DrWeb's Domain

CTV.ca | Publishers' lawyer defends 'Da Vinci' author

CTV.ca | Publishers' lawyer defends 'Da Vinci' author.

Publishers' lawyer defends 'Da Vinci' author
Updated Tue. Feb. 28 2006 10:45 AM ET
CTV.ca News

The ideas in a novel which two writers claim were stolen by the author of The Da Vinci Code were so general that they are not protected by copyright, a lawyer for the publisher argued Tuesday in court.

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, the authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, accuse Dan Brown of stealing the whole "architecture" and central argument of their 1982 non-fiction book.

In a strange twist, both books are published in Britain by Random House, which means Baigent and Leigh have filed a breach of copyright lawsuit against their own publisher.

The publisher's lawyer, John Baldwin, argued in court that Baigent and Leigh are trying to monopolize ideas "at such a high level of generality that they are not protected by copyright."

Interesting high profile book and copyright case.. I doubt if there's much validity in this claim, but I'll have to see what the court rules.. the in text citation of the book shows clearly that Dan Brown was not hiding his use of the work as a research text, and actually was demonstrating his knowledge of it in the published text.. the movie version coming out soon should be good, looking forward to seeing it...

What's next (for libraries)

What's next (for libraries).

Magazines > Searcher > February 2006
February 28, 2006
What's next (for libraries)
by David Grossman | Independent Writer

"Don't tell me libraries won't exist in the future," quipped a colleague when she learned I was writing a column for Searcher magazine about the future of librarians. Before I had even put my fingers to the keyboard to write my first sentence, I was already receiving strong, unsolicited feedback. And what did it mean? Was my colleague saying that I shouldn't say libraries won't exist in the future because she disagrees with the prediction? Or was she afraid to face an uncertain future devoid of printed books, where everything she's ever learned in 20 years of library work will have flown out the window?

Perhaps a combination of both scenarios compelled this librarian to burst my balloon before it ever left the ground. But that librarian isn't alone. She is in good company with many other custodians of the book who echo her feelings. How do I know? A couple of years ago I was in the grand ballroom at the New York Hilton watching a proposed name change for the Special Libraries Association go down to defeat. In a bitter argument that raged for years and still continues today, more than one-third of the librarians present displayed their unwillingness to let the "L" word go from their identities. This thwarted an effort that required a two-thirds majority approval to change the name of the organization to Information Professionals International or simply shorten Special Libraries Association to SLA.

Good article, though a difficult topic to ponder; some major changes to our profession is in the wind, and blowing harder.. thanks to Library Link of the Day for the pointer to this one...

Vancouver 2010 - Welcome

Vancouver 2010 - Welcome.

Vancouver 2010 - Welcome

Come Play With Us
The first chapter in the story of Canada’s Games was shared with the world on February 26 as some 34,000 spectators at the Stadio Olimpico in Torino and an estimated 500 million global television viewers were invited by Canada and VANOC to “Come Play with Us” in Vancouver in 2010.

The open invitation was extended as part of VANOC’s eight-minute presentation during the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

Check out the home site for the 2010 Winter Olympic games.. sign up for alerts and news releases.. only 1,445 days until the next games...

NPR : If a Library Is Bookless, What's In It?

NPR : If a Library Is Bookless, What's In It?.

Digital Culture
If a Library Is Bookless, What's In It?

Guest Web Sites

The DaVinci Institute
Denver Public Library System
Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

Talk of the Nation, February 27, 2006
The "Bookless Library." Is it a contradiction in terms, or a sign of the times? Information technology changes as soon we think we understand it. With mammoth collections to maintain, libraries are struggling to keep up -- and to redefine their role.

What helps make the evolution of libraries so complicated are two related questions: What is the library's role -- and who should pay for it? The squeeze on county and municipal budgets prompts many to wonder if they will continue to pay for these institutions. Others insist that the public library plays a vital role as a community center and as an intellectual oasis, a place to reflect as well as a place to learn. But if it's to survive, it has to adapt.

A range of approaches are meant to help design a library for the 21st century.

