Cybernetic-Existentialism: Freedom, Systems, and Being-for-Others in Contemporary Arts and Performance offers a unique discourse and an original aesthetic theory. It argues that fusing perspectives from the philosophy of Existentialism with insights from the 'universal science' of cybernetics provides a new analytical lens and deconstructive methodology to critique art. In this study, Steve Dixon examines how a range of artists' works reveal the ideas of Existentialist philosophers including Kierkegaard, Camus, de Beauvoir, and Sartre on freedom, being and nothingness, eternal recurrence, the absurd, and being-for-others. Simultaneously, these artworks are shown to engage in complex explorations of concepts proposed by cyberneticians including Wiener, Shannon, and Bateson on information theory and 'noise', feedback loops, circularity, adaptive ecosystems, autopoiesis, and emergence. Dixon's groundbreaking book demonstrates how fusing insights and knowledge from these two fields can throw new light on pressing issues within contemporary arts and culture, including authenticity, angst and alienation, homeostasis, radical politics, and the human as system.

As Web-based systems and e-commerce carry businesses into the 21st century, databases are becoming workhorses that shoulder each and every online transaction. For organizations to have effective 24/7 Web operations, they need powerhouse databases that deliver at peak performance-all the time. High Performance Web Databases: Design, Development, and Deployment arms you with every essential technique from design and modeling to advanced topics such as data conversion, performance tuning, Web access and interfacing legacy systems, and security

From the moment it was published almost ten years ago, "Elements of User Experience" became a vital reference for web and interaction designers the world over, and has come to define the core principles of the practice. Now, in this updated, expanded, and full-color new edition, Jesse James Garrett has refined his thinking about the Web, going "beyond "the desktop to include information that also applies to the sudden proliferation of mobile devices and applications.
Successful interaction design requires more than just creating clean code and sharp graphics. You must also fulfill your strategic objectives while meeting the needs of your users. Even the best content and the most sophisticated technology won't help you balance those goals without a cohesive, consistent user experience to support it. With so many issues involved--usability, brand identity, information architecture, interaction design-- creating the user experience can be overwhelmingly complex. This new edition of "The Elements of User Experience" cuts through that complexity with clear explanations and vivid illustrations that focus on ideas rather than tools or techniques. Garrett gives readers the big picture of user experience development, from strategy and requirements to information architecture and visual design.

The new virtual era is already here. We use the internet every day, to retrieve information, to purchase merchandise, and to connect with others. But do we really understand the psychology of the internet and how it affects our lives?In this book, the author looks at cyberspace from a group analytic perspective, conceptualizing internet forums as l

Aggressively being adopted by organizations in all markets, service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a framework enabling business process improvement for gaining competitive advantage. Service-Oriented Architecture:SOA Strategy, Methodology, and Technology guides you through the challenges of deploying SOA. It demonstrates conclusively that strategy and methodology are the keys to implementing SOA and provides the methodology needed for SOA success. The book examines the role of both non-agile and agile project management techniques for deploying SOA. Its methodology applies frameworks of governance, communications, product realization, project management, architecture, data management, service management, human resource management and post implementation processes. Filled with case studies, the book shows the methodology in action. This reference benefits business managers, business analysts, and technology project managers who are serious about adopting SOA as a long-term strategy. It is also benefits those new to business process management, enterprise architecture, and information systems and need to understand SOA, its business drivers, and its methodology.

Scalable and Secure Internet Services and Architecture provides an in-depth analysis of many key scaling technologies. Topics include: server clusters and load balancing; QoS-aware resource management; server capacity planning; Web caching and prefetching; P2P overlay network; mobile code and security; and mobility support for adaptive grid computing. The author discusses each topic by first defining a problem, then reviewing current representative approaches for solving it. He then describes in detail the underlying principles of the technologies and the application of these principles, along with balanced coverage of concepts and engineering trade-offs. The book demonstrates the effectiveness of the technologies via rigorous mathematical modeling and analysis, simulation, and practical implementations. It blends technologies in a unified framework for scalable and secure Internet services, delivering a systematic treatment based upon the author's cutting-edge research experience. This volume describes in breadth and depth advanced scaling technologies that support media streaming, e-commerce, grid computing, personalized content delivery, distributed file sharing, network management, and other Internet applications.

