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Thursday, June 13, 2002 |
Behind Linux's Struggle in Gov't. It's free, it's becoming more secure, and it's even the dirty little secret among some computer geeks who work in the U.S. government. Then why isn't Linux more prevalent? One word: Microsoft. Another: Oracle. By Declan McCullagh and Robert Zarate. [Wired News]
4:21:16 PM 
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Backseat Drivers Get an Office. Introducing the car that does everything. Also: Ford disses telematics business ... North Korea to go mobile ... Clear cell-phone calls in Australia ... and more, in this week's Unwired News. By Elisa Batista. [Wired News]
4:20:53 PM
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Found: Solar System Like Our Own. Researchers discover, for the first time ever, a planetary system similar to our own. And it's right next door, only 41 light years away. By Noah Shachtman. [Wired News]
4:20:26 PM
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The Nail in the Coffin.
Another View on Replay TV and Forcible-content-watching
"Here is an alternative view of the Replay TV issue, that I haven't heard presented so far. Please feel free to post this to politech if you find it interesting.
Using Replay TV to skip commercials is not theft. Actually it should be completely legal, as the people of the united states have already paid for programming on the public airwaves.
First, the people of the US gave the broadcast companies access to the public airwaves. This access wasn't granted so that the broadcasters could then "sell" us programming. This access was granted so that the broadcasters could present us with content. We also granted the broadcasters the right to present us with advertising to help them meet the costs of producing the content they are presenting over the public airwaves.
If you accept this premise, then using a Replay TV to skip advertising is not theft in any way. The people have already paid for the content of a TV broadcast with a very valuable public resource, the RF spectrum it is broadcast on. So there really is no contract between the TV viewer and the broadcaster when it comes to advertising. In effect we have already paid our share...." [Allen Hutchison on Declan McCullagh's Politech, via Corante Copyfight] [The Shifted Librarian]
4:17:47 PM
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You've Got [Phone] Mail!.
Paper-thin Phone Could Replace Letter
"Soon you could be keeping your mobile phone in your purse or wallet alongside any banknotes you are carrying.
Designer Stephen Forshaw has developed a wafer-thin phone stuck on to paper that can be used to make one call.
Mr Forshaw speculated that the phone could become a novel alternative to greetings cards.
The design has already won first prize in a competition sponsored by Sony.
Dubbed the PS Call Me, the device squashes all the electronics for a phone into a flat computer chip that is thin enough to stick on a piece of paper and post, just like a letter....
As well as being used to send greetings or congratulations, the phone could also be used to check that a parcel has been delivered or to ensure that children or other at-risk groups can make emergency calls.
The PS Call Me is not the first disposable phone to be invented.
American inventor Randice-Lisa Altschul has developed a cardboard throw-away phone that works until its battery runs out." [BBC Sci/Tech]
I'm not sure how I missed this one last month, but it's a natural outgrowth of the Phone-card Phone. These cardboard, palm-sized phones were supposed to go on sale last fall at places like 7-Eleven and Wal-Mart, but I have yet to see it anywhere. Anybody seen one out in the wild? I want one to show at my presentations. [The Shifted Librarian]
4:16:57 PM
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No More Bugging Your Kids to Take a Jacket Just in Case It Rains.
Fabrics Smart Enough to Change Colors and Keep You Dry
"Currently plastics made with conductive polymers are mostly used for mundane jobs like shielding electronics from radiation or controlling static electricity. But by weaving conductive polymer yarns into 'smart textiles,' it may be possible to create a highly breathable windbreaker that transforms itself into a raincoat when its sensors capture the first drops of a downpour. Other smart textiles may change color at the flick of a switch or allow parts of a garment to act as a microprocessor for wearable computers....
However conductive fibers are created, Dr. Gregory said, one of their first applications in smart textiles will probably be color shifting. The military is financing research into the creation of what it calls chameleon fabrics....
Because chemicals in the air can alter the doping of a conductive fiber, Dr. Gregory said it should also be possible, and relatively simple, to make a sun hat that changes color as a warning when pollution levels rise.
