The Paradox of Luxury in Digitalization

Seeing the success of digital platforms and advancement, social media marketing has strengthened the relationship between buyer and seller from a mere commercial transaction to a personal connection. The outcomes of this interaction are meticulous, and like other industries, it has also revolutionised the luxury products industry. It has become pertinent for the luxury brands to participate in the online visibility for customer awareness, customer engagement, customer acquisition, and customer retention. Though certain challenges are there, there is a need to develop strategies to mitigate them for better positioning, building online trust and online value.

Motivations and Emotions Behind Guru Seeking: A Case Study of Thakur Anukulchandra in Bhubaneswar, Odisha

This article explores why people seek out a religious guru, with special reference to Thakur Anukulchandra and his followers in contemporary urban settings of Bhubaneswar, Odisha in India. Through an ethnographic approach, this article examines the expectations of the devotees while seeking out spirituality and what kind of emotions people go through in this process, i.e. their hopes, disappointments, social bonds created with the guru and other followers. It looks at why the followers of this tradition are attracted to this particular ideology, philosophy and its relevance in an urbane setting. The study’s rationale is to explore the complex emotional bond between the guru and the followers, the narratives of devotion, accounts of miracles performed, indices of anxiety, and the nature of well-being. Findings suggest that Thakur’s sect provides people with a meaning and purpose in life and a personal connection with the charismatic guru that helps them tide over various existential crises. By making connections between the past and the present, the organization tries to anchor people’s lives and experiences.

“Gratitude to Old Teachers”: Leaning into Learning Legacies

Amongst a group of poet-scholar friends, all of us students of the American poet Robert Bly, often speak of our “gratitude to old teachers,” the title from one of Bly’s (1999) poems. We cherish a meditative awareness of deeply rooted presences holding us up, buoying us as we stride across “Water that once could take no human weight” that now “holds up our feet / And goes on ahead of us ….” What is this mystery? Through the love and support of “old teachers,” we are held, led, and supported, into an unknown future that, without their guidance, we might never have reached. Many of Bly’s students (myself included) refer to how meeting him “changed” or even “saved” their lives. Similarly, I could say this of meeting and studying with Canadian curriculum scholar and poet Carl Leggo. Practicing gratitude to old teachers fosters vital pedagogic engagement and personal connection in a world often fraught with isolation and despair. Reflecting on how these poetic influences have inspired and guided my own personal and professional life, this essay ruminates on grateful legacies within literary and curriculum studies, and beyond. Keywords: gratitude, curriculum studies, mentorship, poetry, poetic inquiry

Low Friend Connection Leads to Low Functional Capacity of Older Adults: Findings From a 2-year Longitudinal Study

Maintaining personal connections in geriatric years is important to sustain the functional capacity of older adults. In this study, we define the term functional capacity as the ability to perform tasks and activities necessary for one’s independent life. Meanwhile, the type of personal connection and its effect on functional capacity remain unclear. We classified personal connections into connections with family or friends and examined their association with the functional capacity of independently living Japanese older adults. A two-year longitudinal study (2016 and 2018) was conducted using data from the Kashiwa Cohort Study. The amount of personal connections was determined using the Lubben Social Network Scale. The Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence was used to assess participants’ functional capacity. The change in functional capacity was analyzed by binomial logistic regression analysis (N=638, reference: group with high family and friend connection). The results showed a decline in the functional capacity of the group with low friend and family connections (odds ratio (OR): 0.48, 95%CI: 0.29–0.82). This trend was also seen for the group with a high family connection but low friend connection (OR: 0.43, 95%CI: 0.24–0.78). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between the reference group and the group with low family but high friend connection (OR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.47–1.56). The results imply the importance of having a friend for sustainable functional capacity in old age. Interventions that facilitate friend-to-friend interactions or promote new friendships among older adults can be considered as support strategies.

Non-Mathematical Musings on Information Theory and Networked Musical Practice

Claude Shannon’s 1948 paper ‘A Mathematical Theory of Communication’ provided the essential foundation for the digital/information revolution that enables these very pixels to glow in meaningful patterns and permeates nearly every aspect of modern life. Information Theory, born fully grown from this paper, has been applied and mis-applied to a multitude of disciplines in the last 70-odd years, from quantum physics to psychology. Shannon himself famously decried those jumping on the ‘scientific bandwagon’ of Information Theory without sufficient mathematical rigour. Nevertheless, having a brief personal connection to Dr Shannon (and being extremely grateful for it), I will take the liberty of colouring some of my experience with computer network music with less-than-rigorous insights gained from his work.

Aging in the Digital Age: Using Technology to Increase the Reach of the Clinician Expert and Close the Gap Between Health Span and Life Span

Age-related cognitive impairment (ARCI) has a profound impact on individuals, families, health care systems, and societies at large. Evidence suggests that ARCI is the consequence of underlying brain pathology. Therefore, efforts to minimize the impact of ARCI and thus closing the gap between health span and life span, which has widened in recent years, requires early detection and timely deployment of targeted, personalized interventions. Access to clinical experts is limited and technology screening and assessment methods are thus appealing. However, as traditionally implemented patients were deprived of the benefit of personalized connection with a clinician, which is particularly critical for the prescription and to ensure the adherence to and ultimate success of therapeutic interventions. We present the concept of Intelligent Technology Therapy Assistant (ITA) as a scalable solution that increases the reach of clinical experts while sustaining the personal connection between each patient and their clinician. We illustrate ITA with the “Guttman Neuro Personal Trainer”®, a tele-rehabilitation platform that provides neuropsychological evaluation and care, and the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative (BBHI) multimodal intervention coaching app, a mobile-based platform that provides lifestyle coaching support in domains related to brain health. In addition, we discuss the translation of these models to a large-scale enterprise with Linus Health. To this end, we conclude with a discussion of challenges and opportunities to move the field forward.

