Wikipedia Competitor Launched

Wikipedia Cofounder Launches Citizendium. Jennifer LeClaire. NewsFactor Nework. March 27, 2007.
Dr. Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, has launched a new collaborative encyclopedia called Citizendium, which he hopes will avoid some of the accountability problems which have plagued the former. For one thing, encyclopedia contributors will be required to use their real names.

Libraries as Community Information Providers

The Library: A Distinct Local Voice? Charles Lyons. First Monday. March 5, 2007.
Libraries are well-placed to become leaders in the provision of local information in their communities. In his article Lyons shows how some libraries are accepting this role and using Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs and wikis to make community information accessible.

Wikipedia's Free-For-All Governance

Wikipedia Shakeup: Resignations. Kim Zetter. Wired News. March 23, 2007.
Two of Wikimedia Foundation's top employees have announced their resignations, revealing leadership shortcomings affecting Wikipedia.

Myths of Multitasking

Slow Down, Brave Multitasker, and Don’t Read This in Traffic. Steve Lohr. New York Times. March 25, 2007.
New research is demonstrating the limitations of multitasking and the harm that it may be causing to the economy as well as to our lives.

Redesigning the Internet

A Broad-Based Team of Stanford Researchers Aims to Overhaul the Internet. Stanford Report. March 14, 2007.
Researchers at Stanford University are proposing a clean-slate redesign of the Internet in order to overcome deficiencies which have appeared in the 30 years of its existence. [Whitepaper, April 2006]

The Return of Lycos (as Jubii)

Lycos, Early Search Engine, in a U.S. Remake as Jubii. Victoria Shannon. New York Times. March 19, 2007.
Barred from doing business in the U.S. as Lycos, Lycos Europe will re-introduce itself as Jubii in a bid to compete with search giants Google, Yahoo and Windows Live Search.

Google Improving Search Privacy

Google Changes Privacy Policy For Search Data. Thomas Claburn. InformationWeek (via Yahoo! News). March 17, 2007.
By altering the IP addresses of logged-in users and changing cookie files, Google will make its users' identities less identifiable.

Wikipedia to Verify Credentials

Wikipedia to Seek Proof of Credentials. Brian Bergstein. AP. (via Yahoo! News). March 7, 2007.
Following the discovery of fraud perpetrated by a Wikipedia "arbitrator", the free encyclopedia will start asking for proof when contributors claim academic credentials. Authors having no credentials will still be able to contribute anonymously.

A New Kind of AI

The Thinking Machine. Evan Ratliff. Wired. March 2007.
Jeff Hawkins, creator of the Palm and Treo handheld devices, has developed a new theory of the human brain which is being realized in his Numenta system. It is generating a lot of interest.