Generation Y

Is Gen Y going to change the web?

As Sarah Perez points out, the generation Y, roughly defined as „current 13 to 31 year-olds“ (but it goes as far back as 5 ys.) is different.


- they're digital natives
- they're not obsessed with TV
- they don’t care about ads, rather rely on their networks of friends
- for them work isn’t everything, but there has to be fun in it
- they’re socially conscious and care about the world
- they’re going to be the driving force behind technology changes
- they’re social networkers to the core, they grew up in SNs, but they’re also aware of the perils of posting online

I can agree with some of this, because my students are Gen-Yers. What’s not mentioned in the article: the digital divide, the fact that the above applies only to a relatively small percentage of youth. The rest simply lacks the necessary skills to participate in all the web 2.0 activities. A big part of youth have a very limited internet approach, they know and use maybe 5 to 10 websites and that’s it. And it still happens every now and then that I come across a student who hasn't used a search engine even once in his/her life.

Global Food Crisis

Global Voices want to place an overall narrative on the global food crisis with observations from authors all over the world.

Here's the special coverage on the food crisis 2008.


When U.N. Chief Ban Ki-moon was in Austria last month he spoke of a global crisis.

BBC's science correspondent Tom Feilden looks at the reasons for the food crisis and why the era of cheap food may be coming to an end.

There's another interesting article in the Washington Post, which lists as the main reasons:

- trade restrictions on agricultural products
- increasing demand in Asia
- the push to produce biofuels
- weather influences that effected the crops
- the rising fuel prices

I like Global Voices' approach and intention of collecting facts and observations from people all over the world.

Attention Seeker or Rejecter?

mc-50 poster with icons, take 1
Originally uploaded by GustavoG

I finally managed to read the interesting Ofcom’s Research Report on Social Networking (dated 2 April 2008), which used a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods.

SNS (like MySpace, Facebook or Bebo) are of course most popular with teenagers and younger adults. Over one fifth (22%) of adult internet users aged 16+ and
almost half (49%) of children aged 8-17 who use the internet have set up their own profile on a social networking site. For adults, the likelihood of setting up a profile is highest among 16-24 year olds (54%) and decreases with age.

The researchers „detected“ or better, construed distinct groups of social networkers, based on their attitudes and behaviours:

• Alpha Socialisers – (a minority) people who used sites in intense short bursts to flirt, meet new people, and be entertained – the majority is male, under 25.
• Attention Seekers – (some) teens to 35+, especially mothers resp. females who craved attention and comments from others, often by posting photos and customising their profiles.,
• Followers – (many) people who joined sites to keep up with what their peers were doing.
• Faithfuls – (many 20+) people who typically used social networking sites to rekindle old friendships, often from school or university.
• Functionals – (a minority ) people (older males) who tended to be single-minded in using sites for a particular purpose.


Even the non-users of social networking sites fall into distinct groups, based on their reasons for not using social network sites.
• people concerned about safety online, in particular making personal details available online.
• Technically inexperienced – people who lack confidence in using the internet and computers.
• Intellectual rejecters – people who have no interest in social networking sites and see them as a waste of time.

The report or a pdf-presentation can be downloaded here

If you don’t want to read, there’s a video on the findings.

I’m trying to decide where I would place myself within these groups. The main problem is that I’m a member of 2 SNS, but don’t frequent them very often, if so, mainly for research purposes. Does this make me a rejecter? On the other hand, I see how my students often make good use of the sites, they make friends, exchange information, work on their profiles, opinions and values, so basically, I don’t see them as a waste.

Thanks to Gustavo G for the network poster via flickr.

Cuckoo-Search

cuckoo in birch
Originally uploaded by francessa_Rich

Yesterday, I heard a cuckoo! We took a walk near the Rieselfelder in Muenster (a huge bird sanctuary in a wet marsh area) - and there it was! Cuckoo-ing along, for quite a while.

I was fairly exited, as I hadn't heard one in years.

Actually, it can be seen on the birch, with a little effort and enlargening tools...

Discovering Kiefer

Kiefer 9
Originally uploaded by corwin1974

Last weekend we went to the Essl Museum near Vienna, to an exhibition of masterpieces of the German and Austrian painters Georg Baselitz, Markus Lüpertz, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Arnulf Rainer and Maria Lassnig.

