Brief report from Braga

I enjoyed being in Portugal very much (my first visit there).

The talks I liked the most were these:
1. Alexei SHAROV: "Functional information: towards synthesis of biosemiotics and cybernetics"
2. Günther WITZANI: "Biocommunication of cancer cells"
3. Marcello BARBIERI: "On the origin of language"

My talk ''We the living: The reception of Uexküll in Norwegian ecophilosophy" (focusing on Arne NÆSS and Peter Wessel ZAPFFE) was given Friday 25th at 11-11.30, and was subject to questions from Don FAVAREAU, Peter HARRIES-JONES and Jesper HOFFMEYER.

That same Friday I chaired the afternoon session (stepping in for Marcella FARIA, who was not there), which included these talks:
Dennis WATERS: "Von Neumann's theory of self-reproducing automata: A useful framework for biosemiotics?"
Siohoi IENG: "A biosemiotic formulation of survival strategies for robots"
Gérard BATTAIL: "Identity, species, order"
Peter BARLOW: "To life on Earth: Messages from the Moon"
Isabel FERREIRA: "Interactive bodies: The semiosis of architectural forms - a case study"
Ted BAENZIGER: "Alpha and omega: the oldest and newest example of interphylogenetic semiotics: the orchid"

Seagull drama (YouTube)

Seagull drama just outside my living room window

Seagull drama II - now on a low roof

Seagull drama just outside our kitchen window

Presentation at criminology seminar

I have agreed to give a talk in an open criminology seminar, "Kriminalpolitisk seminar", arranged by Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law (University of Oslo), November 11th (14.15-16.00). The topic is "Illegal wolf hunting" ("Ulovlig jakt på ulv").

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Academic news in brief VIII

1. The April 2011 conference Zoosemiotics and Animal Representations, for which I am part of the organizing team, has announced publicly its four keynote speakers: Colin Allen, Jesper Hoffmeyer, Graham Huggan and David Rothenberg.

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2. The 10th Gathering in Biosemiotics, to be arranged in Braga, Portugal June 22-27th, has some time ago announced its program, where my talk is scheduled for presentation Friday June 25th at 9-9.30. The abstract of "We The Living: The Reception of Uexküll in Norwegian Ecophilosophy" is to be found at page 42 in the abstract book.

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3. Since the last "Academic news in brief" was posted May 7th, I have conducted further Michael Polanyi work papers, and thereby, as it turned out, concluded the course work in The philosophy of Michael Polanyi. I have started reading Marjorie Grene, and expect to write a paper at some not too distant point in time on Polanyi and Grene and their relevance for matters of biosemiotics (and vice-versa).

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4. Quite some time ago, I was told my first blurb ever was not included after all in Paul Cobley (ed.): Realism for the 21st Century. A John Deely Reader, published October 2009.

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5. Monday - two days ago - I wrote my Attestation Review report for my third year as a Ph.D. student (progress review report), which includes a Revised plan for research and study for the academic year 2010/2011. 13 pp. The attestation review meeting takes place Thursday 17th of June, but I do not have the chance to be there in person.