Digital Futures, European Commission

Today I hit the road again to Brussels for an EC Digital Futures foresight workshop.

Here's the plan:

The workshops will address the following four elements:

a) Visions describing possible futures (i.e. snapshots of the world in the future), with perceived likelihood and year of maturity (if and when the visions would materialise), desirability, and impacts associated to them.

b) Trends identifying complex phenomena observable today that may have an influence on the futures, either directly or because they would lead to intermediate situations that would in turn generate other trends affecting 2040-50's scenarios.

c) Issues stemming from the envisaged futures, i.e. possible opportunities and risks that can be associated to them.

Furthermore, the workshops will identify opportunities for intervention to shape the above visions, together with associated actors ('implementers'), and possibly roadmap sketches towards the futures. These will then be translated intopolicy options underpinning possible paths to the futures.

Taiwan and Social Media

Last week, I was in Taiwan and gave a lecture about social media and sport at Da-Yeh University. I focused on aspects of the London 2012 Olympics, while also talking about other dimensions of my next book titled 'A Digital Olympics', which covers everything digital in sport, from citizen journalism to virtual reality simulations. Taiwan is an amazing place, unlike any other place in Asia I have visited.

Political Studies Association

On Friday this week, I'll give a keynote at the PSA Sport & Politics annual conference in Southampton. It's titled Citizen Journalism & the London 2012 Olympic Games: Ambush Media, Celebrating Humanity & Political Resistance

PODIUM & DCMS London 2012 Conference

On Thursday, I'll give a talk for the DCMS and PODIUM conference 'Evaluating and Researching the Games'. I'll give a talk titled: '#media2012: the regenerative potential and economic value of citizen journalism',

Here's the programme for the day:

Researching and Evaluating the Games Conference

Thursday 23rd February 2012 Department for Culture, Media and Sport 2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH

09:30 – 10:00 Registration

10:00 – 10:05 Welcome from the Chair Professor Ian Henry Director of the Centre for Olympic Studies and Research Loughborough University

10.05 – 10.15    Opening Address, David Brooker, DCMS

10.15 – 10.35 Overview of the Meta-Evaluation, Alex Wilkinson, DCMS

 10.35 – 10.50   Games Experts. Gareth Smith, Podium

10.50 – 12:05     Panel discussion on the London 2012 ‘Legacy Plan’ – Sport Dr Geoff Nicholls, University of Sheffield Dr Ian Richards, Leeds Metropolitan University Barbara Bell, PhD, Manchester Metropolitan University Professor Mike Weed, Canterbury Christ Church University

12:05 – 12.20   Introduction to the ICSEMIS 2012  Professor Celia Brackenbridge OBE, Chair of ICSEMIS 2012 Local Organising Committee

12:20 – 13:10    Lunch

13:10 – 14:25  Panel discussion on the London 2012 ‘Legacy Plan’ – Economics and East London Regeneration Professor Gavin Poynter, University of East London Dr Andrew Smith, University of Westminster Professor Allan Brimicombe, University of East London Professor Andy Miah, University of the West of Scotland

14:25 – 14:40  Knowledge Legacy of the 2012 London Games

Dr Vassil Girginov, Brunel University

14:40 – 15:00   Coffee Break

15:00 – 16:15   Panel discussion on the London 2012 ‘Legacy Plan’ – Community Engagement

Sarah Minshull, PhD, Manchester Metropolitan University Dr Beatriz Garcia, University of Liverpool Chris Charlton, Sky Blue Dr Dikaia Chatziefstathiou, Canterbury Christ Church University

16:15 – 16:20  Closing remarks Professor Ian Henry, Loughborough University

Democratizing the Web

Film from Roy Stringer event with Martha Lane Fox, Patrick Fox, Peter Barron, Herb Kim and me.

Design for Evolution

film from my lecture at Aalto University Helsinki in January.

Wasted Debates

Wednesday 8 February, 6pm -7.30pm, at the Bluecoat.

Watch live streaming video from wasteddebates at livestream.com

Chaired by Roger Phillips of BBC Radio Merseyside

Next week, I'll be part of a panel on this debate related to artist Gina Czarnecki's exhibition at the Bluecoat Liverpool.

Should people be allowed to donate parts of their body to an artist?

Is it right for galleries to exhibit artwork made of real human bones, teeth or fat? Who owns our body parts when they are removed from us?

Does the use of human tissue in art serve any purpose, or is this just sensationalism? Should this type of art require formal approval?

