User:E.zn/txt
- /////////// THE CRITICAL ENGINEERING MANIFESTO
- ........... https://criticalengineering.org/ce.pdf
The Critical Engineering Manifesto was devised by The Critical Engineering Working Group [Julian Oliver, Gordan Savičić, Danja Vasiliev] in 2011. It addresses the scope of impact of critical engineering and the responsibilities its implementation entails, without glorifying the latter; it seeks re-appropriation of past works from various fields.
- /////////// INTERNET-HUMAN INFRASTRUCTURES: LESSONS FROM HAVANA’S STREETNET
- ........... https://arxiv.org/pdf/2004.12207.pdf
The paper focuses on human infrastructure of StreetNet (SNET) from ethnographic, economic and technical standpoint, which subsequently reveals structural disparity.
- - Physically exposed density of the network reminds me of old landline cables hanging in the streets.
- - Visible vs seamless infrastructure.
- - Maintaining social ties = sustaining the network [interdependence <> shaping each other]
- - Abbate: “one limitation of defining the Internet as a large technological system or infrastructure is that this tends to frame the Internet as a channel for transmitting data, rather than as a field of social practice" [...] “a systems approach also privileges the role of system builders over users"
- - The importance of human infrastructure in relation to the Internet becomes more apparent in the margins and failures.
- - The brokers undertake important tasks either by being in charge of junctions of the network or carrying out administrative duties. They are able to exploit their position and are more likely to do so in relatively remote and scarcely populated areas. Conversely, they have less opportunities of abusing power in the outskirts since their communities are more inclined to identify them.
- - SNET is not officially approved by the Cuban government, however they are not intervening. It's legally ambiguous alongside El Paquete Semanal.
- /////////// HACKITAT
- ........... https://vimeo.com/295351535
Hackitat is a documentary about different initiatives/hacks by various collectives, activists and communities facing specific challenges in several parts of the world. It brings up the questions of autonomy, sustainable future and political power dynamics involving technology.
- - Safecast
- -- On March 11, 2011 almost 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan followed by a devastating tsunami, which lead to the explosion of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
- -- Official reports on radiation levels were vague, but evacuations were happening based on these datasets.
- -- Safecast : radiation measurement and extensive documentation. Distributing Geiger counters was not an option due to insufficient supply, so they came up with bGeigie system, attachable to a moving vehicle >> contamination map.
- - SNET [StreetNet]
- -- Internet access was illegal in Cuba: exempt were politicians, their friends and international students. Eventually it became available in hotels and public spaces. Hot-spots became social gathering places.
- -- SNET was implemented by gamers, but it transformed and became a vast off-grid network. Strict rules applied: during the day it served only the gamers and by night it would be available for downloading the content, advertisement and political material was forbidden.
- - Mamine Hachimi Maoulainine [Equipe Media]
- -- Internet surveillance, social media censorship, wiretapping and monitoring of the activists and citizens in Western Sahara by the government.
- -- Mamine blurs the faces before uploading the videos of police misconduct on Youtube and social media; he encrypts the messages and avoids being tracked by using fresh SIM cards .
- -- It's forbidden to film the public spaces so people are coming up with different ways.
- - Planka
- -- Initiated Free Public Transport Day in Sweden and locking subway turnstiles open with tie wraps and created insurance fund [P-kassan] to cover the ticket fares and fines of the commuters.
- /////////// !Mediengruppe Bitnik - Opera Calling
- ........... https://wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.bitnik.org/o/
In 2007 !Mediengruppe Bitnik bugged the Zurich Opera house and live-streamed the performances via phone calls to the random residents of the city.
- - During their talk at The Influencers, they go into a history of live broadcasting the performances directly to people's homes via telephone [before invention of the radio]
- - They also mentioned that in 2000s about 85% of cultural funds of Zurich county was diverted into Zurich Opera house.
- - Issues: warning letter from the opera house administration urging the artists to debug the venue within 48 hrs, otherwise they would have to cover the cost of a military service of removing the devices; copyright infringement; broadcasting fees; libel [for the bad quality of the transmissions].