Archive for 2010
Banjo, DIY Citizenship, music knowledge
In Reflections on August 10, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Over the last month, all my writing effort has been going into the development of my thesis proposal, which in part explains the decline of blog posts here. In fact, I can already foresee that over the next year, I will pay a lot less attention to leaving online breadcrumbs. I will strive to post at least a monthly-update as I have continued to do, but I won’t try to do any more than that. It’s a combination of the thesis work, as well as the random ideas I tend to throw around actually catching and slowly growing. It’s the mind-boggling excitement that a parent experiences when their child stands on their two feet for a few seconds before falling on their butt, or when that child finds their first playmate. It’s hardly worth noting in the grand scheme of things, but they are milestones that keep you going along a pursuit that is mostly unglamorous, and if it weren’t for love, no sane human being would put themselves through it.
In addition to proposal writing, some old thread are getting picked up. Click here to read on.
design, music knowledge, process
In Design, ICTs on July 18, 2010 at 8:15 pm
In the design of an information or knowledge-based system, values are built in to the fundamental assumptions about what information and knowledge actually is. Such values can be understood in an overarching and philosophical sense, as well as in a situated sense within certain communities, organizations, and particular types of users. In fact, such fundamental reflections are an essential first step to ensure that the knowledge-based initiative has a clear trajectory to follow. The design of knowledge organization — not the adaptation and implementation of standard or popular classification systems — is a phase that most people ignore out of convenience for a quick launch of a beta version, or a tight budget that needs to be spent for a clear ROI. The benefits of designing a knowledge organization strategy (which may involve conducting domain analysis, user studies, genre and document mapping) are not concrete, but it is fundamental to the long-term success of any information and knowledge-based undertaking. In fact, the whole process might not be that different from engaging in a philosophical discourse on epistemology, or a reflection about the nature of knowledge, but situated in a real-life context with design implications (whether that’s system design, website design, or library design). In effect, you are developing a model of knowledge (in my case, a model of music knowledge) that is conceptualized to serve a particular community (in my case, online self-taught musicians). I also articulated this in about 7500 words, this post is a coles notes-to-myself!
Aaron Marcus, Antoine Hennion, KO
In Design, thesis on July 1, 2010 at 2:02 pm
I have been back from my travels for a month and a half, and I finally feel like I am caught up. The feeling of being in a frenzy of ‘stuff’ is subsiding, and I am feeling grounded after being in exploration mode in the months of April and May. Everything I learned from those visits and conversations are informing the work I am doing now in surprising ways. Insights from conversation that I was busy taking down — either mentally or physically — are recalled with a renewed sense of significance. Getting away from the comfortable lull of a routine provided some space for ideas to be revisited with a freshness of mind that would not have been possible otherwise. It also made me realize how luck I am to be based in Toronto, where there is no lack of stimulating talks, conferences, and other events for one to engage and discover other like-minded collaborators. The trick is knowing how to find out about them to begin with.
For example, I attended the design critique hosted by Aaron Marcus, where I got to see a few presentation from KMDI students as well as presented my own concept for a music knowledge community (an idea that all my work is building towards). I have not been in a design crit setting for at least a decade, and it was an energizing and refreshing experience, from the preparation, to the feedback. It’s an idea that I want to pursue after I graduate, and it’s an objective that becomes more clear as time goes on. As they say, if you can conceive of it, you can make it happen.
I’ve also been working tirelessly on a knowledge classification paper for Prof. Mai dealing with the organization of music knowledge. Trust me, it’s not as boring as it sounds.
inspiration, music, technology
In ICTs on June 7, 2010 at 10:45 pm
I met Georgina Born at the Music Knowledge Conference this spring, and she was one of the most inspiring speakers at the planetary session. I am not surprised she is the one behind an interdisciplinary research project that will look at the way digital technology is changing musical practices all around the world (By ‘the world’ I mean two researchers situated in UK and India respectively. Still, it’s the spirit that counts). It’s exciting to find such projects, as there are many initiatives with the objective of understanding how ICTs are changing musical practice/knowledge/communities/you-name-it, but they are rather scattered and isolated. This project is indicative of the kinds of exciting and emerging endeavour in the area that intersects music and information technologies, with implications that cuts across the boundaries of academia, government, performing arts organization, and business.
