457 posts in 2014

In 2014, as many as 457 posts appeared in this blog, Utopian Realism. The previous record, from 2013, was 286. I have posted more than 100 times a year since 2009. The blog - or rather academic log - was established in 2008.

Despite the frantic activity last year, I still have a considerable backlog of activities to report.

Biosemiotics' Impact Factor for 2013 the highest yet

Today I was informed about Biosemiotics' Impact Factor for 2013, calculated by Thomson Reuters (Journal Citation Reports): 0,488. This is up from 2012's 0,364 and above 2011's 0,444, which was the first year the journal had an Impact Factor. Last year's Impact Factor is thus the highest yet for the journal.

An Impact Factor of 0,488 in 2013 means that citable publications in Biosemiotics in 2011 and 2012 were on average cited 0,488 times each in 2013 in publications in other listed journals.

Tiny yet growing philosophy business

Yesterday I finished the annual accounts for my private philosophy business "Spør filosofen" [Ask the philosopher]. Despite some minute progress numbers are still tiny. In 2013 income was 3.346 NOK (some 400 euro), expenses 5.768,23 NOK (some 700 euro) and profits -2.422,34 NOK (a loss of some 300 euro). Though I have various projects, all income in 2013 was from the opening of an art exhibition.

Videos from Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference 2013 online; including two featuring me

Videos from the Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference 2013 are now online via the YouTube page of Minding Animals Norway - see YouTube playlist. Videos include one of my presentation, titled "Hva er natur i en verden uten villmark?" [What is nature in a world without wilderness?] and a panel discussion I chaired, "Fritt vilt? Forvaltningen av de store rovdyrene" [Fair game? Management of the big predators].

Kudos to Lene Sand for filming and to Frode Bakke Bjerkevik for editing, plus to NOAH - for animal rights for filming of the two panel discussions.

Readings 2013

This last year, in 2013, I read some 7,096 pages of academic literature (with author known), according to my notes (not so much). This is not much different from the 7,310 pages I read in 2012.

As in 2012, Jakob von Uexküll was the scholar I read most "about" - this time ahead of Aristotle, Kant, Husserl and Gadamer (top 5).

See also:

Readings 2012

No. 229

This is the 229th post in Utopian Realism this year - meaning that I have now posted more in this blog in 2013 than any previous year. The previous record, with 228 posts, was from 2011. 

I still have a considerable backlog, so chances are there will be many more posts the rest of this year and the beginning of the next.

Contracted as co-Editor-in-Chief of Biosemiotics

In the end of June I was offered the position as co-Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Biosemiotics, along with Timo Maran (co-Editor-in-Chief) and Alexei Sharov (lead Editor-in-Chief) - and accepted. I think this is a good solution for the journal - an arrangement I am very comfortable with. I am honored to be part of the team that will take the journal forward.

My contract with Springer Science+Business Media, the world's second-biggest academic journal publisher, with validity from July 1st 2013 to June 30th 2018, was signed on June 25th and completed on June 27th.

See also:

Biosemiotics achieves ISI acceptance and indexing

Suggested as Editor-in-Chief of Biosemiotics; input on the field given

My vision for the journal Biosemiotics

Norway: Second animal ethics conference to be held August 22nd

Last Friday I participated in a meeting in Oslo where Kristian Bjørkdahl, Ann Margaret Grøndahl and I evaluated the first Dyreetikkonferansen [The animal ethics conference] (September 21nd 2012) and made plans for the second. We agreed that the second will take place in Oslo on August 22nd 2013, with the theme "Hvem er villest i landet her? Fra pelsdyr til store rovdyr: Hvordan vi former ville dyr i vårt bilde" [Who is the wildest one in the country here? From fur animals to large carnivores: How we shape wild animals in our own image].

On September 9th the national parliamentary election takes place in Norway. This year's animal ethics conference will therefore treat topics that are currently politically relevant, namely management of large carnivores including wolves and further the Norwegian fur animal business (involving close to a million animals - Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and American mink (Mustela vison), which very existence has the last few years been under debate.

"Umwelt trajectories" to be published this autumn

A few days ago I was notified that the special issue of Semiotica on zoosemiotics has been scheduled for publication in the autumn of 2013. It will include my article "Umwelt Trajectories", which is loosely based on my conference presentation "The Umwelt trajectories of wolves, sheep and people" (2011, abstract written 2010). The special issue is guest-edited by Timo Maran.

Zoosemiotics research project: Final seminar; formal extension

The research project "Dynamical Zoosemiotics and Animal Representations", where I take part as a researcher, arranged a concluding 4-hour Skype seminar on Tuesday December 11th. This was the fourth grant seminar (IV). The other participants were gathered at the university library in Tartu, Estonia. Participants including me presented current research activities, and we discussed possible future directions and cooperation.

Timo Maran, the head of the grant, informed us that he had applied for, and gotten approval for, a formal 1-year extension of the grant (from 2009-2012 to 2009-2013), so that forthcoming publications (to appear in 2013) derived from the project can still be included in reported activities. 

Member of Scientific Committee of NASS 8

I have been appointed a member of the Scientific Committee of the Eighth Conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), which will be named Sign Evolution on Multiple Time Scales and is convened by Kristian Tylén. My responsibility will be limited to reviewing 6-8 abstracts. The conference will take place in Aarhus, Denmark, May 29th-31st 2013.

Update on book chapter "Existential universals"

A month or two ago I was in contact with the associate editors of Eero Tarasti's forthcoming anthology on transcendental signs and existential semiotics, Richard Littlefield and Paul Forsell. I then sent a slightly updated version of my contribution, "Existential universals: Biosemiosis and existential semiosis", with few changes made apart from updated affiliation. The volume will likely appear in 2013 (Paris-based Mouton de Gruyter is the publisher).

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