Been a major career shift since last blogs in the spring. I'm now manager of a publicly accessible database of social services.  Our agency also holds several contracts to supply data and access to individually tailored concerns.  Not that much of a shift from my interests, and a wonderful opportunity to engage in my passion for providing equitable and easy access to what I believe to be relevant information.  Also has me commuting in a very different part of the city, so you can look forward to comments related to the cycling / transportation infrastructure in my town. I also provide commentary on twitter.

Cloud music challenges individual choices

Amazon, this morning (March 29, 2011), just announced cloud music, ahead of rivals apple and google, and got me thinking about the implications of this, especially as it effects easy access to information.  My initial reaction was very postive, as somebody who really never grasped the post walkman (tape or cd) era of portable music.

I had every intention of making the leap and investing in an MP3 player when I was planning a long transatlantic excursion a few years back.  I was looking forward to not hauling my CD collection, something I had been doing for a while, usually in a way that scratched the disks, and left me with only a small subset of my favourite tunes.  However, I very quickly was put off, not only by the limited battery power, but more importantly by the possibility that in addition to an $80.00 investment, I'd probably have to a) buy a new computer to load the music, and b) spend the next 10 hours at least mixing or loading the device.  So I comforted myself with investing in a good headset, and thinking I could at least enjoy the music / muzak provided on board.  It had apparently been a while since I'd flown overseas, and didn't realize there no longer was any music, just television, and nothing that I'd enjoy watching.

So the announcement that I wouldn't have to transfer music to new / various devices seemed attractive, but upon further reflection, I'm very concerned. I can't argue with the convenience, now that many people own and use several devices that are capable of storing and playing music (or that the life span of any individual device is so short that you're seemingly forever transferring files). My concern is two-fold.

First there is the issue, which I've already had to wrestle with regarding safe and reliable storage on line of my reading material (i.e. refworks), regarding third party storage.

Second, there is a more important argument that is at the very heart of fair distribution, the increased dependence upon internet providers who in various jurisdiction are battling for the rights to run the show on a 'for-profit' model in a still largely unregulated environment.

In theory the music has been paid for once, and under the old model of ownership, it was mine to enjoy (with admittedly a few provisos: I couldn't broadcast it, charge for 'public concerts' etc.).  And there was something very liberating to be able to flop down in your own pad, crank your own tunes, or take a drive (if you must) roof down, open road partake in any other cliche images you can imagine.  Under the new model, we are more and more dependent on suitable internet access.  Being less technology burdened than many travellers, I'm not sure how good internet access is at 30 000 ft, or in a train or bus for that matter; but it sure was easier, to take a few tapes, cd, a player, headset and some batteries, and there was no one to blame but yourself, if you forget any of those pieces.  Moreover, as we've already seen in so many other circumstances, suitable internet access remains determined by population density, and demand for service, and ability for the larger community to provide infrastructure.  Where availability of music (and for that matter any kind of information) was once the privilege of individuals, and sometimes even proudly defended / protected, its mere enjoyment is being off-loaded to an entirely incompatible model, run by a third party with interests completely at odds with those of individual choice.  How ironic is that in a society that otherwise continues to pride itself on individual freedoms. (Of course that's another story).

Written on the occasion of the day after St. Patrick’s day, 2011, when I viewed a documentary entitled Famine and shipwreck: an Irish Odyssey

The programme, not surprisingly given the medium presented a very simple message, but simple messages are the most misleading, and are based on assumption that there is a single truth. Perhaps we are constrained by the time limits of the programme, and the expectation that by the end of it everything is nicely wrapped up, and we can rest comfortably. To its credit, it succeeded in one thing, namely it got me thinking, and perhaps even engaging in meaningful debate. But it also got me angry, or at least passionate enough to write this piece. I am especially bothered by its omissions and admissions; omitting that there was a long and complicated history before the famine (and what the salient points of that history are) and admitting, with little support, that Canada welcomed the Irish with open arms.