A rapidly growing number of services and applications along with a dramatic shift in users' consumption models have made media networks an area of increasing importance. Do you know all that you need to know? Supplying you with a clear understanding of the technical and deployment challenges, Media Networks: Architectures, Applications, and Standards covers media networks basics, architectures, protocols, standards, specifications, advanced audiovisual and multimedia services, and future directions. Focusing on video and audio-visual services, it provides wide-scale reference on media networks and the audiovisual domain. The book investigates the different network architectures along with their related protocols and standards. It examines the different digital TV technologies as well as their deployment architectures. Illustrating the role of network operators, service providers, content providers, and manufacturers, this timely reference is divided into three parts: Presents digital TV technologies, including Open IPTV, Mobile TV, 3D video, and content delivery networks Covers media content delivery and quality of experience (QoE) Examines user-centricity and immersive technologies that take into account advanced services personalization, immersive technologies architectures and applications, e-health, and societal challenges The book considers emerging media content delivery architectures including Future Internet, CDN (Content Delivery Networks) architectures and Content Centric Networks (CCN) approaches, while examining the technical challenges and standardization efforts related to such issues. It presents the Quality of Experience (QoE) in Future Internet/ Next Generation Mobile Networks and also covers the management of media (audio/video) information in Future Internet, including transport protocols and compression technologies. The book concludes by describing pressing s

Even though the semantic Web is a relatively new and dynamic area of research, a whole suite of components, standards, and tools have already been developed around it. Using a concrete approach, Introduction to the Semantic Web and Semantic Web Services builds a firm foundation in the concept of the semantic Web, its principal technologies, its real-world applications, and its relevant coding examples. This introductory yet comprehensive book covers every facet of this exciting technology. After an introduction to the semantic Web concept, it discusses its major technical enablers and the relationships among these components. The author then presents several applications of the semantic Web, including Swoogle, FOAF, and a detailed design of a semantic Web search engine. The book concludes with discussions on how to add semantics to traditional Web service descriptions and how to develop a search engine for semantic Web services. Covering the building blocks of an advanced Web technology, this practical resource equips you with the tools to further explore the world of the semantic Web on your own.

Since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009 several hundred different 'cryptocurrencies' have been developed and become accepted for a wide variety of transactions in leading online commercial marketplaces and the 'sharing economy', as well as by more traditional retailers, manufacturers, and even by charities and political parties. Bitcoin and its competitors have also garnered attention for their wildly fluctuating values as well as implication in international money laundering, Ponzi schemes and online trade in illicit goods and services across borders. These and other controversies surrounding cryptocurrencies have induced varying governance responses by central banks, government ministries, international organizations, and industry regulators worldwide. Besides formal attempts to ban Bitcoin, there have been multifaceted efforts to incorporate elements of blockchains, the peer-to-peer technology underlying cryptocurrencies, in the wider exchange, recording, and broadcasting of digital transactions. Blockchains are being mobilized to support and extend an array of governance activities. The novelty and breadth of growing blockchain-based activities have fuelled both utopian promises and dystopian fears regarding applications of the emergent technology to Bitcoin and beyond. This volume brings scholars of anthropology, economics, Science and Technology Studies, and sociology together with GPE scholars in assessing the actual implications posed by Bitcoin and blockchains for contemporary global governance. Its interdisciplinary contributions provide academics, policymakers, industry practitioners and the general public with more nuanced understandings of technological change in the changing character of governance within and across the borders of nation-states.

Many people believe that Amazon s success is the direct result of a strong user shopping experience. This however is only part of the reason shy Amazon is the number one ecommerce company on the world for almost two decades. The real reason behind Amazon s success is that they have mastered the art of getting other people to market and sell for them. From affiliate partners that drive traffic, to online reviews and ratings where customers tell other customers why they should buy a product, to getting free publicity from shows like Oprah or 60 Minutes, Amazon is the online company to emulate. Amazon s Dirty Little Secrets" will show you how you can accomplish this for your company.

"Amazon s Dirty Little Secret" is getting others to do their marketing and sales for them. This is so powerful that Greg created an acronym using the word POWER+.

P Plenty of traffic

O Offer something for free

W Win their trust

E Engaging experience

R Request an action

+ additional tips & secrets

Anyone engaged in Internet sales and marketing will benefit from the specific examples in this book."

Information is a key factor in business today, and data warehousing has become a major activity in the development and management of information systems to support the proper flow of information. Unfortunately, the majority of information systems are based on structured information stored in organizational databases, which means that the company is isolated from the business environment by concentrating on their internal data sources only. It is therefore vital that organizations take advantage of external business information, which can be retrieved from Internet services and mechanically organized within the existing information structures. Such a continuously extending integrated collection of documents and data could facilitate decision-making processes in the organization. Filtering the Web to Feed Data Warehouses discusses areas such as:- how to use data warehouse for filtering Web content- how to retrieve relevant information from diverse sources on the Web - how to handle the time aspect - how to mechanically establish links among data warehouse structures and documents filtered from external sources - how to use collected information to increase corporate knowledge and gives a comprehensive example, illustrating the idea of supplying data warehouses with relevant information filtered from the Web.

