What to Make of New DVD Formats

Which DVD Format Is the One for Me? Kevin Murphy. NPR Weekend Edition. March 26, 2006.
In this short audio commentary, Kevin Murphy describes what's ahead for consumers with the new DVD formats to be released soon.

Designing Effective Web Pages

Survey Offers a 'Sneak Peek' into Net Surfers' Brains. Edward C. Baig. USA Today. March 26, 2006.
Internet consulting firm Nielsen Norman Group has conducted a study of how surfers respond to web pages. Its results are summarized in this article.

Emergence of Open Access Science Publishing

Net Writing New Chapter for Science Journals. Andrew Kantor. USA Today. March 24, 2006.
In his "Cyberspeak" column, the author presents a good summary of the state of scientific publishing and of the way it is being influenced by the Internet.

Google Replacing Burlington Resources in S&P 500

Google to Join the S&P 500. Red Herring. March 24, 2006.
In spite of a recent downturn, the company is set to gain as firms that acquire the index's stock purchase Google shares.

Britannica Responds

Britannica Says it was Wronged by Nature. Dave Carpenter. Associated Press (via USA Today). March 23, 2006.
In December Nature reported that Encyclopaedia Britannica was as accurate as Wikipedia in some areas. Now EB has produced its own study which calls into question the science journal's research methods, calling its investigation "wrong and misleading". [Britannica Response]

Visualizing Digital Libraries

Visualizations for Digital Libraries. Gang Wan. Chinese Librarianship: an International Electronic Journal. no.21 (June 1, 2006).
The author examines recent innovations affecting the searching, navigation and browsing of digital library collections.

Improving Communication in Space

Optical-Speed Light Detector Promises Fast Space Talk. Nicolas Mikhoff. EE Times. March 20, 2006.
Researchers at MIT have developed an improved light detector that may enable broadband communications in interplanetary space.

Nazii Message Decoded

Amateur Cryptographers Crack Second Nazi Code. Walaika K. Haskins. NewsFactor Network. March 15, 2006.
Using a grid of computers in the manner of Seti@home, the M4 Message Breaking Project has cracked a second message sent by Nazis in World War II, but is facing difficulties in cracking the third. [NOVA Online: Decoding Nazii Secrets]

A Variety of Robots

The Shape of Robots to Come. Michel Marriott. The New York Times. March 16, 2006.
iRobot and other companies are producing robotic toys and home appliances in which simplicity of use is the key.

The Interplanetary Internet

Pushing the Internet Into Space. Joanna Glasner. Wired News. March 14, 2006.
Due to the immense distances involved, Vint Cerf and his associates are developing Internet standards for space which do not depend on packet-switching, known as "delay tolerant networking."

Web Applications Posing Challenge to Microsoft

Google Deal Highlights Web 2.0 Boom. Martin LaMonica. CNET News.com. March 13, 2006.
With Google's purchse of a small online word-processing service, many Web 2.0 firms are hoping their day will arrive.

New Microsoft Search Engine

Microsoft's New Search Tool Officially Goes Live. Jefferson Graham. USA Today.com. March 7, 2006.
As part of its shift toward Internet-based services, Microsoft has created a new search service, Windows Live Search, which allows greater personalization than its current search engine does.