It is possible that the exclusive rights to the Ikonos images are intended to prevent the media from disseminating images of bomb damage

Apparently, the U.S. Department of Defense is buying up images from the Ikonos satellite, which has been operated by Space Imaging since 1999, of Afghanistan and the United States. from the military operation area of "Enduring Freedom" makes. In principle, Ikonos could provide images in real time.

U.S. military only shows images of successful bombings with no human casualties

Courtroom at the Aeropag. Image: W. Aswestopoulos

The Greek Judiciary Targeted by the Press and Politicians

In the wake of the conviction of Andreas Georgiou, the former head of ElStat, the statistics agency created with him as its founding director in 2010, numerous press reports have been circulating at home and abroad that portray the judiciary as being controlled by the government.

Talk to Grurried Stocker, Director of the Ars Electronica

Today in Linz begins the media art event ARS Electronica 2001. This-year festival topic "Takeover" and a short "Statement", The Ars Director of Grurried Stocker has written, mild uncertainty caused, especially in artists crises, which is meant now. Anyway, after years of topics such as Infowar or Life Sciences, it will give rise to a strong concentration on art as a topic. In a conversation with Grurried Stocker on the topic of this year "Ars", For the positioning of the festival and the role of art in society, Cornelia ZollFrank asked the questions.

Grurried Stocker on a reception from 1999. Source: Ars Electronica as the title "Takeover" It is already clear, the this-year Ars Electronica is about the idea of taking over. You can see briefly who takes exactly what?

Grurried Stocker: "Takeover" not only means supp receipt, but can also overtake. In the sense of supp receipt, one can relate to three things. That one is "The art of art takes over the media art". That’s great, that’s big. We are pleased that media art is increasingly established and accepted in art business, but unfortunately a lot on the track remains because of the art operations in the form, as it deals with media art, only certain areas and forms of media art accepted. Another "Takeover" is that the media industry takes rough parts of the creative potential, keyword brain drain. That means the fact that young people have been increasingly observing that young people go to the media creative industry and thus a rough potential of those who were otherwise effective in art-related or artistic territories, now otherwise used otherwise. A third "Takeover", Although more Wishful Thinking is a hard fact, it is that the art (note – if I speak about art, I speak more and more about contemporary media art) into other areas, there will be effective. Strategies of art to deal with certain terms and principles with new media and information technologies at a high standard, are supported in other, non-artistic areas of society. This corresponds to a thesis of the dissolution of art for many years, not in the sense that she is trying out and disappears, but rather looks out how a mineral in a fluid and becomes effective. This is the utopian version that we do at the topic "Takeover" blame. Ame that the forms of the "Takeover" real developments are real developments, or are it rather allegations / settlements they make to achieve something that? If yes, what?

Grurried Stocker: I ame that not a single word from which we have in this year in our program ies is the invention or setting, but all observations of real developments. Of course, however, this takes place in homopathic dosages when viewed the ratio of art and society. Art was, is and is probably always a niche segment of our society in this form. And if one speaks of effects and revolutions, then one thinks very fast to coarse, spectacular umbrellars that affect whole humanity. In fact, it is small dimensions, which should not be a valuation criterion. Female Takeover, Source: Kunstraum Goethestrasse Where does the desire come from in the art business "Non-artists" or "Still non-artists" lose in? What qualities do they do not have professional artists?

Grurried Stocker: The question is, what are professional artists? Are those who have studied art that have been exhibited by a work of a university? I mean artists who actually operate the art as profession.

Grurried Stocker: But what makes professional artists authorized? If we look at the history of media art, then the interesting thing is the departure that brought media art. He has hardly been represented or operated by people who wore the job title artist at this time. When they started working, there was still the media art yet and had to be invented. The people who made that have either come from areas that were considered as non-professional artificial arts, or they were newcomers from other disciplines, such as.B. Nam June Paik, the musician, before he successfully tested as a video artist. The best of the art "Non-artists" Connect, therefore, that history has repeatedly showed us that from apparently artistic areas that the new impulses come to the art and art operation, enrich and renew. It is an enormous important potential. And to make another comment on the first question, the aspect that the art operations ame media art. It is to be observed that only certain forms of media art hold into the institutions, causing development slowed down, is slowed down, and it is obsolete the question of wherever all the approaches that are not one of the shaped forms. We are also very interested in this. The art and the art system are thus obtained by integration of innovative, but actually artificial impulses even alive?