The Bluecoat is inviting people to discuss these fascinating questions at a ‘Question Time’ style event with a panel including:

•       Dominic Hughes, BBC Health Correspondent
•       Canon Jules Gomes, Artistic Director of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
•      Andy Miah, academic and specialist in cultural ethics, and
•      Rt Hon Jane Kennedy, former MP for Liverpool Wavertree and Minister of State for Health.

At present, there are strict ethical rules relating to the use of human tissue from living people. Doctors and medical researchers must follow codes of conduct and get ethics approval (from the Human Tissue Authority) and consent from individuals to obtain tissue from living donors, for example to use tumour biopsy samples for scientific research. However, there is no ethical committee that has the authority to decide whether anyone else, an artist or museum curator for example, can obtain tissue from living consenting donors, for the purpose of making art and displaying it.

The Wasted debate seeks to open up a discussion about the ethics of ‘bio-art’ with a wider audience.

Background

Gina Czarnecki has sought to make sculptures using human fat from liposuction operations, and bones from hip replacements. Even though legally, all she needs is the consent of an informed patient, doctors are reluctant to release the ‘waste products’ from operations because there is no way of getting formal approval.

Gina’s exhibition at the Bluecoat documents this process. Significantly the exhibition introduces her latest works. Wasted is a series of sculptures that explore the use of human tissue in art, the life-giving potential of ‘discarded’ body parts and their relationship to myths and history. The works draw attention to timely concerns such as stem cell research and issues surrounding the process of informed consent. Co-commissioned by the Bluecoat and Imperial College London, Palaces is a resin sculpture and participatory artwork made from thousands of milk teeth donated by children around the UK.  Palaces will tour to the Science Museum, Imperial College and the Centre of the Cell, London in 2012, and the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry in 2013.

Free tickets are available from the Bluecoat information desk. Call 0151 702 5324 for details.

Anyone can join in the debate by visiting www.wasteddebates.info or tweet us @wasteddebates.

For further information or interview requests, please contact the event organizer

Kate Rodenhurst

07956 352 779

katerodenhurst@mac.com

Would life be better without death?

Here's the film from my talk with Aubrey de Grey at Die Untoten in Hamburg last year.

Transhumanism and Technoethics

Here's the footage from my first talk at Die Untoten in Hamburg last year.

Design for Evolution

On 23rd, I give a talk in Helsinki for a lecture series at Aalto University, thematically associated with the World Design Capital in 2012.

Here's more info about the series, titled 'Human Design or Evolution', which includes Natasha Vita-More, Stelarc, Laura Beloff, Fiona Raby, James Auger & Jimmy Loizeau, Ritta Hari and Sissel Tomas (sadly not all at the same time).

Here's my talk, titled 'Design for Evolution':

How should we imagine the future of humanity in order to permit the utilization of human enhancement technologies, while remaining mindful of the risks that could arise from tampering with evolutionary processes. How can humanity design for its evolution, taking into account the range of capacities that humans may require in the future and considering the kinds of lives people wish to lead in the present? This talk will address the interface of design and evolution, so as to approach a responsible approach to human enhancement.

Why Anti-Doping Will Not Last

Presentation from Universitat Pompeu Fabra Law School last month

Journalistic Cultures, Moscow

Tomorrow, I'll be heading to Russia to speak at Moscow State University for a Journalism conference. Here's the programme.

The 3rd International Media Readings in Moscow
Mass Media and Communications – 2011

JOURNALISTIC CULTURES:
FACING SOCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES

CONFERENCE PROGRAM 

November 10, 2011 (Thursday)

Registration / Coffee
14.00

Round Table
(Russian Language)
16.00-18.00
Room 103
Moderators Dr. Olga Minaeva / Dr. Irina Prokhorova

To the 300th Anniversary of Mikhailo Lomonosov, the Founder of MSU

Session 1-1
16.00-18.00
Room Newsroom
Moderator Dr. Józef Kloch

Religious Impact on Journalism Cultures

A SPOKESMAN OF A CHURCH INSTITUTION AS A COMMUNICATOR, INTERPRETER AND NEGOTIATOR OF CHURCH’S REALITY IN THE ERA OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Monika Przybysz, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland

RELIGION IN PUBLIC LIFE OF RUSSIA TODAY
Roman Lunkin, Woodrow Wilson International Center, Washington, D.C., USA
Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

THE JOURNALIST ETHOS AND BIBLE PROFANATION
Józef Kloch, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland

RELIGIOUS ETHOS AND JOURNALISM ETHICS: RUSSIAN CONTEXT
Victor Khroul, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

COMMEMORATIONS: THE BATTLE OVER MEMORY
Mihai Coman, Universite Stendhal, Grenoble3, France
College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Bucarest University, Romania

FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY IN WRITING ABOUT RELIGION - TOO HARD A TASK?
Anna Danilova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

MEDIA EVANGELISATION AS A TECHNICAL MEDIATISATION OF RELIGION
Daria Klimenko, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

Session 1-2 (Russian Language)
16.00-18.00
Room 333
Moderator Prof. Svetlana Balmaeva 

ЖУРНАЛИСТ, СМИ И ДОВЕРИЕ ОБЩЕСТВА
JOURNALIST, MEDIA AND THE SOCIETY’S TRUST
Алла Александровна Ширяева, МГУ имени М. В. Ломоносова (Alla Shiryaeva, Lomonosov Moscow State University)

СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ЖУРНАЛИСТИКА: РЕВОЛЮЦИЯ ЦЕННОСТЕЙ?
MODERN JOURNALISM: REVOLUTION OF VALUES?
Татьяна Ивановна Фролова, МГУ им. М. В. Ломоносова (Tatiana Frolova, Lomonosov Moscow State University)

ЦЕНТР И РЕГИОНЫ РОССИИ В МОДЕЛИРОВАНИИ МЕДИАСИСТЕМЫ
RUSSIAN FEDERAL CENTER AND REGIONS IN MEDIA SYSTEM MODELLING
Юрий Михайлович Ершов, Томский государственный университет (Yury Ershov, Tomsk State University)

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ НОВЫХ СТАНДАРТОВ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ ЖУРНАЛИСТОВ В ТРАНСФОРМИРУЮЩИХСЯ ПРАВОВОМ ПОЛЕ И КОРПОРАТИВНОЙ СРЕДЕ
FORMING NEW STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL CULTURE FOR JOURNALISTS IN TRANSFORMING LAW AND CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT
Сергей Павлович Булах, Дальневосточный федеральный университет (Sergey Bulakh, Dalnevostochny Federal University) 

ЭТИКА ФОТОЖУРНАЛИСТИКИ: ОБЛАСТЬ МОРАЛЬНОГО И ПРАВОВОГО РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ
ETHICS OF PHOTO JOURNALISM: FIELDS OF MORAL AND LAW REGULATION
Алексей Маслов, Воронежский государственный университет (Alexey Maslov, Voronezh State University)

INSTANT PUBLISHING: РАСШИРЕНИЕ ПРОСТРАНСТВА МЕДИА
INSTANT PUBLISHING: EXPANDING MEDIA SPACE
Владимир Владимирович Харитонов, Гуманитарный университет Екатеринбурга (Vladimir Kharitonov, Humanitarian University in Ekaterinburg) 

Session 1-3 (Poster Session)
14.00-18.00
By the Registration Desk

Excursions
18.30

November 11, 2011 (Friday)

Opening Ceremony and Welcome Addresses to the Conference Participants
9.30-9.40
Room 232

Session 2
(Plenary – English Language / Synch. Translation)
9.40-11.30
Room 232
Moderator Prof. Elena Vartanova

Yassen N. Zassoursky, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

GLOBAL JOURNALISTS: WHAT DO WE KNOW AND WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW?
David H. Weaver, Indiana University, U.S.A.

ACCOUNTING FOR DIVERSITY IN JOURNALISM CULTURES
Thomas Hanitzsch, University of Munich, Germany

POLISH JOURNALISTS TWO DECADES AFTER THE COMMUNISM
Prof. Bogusława Dobek-Ostrowska, University of Wrocław, Poland

REINVENTING COMMUNICATION: FROM SAGAS TO TWITTS
Andrey Korotkov, State Institute of International Affairs (University), Russia

Coffee Break
11.30-12.00

Session 3
(Plenary – Russian Language / Synch. Translation)
12.00-13.30
Room 232
Moderator Prof. Boris Lozovsky 

ЖУРНАЛИСТИКА В УСЛОВИЯХ ИНСТИТУЦИОНАЛЬНОГО КРИЗИСА
JOURNALISM UNDER INSTITUTIONAL CRISIS
Светлана Дашиевна Балмаева, Гуманитарный университет Екатеринбурга (Svetlana Balmaeva, Humanitarian University in Ekaterinburg)

ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНАЯ КУЛЬТУРА И ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЕ СООБЩЕСТВО: МЕХАНИЗМЫ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ
(PROFESSIONAL CULTURE AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY: MECHANISMS OF INTERACTION)
Иосиф Михайлович Дзялошинский, Национальный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики» (Josef Dzyaloshynsky, National Research University – The Higher School of Economics)

СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ РАБОТЫ РЕДАКЦИЙ МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЙ ГАЗЕТНОЙ ГРУППЫ METRO И ИХ ВЛИЯНИЕ НА РЕДАКЦИОННУЮ КУЛЬТУРУ
MODERN WORKING TECHNICS FOR NEWSROOMS OF METRO INTERNATIONAL AND THEIR IMPACT ON NEWSROOM CULTURE
Борис Васильевич Коношенко, Генеральный директор-шеф редактор газеты Metro Москва (Boris Konoshenko, CEO/Editor-in-Chief Metro Moscow)

РЕГИОНАЛЬНЫЕ СМИ РОССИИ: МУЛЬТИМЕДИА И ЭКОНОМИКА
REGIONAL MEDIA IN RUSSIA: MULTIMEDIA AND ECONOMICS
Валерий Викторович Бакшин, Дальневосточный федеральный университет (Valery Bakshin, Dalnevostochny Federal University)

К ПРОБЛЕМЕ ТРАНСОФРМАЦИИ РЕГИОНАЛЬНЫХ  МЕДИАКУЛЬТУР В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ РОССИИ: ЛОКАЛИЗАЦИЯ  ИЛИ ГЛОБАЛИЗАЦИЯ?
TRANSFORMATION OF REGIONAL MEDIACULTURES IN MODERN RUSSIA: LOCALIZATION OR GLOBALIZATION?
Александр Валентинович Чернов, Гуманитарный институт Череповецкого государственного университета (Alexander Chernov, Cherepovets State University)

Lunch
13.30-14.30

Session 4
Presentations of the European Journalism Research Groups
14.30-15.30
Room 232
Moderator Dr. Maria Anikina 

EUROPEAN JOURNALISM OBSERVATORY
Natasha Fioretti

THE WORLDS OF JOURNALISM STUDY
Thomas Hanitzsch 

JOURNALISM IN CHANGE - PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTIC CULTURES IN RUSSIA, POLAND AND SWEDEN
Gunnar Nygren

Session 5-1
15.40-17.10
Room 333
Moderator Dr. Anastasia Alekseeva

SOCIOLOGICAL CULTURE AS THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTIC CULTURE
Maria Anikina, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

MOTIVATION BEHIND THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AMONG YOUTH IN INDIA
Khattri Neeraj, Trinity Institute of Professional Studies, India

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACT OF NEW MEDIA ON USERS IN INDIA
Usha Rani Narayana, University of Mysore, India

JOURNALISM IN AN INNOVATION SOCIETY – A NEW ONTOLOGICAL STATUS?
Marina Shilina, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia 

ETHICS IN JOURNALISM AND SOCIAL VALUES IN A PERIOD OF SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
Inessa Filatova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

Session 5-2
15.40-17.10
Room 103
Moderator Dr. Thomas Hanitzch

JOURNALISM IN CHANGE – PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTIC CULTURES IN RUSSIA, POLAND AND SWEDEN
Gunnar Nygren, Södertörn University, Sweden

THE IMPORTANCE OF JOURNALISTIC COMPETENCES FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
Carmen Koch, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Institute of Applied Media Studies (IAM)
Vinzenz Wyss, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Institute of Applied Media Studies (IAM) 

MEASURING PRESS DIFFERENCES: AN UPDATE
Xu Xiaoge, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

THE INSTITUTIONAL ROLE OF JOURNALISM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CAMPAIGN FUNDING CRISIS IN FINLAND
Sinikka Torkkola, University of Tampere, Finland
Anne Koski, University of Tampere, Finland

Session 6-1
17.20-18.50
Room 333
Moderator Annina Stoffel

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OF JAPANESE JOURNALISM IN THE INTERNET AGE
Watanabe Takesato, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan

JOURNALISM RELOADED – OR WHAT JOURNALISTS NEED FOR THE FUTURE
Alexandra Stark, MAZ – The Swiss School of Journalism, Switzerland

NEW GENERATION OF RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS: FROM DIGITAL ADVANCEMENT TO DIGITAL ADDICTION
Olga Smirnova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

NEW BRANDED MEDIA: THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM
Anastasia Alekseeva, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

Session 6-2
17.20-18.50
Room 103
Moderator Bogusława Dobek-Ostrowska

RUSSIAN AND SWEDISH JOURNALISTS – PROFESSIONAL ROLES, IDEALS AND DAILY REALITY
Elena Degtereva, Södertörn University, Sweden, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Gunnar Nygren, Södertörn University, Sweden

TRANSFORMING JOURNALISTIC CULTURES IN RUSSIA: RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE
Maria Anikina, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

RUSSIAN JOURNALISM AS A SOCIAL LIFT
Svetlana Pasti, University of Tampere, Finland

