CORONAVIRUS: MUSINGS OF AN IMAM

The paper examines Covid-19 from the perspective of an imam in relation to Islamic teachings and media representation explaining that moslems and non-moslems are pre-disposed to succumb to fear and falsehood in line with pre-end-times Qur’anic prophecies that encapsulate the Islamic eschatology. In contour and thrusts, the paper is journalistic weaving interpretation of Qur’anic verses blended in a posit recursive narration of media-obsessive treatment of the Coronavirus as distinct from other historical pandemics

DIPLOMACY: THE ACADEMIC SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER ELLIPSES, CHOICE and PERSONAL FREEDOMS

State leaders play an important role in forming policies: their discourses and social media uses, the attitudes they exhibit at national and international meetings, their body language, etc. are followed and their performances are measured. As such, there happen to develop misunderstandings, misevaluations and mistaken inferences between states from time to time, wherein the process may add up to such policies as are not effectual enough as a result of miscalculations

Close-up in Cinema, in Line with the Time-Image Concept of Deleuze: An Analysis Focusing on the Film Sivas

According to Gilles Deleuze, time-image is a critical image that proceeds with pure visual and auditory situations, creates its own time, does not contain metaphors, and communicate directly with thought and time. The crystal image generated by the time-image allows the perception of virtual powers. Irrational cuts interfere with the indirect presentation of time as a kind of aberration of movement and reverse the relationship of subordination that continues with movement.  Due to the exchange of the virtual and actual, the randomness of events is affirmed. Unfinished, multi-faceted and always in dialogue with the subject; it breaks the routine, allows us to rarefy the image by removing everything that we added to the image in our minds, and activates the powers of intuition. The time-image does not have to be close-up, but it can be said that the close-up has an organic connection with the time-image due to it being a frame that has been formally broken away from the context, due to its flat appearance that negates depth and perspective due to its tendency to become abstract. This article aims to elaborate this connection between time-image and close-up and to describe the qualities of close-up as a time-image, via the film Sivas (Kaan Müjdeci, 2014).  In this axis, based on the characteristics of time-image, seven basic categories were created under the titles of subjectivity, deterritorialization, virtuality, intuitiveness, randomness, irrationality and becoming. The film was analyzed thematically in the context of these categories. Hereby, It can be seen that the close-ups accompanying the shaky motion of the camera on the shoulder in this film remind us of two points of view on and off the character; with the random determination of the images, the viewers are invited to the time of the incomplete. It has been determined that the variability of the frame during the movement makes the ongoing state of becoming perceivable, and the unconnectedness of the relationship between the whole and the part reveals the state of deterritorialization and virtuality.  The subjective, deterritorialized, virtual, intuitive, random and irrational close-ups of the film create areas in which the concepts of masculinity, self-realization, competence and power are questioned and discussed, and reveal a transformative time-image cinema in which permanent meanings are produced. Key words: Deleuze, Time-image, Close-up, Film image, Turkish cinem

