New Forms of Communication, New Forms of Community and Personal Identity
Zeno G. Swijtink Recommended Links
Weeks: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
General
The New York Times On-Line Technology Sectionhttp://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/tech/
State of the Internet 2000 -- USIC [.pdf]
http://www.usic.org/papers/stateoftheinternet2000/intro.html
Recently released, this report from the US Internet Council (USIC) and International Technology & Trade Associates, Inc. (ITTA) offers an "overview of recent Internet trends and examines how the Internet is affecting both business and social relationships around the world." This year's report pays special attention to the increasingly international nature of the Internet and the rapid emergence of wireless Internet technologies. Users can download the full text of the report by chapter in .pdf format at the USIC site. Additional information on the Council and last year's State of the Internet report are available at the USIC homepage. [MD]
The Internet's Coming of Age
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9823.html
Not yet available in print, this forthcoming title from the National Academy Press (NAP) is accessible in its entirety online. Written by a committee of the National Academies's National Research Council, this new 176-page report "presents a detailed analysis of the Internet's infrastructure and provides a set of guiding principles for those who build and operate its components and for policy-makers who attempt to regulate it." It also identifies key trends in the evolution of the Internet and examines a variety of current and prospective challenges. As with all online NAP titles, the report can be read and browsed using the Open Book interface. [MD]
Wireless Web Special Report -- _Scientific American_
http://www.sciam.com/2000/1000issue/1000quicksummary.html
This special report posted last month by _Scientific American_ consists of a series of articles on "the latest and greatest technomarvel, the wireless Web." The featured articles cover the challenges and achievements particular to wireless technology. After a brief introduction, the special report leads off with "The Internet in Your Hands," which discusses the push for faster speeds and new software and hardware to enable handheld devices to handle more and more different kinds of data. "The Promise and the Perils of WAP" gives the pros and cons of the Wireless Application Protocol, while "The Future Is Here. Or Is It?" is largely skeptical of Web phones. The final article, "The Third-Generation Gap," focuses on the array of technologies all falling under the rubric of third-generation, so called 3G, wireless systems. With clickable sidebars and copious hyperlinks leading to off-site explications of key terms and concepts, this special report is ideal for readers who want to learn more about wireless technology. [TK]
Dot.coms: What Have We Learned -- _Fortune Magazine_
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/2000/10/30/dot.html http://www.fortune.com/fortune/2000/10/30/dot.html
Perhaps a bit prematurely, _Fortune Magazine_ offers an in-depth post mortem on the sudden rise and fall of the Dot-conomy. This five-part series examines some of the main lessons learned from the US's start-up fever, including "If it doesn't make cents, it doesn't make sense," "Investors are not your customers," and "The Internet changes your job." Six interviews with start-up veterans give perspectives on how working for dot.coms changed their lives; interview subjects include those who continue to work for dot.coms, left the industry, or made their fortunes in the Internet. "Fifty Lessons" offers a compilation of short lessons learned and mistakes made. [EM]
Web searching tutorials
http://websearch.about.com/internet/websearch/library/weekly/topicsub_searching.htm
Nice collection of Web searching tutorials for searchers of all skill levels from Chris Sherman of About.com.
CoWorking Tools
http://www.coworking.com/html/tools.html
A collection of software and hardware tools from the CoWorking Exchange.
"The CoWorking Exchange is a virtual community for the Internet workspace. We offer tips for virtual teamwork, a newsletter that tracks CoWorking trendsetters and a forum where participants can brainstorm or share insights and ideas."
First International Conference on Human Aspects of the Information Society
April 9-11, 2001
University of Northumbria at Newcastlehttp://is.northumbria.ac.uk/imri/
A Beginner's Guide to Effective Email
http://www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html
MouseSite
http://sloan.stanford.edu/mousesite/MouseSitePg1.html
MouseSite, a resource for exploring the history of human computer interaction beginning with the pioneering work of Douglas Engelbart and his colleagues at Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s.
Information Revolution and World Politics. A project of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
http://www.ceip.org/files/projects/irwp/irwp_home.ASP
This project analyzes the political, economic, and social dimensions of the world-wide information revolution and their implications for U.S. policy and global governance.
Nathan Gardels. The Global Mind. New Perspectives Quarterly, 17(1) (Winter, 2000)
In the 1950s, the theologian Teilhard de Chardin envisioned a planetary "thinking circuit," a realm of the mind akin to the biosphere, that would arise with advances in telecommunications. Later, Marshall McLuhan famously forecast a "global village" in which parochialism would vanish and we would all live in a "simultaneous happening."
The advent of cyberspace has now made these ideas more than new age fantasies. In particular, the explosion of the Internet in the last five years has provided the hardware for the emergence of what could be called a "global mind." The dream has been wired.
The Standard Europe
http://www.thestandardeurope.com/
The European sibling of _The Standard_, _The Standard Europe_ is a "guide to the expanding and evolving European Internet economy." A straightforward online magazine, the site includes breaking news and analysis from Internet companies throughout Europe, daily opinion pieces, and feature articles. The Research section offers articles on specific companies, human resources, and studies. [EM]
Children's Media Culture, by Steve Baird, SJ (1997)
http://gabrielmedia.org/research/childrenessay.html
"The relationship between children and the media is a constant focus of attention and public concern because the general public neither understands childhood nor the media. The public's lack of understanding leads to the causal, possibly erroneous, assumption that childhood is disappearing and the electronic media are to blame. Children are viewed as passive consumers of the media not as active utilizers of them.
In this essay, I shall be looking at the 'disappearance' of childhood and the reason this should be of concern to the general public. To accomplish this I shall examine the work of Neil Postman 1, and touch on Joshua Meyrowitz's book, No Sense of Place. Following this I shall analyse the media's role in the 'disappearance' of childhood. This shall be followed by a critique of the relationship between childhood and the media portrayed by Postman and Meyrowitz. Finally I shall present my critique on the 'disappearance' of childhood and question the justification for these concerns."
Bare Bones 101: A basic tutorial on searching the webhttp://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones.html
A quick overview of techniques that can help Web users get better results from their searches.
DAVID GELERNTER, "Now That the PC Is Dead... " Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, Jan. 1, 200.
http://www.mirrorworlds.com/press/articles/wsj-1-01-00/wsj-1-01-00.html
Cog Shophttp://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/cog/index.htm
As part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Cog Shop is a well-planned Website devoted to the research and development of Cog, a humanoid robot. Combining robot mechanics with artificial intelligence, Cog is the closest thing yet to _Star Wars_'s C3PO. Highlights of the site include an in-depth research section with links to papers on relevant topics (PostScript, .pdf); downloadable publications including theses, tech reports, and symposium papers (.pdf, .ftp, PostScript, gzipped); and finally, a high-resolution video library with discussions and demonstrations of Cog (QuickTime, RealPlayer, and MPEG). This detailed site will be fascinating for humanoid robotics enthusiasts as well as for researchers and educators in robotics and related fields. [KR of Scout's]
Tech Sex Is Great (Ab)Normalizer by Steve Kettmann
"Instances of technology providing substitutes for the real thing are too popular to be called substitutes. They ARE the real thing."
http://www.cyber.rdg.ac.uk/ISRG/
Cyborg 1.0 Kevin Warwick outlines his plan to become one with his computer. Wired, February 2000, 145-151
http://www.wirednews.com/wired/archive/8.02/warwick.html
"I was born human. But this was an accident of fate - a condition merely of time and place. I believe it's something we have the power to change. I will tell you why.
In August 1998, a silicon chip was implanted in my arm, ..."
Kevin Warwick (kw@cyber.rdg.ac.uk), a professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading in England, wants to turn himself into a cyborg, a cybernetic organism, an organism whose nerve system is tied in with an electronic device. Visit this website of the department of cybernetics at the University of Reading http://www.cyber.rdg.ac.uk/ISRG/
KEVIN WARWICK: SAVIOUR OF HUMANKIND?
BBC, Saturday, 16 December, 2000 By Chris Jones of the BBC's News Profiles Unit.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1069000/1069029.stm
Crazed scientist or gifted visionary? The jury is still out on wannabe cyborg Kevin Warwick, who gives this year's Royal Institution Christmas lectures.
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/mcstack1/meyrowitzbib.htmlJoshua Meyrowitz Bibliography, Converted for the Web by Martin C. Stack
http://www.ohiou.edu/~leej/inco234/orienteer.html"But Where Is It?": A Communication Theory Course Teaches Orienteering in Cyberspace
by Judith Yaross Lee and Andrew Frazier Wood
In the thirty years since Marshall McLuhan claimed that "the medium is the message," teachers have worried that the message of electronic media was (as McLuhan himself put it) "Goodbye, Gutenberg."
Cultural Identity and Cyberspace Finding God in Cyberspace: A Guide to Religious Studies Resources on the Internethttp://www.fontbonne.edu/libserv/fgic/intro.htm
This metasite provides "a selective listing of the best Internet resources of interest to religious studies scholars and students of religion." Finding God in Cyberspace offers annotated links to print and digital resources on the Web, including e-texts, e-journals, multimedia and graphics, and software; online communities for religious study; teaching resources; and gateways to relevant sites in Archaeology, Biblical Studies, Church History, and Comparative Religions. A special section features sites that examine the "encounter between religion and digital culture." Additional links to related directories and search engines are also provided. Unfortunately, the site can only be browsed at this time. However, the depth and richness of its resources make it an excellent stop for those doing online academic research in religious studies. John L Gresham, Library Director at Fontbonne College in St. Louis and a published scholar in Religious Studies, maintains the site. [DC of Scout's]
International Network of Forests and Communities
http://www.forestsandcommunities.org/
Formed at the International Workshop on Ecosystem Based Community Forestry held in British Colombia in October 1998, the International Network of Forests and Communities is a diverse collection of community and aboriginal leaders, foresters, practitioners, researchers, consultants, activists, non-governmental and governmental organizations, and others working towards ecologically sustainable community forestry. Specifically, the group functions as a Network "to create opportunities to develop concrete projects and common strategies for the development of policy advocacy and public education at the national and international levels." Simple and straightforward, the homepage (English or Spanish) includes a Saanich Statement of Principles on Forests and Communities (with an opportunity to endorse the statement, if so desired) as well as a searchable Directory of participating organizations. By clicking on a continental region (North America, Europe and Russia, Asia, Latin America, Australia and Oceania, or International (all)), the user navigates to a hyperlinked list of organizations; each organization is described, and its mission statement and contact information are included. New plans for the site include posting "Proceedings of the International Workshop on Ecosystem Based Community Forestry," and "Ecosystem-Based Community Forestry in the Pacific Rim: Backgrounder of Policy and Practice," among others. [LXP of Scout's]
The Web and Disability
Barrier Free Educationhttp://atlanta.arch.gatech.edu/BFE/
The Barrier Free Education site seeks to address visual, hearing, mobility, speech, and cognitive disabilities for middle and high school students in math and science. As noted at the site, the "principal philosophy of this site is that the academic community must assume a leadership role in creating an accessible environment." For example, some visually impaired persons have difficulty reading common measurement devices such as liquid and temperature gauges. Numerous manufacturers of tactile devices designed to address this problem, along with pricing and contact information, are provided. Other helpful resources include a guide to basic set-up options in Windows 95 to ease keyboard and mouse requirements for people with hand mobility challenges. The site is organized under the headings tools, lessons and interactions. However, grouping resources by disability as well might allow greater access for some users. [ATW of Scout's]
Tell Us Your Story
http://www.tell-us-your-story.com
Facilitated by Jim Hasse, this forum consists of personal-experience stories about disability awareness, rights, and inspiration for individualswith disabilities. Currently, there are almost 200 stories from visitorsand 25 ongoing discussions. A weekly digest helps community members keep upwith the forum's new topics and stories. [Blue Web]
Stanford's Archimedes Project
http://www-csli.stanford.edu/arch/index.html
Betsy Macken believes "Disabling people in cyberspace is a design decision." Macken founded Stanford's Archimedes Project, which teaches engineers how to build access for the disabled into computer design - and creates product prototypes of its own. Among the Archimedes beta devices is a computer program that graphically represents American Sign Language and an eye-tracking system that allows people who are paralyzed to control a PC just by looking at the web. "As soon as a person can navigate in cyberspace, the disability goes away," Macken says. "All that matters is what they do with their ideas." [David Jang for _Wired_, March 2000, page 104]
DisOrgNet
http://www.independentliving.org/donet/index.html
"DisOrgNet is a free service designed to facilitate networking among organizations working in the disability field." Maintained by the Institute for Independent Living, the Website links to the Institute's homepage. The site lists 151 relevant organizations, searchable by expertise, cooperative interests, and keyword. It also features an extensive, annotated directory of links to related sites on such topics as aging with disability, developmental disabilities, employment, human rights, legislation and legal action, media, national policy, peer support, UN documents, and women with disabilities. The Institute also offers opportunities for online publication, inviting "individuals and organizations to share letters, articles, training manuals, monographs, reports, project proposals, announcements of upcoming events, conference proceedings, and other documents" whose themes concern independent living. [DC of Scout's]
http://www.leonardsworlds.com/info/campus-us.htmCollege Web CamsAna Voog's WebcamThe original cammer.Here and Now
The Electronic Fishbowl
http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000521mag-internet.html
"Could you handle the pressure of having your most private moments broadcast to millions? When a confessional culture meets up with the Internet (and spectacle-hungry network executives), exhibitionism becomes the ultimate extreme sport." By MARSHALL SELLA
Cam Hubs
WebCam Cookbook
Sam Churchill's guide on webcam building
Virtual CommunitiesHoward Rheingold's homepage.