DIFFERENT JOURNALISTIC CULTURES AND THE NATIONAL IDENTITY IN LATVIA
Ainars Dimants, School of Business Administration Turiba, Latvia 

Dinner
19.00
November 12, 2011 (Saturday)

Session 7
Plenary
(English Language / Synch. Translation)
9.30-11.30
Room 232
Moderator Dr. Mikhail Makeenko 

RUSSIAN JOURNALISM; THE CLASH OF PROFESIONAL CULTURES
Elena Vartanova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

THE LONG PASSAGE OF HISTORY: THE EVOLUTION OF PROFESSIONALISM AMONG JOURNALISTS AND THEIR INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS
Kaarle Nordenstreng, University of Tampere, Finland

MEDIA ETHICS IN AN AGE OF CONTROVERSY AND CONFUSION
Clifford Christians, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

CRISIS OF THE FOURTH ESTATE AND RISE OF THE FIFTH ESTATE
Gregory Simons, Uppsala University, Sweden

SOCIAL MEDIA: CITIZEN JOURNALISM AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES Andy Miah, University of the West of Scotland 

Coffee Break
11.30-12.00

Session 8-1
12.00-13.50
Room 103
Moderator Dr. Greg Simons

ARE JOURNALISTS REALLY THAT DIFFERENT? A COMPARATIVE LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS, ROLES AND VALUES OF JOURNALISTS AROUND THE WORLD
David H. Weaver, Indiana University, U.S.A.

BETWEEN NEWS DESKS, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND CLICK COUNTS – CATALYSTS OF CHANGE IN SWISS JOURNALISM
Vinzenz Wyss, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Institute of Applied Media Studies (IAM)
Annina Stoffel, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Institute of Applied Media Studies (IAM) 

AUTONOMY AND JOURNALISTIC CULTURE THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Jöran Hök, Södertörn University, Sweden

NEWS CONTENT SHARING IN CONVERGENT AUSTRALIAN NEWSROOMS: THE ETHICS OF ONLINE REUSE CULTURE
Tim Dwyer, University of Sydney, Australia

POLISH JOURNALISTS AND NEW MEDIA: MAINTAINING PROFESSIONALISM OR DEPROFESSIONALIZATION?
Bogusława Dobek-Ostrowska, University of Wrocław, Poland
Michał Głowacki, University of Warsaw, Poland

Session 8-2
12.00-13.50
Room 333
Moderator Dr. Galina Perypechina

PUBLIC DISCUSSION AS A HOLISTIC POLISUBJECT TEXT
Irina Fomicheva, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT OF DOCUMENTARY CINEMA THROUGH THE MEANS OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Renate Cane, School of Business Administration Turiba, Latvia

RADIO EKHO MOSKVY AS A PHENOMENON OF CONTEMPORARY BROADCASTING JOURNALISM
Ludmila Bolotova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
EkaterinaBolotova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia 

JOURNALISTIC CULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN TV POLITICAL OBSERVERS: CONDITIONS FOR FORMATION
Yulia Dolgova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

TRAGEDY ON THE RUSSIAN TV SCREEN'11: ETHICAL AND NORMATIVE ASPECTS
Yuliya Yakusheva, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF MULTIMEDIA CONTENT IN JOURNALISM
Diana Kulchitskaya, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

Closing Remarks
14.00-14.20
Room 232

Lunch
14.30

thumbnail photo by David Gordillo, Flickr

Roy Stringer Lecture

On Nov 1st, I'll take part in a panel debate that will take place as part of FACT's Roy Stringer Lecture, which is given this year by Martha Lane Fox. The title for the event is 'The Democratising Role of the Web'

Here's a brief on the event:

FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), in partnership with Amaze, presents the next Roy Stringer lecture with respected entrepreneur and digital champion, Martha Lane Fox. Martha is the UK's Digital Champion and heads up the Race Online 2012 campaign which aims to get the 8.3 million UK residents who have never used the Internet online. She came to prominence after setting up lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman in 1998. She is also a non-executive director of Marks & Spencer, Channel 4 and mydeco.com. Martha joins a panel of guests including Professor Andy Miah, community engagement expert Patrick Fox (FACT / Arena Housing), Director of Strategy at Aurora Media John Eagan, and Natalie Gross, Managing Partner at Amaze, to discuss the democratising role of the web, how digital content can help encourage people who have never been on the Internet to take their first steps online, and the role the cultural and creative industries can play in introducing off-liners to digital content. Andy Miah is Director of the Creative Futures Research Centre and Chair of Ethics and Emerging Technologies in the Faculty of Business & Creative Industries at the University of the West of Scotland. A Fellow of FACT, Miah regularly publishes in major newspapers around the world, which have included The Washington Post, the Guardian and the Independent and the Huffington Post. He is currently a columnist for the Guardian. Peter Barron is Google's head of public relations for Britain, Ireland and the Benelux countries. Before joining Google in 2008, the Belfast-born journalist was editor of the BBC programme Newsnight. Jon Eagan has worked as a communications professional for 25 years as a charity campaigner, political strategist and consultant. He is a regular contributor to regional print and broadcast media and is a director at Liverpool-based communications agency Aurora Media. Aurora developed the 'It's Liverpool' campaign to promote the city. The event will be chaired by Herb Kim (@herbkim). Herb is the CEO of Codeworks, founder of the Thinking Digital Conference and is included in the Wired Magazine & Media Guardian Top 100 lists.

