Filming the Post-Fordist Worker: From Industrial Hollywood to Digital Biopolitics

Article co-authored with Dr Halligan on post-fordist work in cinema from Hollywood and 1980s films like Secret of my Success to Boss of it All and The Social Network. This article argues that new approaches to film and post-fordist work are needed and draws upon the post-autonomist thought of Hardt, Negri, Lazzarato and Virno.

MASH structures for bandpass sigma-delta modulators

The paper presents simulation results from investigating the behaviour of multistage (MASH) oversampled bandpass sigma-delta (Σ-Δ) modulators for use in analogue to digital converters for high frequency narrowband applications such as the signals out of the intermediate frequency (IF) section of a superheterodyne radio receiver. The bandpass configurations under consideration have in their loop filter a cascade of second-order resonator structures in order to achieve acceptable noise shaping. The quantisation noise in each stage is suppressed by feeding the error of each section into the input of the following stages. It is demonstrated that the triple effective-first-order bandpass MASH structure has significantly better performance compared with the effective-second-order effective-first-order bandpass MASH structure.

Design and implementation of generalized topologies of time-interleaved variable bandpass Σ−Δ modulators

In this thesis, novel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog generalized time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators are designed, analysed, evaluated and implemented that are suitable for high performance data conversion for a broad-spectrum of applications. These generalized time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators can perform noise-shaping for any centre frequency from DC to Nyquist. The proposed topologies are well-suited for Butterworth, Chebyshev, inverse-Chebyshev and elliptical filters, where designers have the flexibility of specifying the centre frequency, bandwidth as well as the passband and stopband attenuation parameters. The application of the time-interleaving approach, in combination with these bandpass loop-filters, not only overcomes the limitations that are associated with conventional and mid-band resonator-based bandpass sigma-delta modulators, but also offers an elegant means to increase the conversion bandwidth, thereby relaxing the need to use faster or higher-order sigma-delta modulators. A step-by-step design technique has been developed for the design of time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators. Using this technique, an assortment of lower- and higher-order single- and multi-path generalized A/D variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators were designed, evaluated and compared in terms of their signal-to-noise ratios, hardware complexity, stability, tonality and sensitivity for ideal and non-ideal topologies. Extensive behavioural-level simulations verified that one of the proposed topologies not only used fewer coefficients but also exhibited greater robustness to non-idealties. Furthermore, second-, fourth- and sixth-order single- and multi-path digital variable bandpass digital sigma-delta modulators are designed using this technique. The mathematical modelling and evaluation of tones caused by the finite wordlengths of these digital multi-path sigmadelta modulators, when excited by sinusoidal input signals, are also derived from first principles and verified using simulation and experimental results. The fourth-order digital variable-band sigma-delta modulator topologies are implemented in VHDL and synthesized on Xilinx® SpartanTM-3 Development Kit using fixed-point arithmetic. Circuit outputs were taken via RS232 connection provided on the FPGA board and evaluated using MATLAB routines developed by the author. These routines included the decimation process as well. The experiments undertaken by the author further validated the design methodology presented in the work. In addition, a novel tunable and reconfigurable second-order variable bandpass sigma-delta modulator has been designed and evaluated at the behavioural-level. This topology offers a flexible set of choices for designers and can operate either in single- or dual-mode enabling multi-band implementations on a single digital variable bandpass sigma-delta modulator. This work is also supported by a novel user-friendly design and evaluation tool that has been developed in MATLAB/Simulink that can speed-up the design, evaluation and comparison of analog and digital single-stage and time-interleaved variable bandpass sigma-delta modulators. This tool enables the user to specify the conversion type, topology, loop-filter type, path number and oversampling ratio.

Digital evidence as a means of proof before the International Court of Justice

This article discusses the use of digital evidence as a means of proof before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The absence of specific Court rules and procedures for digital evidence (with the exception of Practice Direction IX bis) is not necessarily an obstacle to its production and evaluation before the ICJ, as the general evidentiary rules can also be applied to digital evidence. The article first looks at the rules on the production of documentary evidence and then examines the specific issues related to audiovisual evidence. Finally, it examines the admissibility of digital evidence unlawfully obtained by a litigant through unilateral transborder access to data. The article concludes that, even if specific regulation may be needed as to the specific way in which authenticity and accuracy of digital evidence are to be established, the particular facts of the case and the grounds of challenge can vary widely, and it is doubtful that any regulation could be sufficiently flexible to deal with this in advance.

Digital anthropology and educational eGames: learning through behavioural patterns in digital, game-based contexts