There is a real tension, however, between learning, researching and doing in the context of such ambitious agendas. That is, there is the subject-specialty that you have, and need to maintain; there is the inquisitive spirit that wants to expand your knowledge into related topics, and maybe even make unique contributions of your own; last but not least, there is grounding it in reality, and using it to better navigate and understanding the world of music in the constantly transforming landscape of information communication technologies. I know most people pick one to specialize in, but I always preferred the iconic man of the Renaissance over the Modern Specialist.
ideas, personal, travel
In Reflections on June 1, 2010 at 8:30 am
I skipped the May update, due to a trip to Hong Kong and China during the first two weeks of May, where I traveled by more modes of transportation than I can recall. It’s been almost ten years since I last travelled to China, and the city in the province of Guangzhou where my grandfather lives has changed dramatically. From a quiet little farming town that was just beginning to see urbanization, it has transformed into a noisy and pollution ridden city. I visited Yangzhou, which is an important city of commerce in Chinese history, with many historic buildings and sites preserved and co-existing with more modern buildings. They even make a point of making newer buildings blend in. Shanghai was every bit the metropolis I expected it to be, and I regret only that most of my time there was spent at the World Expo, instead of exploring its history. Can you believe 2010 is almost half over?
idea, media, news
In Design on May 25, 2010 at 12:56 pm
After a series of travels that started in late March, I am glad to be back in Toronto and enjoying the comforts of familiarity. One of the most curious things I observed during my travels was the kind of news sources I used, and the kinds of stories that were covered. When I left for HK and China in early May, the oil well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico had already been happening for a few days, although my sources were mostly international news agencies and not Canadian ones. By the time a week had past, I had seen nothing in the news coverage in Hong Kong (which is broadcasted on the trains and subways). Compared to the 24/7 coverage on BBC, and the regular tidbits I was getting through RSS feeds that monitor international news sources, I was even more surprised that some of the print sources in Toronto did not have substantial coverage of the story until about April 29th, about a week after the start of the explosion. Maybe that’s a reasonable time for the journalists to wait for all the facts to come out to start reporting, but not even a little mention?
The first question I had was pretty specific: was the coverage of the Exxon Valdez similar in its rate of spreading? First picked up by international news channels, and only slowly picked up in areas and locales that are not immediate affected by the spill? What were the channels or avenues available then that weren’t available now? Was my expectation that the developed world should have reported at least of the event within the first week of the explosion in some form simply a personal expectation that has no basis in the realities of media and journalism? This makes for a great research and design project.
ethnomusicology, Oxford, research
In music-esque, thesis on May 18, 2010 at 12:36 am
(Sorry for the radio silence, I have been away for the first half of May on travels to East Asia, and the last two weeks in April were rather packed.)
There were many interesting projects that I encountered, each in my mind contained great implications and lessons learned for the future music information landscape. What they all have in common, is a musical community. Where they differ is the context with which such communities exists, and are engaged. I am sharing a few highlights below, in no particular order or for particular reasons. They reflect the diversity of nationalities and research interest that was present at the British Forum for Ethnomusicology.
Heather Maclaughlan studied the Copy-Tachin musicians of Burma, which is essentially the music of emulating western pop artists, the more accurately, the better. I’m curious to learn of how this phenomenon is influenced by the existing Burmanese government. In particular, the lengths with which these musicians go to smuggle instructional videos on how to play guitar, the parts to make their own electronic instruments, and the way they did it prior to the availability of the internet and after sounds like a wonderful and untold story. It’s not only a great example of the creativity with which individuals confront the digital divide, but a case with which to study the impact of evolving information policy and access.