Nine Principles for Making Virtual Communities Work, By Mike Godwin
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.06/vc.principles.html
9 Timeless Principles For Building Community Erecting The Social Scaffolding, By Amy Jo Kim
http://www.webtechniques.com/archives/1998/01/kim/
The WELL -- Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
ECHO -- East Coast Hang OUT
HotWired
The River
MediaMOO
http://asb.www.media.mit.edu/people/asb/convergence.html
"The MediaMOO Project: Constructionism and Professional Community." An interesting paper by Amy Bruckman and Mitchel Resnick about the MediaMOO project.
MOOSE Crossing
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/fac/Amy.Bruckman/moose-crossing/
News in the Future
The News in the Future (NiF) research consortium is the context in which MediaMOO was originally developed.
NiF provides a forum for the MIT Media Laboratory and member companies to explore and exploit technologies that will affect the collection and dissemination of news. The goals include enhancing the efficiency of production, the timeliness of delivery, the convenience of presentation, and the relevance of editorial and advertising content to the consumer. NiF focuses on four areas: description of news by and for computer; observation and modeling of consumer behavior; presentation and interface design; and application. The consortium develops technologies for managing data, building linkages between news providers and consumers and enabling new approaches to the look and feel of news content. It investigates the application of these technologies by means of experiments at MIT and field experiments set up in cooperation with individual member companies.
Chat Rooms Directories/Gateways
http://www.ker95.com/chat101/" "Chat 101", the basics of chat......Welcome to the world of "Chat", which has its own set of manners ("chatiquette") and language. Chat 101 contains the basics of chat, from the translation of chatspeak (moof, scrolling), abbreviations (lol, brb), and emoticons, to the etiquette that will help "newbies" get comfortable in this new world, be a welcome guest in the chatrooms, and, most importantly, get you more involved with the fun!"
http://www.excite.com/communities/
Friendship and Intimacy in the Digital Age, Timothy Bickmore, MAS 714 - Systems & Self, December 8th, 1998
Internet Democraphic Resources
Georgia Tech's WWW User Surveyshttp://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/others/
InfoQuest's Internet Surveys and Statistics
http://www.teleport.com/~tbchad/stats1.html
PlaceComm Discussion List Archiveshttp://earthsystems.org/list/PlaceComm/
The Place and Community Studies discussion list, sponsored by the Place and Community Studies Institute, is an interdisciplinary forum to discuss ways in which teaching, research, activism, living practices, and artistic production can be applied to valuing and sustaining our unique places--our natural and built environments, as well as our social communities. Part of the mission of the list is to foster dialogue and build bridges between people from all walks of life and, for teachers and scholars, between all levels and disciplines. To help build a strong community on the list, the list owner asks that all new subscribers post an introductory message describing their background and their specific interests regarding this list. [SC of Scout's]
To SUBSCRIBE email: PlaceComm-request@earthsystems.org In the subject line, type the word subscribe
Portal: Deja.comOn Monday, the powerful online research tool Deja News launched a revamped Website that includes many major enhancements and new information services, transforming the well-established searchable clearinghouse of 45,000 discussion forums into a multi-functional Internet portal. The new features provided by Deja News, which has officially changed its name to Deja.com, include Deja Ratings, a system that currently offers "access to unbiased peer ratings and comments" on over 7,200 items in more than 400 categories, and Deja Shopper, a service to help users "find the best deals on the Web for products and services." In addition, the Deja Discussions and Deja Communities services have made key design changes that include hierarchical navigation, thread digest display, instant messaging, and a feature called Deja Tracker, which provides users with email notifications when a tagged discussion posts new messages. [AO of Scout's]
From Print to Electronics Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishinghttp://www.indiana.edu/~sharp/
http://slisweb.lis.wisc.edu/printcul/sharp99.html
July 15-18, 1999. Madison, Wisconsin. The Center for the History of Print Culture in Modern America will host the seventh annual conference of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing. The conference will consist of nearly 50 moderated panel sessions on the "creation, diffusion, and/or reception of the written or printed word" throughout history worldwide. The program guide is online and includes sessions with captivating titles such as Bibliomania: Sentiment and Gender; Guy Stuff: Dime Novels and Pulp Fiction and Constructing Worlds for American Males; and Victorian Literature and the Darwinian Debates. Detailed registration information is available at the site. [AO of Scout's]
Study Details Online News Reading Habits
http://www.poynter.org/eyetrack2000/index.htm
"This Stanford University study looked at how people read online content, specifically news. In addition to examining newsreading habits in general, investigators used eye tracking technology to study how people view Web pages. It seems the number of news junkies is dropping, but those that do continue to read news increasingly rely on online sources. News readers also read wide, but shallow - they visit many news sites, but don't go deep into any one site. As we at Netsurfer have known for years, people prefer skimming briefs before choosing to investigate items in depth. The eye-tracking analysis found that people gaze first at the text on a Web site, and that banner ads do get noticed. Online content providers will find lots of other interesting results here, too." [From Netsurfer Digest Volume 06, Issue 16, Tuesday, May 09, 2000]
Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose.
Experiments in the Future of Reading with Xerox Parc scientist Rich Gold research on new technologies and reading
Jones' Digital Telecommunications & Multimedia Encyclopedia
http://www.digitalcentury.com/encyclo/index.html
This online reference from Jones International, a leading firm in online postsecondary education, features dozens of entries on telecommunications and media topics and innovators. The entries are categorized by "technologies and trends, biographies, legislation,and company profiles." Included here are substantial hypertext articles on the history and development of printing, photography, computers, and software; as well as entries on crime on the Internet, cybersleuthing, Brian Eno, George Lucas, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and Xerox among others. Each week a new article is featured,and the entire encyclopedia is searchable (though we were unable to retrieve results on our visit). [DC of Scout's]
Rocky Mountain Media Watch
Rocky Mountain Media Watch's national comment bank about television is now open as a pilot experiment. It is called "iSAWit". You are invited to participate by entering a comment about something positive or negative you saw on TV. RMMW needs specific anecdotes, facts, descriptions of things broadcast and not broadcast, biases and media side-effects
Please tell your friends. iSAWit will only work if RMMW can generate a significant number of meaningful comments on an ongoing basis.
Visual Cultures & Visual Literacies: Changing Ways of Imaging Science & Society -- IVSA
http://www.sjmc.umn.edu/faculty/schwartz/ivsa/html/1999_conference.html
July 14-18, 1999 Antwerp, Belgium. The International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA) will provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of research that examines the impact of emerging imaging technologies on methodologies in the social and natural sciences. Specifically, this interdisciplinary conference, hosted by the University of Antwerp, will explore how scientists integrate "the visual into their research, scholarly communication, and teaching." [AO of Scout's]
The Journal for MultiMedia History.
We are the first peer-reviewed electronic journal that presents,evaluates, and disseminates multimedia scholarship.
This exciting journal offers a new vision for presenting historical research. Adhering to the highest research standards and utilizing the most innovative multimedia technologies, The Journal for MultiMedia History (JMMH) combines audio, visual, and hyperlinked materials with thoughtful historical analysis. By exploiting the almost magical potential of digital code, authors can explore and present a range of scholarly source materials impossible to incorporate into traditional texts. The journal also provides in-depth reviews, including audio and visual clips and links, of multimedia resources such as CD-ROMs, videos, and Web sites.
Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing (DIAC) Symposium: Shaping the Network Society: The Future of the Public Sphere in Cyberspace May 20-23, 2000 Seattle, Washington
http://www.scn.org/cpsr/diac-00/
"Cyberspace may become the dominant medium through which people create and share information and ideas. How their conversations about the environment, culture, leisure, and political decisions, are conducted and how they are resolved are likely to have major social implications in the new millennium.
What directions and implications does cyberspace foretell for community, democracy, education and culture? Addressing those questions may be among the most urgent tasks facing humankind today.
The objective of DIAC-00 is to integrate many perspectives, conversations, and people from around the world on the topic of public space in cyberspace: What is it? What should it be? What would we do with it? What can we do about it?
DIAC-00 will be a multifaceted event. The call for abstracts / papers addresses the research or academic component of the symposium. There are other opportunities for participation within this framework. The guidelines for workshop proposals will be released soon.
DIAC-00 is sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, the Association For Community Networks and Friends and Partners."
The Internet and Public Discourse by Phil Agre
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_3/agre/
"Many legal systems, for example in the United States, have had difficulty comprehending the Internet because incompatible precedents based on so many existing media (post, telephone, newspaper, street corner, etc.) seem to apply. The Internet frustrates these traditional analogies because it is really a meta-medium: a set of layered services that make it easy to construct new media with almost any properties one likes. Despite this great flexibility, however, the dynamics of technical standards are emerging as a potentially conservative force. To help in mapping afresh the legal and political concerns that the Internet has raised, this article sketches a series of four models of the interaction between Internet architecture and public discourse."
Robert W. McChesney, Making Media Democratic, Boston Review, 23, 3. With comment by Andrew L. Shapiro, "Internet Treasure," and response by McChesney
http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR23.3/mcchesney.html
http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR23.3/shapiro.html
http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR23.3/mchesney_response.html
Cyberculture: An Annotated Bibliography
http://otal.umd.edu/~rccs/biblio.html
Copyright © 1996-1998, David Silver. All rights reserved.
These entries "help to introduce and contextualize the emerging field of cyberculture. While some of the entries explore how cyberculture came to be, others examine how it could be. Unlike so many popular, hype-driven essays and articles (or what Mark Dery calls "cyberdrool") written about the Net, the entries included in this section are more historically, politically, and/or theoretically grounded."
The Psychology of Cyberspace, by John Suler
http://ww.rider.edu/users/suler/psycyber/psycyber.html
The purpose of this online hypertext book (web site) is to explore the psychological dimensions of environments created by computers and online networks. It is intended as an evolving conceptual framework for understanding the various psychological components of cyberspace and how people react to and behave within it. This framework is the basis for my ongoing research on what I call "the psychology of cyberspace" - or simply "cyberpsychology." I hope it will serve as a useful framework for other researchers as well.
