A relatively unknown woman named Maria Theresa Short opened a popular observatory in 1835 in Ed inburgh - a time and place where men of science and property had long failed to make a viable space for astronomy. She exhibited scientific instruments to a general public, along with a great telescope and a walk-in camera obscura that projected live views of the city and continues to delight audiences to this day. To better understand Short's accomplishments, achieved as scientific (...) and public life became increasingly closed to women, this study explores her largely untold story, and maps some of the places of science around it. Finding local contingencies, multiple sites and practices by diverse groups, it proposes that tensions within the connections between science and spectacle and the use of popularization to promote its professionalization produced gaps that even a marginal figure like Maria Short could inhabit and exploit. (shrink)

In this article, we explore some of the roles of cameras in policing in the United States. We outline the trajectory of key new media technologies, arguing that cameras and social media together generate the ambient surveillance through which graphic violence is now routinely captured and circulated. Drawing on Michel Foucault, we suggest that there are important intersections between this video footage and police subjectivity, and propose to look at two: recruit training at the Washington state Basic Law Enforcement Academy (...) and the Seattle Police Department’s body-worn camera project. We analyze these cases in relation to the major arguments for and against initiatives to increase police use of cameras, outlining what we see as techno-optimistic and techno-pessimistic positions. Drawing on the pragmatism of John Dewey, we argue for a third position that calls for field-based inquiry into the specific co-production of socio-techno subjectivities. (shrink)

Over the past decade, police departments in many countries have experimented with and increasingly adopted the use of police body-worn cameras. This article aims to examine the moral issues raised by the use of PBWCs, and to provide an overall assessment of the conditions under which the use of PBWCs is morally permissible. It first reviews the current evidence for the effects of using PBWCs. On the basis of this review the article sets out a teleological argument for the use (...) of PBWCs. The final two sections of the article review two deontological objections to the use of PBWCs: the idea that use of PBWCs is based on or expresses disrespectful mistrust, and the idea that the use of PBWCs violates a right to privacy. The article argues that neither of these objections is persuasive, and concludes that we should conditionally accept and support the use of PBWCs. (shrink)

‘Torture porn’ films centre on themes of abduction, imprisonment and suffering. Within the subgenre, protagonists are typically placed under relentless surveillance by their captors. CCTV features in more than 45 contemporary torture-themed films (including Captivity, Hunger, and Torture Room). Security cameras signify a bridging point between the captors’ ability to observe and to control their prey. Founded on power-imbalance, torture porn’s prison-spaces are panoptical. Despite failing to encapsulate contemporary surveillance’s complexities (see Haggerty, 2011), the panopticon remains a dominant paradigm within (...) surveillance studies because it captures essential truths about the psychologies of self-governance and interdependency. This chapter will use torture porn’s panoptical spaces and captor-captive relationships as a springboard into examining those broader philosophical issues regarding selfhood. In the torture-space, cameras signify the control to which captives must submit. Since they are threatened with death, the surveillance dynamic appears to entirely subjugate these prisoners. However, the captive must undertake some agency in the oppression. Much of the captor’s implied threat is enacted by the captives, who brutalise one another to save themselves. The captor’s apparent omniscience is translated into omnipotence only because the captives forsake self-control – opting to engage in violent, contra-social behaviours – out of fear. Thus, it is implied that self-ownership is the bedrock of stable, interdependent sociality. To inspire horror, the opposite is depicted: fractured groups comprised of paranoid, self-invested individuals. By submitting to external pressure, these “weak” individuals empower their tormentor. Captives are not only encouraged to enact their own suppression, but also to internalise culpability for the suffering they undergo. Despite being threatened with erasure, torture porn’s protagonists are spotlighted in these films. Abductees dominate the screen-time, and their suffering drives the narrative forward. Torturers are often motivated solely by their victims’ agony. In many cases, torture is designed specifically for each hyper-individualised captive. These forms of emphasis imply that captives are the stimulus for their own victimisation. The captor’s exaggerated interest in the prisoners is perversely flattering: captives are implied to be worthy of the captor’s maniacal attention, which is reified by the CCTV cameras. In torture porn’s scenarios, it is not immediately clear who has greater control over the individual: the captor or the captive themselves. By dissecting how self-preservation, self-governance, and self-centredness manifest in torture porn, this chapter seeks to examine the dialectical qualities of liberty, interdependency and autonomy. (shrink)

In a recent article in Respublica, Jesper Ryberg argues that CCTV can be compared to a little old lady gazing out onto the street below. This article takes issue with the claim that government surveillance can be justified in this manner. Governments have powers and responsibilities that little old ladies lack. Even if CCTV is effective at preventing crime, there may be less intrusive ways of doing so. People have a variety of legitimate interests in privacy, and protection for these (...) is important to their status as free and equal citizens. Consequently, though necessary, effectiveness is insufficient to justify CCTV in a democracy. (shrink)

Construction of self and group often incorporates the use of objects associated with "expression," including videos, films, and photographs. In this article, I describe four different sites for construction of groups (group portraiture, courtrooms, video-assisted group therapy, and videoconferencing). I discuss potential aspects of shifts in the way we use and talk about media on what it is like to participate in a group. The eras of video, film, and photography as "silent witnesses" to group interaction are gradually passing. For (...) example, technology that enables the digital retouching of photographs has afforded means for enhancing or dramatically altering photographic images. Those who employ these media as epistemological companions, supplementing their vision and memories of various events and interactions, are increasingly doing so from a critical (and somewhat cautious) perspective.. (shrink)

Home management and controlling have seen a great introduction to network that enabled digital technology, especially in recent decades. For the purpose of home automation, this technique offers an exciting capability to enhance the connectivity of equipment within the home. Also, with the rapid expansion of the Internet, there are potentials that added to the remote control and monitoring of such network-enabled devices. In this paper, we had been designed and implemented a fully manageable and secure smart home automation system (...) based on a cloud computing system with an ESP Arduino system. The security of home had been improved by adding a complete camera system with a GSM communication technique to connect the Arduino output data to an external specified number if there is no internet provider. We used three sensors for temperature, gas, and motion measurements. The ESP8226 Wi-Fi device programmed the sensors to maintain the sensors measurements and transfer them to the cloud server database which is programmed to the web server via Appatshy and Mysql formats. The system implemented with high time response so that all readings updated and appeared spontaneously. The designed system should be effective, a secure, and rapid response real-time smart home system should be achieved. (shrink)

Cameras, microphones, and other sensors continue to proliferate in the world around us. I offer a new metaphor for conceptualizing these technologies: they are _digital wormholes_, transmitting representations of human persons between disparate points in space–time. We frequently cannot tell when they are operational, what kinds of data they are collecting, where the data may reappear in the future, and how the data can be used against us. The wormhole metaphor makes the mysteriousness of digital sensors salient: digital sensors have (...) brought us to a strange place. If humans are to be capable of making sensible decisions while under observation by digital sensors, we must improve the epistemic position of potential sensor subjects. (shrink)

In recent days Augmented Reality is an emerging trend in marketing and sales strategies. Augmented reality ads are immersive, which means they help marketers create a certain emotional connection with customers. Unlike images or banners, for example, AR ads are interactive and lifelike consumers can see and even interact with them. Now-a-days people prefer online shopping rather than the traditional window shopping and Augmented Reality allows brands to give customers unique experiences with the convenience of tapping into their mobile devices. (...) So the main purpose is to build an “AR Watch Try-On application” is to develop android application for trying different watches in a Virtual way using a mobile which supports AR camera. This application can be used on Online Watch Shopping websites and applications such as Titan, Fastrack, Sonata and so on. The application will eliminate the human efforts by physically visiting the Watch shops which is very time-consuming activity. User can try out multiple watches and different varients of those watches. (shrink)

Summer with Monika (Ingmar Bergman, 1952) was a point of reference for filmmakers searching new ways of filmmaking during the 1960s and 1970s because it anticipated the characteristic reflexivity of cinematic modernity because of the protagonist’s look at the camera. By unexpectedly bursting into the narrative, this gaze becomes a self-conscious strategy aimed at disarticulating not only the cinematic fiction, but also Monika’s fiction, which has symbolically appropriated the imaginary world projected by cinema.

Do the ethical features of an artwork bear on its aesthetic value? This movie endorses misogyny, that song is a civil rights anthem, the clay constituting this statue was extracted with underpaid labor—are facts like these the proper bases for aesthetic evaluation? I argue that this debate has suffered from a false presupposition: that if the answer is yes (for at least some such ethical features), such considerations feature as pro tanto contributions to an artwork's overall aesthetic value, i.e., as (...) merits or flaws which make something have more or less overall aesthetic value. As the case of ethically laden, aesthetic evaluation makes clear, however, good aesthetic judgement is irreducibly multi-dimensional, e.g., "the movie has an engaging soundtrack, tasteful camera work, and takes a misogynistically prurient perspective on its female lead.'' Such a "non-summative" judgement refuses to reduce those various dimensions of aesthetic value to a single aggregate aesthetic evaluation, like "it's a 6/10" or "it's a pretty good movie!" I defend both the modest claim that such non-summative evaluations are not mistaken and the extremist claim that summative (i.e., unidimensional) aesthetic evaluation is defective by considering other domains of normative assessment in which summing seems inappropriate, notably including evaluations of people's character. (shrink)

Many countries in Eastern Europe, during the 1960–1970s, as well as Albania responded to the growing demand for new houses utilizing the emerging trends for industrialization of the construction process and mass construction of prefabricated residential buildings based on large-panel prefabricated RC elements. During the 1970s large-panel buildings spread throughout the country and became the main type of construction in the Albanian cities such as Shkodër, Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Berat, etc. Most of these buildings have five or six stories and (...) comprise different modules, the number of which depends on the urban and architectonic projects. The construction technology of these types of buildings included only the construction of prefabricated reinforced concrete material and did not take into account the energy performance of these structures. Since the moment of construction, only in the last year, several interventions have been made in different cities where a layer of polystyrene has been placed on the external walls of these buildings in order to enhance their thermal insulation. The aim of this paper is to improve the thermal performance of these buildings by introducing a comparison of their initial situation as they are today and how their performance would be if innovative technologies and materials were applied. The study is going to analyse the thermal performance of the existing buildings, by means of the thermal camera in the city of Kamez, located in Tirana, which has been chosen as a key study. Furthermore, the data obtained from the MEEC application are gathered, in order to compare the previous, the existing situation and the proposed intervention. The results may be used by municipalities of different cities, not only in the Albanian context, either where interventions have been made to improve their performance, or for municipalities where thermal regulation policies have not been yet implemented for these types of buildings. The existing situation of the buildings according to the calculations, showed a poor thermal performance, regardless of the fact that they are already equipped with thermal insulation building envelope. They have to be requalified in order to be categorized as a building with high thermal performance. (shrink)