Guests:
Tom Frey, executive director, The DaVinci Institute
Jo Haight-Sarling, director, access and technology services at the Denver Public Library System
Charles Brown, director, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, N.C.

Web Resources

• Library Futures at 'Free Range Librarian'
• Internet Library of Early Journals
• Going Bookless at 'Book Standard'
• Find Online Libraries

Good show, and nice Web resource links, including a good post overview from Free Range Librarian Karen Schneider.. a link to listen is on the site at NPR...

United States Olympic Committee - U.S. did the Turin two-step, won 25 medals

United States Olympic Committee - U.S. did the Turin two-step, won 25 medals.

U.S. did the Turin two-step, won 25 medals
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer // February 26, 2006

TURIN, Italy (AP) - Across 16 topsy-turvy days in Turin, the U.S. Olympic team teetered somewhere between torment and triumph, each step up to the medal stand tempered by one step back somewhere else.

There were unlikely Alpine golds from skiers Julia Mancuso and Ted Ligety. And the disaster in the mountains that was Bode Miller and his tattered reputation.

Speedskater Joey Cheek set a standard for Olympic class, winning two medals and donating his $40,000 reward from the U.S. Olympic Committee to a charity for children trapped in war zones. Teammates Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis typified something less than class, fussing and fighting like second-graders in a sandbox.

A kid dubbed ``The Flying Tomato,'' Shaun White, sailed into the sky above Bardonecchia to claim a gold medal in the snowboard halfpipe. Another snowboarder, Lindsey Jacobellis, hot-dogged her way out of a gold medal in a still-stunning turn of events that typified a growing Generation X Games gap among the Americans.

By the time the Turin two-step was done, the final medal total left the U.S. somewhere between total success and perceived failure. The collection of 25 medals - 9 gold, 9 silver, 7 bronze - was far less than the record 34 of 2002, but nearly double the previous high of 13 from 1994 and 1998.

Cynics might observe the Olympics have added 16 new medal sports since the '98 Nagano Games, several in U.S.-friendly events.

It was the most medals ever won by the Americans in a foreign Winter Olympics, and left the U.S. second only to Germany's 29 medals. The head of the USOC was quick to spin it as success, while acknowledging others might see it differently.

I was proud of the team U.S.A. fielded, for the most part.. there were disappointments, and hot dogs and sad young men without any sense of sport or how to want to win (Miller), but it was a fun thrilling time for amateur athletes.. I always think of the Olympic call to the "youth of the world" to assemble in a site 4 years hence, and it still gives me a chill to hear.. the Olympics give this war-torn and face-paced world a chance to celebrate something else, something global, something about spirit and desire and making your mark.. I salute our Olympians, one and all.. and hope to see some of the Winter Games in 2010 in Vancouver...

BostonHerald.com - Around the Nation: Actor Darren McGavin, played father in “A Christmas Story,” dies at 83

BostonHerald.com - Around the Nation: Actor Darren McGavin, played father in “A Christmas Story,” dies at 83.

Actor Darren McGavin, played father in “A Christmas Story,” dies at 83
By Associated Press, Sunday, February 26, 2006 - Updated: 11:06 AM EST

LOS ANGELES - Darren McGavin was painting a movie set in 1945 when he learned of an opening for a small role in the show, climbed off his ladder, and returned through Columbia’s front gates to land the part.

The husky, tough-talking performer went on to become one of the busiest actors in television and film, starring in five TV series, including “Mike Hammer,” and endearing holiday audiences with his role as the grouchy dad in the 1983 comedy classic “A Christmas Story.”

McGavin, 83, died Saturday of natural causes at a Los Angeles-area hospital with his family at his side, said his son Bogart McGavin.

McGavin also had leading roles in TV’s “Riverboat” and cult favorite “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.” Among his memorable portrayals was Gen. George Patton in the 1979 TV biography “Ike.”

Darren was one of a kind.. I caught an episode of "Night Stalker" not long ago, and it still holds up well.. he was outstanding in "The Natural," and his other film work was under-rated.. R.I.P. ...

Don Knotts, star of 'The Andy Griffith Show,' dead at 81 - Los Angeles Times

Don Knotts, star of 'The Andy Griffith Show,' dead at 81 - Los Angeles Times.

