'Black is beautiful', and Indigenous : Aboriginal authorship in Australian popular music

The ‘black is beautiful’ movement began in the United States in the early sixties, and changed mainstream attitudes towards the body, fashion and personal aesthetics, gaining African American people a new sense of pride in being – and being called – ‘black’. In Australia the movement also had implications for changing the political meanings of ‘black’ in white society. However, it is not until the last decade, through the global influence of Afro-American music, that a distinctly Indigenous sense of black sexiness has captured the attention of mainstream audiences. The article examines such recent developments, and suggests that, through the appropriation of Afro-American aesthetics and styles, Indigenous producers and performers have developed new forms of Indigenous public agency, demonstrating that black is beautiful, and Indigenous.

Adaptive dual control of topic-based information retrieval

Information Retrieval is an important albeit imperfect component of information technologies. A problem of insufficient diversity of retrieved documents is one of the primary issues studied in this research. This study shows that this problem leads to a decrease of precision and recall, traditional measures of information retrieval effectiveness. This thesis presents an adaptive IR system based on the theory of adaptive dual control. The aim of the approach is the optimization of retrieval precision after all feedback has been issued. This is done by increasing the diversity of retrieved documents. This study shows that the value of recall reflects this diversity. The Probability Ranking Principle is viewed in the literature as the “bedrock” of current probabilistic Information Retrieval theory. Neither the proposed approach nor other methods of diversification of retrieved documents from the literature conform to this principle. This study shows by counterexample that the Probability Ranking Principle does not in general lead to optimal precision in a search session with feedback (for which it may not have been designed but is actively used). Retrieval precision of the search session should be optimized with a multistage stochastic programming model to accomplish the aim. However, such models are computationally intractable. Therefore, approximate linear multistage stochastic programming models are derived in this study, where the multistage improvement of the probability distribution is modelled using the proposed feedback correctness method. The proposed optimization models are based on several assumptions, starting with the assumption that Information Retrieval is conducted in units of topics. The use of clusters is the primary reasons why a new method of probability estimation is proposed. The adaptive dual control of topic-based IR system was evaluated in a series of experiments conducted on the Reuters, Wikipedia and TREC collections of documents. The Wikipedia experiment revealed that the dual control feedback mechanism improves precision and S-recall when all the underlying assumptions are satisfied. In the TREC experiment, this feedback mechanism was compared to a state-of-the-art adaptive IR system based on BM-25 term weighting and the Rocchio relevance feedback algorithm. The baseline system exhibited better effectiveness than the cluster-based optimization model of ADTIR. The main reason for this was insufficient quality of the generated clusters in the TREC collection that violated the underlying assumption.

How can entrepreneurial musicians use electronic social networks to diffuse their music