I am impressed by Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter, but I was overwhelmed by the works of Anselm Kiefer. I had heard of him, but I was not prepared for this deep symbolism, especially in "For Paul Celan 2005", with lines from a poem by Paul Celan, or "Sternenfall 1998" (Falling Stars). I could have stood there for hours and just get lost in the atmosphere and the details.

A short extract from Wikipedia:

Kiefer ranks among the best-known and most successful, but also most disputed German artists after World War II. In his entire body of work, Kiefer argues with the past and addresses taboo and controversial issues from recent history. Themes from Nazi rule are particularly reflected in his work; for instance, the painting "Margarethe" (oil and straw on canvas) was inspired by Paul Celan's well-known poem "Todesfuge" ("Death Fugue"). Polemical discussions in the media over the value of his artistic work have taken place for many decades.

His works are characterised by a dull/musty, nearly depressive, destructive style and are often done in large scale formats. In most of his works, the use of photography as an output surface is prevalent and earth and other raw materials of nature are often incorporated. It is also characteristic of his work to find signatures and/or names of humans, legendary figures or places particularly pregnant with history in nearly all of his paintings. All of these are encoded sigils through which Kiefer seeks to process the past; this often gets him linked with a style called "New Symbolism."

It's an ....internet kind of music

An Austrian band plays on ipods and iphones plus moocow tools

Title: Life is greater than the internet





here's more about moocow.

Sweet-Ignorant

Whenever there's a gathering of friends or colleagues and someone starts talking about 70's or 80's pop music and everybody shares his or her favourite songs, groups or artists, I'm at a total loss. I know the Beatles, the Stones, Eric Clapton, and a few more - but that's it.

I cannot, like so many of the people I know, hear an artist's name and simply come up with several songtitles or even the lyrics. I do never know about changes in a bands formation, like, who was the initial bandleader of, say, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and in which bands did Jimmy Page play. I cannot come up with a list of all the albums of Boney M.

I know lots of tunes, and sing them, but whose? No idea, there's nothing, or as the British say "sweet Fanny Adams". You'll recognize this as a nice pun, if you hang on till the end of it.

I remember some of the groups' names, because the name-giving impressed me somehow, like Blood, Sweat & Tears, the Sex Pistols, Earth, Wind & Fire. I do remember Gloria Gaynor's song "I will survive" because one of my kids liked to listen to it at 7 a.m., at about 100 decibels. I've only recently got to know Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson via DVD.

And every now and then somebody will shake his or her head unbelievingly at this ignorance and cry out: What the heck did you do then? You can't have failed this one!

Interestingly enough, I have no problems of coming up with a lot of more recent band names or artists and referring to their songs. British Seapower, Arctic Monkeys, Naked Lunch, Franz Ferdinand, Mando Diao, Adem Green, Mika, Rihanna - you name it!

Anyway, why am I writing this?

Last Friday I happened to have a very nice conversation with a man on a flight from Vienna to Berlin. Shortly before landing I found out I had talked to a member of a 70's band. The band's name: The Sweet. I nodded politely, when I heard it, but again, nil. All of the band seemed to be on the plane, by the way.

The punishment for this ignorance didn't take long. When I told some of my friends of this airplane-encounter they said: What???? You sat in a plane with "THE SWEET" and you didn't show some appreciation, even a little enthusiasm? You'd never heard of them???? And again: Where the heck have you been in the seventies? The eighties?

My friends give me little presents: CDs (The Sweet: Blockbusters), labeled: The Sweet for Newbies, they hum "Fox on the Run", when I enter the room. They're so educational.

Pete Lincoln, (lead vocals, bass) of "The Sweet"!

Although you're just "the new boy" in the group - I apologize here, publicly and with all my heart for this ignorance!

And of course, even I remember "Poppa Joe". Who wouldn't?

Here's a tribute to the old Sweet:



francessa, aka Fanny

Only after I wrote this I saw The Sweet's 2008 Tour name: "Sweet Fanny Adams". Unbelievable.

Back from Berlin

Unter den Linden
Originally uploaded by francessa_Rich

I have to admit this ashamedly, this weekend was the first time I ever got to see (a little of) Berlin!

