2019 was a modest year for my philosophy business: 890 NOK in income and 1.391 NOK in expenses - though I also had 10.000 NOK in accounts receivable (money owed to me after 2 public lectures held in 2019 at a zookeeper conference). Profit margin for the year was thus -56%.
Sunday, 31 May 2020
Friday, 29 May 2020
Writing day - total now 39
Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to work on my phenomenology chapter for Semiotic agency, with some 600 words written. Total number of writing days in 2020 is up to 39 (with 7 of which in May, slightly up from 6,5 in April).
With Tim Ingold in the biosemiotic cave
In the digital era of the corona virus pandemic we meet every second week in the biosemiotic cave. Today social anthropologist Tim Ingold joined us, for a discussion about semiotics and representation.
Thursday, 28 May 2020
3 meetings and partial breakfast webinar attended
Today I have attended part of the beginning of an online breakfast seminar/webinar on zoonoses held by Animalia and MatPrat, the faculty leadership meeting, and two appointment committee meetings related to positions as Head of department at our faculty.
Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Writing
Half a writing day today, devoted to planning for June, July and August and some pondering and a tiny bit of writing (about 100 words).
Number of writing days in 2020 is up to 38,5.
ISQOLS 2020 cancelled
I have been notified that the 2020 conference of the International Society for Quality-of-life Studies (ISQOLS), planned for Rotterdam August 25-28 has been cancelled, at least in the initially planned format.
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IAEP conference cancelled
I have been notified that the annual conference of the International Association for Environmental Philosophy (IAEP), planned for Toronto 10-11 October, has been cancelled, at least in that format and at that location.
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Autumn semester discussion in faculty´s emergency preparedness group
Today we had another meeting in the emergency preparedness group at Faculty of social sciences, to tentatively discuss possible plans for the autumn semester.
Tuesday, 26 May 2020
Biosemiotics 13(1) published; includes my global/Amazon human ecology article
Biosemiotics 13(1) has now appeared. This is a special issue guest-edited by Nelly Mäekivi and Riin Magnus, titled "The semiotics of hybrid natures". Table of contents here.
The issue includes my article "Current human ecology in the Amazon and beyond: A multi-scale ecosemiotic approach" (open access).
16 recruitment positions allocated to UIS; Cognitive Lab referred in new UIS news story
Yesterday the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research issued a press release with some details on the distribution of the 4.000 study places and 250 recruitment positions that is proposed added in relation to the revised state budget. University of Stavanger gets 250 study places and 16 recruitment positions.
In an UIS news story titled "Utdanningsløftet gir god uttelling for UIS" (the UIS gets good share of education measure), Vice rector for research Merete Vadla Madland comments on the 16 recruitment positions, emphasizing plans for establishing a cognitive lab (in which I have been involved).
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Two meetings including ECIU communication network meeting
Today I have attended a 1-hour short meeting of the faculty leadership group, and a 2-hour ECIU communication network meeting online (the first of its kind) with collaborators of the university internationally. At the latter network meeting I briefly introduced biosemiotics in the relation of communication studies.
Monday, 25 May 2020
Phenomenology chapter
Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to my phenomenology chapter in our book Semiotic agency: Science beyond mechanism, with some 500 words written. Total number of writing days in 2020 is up to 38.
A meeting, a webinar, and an online book presentation
Today I have attended three digital events/meetings. First a book presentation organised by The Greenhouse, with the authors participating online from Australia. Then the meeting in the research committee of University of Stavanger - where I presented status and plans for Network for welfare research; and raised the question of when we can practically return to organizing (at least partially) physical Ph.D. defences. Lastly I attended a webinar held by the research department at UIS with participation from Research Council of Norway for UIS leadership on EU research funding, particularly ERC.
Friday, 22 May 2020
Writing more
Today I have had an article writing day, with some 700 words written on my article "Anticipating the societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century" (in revision; I have removed the second part of the title, "Umwelt trajectories revisited") and my phenomenology chapter for our book Semiotic agency.
Total number of writing days in 2020 is up to 37,5.
Total number of writing days in 2020 is up to 37,5.
Thursday, 21 May 2020
Writing
Today I have had half an article writing day, with some 4 hours spent and 400 words written while revising my article "Anticipating the societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century: Umwelt trajectories revisited". Notably, I read the full draft and assessed the need for restructuring, and reworked and elaborated a disposition for the revised version. Total number of writing days in 2020 is up to 36,5.