I think it best to try and summarize the most relevant omissions. There had been ongoing emigration from Ireland, and not on an insignificant scale to varying degrees, and from different regions, probably since the early 19^th century. I say probably, because Ireland, like the rest of the United Kingdom was subjected to a large-scale census that was directly related to very disruptive social change. Without getting into discussions about which came first, the census or the change, we can say with certainty that the project of colonization and distant control of local populations was well entrenched with the first Ordnance Survey early in the 19th century. In fact Ireland is unique compared to many other parts of the UK because a detailed census was taken by Elizabeth I to account for Catholics throughout her realm, producing some nearly unprecedented examples of cartographic surveillance, only to be replicated for the rest of the realm several hundred years later. And emigration to England was well enough established by the 1840s (even before the Famine) that Engels in his ‘conditions…” could comment on the Irish bringing down labour prices in Manchester by being willing to work for less than their English counterparts. (If memory serves he makes some very disparaging comments about their tendency not to wear shoes).

Although the film touched on the agricultural reforms that had forced many of the land, it made scant reference to the scale of the crisis. This had been going on throughout Europe, probably at least since the middle of the 18^th century (might have been related to the reforms of Marie Theresa in the Holy Roman Empire, and Frederick the Great in Prussia, and the reforms that were late in coming, and hence precipitated the French Revolution). And while in England these same reforms (Parliamentary Enclosures and Poor Law) led to the Captain Swing Riots of the 1830s, the film made no mention of the contemporaneous events in Ireland.

Additional context for the response, the desire to leave, may be in the aggressive colonization of Ireland from the very beginning of the 19^th century. Here’s a parallel with other colonized groups (in Canada) that the film omitted, namely the remapping and hence increased surveillance of the land. In Ireland this event has been dramatized by Brian Friel in his play Translations, (1981) and while related to a neighbouring Principality, by Hollywood in the 1995 film, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. We’ve seen this exercise of course in our own country and throughout the new world with names of colonial conquerors dotting our map (Vancouver, Edmonton, London, Windsor, Kitchener (or is that Berlin), and it was going on in Ireland as the English landlords sought to ‘translate’ place names throughout Ireland. I was struck, but not really surprised, by the existence of a well-argued written petition from a landless tenant to his landlord. Two questions that this raises, but were not even mentioned, are the fact that this individual could write, and write well, and that he wrote in English – a product, to be sure, of the previous generations’ institution of English rural schools throughout Ireland. Can no one see the irony of using the tools provided by the colonial overlords to negotiate one’s independence from them? But then history is full of irony, and my biggest complaint is that this is rarely brought to the fore, perhaps because it seems so often that the ability to recognize and appreciate it is a lost art.

And finally to the admissions: The admission that Canada welcomed these Irish with open arms. The film, did not present very convincing evidence, one way or another of this ‘fact’. The film opened with some fascinating, and probably hard to replicate facts, one that struck me in particular that 50% of the population of Ontario can claim (or claims, I don’t recall the exact words) Irish descent. It left the viewer just having to take this at face value, and yet, from the time of the first large wave of immigrants arriving from Ireland, it took at least one, if not two generations for Catholics to hold public office, and to be accepted into mainstream society. Throughout the 19^th century we have accounts of the Irish being discriminated against, the Irish language being suppressed, and the Irish urban populations being forced into clannish social organizations (allegedly well documented in an early 20^th century account, at least for the city of New York, in Herbert Asbury’s Gangs of New York). Elsewhere, in the county atlases that were produced of southern, and south eastern Ontario in the late 19^th century, and since then have reappeared as facsimile’s we see large tracts of bush, and none of it too attractive, marked as ‘suitable only for Irish’. Open arms indeed.
In the end it, while the programme succeeded at one level, I wonder why we must cater, in a medium such as this to a lowest common denominator to reaffirm a national myth, (sometimes a dangerous proposition) rather than challenge the viewer and introduce them to the more complex interconnectedness of historical and geographical events, perhaps making them yearn for more.

