I just signed a petition calling for Norwegian universities to use research expertise on AI when deciding how to implement it, rather than having decisions be made mostly administratively. , If you are a researcher in Norway, please read it and sign it if you agree – and share with anyone else who might be interested. The petition was written by three researchers at UiT: Maria Danielsen (a philosopher who completed her PhD in 2025 on AI and ethics, including discussions of art and working life), Knut Ørke (Norwegian as a second language), and Holger Pötzsch (a professor of media studies with many years of research on digital media, video games, disruption, and working life, among other topics). This is not about preventing researchers from exploring AI methods in their research. It is about not uncritically accepting the hype that everyone must use AI everywhere without critical reflection. It is about not introducing Copilot as the default option in word processors, or training PhD candidates to believe they will fall behind if they do not use AI when writing articles, without proper academic discussion. Changes like these should be knowledge-based and discussed academically, not merely decided administratively, because they alter the epistemological foundations of research. Maria wrote to me a couple of months ago because she had read my opinion piece in Aftenposten in which I called for a strong brake on the use of language models in knowledge work. She was part of a committee tasked with developing UiT’s AI strategy and was concerned because there was so much hype and so few members of the committee with actual expertise in AI. I fully support the petition. There are probably some good uses for AI in research, but the uncritical, hype-driven insistence that we must simply adopt it everywhere is highly risky. There are many researchers in Norway with strong expertise in AI, language, ethics, working life, and culture. We must make use of this expertise. This is also partly about respect for research in the humanities, social sciences, psychology, and law. Introducing AI at universities and university colleges is not merely a technical issue, and perhaps not even primarily a technical one. It concerns much more: philosophy of science, methodological reflection, epistemology, writing, publishing, the working environment, and more. […]
patricia
hmm. Have to say making little furry covers never occurred to me … but if we replaced the apple with a heart, i could see maybe taking on the project. 😀
christian
I bet there is an overwelming number of women using ibook. Just because the colors are so nice, or they match their new sofa and curtains. oh yes I would kill for a lightblue pc with a teddybear painted on the chassis. 😉
Henning
Can’t say I want this for my iBook. Or my reputation. Anyways, think I read a piece in Wired online about Japanese communities for modifying the appearance of macs.
[…surfing…]
Ah, here’s the link:
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,56085,00.html
Mark H
Right now I’d be happy if I hadn’t dropped my son’s monitor on my iBook keyboard. There were tears. Although the furry stuff might have helped comfort me through the trauma.
Matt K.
Those hirsute guys in ZZ Top used to play fuzzy guitars:
http://www.kochanowicz.com/zztop.jpg
Jill
Actually, it reminds me of Meret Oppenheim’s furry cup from 1936. I remember being shown that slide in an art history lecture when I was about 22 and being shocked when the lecturer said that it was an explicit sexual statement and caused an uproar, especially coming from a female artist. Concave, furry, see? Obvious in retrospect, and I’m surprised, really, that none of the commentators here today have raised the sexual connotations of a woman adding fur to her iBook.
And of course there are no colours on new iBooks. They’re white, straight-edged and slim-lined and would only go with a minimalist sofa. Unless you paint them or fur them.
Rorschach
Concave, furry, and sexual? I read the link but I couldn’t assertain whether the artist acknowldged that it was a sexual statement. After seeing the picture was the uproar caused by a man with an overactive rightousness complex or did the artist say, “Yes, it’s supposed to be a sexual innuendo?”
I like the idea of adding fur to my Powerbook though. Nothing sexual — I think it might protect it when my son and/or daughter (or I) drop it. I don’t think I’ll do pink though …
Jill
My ancient bronze powerbook recently survived a straihgt drop from two metres onto hard, cold concrete. The CD-player’s kind of loose but still works, and everything else is fine. Slow, but it’s been slow for ages.
I’m impressed, I have to admit.
And fur’s not necessary, it seems 🙂