Thumbnail image from Wikipedia

Battle of Ideas

From 28-30 October, I'll be speaking at the Battle of Ideas in London. I'll take part in two sessions, both broadly focused on the ethics of biological modification. The first is on Saturday and are titled 'Designer people: is technology making us less human?' (Sun, 1230pm, Lecture Theatre 1) and 'Smart Drugs: Magic Bullet or Cheating Ourselves?' (Sun, 345pm, Lecture Theatre 1)

Here's a brief outline of the programme with other speakers:

http://www.instituteofideas.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday 12 August 2011
Media Contact: Patrick Hayes 07782 133399 / 020 7269 9222
7th Battle of Ideas Festival Programme Announced
The Institute of Ideas today unveils the 7
th
BATTLE OF IDEAS FESTIVAL programme,
featuring a line-up of 350 speakers participating in 75 debates on society’s big issues and
unresolved questions (see: http://www.battleofideas.org.uk/index.php/2011/overview/).
The main weekend festival, held at the Royal College of Art, London on October 29-30, showcases
keynote debates entitled:
Battle against the fates; Profiting Responsibly? Business in the Big Society; Creativity and Curiosity:
do we make stuff up or find it out? Has tolerance gone too far? Loyalty in an age of whistleblowing and Wikileaks; Is individualism bad for society?
Seven strands run through the format of the festival weekend, allowing in-depth examination of a
subject. They are entitled:
Battle for the World, Battle for Morality, Food Fight, Society Wars, Battle for our Brains,
Reassessing... Politics and Sporting Contests.
In addition there are a large number of standalone discussions on subjects including:
The Tea Party – defenders of the American Dream?    Life off Earth: are the aliens out there?
Burlesque: female empowerment or posh stripping? Islamophobia: the new racism or liberal angst?
Ain’t misbehaving - do British children need the army to sort them out?   Smart drugs: magic bullet
or cheating ourselves?    Olympic expectations: can't see the games for the legacy?   Through a glass
darkly: why do atheists love the King James Bible?
Commenting on the launch of the festival programme, Claire Fox, Institute of Ideas director, said:
‘In a period in which we are seeing hugely important cultural shifts, from nihilistic rioters looting and
burning up their own communities to many longstanding institutions – including the police, media
and political parties – hollowing out and being called into question, never has the need for rational
debate been more important.’
‘The Battle of ideas festival 2011 will provide two days of the kind of high-level, thought provoking
public debate that is currently urgently needed. We aim to avoid lazy platitudes and to interrogate
what is really happening in society both in the UK and internationally. Free speech is allowed!’
Confirmed speakers at the Battle of Ideas festival 2011 include: David Aaronovitch, columnist, The Times; author, Voodoo Histories; Anne Atkins novelist, columnist
and broadcaster; regular contributor to Radio 4's Thought for the Day; Simon Baron-Cohen, director,
Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge; author, Zero Degrees of Empathy; Daniel BenAmi, finance and economics journalist; author Ferraris for All: in defence of economic progress and
Cowardly Capitalism; Melvin Burgess, award winning children's author, novels include Nicholas
Dane, Junk and Kill All Enemies; John Cooper, leading criminal and human rights barrister; regular
columnist, The Times and Observer; editor, Criminal Bar Quarterly; Claire Fox, director, Institute of
Ideas; panellist, BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze; Frank Furedi, professor of sociology, University of Kent,
Canterbury; author, Wasted, Politics of Fear and On Tolerance: in defence of moral independence;
Clare Gerada, GP; chair, Royal College of General Practitioners; Tom Holland, award-winning
historian; author, Rubicon: the triumph and tragedy of the Roman Republic; winner, 2007 Classical
Association Prize; Simon Jenkins, columnist, Guardian; chairman, National Trust; author, A short
history of England; Irma Kurtz, writer; broadcaster; agony aunt, Cosmopolitan Magazine;
author, About Time: growing old disgracefully; Philippe Legrain, advisor to José Manuel Barroso,
President of the European Commission; author, Aftershock: reshaping the world economy after the
crisis; Kenan Malik, writer and broadcaster; presenter of Analysis, BBC Radio 4; author, The Quest
for the Moral Compass (forthcoming);  Paul Mason, broadcaster; author, Financial Meltdown and
the End of the Age of Greed; Andy Miah, director, Creative Futures Research Centre, University of
West Scotland; Tim Montgomerie, co-editor, Conservative Home; co-founder,
ConservativeIntelligence.com; member, advisory board, Centre for Social Justice; Ruth Padel, poet
and writer; author Darwin - A Life in Poems; Tariq Ramadan, professor of contemporary Islamic
studies, University of Oxford; author,The Quest for Meaning: developing a philosophy of pluralism;
Jeffrey Rosen, professor of law, George Washington University; legal affairs editor, The New
Republic; author, The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries that Defined America; Brendan
O’Neill, editor, spiked; William Saletan, journalist, Slate; author, Bearing Right: how conservatives
won the abortion war; John Sutherland, Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of English Literature,
University College London; author, The Lives of the Novelists; George Szirtes, reader in creative
writing, UEA; poet; editor; translator; author, The Burning of the Books and Other Poems; Raymond
Tallis,  author, thirty medical and non-medical books including Aping Mankind: Neuromania,
Darwinitis and the Misrepresentation of Humanity; Gáspár Miklos Tamás, visiting professor, Central
European University; president, Green Left; author, Les Idoles de la Tribu; Tom Watt, actor, writer
and broadcaster: best known as Lofty from EastEnders, David Beckham’s ghostwriter and Fighting Talk’s
Champion of Champions 2011; Martin Wolf, associate editor and chief economics
commentator, Financial Times; author, Fixing Global Finance; Zoe Williams, columnist, The
Guardian; Cathy Young, contributing editor Reason; and many more.
Press passes for the weekend are available and a wide range of Battle of Ideas speakers are
available for comment. Contact: Patrick Hayes 07782 133399 patrickhayes@instituteofideas.com
Notes to editors:
1) The 7
th
Battle of Ideas festival weekend is taking place on the weekend of 29-30 October at the Royal
College of Art, London. For the full programme and list of confirmed speakers, visit: www.battleofideas.org.uk2) Battle Satellite events are organised with a range of national and international partners taking place
throughout October and November. Full details of the programme can be viewed online here:
http://www.battleofideas.org.uk/index.php/2011/satellites/
3) Press passes for all events are available and a wide range of festival speakers are available for media
comment on issues being discussed at the Battle of Ideas before and during the event. Contact:
patrickhayes@instituteofideas.com 07782 133399 / 020 7269 9222