Great man of culture, history and science Dmitry Cantemir, the prince of Moldavia was also a grate apologist of the Romanian religious traditions. In our study we try to underline this aspect from his writings, especially from his work Descriptio Moldavie. Therefore, we had followed the apologetics ideas from his most important works, like: Divanul, Loca Obscura, Descriptio Moldaviae, Metafizica and also from his Logica. In this context, the cultural and theological contribution of the great Moldavian scholar is very (...) important from the orthodox theology. In the actual context, Dmitry Cantemir shows the perfect example in the accomplishment and conservation of the Romanian authentic spirit over the centuries. (shrink)

Sogo/Gakuryu Ishii is one of the pioneers of the punk/cyberpunk movement in Japanese cinema. Though his style changed throughout his career, his early films have been a great influence to filmmakers around the world. His unique filmic style presents questions, observations and interpretations regarding the role of violence as normalized in the daily lives of heavily marginalized punk youth portrayed in an amplified and stylized cyberpunk Japan. What is so captivating about Ishii's style and motivation is that he was not (...) only a filmmaker interested in making embellished political or social commentary, Ishii was also part of the emerging punk movement in Japan and several musicians of punk rock bands were also involved in his films. My main aim in my inquiry into Ishil's early films involves two parts regarding the same concept. The first is the ethical issues that arise both with portrayal of violence in films as well as the intention of such an endeavor in general. The second part is the way in which violence is made to be part of the film in terms of form and style. This may be interpreted as either glorifying and stylizing violence or showing that violence is nothing but a destructive force that the outcasts of society may not be able to escape. To the last statement Ishii seems to be silent but very active. What I mean by this is that the simplistic plot-lines of his early films are contrasted by heavy punk music, fast editing, constant moving camera and rage, fear and disappointment in the faces of the anti-heroes. (shrink)