Don Knotts, star of 'The Andy Griffith Show,' dead at 81
Knotts died Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills
By Scott Collins, Times Staff Writer 2:30 PM PST,February 25 2006

Don Knotts, the saucer-eyed, scarecrow-thin comic actor best known for his roles as the high-strung small-town deputy Barney Fife on the 1960s CBS series "The Andy Griffith Show" and the leisure-suit-clad landlord Ralph Furley on ABC's '70s sitcom "Three's Company," has died. He was 81.

Knotts, who lived in West Los Angeles, died Friday night of lung cancer at UCLA Medical Center, according to Sherwin Bash, his longtime manager.

Family members said that his longtime friend Griffth was one of his last visitors at Cedars on Friday night.

We'll miss the grand physical comedy from Knotts, the bumbling and lovable deputy to Sheriff Griffith from Mayberry (fictional town in North Carolina).. I was glad Andy was able to visit him towards the end.. R.I.P. ...

The Last Aria of Tony Soprano - New York Times

The Last Aria of Tony Soprano - New York Times.

Television
The Last Aria of Tony Soprano
By BILL CARTER, Published: February 26, 2006

HIGH on the wall of the otherwise-nondescript conference room inside the production offices of "The Sopranos" hangs a small, framed photograph of a man with his face half shadowed by a fedora.

Ambling by in his lumbering gait, slowed by a slight limp from a recent leg injury, James Gandolfini stopped to take a look at the photo. "Who's that?" he asked.

"Fellini," said David Chase.

Federico Fellini might seem an odd choice to oversee the room where an American television series is planned, but why not? Has there ever been one that was richer, more dense with the complexities of family life — in all its connotations — and yes, more atmospherically Italian (Italian-American in this case) than "The Sopranos"? "It's all a big discovery process," said Mr. Chase, the creator and executive producer of the series, summing up how it has all unfolded. "Actually, I think Fellini said making a movie is like a voyage."

NARA - Press - National Archives and Google Launch Pilot Project to Digitize and Offer Historic Films Online

NARA - Press - National Archives and Google Launch Pilot Project to Digitize and Offer Historic Films Online.

Press Release, February 24, 2006
National Archives and Google Launch Pilot Project to Digitize and Offer Historic Films Online

Washington, D.C. and Mountain View, Calif. – Feb. 24, 2006 – Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Co-Founder and President of Technology Sergey Brin today announced the launch of a pilot program to make holdings of the National Archives available for free online. This non-exclusive agreement will enable researchers and the general public to access a diverse collection of historic movies, documentaries and other films from the National Archives via Google Video (video.google.com/nara.html) as well as the National Archives website (http://www.archives.gov/).

"This is an important step for the National Archives to achieve its goal of becoming an archives without walls," said Professor Weinstein. "Our new strategic plan emphasizes the importance of providing access to records anytime, anywhere. This is one of many initiatives that we are launching to make our goal a reality. For the first time, the public will be able to view this collection of rare and unusual films on the Internet."

"Today, we've begun to make the extraordinary historic films of the National Archives available to the world for the first time online," said Sergey Brin, co-founder and president of technology at Google. "Students and researchers whether in San Francisco or Bangladesh can watch remarkable video such as World War II newsreels and the story of Apollo 11 - the historic first landing on the Moon."

The pilot program undertaken by the National Archives and Google features 101 films from the audiovisual collections preserved at the Archives.

Library Assessment: Effective, Practical, Sustainable

Library Assessment: Effective, Practical, Sustainable.

Library Assessment Conference
Building Effective, Sustainable, Practical Assessment
Charlottesville, Virginia
September 25-27, 2006

Join us in historic Charlottesville to help build a learning community of practitioners and leaders interested in library assessment. The conference will focus on using data to improve library service, and will include sessions on customer surveys, focus groups, learning outcomes, organizational climate surveys, performance metrics, evaluating electronic services and resources, and related marketing and management issues.

Sounds like a good conference.. call for proposals and papers on the site.. co-sponsored by Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the University of Virginia Library (UVa), and the University of Washington Libraries...

