If like me you are interested in where we might be going from here I recommend you tune in to Kevin Kelly predicting the next 5,000 days of the web on Ted Talks.

Kelly offers an interesting reflection on the web to date and an even more interesting view on the Semantic Web which has been the much talked about development for the near future.

I have to devise a different set of questions for each group to be targeted, students, staff, web managers, industry etc. This has been a complex process! I thought I would try to get a response from the students first so if any of you are studying art at Uni and are willing to take 5mins out for me I will be posting my questionnaire online ASAP, I will let you know when it has been made live.

I’m not sure at this stage how best to circulate it but I have a meeting with my supervisor tomorrow so hopefully all will become clear.

“Communications data - that is, data about calls, such as the location and identity of the caller, not the content of the calls themselves - is used as important evidence in 95% of serious crime cases and in almost all security service operations since 2004.”
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7671046.stm)

the proposal is still viewed by many as an infringement of civil liberties. Emailing is synonymous with our culture in the 21st century and it is ironic that the technology which has created this situation has undoubtedly also created its own macabre element but does this minority aspect vindicate mass intrusion? I would be interested to know what you think.

If you wish to read more check out the following links:
BBC News: “Giant Database plan ‘Orwellian’”
Computer Weekly: “Government confirms giant database on citizens’ communication data”
The Independent UK: “Storm over Big Brother database”

The open source software used to build this time line is available for download and would appear to be particularly suitable for my project. It is simple and easy to use, is aesthetically pleasing and perhaps more importantly incorporates a collaborative element.

I am quite excited at the prospect of activating my own timeline and will keep you posted as I progress.

The Wayback Machine is particularly beneficial for me, considering that web pages have an average lifespan of 44-75 days and I would strongly recommend this admirable service to all interested parties.

‘Introduction to Project Management’
‘Productive Academic Writing’
‘Building your Career Skills’
‘Knowledge Ownership 1&2′
‘Getting Published’

Obviously each speaker had a unique delivery but overall they were very interesting and informative although some were more entertaining than others. Academia doesn’t necessarily have to take itself too seriously to communicate successfully.

Surprisingly the most invaluable of the training sessions was the Productive Academic Writing. The writing exercises which were incorporated into this practical class provided me with a new set of skills for my PhD. One of the joys of attending these training programmes is the opportunity to meet up with friends and colleagues who are in the same position, it is reassuring t know that we are all in the same boat!

I have been advised to develop more practice driven material which will be used to create a digital archive of test elements. This doesn’t seem to daunting but I can’t afford to be complacent, there is still a long way to go and sustaining the momentum is perhaps one of the most onerous tasks of the PhD.

This is the sentiment which drives Professor Nicholas Negroponte’s OLPC initiative, Negroponte, co-founder of the MIT Media Lab first launched his non-profit making enterprise in January 2005 with the aim of supplying laptops for children in the developing world. The first phase of the program delivered hundreds of thousands of XO’s but many countries were apprehensive about buying machines which did not run Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

Following a deal with Microsoft Negroponte has now launched revamped XO2 machine which operates dual Microsoft Linux system. The new device incorporates laptop, e-book and electronic board capacities within a neat book like format. This appliance can be used by more than one child simultaneously, is more energy efficient and more than 500 e-books can be stored.

Some people have been critical of the OLPC initiative, questioning the provision of laptops as opposed to uniforms, desks etc. However the web was originally intended as a global gift to aid education by giving people free access to knowledge. Sadly not everyone has been in a position to access this privilege but hopefully initiatives like OLPC will help balance the equation.

Over the last decade free access to knowledge has enlightened, informed and inspired a generation.

How will the proposed changes impact on education?

In this, his ‘resignation’ speech, Lawrence Lessig has offered a very personal view of the state of the World Wide Web as he now sees it. Included within his presentation are clips from various sources to help illustrate his point of view. At one point, images of the Iraq war with dubbed commentary are shown. This highlights the dilemma:

By my inclusion of this video piece, am I also taking a political stance?

Can it be inferred that I also support Lessig’s views on global issues beyond that of web issues?

What ‘risk’ have I just taken for including this material?

Will it have unforeseen consequences for my supervisors who may not know that I have uploaded this and, in turn, my University?

From my perspective, I just wanted to let people know that the web ‘guru’ isn’t at all happy with current developments and that people might be interested in why. The irony is that my University has no knowledge that I have now included this link to my blog. If they did, what might they do? Who within the institution might be asked to ‘deal’ with it? Who might the person be who asks the ‘person’ to deal with it? …and so on.

Views on this issue would be greatly appreciated.