The selected publications are focused on the relations between users, eGames and the educational context, and how they interact together, so that both learning and user performance are improved through feedback provision. A key part of this analysis is the identification of behavioural, anthropological patterns, so that users can be clustered based on their actions, and the steps taken in the system (e.g. social network, online community, or virtual campus). In doing so, we can analyse large data sets of information made by a broad user sample,which will provide more accurate statistical reports and readings. Furthermore, this research is focused on how users can be clustered based on individual and group behaviour, so that a personalized support through feedback is provided, and the personal learning process is improved as well as the group interaction. We take inputs from every person and from the group they belong to, cluster the contributions, find behavioural patterns and provide personalized feedback to the individual and the group, based on personal and group findings. And we do all this in the context of educational games integrated in learning communities and learning management systems. To carry out this research we design a set of research questions along the 10-year published work presented in this thesis. We ask if the users can be clustered together based on the inputs provided by them and their groups; if and how these data are useful to improve the learner performance and the group interaction; if and how feedback becomes a useful tool for such pedagogical goal; if and how eGames become a powerful context to deploy the pedagogical methodology and the various research methods and activities that make use of that feedback to encourage learning and interaction; if and how a game design and a learning design must be defined and implemented to achieve these objectives, and to facilitate the productive authoring and integration of eGames in pedagogical contexts and frameworks. We conclude that educational games are a resourceful tool to provide a user experience towards a better personalized learning performance and an enhance group interaction along the way. To do so, eGames, while integrated in an educational context, must follow a specific set of user and technical requirements, so that the playful context supports the pedagogical model underneath. We also conclude that, while playing, users can be clustered based on their personal behaviour and interaction with others, thanks to the pattern identification. Based on this information, a set of recommendations are provided Digital Anthropology and educational eGames 6 /216 to the user and the group in the form of personalized feedback, timely managed for an optimum impact on learning performance and group interaction level. In this research, Digital Anthropology is introduced as a concept at a late stage to provide a backbone across various academic fields including: Social Science, Cognitive Science, Behavioural Science, Educational games and, of course, Technology-enhance learning. Although just recently described as an evolution of traditional anthropology, this approach to digital behaviour and social structure facilitates the understanding amongst fields and a comprehensive view towards a combined approach. This research takes forward the already existing work and published research onusers and eGames for learning, and turns the focus onto the next step — the clustering of users based on their behaviour and offering proper, personalized feedback to the user based on that clustering, rather than just on isolated inputs from every user. Indeed, this pattern recognition in the described context of eGames in educational contexts, and towards the presented aim of personalized counselling to the user and the group through feedback, is something that has not been accomplished before.

Breaking Open the Black Boxes: media archaeology, anarchaeology and media materiality

An essay on the emergent methodology of media archaeology, in realtion to the material turn in approaches to digital media. In particular, this article advocates taking up Siegfried Zielinski's concept of 'anarchaeology', but in a different sense to the way it was originally proposed, in order to emphasise the political potentials of a media (an)archaeological methodological approach.

Adaptive digital receivers for analog front-end mismatch correction

Phase and gain mismatches between the I and Q analog signal processing paths of a quadrature receiver are responsible for the generation of image signals which limit the dynamic range of a practical receiver. In this paper we analyse the effects these mismatches and propose a low-complexity blind adaptive algorithm to minimize this problem. The proposed solution is based on two, 2-tap adaptive filters, arranged in Adaptive Noise Canceller (ANC) set-up. The algorithm lends itself to efficient real-time implementation with minimal increase in modulator complexity.

Adaptive compensation of analog front-end I/Q mismatches in digital receivers

I and Q Channel phase and gain misniatches are of great concern in communications receiver design. In this paper we analyse the effects of I and Q channel mismatches and propose a low-complexity blind adaptive algorithm to minimize this problem. The proposed solution consists of two, 2-tap adaptive filters, arranged in Adaptive Noise Canceller (ANC) set-up, with the output of one cross-fed to the input of the other. The system works as a de-correlator eliminating I and Q mismatch errors.

Design of a power-aware digital image rejection receiver

This paper deals with and details the design of a power-aware adaptive digital image rejection receiver based on blind-source-separation that alleviates the RF analog front-end impairments. Power-aware system design at the RTL level without having to redesign arithmetic circuits is used to reduce the power consumption in nomadic devices. Power-aware multipliers with configurable precision are used to trade-off the image-rejection-ratio (IRR) performance with power consumption. Results of the simulation case studies demonstrate that the IRR performance of the power-aware system is comparable to that of the normal implementation albeit degraded slightly, but well within the acceptable limits.

Theorising and analysing digital labour: from global value chains to modes of production

This paper considers the following question—where do computers, laptops and mobile phones come from and who produced them? Specific cases of digital labour are examined—the extraction of minerals in African mines under slave-like conditions; ICT manufacturing and assemblage in China (Foxconn); software engineering in India; call centre service work; software engineering at Google within Silicon Valley; and the digital labour of internet prosumers/users. Empirical data and empirical studies concerning these cases are systematically analysed and theoretically interpreted. The theoretical interpretations are grounded in Marxist political economy. The term ‘global value chain’ is criticised in favour of a complex and multidimensional understanding of Marx’s ‘mode of production’ for the purposes of conceptualizing digital labour. This kind of labour is transnational and involves various modes of production, relations of production and organisational forms (in the context of the productive forces). There is a complex global division of digital labour that connects and articulates various forms of productive forces, exploitation, modes of production, and variations within the dominant capitalist mode of production.

Against divisiveness: Digital workers of the world unite! A rejoinder to César Bolaño and Eloy Vieira

This piece is a short rejoinder to César Bolaño’s paper The Political Economy of the Internet and related articles (e.g., Comor, Foley, Huws, Reveley, Rigi and Prey, Robinson) that center around the relevance of Marx’s labor theory of value for understanding social media. I argue that Dallas Smythe’s assessment of advertising was made to distinguish his approach from the one by Baran and Sweezy. Smythe developed the idea of capital’s exploitation of the audience at a time when both feminist and anti-imperialist Marxists challenged the orthodox idea that only white factory workers are exploited. The crucial question is how to conceptualize productive labor. This is a theoretical, normative, and political question. A mathematical example shows the importance of the “crowdsourcing” of value-production on Facebook. I also point out parallels of the contemporary debate to the Soviet question of who is a productive or unproductive worker in the Material Product System.

NFC RF Analog Challenge and Enhanced High Speed Transmitter Design

This paper investigates the inherent radio frequency analog challenges associated with near field communication systems. Furthermore, the paper presents a digital based sigma-delta modulator for near field communication transmitter implementations. The proposed digital transmitter architecture is designed to best support data intensive applications requiring higher data rates and complex modulation schemes. An NFC transmitter based on a single-bit sigma-delta DAC is introduced, and then the multi-bit extension with necessary simulation results are presented to confirm the suitability of the architecture for near field communication high speed applications.