"Semantic Web in the news
Academic “Social Network Sites”: Very Preliminary Impressions
I have recently registered in three social network sites that were discussed in the listserv of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), the three being Pronetos, Academici, and LinkedIn, two of which are primarily for academics. My initial, admittedly superficial reaction was: “Web 2.0 is a good place to be lonely, if you’re an anthropologist”. In Pronetos, I am the only anthropologist, and in fact I had to create the anthropology discipline so that I could join it–and I reign in that kingdom in glorious solitude, talking to myself (as I am accustomed). In Academici, I cannot find other anthropologists, nor in LinkedIn where I cannot even find other academics, of any discipline, from my home institution (Concordia University, Montreal).
"Emergence of an eTurkey.
By Itir AkdoganPakistan Christian Post:
Helsinki - For more than 40 years Turkey has been taking certain measures to reach the European Union criteria of a member state. As part of a drive to increase innovation in and access to technology, the EU has allocated more than 100 billion euros for the i2010 Programme to create a 'Single European Information Space', in which innovation and investment in technology is a priority. Becoming an information society is one of the reforms Turkey is undertaking to increase its chances of joining the EU."
Semantic Web in the news
Well, the Semantic Web has been in the news a bit recently.
There was the buzz about Twine, a "Semantic Web company", getting another round of funding. Then, Yahoo announced that it will pick up Semantic Web information from the Web, and use it to enhance search. And now the Times online mis-states that I think "Google could be superseded". Sigh. In an otherwise useful discussion largely about what the Semantic Web is and how it will affect people, a misunderstanding which ended up being the title of the blog. In fact, the conversation as I recall started with a question whether, if search engines were the killer app for the familiar Web of documents, what will be the killer app for the Semantic Web.
Blogs R Us
This great compilation of all blogs in anyway related to the EU got us thinking about our own (admittedly a little more self promotional) list of blogs. We thought we’d share it with you all. You never know, you may find something of interest outside your usual reading list amongst the posts written by some of FHers in Europe and globally.To start with there is a blog by Micky B(erendt) on EU politics and policy on our corporate EU site. Until recently a key member of our Brussels team, Michael has a wealth of institutional and PA experience and now uses it to reflect from afar. Those of us who have benefited from his wisdom over the years are glad that the blog keeps him in our world. We’ve also already mentioned Pat Cleary in D.C. and the bizcentral.org experiment, so we shall move on.
EuroBlog on YouTube
If you couldn't make it to Brussels last weekend for Euprera's EuroBlog2008 Symposium, there is video on You Tube and comment on the EuroBlog blog. Lots of background, including papers and powerpoints are being gathered on the EuroBlog wiki.
Action Alert: Flood the Jail with Mail
What? “Flood the Jail with Mail” campaign in support of detained Egyptian blogger Kareem Suleiman
When? April 7th through April 21st
Tool: ChipIn Makes International Fundraising Easy
Tool Description: ChipIn allows you to create an embeddable fundraising widget for your blog (see below) that allows to you to receive donations internationally through your PayPal account.
Activist Application: Although you can make a lot of social change without money, sometimes its useful. ChipIn makes online fundraising accessible to grassroots organizations.
Someday You'll Hate Apple (And Google Too)
by Zonk
jfruhlinger writes "Think today's world, where Apple is the innovative underdog, Google is the company that does no evil, and Microsoft sits atop its throne as ruler of an evil empire. Will this state of affairs last forever? You must not remember the days when everybody loved that scrappy upstart Bill Gates.The Wrath of the Apple Tribe
by kdawson
Narrative Fallacy writes "If you've ever written about Apple products with even a hint of negativity, you'll appreciate Salon's excerpt from Farhad Manjoo's True Enough, about why the Apple tribe is so rabid. 'There are many tribes in the tech world: TiVo lovers, Blackberry addicts, Palm Treo fanatics, and people who exhibit unhealthy affection for their Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners,' writes Manjoo. 'But there is no bigger tribe, and none more zealous, than fans of Apple, who are infamous for their sensitivity to slams, real or imagined, against the beloved company.' Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg has even coined a name for the phenomenon — the 'Doctrine of Insufficient Adulation.'Enterprise Social Media Report
by Allen Stern
Cook & Hopkins has released the 3rd edition of their social media report today. Cook & Hopkins is an Australian Internet consultancy. The report is a good primer for social media in the enterprise. It's one of those "great for execs" type reports and covers blogging, Twitter, Facebook, podcasting, rss feeds, wikis and virtual worlds.
2008 Digital Entertainment Survey
(PDF; 8.6 MB)
Source: Entertainment Media Research (Wiggin LLP)
OPEN SOURCE INSURGENCY >> How to start
Superempowerment -- an increase in the ability of individuals and small groups to accomplish tasks/work through the combination of rapid improvements in technological tools and access to global networks -- has enabled small groups to radically increase their productivity in conflict. For example, if a small group disrupts a system or a network by attacking systempunkts, it can amplify the results of its attacks to achieve as much as a 1,400,000 percent return on investment.
What does the Web mean for newspapers?
Consumer Protection in the Digital Age (PDF; 641 KB)Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research
Tactic: Zimbabwe Election Watch Map
Description: This mashup overlays a Google map of Zimbabwe with information about breaches in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections* since July 2007.
Map URL: http://www.sokwanele.com/map/all_breaches
Organizer: Zimbabwe Election Watch, a project of the Zimbabwean movement blog www.Sokwanele.com
Purpose of Action: To make an accessible visual representation of complex longitudinal data about breaches in electoral standards.
Organizing Tools: Google maps, a blog
Outcome: Results of the March 29, 2008 election will be announced on Monday, March 31..
Ease of Replication: Creating a basic Google map with your own locations is pretty easy. Adding customizable icons and creating preferences that allow you to display only certain icons takes a little more skill.
