Free Lecture on History etc. of Geocoding Wednesday in DC

This from Robert at the Library of Congress:

December 3, 2008 at Noon

Lecture:  “Spaces of Calculation: Street Addressing and the Making of
a Geo-coded World,” Reuben Rose-Redwood, Kluge Fellow, at 12:00 PM in
Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E.,
Washington, D.C.

From the website (more info):

Kluge Fellow Reuben Rose-Redwood will explore the cultural and political history of street addressing in the United States, from the late eighteenth century to the present, including the recent shift from rural route and box numbering systems to 911 addresses. More than a mere technical device best left to postmasters and planning professionals, the spatial practice of street addressing is one of the fundamental mechanisms of the production of calculable space and is, in a more general sense, the socio-spatial equivalent to the mathematicization of nature that has dominated modern thought since the Enlightenment.

Update: Nokia Survey Reveals Most “Lost” Cities, Disoriented Countries

Update 12/1/08: Nokia released the press release last week, after the cited article appeared.

—- original post 11/26/08—————-

A press release (likely released only in Europe, this version is nicely tailored to the UAE) touts a study Nokia commissioned to determine experiences and opinions on getting lost, one’s sense of direction and the like. This is another of those surveys that lets the commissioner talk about their solution to whatever the indicated issue is. (See my primer on using this technique for your own press relations.)

Here are the details of the survey:

Research conducted by ICM among 12,500 people in 13 countries during the period of 1 - 23 October 2008. Countries where research was conducted: UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil, China, UAE, Russia, Singapore, India, South Africa.

Now the “highlights”:

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Terrorists Use Geotechnology

Computerworld and others report that Google Earth, GPS and other tech devices were in use in the attacks in Mumbai. My only thought: We regular folks use these everyday to do our “work,” so it’s not surprising these folks do, too. Have we not wrapped our heads around the idea that data and technology can be used for good or evil? I guess not.

iBegin Places “Wiki” for informal spaces

Ahmed, who’s behind a “lab” site called ibegin.com, sent in this introduction to the sites latest project, iBegin Places.

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A Map for World AIDS Day

Dec 1, 2008 is the 20th annual World AIDS Day. Global Voices offers this map of HIV+ bloggers and caretakers, and other citizen media related to HIV/AIDS. It’s embedded below, along with a link, if the map is not visible.

via Global Voices

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