REPRODUÇÃO ANIMAL: O CICLO ESTRAL DE BOVINOS LEITEIROS – Desenvolvimento Folicular, Corpo Lúteo e Etapas do Estro ANIMAL REPRODUCTION: THE OESTROUS CYCLE OF DAIRY BOVINES -Follicular Development, Corpus Luteum and Stages of Estrus Apoio: Emanuel Isaque Cordeiro da Silva Departamento de Zootecnia da UFRPE E-mail: [email protected] WhatsApp: (82)98143-8399 FISIOLOGIA CLÍNICA DO CICLO ESTRAL DE BOVINOS LEITEIROS 1. RESUMO A fêmea bovina apresenta ciclos estrais em intervalos de 19 a 23 dias e estes só são interrompidos durante a gestação ou devido (...) a alguma patologia. O estro é o período de aceitação da cópula e tem uma duração de 8 a 18 horas. Durante o metaestro ocorre a ovulação e se desenvolve o corpo lúteo. O diestro é o estágio mais longo do ciclo e é caracterizado pela presença de um corpo lúteo. Se a gestação não for estabelecida, o endométrio segrega prostaglandina F2α(PGF2α) o que induz a luteólise, reiniciando assim um novo ciclo. 2. EIXO HIPOTÁLAMO-HIPÓFISE-OVÁRIO As hormonas são substâncias produzidas por diferentes células do organismo que exercem funções específicas em outras células (células brancas). Algumas hormonas atuam na mesma célula que a secreta (atividade autocrina), outras nas células vizinhas (atividade parácrina) e outras são transportadas pelo sangue e exercem a sua função em células de outros órgãos (atividade endócrina). Existem outros tipos de hormônios que comunicam a diferentes indivíduos e são conhecidos como feromônios. Os feromônios regulam diferentes funções, entre as quais se destacam as reprodutivas. O hipotálamo encontra-se na base do cérebro, é formado por núcleos pares de neurônios e comunica-se com a hipófise através de um sistema circulatório especializado conhecido como sistema porta-hipotálamo-hipofisário. Os neurônios da área ventromedial e da área pré-óptica do hipotálamo secretam a hormona libertadora das gonadotropinas (GnRH), que por sua vez chega à hipófise através do sistema porta-hipotálamo-hipofisário e estimula a secreção da hormona luteinizante (LH) e da hormona folículo estimulante (FSH). A LH mantém um padrão de secreção paralelo à secreção da GnRH; ou seja, uma parcela de GnRH corresponde a uma parcela de LH, ao contrário da FSH que tem uma produção basal elevada inibida pelo estradiol e inibina, por este motivo, a sua secreção não apresenta um padrão pulsante semelhante à LH. A GnRH tem duas formas de secreção: a primeira é pulsante ou tônica, regulada por estímulos externos (fotoperíodo, bioestimulação, amamentação) e por estímulos internos (metabolitos, hormonas metabólicas, hormonas sexuais); a segunda forma é pré-ovulatória ou cíclica e é estimulada pelos estrogênios durante o estro e inibida pela progesterona. A secreção de alguns hormônios, bem como diversos processos fisiológicos, são sincronizados com a duração do dia e da noite (ritmos endógenos). A luz é percebida pelos fotorreceptores da retina e o sinal luminoso chega à glândula pineal através de conexões neuronais (trato retino-hipotalâmico). Na glândula pineal, o estímulo produzido pela luz inibe a síntese da melatonina. Desta forma, a duração do dia e da noite (fotoperíodo) é registada pelas variações nas concentrações da melatonina. Na vaca, sabe-se que o fotoperíodo influencia alguns processos reprodutivos, embora não seja, em sentido estrito, uma espécie com um padrão reprodutivo sazonal. Os feromônios sexuais são excretados através da urina, fezes e fluidos corporais; eles são percebidos pelo epitélio olfatório e órgão vomeronasal. Posteriormente, algumas vias nervosas, estimulam no hipotálamo a frequência dos pulsos de secreção da GnRH. A exposição a feromonas femininas provoca no macho um aumento na frequência de secreção do LH e isto por sua vez aumenta as concentrações de testosterona. Os feromônios masculinos induzem na fêmea um aumento da frequência de secreção do LH, estimulando o crescimento folicular e a secreção de estradiol. A estimulação sexual provocada pelo macho ou pela fêmea é denominada bioestimulação. As alterações na condição corporal estão positivamente correlacionadas com as concentrações séricas de insulina, fator de crescimento semelhante à insulina tipo I (IGF- I) e leptina. Assim, quanto maior a classificação da condição corporal, maior é a concentração sérica destas hormonas, que atuam como sinais que chegam ao hipotálamo e modificam a frequência de secreção da GnRH. Por exemplo, a transição do anestro para a ciclicidade coincide com um aumento da condição corporal e das concentrações de insulina, IGF- I e leptina (figura 1). Figura 1. A transição do anestro para a ciclicidade coincide com um aumento da condição corporal e das concentrações de insulina, IGF- I e leptina. Estas hormonas atuam como sinais que chegam ao hipotálamo e aumentam a frequência de secreção da GnRH. Fonte: GALINA, et al. 2008. Os estrogênios podem ter um feedback positivo ou negativo sobre a secreção da GnRH, o que depende da fase do ciclo reprodutivo. Em animais pré-púberes e em anestro pós-parto, os estrogênios inibem a secreção de GnRH, mas durante o período de proestro e estro há uma estimulação para a secreção de GnRH. A progesterona reduz a secreção da GnRH, bem como a resposta da hipófise à GnRH, inibindo assim a maturação folicular e a ovulação. Por esta razão, a progesterona foi utilizada com sucesso como contraceptivo em humanos e para o controle artificial da reprodução em animais domésticos (figura 2). Figura 2. Retroalimentação entre o hipotálamo, hipófise e o ovário. A GnRH estimula na hipófise a síntese e secreção de LH e FSH. Na fase pré-púbere e no anestro pós-parto, os estrogênios inibem a secreção de GnRH, enquanto no proestro e estro, estimulam-na. A progesterona inibe a secreção da GnRH e diminui a resposta da hipófise à GnRH. Os estrogênios e a inibina suprimem a secreção de FSH diretamente na hipófise. Fonte: GALINA, et al. 2008. Os neurônios secretores da GnRH não têm receptores para estrogênios nem progesterona, pelo que estas hormonas não têm forma de regular diretamente a secreção da GnRH. Existe um grupo de neurônios hipotalâmicos que exprimem o gene Kiss-1 que codifica o peptídeo kisspeptina. Os neurônios secretores da GnRH têm receptores para este peptídeo, de modo que a kisspeptina fornece a informação aos neurônios secretores da GnRH em relação às concentrações de hormônios sexuais. A kisspeptina é um potente estimulador (secretagogo) da secreção da GnRH e é muito provável que nos próximos anos venha a fazer parte dos recursos hormonais para o controle artificial da reprodução, não só nos bovinos, mas em todas as espécies domésticas. 3. DESENVOLVIMENTO FOLICULAR O ovário é responsável pela produção de ovócitos e pela síntese de hormônios sexuais, estrogênios e progesterona, que promovem e regulam a fertilização do ovócito e a manutenção da gestação. O ovócito encontra-se no interior do folículo ovárico rodeado por células granulosas que participam de forma ativa no seu crescimento e maturação. As experiências in vitro demonstram a dependência dos ovócitos das células da granulosa, assim, quando os ovócitos são induzidos a amadurecer devem estar rodeados por várias camadas de células da granulosa para que este processo seja bem sucedido, caso contrário, não adquirem o potencial para desenvolver um embrião. Embora as células da teca interna não estejam em contato direto com o ovócito, seu papel na maturação deste o exercem mediante a produção de andrógenos, mesmos que são convertidos em estrogênios pelas células da granulosa. Além disso, as células da teca favorecem o estabelecimento da rede capilar que apoia o desenvolvimento folicular. Por outro lado, os novos conhecimentos indicam que o ovócito não é um elemento passivo no desenvolvimento folicular, mas regula a função das células foliculares; o que significa que ele próprio participa na criação de um microambiente ideal para a sua maturação. Além disso, é possível que o ovócito tenha um papel na ativação do desenvolvimento dos folículos primordiais. A fêmea bovina nasce com aproximadamente 200 mil folículos, dos quais muito poucos se ativam e iniciam seu crescimento, e a maior parte deles sofre atresia em diferentes etapas de desenvolvimento. Ao nascimento, os folículos estão na fase mais elementar e são conhecidos como folículos primordiais. Posteriormente estes folículos se ativam e se transformam em folículos primários e secundários; até este momento os folículos não têm antro (etapa pré-antral) e seu desenvolvimento é independente das gonadotropinas. Quando os folículos formam o antro são conhecidos como folículos terciários e seu desenvolvimento é dependente das gonadotropinas (etapa antral). O crescimento folicular no estágio antral ocorre em forma de ondas e cada onda começa com um aumento nos níveis de FSH, o qual promove o crescimento de um grupo de cinco a seis folículos (~4 mm de diâmetro); este processo é conhecido como recrutamento. Subsequentemente, um único folículo continua a crescer (folículo dominante), o que provoca um aumento das concentrações de estrogênios e inibina, uma diminuição das concentrações de FSH e atresia dos folículos subordinados, pois eles dependem totalmente desta hormona, enquanto o folículo dominante continua o seu desenvolvimento estimulado pela LH. O folículo dominante perdura de quatro a seis dias e se não chega a ovular, sofre atresia. Após a atresia do folículo dominante, diminuem-se os níveis de estrogênio e inibina, observa-se um aumento das concentrações de FSH e inicia-se uma nova onda folicular. O folículo dominante que está presente quando o corpo lúteo sofre regressão, continua seu desenvolvimento e ovula, em resposta ao pico pré-ovulatório de LH. Além de promover a liberação do ovócito, a secreção pré-ovulatória de LH regula a formação do corpo lúteo a partir das células foliculares, processo conhecido como luteinização. Durante o ciclo estral são apresentadas de duas a três ondas foliculares. As vacas com três ondas foliculares têm uma fase lútea mais longa e, consequentemente, um ciclo estral mais longo, de 22 a 23 dias; enquanto as vacas com duas ondas apresentam um ciclo estral de 18 a 21 dias. Nas vacas leiteiras, cerca de 70% apresentam duas ondas foliculares, enquanto 30% exibem três ondas (figura 3 e 4). Nas vacas com duas ondas foliculares, o período de dominação folicular é maior do que nas de três ondas. O tempo de dominação influencia o potencial dos ovócitos para desenvolver um embrião viável; assim, a porcentagem de concepção é menor quando ovulam folículos que tiveram mais dias de dominação dos que quando ovulam folículos com menor tempo de dominação (figura 5). Figura 5. O crescimento folicular no estágio antral ocorre na forma de ondas. Cada onda começa com um aumento nas concentrações de FSH, o que promove o recrutamento de cinco a seis folículos (~4 mm de diâmetro). Posteriormente um único folículo continua crescendo (folículo dominante), enquanto seus companheiros (subordinados) sofrem atresia. O folículo dominante perdura de quatro a seis dias e se não chega a ovular, sofre atresia. Após a atresia do folículo dominante observa-se um aumento das concentrações de FSH, iniciando-se uma nova onda folicular. 3.1 Ovulação múltipla Nos últimos anos tem-se observado um aumento na proporção de vacas com ovulação múltipla (20% x 1% em novilhas), o que tem provocado um aumento da proporção de partos gêmeos (8% x 1% em novilhas). A frequência de vacas com ovulação múltipla está associada com a alta produção de leite; de modo que, as vacas que produzem menos de 40 kg mostram 6% de ovulações múltiplas e aquelas que produzem mais de 50 kg alcançam até 50%. A causa deste fenômeno ainda é obscura, contudo, observaram-se diferenças nas concentrações de FSH, de tal forma que as vacas que desenvolvem de dois a três folículos dominantes numa onda folicular, apresentam níveis de FSH mais elevados que as vacas que têm apenas um folículo dominante. Em vacas em lactação, a concentração de progesterona é baixa devido ao aumento do metabolismo hepático, o que aumenta a sua taxa de eliminação. Foi observado que as vacas que tiveram uma fase lútea com níveis de progesterona mais elevados, no ciclo anterior à inseminação, apresentam menos ovulações múltiplas em comparação com as vacas que tiveram níveis de progesterona mais baixos. Propõe-se que as baixas concentrações de progesterona permitam um aumento da frequência de secreção da GnRH e, consequentemente, da LH e da FSH, favorecendo a predominância múltipla e, eventualmente, a ovulação de mais de um folículo. Nos rebanhos leiteiros, as gestações gêmeas não são desejáveis porque aumenta o risco de perda da gestação e, se esta chegar ao término, haverá o risco de perda da gestação e, se esta for concluída, o risco de distorcia é consideravelmente mais elevado (figuras 6, 7, 8 e 9). Figura 6. As baixas concentrações de progesterona sérica nas vacas em lactação permitem um aumento da frequência de secreção da GnRH, bem como o aumento da LH e da FSH. Isto favorece a dominação múltipla e eventualmente a ovulação de mais de um folículo. Esta figura mostra a dominância de dois folículos em cada onda folicular (codominância). Figura 7. Ovários de uma vaca leiteira em diestro com três folículos dominantes. Figura 8. Ovários de uma vaca leiteira com três corpos lúteos. Figura 9. Ovários de uma vaca leiteira com dois corpos hemorrágicos. Fonte: Acervo pessoal do autor. IFPE, 2017-18. 4. DESENVOLVIMENTO E CONTROLE DA FUNÇÃO DO CORPO LÚTEO Quando o folículo dominante completa sua maturação, ele produz níveis de estrogênio suficientes para provocar a liberação máxima da GnRH, o que desencadeia o pico pré-ovulatório da LH. Esta secreção de LH provoca a ovulação e inicia as mudanças para que o folículo se transforme em um corpo lúteo, processo conhecido como luteinização. A luteinização compreende todas as mudanças morfológicas, endócrinas e enzimáticas que ocorrem no folículo ovulatório até que este se transforme num corpo lúteo. O processo de luteinização começa a partir da elevação pré-ovulatória de LH; mesmo antes da ovulação. A luteinização do folículo dominante (≥8 mm de diâmetro) pode ser induzida hormonalmente pela injeção de GnRH ou gonadotropina coriónica humana (hCG). A ovulação ocorre em média 30 horas após o pico pré-ovulatório de LH. A secreção pré-ovulatória de LH desencadeia a liberação de enzimas proteolíticas e de mediadores da inflamação na parede folicular, as quais degradam o tecido conjuntivo e ocasionam morte celular. Posteriormente, a PGF2α induz contrações da teca externa, levando à ruptura folicular e à expulsão do ovócito. Após a ovulação, as células da teca interna e da granulosa migram e distribuem-se nas paredes do folículo. As células da teca interna se diferenciam e se multiplicam em células lúteas pequenas, enquanto que as células da granulosa se hipertrofiam e dão origem às células lúteas grandes. Estas alterações são facilitadas pela ruptura da membrana basal que separa a camada celular da granulosa da teca interna. Em forma paralela começa a formação de uma ampla rede de capilares que se distribuem em todo o corpo lúteo em formação, e chegam a constituir até 20% do volume desta estrutura (figuras 10 e 11). A progesterona é o principal produto de secreção do corpo lúteo. No quinto dia do ciclo estral, as concentrações séricas desta hormona são superiores a 1 ng/ ml, indicando que o corpo lúteo adquiriu a sua plena funcionalidade. A progesterona atua basicamente sobre os órgãos genitais da fêmea, sendo responsável pela preparação do útero para o estabelecimento e manutenção da gestação. Na mucosa do oviduto e do útero, estimula a secreção de substâncias que promovem o desenvolvimento do embrião, até que este comece a nutrir-se através da placenta. A progesterona suprime a resposta imunitária do útero, o que é necessário para tolerar o embrião, já que este é um tecido estranho para a vaca. Além disso, a progesterona evita as contrações do útero, fecha o colo do útero e modifica as características do muco cervical, tornando-o mais viscoso, impedindo a passagem de agentes estranhos para o interior do útero. Na glândula mamária estimula o desenvolvimento do sistema alveolar, preparando-a para a síntese e a secreção de leite. 5. REGRESSÃO DO CORPO LÚTEO A regressão lútea é um processo ativo ocasionado pela secreção uterina da PGF2α. O mecanismo pelo qual se inicia a síntese e secreção da PGF2α depende de uma interação entre o corpo lúteo, os folículos e o útero. Os estrogênios produzidos no folículo dominante desempenham um papel importante no início da secreção de PGF2α, uma vez que promovem a síntese de receptores para oxitocina. Além disso, os estrogénios estimulam no endométrio a produção da fosfolipase A e da ciclooxigenase; enzimas indispensáveis para a síntese da PGF2α. Durante o ciclo estral, a progesterona inibe a síntese da PGF2α através da supressão da formação de receptores para o estradiol. Após um período de 12 a 14 dias de exposição à progesterona, as células endometriais tornam-se insensíveis à progesterona. Quando isso ocorre, as células endometriais sintetizam receptores para estradiol, permitindo que o estradiol produzido no folículo dominante estimule a síntese de receptores para oxitocina. Neste momento, o endométrio está pronto para sintetizar e secretar PGF2α, em resposta ao estímulo da oxitocina. A primeira secreção de oxitocina é de origem hipotalâmica, o que desencadeia o primeiro pulso de PGF2α. Os seguintes episódios de PGF2α são induzidos pela oxitocina produzida no corpo lúteo. A PGF2α é secretada em episódios (pulsos) com intervalos de seis a oito horas, sendo necessários cinco a seis episódios para a luteólise ocorrer. Se a PGF2α não seguir este padrão de secreção, a regressão do corpo lúteo falhará. Além da PGF2α de origem uterina, o corpo lúteo também produz PGF2α, que aumenta o efeito luteolítico. A falta de sensibilidade à PGF2α observada nos corpos lúteos imaturos (primeiros cinco dias após a ovulação) deve-se ao fato de, neste período, o corpo lúteo ainda não produzir PGF2α (figura 12, 13 e 14). 6. ETAPAS DO CICLO ESTRAL O ciclo estral é dividido em quatro etapas bem definidas. 6.1 Estro Neste estágio a fêmea aceita a cópula ou a monta de outra vaca. O estro é provocado pelo aumento significativo das concentrações de estradiol produzido pelo folículo pré-ovulatório e pela ausência de um corpo lúteo. A duração desta etapa é de 8 a 18 horas. 6.2 Metaestro O metaestro é a etapa posterior ao estro, tem uma duração de quatro a cinco dias. Durante esta etapa ocorre a ovulação e se desenvolve o corpo de lúteo. Após a ovulação, observa-se uma depressão no lugar ocupado pelo folículo ovulatório (depressão ovulatória) e, posteriormente, se desenvolve o corpo hemorrágico (corpo lúteo em processo de formação). Durante o metaestro, as concentrações de progesterona começam a aumentar até atingirem níveis superiores a 1 ng/ml, momento a partir da qual considera-se que o corpo lúteo atingiu a maturidade. O momento em que as concentrações de progesterona são superiores a 1 ng/ml toma-se como critério fisiológico a determinação do fim do metaestro e o início do diestro. Um evento hormonal que se destaca neste período consiste na apresentação do pico pós-ovulatório de FSH, o qual desencadeia a primeira onda de desenvolvimento folicular. Algumas vacas apresentam sangramento conhecido como sangramento metaestral (figura 15). 6.3 Diestro O diestro é o estágio de maior duração do ciclo estral, de 12 a 14 dias. Durante este estágio o corpo lúteo mantém sua plena funcionalidade, o que se reflete em concentrações sanguíneas de progesterona, maiores que 1 ng/ml. Além disso, nesta fase, pode-se encontrar folículos de tamanho diferente devido às ondas foliculares. Após 12-14 dias de exposição à progesterona, o endométrio começa a secretar PGF2α em um padrão pulsátil, ao qual termina com a vida do corpo lúteo e com o diestro. Em termos endócrinos, quando o corpo lúteo perde a sua funcionalidade, ou seja, quando as concentrações de progesterona diminuem abaixo de 1 ng/ml, finaliza-se o diestro e começa o proestro. Convém mencionar que durante esta fase, a LH é secretada com uma frequência muito baixa e a FSH tem incrementos responsáveis pelas ondas foliculares. 6.4 Proestro O proestro caracteriza-se pela ausência de um corpo lúteo funcional e pelo desenvolvimento e maturação do folículo ovulatório. O proestro na vaca dura de dois a três dias. Um evento hormonal característico desta etapa é o aumento da frequência dos pulsos de secreção de LH que levam à maturação final do folículo ovulatório e ao aumento do estradiol sérico, que desencadeia o estro. Para além da classificação do ciclo estral acima descrita, existe outra que divide o ciclo em duas fases: progestacional (lútea) e estrogênica (folicular). A fase progestacional inclui o metaestro e o diestro, e a fase estrogênica ao proestro e estro (figura 16). Figura 16. Etapas do ciclo estral. Adaptado e elaborado a partir de FERREIRA, 2010. 7. CONCLUSÕES PRÉVIAS  O ciclo estral dura de 19 a 23 dias.  A vaca é receptiva durante 8 a 18 horas (estro).  Ao nascimento uma bezerra tem cerca de 200 mil folículos primordiais.  Durante o ciclo estral se apresentam de duas a três ondas foliculares.  De cinco a seis folículos são recrutados em cada onda folicular.  Cerca de 70% das vacas têm duas ondas foliculares e 30% apresentam três ondas.  Entre 10 e 20% das vacas têm ovulações múltiplas (dois a três folículos) e 8% têm partos gêmeos.  A ovulação ocorre 30 horas após o pico pré-ovulatório de LH.  A secreção pré-ovulatória de LH é de 15 a 30 ng/ml.  12 a 14 dias são necessários para que o endométrio se torne insensível à progesterona e comece a secretar PGF2α. - São necessários cinco a seis pulsos de PGF2α com um intervalo de oito horas para ocasionar a luteólise.  O corpo lúteo não é sensível à PGF2α nos primeiros cinco dias do ciclo estral. Emanuel Isaque Cordeiro da Silva – Departamento de Zootecnia da UFRPE Recife, 2020. REFERÊNCIAS BIBLIOGRÁFICAS ALVES, Nadja Gomes; PEREIRA, Marcos Neves; COELHO, Rodrigo Michelini. Nutrição e reprodução em vacas leiteiras. Revista Brasileira de Reprodução Animal, p. l1248-l1248, 2009. ARBOLEDA, José Leonardo Ruiz; URIBE-VELÁSQUEZ, Luis Fernando; OSORIO, José Henry. Factor de crecimiento semejante a insulina tipo 1 (IGF-1) en la reproducción de la hembra bovina. Vet. zootec, v. 5, n. 2, p. 68-81, 2011. BARUSELLI, Pietro Sampaio; GIMENES, Lindsay Unno; SALES, José Nélio de Sousa. Fisiologia reprodutiva de fêmeas taurinas e zebuínas. Revista Brasileira de Reprodução Animal, v. 31, n. 2, p. 205-211, 2007. COLE, H. H.; CUPPS, P. T. Reproduction in domestic animals. 1ª ed. Londres: Academic Press, 1977. DA SILVA, Emanuel Isaque Cordeiro. Características Gerais dos Bovinos/General Characteristics of Cattle Bovine. Disponível em: ———. Acesso em: Fevereiro de 2020. DA SILVA, Emanuel Isaque Cordeiro. Definição de Conceitos Básicos na Reprodução Animal: Fertilidade, Fecundidade e Prolificidade-Suínos. Philarchive. Disponível em: ———. Acesso em: Fevereiro de 2020. DA SILVA, Emanuel Isaque Cordeiro. REPRODUÇÃO ANIMAL: OVULAÇÃO, CONTROLE E SINCRONIZAÇÃO DO CIO. Disponível em: ———. Acesso em: Fevereiro de 2020. DO VALLE, Ezequlel Rodrigues. O ciclo estral de bovinos e métodos de controle. Campo Grande: EMBRAPA-CNPGC, 1991. FERREIRA, A. M. Reprodução da fêmea bovina: fisiologia aplicada e problemas mais comuns. Juiz de Fora: Editar, 2010. GALINA HIDALGO, Carlos et al. Reproducción de animales domésticos. México: Limusa, 1988. HAFEZ, E. S. E.; HAFEZ, B. Reprodução animal. São Paulo: Manole, 2004. McDONALD, L.E. Veterinary endocrinology and reproduction. 3.ed. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger, 1980. MELLO, R. R. C. et al. Desenvolvimento folicular inicial em bovinos. Revista Brasileira de Reprodução Animal, v. 37, n. 4, p. 328-333, 2013. MELLO, Raquel Rodrigues Costa et al. Aspectos da dinâmica folicular em bovinos. Agropecuária Científica no Semiárido, v. 10, n. 4, p. 01-06, 2015. NEBEL, Ray; DEJARNETTE, M. Anatomía y fisiología de la reproducción bovina. SELECT SIRES INC, v. 6, 2011. PALMA, Gustavo A. Biotecnología de la reproducción. Balcarce: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, 2008. PEREIRA, Elias de Oliveira. Fisiologia da reprodução em vacas leiteiras: REVISÃO DE LITERATURA. TCC Medicina Veterinária. Ituverava: FAFRAM, 2019. PETERS, A. R.; BALL, P. J. H. Reprodução em bovinos. São Paulo: Editora Roca, 2006. PRIETO-GÓMEZ, Bertha; VELÁZQUEZ-PANIAGUA, Mireya. Fisiología de la reproducción: hormona liberadora de gonadotrofinas. Rev Fac Med UNAM, v. 45, n. 6, p. 252-57, 2002. SALISBURY, Glenn Wade; LODGE, J. R.; VANDEMARK, N. L. Fisiología de la reproducción e inseminación artificial de los bóvidos. Zaragoza: Acribia, 1978. VIVEIROS, Ana Tereza de Mendonça. Fisiologia da reprodução de bovinos. Lavras: UFLA, 1997. (shrink)

