Deaccession: Ideas

As part of an ongoing study into the emotional implications of online information retrieval, I have begun offering free e-reference service to friends, colleagues or anyone interested in utilizing my services as a professional librarian. All I request in return is that the asker allow their questions to be posted herein, anonymously. If you would like to participate, please email me a question on any topic at julia (at) deaccession.org

Question: This has been puzzling me for ages.  What does the G in G string stand for?

Answer: G-string (noun)
From G string, the heaviest string on a violin.
A slight variation on the original derivation “gee-string” used in the late 19th century to describe the loin cloth worn by various indigenous peoples.
–Pearl, Anita May. The Jonathan David Dictionary of Popular Slang. Middle Village, N.Y.: Jonathan David, 1980.
–Dalzell, Tom. The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English. New York: Routledge, 2009

The first time the word appeared in print, 1936:  “One of the girls…wiggled her geestring at him.”  Dos Passos, John. Volume Three of the U.S.A. Trilogy: The Big Money. 1936. pg 488.

–Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon, 1989.

As part of an ongoing study into the emotional implications of online information retrieval, I have begun offering free e-reference service to friends, colleagues or anyone interested in utilizing my services as a professional librarian. All I request in return is that the asker allow their questions to be posted herein, anonymously. If you would like to participate, please email me a question on any topic at julia (at) deaccession.org

Question: Are there any animals, other than the human, that will point at something? (I’m thinking like “point with an appendage,” not just “look at intensely”)

Answer:
Chimps and orangutans.

Chimps like bananas, which are associated with gestural communication and gaze alternation
“This study describes the use of referential gestures with concomitant
gaze orienting behavior to both distal food objects and communicative
interactions by 115 chimpanzees, ranging from 3 to 56 years of age.
Gaze alternation between a banana and an experimenter was
significantly associated with vocal and gestural communication.
Pointing was the most common gesture elicited; 47 subjects pointed
with the whole hand, whereas 6 subjects pointed with index fingers.”
–Waal, Frans de. “Pointing primates: sharing knowledge–without
language.” The Chronicle of Higher Education 47.19 (2001): B7-9

Orangutans: referential pointing occurs in food location and, the mysterious, novel circumstances
“We report 3 studies of the referential pointing of 2 orangutans
(Pongo pygmaeus). Chantek was raised in an enculturated environment;
Puti, raised in a nursery, had a more typical captive life. In
Experiment 1, flexibility of pointing behavior was investigated by
requiring subjects to point in novel circumstances (for an
out-of-sight tool, not food). In Experiment 2, we investigated the
orangutans’ comprehension of the significance of a human point in
helping them to locate food. In Experiment 3, we investigated whether
these pointing subjects comprehended that a human recipient must be
looking for the point to achieve its attention-directing goal. ”
–Call, Josep, and Michael Tomasello. “Production and comprehension of
referential pointing by orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus).” Journal of
Comparative Psychology 108 (1994): 307-17.

Looks like it’s just monkeys and humans
“Pointing with the index finger is a species-typical human gesture,
although human infants exhibit more whole-hand pointing than is
commonly appreciated. Captive monkeys and feral apes have been
reported to only rarely “spontaneously” point, although apes in
captivity frequently acquire pointing, both with the index finger and
with the whole hand, without explicit training.”
–Leavens, David A., and William D. Hopkins. “The whole-hand point: the
structure and function of pointing from a comparative perspective.”
Journal of Comparative Psychology 113.4 (1999): 417-25

Question: I was really hoping for some instance of, like, a lemur
pointing at something, or maybe some cloven-hoofed animal or the like.

