Deleting Access to Social Networks

Social Network Sites Face US Ban. BBC News. July 31. 2006.
In this update on the U.S Congress's latest bid to restrict Internet access, the BBC predicts that the Deleting Online Predators Act will be up for a vote in early August. [H.R.5319]

Source of Spam

More than 95% of e-mail is 'junk'. Mark Ward. BBC News. July 27, 2006.
A large amount of spam originates on the inadequately protected computers of home users, whose machines have been taken over by "bots." [Sophos Reveals "Dirty Dozen"]

Yahoo Defies Record Labels

Yahoo Tests Sales of DRM-Free Music. Jay Wrolstad. Newsfactor. July 24, 2006.
Yahoo is testing the sales of music with no copyright protection, in opposition to the major record companies which have previously gone to court to protect their intellectual property.

Libraries and Niche Markets

Serving the Niche. Katherine Mossman. Library Journal. July 15, 2006.
The observations made by Chris Anderson in his Wired article The Long Tail are applied to librarianship in this article. [Also see Lorcan Dempsey's Libraries and the Long Tail in D-Lib Magazine April 2006]

Error in the Digital Library

Metadata and Data Quality Problems in the Digital Library. Jeffrey Beall. Journal of Digital Information, Volume 6 Issue 3, Article No. 355, 2005-06-12.
Errors in both the metadata representing online articles and those in the text of the article itself can hinder access to information. The author of this paper examines typographical errors, scanning and data conversion errors, metadata errors and other issues affecting data quality.

Movielink to Provide New Download Service

Movielink Licenses Download-to-burn DVD Technology. Reuters (via Yahoo News). July 18, 2006.
After Movielink obtains its license for DVD encrypting technology later in the year consumers will be able to download movies which can then be burned and played on regular DVD players. [Detailed Technology Description of Movielink(Educause)]

Yahoo Finance Upgraded

Yahoo to Launch New Finance Features. May Wong. Associated Press (via Yahoo! News). July 17, 2006.
Already the most visited finance site on the Web, Yahoo Finance is adding more graphs and interactivity in an effort to maintain its lead over the financial sites of its competitors.

Google Promoting Open Document Format

Google Joins Open Document Group. Elinor Mills. CNET News.com. July 12, 2006.
Google has joined the ODF Alliance, an organization which promotes the creation of documents in Open Document Format, ones which can be opened by anyone regardless of the application used to make them.

Works of Archimedes Uncovered

Start: Blast to the Past. Dylan Tweney. Wired. July 2006.
Scientists at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center are using a synchrotron to reveal works of Archimedes which had been erased and ovewritten in a medieval prayer book. [Ancient Infinities] [Archimedes]

Small Firms Pursuing Subjective Search

Tiny Search Engines Look for a Niche. Associated Press (via CNN.com). July 11, 2006.
A number of startup search companies are relying on user recommendations to provide search results.

New Additions to M-W Collegiate Dictionary

Google Makes Dictionary Appearance. NewsFactor. July 6, 2006.
The editors of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary explain their criteria for the inclusion of new words. [A Sampling of New Words] [A Glossary of New Words (1806)]

Net Neutrality Issues

Battle Lines Drawn Over Net Neutrality. Grant Gross. InfoWorld. July 7, 2006.
The Net neutrality debate, which pitts large Internet-based companies against DSL providers, is discussed in this article.

Artificial Intelligence at 50

Getting Machines to Think Like Us. Jonathan Skillings. CNET News.com. July 3, 2006.
On the fiftieth anniversary of a milestone conference on artificial intelligence research, Skilling interviews one of the field's founders, John McCarthy.

Library Zine Collections

Your Zine Tool Kit, A DIY Collection. Jenna Freedman. Library Journal. June 15, 2006.
The author provides guidelines on forming a zine collection in the library.