Yearly Archives: 2008

How the Google generation thinks differently Nice article from the Times, that features quotes from UK Web Focus Brian Kelly: Brian Kelly has been championing the digital revolution since setting up one of the first educational websites at the University of Leeds in 1993. He’s now a national adviser to higher education, based at the University of Bath. I’m not surprised when he tells me I was wrong to confiscate my son’s computer. “When I was doing my physics A level, I had one standard textbook in which everything was gospel. Your son can go online, find information that challenges […]

Have you seen Shelf Life?  I think director Tamar Helpern knows a bit about libraries. Although overtly stereotypical, head branch librarian Betty exhibits some behaviors I’ve seen in libraries.  At one point, Betty is shown taping her name to all of HER office supplies!  Quirky, dark and a tad low budget, you might consider adding this one to your queue.

Via Katharine, a Dom GSLIS student, Librarians want to turn us all into privacy fiends The ALA’s new campaign wants to 1) educate people, and then 2) turn them into activists. The education component of the three-year program will make people aware, for instance, that “checking out a biography of Osama Bin Laden could prompt seizure of their library records” or that “online searches create traceable records that make them vulnerable to questioning by the FBI.” The ALA also worries about provisions in the law that “gag” the people who are on the receiving end of government orders to turn […]

Via TechCrunch: How To Lose Your Cuil 20 Seconds After Launch The hype cycle now lasts less than a day. Take yesterday’s over-hyped launch of stealth search startup Cuil, which was quickly followed by a backlash when everyone realized that it was selling a bill of goods. This was entirely the company’s own fault. It pre-briefed every blogger and tech journalist on the planet, but didn’t allow anyone to actually test the search engine before the launch. The company’s founders have a good pedigree, and have developed a unique way to index the Web cheaply and at massive scale. But creating a big index […]

Via KatieTT on the Twitter: http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/google-enrolled-for-schools-email-deal/2008/07/29/1217097291695.html Although Google offers Gmail to education providers free, SMS Management and Technology said there were significant costs associated with providing tight security and integrating the email system with the department’s existing portal. “This will be one of the biggest Gmail deployments in the world,” said its spokesman, Matthew Kaufman, who said Macquarie University had also recently signed up for Gmail. The US-based information technology analyst Matthew Cain, from Gartner, said it was no secret why Microsoft and Google are “assiduously courting” the .edu community with free email services. “If the vendors can get students […]