Just cause its on the internet doesn't make it true

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004302237_webhoax24m.html

This is why we shouldnt have Google Toolbar on ALL of monmouth's desktops by default

And there should have been significant debate before putting it there.  MU doesnt even get the benefit of having free Gmail (which I obviously CHOOSE to use, knowing the drawbacks), they just give to Google and get nothing in return.

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080324.wrgoogle24/BNStory/Technology/home

 

Sam

FW: [IP] Do Americans Care About Big Brother?

Frightening!

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber
To: ip
Sent: 3/22/2008 7:58 AM
Subject: [IP] Do Americans Care About Big Brother?

Do Americans Care About Big Brother?  (Time  March 14, 2008)

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1722537,00.html?xid=rss-t
opstories

A quick tally of the record of civil liberties erosion in the United
States since 9/11 suggests that the majority of Americans are ready to
trade diminished privacy, and protection from search and seizure, in
exchange for the promise of increased protection of their physical
security. Polling consistently supports that conclusion, and Congress
has largely behaved accordingly, granting increased leeway to law
enforcement and the intelligence community to spy and collect data on
Americans. Even when the White House, the FBI or the intelligence
agencies have acted outside of laws protecting those rights — such as
the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — the public has by and large
shrugged and, through their elected representatives, suggested changing
the laws to accommodate activities that may be in breach of them.

-------------------------------------------

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Understanding the Bear Stearns mess

Not directly Infotech related, but these are the two best resources I've found to understand the mess we are in:

http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/03/14/The-Bear-Facts

 

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=139164

 

The funny thing is that if you've ever seen "It's a wonderful life", the underlying problems are the same:  loss of trust in a financial institution.

Google sky's top ten

Welcome back from spring break.  Hope you had a relaxing week!

 

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080315-google-sky-hands-on-plus-top-10-uncommonly-cool-sights.html

 

More later as I get a chance to check some links.

From [IP] Alabama city (first in US) eyes developing-world laptops

Possibly the first OLPC buy for the US.  From Professor Dave Farbers IP list.

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber
To: ip
Sent: 3/6/2008 9:38 AM
Subject: [IP] Ala. city eyes developing-world laptops

Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne@warpspeed.com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: March 6, 2008 9:13:17 AM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy@warpspeed.com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Ala. city eyes developing-world laptops

[Note:  This item comes from friend Ken DiPietro.  DLH]

Ala. city eyes developing-world laptops

By JAY REEVES, Associated Press WriterWed Mar 5, 3:13 PM ET
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/health/research/05placebo.html?ex=136
2373200&en=7ce7bfab78a478d4&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewant
ed=all
 >

If $200 laptop computers are good for kids in Peru and Mongolia, why 
not Alabama?

Birmingham's City Council has approved a $3.5 million plan to provide 
schoolchildren with 15,000 computers produced by the nonprofit One 
Laptop Per Child Foundation, which aims to spread laptops to poor 
children in developing countries.

The foundation says the deal marks the first time a U.S. city has 
agreed to buy the machines, which also are headed to such countries as 
Rwanda, Thailand, Brazil and Mexico in addition to Peru and Mongolia.

Birmingham's school board still must agree to the deal, and some 
members have reservations. They want more evidence that computers 
designed for the African bush or the mountains of South America would 
be a good fit for an American city.

Reviews of the foundation's green-and-white "XO" laptops have been 
mixed, with praise for their simplicity, ruggedness and low price but 
complaints that U.S. children may be turned off by the machines' 
particular configuration. The user interface is built on the Linux 
operating system rather than the more familiar Windows.

In hopes of getting past such objections, the City Council agreed to 
spend $3 million buying machines from Cambridge, Mass.-based One 
Laptop Per Child and to give schools $500,000 to sort out technical 
issues. A laptop will be available for every child in grades 1 through 
8.

[snip]
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London starts treating photographers like terrorists

Not a good sign:

http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/campaign_ct_2008.htm

 

Thomas Hawk's organizing protests, starting on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/2311166742/?addedcomment=1#comment72157604050472742

http://thomashawk.com/2008/03/londons-metropolitan-police-launches.html

Microsoft office for the web announced, don't get ripped off buying Monster cable, more

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/mar08/03-03OLBetaWorldwidePR.mspx

http://workspace.officelive.com/

 

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/

 

Toshiba planning life after HD DVD debacle:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120450428955606405.html

 

More later

Items of interest over the weekend

NYT on Walmarts unfiltered blog:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/03walmart.html?ex=1362286800&en=c9ab273d3743fadb&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

http://checkoutblog.com/

 

Microsoft offers lame online tools after rumors of office online:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/02/i-really-hope-microsoft-has-more-than-this/

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/mar08/03-02AllSizeBusinessesPR.mspx

(Office online might go live at Mix08 later this week, maybe not too)

 

Nine inch nails drops new 4 disk album....  On bittorrent!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/extendedplay/2008/03/nine-inch-nails.html

 

Blogs being blamed in Suicide, bloggers question Valleywags value:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/media/03blog.html?_r=1&ex=1362286800&en=fbb54aa9f82248c2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/02/when-will-we-have-our-first-valleywag-suicide/

 

Spam not free speech:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080302-first-spam-felony-conviction-upheld-no-free-speech-to-spam.html

 

More later.

Sam