Comments on new quality system at UIS
Today I have contributed with some comments on the proposal for a new quality system for the University of Stavanger, with respect to the role of the ph.d. education.
Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Half writing day
Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to revision of my article "The societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century: Umwelt trajectories revisited".
Total number of writing days this Spring is up to 36.
"Current human ecology in the Amazon and beyond" published in issue; final reference with pagination
My article "Current human ecology in the Amazon and beyond: A multi-scale ecosemiotic approach" has now been published in Biosemiotics 13(1). Final reference:
Tønnessen, Morten 2020. Current human ecology in the Amazon and beyond: A multi-scale ecosemiotic approach. Biosemiotics 13(1): 89–113. Published online February 19th 2020. DOI: 10.1007/s12304-020-09379-8.
The article is published Open Access and therefore freely available online.
Two meetings
Today I have attended an attempted appointments committee meeting (we could not conlude finally due to only two people with voting rights being present), and a meeting in the university´s external funding project (BOA project). In the latter I had 10 minutes to present the Faculty of social science´s work with external funding.
Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Two and a half meeting
Today I have attended three meetings - the faculty leadership group meeting at Faculty of social sciences, the monthly meeting of the ph.d. committee for the ph.d. in social sciences (which I chaired), and half of the staff meeting of Department of social studies (just listening in).
Laying hen ethics article accessed 2.563 times
Our Open Access article "The ethics of laying hen genetics" has 2.563 accesses to date.
Monday, 18 May 2020
Two meetings and supervision
Today I have attended the rector meeting, which had the form of a EU funding seminar. I also attended a meeting related to Network for welfare research, and had a supervision session.
Friday, 15 May 2020
Two meetings
Today I have attended a faculty administration meeting on this year´s faculty research report, and the first meeting in the BOA project work group (related to increasing external funding).
Thursday, 14 May 2020
Writing day - literature search, writing
Another writing day today, devoted to literature search for the revision of "Anticipating the societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century: Umwelt trajectories revisited" (by now I have added 40 references) and work on my phenomenology chapter for the book Semiotic agency. Altogether some 600 words written.
Number of writing days this Spring is up to 35,5.
A meeting
Today I have attended a faculty administration meeting in preparation of a faculty leadership meeting.
Wednesday, 13 May 2020
Writing - on environmental crisis, nature
Today I have had half an article writing day, devoted to the revision of "Anticipating the societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century: Umwelt trajectories revisited" and my phenomenology chapter for Semiotic agency, with some 400 words written. Total number of writing days in 2020 is up to 34,5.
Strategic work
The Faculty of social sciences has recently had a hearing process where the departments etc. have had their say on the faculty leadership´s draft of thematic areas of focus for the next nears. I have taken part in the faculty leadership´s revision of the draft, with contributions to some reworking/reframing of descriptions of four areas of focus, among other things. The revised draft is now out for a new brief hearing at the faculty.
Tuesday, 12 May 2020
UIS has asked Ministry of Education for ph.d.s and post.doc.s for Cognitive Lab; UIS news story
The UIS news story "UIS ønsker flere studieplasser og rekrutteringsstillinger" (University of Stavanger wants more study places and recruitment positions) makes mention of the Cognitive Lab I have suggested to establish at the university, following our faculty´s visit to University of Twente last autumn. The university has communicated to the Ministry of Education and Research that a number of recruitment positions (ph.d. and post.doc.s) could be established this autumn in relation to the establishment of such a lab. The proposal has been made in relation to Norway´s revised state budget for 2020.
Three meetings
Today I have attended three digital meetings:
- * the annual meeting of UHR-Samfunnsfag (the social science division of Universities Norway)
- * this Spring´s first and only meeting in Forum for Forskning, organized by Faculty of Health Science and focused on matters of privacy. The event was attended by about 50 people.
- * a meeting in the emergency preparedness group at Faculty of social sciences
Monday, 11 May 2020
Writing
Today I have had half an article writing day (or so), mostly devoted to the revision of my article "Anticipating the societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century: Umwelt trajectories revisited", with some 300 words written. Total number of writing days this Spring is up to 34.