Answer: As far as I can tell lemurs don’t point. They engage in “tail-play”,
they urinate to communicate boundaries, utilize a “variable number of shoulder
rubs and arm marks”, and like to get tickled….oh wait no. That’s a slow loris.
–Palagi, Elisabetta. “Adult Play Fighting and Potential Role of Tail
Signals in Ringtailed Lemurs (Lemur catta).” Journal of Comparative Psychology 123.1 (2009)
–Mertl-Millhollen, Anne S.. “Lateral Bias to the Leading Limb in an Olfactory Social Signal by Male
Ring-Tailed Lemurs.” American Journal of Primatology 69.6 (2007)

Question: How is it possible to tour and see first-hand Poveglia,
the Venetian ‘Island of the dead’? I know its usually closed to tourists.

Answer: The island of Poveglia was put up for sale by the government in 1994
(#1) but in 1996 “the ecosystem at the southern basin was found to be
in a state of catastrophic collapse regarding its biota, especially in
its southern part. This change was attributed to the change in the
direction of waste discharges by the Marghera refinery complex ” (#2)
Yuck! Additional studies revealed the presence of neurotoxic
compounds in clams (#3). Bad news! So, to gain access you either
need to buy it, or wait for it to be cleaned up by the Italian
government and re-opened, or wait til someone else buys it, cleans it
up and reopens it (good luck!).
–#1: Johnston, Bruce, “Venice sells off its dream isles”. The Daily
Telegraph, (1994, August 15). p. 1. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from
International Newspapers. (Document ID: 95356055).
–#2: P. Yu. Sorokin, “On the changing ecology of Venice lagoon”
Hydrobiologia. Volume 487, Number 1 / November, 2002
–#3: Matozzo V., Tomei A., Marin M.G., “Acetylcholinesterase as a
biomarker of exposure to neurotoxic compounds in the clam Tapes
philippinarum from the Lagoon of Venice” (2005) Marine Pollution
Bulletin, 50 (12), pp. 1686-1693.

…and just for fun:
You could always apply to go to school there at Poveglia Academy

Question: I’ve heard a rumor that one of the greatest linkages between philosophers/theorists….I guess you could say “thinkers”….is that supposedly the majority of them lost their fathers at an early age. Supposedly, the loss of the father creates a strong loss of certainty within the young males life and this supplies him with increased want and need to try to sort out the world through thought. As I lost my father early I had always wanted to see if this was total BS or not. In a way its completely subjective, but I was wondering if you could provide list of major philosophers/theorists who say lost their father before say 21 and a list of books/people who have touched on the subject pro or con. I guess enough information that one could make their own subjective decision about on the subject.

Answer: Jean Paul Sartre – father died in his infancy
Plato – father died in childhood, date unknown
Aristotle – father died in childhood, date unknown (around 10 yo?)
Ramanuja – father died in childhood, date unknown
David Hume – 2 when father died
Confucius – 3 when father died
Friedrich Nietzsche – 4 when father died
Bertrand Russell – 4 when father died
Boethius – 7 when father died
Ralph Waldo Emerson – 8 when father died
Arthur Schopenhauer – 17 when father committed suicide
Friedrich Ludwig Frege – 18 when father died
-Honderich, Ted. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1995

An analysis of  Emerson’s philosophy of autonomy as reflective of  his fatherlessness:  Chapman, Mary. “The economics of Loss: Emerson’s “Threnody”" ATQ ns16.2 (2002): 73-87. Humanities Full Text. Web. 14 Apr. 2010.

An interpretation of the work of many of the names above (Hume, Nietzsche) as anti-patriarchal and derivative of a fatherless upbringing:  Schneewind, J.B. The Invention of Autonomy: a History of Modern Moral Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. 1998

A book  “beginning with Freud’s notion that belief in God is a product of humanity’s desire for security…concluding that the absence of a good father is at the core of militant atheism.”  This work argues from a psychological stand point that without a God or father, we turn to rational thought to understand the universe:  Vitz, Paul C., Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism. Spence Publishing Company. 2009

Question: Can you be addicted to surfing the web? Are there significant chemical/neurological reason that people sometimes get anxious when they aren’t “jacked in”? (like that 90s retro expression?) Are there long term effects?