A jacket that can take on any kind of weather is much further off. It would probably involve a complex mix of smart textiles and advanced weaving techniques....
Some of the fibers, for example, might be used in a system that alters the molecular alignment of the textile or a coating so that it could absorb perspiration when it is sunny and warm or repel rain when the clouds move in. (The way that hair on your arm stands up when placed near a television screen is a crude demonstration of how fibers can aligned by electrical fields.) Other conductive fibers could form solar energy collectors to power the system." [New York Times: Technology]
What I really want is clothing that keeps me warm at work because the air conditioning is so cold, but yet keeps me cool when I go out for lunch. [The Shifted Librarian]
4:16:23 PM
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Rick Klau Is Off and Running!. Distributed Directories
"Today, an application for Radio's outliner that will be new for many. We've brought a feature from Manila into Radio Community Server, making it possible for people to create Yahoo-like directories that appear in their Radio weblogs. These directories can include other directories. They're built on an open format, OPML; which can be created in any compatible outliner, including Radio's outliner. Viewed another way, directories are hiearchic blogrolls. When you start getting hundreds of links in your blogroll, and start categorizing them, it's time to look for something richer, and that's where directories come in." [Scripting News]
"Userland is seriously spooky. Ernie and I talked about this about a month ago, saying how nice it would be if we could each maintain directories of links that incorporated each others' links. The directory would update each time it was published - including updates from other directory owners.
It sounds as if this is exactly what Userland has done. Just for kicks, I created a 'Law Blogs' directory - not complete by a long shot, but it's a start. Go to:
http://www.rklau.com/tins/stories/2002/06/12/lawblogs.html
Two notes: (1) Those of us in the law blog world (you know who you are, and Denise, when are you crossing the chasm?!) should experiment a bit, then add this to the multi-author blog that's been quite quiet lately, and (2) I'll start a Prairie Blogs directory that Jenny, Prof. McGee, Eric, Mike, and others can include in their sites."
And that's just the first little mind-bomb. The directories concept is fantastic, one I definitely want to incorporate into the SLS portal (that currently resides only in my mind). To see another example of this type of directory, check out Mark Pilgrim's demo. Then Rick takes it a natural, but brilliant step further:
A wish list for the Distributed Directory....
"The possibilities of what we can do with the Distributed Directories concept are incredible. One thing to add to my wishlist (probably not hard, but I'm on my way to a customer dinner and don't have time to play) is to make this work with Marc Barrot's Active Renderer so that the directory is expandable/collapsable without causing a new page view. The user experience would be much nicer."
The best part, of course, is that you can subscribe to that directory page and get changes in your aggregator!
Side notes: Rick, count me in! Bruce, look at that list of law blogs and then think about getting all of their updates on one web page, every hour on the hour! Then call me since your birthday is in two weeks. As for the directories, this is a natural for librarians. [The Shifted Librarian]
4:14:51 PM
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Harnessing Social Networks in Libraries.
Watch Marylaine's Ex Libris site for a new column about utilizing social networks in libraries called "Who You Know Still Counts." Here's an excerpt:
"I've been reading a couple of books which I may tell you more about in subsequent issues,* and though one is about information entrepreneurship and the other about organizational culture, each of them makes the point that the internet and full-text databases have not changed a fundamental human instinct: when we need information, we ask somebody we trust. Indeed, in one study, people were five times more likely to approach friends or colleagues for information than to use a database or library....
It also suggests the vital importance of our mental or physical files of contact people and local experts (one of those books mentioned that when executives were asked what they would rescue from a burning office, virtually all of them said they'd grab their rolodexes first). We all have such files of experts; my question is whether we consolidate them with those of our colleagues and keep that composite file available on the reference desk.
It suggests that when we construct topical pages for our web site, with key resources for accounting and social work and such, we should make sure that we include networks for sharing personal knowledge in those subject areas: association web sites, listservs, usenet groups, and bulletin boards.
