New Media Consortium conference, held this year at my alma mater. The conference was very engaging, especially since I don't think I have ever attended an event geared specifically towards the kind of work we do at CCNMTL. Typically, ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/06/19/tigers-and-teachers/ Last week I paid tribute to Albert Hoffman at an event hosted by Reality Sandwich. I have been following the site for a while, and really enjoyed the screenings and the conversation (led by John Perry Barlow and Daniel Pinchbeck). I was a bit startled to encounter a perspective that I ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/05/21/magic-potions-and-healing-plants/ Well, summer vacation is finally upon me - now I only need to work fulltime. My first year in my PhD program I found myself thinking alot about methods. Not all that surprising, given that one day I will have to defend my methods along with my ideas, but a pretty ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/05/15/no-more-pencils/ It's been a few weeks since I first started experimenting with the Play As Being practice, and ventured into Second Life. I continue to appreciate the performative brilliance of utilizing Second Life as a means to study the nature of consciousness, being, and reality. I am starting to imagine a ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/04/28/mirror-mirror-on-the-screen/ Well, I'm on day four of our experiment with Play as Being, and have noticed subtle changes in my mood, disposition, and preoccupations. I really like the rhythm of this discipline - in Piet/Parma's words, this practice is an experiment in trading off duration for frequency. Between work and school ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/04/06/jingles-mantras-and-catch-phrases/ I suppose it was only a matter of time before I experienced something within Second Life that caught my interest. Though I work on and study social software, I haven't been particularly giddy about metaverses (multiplayer, persistent, 3D immersive environments) for a variety of reasons - perhaps tracing back to ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/04/03/the-zen-of-life2/ Contrary to some of the disappointment chatter slithering around the blab-o-sphere, I had a phenomenal time at PyCon '08. While it is obvious that the conference (not the language ;-) ) had some scaling problems this year, I am confident that our community is self-reflective and humble enough to constructively ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/03/27/feeling-the-sqeeze/ I've been drafting this post on Frontline's provocative investigative piece The Medicated Child since it aired, and the longer I put off finishing this the more connections pile up. Since this has aired, we have learned that anti-depressants are no more effective than placebos (although more expensive placebos bring ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/03/18/supervillains-systemic-corruption-and-the-children/ Last Thursday I participated in a panel at an event entitled "The Future of Digital Media: Predictions for 2008." The event was recorded and will soon be posted, but in the meantime here is a page about the event with more details and some pictures. The even was hosted by Ember ... http://alchemicalmusings.org/2008/02/06/a-panel-of-prophets/