Updated: 2/1/07; 10:10:01 AM.
Bruce Landon's Weblog for Students
        

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Courts Turn to Wikipedia, but Selectively. More than 100 judicial rulings have relied on Wikipedia, beginning in 2004, including 13 from circuit courts of appeal. By NOAM COHEN. [NYT > Technology]
10:16:15 PM      Google It!.

Google Blurring Sensitive Map Information. Cyphoid writes "While viewing my school (the University of Massachusetts Lowell) with Google Maps, I noticed that a select portion of the campus was pixelated: the operational nuclear research facility on campus. Curious, I attempted to view the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It too was pixelated. What or who is compelling Google to smudge out these images selectively? Will all satellite images of facilities that the government deems 'sensitive' soon be subject to censoring?" Not surprisingly, the same areas are blurred in Google Earth. But how about images from satellites operated by other nations, such as SPOT or Sovinformsputnik?[Slashdot]
9:14:02 PM      Google It!.

Second Life criticisms starting to take more shape.

D[base ']Arcy Norman has posted some concerns about SecondLilfe that are worth a quick read. There are a few links out to 3D world projects from the past, in an attempt to discredit the [base "]next big thing[per thou] status of SL. That [base "]next big thing[per thou] line get[base ']s used a bit, and I think it is a misleading statement. To me it kinda makes out that things come and go, that it all passes by. Those historical references to other developments in 3D worlds are all contributions to the same thing - an acceptance of a 3D virtual world. So while SL may be the [base "]next big thing[per thou], its also part of the web3D, I think it[base ']s mistake to think that it will pass. I don[base ']t think that[base ']s what D[base ']Arcy[base ']s trying to say - but I do think it is what many people will hear.

Apart from that, D[base ']Arcy levels some interesting criticism at the SL platform and concerns for the culture that it may build. I have been keeping links to comment other comment about SL btw.

For me and SL.. I seem to have chilled out on it a bit. Maybe it was the Christmas break and my reconnecting with a first life a bit more, but I also find SL a little too big to have in my daily routine. I[base ']m comfy in my browser, 2D window view, and the speed at which it and I can move. SL takes too long for me to start up, and too long to browse about. I need a reason to go into SL, and then I find I need a considerable amount of motivation to go in. Once in there, I really enjoy it and find it very engaging - its just that initial step.

So I[base ']m increasingly looking to SL as a web conferencing tool, and less as the platform I access the Internet with. However, if a 3D virtual world became as¬[sgl dagger] quick as my browser - that[base ']s when I[base ']m back to thinking about it as a platform..

[Learn Online]
9:10:32 PM      Google It!.

Cognitive Daily's weekly podcast for January 28, 2007.

Here's the Cognitive Daily weekly podcast for January 28.

Topics:

  • Brains can tell the difference between metaphor and irony

  • Want to drive safely? Talking to passengers may be okay, but talking on the phone isn't

Don't forget that you can subscribe to the podcast using the special RSS feed:

http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/rss-podcasts.xml

To subscribe using iTunes, select Subscribe to Podcast from the Advanced menu, then paste or type in the URL.

To access the podcast directly, click on the links below:

Cognitive Daily's weekly podcast for January 28, 2007 (AAC version)

Cognitive Daily's weekly podcast for January 28, 2007 (MP3 version)

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... By Dave Munger. [Cognitive Daily's Weekly Podcast]
9:07:57 PM      Google It!.

Oldest mom, 67, 'tricked doctors'. Read full story for latest details.CNN.com
9:05:10 AM      Google It!.

Spamming Google Maps. An anonymous reader writes "Google organized a flyover of Sydney, Australia last Friday for Australia Day. The images taken on the day will be posted to Google Maps in a few weeks. A number of dotcoms spent hours making huge signs that would be visible from the air. It will be interesting to see whether Google will repeat the event in other cities. If they do, get prepared early. What sign would you make?"[Slashdot]
8:57:27 AM      Google It!.

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