e-mail Stephen Gallant Review: 06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Science Fiction of the Ancient Greeks

Research To Investigate Links Between Ancient Greeks And Modern Science Fiction. ScienceDaily. June 8, 2005.
A researcher at the University of Liverpool's School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology has found parallels between ancient Greek travels writing, such as that of Lucian of Samosata, who wrote of interstellar warfare, and modern science fiction.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Flaw Found in Google Advertising

Google's Thriving Advertising Model Has Math Roots. ScienceDaily. June 6, 2005.
A professor at Georgia Institute of Technology and two of his students have created an algorithm that reveals a flaw in Google's advertising model.

Hyperspectral Imaging Used on Ancient Manuscripts

Monks Use High-Tech Camera to Read Ancient Texts. Tom Perry. Computerworld. June 20, 2005.
Monks at Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Desert will use a high-tech photography technique known as hyperspectral imaging to study changes and additions made to some of its oldest manuscripts, including the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest surviving Bible in the world. [Introduction to Hyperspectral Imaging , by MicroImages (here in its more common remote sensing application)]

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Google Library Causes Concern

Google Library: Peril for Publishers? Susan Kuchinskas. Internetnews.com. June 17, 2005.
This is is a good overview of the dilemma Google Library is posing for publishers. Will it mean valuable exposure to new readers or the giving away of published content?

Yahoo Including Fee-Based Content in Search Results

Fee-Based Content Available From Yahoo Search. Juan Carlos Perez. PCWorld.com. June 16, 2005.
Yahoo is testing Yahoo Search Subscriptions whereby search results will include links to information from such services as The Wall Street Journal Online and Consumer Reports that is available to users for a fee.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Libraries and Democracy

On Libraries and the Public Sphere. John Buschman. Library Philosophy and Practice. Vol.7, No.2 (Spring 2005).
The author's argument is that libraries as well as educational institutions have largely abandoned their democratic functions by imitating the economic models of business.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

The Blue Brain Project

Your Brain on Blue Gene. Clint Boulton. Internetnews.com. June 6, 2005. IBM has announced that its Blue Gene supercomputer will be used at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne to study electro-chemical interactions in the brain.

What Works in Fiction Ebooks

What Readers Want: A Study of E-Fiction Usability. Chrysanthi Malama, Monica Landoni and Ruth Wilson. D-Lib Magazine. May 2005.
The authors conducted a study to see whether or not a set of recommendations for the design of electronic textbooks can be applied to the construction of fiction ebooks.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

New Domain Approved

New .xxx Domain Will be Reserved for Porn. John Blau. Computerworld. June 2, 2005.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved the .xxx domain for use by pornographic Web sites. The idea is that, by establishing a virtual red-light district for these sites, it will be easier for parents to filter and protect their children from them.

DNS Creator Honored

Domain System Creator Honoured. BBC News. June 1, 2005.
Paul Mockapetris has been awarded the ACM Sigcomm lifetime award for inventing the Internet's Domain Name System 22 years ago. [DNS (TechEncyclopedia)]