November

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

November in the garden

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

Morning glory

日本語: Ukiyoe, Japanese wood block print by Utagawa Hiroshige. Morning Glory. 1866.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_glory#/media/File%3ATotoiriyaasagao_hiroshige.jpg

European atlas of forest Tree species

European Atlas of Forest Tree Species "is both a scientific publication, in which researchers and forest specialists can find rigorous and up-to-date information on the many tree species of our forests, and a publication suited for education and the dissemination of information about the richness of our forests to our generation and future generations. (...) Each chapter of the Atlas presents, in addition to the description of each tree species, high quality graphics and photographs showing the climatic preferences and singularities of the different species of trees." San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., de Rigo, D., Caudullo, G., Houston Durrant, T., Mauri, A. (Eds.), 2016. European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Image by Alfonso San Miguel, 2006. Image: Holm oak (Quercus ilex) in spring, Despeñaperros Natural Park (Andalusia, Spain). 

 Updated link for publication 2021 12 29.

October in the garden

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

Passaram 11 anos

... sobre a Resolução do Conselho de Ministros n.º 124/2006 (Diário da República, Série I, de 2006-10-03) onde se anunciava a reviravolta do sistema dos laboratórios do Estado. Entre outras entidades científicas a extinguir, lia-se no ponto 5, do anexo:

"É extinto o Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação (INETI), sendo os seus recursos científicos e tecnológicos, humanos e materiais reorganizados e integrados noutros laboratórios, centros tecnológicos, instituições de ensino superior e consórcios a criar. Em particular, as infra-estruturas do INETI transformam-se em parque de ciência e tecnologia com a participação e gestão de universidades, laboratórios associados e laboratórios do Estado e alargam-se a parcerias com empresas, no quadro de projectos definidos, organizando-se ainda como espaço de acolhimento de programas europeus de I&D."

Para onde foram o que apelidam de "recursos científicos"? E os "recursos tecnológicos e materiais"? E os «recursos humanos»? Onde está o «parque de ciência e tecnologia com a participação e gestão de universidades, laboratórios associados e laboratórios do Estado»? 

Pelo meio, no decurso destes 11 longos anos, foram-se perdendo unidades, recursos científicos, tecnológicos e materiais. As cerca de 1000 pessoas na altura? Umas foram resistindo, outras cedendo, sucumbindo, caindo ou tombando... foram reconvertendo horizontes científicos em reformas antecipadas, em trabalho administrativo, em fragmentos profissionais, em alternativas à ciência. Foram-se esvaziando as competências, as capacidades. As equipas que outrora alimentavam e captavam recursos da UE para o país, foram extintas por uma resolução de quem nos governava. Ao mesmo tempo, acabavam com novas admissões ou valorização dos que ficaram.

O que ganhou o país com esta resolução? que tenha justificado a perda cientifica e tecnologica que existia no INETI, a perda de dezenas de unidades e mais de 750 pessoas? Quais os reflexos e impactos que provocaram (ou ainda provocam)? E na vida dessas pessoas que trabalhavam (trabalham) no INETI (actual LNEG, com cerca de 250 trabalhadores dos 1000 existentes aquando da resolução de extinção)? Quem beneficiou com o desmantelamento do INETI?

 

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

October in the garden

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

fair/fear

Milan, after immersing myself in the second Resonances exhibition about Fair/Fear. "How can we build a fair world? Science and art (SciArt) meet to provoke conversation and inspire answers to this question". Exhibition by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), EU. Explanations by Curator Paul Heard very enriching, adding depth, and new layers of meaning. Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC).

Layers

September in the garden, 2017. Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

Do what you can,

with what you have, wherever you are.