Aboriginal Contributions to Justice

I just spent the last 40 minutes chatting with a student researching native contributions to the Canadian Justice system.  He was stumped with database searching, and I can't say I blame him.  But over the course of chatting we came up with a number of items, plus some additional strategies.  This just demonstrates that while Databases are wonderful tools, they are just one in the toolbox, and nothing can fully replace human interaction with intelligent informed librarians.

He began by outlining his topic, and while he was chatting, and telling me he didn't have any good keywords to search, I was madly writing down some of the keywords from what he told me, which he claimed he didn't have.  His discussion also allowed me to recalls some key texts, I hadn't immediately thought of, and before long we ended up having a lengthy conversation with me occassionally interrupting and saying, 'Oh lets search that term, or that database'.  He also seemed to gain the confidence to talk to some people he knows who work directly in the field. It was a nice a ha moment for him.  Me, a bit frustrated at first that nothing was coming up with simple searches, but nice feeling as he left, that indeed there was hope, and no doubt he will find something, as there have been, in recent years some notable contributions.  Thanks to the folks at the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards for having a category for Justice and Law and recognizing these contributions.

Searching for Arrowsmith correspondence

Search for material on Aaron Arrowsmith is turning up surprisingly little about his maps, especially early maps. I'm starting to wonder if he might have corresponded with friend Ambros von Amman. Did they have Map producer's conferences? Amman did order a state of the art sextant or astrolabe (don't recall which) but it came from England. And he corresponded with leading scholars in Germany. What a find that would be? I smell research trip. Any body out there willing to sponsor? My employer won't pay, keeping me on contract only.

Fragility of Internet Access

Here are two examples yesterday that demonstrated the fragility and cost of internet access.
I was in line yesterday to pay for my lunch at a University eatery, and the net was down. And with net being down, so too was the debit machine, so cash only. The two people in the line in front of me, had to abandon their lunch plans, left the food behind, presumably to be thrown out (i.e. no sale). Multiply that by number of people who don't use cash and we can only imagine the number of sales lost in a very short period of time.

In my second example I was part of a test with colleagues in Vancouver regarding conferencing using web based conference calling. The net went down, and we were stranded in mid-conversation. There were a few chat messages before they too didn't go through. Thankfully this was a test run, but the conclusion is we're not there yet, and will have to persevere with the more costly and clumsy option of teleconferencing.

In a model that is actively discouraging what the vendors / IP providers are labelling overuse this kind of thing is bound to be devastating to small and medium sized businesses in this country. Back in the day, millions were invested (admittedly to varying geographic degrees, since much of the investment was provincially regulated, or on a for-profit model) to create a strong and profitable infrastructure. Ironically, part of that infrastructure was a system of 'residential schools', and while I'm sure everyone is glad to see the demise of those, we are missing some glorious opportunities to create a viable network of education facilities if we're going to persist with a for-profit model of communication, and especially one that punishes over use, regardless of its purpose. Surely there is a difference between stable cash transactions, information flow for education, and streaming of entertainment. And even that, didn't the broadcasters in this country once have a mandate (at least in practice) to transmit the same quality of programming throughout the country? In Manitoba last spring, an opposition MLA tabled a list of some 200 communities that didn't have adequate internet access. Regardless of what that means exactly, I find it shameful that this kind of situation doesn't merit public outcry, in light of all the possibilities, and in light of the minimal financial cost to implement a suitable infrastructure. As with railways before, it sounds very much like if they want it -- if the political will is there -- it can happen. Course, like the railway, lets hope the lessons from that experiment are taken to heart, and the geographical distribution of crisis are well understood and addressed.

nother teachable worth filing

Had another today. Effect of industrialization on working class women in Europe after 1800. Not much luck finding materials on historical dbs, but when I directed student to Geographical dbs, the light bulb went on. I did caution her that some of the materials will have a slightly different approach, but that she could certainly milk the footnotes. Some geographers are damn fine historians (and some are not). They come in all shapes and sizes, but nice to know there are other ways to view the world, and that I was able to provide a different lens.