TopClick
Users concerned about the increased efforts by Websites to collect personal information about them for marketing purposes and tired of the flood of banner ads they inevitably encounter at many search engines will heartily welcome TopClick, a search engine committed to preserving the user's right to privacy. Powered by Google, one of the most powerful, fast, and easy-to-use search engines, TopClick displays no banner ads, does not use cookies or any other profiling technologies, and will not disclose any information about users to third parties. In addition, the site offers a Privacy Center, with related links and the latest privacy headlines. Comparative searches with Google produced the same results at very nearly the same speed, but TopClick does not offer Google's cache and GoogleScout features. Still, TopClick provides excellent search power without sacrificing the individual's right to privacy. [MD of Scout's]
CONGRESS TACKLES INTERNET PRIVACY LEGISLATION
http://www0.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/internet/docs/792207l.htm
Two U.S. Representatives -- Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) -- have introduced legislation that would require Web sites to notify visitors how personal data such as telephone numbers and ZIP codes are used, and allow visitors to "opt out" of that use. "Consumers shouldn't have to reveal their life story every time they surf the Web," said Eshoo. The bill mirrors legislation introduced in the Senate last year by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), and lawmakers agree that Congress will probably pass some type of Internet privacy bill this year. (Reuters/San Jose Mercury News 24 Jan 2001)
Group Warns Against E - Mail Wiretap
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-E-mail-Wiretaps.html
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Filed at 3:56 p.m. ET, Feb. 5, 2001
WHAT DOES "TRESPASS" MEAN IN CYBERSPACE?
http://partners.nytimes.com/2001/01/12/technology/12CYBERLAW.html
Recent court cases have used the ancient law of "trespass" to rule against companies that used software robots to search the public Web sites of other companies to capture sales leads for mass marketing purposes. However, the original idea of trespass is that trespasser causes some kind of harm (such as crashing the site being trespassed upon). But what if there is no harm - crash or traffic gridlock or anything else? The recent decisions do not seem to require that a plaintiff allege real harm, and some legal observers are concerned that the decisions will have bad unintended consequences. Dan L. Burk, a University of Minnesota law professor, warns: "If I don't like your linking to my site, or searching my site, even though it is open to the public, and I say, 'Stop,' you have to stop... whether you are actually hurting me or not." (New York Times 12 Jan 2001)
Firm Tracking Consumers on Web for Drug Companies, by Robert O'Harrow Jr. Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, August 15, 2000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25494-2000Aug14.html
The Boston technology company Pharmatrak is able to use "cookies" to surreptitiously track the movements on the Web of visitors to the sites of various pharmaceutical companies, and, because it is not an advertiser, is not bound by a recent agreement by such online advertisers as DoubleClick and Engage to allow computer users to choose whether or not they wish to allow their activities on the Web to be monitored. Threatening the possibility of legal action against Pharmatrack, Michigan's attorney general says, "They've taken stealth to a new low... It's a classic example of corporate surveillance. There's no way your average computer user has any idea." Pharmatrak says it doesn't collect the names of individuals, and has no intention of doing so, and Pharmatrack's chief executive says of the lawsuit threatened by Michigan: "If they file a suit like that they're idiots," because people know or ought to know that "they're using an open access means of communication."
NORTEL DEBUTS NEW USER-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB980817113693627184.htm
Nortel Networks is offering communications carriers and ISPs new technology that can track Internet user habits across their networks and enable them to generate new revenue streams through fee-based services. For example, networks could target users with ads based on their geographic location or personal interests, and an Internet user who wanted to watch a Web movie could pay his or her service provider a few dollars to "raise the bandwidth a couple of notches" for a few hours to accommodate the increased data flow, says Selina Lo, VP of Nortel's content-networking unit. (Wall Street Journal 30 Jan 2001)
SPRINT PLANS TO INCLUDE GPS TRACKING IN CELL PHONES
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB973812152306749632.htm
Sprint's plan to put global-positioning system chips in its cell phones is raising concerns among privacy advocates who warn the phones could become tracking devices. Sprint's move to include the GPS feature is in response to a federal mandate that all wireless service providers be capable of pinpointing a 911 call made through a wireless device within 100 feet by October 2001. Cell phone operators do have an alternative option available, which involves installing tracking software on the wireless network, the solution chosen by Verizon Wireless. While carriers say they will be the only ones with the ability to track calls, privacy advocates say there is a risk that the information could get into the wrong hands because the tracking device will be leaving a trail of electronic footprints. In addition, consumers would have no say in whether or not they want this information generated. Sprint PCS chief technology officer Oliver Valente says his company is exploring ways to allow users to turn the 911 location-tracking system off at the push of a button, a move privacy advocates applaud. "We will make sure consumer information is protected," says Valente. (Wall Street Journal 10 Nov 2000)
NOSY E-MAIL
http://partners.nytimes.com/2000/11/22/technology/22NET.html
Privacy advocates are concerned about the fact that the new e-mail software system called HTML mail makes it possible for people sending you messages to monitor when and what time of day you open them, how often you reopen them, and whether you forward them to other people. The marketing companies that use HTML mail say it helps them develop more personalized promotions; individuals who use it claim they have a right to monitor their own correspondence. Richard M. Smith, the chief technology officer for the Privacy Foundations, argues: "You can buy 50,000 addresses of people who subscribe to The New Yorker. But you don't know what articles they're reading in it, or what books they've bought or what medical problems they've been researching lately. That's very much a possibility within this technology." (New York Times 22 Nov 2000)
Safe Harbor
http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/
Safe Harbor was created as a response to the European Commission's Directive on Data Privacy which was launched in October 1998 and prohibits the transfer of personal data to countries outside of the European Union that do not meet the EU's standards for privacy protection. Because the United States has significantly lower standards for privacy protection, the Directive on Data Privacy would have prohibited many transactions between the US and EU nations. Safe Harbor is a framework of US organizations that have agreed to comply with the Directive. The Safe Harbor Website contains a basic overview of the initiative which explains its history and mission. Safe Harbor documents include privacy principles, an in-depth collection of FAQs, information on how Safe Harbor is enforced, and other documents from both the US and the EU. [EM]
Spyware, and how to detect Spyware on your computer
http://www.alphalink.com.au/~johnf/spyware.html
http://www.thebee.com/bweb/iinfo200.htm
Some cyber advertisers have gone to extraordinary lengths to both target Internet ads and spy on the user's computer activities. ....
Spyware is ANY SOFTWARE which employs a user's Internet connection in the background (the so-called "backchannel") without their knowledge or explicit permission. Silent background use of an Internet "backchannel" connection MUST BE PRECEDED by a complete and truthful disclosure of proposed backchannel usage, followed by the receipt of explicit, informed, consent for such use. ANY SOFTWARE communicating across the Internet absent these elements is guilty of information theft and is properly and rightfully termed: Spyware.
The PRIVACY Forum
PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility
Who Watches the Web
http://www.tecsoc.org/persec/webwatch.htm
"The unremitting growth of the Internet challenges governments' traditional means of monitoring citizens. To cope, governments are trying to watch - and sometimes control - the Internet."
People Snooping on Spouses' Net Use (Washington Post, 8 Aug 00)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52154-2000Aug7.html
"Software packages now allow suspicious and jealous husbands and wives to spy on their loved ones' computer use. In several cases, "online infidelities" have torn marriages apart."
New Technology Is Aimed At Increasing Web Privacy, by JERI CLAUSING
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/cyber/articles/22privacy.html
Major Internet companies and the World Wide Web's standard-setting body unveiled yesterday some long-awaited technology that would alert computer users before they visited Web sites that collect more personal information than they are willing to shar ...NYT, June 22, 2000, Thursday, Business/Financial Desk.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EYES SPY SYSTEM
http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/151697.html
The European Parliament has renewed its attack on the U.S.-devised Echelon satellite and eavesdropping network by forming a "temporary committee" to investigate whether the spy network was used for commercial espionage against European businesses. The parliament said the committee will also determine Echelon's legality. Echelon, which is jointly operated by the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand, is capable of intercepting phone, fax and e-mail signals around the world and is intended to gather intelligence regarding terrorist and other threats to the U.S. and its allies. (Newsbytes 6 Jul 2000)
The Latest News about the FBI's Carnivore
"FBI Prepares to Disclose Material on Wiretapping" -- Reuters (via Yahoo!news)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000817/wr/fbi_carnivore_dc_2.html
"Group Objects to FBI E-mail Release" -- AP (via Yahoo!news)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000817/tc/carnivore_6.html
"Carnivore Going to Review U." -- _Washington Post_
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7949-2000Aug10.html
Focus on Carnivore -- _Computerworld_
http://www.computerworld.com/resources/carnivore/
Privacy in the Digital Age -- _New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/index-privacy.html
FBI Programs and Initiatives: Carnivore Diagnostic Tool
http://www.fbi.gov/programs/carnivore/carnivore.htm
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Memorandum in Support of Plaintiff's Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order -- _Tech Law Journal_
http://www.techlawjournal.com/courts/epicvdoj/20000802mem.asp
"FBI's 'Carnivore' Follows Court Orders" -- _LA Times_
http://www.latimes.com/news/comment/20000812/t000075644.html
"Carnivore is why new laws are needed for new technology" -- _Computerworld_
http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/story/0,1199,NAV63-128-233-1141_STO48648,00.html
Digital Privacy Act of 2000 -- GPO [.pdf, 5 pages]
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=106_cong_bills&docid=f:h4987ih.txt.pdf
As US Congressman (R-Ga) and House Judiciary Committee member Bob Barr has pointed out, the latest US government surveillance project, the FBI's Carnivore, might have been largely overlooked by the public were it not for two factors: the choice on the part of the bureau to name the system "Carnivore" and EarthLink Inc.'s litigation over the placement of the packet-sniffer on its network. Be that as it may, this email surveillance system has been at the center of controversy of late. While the FBI has explained that the system uses court-authorized wire taps to surveil criminal suspects, civil liberties groups are concerned that Carnivore may violate the Fourth Amendment Protection against illegal search and seizure. On July 12, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, and six days later it asked the Justice Department to expedite the request as Carnivore had become such a focus of media concern. When the request was not granted after the ten-day time limit FOIA required, EPIC filed a civil action, and on August 2, US District Judge James Robertson ordered the FBI to respond to EPIC's request within ten days with a schedule of record releases. This Wednesday, the FBI announced that it would release the first set of documents within 45 days. In the meantime, the development of Carnivore moves ahead, as the Justice Department plans to select a university within days to review the system's hardware and software.
Recent coverage is available from Reuters, the Associated Press (both via Yahoo!news), and the _Washington Post_, the first two of which report on the FBI's Wednesday announcement and EPIC's response to the timetable, while the _Post_ covers the Justice Department's decision to have a major university review the system. For background information, readers can turn to _Computerworld_'s special section on Carnivore or the _New York Times_'s section on Internet privacy (free registration required), or they can go right to sites of the controversy's major players, the FBI and EPIC. The latter's August 2 petition to the US District Court has been posted online by _Tech Law Journal_. An August 12 letter to the editor of the _LA TImes_ from John E. Collingwood, the FBI's Assistant Director of Public and Congressional Affairs defends Carnivore, while Bob Barr's editorial in _Computerworld_ explains the need for the Digital Privacy Act of 2000, a bill he introduced in Congress July 27 in response to Carnivore and other surveillance strategies. [TK]
CARNIVORE SURVIVES AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW
http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/ap/docs/658495l.htm
An independent review of the FBI's "Carnivore" surveillance system, which is intended to monitor e-mail communication of criminal suspects but which is criticized by privacy advocates for intruding into the lives of ordinary citizens, has found that the system does not "overcollect evidence" and that "it does pretty much what the FBI says" it does. But Alan Davidson of the nonprofit group Center for Democracy and Technology insists: "This sort of finding is in part why we've said a purely technical review of Carnivore's functions is not sufficient. Policymakers need a review that considers the law under which Carnivore operates and whether that law adequately protects privacy." The review was conducted by Henry H. Perritt, dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 20 Nov 2000)
INTERNET, DEMOCRACY, AND PUBLIC GOODS
Electronic Conference
Centro Virtual de Estudos Polmticos (CEVEP)
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
November 1-30, 2000Call for Papers
Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2000Internet voting, electronic governance, civic networking over the Internet, eletronic media, cyberdemocracy, Internet lobbying and campaigning, public services and information over the Internet: these are among the numerous ways by which the Internet increasingly invades the political life of contemporary democracies. It is becoming ever more important for social scientists to understand how this new communication technology will affect politics in the twenty-first century. Particularly, in the light of the market struggles for control over the new medium, it becomes important to reflect upon its role as a public good.
