Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

Knowledge In Society And The Knowledge Society: Opening The Debate For A New Millennium, Ananya Vajpeyi

Ananya Vajpeyi

No abstract provided.

Performing The Union: The Prüm Decision And The European Dream, Barbara Prainsack, Victor Toom

victor toom

In 2005, seven European countries signed the so-called Prüm Treaty to increase transnational collaboration in combating international crime, terrorism and illegal immigration. Three years later, the Treaty was adopted into EU law. EU member countries were now obliged to have systems in place to allow authorities of other member states access to nationally held data on DNA, fingerprints, and vehicles by August 2011. In this paper, we discuss the conditions of possibility for the Prüm network to emerge, and argue that rather than a linear ascent towards technological and political convergence and harmonisation, the (hi)story of Prüm is heterogeneous and …

Minecraft As Web 2.0: Amateur Creativity In Digital Games, Greg Lastowka

Greg Lastowka

This book chapter considers how the digital game Minecraft has both enabled and benefited from various Web 2.0 practices. I begin with an explanation of the concept of Web 2.0 and then consider how that concept applies to the space of digital games.

10th Annual International Global Business & Technology Association Conference | Madrid, Spain, Patrick Flanagan

Patrick Flanagan

At this annual international meeting of the Global Business and Technology Association held in Madrid, Spain, Patrick Flanagan co-authored two papers with Frank P. Le Veness, Department of Government and Politics, St. John's University, Queens, NY (www.stjohns.edu) and served as a discussant for one concurrent session.

The Concept Of Resources In Triz, Umakant Mishra

Umakant Mishra

An ideal system should have all advantages and no harms. If the resources consumed are expensive than the output produced then the invented system becomes ridiculous. The objective should be to use least amount of resources, cheapest resources, easily available resources and resources available within the system.

Every system intends to achieve a main useful function. The use of resources should target to improve its main useful function. If certain parts of a system or certain resources lead to unwanted functions or harmful effects then that part of the system needs to be modified and those resources need to be …

Cyberspace: The Final Frontier?, Patrick Flanagan

Patrick Flanagan

The science fiction series of the '70's, Star Trek, began all its telecastings with the announcement "Space: The Final Frontier." Star Trek chronicled the voyage of a crew navigating their way through space. For the travelers, space seemed like the last unknown entity that needed to be investigated. As they journeyed, they learned of the boundless nature of space. Each episode portrayed a group of folks encountering new situations, attempting to solve another problem, or strategizing how to overcome an obstacle. While few people will ever have a chance to travel in a spaceship to discover the universe, most have …

Functional Explanation And Metaphysical Individualism, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

A number of (present or former) analytical Marxists, such as Jon Elster, have argued that functional explanation has almost no place in the social sciences. (Although the discussion is framed in terms of a debate among analytical Marxists, the point is quite general, and Marxism is used for illustrative purposes.) Functional explanation accounts for what is to be explained by reference to its function; thus, sighted organism have eyes because eyes enable them to see. Elster and other critics of functional explanation argue that this pattern of explanation is inconsistent with "methodological individualism," the idea, as they understand it, that …