The aim in this chapter is to explore the similarities and differences between the city symphony film genre of the 1920s and 1930s and the contemporary virtual city walking tours that are popular on YouTube these days, eventually discussing the change in representation of the individual in daily life over a century. The city symphony was born with modernism in the early 20th century initially to present an interpretation of the city with daily activities, human beings, their interaction with industrial (...) technology and the urban environment. A significant and pioneering film of the genre is by Walter Ruttmann titled Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis (1927) which I will try to analyze its filmic elements in order to draft a summary of the style and vision of the director and his contemporaries. On the other hand, the virtual city walking tours on YouTube represent a very different representation of urban exploration. These videos show various cities through the act of simple walking recorded in a long one-take POV shot with a gimbal-camera. Despite minor differences in terms of commentary and music use, these videos are quite similar to each other when compared to city symphony films in general. The methodological approach for analyzing and interpreting these films and videos is guided by the neoformalist approach proposed by Bordwell and Thompson in the 1980s, along with Noël Carroll’s view on critical evaluation. Since this post-theoretical approach is non-formulaic in terms of its methodology, it fits the two examples I will provide that are stylistically very distant. After establishing the form and style of the works, I will try to follow Carroll’s suggestions in order to critically interpret, analyze and evaluate the works. The comparison between the city symphony film and virtual city walking tour reveals a complex interplay between continuity and change in regards to the individual. While both share a rather common goal of capturing the essence of urban life their differences are to be found in their stylistic choices and their interpretations of the goal itself. The city films of the 1920s and 30s were avant-garde expressions that combined artistic innovation with socio-political commentary. They were often experimental, using montage sequences, juxtaposition and abstract imagery to convey the ever changing industrialized modern city life. Ruttmann’s Berlin is emblematic of this approach, offering a poetic and critical reflection on urban existence. In contrast, the virtual city walking tours on YouTube are more accessible and immediate. They provide a first-person perspective that allows viewers to virtually traverse different cities, experiencing sights and sounds without the mediation of artistic abstraction. The similarity in these videos suggests a standardized format that prioritizes immersion over critique. This article offers a valuable contribution to the understanding of urban representation of the individual in film and digital media. By comparing the city symphony film with virtual city walking tours, I try to illuminate the evolving relationship between art, technology and urban life. I argue that not only is there a completely different representation of the individual within the frame, but there is also ethical considerations to be put forth regarding the one that makes the frame, or the camera. In the end I argue that the human-ness of a work of art or any type of video is more important than immersiveness. (shrink)