See initial sketch from last year. Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

increasing diversity

Increasing plants diversity helps to attract other animals, including arthropods that seem to favor genetics-based interactions among plants, pathogens, and herbivores. See results from global synthesis of the effects of diversified farming systems on arthropod diversity within fields and across agricultural landscapes (2017, Global Change Biology). Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

seeds

Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

June

Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

Aviation disruptions

"British Airways: Thousands disrupted as flights axed amid IT crash" in BBC news

"With a lack of technology, staff were using whiteboards in Heathrow" in BBC news

Ginko

Ginko Tree, the 'bearer of hope'. Amsterdam canals, June 2016. Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

(im)mobility systems

"(...) interdependent systems of 'immobile' material worlds, and especially exceptionally immobile platforms (transmitters, roads, garages, stations, aerials, airports, docks) structure mobility experiences. The complex character of such systems stems from their multiple fixities or moorings, often on a substantial physical scale. Thus 'mobile machines', such as mobile phones, cars, boats, aircraft, trains and computer connections, all presume overlapping and varied time-space immobilities. There is no linear increase in fluidity without extensive systems of immobility."Anthony Elliott & John Urry (2010). Mobile Lives. Routledge, p. 20.

October 16, 2009
Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

Human-Built World

"Technology is messy and complex. It is difficult to define and to understand. In its variety, it is full of contradictions, laden with human folly, saved by occasional benign deeds, and rich with unintended consequences." Hughes, T. P. (2004). Human-Built World: How to Think about Technology and Culture. University Of Chicago Press.

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC), November 17, 2009

Paths

What if success was measured by the number of beings living better? What if the purpose of life was making meaningful things like taking care of the world that sustains our lives? What if we defined impact indicators that measured the number of people that can access technology? What if our paths could lead to a better world instead of leading to more technology for the few? What if our policies could lay the foundations for more organic infrastructures that require less energy? What if our time was spent in meaningful activities? What if public service meant working for the betterment of the vast population? What if government listened to the majority of workers and what they say about the individuals that are nominated to run public organisms? What if ... Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

January

Oh but my Darling, what if you fly?"

 

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

Carry on

"Remember that your strength is also built on what you lost." Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

sketch

"Instead of generic perfection all at once you would want to make a particular structure that started as a sketch, capable of evolving." Richard Sennette, 2009. The Craftsman.

Sketch, September 2016. Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

Visualizing energy data

 Chart from USA energy data ( http://energyliteracy.com ):

onsite interactive map shows energy wasted in different sectors

"By clicking through the chart, you can see exactly how much energy is used for every activity. (...) Almost 1% is used just to pump natural gas around pipelines; 2% goes to making cardboard and other paper products. Around 16% is used to grow, distribute, and cook food. Looking at the total picture helps make the point that some of the ways that we think about energy aren't quite right. Refining petroleum uses about 6% of total energy in the country, but isn't considered when we think about fuel economy in cars. (...) Mining oil and gas uses even more energy." (in link)

Green season

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

electricity

Boyer, Dominic. "Anthropology Electric." Cultural Anthropology 30, no. 4 (2015) 531–539:

"These days, beyond spectacular weather events or spectacular failures like blackouts, electricity hides in plain sight, whether stored in batteries or flowing in the electrical wires that festoon our social landscapes. We conveniently ignore whole electroscapes until something goes awry."

technology non-use

Eric P.S. Baumer, Morgan G. Ames, Jenna Burrell, Jed R. Brubaker, and Paul Dourish (2015). Why study technology non-use? First Monday, Volume 20 (11), November 2nd:

"Technology non-use offers a fascinating sociotechnical phenomenon worthy of study per se. However, it also provides an opportunity to rethink how we approach, study, and conceptualize human relationships with, and through, technology."

October

Arthur. Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

information fragmentation

M. Kljun, “The information fragmentation problem through dimensions of software, time and personal projects,” Ph.D. dissertation, Lancaster University, 2013.

