Another Threat to Net Security

Attack of the Bots. Scott Berinato. Wired 14.11. November 2006.
Autonomous sofware agents have turned the Internet into a cyber-war zone, with the creators of malicious bot networks seemingly one step ahead of the law.

How Non-Western Characters Threaten Internet

'Gambits' are a Risk to Internet Domain System. Victoria Shannon. International Herald Tribune. October 29, 2006.
As the first Internet Governance Forum opens near Athens this week, there is concern on the part of ICANN chairman Vinton Cerf that adoption of non-Western characters in top-level domain names would break the Internet. The fear is that some non-Western countries, resentful of U.S. influence on the net, may take it in a dangerous direction.

Public Key Cryptography's 30th Anniversary

Public Key Cryptography Celebrates Anniversary. Paul Krill. IDG News Service. October 28, 2006.
The 30th anniversary of public key cryptography was observed at the Computer History Museum on October 26. In attendance were such luminaries as Whitfield Diffie, Ray Ozzie and Brian Snow, who participated in a panel discussion. Diffie's and Hellman's groundbreaking paper of November 1976, New Directions in Cryptography, can be found here. [How Encryption Works]

IE7 Evaluated

Internet Explorer 7: A Strong Contender. Elizabeth Millard. Newsfactor (via Yahoo! News). October 27, 2006.
While a few concerns still remain, market research firm Gartner recommends upgrading to Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7.

Making Websites More Accessible

Designing a More Accessible Web. Katie Ledger, Click Reporter. BBC News. October 27, 2006.
After examining 1,000 websites, the UK's Disability Rights Commission has discovered that most are still inaccessible to people with disabilities.

Citizendium

Wikipedia Founder Plans New Edition Online Encyclopedia. AFP. October 18, 2006.
Larry Sanger, co-founder and now critic of Wikipedia, is planning a new encyclopedia to be called Citizendium. Unlike it predecessor, articles will have to pass muster with subject experts before they are published online.

Ultimate Role of the Library

Technological Change, Universal Access, and the End of the Library. Wayne Bivens-Tatum. Library Philosophy and Practice Vol. 9, No. 1 (Fall 2006).
The author examines the function of the library in the light of classical philosophy, and the question of whether change is an end of itself or a means of attaining a final goal.

Google Docs

Google Docs: Spreadsheets, Writely on The Web. Nicholas Carlson. Internetnews.com. October 11, 2006.
In another play for Microsoft's turf, Google has launched Web-based word-processing and spreadsheet services that will allow users to work on projects collaboratively.

Google for Teachers

Google Launches Classroom Project. Stefanie Olsen. CNET News.com. October 11, 2006.
This week Google launched a site designed to help educators use Google products in the classroom.

Google Literacy Project

Google Pushes for Global Literacy. Jay Wrolstad. NewsFactor Network. October 5, 2006.
Google, in partnership with LitCam and UNESCO, has launched a Literacy Project which will assist teachers and literacy organizations in locating books, articles and videos about literacy.

MySpace Attracting Older Users

Youths no Longer Predominant at MySpace. Anick Jesdanun. AP (via Yahoo! News). October 5, 2006.
Contrary to the common view that MySpace users are predominantly very young, more than half of the site's users are actually over the age of 35, according to an analysis published this week by comScore. In addition, each of the popular social networking sites was found to appeal to a different user niche.

Newspaper Websites Thriving

More Internet Users Visiting US Newspaper Websites: Survey. AFP (via Yahoo! News). October 4, 2006.
A new study by Scarborough Research indicates that the websites of U.S. Newspapers have gained a third more visitors than they did last year, and that they are attracting younger readers.

Strategic Planning in Saint Paul

Saint Paul’s Strategic Solution. Stu Wilson. Library Journal. October 1, 2006.
This case study describes the two-year process in which the Saint Paul Public Library developed a strategic plan for the following three years. After gatheirng input from its staff and community, the library, with the help of its consultant, created a plan which focused on the "4Cs" of community, collections, children, and communication.

Anciet Writing System Discovered

Oldest Writing in the New World discovered in Veracruz, Mexico. EurekAlert. September 14, 2006.
Researchers have discovered a stone block in Mexico, dating from the early first millennium BC which contains a previously unknown system of writing. The details were published last month in Science.

Open Peer-Review

Web Journals Threaten Peer-Review System. USATODAY.com. October 1, 2006.
In an effort to to avoid the frustrations that often accompany the traditional peer-review process, some scientists are submitting their research to public forums such s the Public Library of Science's PLoS ONE. Here their work is evaluated by the public instead of by the anonymous reviewers used by traditional journals. This article examines the advantages and risks of going this route. [PLoS ONE]