.NET represents a new and improved way of developing software for the Windows platform. Given the chance, youd probably rewrite all of your existing code in the newer managed code environment that .NET provides. But it is difficult or impossible to throw out all existing legacy code and start over when a new technology arrives. Instead, you need to find a way to move forward with new .NET development while reusing existing pieces of tested, working code. You need a way to interoperate with the existing code until you have a chance to finally rewrite all of it in .NET.

The only recipe-style book on the subject,,"NET 2.0 Interoperability Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach" guides Windows developers who are transitioning from native Windows code to .NET managed code. The book Explains new interop features in .NET 2.0 and VS .NET 2005 Covers PInvoke, COM, and COM+ (other books dont cover all three areas) Features most of its example code in C# and VB .NET, and also includes some managed C++/CLI Is written by a working developer with first-hand experience

.NET tools will allow you to interoperate with existing code. But finding the appropriate tool for the task at hand can sometimes be a frustrating experience. So this book will guide you past myriad infrequently used interop options to focus on those youll use most often.

Much of the e-commerce and IT research in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) indicates that these smaller businesses are lagging behind in implementing technological advances. This raises concerns for these SME's success as the Information Age becomes ever more of a reality. e-Business, e-Government & Small and Medium-Size Enterprises: Opportunities and Challenges offers a collection of chapters highlighting successful policy and practices which encourage SME's success in numerous different countries. Such a collection of international experiences and expertise offers policymakers, legislators, researchers, and to professionals insight into addressing the significant issues that are importance to the small business sector and ultimately will lead to the depiction of a more effective regulatory frameworks that will lead to the long-term success of EC in SMEs in countries around the world.

Just say "no" to piles of sticky notes and scraps of paper with your passwords and logins! Keep track of them in this elegant, yet inconspicuous, alphabetically tabbed cognac leatherette notebook. In this 4" x 6" hardcover notebook with removable cover band, record the necessarily complex passwords and user login names required to thwart hackers. You'll find: Internet password safety and naming tips A to Z tabbed pages with space to list website, username, and five passwords for each Dedicated pages to record software license information, with spaces for license number, purchase date, renewal date, and monthly fee Dedicated pages to record network settings and passwords, including for modem, router, WAN, LAN, and wireless A notes section with blank lined pages This internet password logbook provides an easy way to keep track of website addresses, usernames, and passwords in one discreet and convenient location.

The New Economy Handbook will primarily serve reference users in business schools, economics departments, public and university libraries, special libraries, and institutions/agencies concerned with finance, trade, e-commerce, banking, and other regulatory, trade, and commercial activities. Secondary users will be business professionals and managers, as well as entrepreneurs, bankers, and others who need traditional economic information and data about new technology firms. Because of the scope of its table of contents, the book might well be used as a supplement to many courses.
The revolutions that brought about the New Economy are quietly embedded in familiar, old products, not necessarily ringing, beeping, and vibrating next to our skins. Why is the bulky, battery-operated e-book the new economy, while Lockheed-Martin's swooping F-16 is consigned to the Old Economy?
The information technology boom of the 1990s stoked a New Economy characterized by surging output per worker but with hard-to-measure and vulnerable underpinnings. Faster productivity is, of course, the key to higher living standards. The most important aspect of the New Economy might not, therefore, be the shift to high-tech industries, but the way that Information Technology improves the efficiency of all parts of the economy.
This collection of original essays offers the first thorough investigation of the New Economy. Its poignancy is even more apparent in the wake of the 1990s technology bubble. Articles share a format that encourages accessibilty, including an outline, glossary, and summary, and an extensive index adds utility. Written for students and scholars seeking authoritative data and perspectives.

* Unique entry-level guide to Domain Name System (DNS), which translates Internet host names into IP addresses and is used with all Internet servers
* Shows how to install, configure, and troubleshoot DNS on both Windows and UNIX servers
* Helps people seeking technology certifications bone up on DNS theory, terminology, and architecture-a requirement in several popular exams
* Includes real-world examples based on the author's daily experience with both large and small networks

