Studying Children's Search Skills

The Development of Children's Web Searching Skills - A Non-Linear Model. AnnBritt Enochsson. Information Research, Vol. 11 No. 1, October 2005.
The author reports on her study of Internet use by 110 school children. She determines which skills are important in effective Internet searching and presents the students' perspectives on them as well.

E-Rate Program Open to Fraud

A Disconnect on School Internet Funds. Christopher Lee. Washington Post. October 28, 2005.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight subcommittee reports that the E-Rate program is vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

The "Interactions Web"

One Step Closer to the Smart Internet. NewsFactor Nework. October 28, 2005.
This article provides another look at Web applications and at how the border between the Web and the individual's computer is breaking down. Web services are becoming able to provide customized information without the user's intervention.

Coming Demise of VHS

VHS Lives On--Just Barely. Daniel Terdiman. CNET News.com. October 28, 2005.
While the sales of VHS tapes are slowing, some people are finding creative uses for old VCR machines.

Future of U.S. Internet Oversight

The Root of the Problem. Julian Sanchez. Reason. October 24, 2005.
While some people grumble about U.S. involvement in the Internet, Sanchez points out that it is not really a creature of government.

Microsoft Aiding Open Content Alliance

Microsoft Joins Book Search Plan. BBC News. October 26, 2005
Microsoft has joined Yahoo and the Open Content Alliance in its plan to digitize public domain literature.

What's Ahead for Technology?

Futurists Pick Top Tech Trends. Joanna Glasner. Wired News. October 25, 2005.
The columnist looks at some postive technology trends that have been identified by futurists.

Ajax Challenge to Microsoft

Web-Based Software Challenges Windows. CNN.com. October 25, 2005.
Many computer users are now using programs run on distant servers rather than in their own computers. This is largely due thanks to software originally invented by Microsoft itself in the late 90s.

Wikipedia Examined

Can You Trust Wikipedia? The Guardian. October 24, 2005.
Several experts evaluate Wikipedia articles in their fields and come to interesting conclusions.

Publishers Now Suing Google

Google is Sued by Book Publishers. BBC News. October 19, 2005.
The Association of American Publishers is suing Google over is plan to scan millions of books as part of its Print Library Project.

Google Reader

Google Releases Newsreader In Beta. Antone Gonsalves. TechWeb. October 10, 2005.
Google has realeased a simple newsreader, complementing its recently unveiled Google Blog Search.

HAPLR Ratings 2005

Hennen's American Public Library Ratings. Thomas J. Hennen, Jr. September, 2005.
In his seventh annual assessment of U.S. libraries, Thomas Hennen ranks libraries in various population categories, and observes trends. The site includes a link to his article in the October 2005 issue of American Libraries.

Search Engine Question Answering Tested

Search Sites Try to Give Instant Answers. Steve Bass. PCWorld.com. October 4, 2005.
PC World examines three search engines, AskJeeves, Anwers.com and MSN Search to see how well they live up to their promises to answer questions directly, without requiring the searcher to click on search results.

Yahoo Helping Create Digital Library

Yahoo Backs Digital Library Plan. BBC News. October 3, 2005.
Yahoo is participating in the Open Content Alliance's plan to digitize 18,000 works of literature and additional material from national and European archives, while avoiding the legal controversy surrounding Google's efforts.

The Business of Podcasting

Podcasting: A New Technology in Search of Viable Business Models. Sheri Crofts, Jon Dilley, Mark Fox, Andrew Retsema, and Bob Williams. First Monday. September, 2005.
This article presents an excellent overview of the podcasting phenomena, as seen from historical, social, legal and business perspectives.

Showdown Coming Over Internet Governance

EU Wants Shared Control of Internet. Aoife White. AP (via Yahoo! News). September 30, 2005.
The European Union is demanding a larger role in managing the Internet