Kiku Day practices and teaches Shakuhachi (Japanese flute). More interestingly, she conducts lessons via skype. YouTube has been all the rage along with all the other public forms of social media. Click to read more highlights.
inspiration, Oxford, personal
In Reflections on April 15, 2010 at 10:42 pm
(I’m still sorting through my notes for the conference, next post will be some highlights, this one is more of a reflection.)
The theme of this conference drew out a lot of ideas that otherwise might not have been shared, and it certainly helped me recognize emerging areas of research that is inevitably going to intersect with information science. It helped tremendously to engage, if only for a few days, in the ethnomusicological discourse. There were many ways of thinking and talking that I haven’t done in a while, and some of it came back to me quickly, while others felt a little rusty. I began the conference as a stranger, as an outsider. By the end of it, I felt that I was surrounded by friendly faces, having established what Wenger might call ‘legitimate peripheral participation’.
Just as I found Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle helpful in conceptualizing my life trajectories as I was graduating high school (the more precise the location of an atom is measure, the less precise the momentum and direction can be measured, and vise versa), it has been replaced by Wenger’s theories about community and individual identity vis-à-vis participation. While it is clear that I am capable of engaging and participating in many established communities (information science, ethnomusicology, design thinking, etc.), it has also become clear that I have to be careful in defining my own trajectories, instead of being drawn into a pre-established and well trodden path (for at least a day I considered seriously what it would take for me to study in Oxford). They are very important in what I ultimate want to do, but they are the means, not the end, and therefore a dependent variable. Now, how to define ‘the end’.
collaboration, ethnomusicology, Oxford
In music-esque, thesis on April 8, 2010 at 5:31 pm
For those who missed my Oxford presentation at the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, I have uploaded my slides and talking notes from my Oxford presentation.
Today was the first day of the conference, and I was participating in the “Online Exchanges” panel, one of many concurrent panels that kick started the conference. My panel mates were Thomas Brett from New York’s Bard High School Early College, and Fiorella Montero-Diaz from the UK. Both presenters addressed issues that I have an interest it. The sharing of knowledge in the culture of electronic music, as well as issues of identity and power with indigenous cultures both highlighted the need for ethnomusicologists to engage in more collaborative work with specialists in other social science fields, information science being one of them.
The planetary session was absolutely wonderful. As each speaker as well as the chair shared their thoughts on “Ethnomusicology, Musical Knowledge & Theory”, I got progressively excited as each of them touched on topics that I could relate back to information science directly. This music knowledge conference may mark the beginning of my dedicated efforts (now that most of my course work is over) on my master’s thesis work on music knowledge.
First Nations, music knowledge, ODBS, Oxford
In ICTs on April 6, 2010 at 10:21 am
Greetings mates, from the British Isles, which might explain why my usual monthly report is a bit late. That and the fact that March was completely monopolized with helping Prof. Nadia Caidi design and implement a public event for the On-Demand Book Service, in collaboration with K-NET. It has been an experience that opened my eyes to the world of First Nations in Canada, and the challenges of information service delivery that bridges geographical and cultural differences. Below you will see the equipment and demos being setup at the Keewaywin First Nation School. It consisted of a computer station, an all-in-one colour laser printer and scanner, a thermo book binder, a DIY book binder. What you don’t see is Daniel Reetz’s DIY book scanner, as well as the Adobe software that was purchased and installed on the machines.
The Reading in First Nations multi-node video-conferencing event was a success. The event is being archived, but the experience itself is much more than the footage.
ODBS
In ICTs on March 25, 2010 at 11:43 am
In about 24 hours, I will be hoping onto a plane towards Sioux Lookout, Ontario, and getting ready to meet in person many of the community partners at KNET that I had first worked with last year at around the same time. In addition, I will also have the opportunity to experience first hand the realities of a northern aboriginal community, Keewaywin. It’s only for a couple of days, and we will be busy trying to set up the technology we have purchased to enable them to engage with the On-Demand Book Service, but it will be nonetheless eye opening and humbling experience.