This volume offers unique insights into the mutually constitutive nature of social media practices and religious change. Part 1 examines how social media operate in conjunction with mass media in the construction of discourses of religion and spirituality. It includes: a longitudinal study of British news media coverage of Christianity, secularism and religious diversity (Knott et al.); an analysis of responses to two documentaries 'The Monastery' and 'The Convent' (Thomas); an evaluation of theories of the sacred in studies of religion and media within the 'strong program' in cultural sociology in the US (Lynch); and a study of the consequences of mass and social media synergies for public perceptions of Islam in the Netherlands (Herbert). Part 2 examines the role of social media in the construction of contemporary martyrs and media celebrities (e.g., Michael Jackson) using mixed and mobile methods to analyse fan sites (Bennett & Campbell) and jihadi websites and YouTube (Nauta). Part 3 examines how certain bounded religious communities negotiate the challenges of social media: Judaism in Second Life (Abrams & Baker); Bah'ai regulation of web use among members (Campbell & Fulton); YouTube evangelists (Pihlaja); and public expressions of bereavement (Greenhill & Fletcher). The book provides theoretically informed empirical case studies and presents an intriguing, complex picture of the aesthetic and ethical, demographic and discursive aspects of new spaces of communication and their implications for religious institutions, beliefs and practices.

Over the past years, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted, both in industry and academia, towards the development of basic technology as well as innovative applications for the Internet of Things. Adaptive Middleware for the Internet of Things introduces a scalable, interoperable and privacy-preserving approach to realize IoT applications and discusses abstractions and mechanisms at the middleware level that simplify the realization of services that can adapt autonomously to the behavior of their users. Technical topics discussed in the book include: - Behavior-driven Autonomous Services - GAMBAS Middleware Architecture - Generic and Efficient Data Acquisition - Interoperable and Scalable Data Processing - Automated Privacy Preservation Adaptive Middleware for the Internet of Things summarizes the results of the GAMBAS research project funded by the European Commission under Framework Programme 7. It provides an in-depth description of the middleware system developed by the project consortium. In addition, the book describes several innovative mobility and monitoring applications that have been built, deployed and operated to evaluate the middleware under realistic conditions with a large number of users. Adaptive Middleware for the Internet of Things is ideal for personnel in the computer and communication industries as well as academic staff and research students in computer science interested in the development of systems and applications for the Internet of Things.

The Historical Web and Digital Humanities fosters discussions between the Digital Humanities and web archive studies by focussing on one of the largest entities of the web, namely national and transnational web domains such as the British, French, or European web. With a view to investigating whether, and how, web studies and web historiography can inform and contribute to the Digital Humanities, this volume contains a number of case studies and methodological and theoretical discussions that both illustrate the potential of studying the web, in this case national web domains, and provide an insight into the challenges associated with doing so. Commentary on and possible solutions to these challenges are debated within the chapters and each one contributes in its own way to a web history in the making that acknowledges the specificities of the archived web. The Historical Web and Digital Humanities will be essential reading for those with an interest in how the past of the web can be studied, as well as how Big Data approaches can be applied to the archived web. As a result, this volume will appeal to academics and students working and studying in the fields of Digital Humanities, internet and media studies, history, cultural studies, and communication.

Invisible Search and Online Search Engines considers the use of search engines in contemporary everyday life and the challenges this poses for media and information literacy. Looking for mediated information is mostly done online and arbitrated by the various tools and devices that people carry with them on a daily basis. Because of this, search engines have a significant impact on the structure of our lives, and personal and public memories. Haider and Sundin consider what this means for society, whilst also uniting research on information retrieval with research on how people actually look for and encounter information. Search engines are now one of society's key infrastructures for knowing and becoming informed. While their use is dispersed across myriads of social practices, where they have acquired close to naturalised positions, they are commercially and technically centralised. Arguing that search, searching, and search engines have become so widely used that we have stopped noticing them, Haider and Sundin consider what it means to be so reliant on this all-encompassing and increasingly invisible information infrastructure. Invisible Search and Online Search Engines is the first book to approach search and search engines from a perspective that combines insights from the technical expertise of information science research with a social science and humanities approach. As such, the book should be essential reading for academics, researchers, and students working on and studying information science, library and information science (LIS), media studies, journalism, digital cultures, and educational sciences.

Start making smart decisions.
Free yourself from the financial fog.
Take control of your money.
Unf*cking your finances will change your life.

With a step-by-step approach, including a 30-day financial detox, money mindfulness plan and goal-setting exercises, this book provides everything you need to develop healthy financial habits. As well as in-depth practical advice on debt, the stock market and navigating money with partners, financial advisor and accountant Melissa Browne will teach you to transform your relationship with money.

Whether you want to get out of your overdraft, get clued up on credit, maximise your savings or achieve your dream to buy a property, this book is full of no bullsh*t information for anyone who needs a fresh approach.

An indispensable guide for telling fact from fiction on the internet—often in less than 30 seconds.