Grurried Stocker: Yes. If you are talking about art business and institutions, they also mean the Ars Alectronica, or where did they settle the ARS in the relationship to artist? And also works as a lock in the operation?

Grurried Stocker: The ARS Electronica has, of course, become a not insignificant part, part of the art and culture business – no question. We are confidentally established. There are ARS Alectronica now for 22 years. But what the ARS Electronica makes and makes it again and again to the coveted attack goal, is a very successful strategy, not in a certain direction or pose staying. Takeover campus, "meatpace" Source: urban workshop Where were you settled in with regard to the art business?

Grurried Stocker: I settle us in a border area. The potential of the ARS electronica is to act in a run, a kind of mediation or brokerage function to take over between different areas. The definition "Festival for art, technology and society" has been the program of the Ars Electronica program for 22 years and gives the direction, not yet a Assign these areas, but to carry out different weights. The topics of recent years "Infowar" and "Life Science" went towards society and science / technology, and this year, the pendulum in a different direction, namely the art out. The important for us is to always stay in motion. And not want to want art operations, goods surely; We are too close to this. With the "Takeover" Will not the concept of art as such in question. Why can it be useful to have such a claimed terrain?

Grurried Stocker: For me, art is always a form in society to work. Art defines itself on their effects, to open alternative concepts, counter models and insights. This aspect of art is extremely important to us. If we also hurt the alleged territorial claim of whom, as this year, then this is a sign of how important our access to the topic is, and how important is the importance of concept art and its maintenance in our society. I have been confessed several times with the reproach in the last time, that was a romantic concept of avant-garde. But maybe we should also look at Avantgarde again something relaxed. Avantgarde is not a form of art, but a function of art. If, within the art in recent years, the view was increasingly represented that art had lost its avant-garde entitlement, and that the concept of art had uberhallt, then I could agree with this only in terms of some aspect. The art is by no means ending or affected, but on the contrary, just umbut a different function. They are also artists, if I am properly informed.

Grurried Stocker: Yes, suspended artist. Because of my current role as artistic director of the ARS, I do not appear as an artist. I do not remain the time to develop projects themselves, and I then did not want to accommodate my work in a program of me. Although I often have a design influence in ideas and implementations, but this is not the artists of these projects. And I’m sure it’s not just the idea, but the implementation manifested through which artistic work and quality manifest. Partial view of illustration on topic "Takeover" by Kaneko Nanpei and Okada Tomohiro What is your artist picture out? Is artists a – almost normal – profession or is it rather a pretending state of "Creativity burst"?

Grurried Stocker: One aspect that comes into play again and again is the risk of living a professional artist / artist. The number of artists who really can afford to fully dust the profession was always very low and will probably stay. I make sure that a third of the artists can live from their activity. According to the IG media, it is only 5%.

Grurried Stocker: Even worse. Then it is even more dramatic than I got it. And what have the artists for a choice? They can teach, as journalists work, or in artful areas, as in the gastronomy, as a waiter jobben. An important aspect of the question of the job profile of professional artists is always, which makes you artist? Is it a personal convocation to be artist, even if you can not live it? Is it the bill that the university ies me or is it the accreditation of art business? I think it’s the mixture of all this, and alone the condition of the "Creativity burst" Will not bring us further. As I said, I became the artist with the effect, the function of art related. Ultimately, it is the function of art to preserve a place for counter concepts and alternative models. That’s why I vote for art, especially in artificial areas, are the science or economy. Only the presence of art and artists mimic it to develop action and thinking concepts against the mainstream. To describe an artist as creative and limitless, is, of course, a very general and almost artistic image, yet it serves as a mission statement for a flexibilized and asthesized society, which descripted by globalization and immaterialization of the work generally unregulated work control and social degradation.

Grurried Stocker: I doubt that the wide population of such a model can learn something. To be incredibly creative, but never to know what you pay the next rent can certainly not give a model. If I engage in the tendency of social degradation, from which Europe is just haunted, that does not happen voluntarily. 22-year hackers may find it cool to work in another company every few weeks, but that has nothing to do with whether a neo-liberal economic concept is societal. Nonetheless, diligent myths are created, from nomads, creative hackers, codes, circuit benders etc., to help create acceptance for a new, flexibilized model of work.

