e-mail Stephen Gallant Review: 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

U.S. Congressional Staff Abuse Wikipedia

Rewriting History Under the Dome. Evan Lehmann. Lowell Sun Online. January 27, 2006.
More than 1,000 changes have been made to congressional biographies in Wikipedia in the last six months. Deletion of factual material as well as outright vandalism have occurred in violation of the encyclopedia's policy.

A Time of Innovation for Newspapers

Papers Take a Leap Forward, Opening Up to New Ideas. David Lieberman. USATODAY.COM. January 30, 2006.
Newspapers today are finding new ways to reach readers.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Mining WorldCat

Making Data Work Harder. Brian Lavoie, Lorcan Dempsey, and Lynn Silipigni Connaway. Library Journal. January 15, 2006.
Three OCLC researchers demonstrate ways in which data contained in WorldCat can be used to improve library services.

Online Communities Thriving

The Internet's New Social Order. Elizabeth Millard. NewsFactor Magazine Online. January 26, 2006.
This article examines some of the popular online communities such as MySpace, Friendster and Match.com, noting concerns that some have about them.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Aiding Chinese Censorship

Google Gagged, but There's Hope. Associated Press (via Wired News). January 27, 2006.
In spite of Google's decision to censor itself for the Chinese government, the general trend on the Web seems to be for greater access.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Senators Seek to Regulate TV Tuners, Radio Receivers

Senate May Hoist Broadcast Flag Again. Declan McCullagh. CNET News.com. January 24, 2006.
U.S. senators are making new attempts to ban digital radio and TV recording in an effort to thwart Internet piracy.

Google Censoring Itself for China

Google Censors Itself for China. BBC News. January 25, 2006.
Google is esablishing a new Chinese site, Google.cn, that will block banned searches in order to appease China's rulers.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Internet Usage Compared by Age Range

Generations Online. Susannah Fox and Mary Madden. Pew Internet & American Life Project. January 22, 2006.A recent report from Pew Internet & American Life Project reveals how the generations compare in their Internet usage.

U.S Demands Google Hand Over Records

Privacy Experts Condemn Subpoena of Google by Feds. Alan Eisner. Reuters (via Computerworld). January 22, 2006.
In an attempt to revive the Child Online Protection Act, the U.S. government has requested that Google hand over a million URLs from its database, as well as records of searches performed in a one week period.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

An "Encyclopedia Galactica"

Digital Universe Opens for Public Tryout. Alan Boyle. MSNBC.com. January 17, 2006.
The Digital Universe, the new collaborative reference site developed by Joe Firmage and Larry Sanger, opened for viewing yesterday. Participants in the $10.5 million project include NASA, the National Council for Science and the Environment and several universities. [Press release]

Monday, January 16, 2006

Research Fraud is Nothing New

Deception by Researchers Relatively Rare. Rick Weiss. Washington Post. January 15, 2006.
Many instances of research fraud probably go undetected. (Reg. req.)

Mapping Services Raise New Concerns

Search Engines Going Far Beyond Maps. Allisson Linn. AP (via Yahoo News). January 15, 2006.
Now offering detailed aerial photographs of cities and neighborhoods, some search engines are starting to worry privacy advocates.

Friday, January 06, 2006

How Supercomputers are Changing Our Lives

The Most Powerful Computer on the Planet. Jack M. Germain. Newsfactor. January 5, 2006.
No longer found exclusively in research labs, supercomputers are being used to design such consumer products such as pharmaceuticals and soda bottles.

Wikipedia Co-Founder Launching "PBS of the Web"

Wikipedia's Co-Founder Eyes a Digital Universe. Daniel Terdiman. CNET news.com. January 6, 2006.
Larry Sanger's Digital Universe concept includes a new encyclopedia led by paid expert stewards. It is due to open later in January.