April 30, 2009

Internet and Culture -- Интернет и культура


ENG: Several Russian public figures discuss Internet issues related to anonymity and government and public regulations.
RUS: Несколько российских общественных деятелей обсуждают проблемы Интернета, связанные с анонимностью и государственным и общественным регулированием.

April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day! -- С днем Земли!


ENG: Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.
RUS: День Земли, отмечаемый 22 апреля, праздник, который призван развивать понимание ценности окружающей среды Земли.

April 13, 2009

Parallel Archive -- Параллельный архив

What is the Parallel Archive?
Parallel Archive (PA, www.parallelarchive.org) is a space where scholars can upload, store, study, and share their digitized archival sources. It is designed to facilitate individual scholarly research and publication; cross-border and cross-disciplinary collaboration; and a critical approach to documents.

Why Parallel?
Millions of digitized archival documents collected by scholars in the course of their research currently sit on private desktops. PA is envisioned as an alternative space where scholars can store online and make public their digitized copies of material from archives. In this sense, PA exists in parallel to traditional archives. Moreover, PA provides parallel access to material, cutting across traditional archival description with item-level access to documents, library style search criteria, full-text search, and networking and communication tools.

Who uses PA?
PA is designed primarily for scholars and students in the humanities and social sciences who use archival material in their study, research, and teaching.

What types of documents can be uploaded to PA?
PA is designed to hold digitized archival material from around the world.
Examples include:
• official reports and legal and organizational records
• manuscripts, typescripts, letters, and diaries
• ephemera and gray literature
• photos, prints, sketches and drawings, maps, and plans
• newspaper clippings and annotated publications
The system currently accepts digitized text and image documents but will eventually include moving image and audio works as well. Importantly, PA supports texts and description in multiple languages and alphabets.

PA as a workspace...
Users can:
• upload and store archival documents for easy access
• create virtual collections
• add descriptions and tags
• view and edit text versions, generated using OCR
• annotate pages while reading
• download documents or email citations
• link to original documents in published works
• keep documents private or make them public

PA as a collaborative space...
Users can:
• participate in forum discussions on specific documents or general research issues
• network around documents by adding tags and comments
• find colleagues working on similar research topics
• share documents with fellow researchers

PA as a trusted repository...
PA guarantees the integrity and permanence of uploaded material by attaching a secure digital signature and permanent handle to every public document. PA further ensures the quality of the material and descriptive information provided with a strong curation policy reinforced by the informal peer review of its users. Information provided on the source of each document enables researchers to locate and verify original copies and discover other relevant collections. PA also offers guidance on international archival copyright and data protection practices to educate scholars in the appropriate use of archival materials.

Parallel Archive (PA, www.parallelarchive.org) is a free and open solution developed by the Open Society Archives at Central European University.

The Cult of Death -- Культ смерти

On April 1 I took part in a tour of Farkasret Cemetery (Budapest) which was organized by Bernadett Ball as a part of the conference 'Alternative Culture(s) and Urban Space organized by International Alternative Culture Center (Hungary) and Urban Laboratory at European Humanities University (Lithuania) in cooperation with CEU Curriculum Resource Center, OSI HESP, OSA Archivum at CEU and McMaster University (Canada). Bernadett, an expert on the topic, believes that the cemetery is a place where cultural change comes even slower then within the confines of the city. This can be explained by its use as a national landscape of heroes, its function as a burial ground, which deserve respect, and its codified religious iconoclasm which seems locked in time. Many thanks to Bernadett for the great tour and enjoy the photos!









April 10, 2009

Vienna, Austria -- Вена, Австрия


Click on the image to see it fullsize. -- Нажмите на фото, чтобы просмотреть в большом формате.

April 09, 2009

Civilization and Culture -- Цивилизация и культура

РИА Новости
Полигон промышленных отходовКемеровский бомж снял философское кино и отправил его в Канны

18:57

09/04/2009

Обитатель кемеровских свалок и помоек 62-летний Леонид Коновалов снял "философское" кино о жизни общества и отправил его на 62-й международный кинофестиваль в Каннах.>>