Answer: Looks like yes, “Internet addiction is an individual’s inability to control their Internet use, which in turn leads to feelings of distress and functional impairment of daily activities”(#1) or elsewhere defined as “staying online for pleasure an average of 38 hours a week”. (#3)  It may be based in chemical reactions:

“New research conducted by neuroscientist Irving Biederman at the University of Southern California has revealed clues as to why humans cannot resist surfing the Internet for boundless information. Just like cats that are hard-wired to hunt down small bright objects, like birds, humans are biologically hard-wired to seek out more information due to chemical reactions in the brain creating a good feeling whenever new information is encountered. For most of human history, our ancestors never had to worry about overdosing on information; but with the Internet making more information easily accessible, it is becoming increasingly harder for humans to resist the high surfing the Internet offers.”
–Gomes, Lee. “Why We’re Powerless To Resist Grazing On Endless Web Data.” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) 12 Mar. 2008: B1.

“By some estimates, as many as 10 percent of Web users are living with one or more forms of Internet dependency, which has now been given the name of Internet Addiction Disorder, or IAD. IAD, as acknowledged by the American Psychiatric Association”
–Davidson, Jeff. “Internet Addiction Is Not Pretty.” Public Management 90.9 (2008): 40.

Symptoms:
Depression, loneliness, and the breakdown of social relationships, lying about the amount of time spent on the Internet, restlessness, irritability and anxiety when not on the Internet, and repeated although unsuccessful attempts to reduce the time involved. The Internet could be as addictive as drugs, alcohol, or gambling. (#2)

Long term effects: (undoubtedly more will be published when the Internet is older)
“The Internet Paradox refers to findings that demonstrated that the increase in communications brought about by Internet usage actually had negative effects on user’s psychological well-being and social involvement. This study proposes that face-to-face contact promotes the development of rapport and thereby individuals that use the internet excessively will lack these necessary social skills. Results indicate that excessive users were more likely to be depressed and socially inhibited, and also were rated as having a lower level of rapport and likeability.”
–Iacovelli, Anthony, and Stavros Valenti. “Internet addiction’s effect on likeability and rapport.” Computers in Human Behavior 25.2 (2009): 439-43.

#1: –Shapira, N., Lessig, M., Goldsmith, T., Szabo, S., Lazoritz, M., Gold, M. et al. (2003). “Problematic Internet use: Proposed classification and diagnostic criteria. Depression and Anxiety”, 17(4), 207-216
#2:  –”Cyber-sickness.” The Ecologist 28.6 (1998): 331.
#3: –DeYoung, Judy. “C’mon, just one more click . . ..” Working Woman 23 (1998): 22.

Question: Once and for all, was 911 a government conspiracy? I seem to find conflicting accounts online.

Answer: We may never know for sure, but it seems that a shift in public opinion occurred in 2005 around an article published in Popular Mechanics .

“What should go down as a knock-out blow to the 9/11 denier
movement–Which Michael Shermer called “just about one of the best
things ever done in the history of skepticism,”–is the now-famous
Popular Mechanics article turned into a best-selling book that
debunked many of the top points the conspiracy theorists relied on.
Joining a chorus of mainstream publications including Skeptic and
taking the central claims head on, the PM article became a prime mover
for the 9/11 denier movement’s undoing.

The Popular Mechanics article was published in its March 2005
issue (#2) and became an Internet hit after the live debate hosted by
Democracy Now between Popular Mechanics editors Jim Meigs and David
Dunbar and Loose Change creators Dylan Avery and Jason Bermas. In the
aftermath of that debate–if this is any indicator of which side
presented the better case–that article became the most popularly
searched item pertaining to 9/11 conspiracies and, from that point on,
the skeptical perspective became the dominant voice pertaining to the
movement. The conversation was brought to the mainstream, and the
mainstream made its decision.