Colour information not only helps sustain the survival of animal species by guiding sexual selection and foraging behaviour but also is an important factor in the cultural and technological development of our own species. This is illustrated by examples from the visual arts and from state-of-the-art imaging technology, where the strategic use of colour has become a powerful tool for guiding the planning and execution of interventional procedures. The functional role of colour information in terms of its potential benefits to (...) behavioural success across the species is addressed in the introduction here to clarify why colour perception may have evolved to generate behavioural success. It is argued that evolutionary and environmental pressures influence not only colour trait production in the different species but also their ability to process and exploit colour information for goal-specific purposes. We then leap straight to the human primate with insight from current research on the facilitating role of colour cues on performance training with precision technology for image-guided surgical planning and intervention. It is shown that local colour cues in two-dimensional images generated by a surgical fisheye camera help individuals become more precise rapidly across a limited number of trial sets in simulator training for specific manual gestures with a tool. This facilitating effect of a local colour cue on performance evolution in a video-controlled simulator (pick-and-place) task can be explained in terms of colour-based figure-ground segregation facilitating attention to local image parts when more than two layers of subjective surface depth are present, as in all natural and surgical images. (shrink)

Há muito tempo, o filme noir americano tem sido objeto de estudos críticos, que buscam decifrar a sua estética enigmática e a mensagem desafiadora. Trilhando sobre o lado mais negativo da vida humana, a questão central que ele propõe é: o que o noir representa, como forma singular de arte cinematográfica? Ora, compreender o filme noir passa pela necessidade de vê-lo no âmbito da matriz histórica de produção que lhe serviu de berço. Essa matriz é o chamado cinema clássico hollywoodiano, (...) à luz do qual iniciaremos a nossa investigação do significado desse ciclo de filmes, com base em um sumário desenvolvido pelo professor David Bordwell, autoridade em narrativa clássica. Para tanto, nós buscaremos subsídios conceituais em uma corrente de pensamento igualmente ampla, a fenomenologia hermenêutica, que, acreditamos, poderá nos proporcionar alguma elucidação semântica, tendo em vista o notório esforço dos filósofos dessa tradição para clarificar o propósito da obra de arte, no ser da existência. Assim, ao estabelecer como termos comparativos o cinema clássico e a inquirição hermenêutica, conseguiremos padrões de referência sólidos para a nossa atividade exegética, que tanto se aplica ao conjunto dos filmes noir - especialmente aos da fase clássica, dos anos 1940 e 50 - quanto a um longa-metragem individual. Nessa empreitada, porém, não partiremos do zero, como se o cinema houvesse começado ontem. Antes, nos servirá de fio condutor certa teoria explicativa da técnica cinematográfica, em cujos esteios figuram nomes como André Bazin, Ismail Xavier e Marcia Ortegosa, além de Bill Nichols, o principal expoente dos estudos sobre documentários. Tal explanação de teor linguístico e semiótico, com ênfase nos aspectos lógicos-metadiscursivos do filme noir, será discriminada logo no início do trabalho, para que possamos firmar parâmetros de julgamento crítico, tendo em vista a reflexão semântica e fenomenológica que se seguirá. O objetivo dessa reflexão é entender o assim chamado dark cinema no seio do nosso próprio modo de ser no mundo. Dessa forma, se conseguirmos trazer um pouco de luz às trilhas obscuras do mundo noir, este autor se dará por recompensado. (shrink)

This essay aims to appreciate the evolution of the problems regarding the ontological understanding of the photographic image and its derivative, the film, in the face of the sophistication of the apparatus of its production. The creative freedom in making images through optical machines is inversely proportional to their credibility as documents. Since its appearance in the human landscape, as a cultural object, the technology of recording images with lights has brought with it a complex of aporias about what would (...) the nature of the image produced by cameras be: a document or an artistic object, intentionally produced and with created meaning? Consequently: are they denotative or, necessarily, connotative? The development of automatic image capture in the 1980s represented the first update of the question. To what extent, and for how long, will it be possible to trust photography and film as documents through which man aims to access reality? The question now seems to be settled, definitively, in the face of the invention of artificial photography made by algorithms. (shrink)

According to proponents of the sensorimotor contingency theory of perception (Hurley & Noë 2003, Noë 2004, O’Regan 2011), active control of camera movement is necessary for the emergence of distal attribution in tactile-visual sensory substitution (TVSS) because it enables the subject to acquire knowledge of the way stimulation in the substituting modality varies as a function of self-initiated, bodily action. This chapter, by contrast, approaches distal attribution as a solution to a causal inference problem faced by the subject’s perceptual (...) systems. Given all of the available endogenous and exogenous evidence available to those systems, what is the most probable source of stimulation in the substituting modality? From this perspective, active control over the camera’s movements matters for rather different reasons. Most importantly, it generates proprioceptive and efference-copy based information about the camera’s body-relative position necessary to make use of the spatial cues present in the stimulation that the subject receives for purposes of egocentric object localization. (shrink)

In this article we introduce the concept of implied optical perspective in deep learning computer vision systems. Taking the BBC's experimental television programme “Made by Machine: When AI met the Archive” as a case study, we trace a conceptual and material link between the system used to automatically “watch” the television archive and a specific type of photographic practice. From a computational aesthetics perspective, we show how deep learning machine vision relies on photography, its technical regimes and epistemic advantages, and (...) we propose a novel way to identify the latent camera through which the BBC archive was seen by machine. (shrink)

Conway Morris argues against Stephen Jay Gould's argument that the history of life is radically contingent by describing the abundance of convergences, wherein different lineages starting in different states, arrive at the same adaptations. A standard example is the evolution of the camera eye. This review assesses the validity of Conway Morris' argument.

Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) aim to compensate for the loss of a sensory modality, typically vision, by converting information from the lost modality into stimuli in a remaining modality. “The vOICe” is a visual-to-auditory SSD which encodes images taken by a camera worn by the user into “soundscapes” such that experienced users can extract information about their surroundings. Here we investigated how much detail was resolvable during the early induction stages by testing the acuity of blindfolded sighted, naïve vOICe (...) users. Initial performance was well above chance. Participants who took the test twice as a form of minimal training showed a marked improvement on the second test. Acuity was slightly but not significantly impaired when participants wore a camera and judged letter orientations “live”. A positive correlation was found between participants' musical training and their acuity. The relationship between auditory expertise via musical training and the lack of a relationship with visual imagery, suggests that early use of a SSD draws primarily on the mechanisms of the sensory modality being used rather than the one being substituted. If vision is lost, audition represents the sensory channel of highest bandwidth of those remaining. The level of acuity found here, and the fact it was achieved with very little experience in sensory substitution by naïve users is promising. (shrink)

This paper takes up the question of how videographic public announcements (VPAs)---i.e. videos that a wide swath of the public sees and knows that everyone else can see too--- have functioned to mobilize people politically, and how the presence of deepfakes in our information environment stands to change the dynamics of this mobilization. Existing work by Regina Rini, Don Fallis and others has focused on the ways that deepfakes might interrupt our acquisition of first-order knowledge through videos. But I point (...) out that even where every audience member takes a video to be veridical, where first-order knowledge acquisition is secure, an audience aware of deepfakes in their environment will not acquire higher order knowledge in the way that has erstwhile been characteristic for audiences of VPAs. Engaging with ideas from the literatures on public announcement logic, common knowledge, and convention, I enumerate a variety of ways in which we should expect this absence of higher order knowledge to throw up barriers to political mobilization. I go on to apply my analysis of VPAs to the mechanisms by which an uptick in publicly available videos of police brutality over the last decade, mediated by camera phones and social media, was responsible for the largest mass protests in US history in summer 2020. This makes vivid the stakes of the transformation in our mobilizing environment that I've claimed deepfakes effect: where we lose the common-knowledge-generating effects of VPAs, there are fresh obstacles to this sort of mass mobilization. (shrink)

There is a history of thinking that photographs provide a special kind of access to the objects depicted in them, beyond the access that would be provided by a painting or drawing. What is included in the photograph does not depend on the photographer’s beliefs about what is in front of the camera. This feature leads Kendall Walton to argue that photographs literally allow us to see the objects which appear in them. Current generative algorithms produce images in response (...) to users’ text prompts. Depending on the parameters, the output can resemble specific people or things which are named in the prompt. This resemblance does not depend on the user’s beliefs, so generated images are in this sense like photographs. Given this parallel, how should we think about AI-generated images? (shrink)