Remnant of the Past? An Investigation into the Past, Present and Future Role of Archaeology in New Zealand Museums

<p>Museum archaeology is a subject that has received little attention from local academics and museum professionals. This is despite the fact that it continues to be perceived as a foreign subject that most New Zealanders find difficult to relate to. This dissertation takes an exploratory approach in understanding what has to be considered in future efforts to connect museums and their wider communities with archaeology. Rather than reiterating what the literature has previously confirmed, this research examines the perspective of archaeological interpreters, namely museum and heritage professionals. This provides an avenue for examining how archaeological content is perceived by museums, how this can be conveyed to the public and its potential benefits and limitations. This research was developed around a qualitative methodology that collated data from interviews with practitioners from a range of backgrounds: archaeologists, museum curators, heritage site mangers and Maori studies. An examination of some of the educational programs and resources currently provided by New Zealand museums and heritage sites was undertaken to recognise opportunities already established. A critical observation of exhibition practice provided additional insight into the physical context of archaeological interpretation and display methods. Key findings from this research found that many of the issues and opportunities are interrelated and not always exclusive to archaeology. Museums are continuing to move away from specialised curation and instead, favouring the development of multidisciplinary, thematic narratives. As a result, they now rely on the support of outside institutions and consultants to provide this perspective. The dissertation concludes by arguing for a multidisciplinary framework where subjects like archaeology recognise the museum’s potential as a hub for providing relatable experiences across the various disciplinary perspectives available and as an opportunity to promote and the wider exploration of cultural landscapes in their region. This research makes a contribution to the academic analysis of museum and archaeology in New Zealand by encouraging a more inclusive dialogue around the role museums can play in the future of public archaeology. Engagement within the wider heritage and indigenous communities is required to establish a greater level of cultural agency and awareness for these issues and allows for further involvement in site management and cultural interpretations This can ultimately produce a more personal connection and understanding of archaeology in general.</p>

Remnant of the Past? An Investigation into the Past, Present and Future Role of Archaeology in New Zealand Museums

<p>Museum archaeology is a subject that has received little attention from local academics and museum professionals. This is despite the fact that it continues to be perceived as a foreign subject that most New Zealanders find difficult to relate to. This dissertation takes an exploratory approach in understanding what has to be considered in future efforts to connect museums and their wider communities with archaeology. Rather than reiterating what the literature has previously confirmed, this research examines the perspective of archaeological interpreters, namely museum and heritage professionals. This provides an avenue for examining how archaeological content is perceived by museums, how this can be conveyed to the public and its potential benefits and limitations. This research was developed around a qualitative methodology that collated data from interviews with practitioners from a range of backgrounds: archaeologists, museum curators, heritage site mangers and Maori studies. An examination of some of the educational programs and resources currently provided by New Zealand museums and heritage sites was undertaken to recognise opportunities already established. A critical observation of exhibition practice provided additional insight into the physical context of archaeological interpretation and display methods. Key findings from this research found that many of the issues and opportunities are interrelated and not always exclusive to archaeology. Museums are continuing to move away from specialised curation and instead, favouring the development of multidisciplinary, thematic narratives. As a result, they now rely on the support of outside institutions and consultants to provide this perspective. The dissertation concludes by arguing for a multidisciplinary framework where subjects like archaeology recognise the museum’s potential as a hub for providing relatable experiences across the various disciplinary perspectives available and as an opportunity to promote and the wider exploration of cultural landscapes in their region. This research makes a contribution to the academic analysis of museum and archaeology in New Zealand by encouraging a more inclusive dialogue around the role museums can play in the future of public archaeology. Engagement within the wider heritage and indigenous communities is required to establish a greater level of cultural agency and awareness for these issues and allows for further involvement in site management and cultural interpretations This can ultimately produce a more personal connection and understanding of archaeology in general.</p>

Islamic Intellectual Traditions in the Sahel

This chapter offers an analysis of Islamic scholarly culture and intellectual currents in the Sahel through the lens of different conceptions of Islamic knowledge. It discusses three epistemological patterns called traditionalist, reformist, and Islamist and links them to broader intellectual developments within Islam. In the traditionalist paradigm, knowledge practices are rooted in classical Islamic notions of character formation, described as a habitus that can only be attained through internalization and personal connection to a master. In the reformist paradigm, which largely corresponds to “Salafi” or “Wahhabi” epistemology, the primacy of the textual evidence supersedes the authority of the master. The Islamist paradigm pursues a new epistemological approach that seeks to fuse Islamic and “Western” knowledge. The chapter indicates how the different epistemologies intersect with broader worldviews and highlights the ways in which “Salafi” or “Wahhabi” epistemology connects to jihadist action in the Sahel in the early twenty-first century.

The Thiem team – Adolf and Günther Thiem, two forefathers of hydrogeology

Adolf and Günther Thiem, father and son, left behind a methodological legacy that many current hydrogeologists are probably unaware of. It goes much beyond the Dupuit-Thiem analytical model for pump test analysis, which is connected to their name. Methods, which we use on a day-to-day basis today, such as isopotential maps, tracer tests and vertical wells were amongst the many contributions which the Thiems either developed or improved. Remarkably, this was not done in a university context but rather as a by-product of their practical work designing and building water supply schemes in countries all over Europe. Some of these water works are still active. Both Thiems were also great science communicators. Their contributions were read and applied in many countries, especially in the US, through a personal connection between Günther and O.E. Meinzer, the leading USGS hydrogeologist of the time.