Principal Topic: ''In less than ten years music labels will not exist anymore.'' Michael Smelli, former Global COO Sony/BMG MCA/QUT IMP Business Lab Digital Music Think Thanks 9 May 2009, Brisbane Big music labels such as EMI, Sony BMG and UMG have been responsible for promoting and producing a myriad of stars in the music industry over the last decades. However, the industry structure is under enormous threat with the emergence of a new innovative era of digital music. Recent years have seen a dramatic shift in industry power with the emergence of Napster and other file sharing sites, iTunes and other online stores, iPod and the MP3 revolution. Myspace.com and other social networking sites are connecting entrepreneurial artists with fans and creating online music communities independent of music labels. In 2008 the digital music business internationally grew by around 25% to 3.7 Billion US-Dollar. Digital platforms now account for around 20% of recorded music sales, up from 15 % in 2007 (IFPI Digital music report 2009). CD sales have fallen by 40% since their peak levels. Global digital music sales totalled an estimated US$ 3 Billion in 2007, an increase of 40% on 2006 figures. Digital sales account for an estimated 15% of global market, up from 11% in 2006 and zero in 2003. The music industry is more advanced in terms of digital revenues than any other creative or entertainment industry (except games). Its digital share is more than twice that of newspapers (7%), films (35) or books (2%). All these shifts present new possibilities for music entrepreneurs to act entrepreneurially and promote their music independently of the major music labels. Diffusion of innovations has a long tradition in both sociology (e.g. Rogers 1962, 2003) and marketing (Bass 1969, Mahajan et al., 1990). The context of the current project is theoretically interesting in two respects. First, the role of online social networks replaces traditional face-to-face word of mouth communications. Second, as music is a hedonistic product, this strongly influences the nature of interpersonal communications and their diffusion patterns. Both of these have received very little attention in the diffusion literature to date, and no studies have investigated the influence of both simultaneously. This research project is concerned with the role of social networks in this new music industry landscape, and how this may be leveraged by musicians willing to act entrepreneurially. Our key research question we intend to address is: How do online social network communities impact the nature, pattern and speed that music diffuses? Methodology/Key Propositions : We expect the nature/ character of diffusion of popular, generic music genres to be different from specialized, niche music. To date, only Moe & Fader (2002) and Lee et al. (2003) investigated diffusion patterns of music and these focus on forecast weekly sales of music CDs based on the advance purchase orders before the launch, rather than taking a detailed look at diffusion patterns. Consequently, our first research questions are concerned with understanding the nature of online communications within the context of diffusion of music and artists. Hence, we have the following research questions: RQ1: What is the nature of fan-to-fan ''word of mouth'' online communications for music? Do these vary by type of artist and genre of music? RQ2: What is the nature of artist-to-fan online communications for music? Do these vary by type of artist and genre of music? What types of communication are effective? Two outcomes from research social network theory are particularly relevant to understanding how music might diffuse through social networks. Weak tie theory (Granovetter, 1973), argues that casual or infrequent contacts within a social network (or weak ties) act as a link to unique information which is not normally contained within an entrepreneurs inner circle (or strong tie) social network. A related argument, structural hole theory (Burt, 1992), posits that it is the absence of direct links (or structural holes) between members of a social network which offers similar informational benefits. Although these two theories argue for the information benefits of casual linkages, and diversity within a social network, others acknowledge that a balanced network which consists of a mix of strong ties, weak ties is perhaps more important overall (Uzzi, 1996). It is anticipated that the network structure of the fan base for different types of artists and genres of music will vary considerably. This leads to our third research question: RQ3: How does the network structure of online social network communities impact the pattern and speed that music diffuses? The current paper is best described as theory elaboration. It will report the first exploratory phase designed to develop and elaborate relevant theory (the second phase will be a quantitative study of network structure and diffusion). We intend to develop specific research propositions or hypotheses from the above research questions. To do so we will conduct three focus group discussions of independent musicians and three focus group discussions of fans active in online music communication on social network sites. We will also conduct five case studies of bands that have successfully built fan bases through social networking sites (e.g. myspace.com, facebook.com). The idea is to identify which communication channels they employ and the characteristics of the fan interactions for different genres of music. We intend to conduct interviews with each of the artists and analyse their online interaction with their fans. Results and Implications : At the current stage, we have just begun to conduct focus group discussions. An analysis of the themes from these focus groups will enable us to further refine our research questions into testable hypotheses. Ultimately, our research will provide a better understanding of how social networks promote the diffusion of music, and how this varies for different genres of music. Hence, some music entrepreneurs will be able to promote their music more effectively. The results may be further generalised to other industries where online peer-to-peer communication is common, such as other forms of entertainment and consumer technologies.

Sounds from the empty city : a practice-led case study in the confluence of music, narrative and emotion

The creative practice: the adaptation of picture book The Empty City (Megarrity/Oxlade, Hachette 2007) into an innovative, interdisciplinary performance for children which combines live performance, music, projected animation and performing objects. The researcher, in the combined roles of writer/composer proposes deliberate experiments in music, narrative and emotion in the various drafts of the adaptation, and tests them in process and performance product. A particular method of composing music for live performance is tested in against the emergent needs of a collaborative, intermedial process. The unpredictable site of research means that this project is both looking to address both pre-determined and emerging points of inquiry. This analysis (directed by audience reception) finds that critical incidents of intermediality between music, narrative, action and emotion translate directly into highlights of the performance.

Adaptive depth estimation in image based visual servo control of dynamic systems

This paper considers the question of designing a fully image based visual servo control for a dynamic system. The work is motivated by the ongoing development of image based visual servo control of small aerial robotic vehicles. The observed targets considered are coloured blobs on a flat surface to which the normal direction is known. The theoretical framework is directly applicable to the case of markings on a horizontal floor or landing field. The image features used are a first order spherical moment for position and an image flow measurement for velocity. A fully non-linear adaptive control design is provided that ensures global stability of the closed-loop system. © 2005 IEEE.