Cinema acts as a significant mediator between urban reality and the imaginary sensory experience of the fictive world. Viewing the city through the lens of a camera enables us to build new narratives. Films have captured port cities within the flows of, goods, people, and ideas, making them ever-present in shared memories, historical narratives, and urban nostalgia. Cultural production plays a role in the on-going construction of local port cultures, whether films, festivals, music, literature, theater, advertisements, or events. Telling (...) the story of the port city – it's past, present, and future; its buildings and its people – contributes strongly to the creation of port city cultures.[i] The big screen can help viewers to perceive complex port city regions, learning from their history, understanding cultural values and developing shared urban narratives to tackle the upcoming challenges. In a broader sense, port city’s ‘Cine-scape’—to use a term coined by Richard Koeck,[ii] puts the cinematic approach to port cities into the spotlight. (shrink)

The essay aims at demonstrating that it is dangerous to try to reconstruct a philosophical doctrine taking into account solely or predominantly the analysis of vocabulary. This is particularly true of the philosophical doctrines of the ancients, who generally did not feel obliged to adopt a coherent and unambiguous technical terminology. Starting from the essay of F. Camera, Sui molteplici significati di hermeneia in Platone, which was published in 2004 and then re-edited in 2011 with few modifications but with (...) a different title, the author shows that the method of facing Plato’s hermeneutics through the ἑρμηνεύειν-words is a source of distortions and over-interpretations; that is, it causes excessive density and conceptual significance to be attributed to words used instead in their current meaning. One must remember, even if it should be well known to anyone who devotes himself to these themes, that not all words, expressions and concepts become philosophical entities only because they appear in the works of an author tagged “philosophy.”. (shrink)

En la teoría epistémica de Tomás de Aquino la lumen rationis desempeña la función de causa última del inventario completo del conocimiento humano natural. La tesis de acuerdo a la cual esa luz es puesta en nosotros por Dios justifica, de acuerdo al autor, la aserción de que la divinidad es el único y auténtico maestro interior del hombre. Ahora bien, en la visión beatífica la lumen naturale es perfeccionada por una luz sobrenatural, y la unión cognitiva con lo conocido (...) tiene lugar por la presencia real de Dios mismo en el entendimiento humano, única instancia en la que resulta conocido tal como es. Restringidos, en cambio, al modus intelligendi natural, la presencia cognitiva de la realidad divina solo puede ser representacional y, por lo tanto, según el autor, limitada, lo que repugna esencialmente a la divinidad. La esencia divina, en este caso, solo puede ser concebida de manera deficiente: por espejo y en enigma. En este trabajo intentamos explorar las diferencias entre ambos tipos de cogniciones tomando en cuenta los dos modos correlativos en que Dios nos enseñaría acerca de sí: ya de manera perfecta, como en la visión beatífica, ya de manera obscura, es decir, en enigma. (shrink)

Szmimary.—The present report investigated the question of how individual differences in self-consciousness devdop. Rimé and LeBon proposed that high self-consciousness follows a history of frequent exposure to selffocusing stimuli, i.e., mirrors, audiences, audio and video devices, and cameras. To explore this hypothesis private and public self-consciousness and past exposure to self-focusing stimuli were assessed in 438 subjects. Analysis indicated that history of frequent exposure to self-focusing stimuli is significantly but weakly related to high private self-consciousness in men and to high (...) public self-consciousness in women. This supports previous observations suggesting that the routes to the development of selfconsciousness seem to differ for the two sexes. (shrink)

Driver drowsiness is a significant factor contributing to road accidents, resulting in severe injuries and fatalities. This study presents an optimized approach for detecting driver drowsiness using machine learning techniques. The proposed system utilizes real-time data to analyze driver behavior and physiological signals to identify signs of fatigue. Various machine learning algorithms, including Support Vector Machines (SVM), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), and Random Forest, are explored for their efficacy in detecting drowsiness. The system incorporates an optimization technique—such as Genetic Algorithms (...) (GA) or Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)—to enhance the accuracy and response time of the detection process. The integration of optimization methods ensures that the model adapts to various driving conditions and individual differences, providing a more reliable and robust detection mechanism. Data from multiple sources, including camera feeds and wearable sensors, are used to train and validate the models, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of drowsiness indicators. (shrink)

It is a matter of fact that Europe is facing more and more crucial challenges regarding health and social care due to the demographic change and the current economic context. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has stressed this situation even further, thus highlighting the need for taking action. Active and Assisted Living technologies come as a viable approach to help facing these challenges, thanks to the high potential they have in enabling remote care and support. Broadly speaking, AAL can be referred (...) to as the use of innovative and advanced Information and Communication Technologies to create supportive, inclusive and empowering applications and environments that enable older, impaired or frail people to live independently and stay active longer in society. AAL capitalizes on the growing pervasiveness and effectiveness of sensing and computing facilities to supply the persons in need with smart assistance, by responding to their necessities of autonomy, independence, comfort, security and safety. The application scenarios addressed by AAL are complex, due to the inherent heterogeneity of the end-user population, their living arrangements, and their physical conditions or impairment. Despite aiming at diverse goals, AAL systems should share some common characteristics. They are designed to provide support in daily life in an invisible, unobtrusive and user-friendly manner. Moreover, they are conceived to be intelligent, to be able to learn and adapt to the requirements and requests of the assisted people, and to synchronise with their specific needs. Nevertheless, to ensure the uptake of AAL in society, potential users must be willing to use AAL applications and to integrate them in their daily environments and lives. In this respect, video- and audio-based AAL applications have several advantages, in terms of unobtrusiveness and information richness. Indeed, cameras and microphones are far less obtrusive with respect to the hindrance other wearable sensors may cause to one’s activities. In addition, a single camera placed in a room can record most of the activities performed in the room, thus replacing many other non-visual sensors. Currently, video-based applications are effective in recognising and monitoring the activities, the movements, and the overall conditions of the assisted individuals as well as to assess their vital parameters. Similarly, audio sensors have the potential to become one of the most important modalities for interaction with AAL systems, as they can have a large range of sensing, do not require physical presence at a particular location and are physically intangible. Moreover, relevant information about individuals’ activities and health status can derive from processing audio signals. Nevertheless, as the other side of the coin, cameras and microphones are often perceived as the most intrusive technologies from the viewpoint of the privacy of the monitored individuals. This is due to the richness of the information these technologies convey and the intimate setting where they may be deployed. Solutions able to ensure privacy preservation by context and by design, as well as to ensure high legal and ethical standards are in high demand. After the review of the current state of play and the discussion in GoodBrother, we may claim that the first solutions in this direction are starting to appear in the literature. A multidisciplinary debate among experts and stakeholders is paving the way towards AAL ensuring ergonomics, usability, acceptance and privacy preservation. The DIANA, PAAL, and VisuAAL projects are examples of this fresh approach. This report provides the reader with a review of the most recent advances in audio- and video-based monitoring technologies for AAL. It has been drafted as a collective effort of WG3 to supply an introduction to AAL, its evolution over time and its main functional and technological underpinnings. In this respect, the report contributes to the field with the outline of a new generation of ethical-aware AAL technologies and a proposal for a novel comprehensive taxonomy of AAL systems and applications. Moreover, the report allows non-technical readers to gather an overview of the main components of an AAL system and how these function and interact with the end-users. The report illustrates the state of the art of the most successful AAL applications and functions based on audio and video data, namely lifelogging and self-monitoring, remote monitoring of vital signs, emotional state recognition, food intake monitoring, activity and behaviour recognition, activity and personal assistance, gesture recognition, fall detection and prevention, mobility assessment and frailty recognition, and cognitive and motor rehabilitation. For these application scenarios, the report illustrates the state of play in terms of scientific advances, available products and research project. The open challenges are also highlighted. The report ends with an overview of the challenges, the hindrances and the opportunities posed by the uptake in real world settings of AAL technologies. In this respect, the report illustrates the current procedural and technological approaches to cope with acceptability, usability and trust in the AAL technology, by surveying strategies and approaches to co-design, to privacy preservation in video and audio data, to transparency and explainability in data processing, and to data transmission and communication. User acceptance and ethical considerations are also debated. Finally, the potentials coming from the silver economy are overviewed. (shrink)

In an era of digital revolution, artificial intelligence, big data and augmented reality, technology has shifted from being a tool of communication to a primary medium of experience and sociality. Some of the most basic human capacities are increasingly being outsourced to machines and we increasingly experience and interpret the world through digital interfaces, with machines becoming ever more ‘social’ beings. Social interaction and human perception are being reshaped in unprecedented ways. This book explores this technologisation of the social and (...) the attendant penetration of permanent liminality into those aspects of the lifeworld where individuals had previously sought some kind of stability and meaning. Through a historical and anthropological examination of this phenomenon, it problematises the underlying logic of limitless technological expansion and our increasing inability to imagine either ourselves or our world in other than technological terms. Drawing on a variety of concepts from political anthropology, including liminality, the trickster, imitation, schismogenesis, participation, and the void, it interrogates the contemporary technological revolution in a manner that will be of interest to sociologists, social and anthropological theorists and scholars of science and technology studies with interests in the digital transformation of social life. -/- Table of Contents -/- Introduction: The Technologisation of the Social: A 21st-Century Megamachine? Paul O’Connor -/- 1. Communication as Theatricalisation: Self-Presentation in the Digital Age Arpad Szakolczai -/- 2. Parasites of the Social: Digital Disruptions of the Labour Market Tom Boland -/- 3. Possessed by Technology: The Metastasis of Absence Agnes Horvath -/- 4. Technologisation of the Social: Symbiosis, Parasitism, or Predation? Daniel Gati -/- 5. J'accuse Zéro: The Technology of Zero and the Making of a Personal Void Ray Griffin -/- 6. Digital Affordances and the Liminal Stephen Turner -/- 7. The Smart Womb: Digital Technologies and the Maze of Trickster Politics Marius Ion Benta -/- 8. Brave New Industry? The Dark Side of Dematerialisation and Industry 4.0 Thomas S.J. Smith -/- 9. ‘What Have You Caught?’: Nannycams and Hidden Cameras as Normalised Surveillance of the Intimate Janos Mark Szakolczai -/- 10. Coercive Visibility: Discipline in the Digital Public Arena Paul O’Connor -/- Conclusion: Is There a Way Out of the Technologisation of the Social? Marius Ion Benta. (shrink)

