Google Scholar status per summer 2012 vs. autumn 2018

As of June 2012 - according to an old note - Google Scholars (cf. my profile) listed 19 academic articles of mine, which were in total cited 32 times, and I had an h-index of 3 (meaning that 3 of my articles had been cited at least 3 times each).

6 year on, I have according to Google Scholar been cited 324 times, and I have an h-index of 9 (up 1) as well as an h10-index of 9 (up 1; meaning that 9 of mine articles have been cited at least 10 times each). This is up 12 since August 20th. My 9th article to reach 10 citations is "Outline of an Uexküllian bio-ontology", my very first academic article, published in 2001.

Academic events: Lists updated

I've updated, in the right sidebar, the "Upcoming academic events" list (now reduced to 8 entries) and the "Past events (2012-)" list (now as many as 20 entries). Both lists include only academic events that I am somehow involved in.

"Past events (-2011)" lists a further 25 events, thus bringing the total of academic events up to 53 as of now.

Philosophy business: Tiny numbers

About a month ago I did the accounts of my commercial, private company "Spør Filosofen" (SF) [Ask the philosopher]. In 2012, SF had 200 NOK (some 25 Euro) in revenue, and 3,740,75 NOK (some 470 Euro) in expenses, resulting in a loss of 3.540,75 NOK (some 445 Euro). 

2013 looks slightly better in terms of revenue.

6th most-publishing scholar at Department of Health Studies

In 2012 I got 1,875 publication points in the Norwegian "tellekant" system. I had three publications that resulted in publication points, which form part of the basis for academic institutions' public funding (each point results in some 3-4.000 Euros of funding). This means that I was by this measure the 6th most-publishing scholar at University of Stavanger's Department of Health Studies. Altogether the department's scholars got 45,72 publication points (my points thus constitute ca. 4% of the department total). The most-publishing scholar, with 6 publication points, was the other philosopher, Sebastian Rehnman, who is currently on research leave (and whose research leave is the very reason why I am currently teaching at the department).

Overall, the average for a UiS scholar is some 0,8 publication points, while the national average is closer to 1 publication point per scholar.

See also: "Links to CRIStin 2012 results and profile page"

The work year 2012 summarised

In 2012 I worked some 3165,5 hours. This results in an average work week (all weeks included) of 60,5 hours (against 62,0 in 2011 and 58,1 in 2010), which represents approximately 192 % of a normal work week (given 35 hours per week, minus 5 weeks of holidays).

I worked more than ever (since records begin in 2009) at the University of Stavanger (where I have in previous years only graded papers), with book projects (categorised as 'Litterært' and including both co-editing and monographs in process), and  with Minding Animals and to some extent the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies.

The share of my work time spent doing research is a bit tricky to estimate; the category "Research" stood for 28,1% of all work hours, though this does not represent all research activities and is at any rate not directly comparable to previous work 2009-2011 categorised as "doctoral work" (which included work beyond research as well).

Update on Arne Næss celebration

The work of the committee preparing the celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the birth of Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss, "Arne i 100", is progressing. As I wrote in a post almost a month ago, we had a founding meeting August 25. However, following some complications and correspondence back and forth, in which I was involved, it was only a few days back that we received the confirmation that Arne i 100 has been accepted and registered as a non-profit NGO. The objective of the NGO, in its shortest form, is to "videreføre den filosofiske arven etter Arne Næss", namely to "carry on the philosophical legacy of Arne Naess".

Some in our group has met with Arne Hjeltnes, who will host the anniversary event January 27th 2012 in the university aula of the University of Oslo. Further names have been confirmed, and we have secured some more funding from public and private sources (the latter includes the Norwegian Ministry of Environment). We are also developing plans for marking 2011-2012 as a "Arne Næss year", though most of our focus has thusfar been on the anniversary event on the day 100 years after Arne's birth.

Minding Animals Bulletin no. 7

The seventh Bulletin of Minding Animals International was distributed the last few days. At 20 pages, it details a number of upcoming pre-conference lecture events, and more (such as a call for people to convene lunchtime roundtables at the Utrecht conference in 2012). It also envelops a wolf poster presented here in Utopian Realism advertising for the Oslo "Shared Worlds" event October 14-15, and a flyer for the Uppsala event October 17-18.