An email invite that the Dean of the Faculty of Information sent out to his network had a paragraph that pretty much summed up how I feel right now: “I must say that I have watched with amazement as Prof Caidi, her colleagues, her contacts, and her students have worked over the past couple of weeks to pull together this event… linking distributed nodes to create from physically dispersed communities a single virtual community for the day to explore issues of reading in and for First Nations communities in such a short timeframe is quite an achievement for Prof Caidi’s team and is a testament to the strong and meaningful relationships she and her colleagues have built over the past few years.”
I am looking forward to the last class with Dan Reetz as a guest this afternoon, as well as a project brief with everyone that is going up north tomorrow to the various nodes in Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, and Keewaywin. You can participate too on Monday if you have internet access, in the breeze room on http://odbs.knet.ca.
juggling, MIR, ODBS, research
In Reflections on March 3, 2010 at 1:10 pm
March is highlighted by chance opportunities and my ability to capitalize on them, while managing my regular commitments. I love the challenge of seizing up a short-lived opportunity, and creating the foundation of future work. Doing this requires a certainly level of comfort with putting different hats on, which is what a good generalist is able to do effectively. My mind has gotten into a groove that’s very much like the sweet spot every car engine has when it reaches a certain speed: maximum speed with the highest level of efficiency. It does require regular maintenance, like getting enough sleep, taking breaks away from work, and trusting your own ability to work ‘smarter’, not just ‘harder’.
At my KMDI talk, I met the co-founder of a tech start-up that deals with music and computation. My area of expertise is a little ‘softer’ compared to the technical know-how they have. I am interested in the flow of information from the ‘front’ end (interface design, visual communication, visual flow, etc) and the structure of information and knowledge for the user (information architecture, knowledge classification, etc.). Ultimately, we deal with the same ‘stuff’, just different objectives that compliment each other. Knowing how small the community dealing with technological research specific to the music domain is, it was a pleasure to learn that they are based in the city.
In other news, the On-Demand Book Service (ODBS) got a huge injection of money to move some of the current projects forward. The catch? We need to spend all of it before March 31st. I admit, it’s a nice problem to have.
KMDI, professional development
In Design on February 23, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Since the winter of 2009, myself along with Ryan, Dori and Tonya have been busy coming up with ideas for a professional development event for KMDI. We wanted something that would bridge industry needs with the emerging research at universities, while providing a forum for interaction between seasoned professionals and our graduate students (or anyone else that’s interested for that matter).
We did a call for panelists just a few weeks ago, and the response has been enthusiastic. The format we envision for the event is pretty intimate — taking advantage of the new Brian Cantwell Smith Idea Exchange — with ample opportunities for the audience to discuss their ideas and current projects related to Knowledge Media Design under our facilitation. We even encourage audience members to bring in their work! (We’ll see what the participation level for that is like.) We will have coffee and snacks for all participants, and we will try to get at least an audio recording of the proceedings if not video as well.
For 10 minutes, we will ask each panelist to reflect on the statement, “What is your perspective on how are student’s pursuit of KMD related training, skills and experienced relevant in their pursuit of professional and industry opportunities?” Click to find out who out five star panelists are for this first event.
idea, juggling, KMDI, ODBS
In Misc. on February 18, 2010 at 1:52 pm
I have so many projects and events to update on, but so little time to talk much about them. To break the silence on this blog here’s a blog-and-dash post featuring some quick highlights.
Nancy Butler’s talk at the Heliconian Club was an absolute inspiration. I was shocked to realize that she has served as the solo volunteer librarian that supports the entire Shaw festival, and happy to be replaced so she can pass on all the work she has done since 1982. I am going to try and get a copy of her speech and post it on the club’s website. The club is a wonderful place with many inspirational members, but their communication methods need a total make over to make up for 30 years of lag in order to really take off as they enter into the next 100 years. Guess who couldn’t turn down the opportunity to design a communication strategy for a community organization from the ground up? Me!
The phenomenon of the undervalued information professional is not limited to the traditional institutions, as the information architect often gets left out of the picture as well when knowledge systems and websites are being built. PD Event planning, project managing, research writing, oh my…
events, Heliconian, KMDI, UofT
In Reflections on February 1, 2010 at 9:07 am
(In summary? Busy. Next blog.)
