Since I’ll have a big trip again in less than 10 days and next week there’ll be thanksgiving holidays, I decided to finish all teaching activities (except for grading) this week. I added 5 sessions to 2 sessions I had this week. Super-tired, but I am happy the class is finalized. There’s one session left on next Tuesday, but that’s gonna be a wrap-up and closing session. We’ll have a little party — eat and dance, perhaps, hehe.

My students presented the summary of their research papers this week, from Tuesday to Thursday. Surprisingly (or actually not too surprising) almost all of them did great. (more…)

Alternative Imaginations (AI), a new research cluster I established with some colleagues at Arizona State University, invite you to our first seminar.

Alternative Imaginations - a project of the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes

Rethinking Knowledge Systems
seminar series
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Nuclear energy has become one of some major focuses of discourses around alternative energies (to oil). It was even mentioned several times in the presidential and vice presidential debates in the United States. In addition, nuclear technology has also gained a political importance and been discussed in relations with the world politics with its association with Iran and North Korea.

Since the days of Hiroshima and Chernobyl, so many images of atomic and nuclear explosions emerge in the media — news, movies, books, comics, etc. But, in reality, how much do we know about this technology? Aren’t our perceptions about this technology very much socially and politically constructed by media portrayal of it? How could we judge — protest and support — the establishment of this technology without having enough basic knowledge? (more…)

Yesterday I got a book in my mailbox. Entitled “Networked Publics“, the book is a result of the collaboration of 13 scholars, including me, at the Annenberg Center for Communication of University of Southern California. My contribution is the chapter on politics.

The book itself is available for purchase from Amazon.com.

Networked Publics
# Hardcover: 176 pages
# Publisher: The MIT Press (October 31, 2008)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0262220857
# ISBN-13: 978-0262220859
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I want to write about so many things. About the soon-to-be-formalized pornographic bill, about the US election, about the 3 dollar package that killed more than twenty people in Indonesia… ah about so many things. But, as always, not enough time/energy, and then last Sunday (yesterday) I squeezed my left hand between headboard and bedframe while fixing the bed set (ouch, that’s perhaps one of the most talented parts of my body) so now I have difficulties typing. So I’ll just write something short, unimportant though.

I am on a tenure-track and supposed to go for tenure and promotion in about 4 years from now, according to the US university system. So, still long way to go. (more…)

The first week of semester is almost passed and I survived the first week class of JUS 494: Science, Technology, and Inequality. I got 30 students filled all seats in my class (max 30) and still have some students emailed me asking for an override. We’ll see whether there’s any student who drop next week or not.

The first week is all about introduction. Introduction to the class, to the syllabus, to the professor, to the students, to all. Professor-students’ introduction part was quite fun. I got each of students in the class spoken about who she/he is, what she/he likes, and why she/he is in my class — all in less than one minute :). (more…)

Schedule:
Tuesdays-Thursdays afternoon somewhere at ASU

Professor:
Dr. Merlyna Lim

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I’m still in DC, waiting for the time to depart to the airport. Sitting down now at Starbuck, I feel like I am a winner. I finally found a way to sit here, enjoying the free Internet connection without being burnt by the sun, without buying anything, not even a single cup of coffee!! Yayyy!! I could sit down somewhere else, at other cafes, but there I have to buy something. Not that I don’t have money, the problem is I had enough breakfast and really cannot drink/eat anything anymore.

It’s antithetical, in a place of the biggest coffee capitalist I could actually manipulate the game. I just have to look confident as if I had bought something, and then sitting there forever!!

Anyway, enough about Starbuck…. today, one day after the Independence Day, I guess it’s just right to post a rant about nationalism. (more…)

Not yet home, but it’s only 5.5 hours away from my Tempe home. Many stories to share from all of my transit places as it took me about 5 days to get here from Dayeuhkolot with stopovers in Jakarta, Singapore, and Tokyo.

Now I am sitting here in the circle of Dupont in Washington DC, trying to finalize my powerpoint presentation to deliver this afternoon at the Independence Day’s celebration (and 100 years of Nationalist Awakening) of Indonesian Embassy. Just knew yesterday that apparently I am the only speaker in this event, and it scares me a little.
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It’s already the 4th week of my break. Haven’t done any sketch of the 4th week yet, so here is one from the week #3. (more…)