Thank you everyone!
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by Nisar Keshvani
P O Box 850, Robinson Road
Singapore 901650
URL: http://www.keshvani.com

Keywords
LEA "Unyazi" Special, digital sound, Leonardo Electronic Almanac, LEA, Leonardo Electronic Almanac Discussion, LEAD, Wild Nature and Digital Life

Abstract
As the new calendar year begins, LEA editor in chief, Nisar Keshvani thanks the 91 contributors from 17 countries who have published in 2006. He also thanked the 42 peer review panelists who ensure the academic quality is upkept with their critical comments and feedback. Paying tribute to last year’s guest editors, curators and moderators, he also paid kudos to the editorial team, colleagues in Leonardo’s San Francisco office and most importantly, LEA’s board and committee members.

This February, LEA launches a special supplement called “Unzayi” to complement the Leonardo Music Journal Vol 16 (2006). This collective includes essays from Unyazi, the first South African electro-acoustic music symposium/festival. Jürgen Bräuninger's editorial is accompanied by essays from Pauline Oliveros, Lukas Ligeti, Rodrigo Sigal, Theo Herbst and Mathew Ostrowski. Also in the issue, the top Leonardo Abstracts Service (LABS) English and Spanish abstracts from the 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2006, a run-down of what’s available in LMJ 16 (Noises Off -- Sound Beyond Music), and job postings at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Thank you everyone!
In this edition, we launch a special supplement called “Unzayi” to complement the Leonardo Music Journal Vol 16 (2006). This collective includes essays from Unyazi, the first South African electro-acoustic music symposium/festival. UNYAZI is the Zulu word for lightning. Held in Johannesburg last 1-4 September 2005, UNYAZI brought together “an illustrious group of local and international electronic music practitioners”, with diversity as “the obvious festival concept.”

Jürgen Bräuninger's editorial succinctly introduces us to UNYAZI and the essays to follow. Contributors to this eclectic collection include Pauline Oliveros who looks at North-South relationships, Lukas Ligeti explores the combination of African musical forms while Rodrigo Sigal illustrates heritage and identity in Latin American contemporary music.  Theo Herbst introduces us to music technology at Stellenbosch University, and in closing, Mathew Ostrowski investigates the possibilities and implications of mapping databases on to sound as a compositional technique.

Accompanying the edition, you’ll enjoy the discussions surrounding our last special Wild Nature and Digital Life guest-edited by Sue Thomas and Dene Grigar. In the Leonardo Electronic Almanac Discussion (LEAD) space, you will find an overview of the discussions surrounding our special by Marcus Bastos and Ryan Griffis. For those of you who missed the wildly exhilarating online chats, you can download transcripts of the Jeremy Hight & Peter Hasdell, Sue Thomas & Giselle Beiguelman, Jennifer Willet, Dene Grigar & Tara Rodgers and Brett Stalbaum & Kathryn Yusoff chats. In English and Portuguese, they are available at: http://leoalmanac.org/resources/lead/digiwild/index.asp

Also in this issue, the top Leonardo Abstracts Service (LABS) English and Spanish abstracts selected in the 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2006, a run-down of what’s available in LMJ 16 (Noises Off -- Sound Beyond Music), and job postings at the Art Institute of Chicago. These are accessible from: http://leoalmanac.org/journal/Vol_15/lea_v15_n01-02/announcements.asp

As the new calendar year begins, here at LEA, we’d like to pay tribute and express our sincere thanks to the group that keeps LEA’s engine running. In 2006, 91 individuals from 17 countries contributed to our academic publishing drive in the form of essays, artist statements, bibliographies and curriculum initiatives. Every one of them has added to the growth of the international art, science and technology community. Download LEA’s 2006 author index for your records, and future reference at: http://leoalmanac.org/journal/Vol_14

LEA continues to upkeep its momentum of publishing 5 – 10% of manuscripts received by no mean feat. Our special thanks to the untiring efforts of peers within our network, who perform the very crucial review role. Without their guidance, feedback and critical comments, our contributors would not be able to strive for excellent academic thoughts. The 2006 peer reviewer index is available at: http://leoalmanac.org/journal/vol_14/peereviewers.asp

Here we’d like to publicly acknowledge our 42 peer reviewers from last year for their help:

Samirah Al-Kasim American University in Cairo
Maria Fernandez Cornell University, U.S.A /Nicaragua
Sue Gollifer University of Brighton, U.K.
Mark Amerika University of  Colorado, U.S.A.
Jody Zellen Independent Artist, U.S.A

