Cyberpunks: A Sociological Analysis With Special Interest In The Description Of Their Online Activities, By Markus Wiemker at the University of Aachen RWTH Germany.
Net Ideologies: From Cyber-liberalism to Cyber-realism, By Francisco Millarch, Former Post-Graduate at the Hypermedia Research Centre, University of Westminster, London. [found link to same article on Spark-Online and have saved a local copy of that page so that it isn't lost again]
Will the Technobabble Bubble Burst?, By Rachel Collinson, Post-Graduate at the Hypermedia Research C entre, University of Westminster, London.
What Is A Geek?, by Misuba (Mike Sugarbaker) Mike Sugarbaker works in the Internet industry in Silicon Valley, and publishes Gazebo, the journal of geek culture [Lost but recovered from Mike's page at gibberish.com - have saved a local copy to ensure it's not lost again but please use link to Mike's page]
Interview with Science Fiction author Bruce Sterling, By Zana Poliakov, of CK- CyberKuhinja, Inc. (Cyber Kitchen) in Belgrade.
Ken Wilber and Cyberspace, By Michel Bauwens, of Kyberco Cyber-Marketing, Paris.
Bringing The Net To The Masses: Cybercafes In Latin America, By Dr. Madanmohan Rao. Dr. Rao is a consultant at PlanetAsia, a web publishing and internet firm in Bangalore, India. He edits "IndiaLine" and is on the board of editors for "Electronic Markets" and "On The Internet".
There are no Last Words Online, By Radhika Gajjala is an assistant professor at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, where she teaches a course titled "Communication, Technoscience and Cyberculture". [Lost but see CyberDiva.org for current work]
Creative Interaction in Cyberspace: the trAce Online Writing Community, By Sue Thomas, a working novelist and director of the trAce Online Writing Community (Based online and administrated from Nottingham Trent University, England).
Report: Manchester's Temporary Media Lab --> Revolting, By Micz Flor, editor of CrashMedia and lecturer at the Univer sity of Salford, England.
Notes from the Exploding Media Symposium, by Robin Hamman, PhD candidate at the Hypermedia Research Centre, University of Westminster and editor of Cybersociology Magazine.
Book Review: Knowledge Societies: Information Society For Sustainable Development. (Editors) Robin Mansell, Uta Wehn (Oxford Univ. Press, 1998). Reviewed by K.Ravi Srinivas in India.
Site Review: Portal on Global Digitalization: Review by M.Alan Kazlev, Australia.
The Hoechst Triangle Forum, an interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue on global change, is presentng the theme "Opening a Portal to the Future". The first topic the forum has concentrated on is "The Digital Revolution", concerning the global future on the web. (More topics are planned, the next being biotechnology). Different sites have been selected in order to provide a cross-section of views on digitalization, from official mainstream stuff to rather more visionary sites. The reviewed sites are divided into categories. Each category contains a list of links, and with each link there is a paragraph of informative commentary on that site's contents. The layout is crisp and minimalist
An admirable effort, but for a theme where the focus is on "the interaction between digital technologies and the conditions of the human life in the future", a lot of the material selected is pretty mundane. The only category that really caught my eye was - naturally enough - "Cyberspace, Culture & Visions" And yet, in view of the volatile and ideas-driven nature of the Net I would have preferred more really radical stuff too. Bruce Sterling's web page rates a mention, as does this Cybersoc venue, but the cypherpunks, the transhumanists, and places like Active Worlds do not.
I suppose if I had to put together a site along this theme I'd keep all the mainstream stuff (which is still valid, don't get me wrong!), but I'd also add a lot of more extreme material as well. There would be one entire section devoted solely to the matter of Internet security (encryption, heackers and crackers, viruses etc); another on virtual commu nities of all sorts; another on underground sites, way out art etc; another to artificial intelligence, software agents and so on; and so on.
Summing up - a good coverage of the official and respectable side of the Net, with a rather scantier selection of sites that although somewhat heterdox are still acknoweldged by the mainstream. But if you would really like a glimpse of where the future with all it's craziness seems to be heading, you would probably have to seek elsewhere.
The digital portal is at: http://www.hoechst-forum.uni-muenchen.de/digital/
This issue of Cybersociology carried a logo and link to the Help B-92 Campaign. Together, we helped raise money (at least £100) and support to help keep independent radio station B-92 stay online and on-air during the NATO bombardment of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
