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Alternative Takes to the City presents the mosaic of relations and socio-spatial conditions which compose the plurality of contemporary everyday space(s) in cities, offering "a view from below". It proposes a multidisciplinary and gendered approach to the (relational) spatialities and temporalities of the everyday, of new mobilities and of global and local networks which constitute urban life in contemporary cities. The book raises an empirically informed theoretical proposition which springs from the multiplicity of everyday experiences, as a laboratory for understanding recent socio-spatial, political and ideological transformations. Each chapter takes forward the theoretical argument based on one or more examples of concrete cities, in order to unveil the complexity and diversity of the urban condition in changing conjunctures, in which local practices connect and collide with global developments.
The use of pesticides is a subject of intense public debate. Whether in media, legal, terminological or political terms, the subject is migrating from a strictly agricultural universe to a global, social problem. Given the complexity of current and future issues, Pesticides provides a forum for multidisciplinary dialogue and debate on plant protection products within the humanities and social sciences. It presents reflections on the discursive and argumentative activity of the various players and arenas in the debate, and on the development and testing of consensus through controversy and counter-discourse. This book examines the scientific and communication practices of economic and industrial players (influence and lobbying), agricultural practices in terms of pesticide exposure, and the legal proceedings and initiatives of local authorities and associations. It also seeks to shed light on the media coverage of health and environmental issues surrounding pesticides.
In a fully digitized world and hyper-connected society, artificial intelligence (AI) is developing more and more each day. In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems appropriate to examine the real or imagined progress of AI in terms of human health. Like artificial intelligence, health is a field that involves a wide range of research disciplines. In order to better define and understand these social and technical developments, Al, Healthcare and Law brings together the thoughts and analyses of doctors, lawyers, economists and computer scientists. Through a wide range of original overviews of the issues involved, the book addresses questions such as the development of telemedicine, the use of medical data, the increased human perspective or medical ethics, and takes a multi-disciplinary and accessible approach to questioning the relationship between humans and computers, between the intimate and the machine.
The use of digital technology in our societies is growing to meet the ever-increasing challenges of data collection, raising awareness, education and understanding nature. Artificial intelligence, for example, appears to be the answer to collecting massive amounts of data on biodiversity at a global scale and facilitating citizen participation in such data collection. Linking with Nature in the Digital Age explores the reconfiguration of our relationship with nature within this digital framework. This book examines this mediated linking from three angles. Firstly, it shows how digital technology can foster the development of links to nature. Then, it describes in greater detail the materiality of these links and how they have evolved with the developments in information technology. Finally, it questions the belief in the digital as a facilitator and opens up new perspectives on our relationship with nature and the living world
There are many different ways of generating representations. This includes representations generated by living beings while comprehending reality in order to act; representations generated by the Universe during its extensive unfolding, creating physical elements and living beings; and the direct representation of elements through an animal’s sixth sense. To this list we must now add the creation of artificial consciousness, which generates representations that resemble the mental representations of humans. These representations allow robotic systems to communicate directly with each other. Fundamental Generation Systems develops a theory which presents, from the beginning, the function of this sixth sense called the “sense of informational comprehension”. This sense is understood as an ability to use the informational foundations of the Universe via a dedicated cerebral domain found in every animal.
This book explores, discusses and considers spatial research and its relevant pedagogic perspectives on the crossings, interactions and transformations of contemporary territorialities. The book addresses the issue of conceiving "translocal" spaces of inclusion within the framework of contemporary imposed nomadism and climate change. The concept of "climatic heterotopias" is an original, elegant concept, introduced into the pedagogy of architecture to develop teaching which aims to bring together the architectural substance and this real social need that aims to mitigate the spatial effects of climate change. Climatic Heterotopias as Spaces of Inclusion promotes the use of spatial theory and...
This book defines and elucidates the topic of smart "second skin" clothing, which must be flexible, washable, ironable, long-lasting and battery-free. We explore the possibilities for its use in fields such as health, well-being, sports and leisure. Smart Patches presents techniques that can be used within the limits established by regulations (EMC, normative, GDPR, ANSES, etc.) to help make smart clothing a marketable product at an affordable price. This book studies the creation and performance of various sensors and biosensors based on graphene materials and describes the functioning of Intra-Body Communications (IBC), as well as all the internal and external parameters involved in this type of technology. The performances and limits of these IBC and technologies are presented, together with concrete application examples.
The applications of gamification and the contexts in which game elements can be successfully incorporated have grown significantly over the years. They now include the fields of health, education, work, the media and many others. However, the human and social sciences still neglect the analysis and critique of gamification. Research conducted in this area tends to focus on game objects and not gamifications logic as its ideological dimension. Considering that the game, as a model and a reference, laden with social value, deserves to be questioned beyond its objects, The Gamification of Society gathers together texts, observations and criticisms that question the influence that games and their mechanics have on wider society. The empirical research presented in this book (examining designers practices, early childhood, political action, the quantified self, etc.) also probes several different national contexts those of Norway, Belgium, the United States and France, among others.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had an undeniable impact on cybercrime. The initial crisis quickly became a global catastrophe with multiple consequences in economics, health, and political and social fields. This book explores how this global emergency has influenced cybercrime. Indeed, since feeding off new vulnerabilities, thanks to the effects of the pandemic crisis in various states around the world, cybercrime has increased and evolved. In 2020, the world was already dealing with numerous tensions and the effects of the global crisis have therefore only tended to exacerbate the issues that relate to cybercrime. For example, radicalization and identity theft has found an environment in which they thrive: the Internet. Criminals have been able to adapt their modus operandi, their targets and their attack vectors. However, on the plus side, the response of law enforcement and public authorities, in terms of the legal, policing and policy side of cybercrime, has also been adapted in order to better combat the increase in this phenomenon.
At the heart of “tourismophobia”, past and present, is the question of the masses and the differentiation between those who call themselves “travellers”, denying their own tourism, and tourists. Tourismophobia studies the persistence of the repulsion for them, and though their number is infinitely greater today, they are no longer socially the same and practices have radically changed. This book brings this cultural invariant out of the shadows to understand the driving forces behind this social posture, which has taken a new turn with climate change. Without overlooking the negative effects of tourism, this book is a response to the current debate on “overtourism”, which is the most contemporary form of tourismophobia.