It may even suggest that we should emphasize the human connection side of what we do. We might let a little personality leak through on our web sites, even create quirky individual personas, like instant messenger screen names, for librarians staffing the virtual reference desks (TechWoman? KnowsAllSeesAll? Biblia, the Warrior Librarian comes to mind).
We might even bring our library staff out of the shadows or professional anonymity and introduce them on our web pages and library newsletters as living breathing people with specific educational backgrounds and hobbies and special knowledge areas. Kids might look at us quite differently if they knew we were fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or that we, say, signed our e-mails with a rock music quote of the week.
It may well be that our users who are flocking to the net instead of to the library are not exhibiting a new behavior at all; it's just that the technology has made it a little easier for them to ask somebody, or to find somebody to ask.
We may need to make it a little easier for them to find, and trust, us when they go hunting."
Great stuff that we really should be discussing in our profession. If I can get blogging started acrossing Illinois libraries, that might be one way to start viewing connections (think neighborhoods). And the new distributed directories feature of Radio would certainly have some applicability. [The Shifted Librarian]
4:11:45 PM
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Ryan Reads My Mind: Cheap Text Messaging Arriving!.
" 'Backseat Drivers Get an Office. Introducing the car that does everything. Also: Ford disses telematics business ... North Korea to go mobile ... Clear cell-phone calls in Australia ... and more, in this week's Unwired News. By Elisa Batista.' [Wired News]
Most interesting is the last item on the list:
'Unlimited text messaging: Leap Wireless, which operates in the United States under the 'Cricket' brand, has launched an unlimited text messaging service in 30 markets across the country for $5 a month.'
This is a part of what Jenny has been talking about, in terms of getting the prices for SMS down to a reasonable rate. Good move Cricket!" [Ryan Greene's Radio Weblog] [The Shifted Librarian]
4:11:01 PM
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Sadly, the RIAA Is Probably Researching This Right Now.
TuneBlock
"It's coming.
It will be here soon.
The bold new music recording technology that will protect artists' rights while actually enhancing your music experience.
Starting in a very short while, all new music published by RIAA members will feature TuneBlock™, a method whereby special harmonics included in the songs will erase all memory of the melody, chords, and words from your mind shortly after you hear it, leaving nothing but a pleasant sensation of having enjoyed something.
Think of it. Every musical experience will be like the first time. Every track will be exciting and new. And you'll never have a song stuck in your head again.
Even better, TuneBlock™ will protect the rights of artists, eliminating the billion-dollar losses the music industry accrues from having songs illegally hummed in public and strummed in dorm rooms. And some of that money will be passed on to a few of our more popular artists." [The Brunching Shuttlecocks] [The Shifted Librarian]
4:09:23 PM
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changing my software development mindset. One of my goals is to change my mindset from thinking "wouldn't it be cool if ..." to thinking "I'll just add this feature to package X." I use a lot of open source Java development packages, and I oftentimes think of features that would be nice to have in them. Rather than just musing about it, I should be adding these features, especially if they'd help me get my job done at work. The thing working against this is lack of time and lack of initiative. I think I can mitigate both of those factors, though. I've already started taking other steps toward this by actually figuring things out by reading the source code of open source applications that I use, who needs documentation when you have the code itself? Adding code and submitting patches seems like a small step forward from that. [rc3.org]
4:07:28 PM
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Collaboration. Found a real groaner over in Jon’s Radio: I think I can see the handwriting on the wall. Groupware has [Caveat Lector]
3:15:53 PM
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Jon Udell. The government, and especially the FBI, needs a weblog network.
>>>Such an overlay network needn't, of course, intersect with public blogspace. But purely internal use of existing low-tech weblog software could reproduce the same effect: a knowledge network with human routers. Would it be perfectly secure? Of course not. But in the end, what's the greater risk? That the enemy might discover we had connected the dots and have to change its plans? Or that we have no hope of connecting the dots at all?<<< [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
3:07:02 PM
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SpaceDaily. Soldier of the future. I particularly like the use of the RPV.
