gnovis [nō'vĩs], n., Georgetown University’s peer-reviewed Journal of Communication, Culture & Technology (CCT)
March 19th, 2010
In the summer of 1987, downtown Austin, Texas hosted the first South by Southwest music festival celebrated indie music with nearly 700 registrants. Since then, it has blown up. The event’s website writes, “The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Continue reading
March 5th, 2010
One of the largest questions we ponder as humans is “where do we come from?” This idea is explored across disciplines; from the sciences to philosophy to literature and of course, theology. Last fall, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History announced that it is dedicating a new hall to the story of human evolution, the Hall of Human Origins, covering the origin of human beings and how all living things adapt to the natural world. The Hall’s web site describes it, Continue reading
February 19th, 2010
The first car I ever drove was a 1989 Dodge Caravan. You remember this model. A dashing midnight blue color, seats 750, heavy, threatning sliding doors, seat belts that went only across the lap (none of this pretentious “across the chest” seat belting), and yes, the glorious faux-mahogany siding that gives it that 70′s look and feel. Although gas prices were a fraction of what they are now (about $1 per gallon) that classic ride was not the most fuel efficient car on the road. I’m going to guess that this may partly have to do with its aerodynamics and weight.
February 5th, 2010
Every year the Grammy Awards seem less and less important to me. And I’m not sure, exactly, why that is. It could be a continuous personal detachment from popular music. But it could also be that the award shows- the Grammys, Academy Awards, and even the old MTV award- used to bring a bit of unpredictability or creativity that they don’t seem to have any longer. True, the more traditional award shows are far more tame than the MTV awards, but past hosts tended to bring their own personalities to the program in a new, or creative way. This aside, one of the highlights of this y Continue reading
January 22nd, 2010
With the creation of any ICT (information communication technology) there is always the utopian idea that the new innovation (whether it be Morse code, transcontinental railroads or the internet) will make the world seem smaller and lead to new relationships between cultures. In the past couple weeks there have been three events garnering wide attention in the blogosphere and mainstream press that have us examining US-China relations. It is worth taking a brief look at these three events in one space to capture what may become a defining moment.
December 3rd, 2009
A lot has been written in recent years about the Napster revolution, illegal downloading and the itunes empire’s domination over the digital music market. Like may other media-related topics today, this issue brings out a polarized view of the issue. In his book “The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System,” Siva Vaidhyanathan provides a good overview of the cult Continue reading
November 22nd, 2009
I remember returning home for Christmas during my freshman year of college. In my semester at school, I found myself enjoying writing papers for my English classes far more than my second go-around with Calculus (which, didn’t turn out much better than the first ). On December 25, I reached into my bright-red stocking and found a hard-cover copy of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. With the rise of new e-book readers out this winter, it looks as though digital stocking stuffers may be more popular than in year Continue reading
November 19th, 2009
The new sci-fi thriller 2012 portrays a series of catastrophic events predicted by the Mayans, Nostradamus, and ancient scriptures from all corners of the world. Although the apocalyptic theme this isn’t the most original idea for a movie (Independence Day, Armageddon, Deep Impact were pretty similar), I will probably throw down my $10.85 at some point this up-coming Thanksgiving weekend to digest the mayhem (besides, I rarely miss a Danny Glover flick). Continue reading
October 11th, 2009
Is Google Voice a true telecom service to be held accountable by FCC guidelines? AT&T seems to think so. At the end of September, AT&T sent the FCC a complaint as to Google’s tendency to block certain rural areas from coverage, breaking from FCC policy. Should web applications and services that are continuously blurring the lines between phone and internet service be under the jurisdiction of the FCC? The back and forth debate intensifies this week….
Here’s the story, the response, and the blogosphere’s analysis:
October 8th, 2009
In last Spring’s issue of gnovis, CCT student Jeff Borenstein contributed a paper on the role of cell phones and citizen journalism during the London bombings in 2005. In “Camera Phone Images: How The London Bombings in 2005 Shaped the Form of News”, Jeff examines how social conditions, theory and technological climates intertwine to result in global phenomena. This week, I sat down with Jeff to discuss his research, the state of the news media, his work with gnovis a Continue reading