January arrived with a bang as I adjusted back to the non-holiday schedules. As you have noticed, I haven’t posted much in that month, and what I did post had more to do with my school assignments than anything interesting to share. I attribute that to the extremely successful SPO concert that ate up a lot of my time (but provided a lot of reading opportunities during rehearsal), the reading heavy courses I am taking (Research methods and a reading course on knowledge organization and classification), and the consultation projects that requires more reading and writing. It honestly doesn’t leave much time to sit and reflect during my day, so the blog has been a little slow. Many exciting things are under way, but I’ll save my time and energy into actually working on them. Instead, here are a few noteworthy events that you might be interested in as well:
My KMDI talk: Music as Embodied Knowledge
February 24th, 4-5pm. Bahen Centre (40 St. George St.) Rm. 7231
In preparation for my talk in Oxford in April, I’ll be giving a version of my talk at the Bahen Centre. This is rather exciting, as I get to test out my ideas to a broad audience, and refine my presentation based on feedback. I hope to draw a at least a few audiences from the Faculty of Music. Click here to read my talk description
audit culture, professionalism, university
In Reflections on January 28, 2010 at 7:09 pm
I have been reading a lot about audit culture, performance measures, autonomy of professionals, and the culture of distrust, mostly from the dissenting perspective. These are cultural anthropologists, quantitative researchers, finance experts, management theorists, all pointing to the poison that has been insidiously eating away at our autonomy (as professionals, as individuals), all in the name of “public accountability” or “transparency”. The level of interest and relevance in this topic caught me by surprise, but then again, Prof. Juris Dilevko never does anything by accident. The assignment asks us to look at the issues through the case of university evaluation and rankings, and the detrimental effects audit culture has had on the actual quality of service provided by the institution. Andrew Sparkes’ narrative approach to discussing the problems provides an accessible and poignant way for layman to consider the impact on our higher education systems through a spectrum of personal experiences. One review of this piece summarized it best, “The world he describes becomes incredibly vivid and tremendously sad – how have we let our institutions of higher education become what they are? How have we ever allowed arbitrary quantitative measures to determine value?” Of course, the sentiment can be also applied to health and law enforcement, amongst others.
music knowledge, research
In thesis on January 19, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Lay out the key features of the research interest that calls out your name. Given that, how would a canonical sociologist (a traditional, quantitative-minded social scientist) design or “set up” this research question? What kind of data would be sampled or gathered? How would the hypotheses be tested? What kind of steps would be taken to guard against bias, and to make sure that the data were generalizable?
I would like to study the learning and information-seeking behaviour of individuals who are trying to learn a musical instrument, using guitar as an example. “How do guitar students learn how to play the guitar by using Information Communication Technologies (ICTs)?”
In order to achieve a ‘random’ sample, controls for variables need to be considered by collecting a wide range of data about age (young prodigies to mature hobbyists), literacy or education level (ability to read or follow instructions, experience with music education), physical or mental capacity (small hands, visually impaired, etc.), physical location (city, suburb, small town), comfort level with ICTs (information addict, technology luddite), Data, data, more data…
concert, orchestra, toronto
In music-esque on January 16, 2010 at 12:31 pm
music knowledge, research
In thesis on January 13, 2010 at 6:45 pm
(As part of my research methods class, there is a weekly reflection assignment based on the textbook with the same title as this blog post. I will be posting them here to document my process.)
What question concerning the social world would you like to investigate if you were absolutely guaranteed you would not fail? Be as ambitious and wide-ranging in your thinking as you want.
I want to investigate the way music intersects the different dimensions of human experiences. This is an old rant and sounds perhaps a bit frivolous; more like a day dream than a research or investigative agenda. Yet, the musical dimension of our existence — history, culture, philosophy, art, sciences, engineering — gives me an entry point in exploring just about anything in this world. In the context of the social science, and perhaps more specifically in the tradition of information science and related fields, I want to investigate the nature musical knowledge. What do I mean by that?