This conference is an experiment with new forms of organizing intellectual debates over the Internet, using computer-mediated communication to discuss the theme of the event. In order to participate or attend to the conference, one needs only to have access to a computer connected to the Internet. During the month of November, all accepted papers and critical commentaries will be available at the conference's website and will be discussed by the participants and those attending to the conference.
Proposals (title, abstract, author and affiliation) should be sent by
e-mail to conference@cevep.ufmg.br.
Proposals may be submitted in English, French, German or Spanish.
INTERNET DEMOCRACY PROJECT
http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/ap/docs/171594l.htm
"An alliance called the Internet Democracy Project has been created by three public advocacy groups "to encourage participation by nongovernmental organizations in Internet governance and to promote the principles of a civil society." The three groups are the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Electronic Privacy Information center (EPIC). Much of their attention will be focused on the work of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is a nonprofit corporation created by the Clinton Administration to coordinate technical management of the Internet, and which has been criticized for being too secretive. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 6 Jul 2000)"
New Top-Level Domain Names on the Way
New TLD Application Process
http://www.icann.com/tlds/application-process-03aug00.htm
"New Domain Names Coming" - Search Engine Watch
http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/00/08-domains.html
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the body that has overseen the domain name system since 1998, has announced that it will very soon begin to accept applications/suggestions for new domain names. For a modest $50,000 fee, anyone can submit their proposal, though it won't necessarily be accepted. The deadline for applications will be October 2, and the new domain names will most likely appear at the beginning of the new year. The ultimate effect of these new domains on the Internet, trademarks, and online culture remains to be seen. Users can read about the application and proposal process for themselves at the first URL or learn more about the body and its activities from the main page. Danny Sullivan, editor of the inestimable _Search Engine Watch_ (see the June 20, 1997 _Scout Report_), offers a brief skeptical analysis and an excellent collection of related links for more information on the new domain names and ICANN. [MD]
Ken Freed Analyzing ICANN: The committee that would be king of the Internet.
http://www.media-visions.com/icann.htm
Presidential Candidates on the Issues
California Online Voter Guide 2000 -- A Project of the California Voter Foundation
Politics1.Comhttp://www.politics1.com/p2000.htm
"Democrats, Republicans, third party candidates and Independents ... if they're running for President in 2000 (or even thinking about running) you can find them ALL here ... plus other P2000 resources!! Only 228 Days Until Election Day 2000!!"
Public Campaign -- Clean Money -- Clean Elections
If you're looking for real solutions to clean up the campaign finance mess in this country, you've come to the right place. We can show you what's wrong with the system and how you can help fix it. That's right: YOU CAN HELP FIX IT. In fact, if America is ever going to change the money culture that defines politics today, WE THE PEOPLE are going to have to do it ourselves. We must put pressure on Congress and our state legislatures. Public pressure still sways politicians, in Washington and in state capitols. Real reform will only come from the ground up. Join Public Campaign and work for Clean Money Campaign Reform.
BEING A DOT.ORG GUY IN A DOT.COM WORLDhttp://www.alternet.org/PublicArchive/Lam021100.html
By Andrew Lam, Pacific News Service
The magic words these days are Internet and cyber-anything and Web whatever. Not everyone can get onboard, however. PNS editor Andrew Lam finds pleasure in another part of the online world.
CELIA W. DUGGER , "Connecting Rural India to the World" NY Times on the Web, May 28, 2000
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/28india.html
"Ethnicity in the Electronic Age: Looking at the Internet Through Multicultural Lens" [.pdf]
http://www.accesscag.com/internet%20report%20v.pdf
Worldwide Cultural Access Group
Recently released by the Worldwide Cultural Access Group, this 40-page report is based on a study of online attitudes and practices among African-Americans, Hispanics, and the general market. The study finds that African-Americans and Hispanics use the Internet for different purposes than the general market. The former are more likely to use the Web for career advancement and professional development, education, family and relationships, and entertainment, while the latter are more likely to use the Internet as a major source of news. Both African-Americans and Hispanics were less likely to search for financial or technological information online, but they were also more concerned than other users about the impact of the Internet on children and families. Readers can download the full text of the report at the above URL. [MD]
NativeWeb
http://ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu/~marc/nativeweb.html
A rich collection of native information resources.
More readings from Holeton's website
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/holeton/chap6/links.mhtml
Multimedia Tips FROM PRACTITIONERShttp://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~best/html/tips/practitioners.htm
Tips from actual experts in the field of of interactive multimedia, including programmers, artists, instructional designers, and project managers.
Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project: Project-Based Learning with Multimedia
http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/index.html
The Multimedia Project is a program of Challenge 2000, a broad school reform effort sponsored by the Silicon Valley Network in collaboration with the San Mateo County Office of Education. The site offers a sophisticated array of materials and information related to Project-Based Learning employing multimedia. Among other things, the site includes guidelines and examples for establishing Multimedia/ Project-Based Learning in the classroom; curriculum activities in media literacy, analysis, and production; related workstations, Web tutorials, and a resource library; a searchable database of sample projects; and a discussion forum and electronic mailing list of all participants in the project. One of the site's (and the project's) most impressive features is its emphasis on assessment. Analyses of individual project's instructional effectiveness are provided as well as tools for assessing the success of future efforts. The Multimedia Project is funded by a U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant. [DC of Scout's]
Jones' Digital Telecommunications & Multimedia Encyclopedia
http://www.digitalcentury.com/encyclo/index.html
This online reference from Jones International, a leading firm in online postsecondary education, features dozens of entries on telecommunications and media topics and innovators. The entries are categorized by "technologies and trends, biographies, legislation, and company profiles." Included here are substantial hypertext articles on the history and development of printing, photography, computers, and software; as well as entries on crime on the Internet, cybersleuthing, Brian Eno, George Lucas, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and Xerox among others. Each week a new article is featured, and the entire encyclopedia is searchable (though we were unable to retrieve results on our visit). [DC of Scout's]
Largest Media Merger in History
1) "Media giants in $80bn merger" -- BBC [RealPlayer]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/the_company_file/newsid_440000/440738.stm
2) "CBS says deal with Viacom could deliver younger audience" -- CNN
http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/TV/9909/07/cbs.viacom01/
3) Viacom/CBS -- All Things Considered
http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/19990907.atc.09.ram
4) "Net Effect of CBS-Viacom Merger" -- Time.com
http://www.pathfinder.com/time/daily/0,2960,30576-101990907,00.html
5) "The CBS-Viacom Merger" -- _Salon_
http://www.salon.com/media/feature/1999/09/08/viacom/index.html
6) Viacom Website
7) CBS Website
http://www.cbs.com/flat/section_100.html
8) Biggest Media Mergers -- CNNfn
http://cnnfn.com/1999/09/07/deals/media_mergers/
Tuesday, Viacom and CBS announced their plans to merge, creating the largest media merger in history. The new entertainment company, which will retain the name Viacom, is valued at $80 billion. Along with newly acquired CBS, Viacom already owns several cable networks including MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH1; Paramount Pictures movie studio; and theme parks and holds major stock in the networks UPN and Showtime as well as the Blockbuster video store chain. CBS brings access to the radio company Infinity Broadcasting Corporation and Outdoor Systems Inc., a large billboard company. This new multimedia entertainment empire will rival Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner Inc. These eight resources provide news, analysis, and company information on the new Viacom-CBS merger. "Media Giants in $80bn merger" (1) is the BBC's coverage of the merger, including a RealAudio file of Sumner Redstone, president of Viacom, and links to related articles and Websites. CNN's report (2) on the deal examines the demographic impact the merger would bring to Viacom. National Public Radio's _All Things Considered_ (3) interviews _The New Yorker_'s Ken Auletta, who explains that CBS viewers will probably not notice a difference in the network, but the merger will affect the business side of CBS. Time.com's "Net Effects of CBS-Viacom Merger" (4) looks at the impact of the merger on Viacom's Internet presence. _Salon_ (5) assesses the overall impact that the merger will have on these two companies in the cynical commentary "The CBS-Viacom Merger." Both the Viacom (6) and CBS (7) official Websites give company background, as well as their own coverage of the new Viacom company. Finally, CNNfn (8) offers a brief look back at the ten largest media mergers, which have all taken place since 1991. [EM of Scout's]
Macromedia Shockwave 7 & Flash 3 Players
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/
Download Page
Macromedia Shockzone
http://www.macromedia.com/shockzone/ Macromedia
Flash Gallery
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/gallery/
Macromedia has released the newest versions of their Shockwave and Flash (last mentioned in the April 17, 1998 Scout Report) multimedia playback engines. Shockwave allows the viewing of interactive multimedia content inside a Web browser. Flash is the emerging standard for vector graphics and animation, allowing smaller files than traditional multimedia delivery. A new download and install feature requires a small initial download (~800K), which then downloads the necessary components for your specific browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, and America Online are supported). Shockrave and Shockzone are Macromedia-hosted sites that highlight creative and innovative implementations of the Shockwave technology. [PMS of Scout's]
Psychology of Cyberspace
http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/psycyber.html
Created and maintained by Professor John Suler of Rider University, The Psychology of Cyberspace is a frequently updated interactive document that provides "an evolving conceptual framework for understanding the various psychological components of cyberspace." Currently, the site contains six major components: The Fundamental Psychological Qualities of Cyberspace, The Psychology of the Individual in Cyberspace, The Psychology of Cyberspace Relationships, Group Dynamics in Cyberspace, Research Methods in Cyberpsychology, and The Palace Study, an ongoing case study of an online multimedia community. This extensive site also includes a subject index to aid information retrieval, and a modest annotated webliography of cyberpsychology resources. [AO of Scout's]
Scour.Net
Another addition to the recent wave of multimedia search engines, Scour.Net allows users to search for audio, video, images, and animation and then access these files directly, without visiting the site. Poor spellers and sloppy typists will appreciate Scour.Net's Smartmatch system, which returns results that are closest to the query, even if the spelling is different. Users can choose between a simple keyword search or an advanced search, which allows selection of source and media type. Additional content at the site includes a daily multimedia feature and a Media Resources page with links to tools for viewing, listening to, and creating multimedia files. [MD of Scout's]
Synchronous Internet Training - Synctrain Mailing List
This new mailing list sponsored by InSync Training Synergy and moderated by Jennifer Hofmann, a Virtual Classroom Designer, is designed to serve "trainers, educators, and other people interested in Live Online Learning." Discussions on training techniques, Internet pedagogy, supporting multimedia, new products, and relevant jobs, conferences, and classes are welcome. Users can view the list archives and subscribe at this site. [MD of Scout's]
Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings -- NLC [RealPlayer]
http://www2.nlc-bnc.ca/gramophone/src/home.htm
The Virtual Gramophone, an ongoing digital project of the National Library of Canada, aims to provide "researchers and enthusiasts with a comprehensive look at the 78-rpm era in Canada." This multimedia Website contains a brief history of recorded sound in Canada, short biographies of important Canadians in the recording industry, over 170 audio files of digitally reproduced historic recordings, and a 78-rpm resources section, which includes a bibliography, a detailed glossary, and a modest collection of annotated links. However, the core of this site is the vast Virtual Gramophone database. The database currently catalogs "approximately 2,400 7-inch 78-rpm recordings released by the Berliner Company of Montreal between 1899 and 1908," and the NLC plans to add more recordings in subsequent phases of the project. Every sound recording is exhaustively cataloged: each database record contains 37 descriptive fields. In addition, scanned and enlarged label images accompany selected sound recordings. Database searching instructions and cataloging principles are available at the site. [AO of Scout's]
WW8 Papers
http://www8.org/fullpaper.html
The full-text papers from the Eighth International World Wide Web Conference, recently (May 11-14) held in Toronto, have been placed online. Forty-eight papers from sixteen sessions are available. Each includes an abstract, full-text, and basic author information. Sample paper topics include: A Query Language for XML, User Adaptable Multimedia Presentations for the WWW, Finding Related Pages in the World Wide Web, and Focused Crawling: A New Approach for Topic-Specific Resource Discovery. [MD of Scout's]
Bennis, Warren. 1977. Thoughts from a Victim of Info-Overload Anxiety. Antioch Review. Yellow Springs, OH: Antioch Press.Winterhoff-Spurk, Peter. 1996. Coping with plenty : psychological aspects of television and information overload. In: Dyson, Kenneth, and Walter Homolka (eds.). Culture first! : promoting standards in the new media age. London ; New York, NY : Cassell.
