The Synthesis of a Technique of Comprehensive Analysis of Individual Learners

Purpose. The problem of this study was to develop a superstructure of learner analysis. The framework of the superstructure was composed of component elements which, together, provide a consistent and comprehensive analysis of the learner. (Abstract shortened.

Post-communist burden influence on the perception of creative identities : consequences for managers and leaders

Purpose: Communism, being one of the most repressive systems, influences the whole spec-trum of behaviors of individuals, groups, and society. Countries that changed their politi-cal system start a journey of external (economic, social) and internal (personal, interper-sonal, group) changes. The post-communist burden determines human behavior, and man-agers and leaders should pay attention to these consequences. The research deals with the perception of creative identities (a creator, artist, manager, entrepreneur, and leader) by the society of post-communist countries compared to countries without communist history. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitive research (n = 160) among people from a dozen nations; chi-square test of independence used; qualitative analysis of feature differences. Findings: There are no statistical differences in the perception of the creative identities of a creator, artist, manager, entrepreneur, and leader between citizens of post-communist and non-communist countries. Practical implications: The study in perception of the particular creative identities might have practical implications for managers and leaders of groups, and business organiza-tions dominated or not by creative individuals. These differences are shown in detail, and links between this research results and the literature are built. Originality value: The originality of the research lies in the conclusion that societies that finished their intercourse with communism more than one generation ago (ca. 30 years) should be perceived similarly to non-communist societies. Perception of the creative indi-viduals' social capital by these societies does not show essential discrepancies.peer-reviewe

The Funambulist Pamphlets 9: Science Fiction

The Funambulist Pamphlets is a series of small books archiving articles published on The Funambulist, collected according to specific themes. These volumes propose a different articulation of texts than the usual chronological one. The eleven volumes are respectively dedicated to Spinoza, Foucault, Deleuze, Legal Theory, Occupy Wall Street, Palestine, Cruel Designs, Arakawa + Madeline Gins, Science Fiction, Literature, and Cinema

Open Works: Between the Programmed and the Free, Art in Italy 1962 to 1972

This dissertation historicizes and theorizes a group of Italian artists who were among the first to use computers and cybernetics to make artworks, developing the genre of Arte Programmata, or Programmed Art. It argues that the artists of Arte Programmata (Bruno Munari, Enzo Mari, and collectives Gruppo T and Gruppo N) turned to the generative, interactive, and probabilistic aspects of early computers not simply as new media for making art but as platforms for radically altering what it means to be a participant in an increasingly mediated and networked world. This is apparent in how each of their works deploys computers to restructure the relationship between subjects and their environment. In kinetic sculptures modeled on computer programs, the audience is invited to participate in the creation of the work; in immersive environments based on cybernetics and information theory, visitors are simultaneously activated, disoriented, and manipulated; and underlying designs for home goods is a concept of the world as an adaptable, interconnected system of subjects and space. Far from being antagonistic to liberty, Arte Programmata’s multi-faceted oeuvre demonstrates that technology supports individual’s capacity to act upon and affect their environment. Therefore I contend we should understand that programming, cybernetic systems, and even control are not categorically antithetical to individual freedom but comprise the conditions that allow for and encourage subjective agency. Bridging art history and media studies, this dissertation underscores how both art and technology are ways of visualizing and structuring social interaction, and it argues for a reassessment of the political, critical, and even visionary role of new media art like Arte Programmata

Creativity

Creativity and innovation go hand in hand. This book presents a plethora of creative interventions in education, culture, expressions, communications, and other areas. Each chapter brings forth a core idea well attested on the scales of creative interventions. It is a collaborative effort to bring forth multidisciplinary creativity in the ever-evolving world of design, communication, and possibilities. There is really no logical order to the book. You do not necessarily have to start at the beginning, just find a chapter that interests you and read. I hope that you find the book stimulating as well as informative

Skyler and Bliss

Hong Kong remains the backdrop to the science fiction movies of my youth. The city reminds me of my former training in the financial sector. It is a city in which I could have succeeded in finance, but as far as art goes it is a young city, and I am a young artist. A frustration emerges; much like the mould, the artist also had to develop new skills by killing off his former desires and manipulating technology. My new series entitled HONG KONG surface project shows a new direction in my artistic research in which my technique becomes ever simpler, reducing the traces of pixelation until objects appear almost as they were found and photographed. Skyler and Bliss presents tectonic plates based on satellite images of the Arctic. Working in a hot and humid Hong Kong where mushrooms grow ferociously, a city artificially refrigerated by climate control, this series provides a conceptual image of a imaginary typographic map for survival. (Laurent Segretier

Investigation of the relationship between aesthetics and perceived usability in web pages

The main hypothesis of the thesis is that between two systems identical in functionality and usability, di erences in aesthetics may positively in uence users perceived usability. To date, a narrow focus on the engineering aspects of aesthetics has adversely a ected the scope and success of experiments, therefore previous work in the eld needed to be revisited. The thesis reviews literature and theory in usability and aesthetics, the latter from the point of the view of philosophy, theory, and application. It also explores the relationship between aesthetics, usability and user engagement; discusses a distinct new trend research that identi es a link between beauty and perceived usability of website interaction; and develops a pilot for an experimental methodology. Based on conclusions from the review of the eld of usability, two experiments where designed and carried out, an independent measures and repeated measures. The ndings of these experiments con rmed the hypothesis that perceived usability was positively in uenced by higher aesthetics