>>>Already developed is a reinforced helmet built of kevlar-type material that integrates night-vision goggles, cameras, infra-red targeting, biological and chemical alarms, a Global Positioning System, an electronic method to distinguish between friends and foes, and of course radio communications.
But in the future, US infantrymen could be going into combat aboard a 250-kilo (550 pound) robotic "mule." Soldiers could travel up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour aboard this wheeled machine, also designed to follow them at a distance carrying heavy equipment when the soldiers travel on foot. The vehicle, equipped with a silent hybrid electric-fuel engine, will also serve as a power generator and water generator and purifier, and come equipped with a cannon or a white phosphorus smoke launcher. The top-line "mules" will even come with a mini-drone, a small pilotless plane that will enable soldiers to view their environment from the sky, De Gay said.<<< [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
3:06:10 PM
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How to build an RSS digital dashboard using Manila and Radio (a low tech approach). The concept is simple. In addition to getting new posts from news sites and other weblogs, RSS feeds can contain data from corporate systems. Sales data, financial data, supply data, data from partner systems, etc. Using this method, employees could get up to the minute data from multiple applications on a single webpage -- a personal digital dashboard.
So, for example, I could be a sales manager at a Fortune 500 company. I want to track information available to me from multiple corporate applications, and I don't want to run the client software for each app on my desktop. I only want the data. So, in order to offer employees better access to data, the IT department is convinced to spend a couple of days to create granular RSS feeds for the main corporate apps (CRM, ERP, financial, etc.). Here is what the feed could look like:
Sale: Customer name: Proctor and Gamble, Date: June 12, 2002, Amount: $2.3 m, Made by: Tom Durst, E-mail: tdurst@widget.com, K-Log: http://tdurst.widget.com , Product: Widget XYZ
Using Radio I merely subscribe to the feeds I want to monitor form a list on the Intranet (using the news subscription page). Every hour I get all the latest data from each of the apps. Further, I can take any of this data, add an annotation/comment/POV, and publish it to my K-Log. Sweet. I could also create published views of this data using the Multi-author tool for Radio (this tool lets me select the feeds I want to group and publish them to category specific weblog).
Manila works in a similar fashion. I can publish feeds I want to subscribe to using a simple macro. Using Manila, create a new page for your site (a story), place the macro below in the "source view" of the editing box. Here is the macro:
{viewRssBox
("http://www.nanotechnews.com/nano/rdf",
boxTitle:"Nanotech News", align:"center", width:200,
frameColor:"#000000", titleBarTextColor:"#ADD8E6",
titleBarColor:"#FFFFFF", boxFillColor:"#FFFFFF", timeZone:"PST",
hspace:0, vspace:0, maxItems:20)}
Note: replace the URL for the RSS feed I have in the above with the feed you want to monitor, change the name, and presto. You now have a page on your site with the data from the RSS feed. In fact, using Manila you could build a complete portal of aggregated newsfeeds without much technical knowledge.
If I was really motivated, I could use Radio's outliner to build a directory of aggregated feeds.
Digital dashboards should be something anybody can create, customize, and control. Don't let your IT department launch into a multi-million $$ universal application portal when a simple approach like this could be accomplished in days for short dollars. [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
3:04:18 PM
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Cataloging in Other Languages The other day I ment .... Cataloging in Other Languages The other day I mentioned the problem of identifying just what the language is on some materials. Ukrainian and Russian or the Scandinavian languages can appear very similar to someone who does not speak them. Owen Massey brought language guessers to my attention. For example, the Content Analysis Language Identifier has the ability to distinguish between 47 different languages. It uses UNICODE so it can take most character sets. Thanks Owen for the tip.
get_comment_link(77653874) Add a comment [Catalogablog]
3:03:45 PM
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More Radio goodness for this morning. Users of Radio 8 also have access to a new Directory Outliner tool, for organizing links in directories like a Web portal site.
This is a great addition to the Radio tool set, but I really want to see the outliner features that Dave Winer was teasing a few days ago. I want to edit my entire site in the outliner... [Mac Net Journal]
2:58:01 PM
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© Copyright 2002 Mark Oeltjenbruns.
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