Prof Beryl Graham University of Sunderland, UK
Chris Byrne Co-Director, Art Research Communication, Edinburgh, U.K.
Anne Galloway Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Derek Freeman U.K.
Heidi Tikka UIAH Media Lab, Finland
Jen Southern Artist and Lecturer, The Portable TV, Huddersfield, U.K.
Julian Priest Advisor, Wireless London Project, U.K.
Julianne Pierce Executive Director, Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), Australia

Katherine Moriwaki Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Magda Wesolkowska Anthropologist, University of Montreal, Canada
Michael Longford Department of Design Art, Concordia University, Canada
Michael Naimark Visiting Associate Professor, University of Southern California, USA
Minna Tarkka Director m-cult, centre for new media culture, Helsinki, Finland
Miya Yoshida Malmo Art Academy, Sweden

Naomi Spellman University of California, San Diego, U.S.A.
Natasa Petresin Curator and Project Manager, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Pat Badani Assistant Professor, Illinois State University
Rob van Kranenburg Virtual Platform, Holland
Teri Rueb Department of Digital + Media, Rhode Island School of Design, U.S.A.
Tom Holley Media Centre Network, Huddersfield, U.K.

Charles Alexander Poet/Book Artist/Editor of Chax Press,
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.
Mark Amerika University of Colorado, Colorado, U.S.A.
Sandy Baldwin West Virginia University, U.S.A.
Maria Damon University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, U.S.A.
Loss Pequeño Glazier Department of Media Study,
State University of New York, Buffalo, U.S.A.
Rita Raley University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A.
Alan Sondheim Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Dr Shaun Bailey Concordia University, Canada
Dr John Barber Washington State University, U.S.A.
Dr Marcus Bastos Catholic University of São Paulo, Brazil
Dr Catherine Byron Nottingham Trent University, U.K.
Martha Gabriel Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

Jeremy Hight Los Angeles Mission College, U.S.A.
Prof Andrew Hugill De Montfort University, U.K.
Prof Alan Liu University of California Santa Barbara, U.S.A.
Simon Mills De Montfort University, U.K.
Dr Sidney Perkowitz Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
Gavin Stewart University of Luton, U.K.
Dr Jenny Weight Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia

We’d also like to express our gratitude to 2006’s guest editors/curators, Dennis Summers, Choy Kok Kee, Drew Hemment, Andrew Paterson, Suhjung Hur, Annie Wan Ni Wan, Tim Peterson, Sue Thomas, Dene Grigar for their untiring and incredible work. Our moderators Sandy Baldwin, Marcus Bastos, Ryan Griffis have done well to introduce the new LEA Discussion Forum and steer the community abuzz.

Our kudos to LEA’s managing editor Natra Haniff for her tireless work, our Leonardo colleagues in San Francisco, Roger Malina, Pamela Grant-Ryan, Patricia Bentson, Kathleen Quillian and Nicholas Cronbach. And most importantly, to LEA’s Board and Committee members: Irina Aristarkhova, Roy Ascott, Craig Harris, Fatima Lasay, Michael Naimark, Julianne Pierce, Mark Amerika, Paul Brown, Choy Kok Kee, Steve Dietz, Kim Machan, Lee Weng Choy, Ricardo Dal Farra, Elga Ferreira, Young Hae-Chang, Jose-Carlos Mariategui, Marcus Neustetter, Elaine Ng, Marc Voge, Sharon Tickle, Juraimi Jumahat, Effandi Mohamed, Grace Tan, Han Yew Hock.

To our readers, we are thrilled that our various initiatives from the new web platform, downloadable pdf’s, citation references, curriculum, bibliographies and discussion forums attract your attention and you’re giving us positive feedback. Thank you.

Here’s to better things to come!

Citation reference for this Leonardo Electronic Almanac Essay

MLA Style
Keshvani, Nisar. “Editorial: Thank you everyone!.” “Unyazi” Special Issue, Leonardo Electronic Almanac Vol. 15, No. 1 - 2 (2007). 1 Jan. 2007 <http://leoalmanac.org/journal/vol_15/lea_v15_n01-02/editorial.asp>.

APA Style
Keshvani, N. (Nov. 2006). “Editorial: Thank you everyone!,” “Unyazi” Special Issue, Leonardo Electronic Almanac Vol 15, No. 1 - 2 (2007). Retrieved 1 Jan. 2007 from <http://leoalmanac.org/journal/vol_15/lea_v15_n01-02/editorial.asp>.