Whittaker, Steve, and Candace Sidner. 1997. Email overload. In: Kiesler, Sara (ed.). Culture of the Internet. Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Klapp, Orrin E. 1986. Overload and boredom : essays on the quality of life in the information society. New York : Greenwood Press.
Knowledge Management WWW Virtual Library
Created by author and founder/ chairman/ chief knowledge architect of @Brint.com, the Knowledge Management WWW Virtual Library is an award-winning digital library dedicated to knowledge management and intellectual capital information. This all-inclusive site features an extensive collection of research papers, articles, and interviews on topics such as data mining, complexity theory, and "the human side of knowledge management;" these documents can be found in the Themes in Knowledge Management section. Users are encouraged to participate in several ever-changing online discussion forums; archived discussions include Data and Knowledge; Creative Abrasion of Knowledge, Information, Intellectual Capital; and Jump Starting Communities of Practice. Because there is so much information on this site, at times we found it somewhat difficult to navigate and search. However, for those interested in knowledge management, it should be an invaluable resource. [EM of Scout's]
Scientific Communication--A Vanity Fair? Georg Franck
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/286/5437/53
Success in science is rewarded with attention. Citation represents a fee paid through transfer of some of the attention earned by the citing author to the cited author. An economy of attention links the collectively most rewarding allocation of attention with the maximum value of the attention its holder can earn. In terms of the resulting collective efficiency it attains, the intelligence of science as a whole surpasses that which individual scientists can attain in isolation.
John Perry Barlow. 1994. The economy of ideas: A framework for rethinking patents and copyrights in the digital age. Wired, 2.03, 85-90, 126-129.http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.03/economy.ideas.html
" ... soon most information will be generated collectively by the cyber-triba-hunter-gatherers of cyberspace." (p. 50)
DEFINING THE WORLD'S PUBLIC PROPERTY
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2000/01/17webA global public good
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2000/01/12a
Apartheid of pharmacology, by Martine Bulard
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/en/2000/01/12bulard
DISTRIBUTED SUPERCOMPUTING
http://partners.nytimes.com/2000/11/20/technology/20SUPE.html
A number of start-up companies are now offering ways of doing supercomputing by distributing the calculations to ordinary desktop machines attached to the Internet -- machines that would otherwise be idle. The chief technology office of Parabon Corporation says: "There are 100 million machines hooked to the Internet, all of them doing nothing a lot of the time. This kind of inefficiency just can't exist in a free-market economy." Other companies promoting "grid supercomputing" include Applied MetaComputing, Entropia, and KnowledgePort. But software for distributed supercomputing remains a problem. Supercomputing industry analyst Debra Goldfarb of International Data Corporation says that perhaps 20% of supercomputing problems can not be easily divided for solution by distributed computers, and other experts worry that the new focus on a distributed supercomputing approach is a distraction from efforts to provide supercomputing power to the toughest kinds of problems, such the study of global environmental events. (New York Times 20 Nov 2000)
Copyrights: Tech Blurs Control, by Declan McCullagh
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,40415,00.html
'DEEP LINKING' COMES UNDER FIRE
http://news.ft.com/news/industries/internet&e-commerce
StepStone, a UK online recruitment company, has obtained an injunction in Germany preventing Danish rival OFiR -- a media firm that owns online recruitment portals in the UK, Germany, Denmark and France -- from linking to StepStone Web pages. The move is one of the few cases to test the law on "deep linking" -- links between sites that bypass home pages and therefore miss the advertising on them. "It is not, of course, every case of hypertext linking which is unlawful -- the Internet would grind to a halt," said Adrian Lifely, an attorney for Osborne Clark, the law firm advising StepStone. "But the courts in Europe do have power to intervene where linking is extensive and prejudicial to the site involved." The law firm said OFiR was using the link to StepStone's database to boost the number of job offerings it claimed to provide. The ruling in favor of the injunction was based on new European laws regulations on database and copyright protection, said Lifely. (Financial Times 18 Jan 2001)
LIBRARIANS SUE OVER NET CENSORSHIP
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/6838.html
The American Library Association says it plans to sue the U.S. over the legality of the Children's Internet Protection Act, which was signed into law December 21, 2000. The ALA says the law, which requires schools and libraries to install content filters on computers as a condition for U.S. government funding, infringes on First Amendment free-speech rights. Specifically, the ALA is alleging that the new filtering rules would serve to widen the so-called digital divide, which separates those with the means to access the Internet through their own household PCs from those who must rely on public-access machines. Even with the filter options turned on, says the ALA, there is no filtering software that "differentiates constitutionally protected speech from illegal speech on the Internet." That argument was successfully upheld in 1998 in a similar court case in Loudon County, Virginia. "The filters blocked so much constitutionally protected material that had absolutely nothing to do with pornography or anything like that," says Larry Ottinger, senior staff attorney at People for the American Way, the civil rights group that fought the Loudon restrictions. Among the sites blocked in that instance were the Yale University graduate school of biology, a Quaker Web site, Have an Affair Catering, and a beanie babies Web site. (NewsFactor Network 19 Jan 2001)
RightsMarket
"[The RightsMarket] technology encrypts, secures and optionally meters digital content such as text, music and video for online distribution. Digital content can then be distributed by content owners and publishers worry-free, knowing that access to the media is controlled and that their intellectual property is generating revenue." For a list of other approaches see http://www.digitrends.net/digitrends/dtonline/features/contrib/m_evans/crook.shtml and for a related opinion piece on the problem read http://www.digitrends.net/digitrends/dtonline/features/contrib/m_evans/crooks.shtml
A NEW TRICK GIVES SNOOPS EASY ACCESS TO E-MAIL, NYT, Amy Harmon
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/05/technology/05JAVA.html
A watchdog group has uncovered a new trick that enables someone to bug an e-mail message, essentially eliminating the illusion that e-mail exchanges are private. Today, the Privacy Foundation, an educational and research organization based in Denver plans to provide public demonstrations of the process, which the group calls "e-mail wiretapping" and believes to be illegal. The group is calling for the major vendors of e-mail programs to provide their software with JavaScript automatically turned off. Because many e-mail users continue to hit "reply" during long e-mail exchanges rather than initiating new messages, the JavaScript code could enable an individual to eavesdrop on an entire conversation. The widely used e-mail programs that are vulnerable to the exploit include Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger 6. America Online users and users of Web-based e-mail programs like Hotmail would not be affected. "What bothers me is that in this case, my vulnerability is a function of what you do. I can be careful, I can take every precaution, I can turn off JavaScript, and it doesn't matter. If my neighbor isn't diligent and I send him an e-mail, I'm still vulnerable," said Carl Voth, an engineer in British Columbia.
GROUP TO PROPOSE DIGITAL COPYRIGHT CHANGES
http://www.latimes.com/business/20000522/t000048299.html
The Progressive Policy Institute is expected to meet with Congress on Wednesday to deliver its proposed remedy for the current legal wranglings over copyright infringements via the Internet. The changes include: requiring Internet companies to collect personally identifiable and verifiable information from their users, rather than allowing them to sign on anonymously; setting a specific time frame for removing copyright-infringing materials off the Net; and allowing judges to grant injunctions against companies such as Napster whose services are substantially used for exchanging pirated material. (Los Angeles Times 22 May 2000)
Alternatives to Napster:
http://gnotella.nerdherd.net/index_main.html
http://gnutella.wego.com
Gnutmeg: http://gnutmeg.sourceforge.net/
Audiognome: http://www.napster.org.uk
MyNapster: http://www.mynapster.com/
FreeNet: http://freenet.sourceforge.net
Jungle Monkey: http://www.junglemonkey.net
Scour Exchange: http://www.scour.com/Software/Scour_Exchange/
SpinFrenzy Xchange: http://www.spinfrenzy.com/
ChartBox v0.91: http://mitglied.tripod.de/norbert1sdyu/ChartBox_Setup.zip
Gnutella MP3 Search: http://www.mp3-shack.com/gnutella.php3
Metallicster: http://www.metallicster.uklinux.net/
CuteMX: http://www.cutemx.com
IMesh: http://www.imesh.com
Hotline: http://www.bigredh.com
FileSwap: http://www.fileswap.com
OpenNap: http://opennap.sourceforge.net/
Sories from Wired News about Napster
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36990,00.html
RIP Napster?
Court Cuts the Music on Napster -- CNET [RealPlayer, Windows Media Player]
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-2354521-0.html
ZDNet Special Report: Napster Slapped
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/napster.html
"Stop the Music" -- PBS NewsHour [RealPlayer]
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cyberspace/july-dec00/napster_7-27.html
RIAA Press Release
http://www.riaa.com/PR_Story.cfm?id=302
Napster
Napster Webcast
http://webevents.broadcast.com/napster/press0700/
"For Many Online Music Fans, Court Ruling Is Call to Arms" -- _New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/28napster.html
"Napster appeals against closure" -- BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_855000/855622.stm
"Napster Ruling's Impact Wide" -- _Washington Post_
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56246-2000Jul27.html
Music on the Web -- _Los Angeles Times_
http://www.latimes.com/business/reports/musicweb/lat_napster000727.htm
From BetaMax to Napster: the evolution of the "right to copy" -- MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/DigitalMusic/
Editorial Cartoons on Napster
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/napster/main.asp
Yesterday [July 27, 200] US District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel issued a temporary restraining order, directing Napster not to facilitate or permit infringement of copyrighted material. Because the immensely popular person-to-person music trading service does not have the capability to separate copyrighted materials from non-copyrighted, this ruling will effectively shut down Napster at midnight tonight, pending the company's request in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco for an emergency stay. The restraining order is seen as a major victory for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which sued Napster in December for copyright infringement. When the case began, Napster had a few hundred thousand users. It now has over 20 million and estimated that this number would grow to 75 million by year's end, when the full trial is scheduled. Judge Patel agreed with the RIAA's argument that allowing Napster to continue operating in the meantime would only increase the harm. The central issue in the case is the question of "fair use," especially as it was defined in a 1984 Supreme Court Case (Sony v. BetaMax) and the 1992 Audio Home Recording Act. Napster argues that the law does not specify the number of people with which someone may share purchased music. The RIAA counters that making purchased music available to millions of anonymous users does not constitute fair use and that it is simply unfair for Napster "to build a multi-billion dollar business on the backs of copyrighted works it doesn't own." Should the restraining order go into effect, it will certainly put a large dent in music trading online, as Napster is by far the easiest and most popular service. The MP3 genie, however, has left the bottle some time ago, and users in search of digital music have already begun to turn to different file-swapping technologies like Freenet and Gnutella, which do not rely on a central server and are thus almost impossible to police.
