international

We are seeking contributions for this proposed edited collection. Rather than producing more speculative work, we wish to focus on empirical data collected online about the intricate, intimate virtual ways that people forge connections. The three sections will be: Love & Sex; Work & Education; and Methods & Ethics. Chapters should be empirically based, 8000 words in length, and written in an accessible style suitable for an interested, intelligent general audience as well as for an academic readership in gender / cultural / media studies, sociology / anthropology, and new media. read more for details on how to submit your papers.

Call for Chapters (edited book). Queer Intersections: Revisiting online media and queer sexualities. Edited by Kate O'Riordan and David J Philips. This edited collection will bring together crucial examinations of the intersecting fields of sexuality and the internet, and will provide an
overarching contextualisation and consolidation of cyber / queer practices and theories. Suggested topics and themes include (but are not limited to): Sexual identities, practices and communities; Art and activism; Consumption; Political economy; Representation; Performativity; Queer theory. read more for details or visit the editor's site @ http://www.cesagen.lancs.ac.uk/staff/oriordan.htm

This year's Cut and Splice festival presents Dots and Lines, a cluster of events that explore the idea of notation and the relationship between score, image, text and sound in electronic music and sound art. Focusing on the gap between ideas and experience, between abstract concepts and their relation to the tangible, Dots and Lines considers the analytical, performative and documentary nature of music as written document and code. It throws into relief our very concept of what constitutes the musical experience and considers the complex dialogue between time based and static
art forms. read more for details or visit http://www.sonicartsnetwork.org

this year at Burning Flipside (http://www.burningflipside.com) there will be a 40'+ tall rocket (http://www.burningflipside.com/daft). the rocket will exist onsite for about 3 days, at which time it will either take off or burn to the ground. my guess is the rocket will take off, but i am an optimist. it would be nice for the rocket to make some subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) sounds. 3-5 independent sound sources: cd players and simple computer speakers. each set up will be placed somewhere in the rocket. somewhere pretty. or not. we shall see. simple is nice. from each little sound source will come noises and sounds that various people contribute. read more for details on how to contribute. [details from the idm maillist]

RE:activism: Re-drawing the boundaries of activism in a new media environment is a conference which is to take place in Budapest, October 14-15, 2005. Re:activism will focus on two closely connected subjects. On the first day, we gather to discuss the new dynamics of culture production. Digital networks allow the large scale cooperation of individuals with diverse motivational backgrounds. This cooperation often results in globally competitive ideas, (software) products, (social) services. Ad-hoc activist, expert networks can only consolidate themselves if the necessary legal, economic and technological frameworks are created or emerge from local interactions. We research into the political economy of peer production networks and examine how regulation in a post-Westphalian order can integrate these networks. We also discuss the potential conflicts between peer networks and contemporary social, economic, and legal institutions and examine how tradition emerges through open archives documenting these conflicts. read more or visit http://www.re-activism.net/ for more information and instructions on how to submit papers.

An "ALL-NEW" OFFICIAL CHART has been compiled by The Official UK Charts Company for broadcasters such as BBC (Top of the Pops, Radio One, Radio Six). Digital downloads are to be integrated in to the Official Singles Chart alongside physical CD singles for the first time. This 'all-new' chart will be revealed to 4.6m chart lovers via Radio 1 and Hit40UK on Sunday 17th April. Visit http://www.theofficialcharts.com/html/index.

The Radiator Festival for New Technology Art is offering a diverse programme of new artists' commissions, exhibition, performances, installations, screenings, Trampoline platform events as well as workshops, artists' talks, music events and much more. Visit http://www.radiator-festival.org for details

"Dressed as a British pensioner, over the last few days Banksy entered each of the galleries [The Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art,The Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Natural History] and attached one of his own works, complete with authorative name plaque and explanation.

He says - "This historic occasion has less to do with finally being embraced by the fine art establishment and is more about the judicious use of a fake beard and some high strength glue." Banksy continues -"They're good enough to be in there, so I don't see why I should wait"

Water, the source of life, today, has been deviously packaged into a commodity, creating a paucity of water and causing severe trauma to various peoples all over the world. The shortage of drinking water both in urban and rural areas has escalated to an acute level in the last five years, specially heightened by drought and war. This will have serious repercussions for the peoples of the world and the environment. One of the objectives of Water Journeys is to screen films on water issues, water struggles, water conservation and related issues in schools, colleges and communities to start a dialogue on the issue of control and use of water. It aims at networking with agencies involved in the protection and preservation of lakes, rivers and other water bodies. Further Water Journeys will soon start an international journal on water issues. It will address the socio-political and cultural implications of water, making it an interesting and enlightening knowledge source for action. In its 27 years of active involvement, Bangalore Film Society has been instrumental in screening films of internationally acclaimed film directors from all over the world, initiating a process of intercultural dialogue and creating avenues for divergent aesthetic experiences. read more for details or contact deepfocus@bgl.vsnl.net (Anupama Jayaraman, Co ordinator, Water Journeys).