İZLEYİCİNİN NABZINI TUTMAK: BÜYÜK VERİ, TAVSİYE ALGORİTMALARI VE NETFLIX

ÖZET Büyük veri (big data), yirmi birinci yüzyılın en önemli fenomenlerinden biridir. Büyük verinin ortaya çıkışı, eğitimden siyasete, sağlıktan pazarlamaya kadar yaşamın her alanını dönüştürmektedir. Endüstri 4.0 devrimi ile birlikte verinin hızı, çeşitliliği ve hacmi de giderek artmaktadır. “İnsan merkezli” bir dünyadan “veri merkezli” bir dünyaya geçiş, devasa boyutlardaki verinin nasıl yönetileceği sorununu gündeme getirmekte ve işletmelerin karar alma süreçlerini etkilemektedir. Büyük veriyi doğru yöntemlerle analiz eden markalar bulundukları sektörde lider konumuna yükselmektedir. Netflix, bunun en çarpıcı örneklerinden biridir. 1997 yılında bir DVD pazarlama şirketi olarak ticari hayatına başlayan Netflix, 2007 yılından itibaren müşterilerinin film izleme deneyimini internet ortamına taşımıştır. Netflix, büyük veriyi verimli bir biçimde kullanarak kısa bir sürede dünyanın sayılı görsel içerik dağıtıcısı ve film yapımcılarından biri hâline gelmiştir. DVD kiralama ve satış pazarının devi Blockbuster’ı piyasadan silmiş; HBO ve Disney’in en güçlü rakibi olmuştur. İzleyicilerin yalnızca kimlik bilgilerini değil, duygu ve deneyimlerini de veriye dönüştüren Netflix, nicelleştirme önyargısını aşarak etkili tavsiye algoritmaları geliştirmektedir. Bu sayede üyelerine cazip gelecek film önerileri sunarak müşteri memnuniyetini en üst düzeye taşımaktadır. Netflix, dijitalleşmeyle uyumlu iş modeli, programatik pazarlama stratejisi ve yarattığı kişiselleştirilmiş içerikle izleyicinin nabzını tutmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Netflix örnek olayı aracılığıyla büyük veriyi ancak içgörüyle analiz edebilen şirketlerin ayakta kalabileceğini göstermektir.Anahtar Kelimeler: Büyük veri, Endüstri 4.0, Netflix, tavsiye algoritmaları.ABSTRACTBig data is one of the most important phenomena of the twenty-first century. The emergence of big data transforms every aspect of life, from education to politics, from health to marketing. The speed, variety and volume of data is increasing with the Industry 4.0 revolution. The transition from a “human-centered” world to a “data-centered” world raises the issue of how to manage huge amounts of data and affects the decision-making processes of enterprises. Brands that analyze big data with the right methods become the leader in their sector. Netflix is one of the most striking examples of this reality. Netflix that started its commercial life as a DVD marketing company in 1997 has brought film-watching experience of its customers to the internet since 2007. Netflix has quickly become one of the world's leading visual content distributors and filmmakers by using big data efficiently. It deleted Blockbuster the giant of DVD rental and sales market from the market and became HBO and Disney’s strongest rival. Netflix, which transforms not only the identity of the viewers but also their emotions and experiences into data, develops effective recommendation algorithms by overcoming the prejudice of quantization. In this way, it raises customer satisfaction to the highest level by offering attractive film proposals to its members.Netflix takes the pulse of viewers with its digitalization-compatible business model, programmatic marketing strategy and personalized content. The aim of this study is to show that only companies that can analyze big data with insightful can survive through Netflix case study. Keywords: Big data, Industry 4.0, Netflix, recommendation algorithms

CONCEIVING THE NEW IN AGNIESZKA CIESLINSKA’S FIGURATIO

The title FIGURATIO of Agnieszka Cieslinska’s 2014 exhibition at the Galeri Işık of the Işık University, Istanbul curated by Prof. Dr. Hasip PEKTAŞ, seems the most appropriate to describe her work as it crystallises her focus on the human figure and its transformations. Undoubtedly, the exhibition was the result of a consistent involvement; not only in the figurative art, but also in the thoughtful observation of the human figure and its metamorphosis. It is informed by Cieslinska’s belief that the human diversity, characteristics and features are fascinating basis for observation and for wandering in the areas of illusory memory full of evocations and references; where the boundaries between illusion and reality get blurred

Close-up in Cinema, in Line with the Time-Image Concept of Deleuze: An Analysis Focusing on the Film Sivas

According to Gilles Deleuze, time-image is a critical image that proceeds with pure visual and auditory situations, creates its own time, does not contain metaphors, and communicate directly with thought and time. The crystal image generated by the time-image allows the perception of virtual powers. Irrational cuts interfere with the indirect presentation of time as a kind of aberration of movement and reverse the relationship of subordination that continues with movement.  Due to the exchange of the virtual and actual, the randomness of events is affirmed. Unfinished, multi-faceted and always in dialogue with the subject; it breaks the routine, allows us to rarefy the image by removing everything that we added to the image in our minds, and activates the powers of intuition. The time-image does not have to be close-up, but it can be said that the close-up has an organic connection with the time-image due to it being a frame that has been formally broken away from the context, due to its flat appearance that negates depth and perspective due to its tendency to become abstract. This article aims to elaborate this connection between time-image and close-up and to describe the qualities of close-up as a time-image, via the film Sivas (Kaan Müjdeci, 2014).  In this axis, based on the characteristics of time-image, seven basic categories were created under the titles of subjectivity, deterritorialization, virtuality, intuitiveness, randomness, irrationality and becoming. The film was analyzed thematically in the context of these categories. Hereby, It can be seen that the close-ups accompanying the shaky motion of the camera on the shoulder in this film remind us of two points of view on and off the character; with the random determination of the images, the viewers are invited to the time of the incomplete. It has been determined that the variability of the frame during the movement makes the ongoing state of becoming perceivable, and the unconnectedness of the relationship between the whole and the part reveals the state of deterritorialization and virtuality.  The subjective, deterritorialized, virtual, intuitive, random and irrational close-ups of the film create areas in which the concepts of masculinity, self-realization, competence and power are questioned and discussed, and reveal a transformative time-image cinema in which permanent meanings are produced. Key words: Deleuze, Time-image, Close-up, Film image, Turkish cinem