Deporte, ética y derecho

In Octubre, estare hablar sobre deporte, ética y derecho en Barcelona por el Universidad Pomeu Fabra. Es un conferencia en la escula de derecho y abajo tiene la programa. Within my talk, I will weave in themes about democracy, freedom and the good life...

Presentación: ¿Por qué es importante el deporte para la filosofía del derecho?

Prof. José Luis Pérez Triviño Prof. Titular de Filosofía del Derecho. UPF. 10-10,30 h.

Why Anti-Doping Will Not Last: Bioethics & Sport in an Era of Human Enhancement

Prof. Andy Miah Director Creative Futures Research Centre Chair of Ethics and Emerging Technologies University of the West of Scotland. 10,30-11,30 h.

Las lesiones deportivas y el Derecho Penal

Prof. José Manuel Ríos Corbacho Prof. de Derecho Penal. Universidad de Cádiz. 11,45-12,45 h.

Dopaje y paternalismo

Prof. Claudio Tamburrini Investigador del Centre for Healthcare Ethics. Facultad de Filosofía. Universidad de Estocolmo. 12,45-13,45 h.

thumbnail image by Andy Miah, Iraq 2003 protest in Barcelona

Olympics + Doping

The Olympics, Doping and the Meaning of Sport: Performance enhancement technologies and the changing boundaries of human natureDate: Wednesday 5 October 2011, 6:30pm to 8:30pm Venue: The Millenium Room, The Carriageworks, Millennium Square, Leeds

Speakers: Dr David James, Professor Andy Miahand Professor Jim Parry

£5 waged/£3 unwaged on the door

With only a few months remaining before the London 2012 Olympic Games, British athletes are preparing hard in pursuit of a record haul of medals. To help them better the 47 won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, an army of coaches, doctors and psychologists is at hand, along with a thriving sports technology industry, all backed by an unprecedented level of public and private investment.

