Berkman Buzz: December 13, 2013

After a successful first experience in 2013, Professor William Fisher will offer the networked course, CopyrightX, again this spring, under the auspices of Harvard Law School, the HarvardX distance-learning initiative, and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. The course explores the current law of copyright and the ongoing debates concerning how that law should be reformed.

The 500 students in the online component of CopyrightX will be selected through an open application process that opens on December 13 and closes on December 23.

To apply, see http://copyx.org/logistics/admission/

great #data #visualization, sad affair: #Time person of the year by gender since 1927 http://ow.ly/rHzTw http://ow.ly/i/40eDc
—Miriam Meckel (@mmeckel)

Internet Monitor is delighted to announce the publication of Internet Monitor 2013: Reflections on the Digital World, our first-ever annual report. The report—a collection of essays from roughly two dozen experts around the world, including Ron Deibert, Malavika Jayaram, Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Molly Sauter, Bruce Schneier, Ashkan Soltani, and Zeynep Tufekci, among others—highlights key events and recent trends in the digital space.

The thing to understand is that after Kindergarten, most people have been discouraged from being collaborative. While it comes easily in our youth, when we haven’t built up the skills (social and technical) to operate from that source, it can be difficult. When creating codesign space with members of a formal or traditional organization, they come with the mentality that experts are the best (and perhaps only) people equipped to know how to assess and respond to a challenge. In this mentality, only academics have time to think, only corporations have access to resources, and only people who have been in the field for decades can see patterns.

about two months ago, i was invited to travel to the united nations...two things converged.

one: the division of the united nations called UN women came into existence, as did the concept of a UNITED NATIONS DAY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, which was why i was invited there on november 25th.

two: the united nations has hired the equivalent of an Artistic Director, whose job it is to bring the performing arts into the UN building. i think that’s incredible in itself: they’ve been showing films and creating performances IN THE HALLS of the UN, which are attended by the ambassadors, their families, and the huge community of people who work in that crazy building – whose stated purpose is promote international cooperation and (hopefully) ensure that we don’t wind up in world war III anytime soon. hooray for art.

Over the last six months, I’ve been working to create the Data & Society Research Institute to address the social, technical, ethical, legal, and policy issues that are emerging because of data-centric technological development. We’re still a few months away from launching the Institute, but we’re looking to identify the inaugural class of fellows. If you know innovative thinkers and creators who have a brilliant idea that needs a good home and are excited by the possibility of helping shape a new Institute, can you let them know about this opportunity?

Love @jilliancyork's latest column on tech intellectuals and gender. http://bit.ly/19EMWm6
—Molly Sauter (@oddletters)

A Hong Kong protester threw a stuffed toy wolf named Lufsig from furniture and home goods giant IKEA at the city's Chief Executive CY Leung during a speech on December 7 in a community consultation meeting, accusing the leader of lacking commitment to the city's democratic reform.

The day after the protest, Lufsig had already become an Internet meme similar to the Grass Mud Horse, which is a symbolic defiance of widespread Internet censorship in China. Fans of Lufsig scrambled to get a hold of the toy from IKEA and from online shopping platforms. A rumor soon spread that IKEA had taken Lufsig off the shelves; a Facebook event page demanding IKEA “release” Lufsig was set up in response on December 9.