Grurried Stocker: Glamourose views of the new generation of young, dynamic programmers, inventors, web designers, etc. Although can be drawn, they have only temporary validity. And as a model for social security, they are certainly unsuitable. The example of the US should make this very quickly clear. In addition, such myths are not so new. The vagabond artist, which is located by the non-locality an independent spirit, is a stark-holding, romantic artist image, but certainly no invention of the media industry. Likewise, it behaves with the socially independent position of artists, probably it is even what all artists have all together. How does the new art matter, not just the traditional art business, but also to the art market? What is its economic basis? And there is a border between the new art and the New Economy, or goes together?

Grurried Stocker: An important aspect when we talk about the economic situation of artists is the convergence of artistry with the digital revolution. The digital revolution has undoubtedly took part and with her new economic fields were created, where creative people, potential artists are scanned and can be suddenly successful. The phenomenon brain drain, And there is the real option not to more than a waiter jobben, but in a much more obvious area like design or game development can work. The question of gaming development plays an important role in the this-year Ars Electronica. There is a tremendous dynamic in this area. The phenomena of the gaming industry, such as Lara Croft and Final Fantasy, ghosts through the media, but only brought all the very marginal the artistic potential of Computer Game or Network Game. Only if you look at the thing, the potential in itself, the question arises as to whether that can not be very comfortable or. Whether you can not make art very well. It’s not about wanting to do it to art?

Grurried Stocker: The work necessary to make a good game is the very similar, which requires it to make a good book or a good movie. Movie can be art, though, of course, 99% of what she encounters us day as film, nothing to do with art. Nevertheless, you can make a very good art with the medium movie, and with the medium game / computer game you will also make damn good art in the future – even if it still likes to look uninteresting uninteresting at the moment. It will be an important scene of art. That is called, at certain points finds a border rack or. A merger instead – a good game becomes art – at other points, they were maintained the separation, between web design for the brooter advertising and of them separate artistic production?

Grurried Stocker: Yes, quite. In their concept, the operation operandi of their action, their motivations, strategies and objectives do not define the protagonists of the new development as artists. Please describe this a bit more detail?

Grurried Stocker: Kunstlersein has a lot to do with conviction, because to decide to flee a life as an artist, not only has pleasant consequences. The decisive questions is with what motivation is done. If I turn out of motivation to make money something, it is very fragh whether it can be art or be art. If I do it with another intention, z.B. To tell a story, to give a protest or offer a counter concept, then it can be independent whether you earn money or not, very well art. We have to be a strong way to make sure that it is not so very formal criteria of art, but about your effect and function. This is certainly not the only basic form to describe art, but a very targeted form to describe contemporary media art. How does the ARS puts the topic "Takeover" in a program?

Grurried Stocker: Short is not that easy, but maybe you can fix it to a few points. We have the convimate symposium in a number of Conferences converted, which are dominated by the protagonists themselves, D.H. No speculation and theories of it but first hand information. the Electrolobby, which has developed from the Open-X project of the years 96-98, focuses on this border community, which is constantly changing between creativity, art and business and tries a defined path between these "Fronten" go. The Takeover Campus (TOC) as a building for art students and the free media scene (free radios, indymedia etc.) is a new scene of the Ars Electronica.

Keyloggers compete with traditional phishing

Two spectacular online banking fraud series in Brazil and France point to a new potential danger especially for online bankers: keyloggers that secretly infiltrate computers and specifically record all online banking activities. Such spy programs are old hat in themselves. But the new snufflers can do more than their predecessors. Their programmers are apprenticed to the email phishers and fool their unsuspecting victims into believing that they are visiting the fake websites of their local banks.

parents use it to control their surfing offspring. Employers use them to secretly monitor the morale of their employees, and jealous contemporaries use them to monitor the chat and email activity of their partners. We are talking about keyloggers, those spy programs that are able to seamlessly log all user activities on the PC, save them and send them to the person who placed the agile software bugs in the victim’s computer. Cybercriminals are also increasingly using the handy little spy programs to sniff out the behavior of their unsuspecting victims – now also in online banking.

Turkey deports Syrian warplane and makes clear what consequences the fight for Ukraine could have

With the escalation of the conflict between Russia and the U.S. and the EU, it is no longer just about Ukraine and Crimea or the concerns of some neighboring countries like Poland or the Baltic states. Without Russia’s cooperation, the Middle East (primarily Syria and Iran) will become a more dangerous source of conflict, and Russia is also trying to take advantage of the withdrawal of Isaf troops in Afghanistan.

