Conference Presentations by Liviu-Ovidiu Pop
Liviu Pop's seminar presentation "Imaginația Populară Față în Față cu Automatizarea" provides a c... more Liviu Pop's seminar presentation "Imaginația Populară Față în Față cu Automatizarea" provides a compelling examination of the public's perception of automation and its representation in cultural narratives. Tracing the historical threads of the topic, Pop identifies the Luddite movement as an early form of resistance to the mechanization of labor, setting the stage for an ongoing dialogue about the role of technology in society. The document explores the portrayal of machines and robots in popular culture, from the fears embodied in Frankenstein's monster to the apocalyptic visions of the Terminator series. These cultural artifacts reflect a deep anxiety about the potential for technology to exceed human control and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. The conversation continues to the present day by discussing contemporary AI technologies like ChatGPT and MidJourney, noting their rapid adoption and the significant user milestones they've reached. The discussion includes the psychological phenomenon of the "Uncanny Valley" and its relevance to the acceptance of human-like robots and animations. Concluding with a reflection on the economic value and generational displacement induced by AI, Pop's document presents a nuanced view of the interplay between technological progress and human sentiment, underscoring the need for a balanced understanding as we navigate the evolving landscape of automation and artificial intelligence." Liviu Pop's seminar delves into the intersection of technology, culture, and economy, offering insights into the collective imagination's response to the relentless march of automation.
This document explores the complexities and significance of digital archives, specifically examin... more This document explores the complexities and significance of digital archives, specifically examining the case of IAFAR. It delves into the definition of digital archives, noting their role in preserving 'digital objects' for long-term access, and contemplates the concept of 'long-term' in the context of technological solutions. The challenges discussed range from the physical fragility of storage media to the rapid evolution of technology and the metaphorical 'evaporation' of information into the cloud. Through various sections, it engages with the cultural and technological dimensions of archiving, juxtaposing the endurance of cultural artifacts against the transient nature of digital media. The document touches upon principles and solutions for organizing digital information, such as Linked Open Data, and reflects on the need for archives to be understandable to both computers and humans. Moreover, it briefly addresses concerns about privacy and the ethical considerations of machine learning, invoking historical examples of automation and artificial intelligence to highlight the shifting boundaries between human and machine interaction. The text presents an intricate picture of digital archiving as a field at the intersection of culture, technology, and ethics, underscoring the importance of developing robust systems for preserving our digital legacy.
This presentation offers an insightful exploration into the collection and curation of digital ma... more This presentation offers an insightful exploration into the collection and curation of digital materials for ethnological research, with a focus on contemporary urban folklore. Liviu Pop examines case studies such as Creative Monkeyz and Hip Hop to highlight the cultural phenomena and their urban-specific narratives in the digital age. He discusses the challenges of collecting digital data, including copyright issues and the use of specialized tools for extracting information from platforms like YouTube. The document also distinguishes between the methodologies of exporting and saving digital data, emphasizing the importance of preserving original files in secure archives, providing an in-depth look at how platforms like Facebook serve as rich sources of cultural data, referencing specific community groups to illustrate this point. Liviu Pop underscores the urgency of capturing available online materials before they become inaccessible. He advocates for a tailored approach to each digital platform to establish what constitutes valuable content, suggesting the creation of a digital-born archive for the benefit of future generations. The work concludes by acknowledging the practical reality of archiving: collecting what is available, not necessarily what is ideal. The main themes and purposes of Liviu Pop's document, which navigates the intersection of digital data collection and folkloric studies within an ethnological framework.
În era digitală, canalele de YouTube și conturile de TikTok au devenit resurse extraordinare de m... more În era digitală, canalele de YouTube și conturile de TikTok au devenit resurse extraordinare de material etnografic, oferind oportunități inedite de a păstra pentru posteritate conținut generat de amatori sau pasionați de cultură tradițională și nu numai. Prezentarea "Arhive digitale întunecate. Despre corpusuri audio-video" își propune să susțină necesitatea și urgența de a captura și arhiva aceste resurse valoroase în așa-numitele "arhive întunecate". Acestea nu numai că servesc drept depozite de cunoaștere pentru generații viitoare, dar și captează zeitgeist-ul contemporan, fie că este vorba de elemente tradiționale sau tendințe moderne. În cadrul acestei prezentări, vor fi aduse în discuție exemple concrete de canale și conturi care merită atenție și care ar putea constitui fundația unei astfel de arhive digitale întunecate. Prin arhivarea acestor corpusuri audio-video, avem șansa de a crea un mozaic complex și dinamic al culturii și societății noastre, util atât pentru cercetarea academică, cât și pentru înțelegerea evoluției culturale.