CNET and ZDNet have both created very helpful special reports on Napster and the legal wrangling, with breaking news, commentary, analysis, archived coverage, video content, and background information. Last night's NewsHour included a report on the ruling, with some background and an excellent discussion with the general counsel for the RIAA and a Napster lawyer. Views from either side of the case can also be found at the RIAA and Napster homepages and the latter's Webcast on Broadcast.com. Additional coverage is provided by the _New York Times_ (free registration required), BBC, _Washington Post_, and _Los Angeles Times_. MSNBC's special feature traces the relevant events in the evolution of the right to copy and fair use from the BetaMax to June of this year. Finally, a look into the controversy as seen by the nation's editorial cartoonists can be found at Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index. [MD]
Whither Napster?
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Napster's Day in Court -- CNET [RealPlayer, Windows Media Player]
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-4774158-0.html
"Napster order: Patrol yourself" -- ZDNet
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2685494,00.html
Music on the Internet -- _New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/index-music.html
Music on the Web -- _Los Angeles Times_
http://www.latimes.com/business/reports/musicweb/
Napster: Stealing or Sharing? -- CNN [Flash, QuickTime, RealPlayer,
Windows Media Player]
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/napster/
Legal Update -- Napster [RealPlayer, Windows Media Player]
http://www.napster.com/legalupdate/
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) News
On Monday a three-member panel from the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that a lower court decision requiring Napster to immediately halt music swapping was "overbroad." This week's decision was anything but a victory for Napster, however, as the panel instructed US District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel to craft a narrower injunction that would still require Napster to block the trade of copyrighted music, something which the company had claimed is next to impossible. Even worse, the Appeals Court panel has indicated that Napster may be liable for monetary damages. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has claimed victory, while Napster has promised to appeal the retooled injunction and ask the full Ninth Circuit to review the case. In the short term, Napster service is not likely to change, but the future is very uncertain. If the injunction is ultimately upheld, the record companies will provide Napster with a lengthy list of copyrighted works that it must then devise a way to block (it has already identified 12,000 copyrighted songs traded on the service). If Napster does manage to block access to copyrighted works, its music library will likely shrink exponentially, notwithstanding plans to introduce a subscription service with Bertelsmann (BMG) this summer. If Napster cannot construct a technology to stop the trading of copyrighted works, it will likely be forced to shut down altogether.
Users can begin with the full text of the recent decision, which can be found in the Opinions section of the court's Website under A & M Records v. Napster. CNET's special on the case also offers the full text of the ruling, along with the latest news, a timeline, analysis, and some video clips. ZNet's analysis of the decision links to a number of related articles and a readers' forum. The _New York Times_ special on Music on the Internet (free registration required) contains a number of articles on the Napster case as well as a digital music primer. The _Los Angeles Times_ also offers breaking news, commentary, and background information. CNN's Napster report includes legal analysis, a timeline, key players, news, chat transcripts, related links, video selections, and other resources. Finally, reaction to the ruling by the main parties themselves can be found at the Napster legal update site and the RIAA news page. [MD]
INTETHER
"The following is an advertisement:
ANNOUNCING INTETHER - THE WORLD'S FIRST INTELLIGENT DEFENSE SOFTWARE
Infraworks announces InTether, the first digital security software that enables intelligent Self-Protecting Data.
InTether protects the content of files like .mp3, video, software or documents, allowing the sender of information to control the recipient's use, including printing, copying, forwarding and time of destruction. If hacking is attempted, the file self-destructs. Just like Mission Impossible. No other technology can do this.
HOW IS INTETHER DIFFERENT THAN OTHER CONTENT PROTECTION TECHNOLOGIES?
InTether is not: Encryption, DRM, watermarking, encrypted-container or application-level security. It's a revolutionary, patented new technology that gives you complete control over your data. InTether is unique in its ability to eliminate redistribution of files and protect data that is in use. All other protection technologies in the market today protect only the front-end of the file delivery process. These technologies, and the whole premise of digital rights management (DRM), only focus on data that is in storage or in transit. Only InTether provides secure self-protection for data and content in the use state.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?
It means that you can send digital files to anyone without fear of unauthorized redistribution. For example, you could attach a Word or Excel document in an e-mail to anyone anywhere, and prohibit them from forwarding it, printing it, copying it or cutting and pasting any part of it. You set the permissions, and the data is deleted when the permissions are exhausted. You are in total control of your digital property.
WANT TO TRY IT?
To receive an InTethered file and experience our cutting edge development, go to www.infraworks.com/Try_InTether.html.
If you have any questions about InTether or other Infraworks products and services, please contact:
Infraworks Corporation
504 Lavaca, Suite 1101
Austin, Texas 78701
512.583.5000 phone
512.583.5075 fax
www.infraworks.com
Technical support: http://support.intether.com
Sales/general questions: sales@infraworks.com"
SANS Institute Resources : How To Eliminate The Ten Most Critical Internet Security Threats *****
http://www.sans.org/topten.htm
This highly technical article lists ten ways to help protect your network from hackers.
Nicole Davis, Knowledge for Hire, AlterNet, May 12, 2000
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=9139
Censorware.Ørg
"Censorware.Ørg is the home of The Censorware Project, a group dedicated to exposing the phenomenon of censorware: software which is designed to prevent another person from sending or receiving information, usually on the web."
Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC)
The Internet Fraud Complaint Center was created by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) to "combat the growing problem of fraud occurring over the Internet by providing a vehicle for victims around the country to report incidents of fraud online." The IFCC allows cooperation between private citizens and law enforcement agencies in order to track and prosecute fraudulent Internet practices. Users provide details on specific cases of Internet fraud, and each complaint is carefully reviewed and referred to a law enforcement or regulatory agency for further investigation. Along with the complaint form, the site also contains basic information about the IFCC. Two valuable resources, Internet Fraud Statistics and the Flow Chart of the Complaint Data Path, will be added soon. [EM of Scout's]
Bitlaw
http://www.bitlaw.com/index.html
Created and maintained by Daniel A. Tysver of Beck & Tysver, P.L.L.P., an intellectual property law firm, this site is a comprehensive resource on technology law, with "over 1,800 pages on patent, copyright, trademark, and Internet legal issues." The site is divided into eight main sections, five of which (Patent Law, Trademark Law, Copyright Law, Software Patents, and Internet Legal Issues) are extended hyperlinked essays prefaced with an executive summary and a table of contents. The other three sections offer the full text of selected statutes, regulations, case law, and patent office documents; a large and well organized collection of annotated links; and sample forms and contracts, respectively. While there are any number of online legal resources, this site's clean navigation and depth set it apart. [MD of Scout's]
ALTAVISTA SAYS IT OWNS WEB INDEXING TECHNOLOGY
http://news.ft.com/news/industries/infotechnology
AltaVista has claimed a patent on a method of indexing Web sites used by most search engines and company intranets, and is threatening to sue companies using these search techniques for patent infringement. "We believe that virtually everyone out there who indexes the Web is in violation of at least several of [AltaVista's] key patents," says David Wetherell, CEO of CMGI, AltaVista's parent company. AltaVista owns 38 patents, "many of which we think are fundamental to the search area," and has applications pending for another 30, says Wetherell. "If you index a distributed set of databases -- that's what the Internet is. And even within intranets, that's one of the patents." AltaVista's move will intensify the debate over to what extent companies should be allowed to claim monopolies over methods that have become building blocks of the Internet. "If nothing is done, the Web will become fenced in by competing patents, turning an open, free and transparent playing field into a proprietary wasteland littered with nonsensical and stifling legislation," says one critic, CEO of a Web design and development company. (Financial Times 25 Jan 2001)
Digital Watermarks: New Tools for Copyright Owners and Webmasters
http://www.webreference.com/content/watermarks/
Concerned about copyright issues on the Internet? This article, geared toward webmasters, discusses and offers some solutions in the way of digital watermarking and tracking. Although universal standards have not yet been set for digital watermarking, software is currently provided by several companies which protects audio files and graphic images from piracy. Since this technology is relatively new, there are still many questions to be answered. Can digital watermarks survive alteration? What about tracking images within password protected websites? The article concludes by discussing the relationship of the US Copyright Law, the Internet, and digital watermarking. This article was written by Doug Isenberg, an attorney practicing intellectual property law at Alston & Bird LLP in Atlanta, and provided by webreference.com (discussed in the April 19, 1996 Scout Report--http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/scout-960419.html#16). [TB of Scout's]
The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age
http://books.nap.edu/html/digital_dilemma/
This online edition of a book published by the National Academy of Sciences is an example of its subject matter as it explores the issue of intellectual property in a digital age. The book examines the question of what happens to copyright issues when innumerable numbers of people can download a book (or a song, e.g., through Napster) from one copy on the Web? (Apparently, the National Academy of Sciences is less concerned about this issue than is the book's author.) Chapter titles include "The Origin Of The Digital Dilemma," "Music: Intellectual Property's Canary In The Digital Coal Mine," "Public Access To The Intellectual, Cultural, And Social Record," and "Individual Behavior, Private Use And Fair Use, And The System For Copyright." The text also considers issues in the emerging field of digital copyright and offers conclusions and recommendations vis-a-vis these issues. [DC of Scout's]
A Visit to Copyright Bay
http://www.nmjc.cc.nm.us/copyrightbay/
Thorny, legal issues are presented in a tutorial that lets you navigate Fair Use Harbor, visit Murky Waters, and crash on Infringement Reef. Fair Use Harbor includes information about AV Materials, Multimedia, Single copies, Multiple copies, and Distance Learning. You can take a Shakedown Cruise to test your knowledge.