THE BOOK of JAMMO

THE BOOK of JAMMO, A Compilation of Articles and Interviews,Circa 2011 – 201

Crítica epistemológica a la Indología contemporánea

INTRODUCCIÓNEn los últimos cien años, las diferentes ramas de la ciencia,  casi en todas sus expresiones, se han esforzado por perfeccionar sus métodos, técnicas e instrumentación, con el ideal de lograr obtener un conocimiento que sea  auténtico, objetivo y real. Sin embargo,  diversos descubrimientos han conducido a  calurosos debates sobre la diferencias entre lo qué es conocimiento objetivo, científico, protocientífico, seudocientífico y anticientifico. De hecho, subsistan disciplinas específicas que se avocan a explorar estos campos del saber, como la gnoselogía, etc. Al grado,  que actualmente se ha llegado a la formulación de  preguntas ontológicas como, ¿el grado de imperfección del método experimental, de la lógica formal, del valor real o simbólico de los números, los defectos e ilusiones de la percepción sensorial?,  y hasta ¿si existe una realidad objetiva que pueda ser estudiada por la ciencia, o si se trata de una ilusión de los sentidos?  Estos y otros aspectos  se han vuelto de interés para los especialista de la filosofía de la ciencia.Entre estas  ramas se destaca la epistemología,  (del griego πιστήμη --episteme, "conocimiento", y λόγος (logos), "teoría"). Es una rama de la filosofía cuyo objeto de estudio son los límites y defectos el conocimiento científico.  Ahora, es revelante estar concientes, que entre los eruditos de estas disciplinas, existe todo un discurso y debate con opiniones diversas sobre la definición de lo que son las  ciencias. Pero de manera operacional se adoptará las definiciones más generales como: “Tipo de conocimiento sistemático y articulado que aspira a formular, mediante lenguajes apropiados y rigurosos, las leyes que rigen los fenómenos relativos a un determinado sector de la realidad". (Océano 1995 ) Donde se estructura un conjunto de hechos objetivos y accesibles a varios observadores, además de estar basada en un criterio de verdad, universalidad y una corrección permanente, lo que conduce a la generación de más conocimiento objetivo en forma de predicciones concretas, cuantitativas y comprobables referidas a hechos observables pasados, presentes y futuros. Aunque existen otras clasificaciones, Rudolf Carnap las categorizó como ciencias formales, naturales y ciencias sociales.Las c. sociales, también llamadas ciencias de la cultura o del espíritu,  son todas las disciplinas que se ocupan de los aspectos del ser humano – cultura, arte, espiritualidad y sociedad, etc. El método depende de cada disciplina particular aunque todas intentan compartir el objetivismo  y el empirismo como base de verificación. Por ejemplo: la antropología - ciencia política - demografía - economía - derecho - Historia - psicología - sociología - geografía humana - trabajo social., etc. Este tratado se limitará a presentar un análisis epistemológico sobre una variante  de  estas ramas, la indología.

Islam and Life - Islamic Art Inspiring Western Art, Artists Part 1

The influence of Islamic Art on the Western world and the world at large is undeniably exampled by, but not limited to architecture, where it was purveyed as imitated building structures in the 18th century Brighton Royal Pavilion built between 1787 and 1823 for King George IV of Britain. The two-part series discusses Islamic Art from the standpoint of Muslims in the West, and as a counter-balance to the negative associations with Islam prevalent in today’s mainstream media. The focus is on Islamic Art as one of Islam’s major contributions to human civilisation using literary compendium in which part one articles the underpinning issues contextualising Islam’s architecture within the theology of Islam. The second part is an interview between two scholars on Islam engaging in what seems like a combative discussion to address the meta-theology of Islam in Islamic identity in the West