Mattering: A Recreation of the Realism of Charles S. Peirce

Mattering' is the process and the product of Reality. It is One from nothing. Whether there is more than one universe as the string theorists argue, is beyond my ken. Fortunately I am not concerned here with epistemology but with understanding. Nor am I preoccupied with revealing Truth. Rather, my purpose is to explore the meaning and consequences of 'mattering': to be able to say that, beyond reasonable doubt, I believe that 'it' matters – that 'it' is 'mattering'. This can be made intelligible by way of reflection on the Pragmatic Maxim of the American polymath Charles S. Peirce [1839-1914] and validated with his systematic method of inquiry. Part 1 of my thesis explores and presents Peirce's work. Part 2 is an exposition of my three part hypothesis of 'mattering', that: 1. value functions as a condition of intelligibility - purpose, as the ground of 'mattering' is dependent on value; 2. power - where power is the capacity to cause - is the enabler of force functioning as actual 'mattering'; 3. 'mattering' is evolutionary realization of universal telos. For Peirce, inquiry is triggered by genuine doubt. His method begins with imagination: with the generation of a hypotheses that, if valid, will relieve the irritation of doubt. Creating my hypothesis of 'mattering' free of consideration of truth was liberating. This is what Peirce called abduction: active imagination which can be considered as reasonable, but only in so far as it can be reasoned from by deduction and induction. This is Mathematics, the first of the heuretic sciences (the branch of sciences which treats of discovery or invention) and its aim is to draw necessary conclusions; Philosophy is the next class of the heuretic sciences, followed by the Special Sciences. The first order of Peirce's second class, Philosophy, is his Phenomenology - his doctrine of categories - the purpose of which is to describe what is before the mind and to show that the description is correct. It is the beginning of discovering meaning, and involves observation of what Peirce called the phaneron (whatever is before the mind) - in my case, my hypothesis. Through differentiation, abstraction or prescision, and dissociation it identifies the three irreducible categories of reality identified by Peirce as First (possibility), Second (actuality) and Third (probability). The second order of his philosophical method is the Normative Sciences of Esthetics (aesthetics), the ideal, Ethics, going for the ideal, and Semeiotic or logic, what can reasonably be hoped for. By practicing what he preached, Peirce built the third order of Philosophy, his Metaphysics of Tychism (chance), Synechism (continuity), and Agape. [In physics, Agape arguably is gravity and the still to be discovered something that will deliver the Holy Grail: the theory of everything.] This is 'mattering'. I argue it is grounded in the values of integrity, respect and transparency, values which are expressed through the enactment (or powering) of 'mattering's' purpose or telos which grows and develops. This is, 'mattering': universal realisation of evolutionary telos. Our species, which evolved, as did the Universe, from the Universe - the process and product of 'mattering' - appears set on a trajectory of ecocide for which we are responsible. One model for understanding this travesty is Freud's scheme of Id (desire) Ego (mediator) Superego (should). If Ego, which makes choices, sides with and empowers the unmitigated, individual wanting that is Id, by ignoring Superego - cooperative imperatives for universal growth and development - Earth's evolutionary trajectory is jeopardised. We ignore the categorial values of integrity, respect, and transparency with which evolutionary universal telos is co-dependent, at our peril. The global dysfunction of Egos, especially those that have commandeered power by disempowering others, can be healed. Together, but only together, we can get back on track and reclaim Earth's and our future. This one Universe from which we evolved and with which we are evolving, can do it, and, even granted that it has been practicing longer, we too can do it: we can make it matter. It matters. It is 'mattering'

iOS application user rating prediction using usability evaluation and machine learning

Mobile applications are earning popularity because of the significant benefits of smartphones, such as: portability, location awareness, electronic identity, and an integrated camera. Nevertheless, these devices have a number of disadvantages concerning usability, such as limited resources and small screen size. A number of studies have investigated usability challenges in a mobile context and proposed definitions and measurement of the usability of mobile applications. Evaluating the usability of applications for mobile operating systems is a crucial step in addressing these difficulties and achieving success in mobile application markets, such as Apple’s App Store. Usability evaluation must be tailored to the various mobile operating systems in use, each with its particular characteristics. Apple App Store is the only source for buying or installing iOS applications. Users rate applications in the App Store and take into the account other users’ evaluations when buying an application. Users tend to give higher ratings to the applications that satisfy their functional and non-functional requirements. Usability is one of the non-functional requirements that users consider when they rate applications. Hence, it is important to develop applications with higher usability and better user experience to be successful in the App Store. Apple publishes a guideline named "HIG (Human Interface Guidelines)" and recommends following these guidelines during the design and development of iOS applications. There are also other guidelines that suggest other design principles and heuristics but the Relationship between these guidelines and App Store success is unknown. In addition, there is not any explicit method to predict the success of an application in the App Store. Developers and development companies spend much time to develop an application with little clue about the success of their application in the App Store. This research project combines the guidelines from the literature and proposes an iOS application usability evaluation model to evaluate iOS application usability. It presents next an analysis of the relationship between criteria and application’s App Store user rating by evaluating 99 applications. This research project also proposes a machine learning model to predict the success of an iOS application in the App Store, based on the evaluation method proposed in the first part of this research