Tools and methods for capturing Twitter data during natural disasters

During the course of several natural disasters in recent years, Twitter has been found to play an important role as an additional medium for many–to–many crisis communication. Emergency services are successfully using Twitter to inform the public about current developments, and are increasingly also attempting to source first–hand situational information from Twitter feeds (such as relevant hashtags). The further study of the uses of Twitter during natural disasters relies on the development of flexible and reliable research infrastructure for tracking and analysing Twitter feeds at scale and in close to real time, however. This article outlines two approaches to the development of such infrastructure: one which builds on the readily available open source platform yourTwapperkeeper to provide a low–cost, simple, and basic solution; and, one which establishes a more powerful and flexible framework by drawing on highly scaleable, state–of–the–art technology.

Sherlockian adolescence for the twenty-first century : Conan Doyle’s ‘six dirty little scoundrels’ and contemporary children’s literature

Young adult literature is a socialising genre that encourages young readers to take up very particular ways of relating to historical or cultural materials. Recent years have seen a boom in Sherlockian YA fiction inviting reader identification either with the Baker Street Irregulars or an adolescent Holmes. In works by Anthony Read, Andrew Lane, Tracy Mack & Michael Citrin, and Tony Lee, the Sherlock canon provides a vocabulary for neo-Victorian young adult fiction to simultaneously invoke and defer a range of competing visions of working childhood as both at-risk and autonomous; of education as both oppression and emancipation; and of literary-cultural history as both populist and elitist. Such tensions can be traced in Conan Doyle’s own constructions of working children, and in the circulation of the Sherlock stories as popular or literary fictions. Drawing both on the Sherlock canon and its revisions, this paper reads current YA fiction’s deployment of Conan Doyle’s fictional universe as a tool for negotiating contemporary anxieties of adolescence.

Improvisation in interactive music systems

This project investigates machine listening and improvisation in interactive music systems with the goal of improvising musically appropriate accompaniment to an audio stream in real-time. The input audio may be from a live musical ensemble, or playback of a recording for use by a DJ. I present a collection of robust techniques for machine listening in the context of Western popular dance music genres, and strategies of improvisation to allow for intuitive and musically salient interaction in live performance. The findings are embodied in a computational agent – the Jambot – capable of real-time musical improvisation in an ensemble setting. Conceptually the agent’s functionality is split into three domains: reception, analysis and generation. The project has resulted in novel techniques for addressing a range of issues in each of these domains. In the reception domain I present a novel suite of onset detection algorithms for real-time detection and classification of percussive onsets. This suite achieves reasonable discrimination between the kick, snare and hi-hat attacks of a standard drum-kit, with sufficiently low-latency to allow perceptually simultaneous triggering of accompaniment notes. The onset detection algorithms are designed to operate in the context of complex polyphonic audio. In the analysis domain I present novel beat-tracking and metre-induction algorithms that operate in real-time and are responsive to change in a live setting. I also present a novel analytic model of rhythm, based on musically salient features. This model informs the generation process, affording intuitive parametric control and allowing for the creation of a broad range of interesting rhythms. In the generation domain I present a novel improvisatory architecture drawing on theories of music perception, which provides a mechanism for the real-time generation of complementary accompaniment in an ensemble setting. All of these innovations have been combined into a computational agent – the Jambot, which is capable of producing improvised percussive musical accompaniment to an audio stream in real-time. I situate the architectural philosophy of the Jambot within contemporary debate regarding the nature of cognition and artificial intelligence, and argue for an approach to algorithmic improvisation that privileges the minimisation of cognitive dissonance in human-computer interaction. This thesis contains extensive written discussions of the Jambot and its component algorithms, along with some comparative analyses of aspects of its operation and aesthetic evaluations of its output. The accompanying CD contains the Jambot software, along with video documentation of experiments and performances conducted during the project.

The way

In this wall-mounted sculpture, a car stereo is mounted into a photographic image of a redwood forest. It plays a sparse and evocative guitar soundtrack. The supporting cabinet is finished with timber veneer to resemble a retro home stereo or piece of designer furniture. This work examines how we construct, represent and deploy notions of nature in our contemporary lives. It mixes the languages of furniture design, landscape photography and sculpture. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theoretical work on “liquid modernity”, this work questions how and where we find space for contemplation and reflection in a contemporary context increasingly defined by temporary social bonds and consumer choices.

Windows

In this video, words emerge out of an abstract, ‘digital’, animated horizon line. The words are accompanied by a female voice-over who narrates a seductive relaxation and visualization activity. This work examines the nature of consciousness and identity in a contemporary context. It mixes the languages of meditation, new age philosophy and pop-psychology. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theoretical work on “liquid modernity”, this work questions how and where we find space for contemplation and reflection in a contemporary context increasingly defined by temporary social bonds and consumer choices.

Peace unknown

In this freestanding sculpture, domestic ‘in-wall’ speakers are mounted in custom-built cabinets. The speakers play a calming stock music soundtrack. The cabinets are faced with photographic mural wallpaper of a stereotypical waterfall scene. This work examines how we construct, represent and deploy notions of nature in our contemporary lives. It mixes the languages of furniture design, landscape photography and sculpture. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theoretical work on “liquid modernity”, this work questions how and where we find space for contemplation and reflection in a contemporary context increasingly defined by temporary social bonds and consumer choices.