Twenty two years since the arrival of the first consumer digital camera (Tatsuno 36) Western culture is now characterised by ubiquitous photography. The disappearance of the camera inside the mobile phone has ensured that even the most banal moments of the day can become a point of photographic reverie, potentially shared instantly. Supported by the increased affordability of computers, digital storage and access to broadband, consumers are provided with new opportunities for the capture and transmission of images, particularly (...) online where snapshot photography is being transformed from an individual to a communal activity. As the digital image proliferates online and becomes increasingly delivered via networks, numerous practices emerge surrounding the image’s transmission, encoding, ordering and reception. Informing these practices is a growing cultural shift towards a conception of the Internet as a platform for sharing and collaboration, supported by a mosaic of technologies termed Web 2.0. (shrink)

Is cinematicity a virtue in film? Is lack of cinematicity a defect? Berys Gaut thinks so. He claims that cinematicity is a pro tanto virtue in film. I disagree. I argue that the term “cinematic” principally refers to some cluster of characteristics found in films featuring the following: expansive scenery, extreme depth of field, high camera positioning, and elaborate tracking shots. We often use the word as a term of praise. And we are likely right to do so. We (...) are right if we mean that the film does well what movies often do well. We are wrong if we mean that the film is good for doing what is merely distinctive of film. This issue has important implications for understanding the role of the medium in artistic evaluation. I argue that we should reject Gaut’s claim because it entails an implausibly strong medium specificity thesis. (shrink)

A common view in the philosophy of perception holds that states of seeing objects face to face have particular contents. When you see, say, a dog face to face, your visual state represents the particular dog that is in front of you. In this paper, I argue for a related claim about states of seeing objects in conventional photographs. When you see a dog in a photograph, for example, your visual state represents the particular dog that was in front of (...) the camera when the photograph was taken, that is, the photograph's depictum. The argument in this paper proceeds in two steps. In the first step, I discuss states of seeing objects face to face. I argue that such a state represents the particular object whose surface is responsible for the optical information that the visual system uses to construct the state's attributive representational content. In the second step, I apply the result of this discussion to states of seeing objects in photographs. I argue that a state of seeing an object in a photograph has a particular content that represents the object that was in front of the camera when the photograph was taken. (shrink)

Philosophers and cognitive scientists alike have recently been interested in whether cognition extends beyond the boundaries of skin and skull and into the environment. However, the extended cognition hypothesis has suffered many objections over the past few decades. In this paper, I explore the option of control extending beyond the human boundary. My aim is to convince the reader of three things: (i) that control can be implemented in artifacts, (ii) that humans and artifacts can form extended control systems, and (...) (iii) that perhaps extended control ought to be preferred over extended cognition. Using the objections to extended cognition as constraints on my own extended theorizing and the example of autofocus systems in cameras, I decompose and localize the components of an autofocus system that realize the central properties of control from a plausible theory of control in the literature. I then provide criteria according to which control can be extended in a system. Finally, I consider how this theory of extended control ought to be preferred to theories of extended cognition. (shrink)

Albania is part of the emerging economies of the Western Balkan region. Polis University is one of the pioneering institutions in the field of architecture, built environment, and city sciences that represents innovative methodologies and concepts for educational and scientific purposes. Nowadays, many constructions in Albania involve a wide range of different materials. The building envelope is one of the main elements that provide protection from the outside environment but also the required thermal comfort for the inhabitants. The necessary balance (...) must be archived between energy efficiency and the durability of buildings. This paper will focus on the thermal performance and materials composition of two different types of masonry walls, a constituent part of Polis University's main building. The study will be based on an experiment using specific instruments to diagnose these typologies of wall composition. The results are further analyzed and compared. Specific instruments such as the thermal camera (Testo 882), U-value(Testo 435-2), and “Silverline Digital Moisture Meter” (from POLIS Energy lab) are engaged. The collected data are further interpreted through graphs, tables, and diagrams for both cases. It is observed that ventilated facades perform much better than standard facades, therefore their usage is strongly recommended. (shrink)

Merely rhetorically, and answering in the negative, Kendall Walton has asked: "Isn't photography just another method people have of making pictures, one that merely uses different tools and materials – cameras, photosensitive paper, darkroom equipment, rather than canvas, paint, and brushes? And don't the results differ only contingently and in degree, not fundamentally, from pictures of other kinds?" Contra Walton and others, I wish to defend in this article a resounding "Yes" as being the correct answer to these questions. It (...) is a widely shared view that photographs are somehow special and that they fundamentally differ from hand-made pictures like paintings, both from a phenomenological point of view (in the way we experience them), and an epistemic point of view (since they are supposed to have a different – greater – epistemic value than paintings, giving us a privileged access to the world). In what follows, I shall reject almost the totality of these claims, and as a consequence there will remain little difference left between photographs and paintings. As we shall see, 'photographs are always partly paintings' – a claim that is true not only of retouched digital photographs but of all photographs, including traditional ones made using photosensitive film and development techniques. (shrink)

: Driver drowsiness is a significant factor contributing to road accidents, resulting in severe injuries and fatalities. This study presents an optimized approach for detecting driver drowsiness using machine learning techniques. The proposed system utilizes real-time data to analyze driver behavior and physiological signals to identify signs of fatigue. Various machine learning algorithms, including Support Vector Machines (SVM), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), and Random Forest, are explored for their efficacy in detecting drowsiness. The system incorporates an optimization technique—such as Genetic (...) Algorithms (GA) or Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)—to enhance the accuracy and response time of the detection process. The integration of optimization methods ensures that the model adapts to various driving conditions and individual differences, providing a more reliable and robust detection mechanism. Data from multiple sources, including camera feeds and wearable sensors, are used to train and validate the models, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of drowsiness indicators. (shrink)

Uma entrada produtiva para explorar o funcionamento discursivo das textualidades digitais é o modo como a autoria se relaciona com a inscrição político-ideológica do sujeito, historizando o discurso em suas diferentes materialidades significantes2. Para este trabalho, trago compreensões sobre os vlogs (videologs) que circulam e são produzidos para a plataforma YouTube. Nos vlogs, a tomada de posição de um “eu”, no efeito de falar diretamente para a câmera e assumindo o “falar sobre” (a vida pessoal, fatos cotidianos, comentários sobre acontecimentos (...) midiáticos, ciência e política, e dicas de atividades específicas ligadas a jogos de videogames, beleza e gastronomia) se dá no encontro de uma formulação estruturada pela imbricação de diferentes materialidades significantes (a imagem, o corpo, a sonoridade, a língua) e os rituais de criação de um vlog regulamentados e determinados pelo e no YouTube. (shrink)

In recent years there has been a transition within society towards governments much more permeated by technology. One of the areas where this technological increase has been seen is in security processes. Currently, under the justification of a safer world, perpetual surveillance is given to the population through facial recognition cameras and data collection. For this reason, this research work seeks to explain how securitisation processes have become more complex to give way to much broader subjective prevention of security problems. (...) This research was carried out using a qualitative approach with a bibliographic review. Given these facts, it was found that this complex form of securitisation has led to transcending discursive acts and ending up institutionalising this securitisation. (shrink)

ArgumentIn 1895 when the Lumière brothers unveiled their cinematographic camera, many scientists were elated. Scientists hoped that the machine would fulfill a desire that had driven research for nearly half a century: that of capturing the world in its own image. But their elation was surprisingly short-lived, and many researchers quickly distanced themselves from the new medium. The cinematographic camera was soon split into two machines, one for recording and one for projecting, enabling it to further escape from (...) the laboratory. The philosopher Henri Bergson joined scientists, such as Etienne-Jules Marey, who found problems with the new cinematographic order. Those who had worked to make the dream come true found that their efforts had been subverted. This essay focuses on the desire to build a cinematographic camera, with the purpose of elucidating how dreams and reality mix in the development of science and technology. It is about desired machines and their often unexpected results. The interplay between what “is” (the technical), what “ought” (the ethical), and what “could” be (the fantastical) drives scientific research. (shrink)

The 11 experimental, pseudo-avantgarde visual poems (wordless, other than title and date) are an indirect homage to the late-great filmmaker and photographer, Chris Marker (1921-2012), foremost to his penchant for utilizing disintegrating imagery in his film-essays and multimedia installations. All images were captured using a Research in Motion, BlackBerry 8520 cellphone, and subsequently 100-percent de-saturated, and 100-percent contrast-adjusted, using Microsoft Office Picture Manager. The images, as a result, resemble the primitive production values given to the pinhole camera, and the (...) “dogmatic” (uniform) adjustments (as above), applied to the original BB images, reference the early strictures applied to filmmaking by Lars von Trier. The above-mentioned, black-and-white adjustments notwithstanding, all images are used “as captured,” without cropping. The series begins and ends in Botwnnog, Northwest Wales, in May and August of 2013, respectively, with interregnums and brief idylls in Rijeka, Croatia, Trieste and Ancona, Italy, and Igoumenitsa, Ioannina, and Athens, Greece. Tracking the peregrinations of the author of the poems across Europe, and intimately associated with the then-nascent research and exhibition project, “Not-I/Thou: The Other Subject of Art & Architecture,”* the poems are also a compressed form of scholarship, albeit operating in the shadow-lands of knowledge per se, and evoking the non-discursive side of literary-artistic production, a penumbral zone within cultural production that nonetheless references the discursive arts (essay and/or full-blown treatise), but favors the paradox and/or tautology – privileging, then, the much-desired destruction of dialectics. (shrink)

Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator”(2006-08) involved NBC staff working with police and a watchdog group called “Perverted Justice” to televise “special intensity” arrests of men who were lured into meeting adult decoys posing as young children, presumably for a sexual encounter. As reality television, “To Catch a Predator” facilitates public shaming of those caught in front of the cameras, which distinguishes it from fictional representations. In one case, a Texas District Attorney, Louis Conradt, shot himself on film, unable to (...) bear the public humiliation of cameras airing his arrest. The show engenders conflicting responses: Did the show fulfill a public service by informing the public about real dangers and deterring potential predators, or was it an insensitive effort to garner ratings by taking advantage of human weaknesses? Is the sort of public shaming it imposes an appropriate form of punishment given the legitimate purposes of punishment? Did the show portray justice, or did it entrap victims? How did NBC’s working relationship with local police bear on the answer to that question? This paper addresses these questions and develops three objections to the show: that NBC in effect metes out unjust punishment; that it invades privacy; and that it entraps. (shrink)

