Worth a Look

Perspectives on how computer technology is changing the education system

Ars points out that this week’s edition of Science addresses how computer technology is changing the education system. There’s likely nothing too surprising if this is something you follow, but it’s always a good idea to follow the press.

A bit more on Three Strikes

Along the same lines as my last post, Ars gets into the costs of the RIAA’s proposed “3 strikes” policy.  My favorite part:

Jerry Scroggin is the owner of Bayou Internet and Communications(BIC),
a small ISP based in Monroe, Louisiana with around 11,000 small
business, residential, and municipal customers. BIC already receives
notifications from the RIAA each month, and each time”I ask for their
billing address,” Scroggin told CNET. “Usually, I never hear back.”

 Techdirt also mentions something that crossed my mind, but didn’t make it into the blog post–taking the fight out of the courts allows the recording industry to sidestep due process. It may make less of a “public statement,” but privately settling these disputes might ensure an outcome that’s more agreeable and perhaps (from their perspective) better than they might have won under the law.

Tech Terms to Avoid

From the Desk of David Pogue - Tech Terms to Avoid - NYTimes.com

For anyone who does tech support here is Pogue’s list of words to avoid when talking to “normal” people (things like content, client, and display). I had intended to share this when it first came out, but it fell under the radar.

C-Span Debate hub cool on a few levels

Ars pointed me to the C-SPAN debate hub and while I didn’t use it during the debate, I have to say it’s a site worth a look. There’s a lot of information on the page, but it seems pretty well designed to me.  It includes video and transcripts from segments from the debate, twitter feeds, blog posts, infoporn about what the keywords were during the debate and who spoke when. I’ll definitely check it out during the next debate.

C-Span has come a long way since the flap about videos of Colbert at the press club.

Edit: Looks as though The Current is trying something similar.

Copyright crusaders to launch cyber campaign

CTV.ca | Copyright crusaders to launch cyber campaign

Here’s another article about the anti-Canadian-DMCA movement and the crucial role that Michael Geist has played. I’m all for communities of interest, but it’s really tough to get something like this off the ground without a passionate spokesperson.