FPLC Intellectual Property Mall
Law Librarian and Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Jon R. Cavicchi created and manages the Intellectual Property Mall at the Franklin Pierce Law Center (FPLC), a law school in New Hampshire renowned for its focus on intellectual property law, issues, and policies. The IP Mall serves as a centralized resource for information about patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. The site provides tools and strategies for IP research, a listing of IP holdings at the FPLC library, and online copies of previous United States Patent & Trademark Office patent exams. The site's newest feature is the IP Mall Pointer Box, a comprehensive index of IP resources available on the Internet. The Pointer Box is divided conveniently into ten subject categories to help attorneys, academics, and entrepreneurs quickly locate relevant IP resources. The index includes resources related to publishing and electronic commerce as well as global directories for patent and trademark offices, IP agencies, and non-governmental organizations. [AO of Scout's]
Internet Library of Law and Court Decisions
http://www.phillipsnizer.com/internetlib.htm
Maintained by Martin H. Samson, a partner at Phillips Nizer Benjamin Krim & Ballon LLP, this site offers summaries of Internet-related court decisions. Brief synopses, organized by topic (Copyright, Domain Name, First Amendment, Spamming, etc.), are available for each decision, with links to a more extensive summary with analysis, quotes, and the full text, where available. The site also offers a keyword search engine, but be sure to select Internet Library in the pull-down menu. Users can subscribe for email notification of new additions. [MD of Scout's]
Music in the Public Domain
Founded in 1986, PD Info (taken over in early 1999 by Haven Sound, Inc.) provides information and resources for identifying public domain materials. As part of that project, this site has been developed to help users understand what music they can freely use and how they may use it. As the site explains, the rules for public domain use are not as clear-cut as they seem, and users will find a concise and helpful overview of the differences between copyright and public domain, and how to identify and prove public domain. The heart of the site is a 3,000 song alphabetical list of royalty-free music anyone may use in any way. Additional resources at the site include annotated links to other public domain sites and a brief list of examples of projects using public domain music. [MD of Scout's]
Publishing Law Center
http://www.publaw.com/index.html
Presented by the Law Office of Lloyd L. Rich in Denver, Colorado, this site is attractively organized and provides useful information for "publishing companies, large and small" as well as anyone concerned with issues of intellectual property. Self-promotion aside, the site provides an up-to-date, online collection of articles dealing with legal issues such as copyrights, trademarks, publishing, corporate development, contracts, and Internet protection; a directory of links to publishing resources; a calendar of upcoming seminars; and subscriptions to a free email newsletter distributing articles on publishing law and the "business of running a profitable publishing company." [DC of Scout's]
Two Resources on Electronic Publishing Who Owns What Intellectual Property, Copyright, and the Next Millenium -- Journal of Electronic Publishing
http://www.press.umich.edu/jep/04-03/glos0403.html
"The New Age of the Book" -- New York Review of Books
http://www.nybooks.com/nyrev/WWWfeatdisplay.cgi?19990318005F
Anyone interested in scholarly electronic publishing will want to visit these sites. The first, the latest issue of the Journal of Electronic Publishing, examines the challenges and opportunities for intellectual property and copyright in the digital age. The featured articles examine topics such as the current state of electronic publishing, managing rights electronically, the future of scholarly publishing, libraries as publishers, and even open source software as a model for managing intellectual property. The second resource, a ten-page article by cultural historian Robert Darnton, explores the potential and pitfalls that arise from the electronic publication of scholarly monographs. Darnton discusses the prospects of electronic monographs in relation to issues such as recent changes in publishing in general and to university presses in particular, publishing and tenure, and the pricing of journals. [MD of Scout's]
DOREEN CARVAJAL, "Books Get Shorter as Bibliographies Are Banished to the Web," NY Times on the Web, May 29, 2000
http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/052900web-bibliographies.html
E-Commerce is the practice of buying and selling products and services over the Internet, utilizing technologies such as the Web, electronic data interchange, email, electronic fund transfers, and smart cards.
Guide to E-Commerce
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/reference/guides/ecommerce/
This Web guide may be viewed as a beginner's introduction to the topic, providing links to various aspects of electronic commerce including international commerce, technical information, legal resources, online journals and newspapers, industry and association guides, and government policies.
E-Commerce Special Section - _The New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/technology/
This new special section from the _NYT_ (free registration required) explores the world of online commerce. The fifteen features stories cover topics such as e-mail and spam, MP3 and the music industry, online scams, teens and online shopping, online advertising, starting an e-business, and online college courses, among others. Other content includes the favorite sites of "online industry leaders," and a number of additional articles, grouped by topic. The wide variety of subject matter and generally solid writing allows this site to appeal to many users inside and outside the world of online business. [MD of Scout's]
Fast MP3 Search
MP3, a file format that offers near-CD quality sound in very small file sizes, is one of the most popular computerized audio technologies ever. However, the widespread bootlegging of copyrighted music has also made it rather controversial, especially where the recording industry is concerned. After discovering that MP3 was one of the most requested terms on its search engines, Lycos decided to create a search engine just for MP3. Fast MP3 Search currently contains over 500,000 files, searchable by artist or song name. To assist users, an MP3 Server Reliability Guide ranks the more than 1000 FTP servers accessed on a five star system, five being the most reliable. Additional resources at the site include ranked links to MP3 players and encoders and a guide to getting started. Search returns do not distinguish between pirated and legally provided songs, but Lycos has agreed to work with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to combat copyright infringement. [MD of Scout's]
In Search of Webs Past.
Survival of the hittest" leaves a precious record crumbling
By Nick Montfort .
http://www.imakenews.com/techreview/e_article000005758.cfm
Think of the Web as an enormous, slow hard disk. Shared by the entire world, this disk holds a record of radical media experimentation, the history of a form that sprang up less than a decade ago to infect popular consciousness and transform the way we use information. Yet despite a few archival projects, no one is backing up our collective disk.
Distance Education at a Glancehttp://www.uidaho.edu/evo/distglan.html
Created and maintained by Barry Willis, the Associate Dean for Outreach and the Engineering Outreach staff at the University of Idaho, this Website is designed to "help teachers, administrators, facilitators, and students understand distance education." The site offers fourteen separate guides to different topics in distance education, including an overview of distance education, teaching strategies, instructional development, evaluation, instructional television and audio, computers in distance education, research, video conferencing, copyright issues, a glossary of terms, and more. The guides are substantial in the information conveyed, if a bit schematic. (We recommend this site more for those looking for a thorough introduction to distance education than for those researching it.) The Website also offers a link to the University's distance education programs in Engineering. [DC]
http://www.tecsoc.org/edu/edu.htm
Constructivist Learning Theory -- The Museum and the Needs of People, George E. Hein
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/constructivistlearning.html
"The latest catchword in educational circles is "constructivism, " applied both to learning theory and to epistemology---both to how people learn, and to the nature of knowledge.1,2 We don't need to succumb to each new fad, but we do need to think about our work in relation to theories of learning and knowledge. So we need to ask: what is constructivism, what does it have to tell us that is new and relevant, and how do we apply it to our work? As far as I can see, there is nothing dramatically new in constructivism: the core ideas expressed by it have been clearly enunciated by John Dewey among others, but there is a new, widespread acceptance of this old set of ideas. and new research in cognitive psychology to support it. I would like to give a brief exposition of ideas central to constructivism and widely accepted today by educators. curriculum developers and cognitive psychologists … "
Sonoma State University Assured Access Program Executive Report, March 1998
http://www.sonoma.edu/University/UAreport/
University of Minnesota, Crookston
http://www.crk.umn.edu/new/technology.htm
The University of Minnesota, Crookston was the very first ThinkPad® U program participant back in 1993. The ThinkPad® U program is an IBM program.
Karen Thomas, "One school's quantum leap" In Florida, a Class of 2004 will do all its learning online. USA Today, Thursday, April 6, 2000. Pages 1A, 2A.
Bad Effectrs of Computers in the Class Room
http://www.tecsoc.org/edu/edu.htm
A new report argues strongly against computers in the classroom, on the grounds that "machine-centered" education harms children and is "unhealthy for their developing senses and growing bodies." See Education.
Distance Learning Gap Narrows
http://www4.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2637157,00.html
http://www.tecsoc.org/edu/edu.htm for more stories
The computer scientist who coined the term "virtual reality" believes virtual classroom instruction - not just video instruction, but 3D teachers - will be possible within a decade.
Fool's Gold: A Critical Look at Computers in Childhood
http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/computers/computers_reports_fools_gold_contents.htm
The Alliance for Childhood, a non-profit organization composed of educators and health specialists, has put together this report to nurture a discussion of the use of computers by children. The report looks at extensive use of computers by younger students, both at school and at home, and weighs the risks and benefits.
A Study by the Institute for Higher Education Policy
http://www.ihep.com/quality.pdf
A list of 24 benchmarks for quality distance education
E-Learning: Education Businesses Transform Schooling, by Peter Stokes, Executive Vice President, Eduventures.com
http://www.eduventures.com/pdf/doe_elearning.pdf
"Commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education following the Forum on Technology in Education: Envisioning the Future, the purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to "e-learning" and explore the unique role played by the new breed of entrepreneurial Internet businesses making this kind of education possible. In so doing, the paper suggests that the private sector can play an important and valuable role in bringing new levels of innovation, as well as significant capital resources, to the education community."
Two sites where students evaluate professors
This website enables the student (or colleague or administrator) to look up the average grades per instructor and class at both Texas A & M University and the University of Texas. It also provides space for student comments on instructors (which are supposedly edited for cuss words before posting).
Ever wished that you could check out classes and professors BEFORE you registered? now you can. Grade-It.com is a website, created and run entirely by college students,where you can read and post evaluations about your classes and professors.In addition, you can use our Top 10 lists to find the best professor and classes at your university. You can even sign up to track a class, keeping yourself updated during registration.
Cyberessays: Cheating on Term Papers
"Cyber Essays is your one-stop source for free, high-quality term papers, essays, and reports on all subjects. Please use either the available paper categories or our database search to find the paper you need quickly and easily. Also, check out our forums and chat rooms where you can talk to people live about whatever is on your mind as well as share term papers with one another. Cyber Essays is a completely free service that relies on students to submit their own papers in order to keep this site expanding; so please consider submitting your good papers to us as you enjoy this site."
The Power of the Internet for Learning: Final Report of Web-Based Education Commission [.pdf]
http://www.ed.gov/offices/AC/WBEC/FinalReport/
Published on December 19 and recently placed online by the US Department of Education, the final report of the Web-Based Education Commission (WBEC) constitutes the "most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of education and the Internet." Chaired by Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey, the WEBC urged the new administration and Congress to fully embrace e-learning, address gaps in Internet access, and revise certain regulations that they believe impede innovation. Users can read the full text of the 169-page report in its entirety or in five parts in .pdf format. [MD]
ERIC/HE CREATES BIBLIOGRAPHY ON WEB-BASED EDUCATION ISSUES
The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Higher Education has released a bibliography addressing the pedagogical and policy issues associated with web-based teaching and learning. The bibliography, created for the U.S. Department of Education's Web-Based Education Commission, contains fifteen items -- nine of them available online.
SILICON VALLEY WELCOMES GOVERNMENT FOCUS ON EDUCATION
Rich White, a former California congressman and now chief executive of the
nonpartisan policy group TechNet, says that the most important political
issue in the minds of Silicon Valley technology is education: "Education is
the issue that resonates, whatever party they're from. They are all
concerned with math and science education and getting technology into the
classroom. There's a strong sense of the need to do something quickly."
(New York Times 22 Jan 2001)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2001/01/22/technology/22SILI.html
IBM UNVEILS NEW COPYRIGHT TECHNOLOGY
IBM has added new features to its Electronic Media Management System, which
is used by copyright holders to control under what circumstances their
music is distributed. "We announced two fundamental enhancements," says IBM
VP Steve Canepa. "One is superdistribution, which allows for peer-to-peer
file distribution. Once the file gets to the consumer, whether it's on a PC
or a PDA or whatever, it can now be passed along. A track has a set of
usage criteria that can follow it wherever it goes." Translated, that means
that fans who buy a music track encoded with EMMS can pass it along to a
friend, but the friend may then have to buy the track. The second
enhancement provides more choices for rules set by the content owner. For
instance, downloadable tracks could expire on the album's release date in
one country, but never expire in another country. Music files can also be
tracked so that the content owner knows where each copy is, who acquired it
and how, and whether it was passed along to others. (Hollywood Reporter 23
Jan 2001)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/convergence/index.asp?ee
AFT OPPOSES UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES BY DE
http://www.aft.org/about/resolutions/2000/distanceed.html
The American Federation of Teachers <http://www.aft.org>, a union representing more than a million members, passed a resolution at its July conference criticizing undergraduate degrees that are earned wholly at a distance. While the resolution affirms the potential of distance education to serve a larger pool of students, and that institutions should move forward with distance education, it cautions that no more than half of an undergraduate degree programme should be taken by distance education.
The resolution sets out fourteen general principles in all, most of them focusing on quality issues for students and on the importance of faculty control, compensation and support. The resolution and the principles are derived from a recent AFT survey of college faculty teaching distance education courses, which will also form the basis for the forthcoming Guidelines for Good Practice in Distance Education.