The internet brings information to our fingertips almost instantly. The result is that we often jump to thinking too fast, without taking a few moments to verify the source before engaging with a claim or viral piece of media. Information literacy expert Mike Caulfield and educational researcher Sam Wineburg are here to enable us to take a moment for due diligence with this informative, approachable guide to the internet. With this illustrated tool kit, you will learn to identify red flags, get quick context, and make better use of common websites like Google and Wikipedia that can help and hinder in equal measure.

This how-to guide will teach you how to use the web to verify the web, quickly and efficiently, including how to

• Verify news stories and other events in as little as thirty seconds (seriously)
• Determine if the article you’re citing is by a reputable scholar or a quack
• Detect the slippery tactics scammers use to make their sites look credible
• Decide in a minute if that shocking video is truly shocking
• Deduce who’s behind a site—even when its ownership is cleverly disguised
• Uncover if that feature story is actually a piece planted by a foreign government
• Use Wikipedia wisely to gain a foothold on new topics and leads for digging deeper

And so much more. Building on techniques like SIFT and lateral reading, Verified will help students and anyone else looking to get a handle on the internet’s endless flood of information through quick, practical, and accessible steps.

Full text online version at www.nyupress.org/netwars.

Who will rule cyberspace? And why should people care? Recently stories have appeared in a variety of news media, from the sensational to the staid, that portray the Internet as full of pornography, pedophilia, recipes for making bombs, lewd and lawless behavior, and copyright violators. And, for politicians eager for votes, or to people who have never strolled the electronic byways, regulating the Net seems as logical and sensible as making your kids wear seat belts. Forget freedom of speech: children can read this stuff.

From the point of view of those on the Net, mass-media's representation of pornography on the Internet grossly overestimates the amount that is actually available, and these stories are based on studies that are at best flawed and at worst fraudulent. To netizens, the panic over the electronic availability of bomb-making recipes and other potentially dangerous material is groundless: the same material is readily available in public libraries. Out on the Net, it seems outrageous that people who have never really experienced it are in a position to regulate it.

How then, should the lines be drawn in the grey area between cyberspace and the physical world? In net.wars, Wendy Grossman, a journalist who has covered the Net since 1992 for major publications such as "Wired, The Guardian," and "The Telegraph," assesses the battles that will define the future of this new venue. From the Church of Scientology's raids on Net users to netizens attempts to overthrow both the Communications Decency Act and the restrictions on the export of strong encryption, net.wars explains the issues and the background behind the headlines. Among the issues covered are net scams, class divisions on the net, privacy issues, the Communications Decency Act, women online, pornography, hackers and the computer underground, net criminals and sociopaths, and more.

Do you spend a lot of time during the design process wondering what users really need? Do you hate those endless meetings where you argue how the interface should work? Have you ever developed something that later had to be completely redesigned?
Paper Prototyping can help. Written by a usability engineer with a long and successful paper prototyping history, this book is a practical, how-to guide that will prepare you to create and test paper prototypes of all kinds of user interfaces. You'll see how to simulate various kinds of interface elements and interactions. You'll learn about the practical aspects of paper prototyping, such as deciding when the technique is appropriate, scheduling the activities, and handling the skepticism of others in your organization. Numerous case studies and images throughout the book show you real world examples of paper prototyping at work.
Learn how to use this powerful technique to develop products that are more useful, intuitive, efficient, and pleasing:
* Save time and money - solve key problems before implementation begins
* Get user feedback early - use it to focus the development process
* Communicate better - involve development team members from a variety of disciplines
* Be more creative - experiment with many ideas before committing to one
*Enables designers to solve design problems before implementation begins
*Five case studies provide real world examples of paper prototyping at work
*Delves into the specifics of what types of projects paper prototyping is and isn't good for.

This book explores the history of hypertext, an influential concept that forms the underlying structure of the World Wide Web and innumerable software applications. Barnet combines an analysis of contemporary literature with her exclusive interviews with those at the forefront of the hypertext innovation. She tells both the human and the technological story, tracing its path back to an analogue device imagined by Vannevar Bush in 1945, before modern computing had happened.

'Memory Machines' offers an expansive record of hypertext over the last 60 years, pinpointing the major breakthroughs and fundamental flaws in its evolution. Barnet argues that some of the earliest hypertext systems were more richly connected and in some respects more flexible than the Web; this is also a fascinating account of the paths not taken.

Barnet ends the journey through computing history at the birth of mass domesticated hypertext, at the point that it grew out of the university labs and into the Web. And yet she suggests that hypertext may not have completed its evolutionary story, and may still have the capacity to become something different, something much better than it is today.