National ambitions aside, we all want to see exceptional performances from the world's best athletes, such as Usain Bolt’s record-smashing sprints. Yet sometimes we are uneasy when athletes shatter old records, fearing it is artificial aids, and not the athlete’s individual effort, that accounts for the achievement. We seem to be hanging in a precarious balance between expecting a superhuman performance and fearing the crossing of nature’s boundaries.

When particular technologies have been 'too successful', such as Graeme Obree’s bicycle and riding position, or polyurethane-coated swimsuits, they have been banned for giving an unfair advantage. Some, like Rebecca Adlington refused to use the new swimsuits for ethical reasons even before they were banned, claiming they are a form of ‘technological doping’. And with such high stakes to play for and constant advances in medicine, the temptation of actual chemical doping looms as large as ever, and it is hard to demarcate precisely the line between legitimate medical treatment and unfair artificial advantage.

Many take such a hard line against doping, calling for life bans from the Olympics for athletes like Dwain Chambers, who has long served his sentence. Others point out that sport is a very unnatural pursuit, and the intensity of training and competition has become such that no doping techniques are as dangerous for the athlete’s body as the sport itself, many ‘doping’ techniques being necessary to restore the athletes’ body to a healthy state. Some argue that, as enhancement technologies become part of everyday life and the line between medicine and body enhancement is blurred, it will become increasingly difficult to keep them out of sport. They believe we should allow all sorts of enhancement technologies provided they are safe.

So where should we draw the line between the artificial and the natural in sport, between effective sports equipment and ‘technological doping’, between legitimate medical therapies and illegitimate, performance enhancement treatments, between the struggle to excel and the need to have fair and balanced competition, between the urge to go beyond the boundaries of human nature and the fear of losing our humanity?

Humanity 2.0 RSA

On 6th October I will chair the launch of Professor Steve Fuller's new book 'Humanity 2.0'. Find below the brief for this sold out event:

How will we ascribe status to human life in a ‘post-human’ world? Should we take post-humanism seriously? If so, how do we define and value our humanity in the face of a future that will only otherwise confer advantage on the few? As we re-engineer the human body, and even human genome, are we attempting to realize dreams that hitherto have been largely pursued as social-engineering projects or are we doing something new?

From traders and dreamers to technogeeks and philosophers, whose ideologies run the gamut from collectivism to libertarianism, a large constituency is already engaged with our enhanced future. This constituency may radically reconfigure the global political space.

The RSA gathers a high-profile panel of speakers to explore the hidden agendas behind our values and attitudes toward the place of ‘the human’ in today’s societies, and debate what must now be a key issue for the 21st century.

Speakers: Professor Steve Fuller, Auguste Comte Chair in Social Epistemology, the Department of Sociology, the University of Warwick and author of 'Humanity 2:0'; Dr Rachel Armstrong, Senior TED Fellow and co-director, AVATAR (Advanced Virtual and Technological Architectural Research) in Architecture & Synthetic Biology, The School of Architecture & Construction, University of Greenwich; China Miéville, author of several works of fiction and non-fiction; and Sarah Chan,  Research Fellow in Bioethics and Law, University of Manchester.

Pigs Bladder Football

Artist John O'Shea is a dear friend and a great young artist whose latest work is titled 'Pigs Bladder Football'. I Chaired a debate during the #ANDfest about 'Fanaticism' inspired by his work. I also took part in making a pigs bladder football, while also doing reasonably well in keepy uppies, captured in this stunning action shot ;)

Find below a few shots from the weekend:

The game of Pigs Bladder Football

The shop on boldstreet

John getting things ready

Inflating the bladder

John working on a podcast

#media2012 Hacks & Hackers

During the #ANDfest we had a Hacks and Hackers meeting run by ScraperWiki. Participants spent the day developing a story and scraping data to support it. This was an important step forward for #media2012. Here are some photos from the day.

#ANDfest 2011 Photo Essay

Another #ANDfest passes, another weekend of great art/film/digital/networking/speaking etc. Here's a glimpse of my weekend. A lot is omitted from what took place, but this is what fell in front of my lens.

Mike Stubbs opening speech

Opening Night performance at Black-E, THE MODES OF AL-IKSEER, Harminder Singh Judge

Bicycle powered popcorn

Small Cinema in China Town

AND Salon with link to #Rewire conference

David Shrigley 'tattoo event'

Pigs Bladder Football with John O'Shea

Zee exhibition at FACT

#media2012 Hacks & Hackers day with ScraperWiki