See also: Flyer for the Uppsala event "Zoo-ethnographies"

"Arne i 100" founded as NGO

Yesterday, August 25th, "Arne i 100" [Arne, 100...] was founded in Oslo, Norway, as an association/society aiming to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of deep ecologist Arne Næss' (1912-2009) birth January 27th 2012 (in the University Aula, Oslo), and to help arrange "the Arne Næss year" 2012-2013. I took part via Skype. I was thus one of the seven co-founders of the NGO, along with Kit-Fai Næss and others. I was also included as a member of the board, along with 8 others (Kit-Fai Næss (head), Martin Lee Mueller, Reidar Goffeng, Inger Marie Mørner, Arne Johan Furseth, Carl Fredrik Normann, Ola Tellesbø and Anders Krosshavn Vik).

I had proposals/questions concerning up to 6 of the paragraphs of the regulations (vedtekter). At least half of these were followed up by making amendments to the original draft.

World congress of semiotics - Nanjing, China

The 11th world congress of semiotics will take place in Nanjing, China, October 5-9th, 2012, and has the general - and ambitious - theme Global semiotics: A bridge linking different civilizations. A conventional call for papers will follow later on, but a first call was made already around New Year.

Please send to us in your earlier convenience proposals or abstracts about any semiotic topic concerning nature, society and culture, especially with respect to the following fields:

1. General theory and philosophy;
2. Linguistics and logic;
3. Literature and arts;
4. History, sociology and anthropology;
5. Theories of film and video and media;
6. Cognitive and biosemiotic studies.

In the preliminary call for papers, it is stated that:

The Nanjing 11th World Congress of Semiotics will be the first IASS forum in history to be held outside Europe or the Americas. Substantially and symbolically it will provide semiotic scholars from all over the world with a suitable dialogic context for exploring the new orientation of global semiotics. In conjunction with the 11th IASS Congress, whose program will basically follow the rules and procedures established in the past IASS congresses, there will be also a parallel conference in Nanjing, the First China Semiotics Forum, which will provide additional opportunities for comparative-semiotic communication.

Meeting in Arne i 100

May 3rd I attended my first meeting in the committee Arne i 100, in Oslo, preparing for the 100th anniversary of deep ecologist Arne Næss. I presented some organizational ideas concerning the "Arne Næss year" 2012, but it is far from certain that they will be carried out (that might require additional manpower). At any rate I will take part in preparing the anniversary event in the university aula, which is scheduled for January 27th, 2012.

Since the meeting I have, for one thing, gotten Lars Verket to accept an invitation to play a role during the anniversary event.

Arne, 100

As mentioned previously I have joined the committee arranging "Arne i 100" (Arne, 100) at the occasion of the 100 year birthday of Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss (1912-2009). This Saturday I met with Kit-Fai Næss, Arne's widow, in Oslo. We went through a number of suggestions I have, which will also be presented and discussed at a meeting in the committee May 3rd.

Zoosemiotic grant meeting

Yesterday the researchers involved in the grant Dynamical Zoosemiotics and Animal Representations had an informal meeting, where we evaluated last weeks conference Zoosemiotics and Animal Representations, which we were generally really pleased with. One thing we will soon communicate through the newly established zoosemiotics email list is a bibliography in zoosemiotics. We will further write a few conference reviews, to submit to selected journals.

We also briefly discussed the prospects of a new grant, after the current one finishes next year. I signalled interest in taking part in such a grant, regardless of my job situation when that time comes.

See also:
Brief report from the conference Zoosemiotics and Animal Representations
The Semiotics of Animal Representations - update
Zoosemiotics email list - how to register
Creed

Joining committee to celebrate 100-year anniversary of Arne Næss

I have joined the organizing committee for the event "Arne i 100", which is preparing to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Arne Næss, January 27th 2012. The event will take place in Oslo, Norway. There are a number of other plans as well, with regard to making 2012 a Næssian year.

The organizing committee is headed by Arne Næss' widow, Kit-Fai Næss, and consists of around 10 people.

Oslo MIA event mentioned in newsletter

Minding Animals International has issued its first newsletter before the 2012 Utrecht conference (MAC2 Newsletter 1). The Oslo Pre-lecture event is therein officially listed as one of the events taking place in October 2011, along with related events in New York, Rennes, Uppsala, London (twice), Christchurch, and Utrecht.

'The Umwelt trajectories of wolves, sheep and people' to be published

My paper 'The Umwelt trajectories of wolves, sheep and people', which will be presented at the April 2011 zoosemiotics conference in Tartu, will likely be published in the special issue of Semiotica on zoosemiotics which is to be published the autumn of 2012.