[Air-l] CFPs: COST269 Conference Helsinki 3-5 September 2003

[jeremy hunsinger]

>
> THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE IRRELEVANT:
>
> The user and the future of information and communication technologies
>
>
> A transdisciplinary, proactive and collaborative knowledge-building 
> conference organised by COST Action 269
>
> University of Art and Design, Helsinki (Finland)
>
> 3-5 September 2003
>
> INTRODUCTION
>
> Technology is one of the key elements contributing to rapid global 
> change. Whether we are interested in developing technology, or 
> studying its relationship with people and everyday life, or seeking to 
> benefit from the potential it creates, or worried over its 
> consequences, we can hardly overlook its role in the shaping of our 
> future. But what can we say of the direction and meaning of this 
> development?
>
> Through the four themes,
>
> • 	the extended human
> • 	users as innovators
> • 	dealing with diversity
> • 	the reconfiguration of society
>
> the organisers of this conference want to focus the attention of an 
> interdisciplinary community on some of the key arenas where the future 
> relationship of people and new digital technology and its applications 
> are being negotiated.
>
> Often the most advanced technology and its potential but yet 
> unforeseen applications are discussed only within the communities of 
> the technology specialists, while the critics, users and policy makers 
> convene in their own respective circles, each with their own 
> traditions, languages, and agendas. Unfortunately, these communities 
> seldom meet in an organised fashion, and when they do, they often 
> suffer from language and cultural clashes that tend to hamper 
> interdisciplinary encounters.
>
> In this conference, the organisers - the COST Action 269 - invite 
> technology and product developers, designers, social scientists, 
> policy makers, community representatives and others who are interested 
> in the conference topics, to join an attempt to develop the discussion 
> on a common, shared and transdisciplinary ground. We ask participants 
> to
>
> 1) strive to present their topic from a human centric point of view as 
> opposed to a technology, product or business centric one, and to
>
> 2) present in a language that attempts to transcend disciplinary 
> boundaries, a language that non-experts can also understand, and to
>
> 3) not only report on their work, but also to engage in the conference 
> debate which aims to develop ways to understand the interests of 
> people and society, to evaluate developments against such evolving 
> understanding, and to chart interesting and desirable future 
> directions.
>
> The emphasis of this event will be on networking and promoting a 
> dialogue with colleagues from around Europe and the rest of the world. 
> The event itself will be augmented with online discussion before and 
> after the conference.
>
> We look forward to seeing you in Helsinki for a conference designed to 
> be exciting, thought-provoking and challenging.
>
>
> COST 269: USER ASPECTS OF ICTs
>
> The conference is organised by the COST 269 network 'User Aspects of 
> ICTs', the successor to COST 248.  COST269 is an action in the domain 
> 'Telecommunications, Information Science and Technology' of COST, an 
> intergovernmental framework for European Co-operation in the field of 
> Scientific and Technical Research. In COST 269 European scientists 
> from telecommunication research departments, universities and 
> operators together with independent consultants collaborate in 
> cross-disciplinary groups to analyse social dimensions of people's 
> relationships to information and communication technologies.  More 
> information is available on our website at http://www.cost269.org
>
>
(edited to keep under 10k)

> CONFERENCE WEBSITE
>
> http://www.cost269.org/conference.html
>
>
>
jeremy hunsinger
jhuns at vt.edu
on the ibook
www.cddc.vt.edu
www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy
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