The Machine Conception of the Organism in Development and Evolution: A Critical Analysis

This article critically examines one of the most prevalent metaphors in modern biology, namely the machine conception of the organism (MCO). Although the fundamental differences between organisms and machines make the MCO an inadequate metaphor for conceptualizing living systems, many biologists and philosophers continue to draw upon the MCO or tacitly accept it as the standard model of the organism. This paper analyses the specific difficulties that arise when the MCO is invoked in the study of development and evolution. In developmental biology the MCO underlies a logically incoherent model of ontogeny, the genetic program, which serves to legitimate three problematic theses about development: genetic animism, neo-preformationism, and developmental computability. In evolutionary biology the MCO is responsible for grounding unwarranted theoretical appeals to the concept of design as well as to the interpretation of natural selection as an engineer, which promote a distorted understanding of the process and products of evolutionary change. Overall, it is argued that, despite its heuristic value, the MCO today is impeding rather than enabling further progress in our comprehension of living systems

Cabaret (1985)

Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Director: Robert Jenkins Musical Direction: Michael West Choreographer: Annette MacDonald Set Design: Paul Manchester Costumes: Elizabeth M. Poindexter Academic Year: 1984-1985https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/productions_1980s/1040/thumbnail.jp

Grand theft algorithm: purposeful play, appropriated play and aberrant players

"Copyright ACM, 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in MindTrek: Proceedings of the 12th international conference on Entertainment and media in the ubiquitous era. pp.3-7 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1457199.1457201"This paper explores ideas about 'appropriated play' within computer games. It identifies different forms of 'purposeful' and 'aberrant' playing and proposes a model of players' motivations. This will enable a discussion about the experience of games players who resist the norms of 'purposeful' or ludic play, while finding reward in their explorations of game possibilities. It provides a new vocabulary for discussing playing outside of the game world, as a way of understanding some of these actions as more than 'cheating'

Generating innovations through analogies: An empirical investigation of knowledge brokers

In this paper we explore how knowledge brokers - specialised design and engineering companies offering services to clients in diverse industries - use analogies for product development. Our research is based on interviews with project leaders of 13 knowledge brokering companies. The interviews focused on product development projects in which analogies were used. First, we categorize these cases according to the motivation to use analogies (efficiency vs. innovativeness). Second, we describe and analyse the process of using analogies. Our results show that analogies are frequently and very pragmatically applied throughout the whole development process. We also found that individual characteristics of the persons participating in such projects are the crucial factor that influences the outcome of the project. --product development,knowledge brokers,analogy

Finding Ways

In 2008 I was commissioned to write a poem which was subsequently set into a 700m ribbon of steel that meanders throughout the interior and exterior spaces of the development. The project was designated the title ‘Finding Ways’, which I used loosely to explore the notion of discovery and getting back on track with one’s life. I began this challenging project with a view to achieving three key aims: to produce a poem, or series of poems, that would enliven the new medical facility of Roseberry Park by commenting on the area’s heritage and the journeys that form a part of the medical facility’s purpose; to promote positive interaction and reflection within the residents and users of the facility through the poem; to produce a poem that adhered to the severe restrictions imposed by the building plans, at the same time as it appeared seamless and unforced

Embryos as Patients? Medical Provider Duties in the Age of CRISPR/Cas9

The CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering platform is the first method of gene editing that could potentially be used to treat genetic disorders in human embryos. No past therapies, genetic or otherwise, have been intended or used to treat disorders in existent embryos. Past procedures performed on embryos have exclusively involved creation and implantation (e.g., in-vitro fertilization) or screening and selection of already-healthy embryos (e.g., preimplantation genetic diagnosis). A CRISPR/Cas9 treatment would evade medical malpractice law due to the early stage of the intervention and the fact that it is not a treatment for the mother. In most jurisdictions, medical professionals owe no duty to pre-viable fetuses or embryos as such, but will be held liable for negligent treatment of the mother if the treatment causes injury to a born-alive child. This issue brief discusses the science of CRISPR/Cas9, the background legal status of human embryos, and the case for considering genetically engineered embryos as patients for purposes of medical malpractice law

"The honor of firing before His Majesty": Patrick Ferguson's will and the Royal Armouries’ Ferguson rifle

Patrick Ferguson (1744-80) designed the first breech-loading rifle to be used by the British Army. In November 2000, the Royal Armouries purchased an early example, formerly in the possession of the Fergusons of Pitfour, descendants of Patrick's younger brother, George. Patrick Ferguson's will has helped the author identify the Royal Armouries' Ferguson Rifle as the one which Patrick Ferguson used when he demonstrated it before George III and Queen Charlotte at Windsor in 1776