Roman Tol

POLITICS: WEB 2.0 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Written for the Institute of Network Cultures Crossposted at Institute of Network Cultures Weblog Download PDF (full text including pictures) On April 17th and 18th 2008 the department of Politics and International Relations at the Royal Holloway University of...

By Roman Tol on 05/13/08 1

Barack Obama: social media vs. institutional endorsement

A youtube clip:

By Roman Tol on 04/10/08 Comments Off

Everything you want to know about Geert Wilders Fitna… except the ending!

READ: ARTICLE AT CUT-UP.MEDIA.MAGAZINE When Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries announced he solved the Holloway-case and put together his findings, facts, and answers in a two hour film, he did so three days before airing the actual...

By Roman Tol on 03/23/08 5

The Mobile City Conference

On February 28th 2008, the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi) organized The Mobile City conference, in collaboration with the research programs ‘Mew Media, Public Sphere and Urban Culture’ (University of Groningen) and ‘Playful Identities’ (Erasmus University Rotterdam). The conference concerned...

By Roman Tol on 03/11/08 Comments Off

Video Vortex: Online Video Aesthetics

To much disliking of my parents, as a kid I frequently would watch low budget television programs based on audience generated video fragments and unscripted pranks. These programs included the popular America’s Funniest Home Videos and candid camera shows...

By Roman Tol on 01/19/08 3

Can Google Maps set us free? From derivé to (collective) intelligence

Dérive is a notion used by Guy Debord in an attempt to convince readers to revisit the way they looked at urban spaces. The concept means to aimlessly walk, or drift, through the city streets being guided by the...

By Roman Tol on 11/25/07 9

Breaking the Frequencies

The Internet, the city, and recently augmented space are flooded with disinformation, meaningless images, contrasting interpretations, unreliable sources and corporate spam. Public space is filled with images that consequently construct, direct and control our reality. Attempts to countervail, reform...

By Roman Tol on 11/17/07 Comments Off

Locative Media in a city under corporate control

Let me start with a story about an old joke. In 1996 Dino Igancio, a San Francisco artist, started the ‘Bert is Evil’ website on which he posted photographs confirming that Sesame Street’s Bert is evil. The images showed...

By Roman Tol on 11/15/07 3

Come Out and Play Festival

On September the 28th and 29th Amsterdam will be transformed into a huge playground. A wide variety of big urban games will take place in the city……You may choose to take virtual penalties with your cell phone, play Snake...

By Roman Tol on 09/14/07 4

New Network Theory – Review

For three executive sunny days last week, the humanity studies faculty of the University of Amsterdam hosted the New Network Theory conference. This four party collaborative initiative – consisting of Amsterdam School of Cultural Analysis, Institute of Network cultures,...

By Roman Tol on 07/09/07 5

Illegal software allowed to be used for just cause?

On March 3rd 2005 Joseph Catterson, a British 44 year old man, was arrested in England because it was suspected he possessed child pornography on his computer. Previous to his arrest Catterson had removed all 1500 pornographic photographs and...

By Roman Tol on 05/30/07 9

OffTopic: The Shining

I’ve seen Stanley Kubricks film adaptation of Stephen Kings thriller ‘The Shining’ many times… I even read the book when I was younger… which I didn’t like too much, however, as it turns out I really missed to grasp...

By Roman Tol on 03/22/07 1

Gambling in Call-Games??? I don’t think so….

Currently the Dutch television format Call-Games is under investigation with regards to fraudious practices, illegal gambling, and misleading of viewers. In Belgium the same program is used to interact with its public for the same fraudious and misleading reasons;...

By Roman Tol on 03/19/07 Comments Off

Multimedia Learning: a video by Eva Kol & Roman Tol

Part 1 Part 2 In this presentation Eva Kol and Roman Tol argue that multimedia presentations, that is presentations with the use of external visual tools, are an excellent instrument for stimulating educative progress.

By Roman Tol on 03/07/07 5

UvA New Media Research Lectures

We are pleased to announce: “Mobile Affect, Mediality and Abu Ghraib” Richard Grusin Thursday, 22 February 15-17u. Turfdraagsterpad 9, Room 0.04

By Roman Tol on 02/12/07 3

Chinese censorship applied to bloggers

Today the Chinese state media announced that its government is not satisfied with the growing popularity of blogging in China and wants to force users to register with their genuine name. This way bloggers can be penalized when they...

By Roman Tol on 01/11/07 1

I recently came across the site Blue Ball Machine. Because I think the artist (Eathbounder) in contrast to his own view did a wonderful job (he calls the image SomethingAwfull), I highly recommend checking it out.

By Roman Tol on 01/03/07 4

Podcast: Discussing Henry Jenkins’ “Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers”

In this Podcast I will be giving a last minute Christmas gift recommendation. TUNE IN HERE

By Roman Tol on 12/24/06 6

Discussing Internet politics: Galloway’s Protocol.

Galloway’s Protocol addresses how control exists after decentralization, that is, in specific places where decentralization is done and gone and distribution has set in as the dominant network diagram. Galloway suggests protocol is an answer for that. In part...

By Roman Tol on 11/22/06 2

MyCreativity: Alternative Business and Organisation Models

The topic of discussion at MyCreativity was to propose a new system of copyright that withstands the 21st century, respects the domains of knowledge and creativity, and provides artist with a worthy financial compensation. Joost Smiers has clearly thought...

By Roman Tol on 11/21/06 1

Ask the Masters: Which Dutch party has the best agenda for New Media developments?

Wednesday the 22nd of November is Election Day in The Netherlands. Which party has the most promising program for New Media scientists, New Media creators/designers, and New Media consumers? Which party will invest in New Media developers and theorists,...

By Roman Tol on 11/20/06 17