Some people wrongly believe that A. Turing’s works that underlie all modern computer science never discussed “physical” robots. This is not so, since Turing did speak about such machines, though making a reservation that this discussion was still premature. In particular, in his 1948 report [8], he suggested that a physical intelligent machine equipped with motors, cameras and loudspeakers, when wandering through the fields of England, would present “the danger to the ordinary citizen would be serious.” [8, ]. Due to (...) this imperfection of technology in the field of knowledge that we now call robotics, the methodology that he proposed was based on human speech, or rather on text. Other natural human skills were too difficult to implement, while the exchange of cues via written messages was much more accessible for engineering implementation in Turing’s time. Nevertheless, since then, the progress of computer technology has taken forms that the founder of artificial intelligence could not have foreseen. (shrink)

This chapter will evaluate humor used with the specific intent to reveal glaring epistemic errors that lead to injustice; flaws in reasoning so transparent that straightforward logic, argument, and evidence seem ineffectual against them, and in some cases, just silly to think such tools would be needed. Laughter seems to be one of the only sane responses. In particular, I will assess how humor can combat conspiracy theories, propaganda, lies, and bullshit. The last one I view in Harry Frankfurt's sense (...) of a complete lack of concern for truth or reality, which I think sums up former President Donald Trump's epic lack of curiosity which has a trickle-down effect on his ardent followers. The sort of conspiracy theories I will focus on are an intermingling of propaganda, well defined and analyzed by Jason Stanley in his work How Propaganda Works, and the "new conspiracism", outlined by Muirhead and Rosenblum in A Lot of People are Saying: The New Conspiracism and The Assault on Democracy. There are perils with this potency of pugilistic comedy. It is easy to punch up, humorously fume at the foibles and fantastical blunders of a world leader who seriously considers ingesting bleach to combat the plague, who also, without irony, regales us of his capacious mnemonic prowess in recalling the following words on a cognitive test: "Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV." The self-proclaimed "stable genius" aced it. But when Trumpism and QAnon e.g., spreads among many who are impoverished and disempowered, the very people to whom Trump and others in his powerful orbit have incessantly lied, it becomes less clear how to wield truth-and justice-seeking wit. Are consciousness-raising comedians seeking to uncover and undermine obvious and dangerous falsehoods punching in the morally correct direction, and how can we tell? (shrink)

Este não é um livro perfeito, mas é único, e se você desnatado o primeiro 400 ou assim páginas, o último 300 (de alguns 700) são uma tentativa muito boa para aplicar o que é conhecido sobre o comportamento de mudanças sociais na violência e maneiras ao longo do tempo. O tema básico é: como o nosso controle genético e limitar a mudança social? Surpreendentemente, ele não descreve a natureza da seleção de parentes (aptidão inclusiva), o que explica grande parte (...) da vida social animal e humana. Ele também (como quase todos) carece de um quadro claro para descrever a estrutura lógica da racionalidade (LSR — termo preferencial de John Searle) que eu prefiro chamar a psicologia descritiva do pensamento de ordem superior (DPHOT). Ele deveria ter dito algo sobre as muitas outras maneiras de abusar e explorar as pessoas e o planeta, uma vez que estes são agora muito mais graves para tornar outras formas de violência quase irrelevante. Estender o conceito de violência para incluir as conseqüências globais a longo prazo da replicação dos genes de alguém, e ter um entendimento da natureza de como a evolução funciona (ou seja, a seleção de parentes) fornecerá uma perspectiva muito diferente sobre a história , eventos atuais, e como as coisas são susceptíveis de ir nas próximas centenas de anos. Pode-se começar por notar que a diminuição da violência física sobre a história tem sido combinada (e tornou possível) pelo estupro constantemente crescente impiedoso do planeta (ou seja, pela destruição das pessoas do seu próprio futuro descendente's). Pinker (como a maioria das pessoas a maior parte do tempo) é muitas vezes distraído pelas superficialidades da cultura, quando é a biologia que importa. Veja meus comentários recentes de Wilson ' a conquista social da terra ' e Nowak e Highfield ' SuperCooperators ' aqui e na net para um breve resumo da vacuidade de "verdadeiro altruísmo" (seleção de grupo), e a operação de seleção de parentes e a inutilidade e superficialidade de descrever o comportamento em termos culturais. Esta é a natureza clássica/nutrir a questão ea natureza supera nutrir-infinitamente. O que realmente importa é a violência feita para a terra pelo aumento implacável da população e destruição de recursos (devido à medicina e tecnologia e supressão de conflitos por policiais e militares). Cerca de 200.000 mais pessoas por dia (outra Las Vegas a cada 10 dias, outro Los Angeles a cada mês), as 6 toneladas ou assim de solo superior indo para o mar/pessoa/ano -cerca de 1% do total do mundo desaparecendo anualmente, etc. significa que, a menos que algum milagre acontece que a biosfera e 2 a civilização vão desmoronar em grande parte durante os próximos dois séculos, e haverá fome, miséria e violência de todo tipo em uma escala escalonamento. As maneiras, as opiniões e as tendências das pessoas para cometer atos violentos não são relevantes a menos que possam fazer algo para evitar essa catástrofe, e eu não vejo como isso vai acontecer. Não há espaço para argumentos, e nenhum ponto ou (Sim, eu sou um fatalista), então eu vou fazer apenas alguns comentários como se fossem fatos. Não imagine que eu tenha uma participação pessoal na promoção de um grupo à custa de outros. Eu sou 78, não têm descendentes e não parentes próximos e não se identificam com qualquer grupo político, nacional ou religioso e consideram os que eu pertenço por padrão como tão repulsivo como todo o resto. Os pais são os piores inimigos da vida na terra e, tomando a visão ampla das coisas, as mulheres são tão violentas quanto os homens, quando se considera o fato de que a violência das mulheres (como a maior parte do que feito pelos homens) é largamente feito em câmera lenta, a uma distância no tempo e no espaço e principalmente realizado por procuração por seus descendentes e por homens. Cada vez mais, as mulheres carregam crianças, independentemente de terem um companheiro e o efeito de parar uma mulher de reprodução é, em média, muito maior do que parar um homem, uma vez que são o gargalo reprodutivo. Pode-se ter a visão de que as pessoas e seus descendentes merecem ricamente qualquer miséria que vem seu caminho e (com raras exceções) os ricos e famosos são os piores infratores. Meryl Streep ou Bill Gates ou J. K Rowling e cada um de seus filhos podem destruir 50 toneladas de solo superior cada por ano para gerações no futuro, enquanto um agricultor indiano e seu pode destruir 1 tonelada. Se alguém nega que é bom, e aos seus descendentes eu digo "bem-vindo ao inferno na terra" (Welcome To Hell On Earth) (WTHOE). A ênfase hoje em dia é sempre sobre direitos humanos, mas é claro que se a civilização é ter uma chance, as responsabilidades humanas devem substituir os direitos humanos. Ninguém recebe direitos sem ser um cidadão responsável e a primeira coisa que isto significa é a destruição ambiental do minimo. A responsabilidade mais básica não é nenhuma criança, a menos que sua sociedade lhe peça para produzi-las. Uma sociedade ou um mundo que permite que as pessoas se reproduzem aleatoriamente serão sempre exploradas por genes egoístas até que ela desmorona (ou atinge um ponto onde a vida é tão horrível que não vale a pena viver). Se a sociedade continua a manter os direitos humanos como primários, a seus descendentes pode-se dizer com confiança "WTHOE". Aqueles que desejam um quadro até à data detalhado para o comportamento humano da opinião moderna dos dois sistemas consultar meu livros Falando Macacos 3ª Ed (2019), A Estrutura Lógica da Filosofia, Psicologia, Mente e Linguagem em Ludwig Wittgenstein e John Searle 2a Ed (2019), Suicídio Pela Democracia,4aEd(2019), Entendendo as Conexões entre Ciência, Filosofia, Psicologia, Religião, Política e Economia Artigos e Análises 2006-2019 (2019), Ilusões Utópicas Suicidas no 21St século 5a Ed (2019), A Estrutura Lógica do Comportamento Humano (2019), e A Estrutura Lógica da Consciência (2019) e outras. (shrink)

Vision is an important metaphor in ethical and political questions of knowledge. The feminist philosopher Donna Haraway points out the “perverse” nature of an intrusive, alienating, all-seeing vision (to which we might cry out “stop looking at me!”), but also encourages us to embrace the embodied nature of sight and its promises for genuinely situated knowledge. Current technologies of machine vision – surveillance cameras, drones (for war or recreation), iPhone cameras – are usually construed as instances of the former rather (...) than the latter, and for good reasons. However, although in no way attempting to diminish the real suffering these technologies have brought about in the world, I make the case for understanding technologies of computer vision as material instances of embodied seeing and situated knowing. Furthermore, borrowing from Iris Murdoch’s concept of moral vision, I suggest that these technologies direct our labor towards self-reflection in ethically significant ways. My approach draws upon paradigms in computer vision research, phenomenology, and feminist epistemology. Ultimately, this essay is an argument for directing more philosophical attention from merely criticizing technologies of vision as ethically deficient towards embracing them as complex, methodologically and epistemologically important objects. (shrink)

Man has built tools to extend his visual experience in order to explore reality beyond his sensory capacity, for example microscopes, telescopes, high shutter speed and infrared cameras. However he has yet to build a tool to fully explore visual realms beyond his ordinary cognitive faculties. With the development of computing, comes the possibility of building a tool to explore the virtual forms/spaces of images that are ordinarily inaccessible to the mind. This article identifies how cognition is ordinarily limited and (...) posits a way of going beyond those limits, by defining a computational model of how those virtual forms/spaces might be created. This definition is based on brief but repeated empirical experiences of ‘higher order’ manifestations. (shrink)