Is access to Information structural?

I'm pondering how might access to information (and these days that means primarily suitable telecommunications infrastructure) be related to poverty? To uncover this, a couple of things need to be defined clearly. 1st Poverty -- what is it? what causes it? 2nd what is suitable telecommunication infrastructure, and where does it rank as a symptom or determinant of poverty. Does it weigh in as heavily as clean air, drinking water, suitable shelter? Education.

Can education be provided, in a sustainable manner, without suitable high speed internet access? Is there still room in development models, for keeping the solutions local and sustainable?

My first thoughts about this, was that indeed there was something structural about poverty, and hence about suitable and sustainable infrastructure. At the simplest level, perhaps, but it is just that, too simple. The structure does not exist in a vacuum, it is not superorganic, in the sense that it somehow floats above all the other attributes of any given culture, and to get a deeper understanding of the problems, at a theoretical level, we need to identify who the stakeholders are, and in which context they operate. But this is not a theoretical problem alone and needs some imaginative solutions in the present. So in short, probably not a structural problem, or if it is, let's stop playing the blame game.


Now you can blame the social system
But I still say it was his necktie (From "Necktie" by Michelle Shocked, Texas Campfire Tapes (Cooking Vinyl 1987).

CIRA to host national event on the future of the Internet | Canadian Internet Forum

CIRA to host national event on the future of the Internet | Canadian Internet Forum

Some interesting discussions here.

Personally I'm interested to hear what they have to say about access, and distribution of information services. I attended one of the sessions that this one is summarizing, in my capacity as Provincial Director for the SLA -WCC, but also expressed my concerns at the time regarding the geographical distribution of internet access. The discussion at the time back in November ended on a fairly optimistic note, that all we needed to do is hound the politicians to do the right thing. But I'm not sure that in that small an informal gathering we were able to agree what the right thing might be.

As it turns out a lot of thought and imagination needs to be expended, and in very limited time. Already since we met a few months ago, a recent CRTC decision has come down that may have significant impact on this country's internet access; that decision has placed caps on unlimited internet access previously promised by some service providers.
This decision not only limits the ability of smaller service providers to compete, but more importantly it places limits on the access to information for people who are already at a lower socio-economic status, and cannot afford to pay the rates offered by the larger service providers, many of whom don't serve the remote communities, citing the rules of market forces (rather than social responsibility) as the driving force behind irresponsible decisions. These are harsh criticism to be sure, and unsubstantiated, so I throw these out to the wider community to engage in discussion.

What is at stake is an uneven distribution of information in a society that ostensibly values education as a basic human right.

Watch this space for further thoughts as they develop.

Filing 'Teachable' moments

What are the chances? two reference questions that touched on two very different aspects of my past research. I was able, without consulting external resources.

Historical Atlas that shows events of the 18th century in western europe. Was able to remind student of a resource I hadn't used in over 10 years, back when I was teaching historical geography of Europe.
treatment of women in shakespeare's time -- directed student to New Historicism and stephen greenblatt.
This experience needs to be filed as I prep for interviews as a teachable moments.  And speaking of teachable moments, have been confronted with a spectacular one, as I failed to be shortlisted for position that I've been doing for several years, and had developed an excellent rapport with the folks I was meant to serve, but perhaps not so much with my team mates.  Tricky one.  Siomebody moved my cheese, and I'm expected to make lemonade.  Watch this space, as I try to reinvent myself.  I've been told in the past I have a good broadcasting voice.  What of the voice of Information Literacy.  What shall I call myself?  Open to suggestions,

Liberation Technologies

Encountered a new term, still struggling with what it means and what the implications might be.

Liberation Technologies.


Something to do with mobile technologies, but liberate from what?  and did we ask to be 'liberated'.
Fishing for active discussion, what these might be.