First-order modal logic is very much under current development, with many different semantics proposed. The use of rigid objects goes back to Saul Kripke. More recently several semantics based on counterparts have been examined, in a development that goes back to David Lewis. There is yet another line of research, using intensional objects, that traces back to Richard Montague. I have been invo...

Technological developments in the networking technology and the computers make use of video possible. Storing and transmitting uncompressed raw video is not a good idea, it requires large storage space and bandwidth. Special algorithms which take the characteristics of the video into account can compress the video with high compression ratio. In this paper I will give a overview of the standard...

Qur’anic verses and hadiths certify that Allah has bestowed dignity upon mankind. Therefore, man essentially deserves respect. Islamic law has primarily made use of two ways to safeguard human dignity. First, there are prohibitions in Islamic law that safeguard man’s dignity. Second, the penal laws of Islam restrict punishments to those cases where they are absolutely necessary. In this article...

Before addressing those, however, it is important , I suggest, to go back to basics and ask ourselves ‘what is transport for?’ and ‘how best can the economic, social and other objectives identified be achieved’, before we proceed to more specific questions as to the identification and appraisal of social benefits and costs of road transport. Then I consider briefly a range of specific issues wh...

Critical approaches to the smart city concept are used to begin highlighting the promises of makerspaces, that is to say, those emerging urban sites that promote sharing practices; exercise community-based forms of governance; and utilize local manufacturing technologies. A bird’s-eye-view of the history of makerspaces is provided tracing their roots back to the hacker movement. Drawing from se...