And China, which is under a similar fear of encirclement as Russia, is still keeping out of it (powder keg Asia). This does not have to continue. Meanwhile, North Korea provoked again over the weekend with tests of short-range missiles and is not impressed by criticism. However, this is also to be understood as a reaction to the military exercises now taking place by Sud Korean and US forces, to which North Korea has previously threatened with the atomic bomb (North Korea wants to "Super precision drones" own). It is already clear that without Russia (and perhaps China) nothing will happen in the Security Council and thus the United Nations will be paralyzed.

25 million euros from Germany for idlib

Germany’s support for Erdogan goes to the next round. It is hardly more than a week ago, when Chancellor’s attendant to Ankara of Turkey comprehensive support for escape lines in Northwest Syria.

In doing so, it took ethnic cleans and the change of demographic in northern and eastern Syria by the settlement of Arab-Matter, Sunni Syrians in the fields of self-government of North and East Syria by Turkey.

Despite poor results, Texas governor sticks to plans to broadcast border surveillance images on the Internet

Despite negative results, the governor of the southern US state of Texas is sticking to his plan to have the border with Mexico monitored by cameras and to post the images on the Internet. Late last year, Rick Perry had awarded a multi-million dollar grant to a related test project. While the Republican Party politician gave a positive assessment after a month, a local newspaper came to a different conclusion. The El Paso Times had requested records of the test run using the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. Only ten arrests of illegal immigrants have been made as a result of the surveillance. With a total of 12.000 arrests of illegal immigrants in the region in November 2006 alone, that’s less than 0.1 percent.

The Texas Border Watch Test Site was funded by the 3. until the 30. November last year online. During this time, images from eight surveillance cameras were transmitted 24 hours a day on the Internet. At the end of the test, advocates of continuous surveillance proudly documented the result: 221.562 users had registered on the site, to the total of 27 million accesses had been 13.000 e-mails received.

Cartels fight for the USA’s neighboring country. The government mobilizes the army and provokes an escalation of the situation

Drug trafficking and Latin America – when you hear these buzzwords, you can’t help but think of Colombia. But the war for the cocaine market has long since shifted to the north. In Mexico, the USA’s neighbor to the south, several cartels are engaged in bloody confrontations on a par with those in South America. Over 3,000 people have died in this battle for drug market control since the beginning of this year alone. The escalation is increasingly affecting the U.S. as well. Experts now fear that Washington’s military intervention will further destabilize Mexico.

The battle for Mexico is particularly fierce, because control of this territory determines access to the U.S. market. About 90 percent of cocaine enters the United States through the U.S.-Mexican border, with only a fraction coming through the Caribbean or other routes. As a result, several drug cartels have emerged in Mexico in recent years, which – similar to the Colombian models in Medellin or Cali – are not only waging war against each other. Increasingly, state institutions are also being targeted.

Danny Hillis on the future of entertainment, the power of game developers and the merging of man and machine

After the challenges Bill Gates faced with his "Future Machine" in the form of the X-Box, which until then had only existed as vaporware, painted the horizon for game developers (Bill Gates unveiled the X-Box), and after heated discussions about violence in computer games dripped "the genius" among the digerati, Danny Hillis, balm on the troubled souls of game developers at the conclusion of their industry meeting in San Jose on Saturday night: "You are a force that shapes the world", the pioneer of parallel computing and longtime Disney advisor gave the funky community a lift on the road to the future of entertainment.

For Hillis, the phenomenon of play is a "cultural universal". Children, adults and even animals are excited about it in the same mabe, he said. Play is also not a pure end in itself, but always has a "To do with learning". A mathematician by training who, while still a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), developed computer toys for children and touch-sensitive robots at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory under Marvin Minsky, he now argues that the debate about learning is always confined to schools. The fact is that sitting in class is the only thing that is being "the least important and most interesting form of learning", where the absorption rate of children is limited to a few minutes "Bits" throttled. Video games like Nintendo’s Pokemon, on the other hand, give kids endless new skills.

Macron (with a Merkel-Raute variation), Merkel and Gentiloni. Image: EU

Negotiations on EU budget: Chancellor Merkel, who had continued a short time in 2014, now demands more money – especially for escape. But it’s also about terms and sanctions

Angela Merkel challenges Eastern Europe – SPIEGEL ONLINS voted its readers on the EU special summit on financial planning 2021-2027. The Chancellor will demand more solidarity in escape policies and threaten unwilling countries like Hungary or Poland with medium roots, so expectation.