Archive for the ‘Web & Online’ Category
NIH Revises Open Access Plan
"An ambitious proposal to make the results of federally funded medical research available to the public quickly and for free has been scaled back by the National Institutes of Health under pressure from scientific publishers, who argued that the plan would eat into their profits and harm the scientific enterprise they support.
"The initial plan, encouraged by Congress and hailed by patient advocacy groups, called for the results of NIH-funded research to be posted on a publicly accessible Web site within six months after they are published in a scientific journal. Most research results now are available only by subscription to the journal — at a cost that often reaches into the thousands of dollars — or on a pay-per-article basis that can cost $100 or more for two or three articles.
"In the final version of the plan, however, the recommended six-month deadline for posting results has been stretched to a year. That change has angered many advocates of public access, who have argued it isn’t fair that taxpayers must either wait or ante up to see the results of research they have already paid for."
Rick Weiss. NIH Revises Plan for Quick, Free Access to Study Results. WashingtonPost.com. Jan. 18, 2005.
(Editor�s Note: The Post allows free access to their stories on the Web for 14 days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archives.)
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
A Roundup of Photo Sharing Services
"These days, nearly everyone has a digital camera or camera phone. And many new online services offer varying features for people who want to share their pictures, post them to blogs, or tag or comment on others’ photos.
"Here’s a roundup of four of the best of these services."
Daniel Terdiman. Photo Sites Share and Share Alike. Wired News. Jan. 17, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Apple Sues Harvard Student Over Leaks
"Nicholas M. Ciarelli was not even old enough to shave when he started getting under Apple Computer Inc.’s skin. As a 13-year-old middle-schooler, the New Woodstock, N.Y., native built a Web site in 1998 and began publishing insider news and rumors about Apple, using the alias Nick dePlume.
"Three years later, ThinkSecret.com was first to report that the company would debut a G4 version of the PowerBook laptop series. The product launched soon thereafter, along with ThinkSecret’s reputation among Apple’s legendarily zealous fans, generating millions of page views per month.
"But after a series of letters warning the Web site to stop publishing proprietary information, Apple decided enough was enough. When Ciarelli scored yet another scoop in late December, by predicting the arrival of a new software package and a sub-$500 computer rolled out at this week’s MacWorld Conference and Expo in San Francisco, the computer maker filed a lawsuit accusing him of illegally misappropriating trade secrets."
Jonathan Finer. Teen Web Editor Drives Apple to Court Action. WashingtonPost.com. Jan. 14, 2005.
See also:
Joseph M. Tartakoff. Apple Sues Student. The Harvard Crimson. Jan. 12, 2005.
Associated Press. Blogger Facing Apple Lawsuit Seeks Legal Aid. San Jose Mercury News. Jan. 14, 2005.
(Editor’s Note: The Times allows free access to their stories on the Web for seven days before sending the stories to the paper’s fee-based Archive.)
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Clean Up the Copyright System
“Last month, Google announced a partnership with major research libraries to scan 20 million books for inclusion in Google’s search database. For those works in the public domain, the full text will be available. For those works still possibly under copyright, only snippets will be seen.
“But the excitement around Google’s extraordinary plan has obscured a dirty little secret: It is not at all clear that Google and these libraries have the legal right to do what is proposed.
“If lawsuits were filed, and if Google and its partner libraries were found to have violated the law, their legal exposure could reach into the billions.”
Lawrence Lessig. Let a Thousand Googles Bloom. Los Angeles Times. Jan. 12, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
LOC Posts Civil War Maps Online
"Civil War buffs are getting access to a trove of information: thousands of original maps and diagrams of battles and campaigns between 1861 and 1865, all posted on the Internet.
"The Library of Congress is posting 2,240 maps and charts and 76 atlases and sketchbooks, while the Virginia Historical Society and the Library of Virginia are adding about 600 items. Much of the collection is online now; the rest will be posted by spring.
"The documents depict troop positions and movements, as well as fortifications. There also are reconnaissance maps, sketches and coastal charts and theater-of-war maps."
Carl Hartman. Civil War Maps Posted Online. Seattle Times. Jan. 11, 2004.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Commonists, Not Communists, Bill
"When Bill Gates referred to copyright reformers as modern-day communists in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show, it didn’t take long for the web community to respond with a big ‘nyah-nyah-nyah.’
"Bloggers and designers were quick to dream up ‘creative communist’ symbols, a play on one of the best-known groups working for copyright reform, Creative Commons.
"The images were instantly passed around and added to websites, T-shirts and buttons."
Katie Dean. We’re Creative Commonists, Bill. Wired News. Jan. 8, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Gates Speaks on Search, Blogs, Games
"Microsoft’s chairman is setting the company on a course to provide software and tools that will allow different forms of entertainment to blend. Messaging will become a crucial part of Xenon, the code name for the next Xbox. Microsoft will also work with television outlets like the Discovery Channel and MTV Networks to create tools for delivering content, as well as advertising, into the home.
"Its eyes ever set on the competition, Microsoft will continue to raise the stakes against Apple Computer in the music industry and against Google and Yahoo in search.
"Gates spoke with CNET News.com on the eve of his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas about Microsoft’s consumer plans, the convergence of entertainment technologies–and why he hasn’t done a blog yet."
Michael Kanellos. Gates Taking a Seat in Your Den. News.com. Jan. 5, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
COPYCENSE 