Providing users with a sense of place – related to a specific geographic location in which one is situated, or linked to a faraway place, or even giving place-like qualities to virtual spaces such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games – has been deemed central for several forms of digital …

Accumulating evidence dismisses the idea that bacteria are solitary bugs, living a completely independent existence. Instead, this definition is being replaced by the notion that bacteria are intimately communicating organisms holding tight relations to one another. One such process through which this …

Risk matrices have been widely used in the industry under the notion that risk is a product of likelihood by severity of the hazard or safety case under consideration. When reliable raw data are not available to feed mathematical models, experts are asked to state their estimations. This paper presents …

Stefan Bengtsson's commentary about policy hegemony discusses the alternative discourses of socialism, nationalism, and globalism. However, Stefan does not adequately demonstrate how these discourses can overcome the Dominant Western Worldview (DWW), which is imbued with anthropocentrism. It will be …

Borre Leesclub has functioned as a strong company for over a decade. Borre has been successful and has grown into a strong competitor within the specific and small-scaled field. In the Netherlands there are few competitors in the educational children’s book market. Though Borre Leesclub is well known …

This essay provides a debate about Lasswell’s policy scientist of democracy (PSOD, 1948) in comparison to the model of liquid democracy (21st century) based on the question if the digital age requires new models of democracy. The PSOD of Lasswell, a disciplinary persona, is in favour of an elitist approach …

This article provides a description of the emergence of the Spanish ‘Occupy’ movement, Democracia real ya. The aim is to analyse the innovative discursive features of this movement and to connect this analysis to what we consider the innovative potential of the critical sciences. The movement is the …

Gamers are, like Yamauchi, described as nonconformist, creative, and self-confident persons, who seem unafraid to make mistakes (Beck and Wade 2004). Is it true that games present us with an opportunity to develop a particular identity, or are specific people attracted to games that create these opportunities? …

Over the last few years, the term “smart cities” has gained traction in academic, industry, and policy debates about the deployment of new media technologies in urban settings. It is mostly used to describe and market technologies that make city infrastructures more efficient, and personalize the experience …

As a University of Applied Sciences located in Rotterdam, one of the most diverse cities in The Netherlands, we aspire to a diverse community, not only students but also of faculty and staff. While diversity is portrayed by the community's national, racial, class, (dis)ability, sexual and gender identity …