Although we couldn’t really go sightseeing, as I had to give a talk on "Social Networks and Weblogs of Teens" at the Congress of Psychology and Psychotherapy, and there was heavy rain, plus Emma, the hurricane – I really liked the very relaxed atmosphere in the hotel, the coffeehouses and the affability of the Berliners (or Berlinians?). I got to know quite a few very nice people at the Congress and we will stay in touch, hopefully!

And the buildings! I always had to think of old films – there must be legions of films made in Berlin! And novels, too. There are lots of similiarities to Viennese architecture which was confusing sometimes. It was a little like coming home, but everything has become bigger and more distinctive and aloof.

And the KaDeWe, the largest departmentstore in all of Continental Europe is worth visiting, too. I got lots of ideas for my advertising classes.

We were almost on our own yesterday evening in front of the impressing Brandenburger Tor and only today I realized it was because the fire department had advised people to stay off the streets...

OSCAR!

It really happened! Counterfeiters (see post below) got the Oscar for best foreign film!

In his acceptance speech director Stefan Ruzowitzky said:

"..There have been some great Austrian filmmakers working here, thinking of Billy Wilder, Fred Zinnemann, Otto Preminger, most of them had to leave my country because of the Nazis, so it sort of makes sense that the first Austrian movie to win an Oscar is about the Nazis' crimes....!"

There's more..

The Rise of the (Cellphone) Novel

The first thing I saw in the morning was the New York Times headline (edition for the Austrian daily "DerStandard") "In Japan, Purists fret at the Rise of the Cellphone Novel".

In case you don't know - a typical cellphone novel is composed on phone keypads by young women, very often residing in Japan - and they are wildly successful among young people, the manga comics generation. Characteristics of these novels are (of course) very short sentences and tales of love, horror and deceit. Of last year's 10 bestselling novels in Japan five were originally cellphone novels. And there's a lot of money in this.

Literary critics are discussing if cellphone novels will kill "the author" and further diminish literary quality. As one can imagine, the character development, for example, is not very extensive, as is the plot as such.

One of the stars of the scene, Yoshi, said writing novels on cellphones was like playing live with a band, because of the possibility to respond to the reactions of the audience on the spot.

Now why are these novels only successful in Japan, so far? Or will the trend finally fan out in Europe as well? Maybe it is a combination of the love for cellphones and the tradition of haikus, these very short verse forms?

I will certainly ask my students today about their experience with cell phone novels. Short texting would attract them. And short reading even more.

The Counterfeiters

"The Counterfeiters", an Austrian film by Stefan Ruzowitzky, is among the Oscar nominations for best foreign film!

It's the true story about one of the largest counterfeiting operations in the world.

boing boing has more.

And there's even a tiny personal connection to this film...

Cold war in warming up Arctic?

winter in germany, source: GEO
Originally uploaded by francessa_Rich

"While environmentalists worry about how quickly the North Pole is melting away, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and the US are waiting for just that".... Read more on Deutsche Welle ..

Here's an interactive map about climate change.

The photo is not connected to the Arctic - just to add a wintry touch.

Lights Out!

If you visit Google Austria or Google Germany today, you will see a black background - Google's contribution to raise awareness for climate change matters and to send a message to the participants of the world climate summit in Bali. Environmental groups, institutions, communities, individuals in the three German speaking countries Germany, Switzerland and Austria are summoned to participate in "Lights Out"!

The lights - or at least some - will go out between 20.00 and 20.05 local time.

Is Europe a country?

Third Grade world geography question!

I loved watching the face of the boy, Nathan.

Cats Again

When cats are talking you always wonder ....

Vic Chesnutt in Vienna

Splendidly...
Originally uploaded by us.kids.know

On Friday we were at a concert of Vic Chesnutt and his band in Vienna’s Gartenbaukino. I had seen Vic before – he looked even more frail than the last time (some three years ago in Essen) but his voice was intense as ever, changing from quiet to aggressive to tender, sometimes all of these in a few lines of song. The black-humor contents of mortality and loss matched the black day (All Soul’s Day) just fine.

And the band (Efrim Menuck, Jessica Moss, Thierry Amar, Eric Craven (Silver Mt. Zion), Guy Picciotto (Fugazi)) who seems to be an assembly of interesting individuals was marvellously in accordance and at the same time a contrast to Vic.

We heard mostly songs from his new album "North Star Deserter" and one aweseome „Ruby Tuesday“ as an encore.

More in German on Stevie’s blog.

The beautiful photo is from us.kids.know.