It will be tonight

In this wall-mounted sculpture, speakers are mounted into a shelf-like object finished with timber veneer. The speakers play a corny groove stock music soundtrack. On top of the shelf sits a digital photographic image approximating a fireplace floating against a colour-gradient background. This work examines how we construct, represent and deploy notions of nature in our contemporary lives. It mixes the languages of furniture design, landscape photography, digital graphics and sculpture. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theoretical work on “liquid modernity”, this work questions how and where we find space for contemplation and reflection in a contemporary context increasingly defined by temporary social bonds and consumer choices.

Selling James Bond : product placement in the James Bond films

The character of James Bond for many people is intrinsically linked in their minds with particular brands – Aston Martin, Bollinger, Omega, Smirnoff vodka, and so on. This direct association between character and brand highlights the intrinsic role of product placement in the film industry, and in the James Bond films in particular. Selling James Bond: Product Placement in the James Bond Films provides a comprehensive overview of the history of product placement in the James Bond series – charting the progression of the practice and drawing direct correlations to significant cultural and historical events that impacted upon the number and types of products incorporated into the series. While primarily a financial arrangement, it is also important that the practice of product placement be examined and understood in relation to these cultural contexts, an area of research so far largely ignored by academic study. Through extensive content analysis of the official James Bond film series, as well as utilising directors’ commentary and industry reports, this book illustrates the strong impact specific cultural and historical events have had on the practice of product placement in the series. In doing so, it provides an exciting and in-depth “behind the scenes” look at the James Bond film series, and its complicated and sometimes contentious history of product placement. In the process, it charts the gradual emergence of product placement from the more traditional background shot to becoming so embedded in the actual film narrative that they have become simply yet another method for filmmakers to produce cultural meaning.

Tests and Models of Non-compositional Concepts

The question of under what conditions conceptual representation is compositional remains debatable within cognitive science. This paper proposes a well developed mathematical apparatus for a probabilistic representation of concepts, drawing upon methods developed in quantum theory to propose a formal test that can determine whether a specific conceptual combination is compositional, or not. This test examines a joint probability distribution modeling the combination, asking whether or not it is factorizable. Empirical studies indicate that some combinations should be considered non-compositionally.

Melbourne and Brisbane: The Claims of Suburbs

This chapter critiques the imagined geography of creative cities and the creative industries, which presumes that inner cities are densely clustered hubs of urban culture and creativity while suburbs are dull, homogeneous dormitories from which creative people must escape in order to realize their potential. Drawing upon a study on creative industries workers in Melbourne and Brisbane, the authors argue that these workers are as likely to be located in the suburbs as in the inner city, and that they clearly identify advantages to being in outer suburban locations. Their findings provide a corrective to dominant urban cultural policy narratives that stress cultural amenity in the inner cities.

The drift

In this video, text floats on screen amidst a field of swirling coloured orbs and a stock music soundtrack. The text is sourced from Internet dating websites and combine into a single animated portrait charting an array of likes, dislikes, influences, beliefs and hobbies. This work examines the nature of consciousness and identity in a contemporary context. It reworks the languages of Internet dating websites to question how we construct and communicate our sense of self. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theoretical work on “liquid modernity”, this work presents an exaggerated take on contemporary identity that emphasizes its construction through consumer tastes, lifestyle choices and relationships with popular culture.

Outcrop

In this wall-mounted sculpture, speakers are mounted into a timber-veneered cabinet. The speakers play a dark, searching soundtrack. Also mounted on the cabinet is a photographic image of a rocky gully in the American desert. This work examines how we construct, represent and deploy notions of nature in our contemporary lives. It mixes the languages of furniture design, landscape photography and sculpture. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theoretical work on “liquid modernity”, this work questions how and where we find space for contemplation and reflection in a contemporary context increasingly defined by temporary social bonds and consumer choices.

Swell

In this video, an abstract kaleidoscopic pattern slowly morphs and changes colour. It is accompanied by a male voice performing a word association or stream-of-consciousness activity. This work examines the nature of consciousness and identity in a contemporary context. It mixes the languages of meditation, new age philosophy and pop-psychology. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theoretical work on “liquid modernity”, this work questions how and where we find space for contemplation in a contemporary context increasingly defined by temporary social bonds, consumer choices and private anxieties.

Meeting under the “Omei” Tree in the Torres Strait Islands : networks and funds of knowledge of mathematical ideas

This paper focuses on the turning point experiences that worked to transform the researcher during a preliminary consultation process to seek permission to conduct of a small pilot project on one Torres Strait Island. The project aimed to learn from parents how they support their children in their mathematics learning. Drawing on a community research design, a consultative meeting was held with one Torres Strait Islander community to discuss the possibility of piloting a small project that focused on working with parents and children to learn about early mathematics processes. Preliminary data indicated that parents use networks in their community. It highlighted the funds of knowledge of mathematics that exist in the community and which are used to teach their children. Such knowledges are situated within a community’s unique histories, culture and the voices of the people. “Omei” tree means the Tree of Wisdom in the Island community.

Globalization, media policy and regulatory design : rethinking the Australian media classification scheme

This paper considers the debate about the relationship between globalization and media policy from the perspective provided by a current review of the Australian media classification scheme. Drawing upon the author’s recent experience in being ‘inside’ the policy process, as Lead Commissioner on the Australian National Classification Scheme Review, it is argued that theories of globalization – including theories of neoliberal globalization – fail to adequately capture the complexities of the reform process, particularly around the relationship between regulation and markets. The paper considers the pressure points for media content policies arising from media globalization, and the wider questions surrounding media content policies in an age of media convergence.