“Archives, Access & Artificial Intelligence” Conference, 2020
This presentation/paper will try to have a look behind at the hidden labour behind AIs and the ch... more This presentation/paper will try to have a look behind at the hidden labour behind AIs and the challenges of using them ethically in a future full of mechanical turk phantoms.
Pentru Marea Unire s-au urnit valuri de oameni să ajungă la Alba-Iulia, precum într-un pelerinaj ... more Pentru Marea Unire s-au urnit valuri de oameni să ajungă la Alba-Iulia, precum într-un pelerinaj laic. O sută de ani mai târziu o inițiativă îndrăzneață propune reîndrăgostirea românilor de România profundă prin traversarea ei în diagonală de la Drobeta-Turnu Severin până la Putna. Prezentarea va analiza acceastă inițiativă în contextul internațional și istoric al rutelor de "pelerinaj" și cum ar putea Via Transilvanică să se transforme într-o tradiție.
Presentation given during the workshop Text Analysis across Disciplines
Digital Humanities Initia... more Presentation given during the workshop Text Analysis across Disciplines
Digital Humanities Initiative Workshop, Central European University, Budapest.
[Tehnicianul] Negruț era o figura pitoreasca. Mic si negricios, asa cum sugera si numele, era str... more [Tehnicianul] Negruț era o figura pitoreasca. Mic si negricios, asa cum sugera si numele, era strungar de mecanica fina, dar de fapt un mester desavârsit în orice. Cel putin asa se lauda. Prima proba pentru mine a fost ca facea un vin fiert excelent, cu care ne delectam în multe zile reci de iarna. Al doilea ca a reusit sa-mi repare de câteva ori un vechi ceas de mâna de care ceasornicarii ezitau sa se mai ocupe, dar pe care în cele din urma i l-am facut cadou. El spunea ca poate face orice, de la elice de vapor la vioara si, la nevoie poate repara si avioane.
The presentation will be two folded: on one hand there will be a general presentation of The Inst... more The presentation will be two folded: on one hand there will be a general presentation of The Institute "Folklore Archive" of the Romanian Academy from Cluj-Napoca and the current digitisation project and on the other hand I will present a possible solution for long term digital preservation of the content of the archive. The solution can be viewed from two organic perspectives: on of the zoo and the other one of the guerrilla gardening. The first one insists on the importance of returning into the wild what was once captured on the field of research, and the other one offers a way of doing this, by adopting the seed bombing method to the problem of disappearing immaterial cultural heritage. Thanks to the Moore's Law, it is now possible to have decent hardware for very good prices and this might allow the implementation of many small NUCs or Raspberry PIs either as small web-servers or kiosks (or both) in remote villages from Transylvania, the place where the majority of the content from the archive was recorded. Using Omeka software or other open-source digital archives solutions, the digitised content may become available to the inhabitants of the villages. Thus the crystallised folklore, which has a fundamental open source structure, might become, thanks to open source technologies, fluid again.
Despre arhive digitale în general / o colecție foto în particular.
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Conference Presentations by Liviu-Ovidiu Pop
Digital Humanities Initiative Workshop, Central European University, Budapest.
Digital Humanities Initiative Workshop, Central European University, Budapest.
Submissions of abstracts for oral presentations no longer than 20 minutes, featuring high quality and previously unpublished research are invited on the following TOPICS:
• Early computers and pioneers from Eastern and Central Europe
• Computer prototypes and experimental machines
• The evolution of computing technology and communications
• Educational initiatives and the birth of computer science in Eastern and Central Europe countries
• Women as digital workers