Lederforum attended
Today I have attended University of Stavanger´s (digital) leadership forum (Lederforum) (in Zoom). The forum was predominantly about the discruptions the corona virus has inflicted upon us.
Friday, 8 May 2020
Writing day - phenomenology
Today I have had an article day with some 5,5 hours devoted to work on my phenomenology chapter for our book Semiotic agency, and some 600 words written. Total number of writing days in 2020 is up to 33,5.
Thursday, 7 May 2020
Online Ph.D. defence attended
Today I have attended the online Ph.D. defence of Memory Jane Tembo, held in Teams.
Thegazingzone: Houseflies project
MA student Ma Kowasz, based in Reykjavik, Iceland, has conducted a little project on houseflies, drawing on the Umwelt theory of Jakob von Uexküll. A brief exchange we had in relation to the project is described, along with further text, images, and a video. It is all here: https://www.thegazingzone.org/houseflies
Excerpt:
One day, I found myself studying the methods of an Umwelt researcher, whose goal is to understand the species-specific view of the world, described by Uexküll in his book “A Stroll Through the Worlds of Animals and Men”, in a very human-centred environment; the kitchen of my apartment in Reykjavík. It was an autumn afternoon, and I and my flatmate had battled a small plague of houseflies occupying our home for the past few days. My flatmate hated their company and announced loudly that she would kill them one by one, if she had to. I was sitting on a chair, looking at their tiny bodies flying around, listening to the buzzing of the wings, wondering how their world compares with mine. I proceeded to study houseflies and all the information I found revolved around methods and ways to get rid of them. It led me to ask the following question: “How could I change the function of a housefly in my Umwelt?” And equally importantly: “How could I change the function of myself in the perception of the housefly?” With these questions in mind I reached out to and exchanged a few letters with semiotician Morten Tønnessen, President of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, asking him about the intimate cohabitation of humans and houseflies. “To change the flies´ role in your Umwelt might not be so hard (cf. my vs. my wife´s relation to flies ... sympathy vs. antipathy will change that relation). To change your role in the Umwelt of the fly might be harder - but maybe worth an experiment?” His answer prompted me to create a tool that would make it possible to switch the functions self and other. ...
Wednesday, 6 May 2020
Half writing day - revising Anticipating the societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century
Today I have had half a writing day devoted to starting on revising my article "Anticipating the societal transformation required to solve the environmental crisis in the 21st century: Umwelt trajectories revisited" - first of all by getting an overview of requested and suggested changes (major revisions are required). Total number of writing days is up to 32,5.
A meeting
Today I have participated in a meeting in the appointments committee of Faculty of social sciences.
Tuesday, 5 May 2020
Link to Siri Martinsen´s reply to my chronicle on Tiger King
Here is Siri Martinsen´s letter to the editor in reply to my chronicle on the Netflix series Tiger King.
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Two meetings
Today I have attended the faculty leadership group meeting, and chaired the biannual board meeting of Centre for gender studies. The latter meeting included discussion about the centre´s strategy for the next 4 or 5 years, and the annual report for 2019.
Monday, 4 May 2020
Meeting in Council for animal ethics; plans for Animal ethics conference
Today I have attended the first ever digital meeting of Norway´s Council for animal ethics (in Zoom). 4 hours including lunch break. The meeting included two lectures in addition to the discussion matters - the lectures were on turkey husbandry (held by Guro Vasdal, Animalia) and cleaner fish (held by Inger Fyllingen, Norwegian Food Safety Authority) respectively.
We decided to delay this autumn´s planned animal ethics conference with reindeer herding to the eutumn of 2021. Instead we will arrange a digital animal ethics conference this year, with the human/animal health interface as topic - tentatively September 24th.
We decided to delay this autumn´s planned animal ethics conference with reindeer herding to the eutumn of 2021. Instead we will arrange a digital animal ethics conference this year, with the human/animal health interface as topic - tentatively September 24th.
Friday, 1 May 2020
Title, abstract for "Umwelt theory for practitioners" chapter revised
Following editorial feedback, I have renamed my chapter "Umwelt theory for practitioners: Practical guidelines for a more-than-human descriptive phenomenology" "Umwelt theory for practitioners: Semiotic guidelines for application in a more-than-human descriptive phenomenology", and made a revised abstract to emphasize semiotic aspects of the theme.
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