Accept no substitutes

Category: Information Commons (Page 12 of 26)

Information Commons, Copyright, Censorship and/or withdrawal of public information, Libraries: Digital and other

Digital Domain on Wikipedia

A while back I had a chat and exchanged some email with Randy Stross, author of the NYTimes Digital Domain column, about Wikipedia. I may have been amusing and even on target, but I didn’t make the article. Randy had a much better source in Jimmy Wales and that lead to a good article that saw ink today.
I disagree with Randy and his headline writer, who wrote Anonymous Source Is Not the Same as Open Source, and Jeff Bates, who is quoted as saying that “Every Open Source project has a benevolent dictator who takes responsibility” and that “everyone puts their name on it.” Well, yes the headline writer is right, but not quite. Open Source projects that I’ve been in and around hardly ever contend with questions of anonymity at all. I mean, it never comes up. It may or may not be the case that it is good or bad in Open Source to be anonymous. It’s just that like pigs flying it never happens.
Writing though has a different history, be it history, fiction, reporting, or even the “Federalist Papers.” Or encyclopedian. Or Wikipedia and its kin. Somehow the consequences in this kind of writing begs for the sometimes covert cover of anonymity or pseudo-anonymity. It has for ages and ages. I don’t expect that to change. Anonymous writer or sourced author doesn’t make the writing more true. Ask Jonathan Frey or Nadijj or Belle de Jour or Steven Glass or Jason Blair or …

Wireless mooching

I would have stayed at the Marriott Courtyard instead of the Hyatt if the MC weren’t completely booked. First it’s cheaper and second the MC wireless is free while the Hyatt’s is T-Mobile for $10/day. Not that I’m all that cheap despite being Scotts, Welsh, and German — all tightwad strains –but that it galls me that a upscale hotel doesn’t see wireless as something like water (oops they charge for that too!).
But here I am in the lobby of the Hyatt waiting for check-in or the conference bus whichever comes first and I see two wireless nets. Thanks Marriott, you have a warm place in my heart. I’ll miss not having the Book of Mormon by my bed here in the Hyatt but I’ll be thinking of you.
Also just ran into Jimbo Wales and Don Baer of a UNC alum who’s with Discovery Communications (as in Channel).
The expensive crab gravy over grits (cooked in polenta style cakes) with egg over light, steamed tomato and asparagus was a good way to make up for having gotten up at 4:30 so as to get here.

Open Earth Archive from BBC (if you are in the UK)

Anaconda swimmingBBC’s Natural History Unit announces The Open Earth Archive in which films from BBC nature shows are release under the Creative Archives License.

Viewers are encouraged to be remixers and recreators, to use the clips to make new and imaginative works and to enter the “Wild Card” competition (rules and instructions here).

But there is a giant downside to this plan. I tried to view a clip of an anaconda swimming and I got this message:

The BBC has decided to limit access to Creative Archive Licence Campaign content to UK residents to ensure best value for the UK licence fee. Users outside of the UK are not able to access clips and programmes that form part of this campaign. Regrettably we are therefore unable to offer you content and would like to apologise for any disappointment.

Future of Library Collections? 2

More thoughts on my upcoming talk to the Librarians’ Association at UNC – Chapel Hill aka LAUNC-CH.

The upcoming challenges in collections will involve the increasingly digital nature of our lives. following on projects like Microsoft’s my life bits with Gordon Bell and the promise of curation of all kinds of digital personal repreesntations and artifacts of self from Google and Yahoo!, library collections will be faced with doing work that is substantially different than the kind of triage and brokering between publisher and reader.

Challenges will come not just in selection but in preservation and access across time as formats and rules for access change. One particularly tough problem for academic libraries will be to answer the requirement to
preserve datasets from various research groups for periods up to two decades. Think for a second, what data from 1986 can you access today? You see the problem immediately.

Location of collections will also be a challenge. Expect more artifacts to be found in professors’ offices or their computers or co-located on several networked locations.

[still thinking of course]

Tuesday: Blogging 101 with Anton and Brian

Anton Zuiker writes with this alert:

Join us for a technology teach-in. Learn about the history and development of weblogs, how to start your own blog in just 5 minutes, and how to read other blogs through theirnewsfeeds. We’ll also cover podcasts, wikis and other online communication tools. This free event is open to anyone who wants to learn about blogging. UNC staff Anton Zuiker and Brian Russell will lead.

* What: Blogging 101: Everything you need to knowabout weblogs, podcasts & newsfeeds.

* When: Tuesday, February 28, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

* Where: Health Sciences Library, Room 307-Biogen Classroom

* More Info: 919.966.2329 or www.blogtogether.org.

Can’t join us? Find local bloggers at the Chapel Hill Bloggers Meetup on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 7 p.m. at 3CUPS coffeebar in the West End Courtyard.

Jones alerts Parents!

Well, not exactly if you read what I said and if the tape captured my tone. The little piece that I did with NBC 17 went live last night.
Some things are accuate ;-> Not my rank and title. The headline doesn’t actually match the story. But overall the right message is there (somewhere).
The basics are right. People put more on FaceBook that maybe they would if they thought about what they were doing. Parents should educate their children (not necessarily “monitor” them as the headline reads). The ALA has helpful guidelines.
Off to the NC Press Association.

The other Fedora (or is it the Real Fedora?)

Thorny Staples is here talking about Fedora which stands for “Flexible Extensible Digital Object and Repository Architecture”. A more formal talk later today. Flexible. Extensible. Object repository scheme. Formalized workflow via Fez and Fedora. What about preservation asks the local library folks. Thorny talks about long term cooperation and planning for changes and helping develop standards. ITS guy talks of Forbes article on the importance of digital preservation.

From the Forbes article end:

The Internet Archive’s Kahle sees easy access to data as digital preservation’s ultimate rationale.”Access,”he says, “drives preservation.” As the issues get sorted out, the real achievement of digital preservation may turn out to be in collaboration with the World Wide Web–opening up heretofore hidden realms of information to the genealogists, historians, scientists, authors, musicians and videographers of today and tomorrow.

Dspace v Fedora. IR clients like Fez promoted. Different federated searches and indexes promoted.

What is Fedora’s culture asks Wallace. Thorny says folks who are already putting effort into websites and other repositories and had programmers on staff. A staff of say three using Fez could do a pretty good job says T.

Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories

Thorny’s public talk upcoming
When: Thursday, February 23, 2006. 3:30-4:30.
Where: Carolina (Student) Union, Room 3411

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