Category: Blog

We spent time on devices. We perceive the world through lenses and microphones. We resigned our cognition to technical machines.

The memory of love, of human courtship, is inscribed in machines, chat histories, colorful images, more or less charming little films, personal messages, and any kind of digital auxiliaries. We rely on this. We generate romantic emotions from this. We make decisions based on this.

Likewise, wars and military conflicts generate a plethora of data from their ‘cognitive‘ sensorial activities – from seeing with drones, detecting with satellites, and communicating with headsets – generating data – generating memories. We observe it with objection but acknowledge its relentless functionality.

AI increasingly fashions the storage of all these human and non-human memories – including all logical operations to synthesize our collective and personal recollections.

Mostly perceived as a threat, it indeed is a unique chance for mankind to forget, to hand over an ocean of memories to machines – to engage in a collective amnesia.

Roger F. Malina – ORCID

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I first read Edward Said’s last book in 2004, after Michael Punt Reminded me of it. Oops after Michael recommended it. But I totally disremembered the content of this book.

What drew me to re-reading it was my 73 birthday. In particular I remember the argument that Beethoven’s unfinished symphony is his most influential. Or was it Schubert ?

The book had very little to do with what I remember about it.

Disremembering is perhaps a form of selective remembering, and in my case mis-taken remembering. But this dis-rememory was particularly enticing in my current self-narrative about academic freedom.

About the Author:

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics, at the University of Texas at Dallas and Directeur de Recherche for the CNRS in France. He serves as the Associate Director of ATEC, and founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC program fall 2013.

Roger F. Malina – ORCID

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Book: “Migration Theory: talking across disciplines”

4th edition, Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland. Routledge, New York, 2023 DOI 10.4324/9781003121015
by: Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland

I just finished reading Chapter 2 on the Sociology of Migration by David Scott Fitzgerald.

The author immediately addresses the implicit biases he has: a global north western white sociologist writing in English-English. Yes, migration studies are affected by the geographic origin(s) of the author.

Apparently, passports were invented during WWII in Europe.

The author manages to both complexify and simplify the literature (there are structures in complexity/). He delves into personal motivations for migrations that often include irrational considerations (hence difficult to analyze logically?)

About the Author:

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics, at the University of Texas at Dallas and Directeur de Recherche for the CNRS in France. He serves as the Associate Director of ATEC, and founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC program fall 2013.

Roger F. Malina – ORCID

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Book: “Migration Theory: talking across disciplines”

4th edition, Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland. Routledge, New York, 2023 DOI 10.4324/9781003121015
by: Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland

So, I have just finished reading page 102 of this book, the middle of chapter 2 on Demography by Francois Heran.

Please do contribute a blog post of your own to be woven into the next edition of this iterative book review.

I have been very intrigued by understanding the complexity of demographics and its study. Many of the concepts and definitions have evolved over time.

On page 95 Heran discusses the “panoply of censuses and surveys’. We forget that the naming of stars and constellations didn’t reach a consensus until recently and cataloguing of objects in the sky is a panoply of sometimes contradictory findings.

About the Author:

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics, at the University of Texas at Dallas and Directeur de Recherche for the CNRS in France. He serves as the Associate Director of ATEC, and founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC program fall 2013.

Roger F. Malina – ORCID

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Book: “Migration Theory: talking across disciplines”

4th edition, Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland. Routledge, New York, 2023 DOI 10.4324/9781003121015
by: Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland

So, I have just finished reading page 79 of this book, the chapter by Donna R. Gabaccia.

The Chapter title is 1 Historical Migration Studies: Time, Temporality and Theory

For no good reason I like the fact that this writer has a non-anglo or un-anglo name. I wonder if, I am sure there is a field of ‘name studies’. What are the most or least common names of migrants? But of course, names can mislead, just as time can. My mother’s maiden name was “Duckworth”, her nickname “Duckie”. Smile: association studies.

I found this chapter compelling, facts and ideas I wasn’t familiar with. But/and a good dose of disciplinary skepticism. The author pokes at whether dividing into time periods is a good idea, but accepts it can stimulate useful thinking.

I enjoyed the study of the history of the very concept of ‘migration’, “immigration’, emigration etc. since my own family history is heavily embodied in migration and emigration. My grandparents for Bohemia found Texas treacherous and unhospitable. They migrated from Texas back to Bohemia in 1918 when the Czech Republic was created after WW1. They then remigrated back to Texas during the great depression in Europe.

My father said he left Texas as soon as possible, because the nearest library wasn’t within bicycling range from the family home in Brenham- he moved to Caltech where the books outnumber the people. He then became a forced emigrant as a political refugee in France. Cyclical migration: I am now living in Texas.

About the Author:

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics, at the University of Texas at Dallas and Directeur de Recherche for the CNRS in France. He serves as the Associate Director of ATEC, and founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC program fall 2013.