Today, the 9/11 conspiracy movement is a shell of what it once
was. The website masquerading as an academic journal, Journal of 9/11
Studies, has dropped from a high of six articles in its August 2006
issue to one in March, and its two most recent editions (it’s supposed
to be updated monthly) were simply skipped over, evidently for lack of
a single article.” (#1)
–#1: Ray, John. “How Skeptics Confronted 9/11 Conspiracy Advocates.”
Skeptic (Altadena, Calif.) 14.2 (2008): 16-17. OmniFile Full Text
Mega. Web. 13 Apr. 2010
–#2: “9/11: Debunking the Myths.” Popular Mechanics 182.3 (2005):
70-81. OmniFile Full Text Mega. Web. 13 Apr. 2010.

Question: Yeah, but what about the pentagon? That’s where sh*t gets really weird. And also, a rebuttal. http://911research.wtc7.net/essays/gopm/index.html

Answer: I think anything that is shrouded in so much secrecy deserves the most ardent conspirators:

“On January 18, 2002, U.S. District Court judge Leonie Brinkerna made a fateful ruling that would have profound consequences on the public’s ability to understand the nature of the September 11, 2001, attacks and of the enemy that conducted them. Judge Brinkema ruled that court proceedings in the case of the United States versus suspected 9/11 co-conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui could not be broadcast in any way.”
–Rosenthal, John. “Doing Justice to Zacarias Moussaoui.” Policy ReviewOmniFile Full Text Mega. Web. 19 Apr. 2010. 2007/January Dec. 2008: 39-61.

And, interestingly enough, you are not alone in your beliefs:

“A 2006 Scripps Survey Research Center poll revealed that 36 percent of all Americans think that the government was responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks, but they differ on the extent of the blame.”
–Constant, Paul. “Towers of Babble.” Utne Jan./Feb. 2008: 64-9. OmniFile Full Text Mega. Web. 19 Apr. 2010.

“Swami and colleagues offer a preliminary psychological profile of people who believe in conspiracies about the September 11, 2001and identified several traits—backing one or more conspiracy theories unrelated to the attacks, frequently talking about conspiracy beliefs relate to the attacks with like-minded friends and others, taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, feeling generally suspicious toward others, and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook—associated with subscribing to conspiracy theories about the events of September 11, 2001. The findings appear to be consistent with the theory that that conspiracy thinkers constitute a community of believers.”
–Bower, Bruce. “Tracing the inner world of suspicion.” Science News 175.13 (2009): 11. OmniFile Full Text Mega. Web. 19 Apr. 2010.

Question: Is there any relationship or known contact between Domenico Ghirlendaio, Carlos Crivelli, Michaeangelo, Leonardo, Nicolaus Copernicus, Christopher Columbus in any combination. They all were in Italy in the late 1400. Most, around Florence. Some paintings, designs, and journals have depictions and descriptions of lights or objects in the sky. Could this be an early record of the UFO phenomenon?

Answer:

Leonardo + Copernicus:
Both identified “earthshine”–a phenomenon that causes lights in the sky because of the reflection of sunlight from the day-side of the earth onto the dark side of the moon.  Leonardo discussed and drew this in his journal, Codex Leicester (circa 1510)
–Phillips, Tony. “The Da Vinci Glow.” NASA Science. Web. 4 Oct. 2005
“[Nicholas Copernicus] did more than any other to open the door to extraterrestrials…[by] publish[ing] in 1543 a book advocating the heliocentric theory…thereby changing our earth into a planet and inevitably, if gradually, transformed stars into other suns, which many later authors assumed are surrounded by inhabited planets. Although no evidence indicates that Copernicus recognized the ramifications that his hypothesis would have for belief in extraterrestrial intelligences, others soon saw such implications. Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)…was Copernican…and showed caution concerning extraterrestrials…In Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, Galileo suggested that if life exists on the moon, it must be “extremely diverse and far beyond our imagining” (S. Dick 1993, 504)
–Michael J. Crowe, “A History of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate.” Blackwell Publishing. 32, no. 2 (1997): 147-162

A theologists of that time, Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) wrote of extraterrestrial philosophy even before the Copernican revolution:
“Rather than think that so many stars and parts of the heavens and that this earth of our is alone peopled….we will suppose that in every region different in nature by rank and all owing their origin to God who is the center and circumference of all stellar regions”
–Peters, Ted. “The Gods Have Landed” State University of New York Press, 1995.