Knowledge Management in the Public Interest: The continuing education imperative, by Lois Gander, Professor and Director Legal Studies Program, Faculty of Extension, University of Albertahttp://www.extension.ualberta.ca/%7Esthomas/KM/km.htm
The Knowledge Economy presents continuing education units with a host of opportunities to equip learners to compete successfully in the professional marketplace. But in the scramble to get on the high tech band wagon are we focussing too narrowly on the professional development market and losing sight of the social change goal that has animated so much adult education in this country? This presentation will raise issues in using technology to support non-formal learning on subjects of social concern by discussing several www-based law and justice-related educational programs and services offered by the Legal Studies Program at the Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta. Issues raised will include the changing role of the CE Programmer, innovative service design and development, external collaborations, managing partnerships, online marketing, and effective fund-development.
Apple's Learning Technology Review
16th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning
Online Educational CommunitiesClass.com
CLASS™ offers complete online high school courses, course services, and curricular materials for purchase.These courses are now in use as part of an accredited online high school operated by the Division of Continuing Studies Independent Study High School at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. These courses were developed by the CLASS™ Project at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
World Lecture Hall
http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/
"The World Lecture Hall (WLH) contains links to pages created by faculty worldwide who are using the Web to deliver university-level academic courses in any language."
Virtual Online University Services International
"Virtual Online University Services International offers a novel and effective approach to academic excellence, professional development and life-long learning. Conventional distance education programs leave one isolated, and few are based on *interactive* real-time instruction online. VOUSI uses an enhanced Virtual Education Environment (VEE) as our electronic campus. A VEE allows one-on-one collaboration, debate, and interaction between fellow students and instructors by way of a distinctly innovative model for distance education."
Global Network Academy (GNA)
"Course and Program Catalog GNA's course and program catalog is a comprehensive directory of distance learning opportunities throughout the world."
Education with New Technologies: Networked Learning Community
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/ent
Developed by teachers and researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, this site explores issues of improving teaching with technology integration, integrating new tools with classroom practice and curriculum, and collaboration with colleagues locally and around the world. Become part of this innovative community of educators.
Jones International University
http://www.jonesinternational.edu/
NYC SCHOOL SYSTEM PLANS TO SWAP ADS FOR LAPTOPS
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/biztech/articles/07portal.html
New York City school officials, working with executives of companies such as IBM, Cisco and Toshiba, have come up with a plan under which computer companies would distribute laptop computers to city school children and in return receive advertising space on a Web site developed for school use. One task member who devised the plan called it "a major shift in the ways we think about teaching and learning and how we fund these activities," and another described it as "a means of bridging the digital divide." But an executive of the National PTA was skeptical of the plan: "We have a great deal of concern about the negative potential of using children to promote commercial concerns and using class time for things that could be considered as advertisements." (New York Times 7 Apr 2000)
California Virtual University
California Virtual University is essentially a catalog of every virtual or technology-mediated distance education course or program offered by participating California colleges and universities. Users can search for a particular course or find information about pursuing a complete program of study from certificate level to PhD. The site summarizes important information about each course or program, such as in-state and out-of-state fees, email contacts, and registration details. For example, a search returned a list of 30 art-related course offerings at about 20 different institutions. By clicking on a title, "Visionary Artists: A Brief History of Multimedia," I found I could take this course, offered by San Francisco State University, by registering and paying a fee of $5. [DS of Scout's]
The California Virtual University by Dr. Jay Thompson
This historic presentation was given at the 11th Annual DET/CHE Conference
http://id-www.ucsb.edu/detche/library/distance/calif/calvu.html
Katie L. Allis, "Virtual Classrooms" (Termpaper)
http://cicero.com.alma.edu/communication/303wi99/students/allis/kafp.html
Andrew Feenberg, "Distance Learning: Promise or Threat? My Adventures in Distance Learning"
http://www.rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/feenberg/TELE3.HTM
Virtual Classroom
http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/classroom.html
Created by Dr. James Hardy of the University of Akron, the Virtual Classroom contains complete materials for nine separate chemistry courses. Undergraduates can access lecture slides and animations for courses like General Chemistry or Concepts in Biochemistry. Graduate offerings include online materials for a course in modern chromatographic methods or chemometrics, among others. Ancillary materials are comprised of an interactive periodic table, a scientific calculator, slides outlining the major metabolic pathways, and a hazardous chemical database with information on over 1,900 chemicals. Presented in a simple, no-frills manner, this exceptional site provides complete lessons to supplement undergraduate and graduate university chemistry courses. [KR of Scout's]
Educational Development Associates presents Learner-Focused Distance Learning Workshops
http://www.zianet.com/edacyrs/
Educational Development Associates (EDA) was established in 1971 by Thomas E. Cyrs, Ed.D. with the mission of providing training in all aspects of course design and teaching for performance- and competency-based training and education. Over the past 12 years, EDA has specialized in training instructors to design new quality telecourses and reconfiguring existing traditional courses for delivery in a distance learning environment via all of the major technologies, including interactive television, videotape, audioconferencing, print, and, most recently, WWW, Internet, and combinations of individual technologies. Teaching and training at a distance is not the same as traditional teaching. There are many instructional, curricular, experiential, and management issues that are different and require some additional training to master."
NYC SCHOOL SYSTEM PLANS TO SWAP ADS FOR LAPTOPS
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/biztech/articles/07portal.htmlNew York City school officials, working with executives of companies such as IBM, Cisco and Toshiba, have come up with a plan under which computer companies would distribute laptop computers to city school children and in return receive advertising space on a Web site developed for school use. One task member who devised the plan called it "a major shift in the ways we think about teaching and learning and how we fund these activities," and another described it as "a means of bridging the digital divide." But an executive of the National PTA was skeptical of the plan: "We have a great deal of concern about the negative potential of using children to promote commercial concerns and using class time for things that could be considered as advertisements." (New York Times 7 Apr 2000)
_PS Online_: "Evaluating Implementation of Web-Based Teaching in Political Science"
http://209.213.112.249/PS/sept98/garson.cfm
Published last fall in the online journal of the American Political Science Association, this article compares instructional results from a traditional course in American government at North Carolina State University to the same course offered in a completely Web-based format. The article reviews the methodology and structure of the Web-based introductory course in American government and evaluates the results of such instruction. While the author states the comparison was "exploratory" rather than rigorously scientific, lacking, for example, the randomization of subjects, the findings offer a useful contribution to the ongoing discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of online instruction and distance learning. [DC of Scout's]
Technology and the New University
"Online Education to be Free" -- _Washington Post_http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9402-2000Mar14.html
"Billionaire Plans Online University" -- _New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/03/biztech/articles/16university.html
"The Soul of a New University" -- _New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/early/03130013levi.html
"A For-Profit Subsidiary Will Market Cornell's Distance Programs" -- _The Chronicle of Higher Education_
http://chronicle.com/free/2000/03/2000031401u.htm
The Partnership in Global Learning (PGL)
_Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration_
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/jmain11.html
Instructional Technology Connections -- University of Colorado at Denver
http://www.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itcon.html
Distance Education Online Symposium (DEOS)
http://www.cde.psu.edu/ACSDE/DEOS.html
Washington-area billionaire Michael Saylor has announced his plans to launch an online university providing "Ivy league-quality" education to anyone for free via the Internet. Saylor has promised to spend at least $100 million to get his university off the ground.
According to the _Washington Post_, however, this money will apparently not be used to pay lecturers. Says Saylor, "People line up and fight to get on the Charlie Rose show . . . I think they'll fight to get in the studio."
Saylor breaks no new ground in using technology to bolster distance education. In fact, another group of investors including Michael Milken has promised up to $100 million to establish a for-profit, online university. Already established universities such as Cornell and Temple are partnering with for-profits to develop and market their online education programs. And Stanford, Yale, and Princeton are investigating a partnership to collaborate on a distance education program.
Saylor's vision of a free university is, however, thus far unique and captures some of the on-going debates in the imbrication of technology, big business, and education. While some laud increased access to education and learning resources, others wonder how the influence of big business will color educational programs, and still others are sceptical that classrooms with taped teachers, such as Saylor's, will be effective.
The _Washington Post_ was first to break the news of Saylor's plans. Here and at the _New York Times_ (free registration required) users can read some of the details of the proposed university and relevant quotes from Saylor. Also at the _Times_, Arthur Levine's op-ed piece, published just days before Saylor's announcement, addresses with eerie foreshadowing, some of the opportunities and dangers of technology's influence on education.
_The Chronicle of Higher Education_ reports on Cornell's recent decision "to create a for-profit subsidiary to create and market its distance-learning programs."
On March 9, Lucent Technologies announced its new collaborative effort, the Partnership of Global Learning (PGL). Together with Bell Labs, the University of Florida, and universities in Brazil and Mexico, Lucent aims through PGL "to produce distributed learning on a global scale."
For articles covering the many facets of distance education, readers should turn to the _Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration_, where the most recent issue focuses on topics such as assessment measures, designing collaborative international courses, and students's perceptions of distance learning, among other topics.
The University of Colorado at Denver's Instructional Technology Connections offers a wealth of links to online resources from theories about instructional technologies to virtual learning communities themselves.
Educators involved or interested in distance education may want to subscribe to _DEOSNEWS_ or join the accompanying mailing list DEOS-L, both established by the American Center for the Study of Distance Education and available from their Distance Education Online Symposium site.
More resources on distance learning can be found in Signpost, the _Scout Report_'s database. These include TeleCampus, California Virtual University, and the InterversityEducation and Technology Mailing List--. [TK of Scout's]
A World-Wide Look at On-line Education
Development of Virtual Education [.pdf]http://www.col.org/virtualed/index.htm
Funded by the Commonwealth of Education and the British Department for International Development, this 170-page report examines the use of virtual education, or distance learning, by regions around the world, including India, East and Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. Author Glen Farrell ultimately determines that completely virtual education is "still more rhetorical than real." Although this study is available in its entirety online, each chapter study must be downloaded separately. [EM of Scout's]
Michael L. Dertouzos, "The Future of Computing." Scientific American, August 1999M.I.T.'s Laboratory for Computer Science is developing a new infrastructure for information technologies--the Oxygen system--that promises to realize a vision long held by the lab's director: helping people do more by doing less.
"I hope that this vision, embodied in Oxygen and other systems like it, will help us break away from our 40-year machine preoccupation to a new era of people-oriented computing. And as we focus our technologies increasingly on human needs, perhaps we can make a bigger wish for the future. The first three socioeconomic revolutions were all based on things--the plow for the agrarian revolution, the motor for the industrial revolution and the computer for the information revolution. Perhaps the time has come for the world to consider a fourth revolution, aimed no longer at objects but at understanding the most precious resource on earth--ourselves."
http://www.sciam.com/1999/0899issue/0899dertouzos.html
On Line Luddism Index
http://www.syntac.net/hoax/ludd.html
Telecommuting -- About.com
http://telecommuting.about.com/smallbusiness/telecommuting/
Catherine A. Roseberry, a veteran telecommuter, has put together an impressive collection of resources in support of telecommuters for About.com. In the Spotlight offers feature articles dealing with a variety of aspects of telecommuting. Most articles are followed by discussion questions. In order to participate in the discussions, users must first complete a free About.com registration. Essentials contains a far-reaching assortment of links, news, and information, including a list of job functions best suited for telecommuting, telecommuting-friendly companies, and an excellent Telecommuting Quick Index of annotated telecommuting links. This site offers a wealth of information for those interested in telecommuting, as well as support for those already working away from the office. [EM]
Whatever Happened To Telecommuting? (06/16/00, 12:10 p.m. ET) By Barbara Darrow, TechWeb News
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000616S0004
"[D]espite ever-faster connections and faster and smaller PCs, corporate management attitude towards working at home has not evolved as quickly, according to several experts. Several pundits said past predictions of telecommuting trends were exaggerated."