Evan:

The breaking point happened late in the evening at a fried chicken joint. Fried Nashville hot chicken that was not spicy. I leaped out of the patio seat and proclaimed I do not stay in this town any longer, I want to leave and see the world. My roommate glanced at me, unfazed. 2020 had taken its toll on every facet of our lives and I wished to travel to Nashville, Tennessee to try some authentic hot chicken. “Why stop at Nashville,” my roommate asked, “I go to Nashville every year, why stop there?” There, in the patio of a fried chicken chain, the playlist methodology was drafted.

Roger:

When Evan started this project last August 2023 it was before the start of our academic semester and there were not many people around. But every person he asked replied almost instantly: his question evolved from what is your favorite song to what music do you like to listen to at the moment. He started asking everyone who walked into the lab. Within 3 weeks there were over 60 songs in the play list and almost 400 people had listed to the channel.

About the Author:

Evan Acuna is temporary research assistance as well as Production Assistant and Lab Manager at ArtSciLab. He has recently graduated with an undergraduate in Art, Technology, and emerging communications. Evan will continue to pursue creative opportunities within the near future to build his portfolio and work to become a sustainable creative professional.

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

Roger F. Malina – ORCID

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Book: “Migration Theory: talking across disciplines”

4th edition, Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland. Routledge, New York, 2023 DOI 10.4324/9781003121015
by: Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland

So, I have just finished reading page 44 of this book, the end of the introduction.

Please do contribute a blog post of your own to be woven into the next edition of this iterative book review.

Conflict of interest statement: One of the authors is the widow of a close colleague of mine, Rick Bretell, but I believe for this review I can be intellectually but not emotionally distanced (emotional migration?).

1. Question 1: why is the subtitle of the book: “talking across the disciplines”?

Surely it should be ‘and walking across the disciplines”? I checked the table of contents. I haven’t read chapter 9 yet, but it is” The State of Migration Theory: Challenges, Interdisciplinarity and Critique’. Written by Adrian Favell.

So:

My Critique 1:

The next edition of the book should provide exemplars of applying migration theories to practices. We learned the art of “exemplars’ when Alex Topete and team were commission by the US National Science Foundation to provide evidence that STEM to STEAM was a good idea:

SEAD Exemplars:
Evidence of the Value of Transdisciplinary Projects, December 2017, DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.14097.79207. A. Topete et al.

Here are two exemplars under way in our ArtSciLab:
1. ASLIOSA
2. Business Professionals of America Weaving the Gaps between the silos at UT Dallas.

About the Author:

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics, at the University of Texas at Dallas and Directeur de Recherche for the CNRS in France. He serves as the Associate Director of ATEC, and founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC program fall 2013.

Roger F. Malina – ORCID

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Book: “Migration Theory: talking across disciplines”

4th edition, Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland. Routledge, New York, 2023 DOI 10.4324/9781003121015
by: Caroline B Bretell and James F Holland

Below is picture of Roman Fort inn Elslack Village, Yorkshire where my mother was born before she migrated to Paris, France:

Why I am writing this review:

My wife and I migrated to Dallas, Texas from Marseille, France in 2012. The two key people who incited this were Tom Linehan and Rick Bretell, the late husband of the co-author of this book. My colleagues at the time could not understand my reasoning, at a time we could retire painlessly in the South of France. I am trying to understand my own ongoing migrations, physically and professionally and emotionally; I am hoping to keep migrating in multiple ways. Observationally am not a settler, and settlers write the histories of migrants unfortunately.

About the Author:

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics, at the University of Texas at Dallas and Directeur de Recherche for the CNRS in France. He serves as the Associate Director of ATEC, and founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC program fall 2013.

Upon re reading: “on late style: Music and Literature Against the Grain” by Edward W Said Pantheon Books, 2006:

My good friend and colleague Michael Punt, suggested I read Said’s final book before he died. For some reason it left a trace. As I reached my mid-seventies, I became aware I was applying some of his theories to practice.

Said argues that unfinished imperfect work, like Beethovens and Schubert’s ‘Differences between Beethovens Fifth Symphony and Schuberts Unfinished Symphony’ was more influential than some of their early perfect work.

The easy part is that I kept repeating the aphorism that “better is the enemy of good enough”. This is NASA speak that when a rocket launch approaches, you cannot be a perfectionist anymore. The analogy is that one of the 5Rs that guide our lab design is “Rocket Launch’ encouraging lab members to leave as soon as possible to find a better and better paid job.

The context is “experience design” as advocated by our lab co-founder Cassini Nazir that is now being applied via UX/UI and other methods to redesigning the experiences in our lab. Jacob Hunwick, facing the end of his undergraduate education in a few weeks, is working on a new project he won’t have time to finish on Water Rights.

About the Author:

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics, at the University of Texas at Dallas and Directeur de Recherche for the CNRS in France. He serves as the Associate Director of ATEC, and founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC program fall 2013.