Building climate change resilience and adaptive capacity in Australia’s community sector using social media and technology innovation

Public and private sector organisations worldwide are putting strategies in place to manage the commercial and operational risks of climate change. However, community organisations are lagging behind in their understanding and preparedness, despite them being among the most exposed to the effects of climate change impacts and regulation. This poster presents a proposal for a multidisciplinary study that addresses this issue by developing, testing and applying a novel climate risk assessment methodology that is tailored to the needs of Australia’s community sector and its clients. Strategies to mitigate risks and build resilience and adaptive capacity will be identified including new opportunities afforded by urban informatics, social media, and technologies of scale making.

Music, media and making : humanising digital media in music education

This paper examines three functions of music technology in the study of music. Firstly, as a tool, secondly, as an instrument and, lastly, as a medium for thinking. As our societies become increasingly embroiled in digital media for representation and communication, our philosophies of music education need to adapt to integrate these developments while maintaining the essence of music. The foundation of music technology in the 1990s is the digital representation of sound. It is this fundamental shift to a new medium with which to represent sound that carries with it the challenge to address digital technology and its multiple effects on music creation and presentation. In this paper I suggest that music institutions should take a broad and integrated approach to the place of music technology in their courses, based on the understanding of digital representation of sound and these three functions it can serve. Educators should reconsider digital technologies such as synthesizers and computers as music instruments and cognitive amplifiers, not simply as efficient tools.

Network jamming : distributed performance using generative music

Generative music systems can be performed by manipulating the values of their algorithmic parameters, and their semi-autonomous nature provides an opportunity for coordinated interaction amongst a network of systems, a practice we call Network Jamming. This paper outlines the characteristics of this networked performance practice and discusses the types of mediated musical relationships and ensemble configurations that can arise. We have developed and tested the jam2jam network jamming software over recent years. We describe this system, draw from our experiences with it, and use it to illustrate some characteristics of Network Jamming.

Selection and optimization of piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride polymers for adaptive optics in space environments

Various piezoelectric polymers based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) are of interest for large aperture space-based telescopes. Dimensional adjustments of adaptive polymer films depend on charge deposition and require a detailed understanding of the piezoelectric material responses which are expected to deteriorate owing to strong vacuum UV, � -, X-ray, energetic particles and atomic oxygen exposure. We have investigated the degradation of PVDF and its copolymers under various stress environments detrimental to reliable operation in space. Initial radiation aging studies have shown complex material changes with lowered Curie temperatures, complex material changes with lowered melting points, morphological transformations and significant crosslinking, but little influence on piezoelectric d33 constants. Complex aging processes have also been observed in accelerated temperature environments inducing annealing phenomena and cyclic stresses. The results suggest that poling and chain orientation are negatively affected by radiation and temperature exposure. A framework for dealing with these complex material qualification issues and overall system survivability predictions in low earth orbit conditions has been established. It allows for improved material selection, feedback for manufacturing and processing, material optimization/stabilization strategies and provides guidance on any alternative materials.

Poster abstract : Energy-efficient rate adaptive MAC Protocol (RA-MAC) for long-lived sensor networks

This paper introduces an energy-efficient Rate Adaptive MAC (RA-MAC) protocol for long-lived Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). Previous research shows that the dynamic and lossy nature of wireless communication is one of the major challenges to reliable data delivery in a WSN. RA-MAC achieves high link reliability in such situations by dynamically trading off radio bit rate for signal processing gain. This extra gain reduces the packet loss rate which results in lower energy expenditure by reducing the number of retransmissions. RA-MAC selects the optimal data rate based on channel conditions with the aim of minimizing energy consumption. We have implemented RA-MAC in TinyOS on an off-the-shelf sensor platform (TinyNode), and evaluated its performance by comparing RA-MAC with state-ofthe- art WSN MAC protocol (SCP-MAC) by experiments.

An adaptive local meshfree updated Lagrangian approach for large deformation analysis of metal forming

The large deformation analysis is one of major challenges in numerical modelling and simulation of metal forming. Because no mesh is used, the meshfree methods show good potential for the large deformation analysis. In this paper, a local meshfree formulation, based on the local weak-forms and the updated Lagrangian (UL) approach, is developed for the large deformation analysis. To fully employ the advantages of meshfree methods, a simple and effective adaptive technique is proposed, and this procedure is much easier than the re-meshing in FEM. Numerical examples of large deformation analysis are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the newly developed nonlinear meshfree approach. It has been found that the developed meshfree technique provides a superior performance to the conventional FEM in dealing with large deformation problems for metal forming.