Copernicus + Columbus:
“Despite the myth that Columbus had to persuade Isabella and Ferdinand that the world was round, people had known the Earth as a sphere since the time of the ancient Greeks. Columbus challenged the accepted geographical maps of the time, however, and helped to provide an intellectual climate of opinion willing to accept new ideas. His geographical discoveries prepared the way for a revised understanding of Earth’s place in the cosmos. In the 1500s, Nicolaus Copernicus proposed a sun-centered cosmology, which served as a blueprint for the eventual reform of astronomy.”
–Gingerich, Owen. “Astronomy in the age of Columbus.” Scientific American 267 (1992): 100-5. General Science Full Text.

The combined influence of Copernicus + Columbus on the belief that extraterrestrials lived on the moon in England, c. 1638:
“The writer suggests that 1638 was England’s lunar moment. He shows that it was around this time that speculation about the plurality of worlds, the likelihood that the moon was inhabited, and the possibility of space travel bringing humans and lunar creatures into contact produced a veritable lunar discourse among clerics and others in Stuart England, drawing on ancient and medieval astronomical, theological, and literary traditions. He describes how a high proportion of those who wrote about the moon were churchmen who wondered how lunar inhabitants would fit into Christian history and whether they too were the seed of Adam. Moreover, he suggests that in a post-Copernican, post-Reformation, and post-Columbian Europe, the bounds of wonderment were virtually unlimited.”
–Cressy, David. “Early Modern Space Travel and the English Man in the Moon.” The American Historical Review 111.4 (2006): XVI, 961-82. Humanities Full Text.

Columbus + Ghirlandaio:
Ghirlandaio’s son, Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, painted Columbus c.1525

“So alike were the approaches and products of painters and cartographers that until the Renaissance there was no terminology to distinguish clearly between maps and paintings.  Cartography and painting were also linked by cosmic as well as terrestrial considerations; maps and paintings reflected prevailing notions of space and the cosmos.”
–Rees, Ronald. “Historical Links between Cartography and Art.” American Geographical Society. 1980.

“The way in which humans deal with physical objects has been formed by extensive interaction and, according to the theory of embodied cognition, has led to conceptualization and interpretation that is grounded in physical interaction of the body with elements in the environment. Digital objects are immaterial and cannot show similar external properties as physical objects, and further, they are representational in nature. Specific problems related to their immaterial nature are those of permanence, location, and ownership…It is concluded that the importance of the distinction between direct physical objects and immaterial objects has been vastly underestimated, at the cost of usability, trust and security.”
—Don G Bouwhuis, (2006) “Perception and interpretation of internet information: accessibility, validity and trust”, Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 4 Iss: 1, pp.7 – 16

If the Mashup Awards are any indicator we are far from the future.  I believe web application hybrids (or mashups) will mitigate, aggregate, and supply returns all our information retrieval needs when we eventually move away from paging through text-based preview links in a single channel of discovery.  Wikipedia, feeds, and dynamic dashboards are training a new generation of digital natives to expect information to be composited onto one platform, and why shouldn’t it?  And yet, although I’ve seen some stand out mashups this year, a majority of those getting press seem to extend off of Twitter.  Snooze.

Here are my Mashup Awards, ending with the meta-Mashup to the third degree

NY Art Beat Bubble Machine

Paul Hagon’s Then & Now

Map of Amazon (hint: once you’re there double click)

TubeGraph (Kayne & Obama Mashup Mashup)