"The findings show (i) the extensive information fragmentation in each individual PIM tool besides cross-tool fragmentation, (ii) the information overload preventing focusing on the subset of fragmented project related information and changing focus over time, and (iii) the importance of support information (information scraps) and its integration into project flow." [pdf]

by Jimmy Lawlor

ICT2015 conference

ICT 2015 - Innovate, Connect, Transform, on 20-22 October 2015 in Lisbon, Portugal, parallel activities: 

• A policy conference presenting the new Commission's policies and initiatives on Research & Innovation in ICT (Horizon 2020 Programme); 
• An interactive exhibition showcasing the best results and impact of most recent EU ICT Research & Innovation; 
• Many networking opportunities to enhance quality partnerships, help participants find partners, connect Research and Innovation and trigger collaboration; 
• Funding opportunities: ICT 2015 will also be the place to gather information on the 2016-17 Work Programme of Horizon 2020; 
• The Startup Europe Forum, offering a set of activities profiling EU policy actions for startups and SMEs, innovators, private and public investors.

Open Science, concept paper (pdf):

Paper selling (still) growing in digital era

«Ainda é possível vender mais papel na era do digital»: «Não deixa de ser curioso que uma empresa que vende papel esteja a crescer em paralelo com o avanço da digitalização. Ou seja, a Portucel está a vender mais folhas de papel mesmo com a desmaterialização de ficheiros e documentos. “No ano passado até na Europa conseguimos crescer”, nota Diogo da Silveira, “mas é óbvio para nós a grande importância que tem (e vai continuar a ter) o mercado asiático, com especial destaque para a China”» in http://expresso.sapo.pt/economia/2015-07-19-Portucel-quer-quinta-fabrica-em-Portugal

July in the garden

Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)

interpreting, changing

7 e 8 de Maio de 2015 | Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

Interpreting the World, Changing the World | Noam Chomsky
Can experiencing art lead to better scientists? Reflections and discussions | Samuel Meyler

Image as Method

From the Heyman Center:

"Image as Method: Ethnography – Photography – Film – Sensation – Perception" is a two-day symposium presented by the Society of Fellows in the Humanities. The symposium is organized by Fellow Brian Goldstone, Lecturer in Anthropology.

Aviation security issues with paperless option

Travelers scramble after iPad issues delay American Airlines flights, in USA Today:

Paper does not need an occasional reboot, however. (...) "He said, 'My copilot's iPad went black. Exactly 24 minutes after that, mine went black. We were informed it looks like a problem with all the iPads on 737s,' " Jacaruso, 54, recalled. (...) The crew explained that flight plans are transmitted on the iPads, which make them crucial to navigation, said McRell, 43. (...) The glitch came two weeks after the U.S. Government Accountability Office warned that i on-board wifi conceivably could be used to bring down a plane. "Modern aircraft are increasingly connected to the internet. This interconnectedness can potentially provide unauthorized remote access to aircraft avionics systems."

Dezenas de voos da American Airlines em terra devido a falha nos iPad, in jornal Expresso: 

Uma falha numa aplicação de iPad usada pelos pilotos da American Airlines levou a que cerca de duas dezenas de aviões da empresa não descolassem terça-feira à noite. (...) A responsável de comunicações da companhia, Andrea Huguely, indicou ao "USA Today" que, "em alguns casos, os aparelhos tiveram de regressar até à zona de entrada para acederem a uma rede de wi-fi e resolverem o incidente". "Nós pedimos desculpa aos nossos clientes pelos inconvenientes e nós conseguimos levá-los para os seus destinos passado pouco tempo", afirmou. (...) A American Airlines tornou-se em 2013 a primeira companhia a substituir os planos de voo em papel, de modo a evitar o peso extra que isso representava, passando a transmitir essa informação às tripulações através de iPad.

See discussion in LinkedIn about «qualitative vs quantitative» methods.

Every Age

"Every age has its turn

Every branch of the tree has to learn

Learn to grow find its way

Make the best of this short-lived stay

Take this seed, take this spade

Take this dream of a better day

Take your time, build a home

Build a place where we all can belong

Some things change, some remain

Some will pass us a notice by

What to focus on to improve upon

In the face of our ancient tribes

Feels so clear, feels so obvious

To each one of their own

But we all live together

Keeping what tide and what we have sown

We don't choose where we're born

We don't choose in what pocket or form

But we can learn to know

Ourselves on this glowing lil void

Take this mind, take this pen

Take this dream of a better land

Take your time, build a home

Build a place where we all

can belong."