Expanded delta networks for very large parallel computers

In this paper we analyze a generalization of the traditional delta network, introduced by Patel [21], and dubbed Expanded Delta Network (EDN). These networks provide in general multiple paths that can be exploited to reduce contention in the network resulting in increased performance. The crossbar and traditional delta networks are limiting cases of this class of networks. However, the delta network does not provide the multiple paths that the more general expanded delta networks provide, and crossbars are to costly to use for large networks. The EDNs are analyzed with respect to their routing capabilities in the MIMD and SIMD models of computation.The concepts of capacity and clustering are also addressed. In massively parallel SIMD computers, it is the trend to put a larger number processors on a chip, but due to I/O constraints only a subset of the total number of processors may have access to the network. This is introduced as a Restricted Access Expanded Delta Network of which the MasPar MP-1 router network is an example

'Peoples War': Cultural Activism in the Notting Hill Carnival

Why has British cultural studies had so little to say about the political activity of the adult black working class population in Britain? Why has social anthropology seen blacks in Britain as lacking the cohesive culture which is believed to underpin ethnicity? And, relatedly, why has sociology especially of 'race relations', conceptualised blacks in Britain primarily as a set of social problems

Anti-racist cultural politics in post-imperial Britain: the New Beacon Circle

This chapter explores the activist-pedagogy of one group that sought to negotiate an inclusive place in Britain for the descendants of Black and Brown migrants: New Beacon Circle, based in North London, England. Whereas many contributors to this book have addressed contemporary alternative educational initiatives, I consider one that started in the mid-1960s and is still active today. In this way, I emphasize the continuity in radical experimentation in utopian pedagogy. In the case of New Beacon Circle, such experimentation has been a component of contestant responses to specific situations of class and 'race' domination, and which have been, simultaneously, attempts to build progressive educational alternatives that might endure into the future. Bringing a particular reading of anti-colonialism in the British West Indies to their activist work in London, the New Beacon Circle is centred around the New Beacon publishing house and bookshop, which was established in 1966. Over the next four decades, New Beacon Circle’s activities encompassed and wove together Black cultural production, anti-racist organizing and community education. This chapter explores a number of initiatives of the New Beacon Circle and concludes by analyzing them through the lens of cultural politics

Lowest common ancestor interconnection networks

Lowest Common Ancestor (LCA) networks are built using switches capable of connecting u + d inputs/outputs in a permutation pattern. For n source nodes and I stages of switches, n/d switches are used in stage l - n/d - u/d in stage l - 2, and in general , n-u^l-i-l/d^l-i switches in stage i. The resulting hierarchical structure possesses interesting connectivity and permutational properties. A full characterization of LCA networks is presented together with a permutation routing algorithm for a family of LCA networks. The algorithm uses the network itself to collect and disseminate information about the permutation. A schedule of O(dp log_d/u n) passes is obtained with a switch set-up cost factor of O(log_d/u n) (p is the minimum number of passes that an algorithm with global knowledge schedules)

CLR James's Revolutionary Politics as Culture

What can CLR James's lifework teach us in 2002? The publication of Farrrukh Dhondy’s long-awaited book on James life and work provides us the opportunity to reflect on the impact and relevance of this peripatetic radical writer and activist

Computer Hacking as a Social Problem

This chapter introduces the ideas and practices of digital technology enthusiasts who fall under the umbrella of “hackers. “We will discuss how their defining activity has been constructed as a social problem and how that construction has been challenged in different ways. The chapter concludes with several policy suggestions aimed at addressing the more problematic aspects of computer hacking

Exploring gender and fear retrospectively:stories of women’s fear during the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ murders

The murder of 13 women in the North of England between 1975 and 1979 by Peter Sutcliffe who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper can be viewed as a significant criminal event due to the level of fear generated and the impact on local communities more generally. Drawing upon oral history interviews carried out with individuals living in Leeds at the time of the murders, this article explores women’s accounts of their fears from the time. This offers the opportunity to explore the gender/fear nexus from the unique perspective of a clearly defined object of fear situated within a specific spatial and historical setting. Findings revealed a range of anticipated fear-related emotions and practices which confirm popular ‘high-fear’ motifs; however, narrative analysis of interviews also highlighted more nuanced articulations of resistance and fearlessness based upon class, place and biographies of violence, as well as the way in which women drew upon fear/fearlessness in their overall construction of self. It is argued that using narrative approaches is a valuable means of uncovering the complexity of fear of crime and more specifically provides renewed insight onto women’s fear

Two Narrative Research Approaches in NVivo

Whilst it is accepted that qualitative data analysis software is useful for doing narrative research, the term narrative itself has myriad meanings across the social sciences, which can make it difficult to design and implement narrative research projects. This paper addresses this difficulty by specifying narrative research from a sociological perspective before going on to show what NVivo offers to such narrative research. The paper opens with an overview of how NVivo can help to realise two approaches to narrative research in the social sciences: analysis of narrative where we code and classify text segments and whole texts; and narrative analysis, where we construct a narrative report from various source materials

Narrative Networks: Storied Approaches in a Digital Age

Narrative is a fundamental means whereby we make sense of our own lives and of the world around us. The stories we tell, and are being told, shape our identities, relationships and world-views. In a rapidly changing digital society where blogging and social networking have become fundamental communication channels, the platforms for the creation and exchange of all kinds of narratives have greatly expanded. This book responds to the dynamic production and consumption of stories of all kinds in popular and academic cultures. It offers a comprehensive discussion of the underlying philosophical and methodological issues of narrative and personal narrative research as well as applying these to the current digital landscape. The book provides practical guidance on data management and use of software for the narrative researcher. Illustrated with examples from a range of fields and disciplines as well as the author’s own work on hacking cultures and cultural activism, this title is a must for anyone wanting to learn about narrative approaches in social research and how to conduct successful narrative research in a digital age