Can good information go bad?

Google's quest to scan and digitize millions of books. So what about copyright? What about the benefits of access to information? Isn't it time we started to develop some new economic theories about information, reputation, and how we will make money when goods are secondary to ideas? Inside Higher Ed :: Google's Not-So-Simple Side

MySpace: Claiming more visitors than it really gets?

I have written frequently about CyWorld the Korean home of the"minihompy" and millions of users. I was pretty blown away to see MySpace make claims that it had more vivits than Cyworld. Since there is about 80% broadband penetration in Korea, and maybe 64% in the USA, it seemed like big numbers for MySpace. This story questions the MySpace numbers and suggests that for MySpace, publicity and MSM attention my lead to a chilling of the coolness factor. I will check with my students for anecdotal updates. myspace

UAE Gave $1 Million to Bush Library

Do you remember "Occam's Razor?" It is a rule that scientists use when they analyze information. My version of Occam's Razor is that when you have several ways of explaining something, choose the simplest and most obvious explanation. Here we have the UAE giving $1 million to Geo. Bush senior's library. Now the President is willing to go against the advice of the Republican Leadership and threatens to veto a bill that would slow down the deal that will let the UAE, that owns Dubai Port Co. take over management of 6 ports in the USA from London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. This would be the President's first veto. Do we need to look any further for an explanation of the Bush's actions? A million may not be much, but could that donation be the tip of a monetary ice-berg? This is going to be a difficult one to explain with complexity, in my opinion. UAE Gave $1 Million to Bush Library

London, England plans a wireless blanket

From Edmonton which is near London, Ont. comes this news about what Canuks call "Big London." But Londoners will be connected wherever they go. Vue Weekly : Articles

Chicago Bloggers get a review

You might need to register to see the facsimile page of Tempo for February 24, 2006. It features a story by Steve Johnson about the Chicago Blogger meetups that I have been organizing. Steve included lots of good information about some of the bloggers' sites and our meetings. If you came here from the story, you can sign up to be notified about blogger meetups in the future.

What the meeting suggested was, in fact, the opposite of blogger stereotypes about shut-ins, agoraphobics and tech geeks. If you accept the fact that maintaining a blog is a form of reaching out -- something that's being done by more than 25 million blogs nowadays, according to the tracking site, Technorati -- then it's almost natural that bloggers would want to get together.

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