The Future of the Blog

The Future of the Blog.

FEBRUARY 24, 2006, Innovation Q&A
The Future of the Blog
Six Apart's Mena Trott helped start the stampede by co-designing user-friendly software. But she thinks the blogging trend is only just beginning

It's hard to imagine the world without blogs. The publishing technology has become a cultural and political force. One of the reasons for the rapid growth of the blogosphere is the existence of user-friendly blogging software such as Moveable Type. The program was designed with simplicity in mind by Mena Trott, a former graphic designer and early blogger (she launched dollarshort.org in early 2001), and her husband, Ben Trott, a programmer.

Mena and Ben went on to found Six Apart, the San Francisco-based company behind the blog-hosting service TypePad. In January, 2005, Six Apart acquired LiveJournal, an online community of personal blogs that today boasts 9.6 million accounts and more than 16,000 new posts per hour. In December, 2005, Six Apart and Yahoo! (YHOO ) announced a partnership to build Yahoo-hosted blogs with Moveable Type.

Six Apart is currently working on a new product, codenamed Comet, that will start beta testing this quarter. "It's meant for the next generation of blogs," says Mena Trott, without revealing details. Just before setting off for Monterey, Calif., to speak at the annual TED conference -- that's technology, education, and design -- Trott spoke with BusinessWeek Online reporter Reena Jana about challenges in blog design -- which, she hints, Comet will attempt to address. Here are edited excerpts from their conversation ...

Good article, and looking forward to seeing what Comet truly is, and can do...

WebJunction's Focus on Space Planning for Libraries

WebJunction's Focus on Space Planning for Libraries.

WebJunction's Focus on Space Planning for Libraries

Description: Careful space planning in the initial stages of a building or renovation project can help to ensure its success. There are many resources available to help you calculate the space requirements for library programs, services, and collections.

Author: Linda Demmers
Publisher: WebJunction
Date Posted: Jan 31, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Linda Demmers

Whether you are planning a new building or renovating an old one, you will need to develop a detailed space plan that takes into account the actual space needs to meet your library's mission and service plan. Library space planning expert, Linda Demmers of Libris Design has put together a guide to some of the best resources and tools for library space planning as well an an introduction to the lingo.

Great resources for libraries doing any kind of building projects, renovations, changes in buildings and locations.. thanks to Neat New Stuff I Found This Week, by Marylaine Block, for this great link...

Queen Mary's Meet

Queen Mary's Meet.

Queen Mary's Meet:
Long Beach—The Perfect Urban Waterfront Playground

Long Beach is a unique mix of urban sophistication with the atmosphere of a beach resort. The 5th largest city in California, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary and Aquarium of the Pacific offering big city adventure with the visitor friendly charm of a small town.

Centrally located in Southern California, Long Beach is rich in history and diversity from its sandy white beaches to eclectic neighborhoods. Experience the best of dining, shopping, culture and entertainment all within an easily accessible, compact area situated alongside a picturesque harbor on the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Enjoy all that Long Beach has to offer!

Schedule of Events for Thursday, February 23, 2006

12:00 Noon
The Queen Mary 2, the world’s largest and most elegant ocean liner of today, will sail into the Port of Long Beach through Queen’s Gate, the same entrance used by the RMS Queen Mary when she arrived in Long Beach in 1967.

Google Introduces Web Page Creator

Google Introduces Web Page Creator.

Google Introduces Web Page Creator
By Chris Sherman, Executive Editor February 23, 2006

Want to create your own web page, but don't know how to begin? The new Google Page Creator is a simple, free tool that allows you to publish to the web with ease.

Google Page Creator is a web based application that uses a basic what-you-see is what-you-get style of interface, designed to allow anyone to create and publish web pages, regardless of skill or knowledge level.

"It's as easy to create a page on the web as it is to create one on a word processor," said Justin Rosenstein, product manager for the new tool.

Google Page Creator allows you to arrange text, images or other types of web content and upload the web pages with a single click, without the need to know web programming languages such as HTML or Javascript, or how to configure and transfer pages to a web server.

Thousands of web hosting firms just went "huh?" :) .. it's a bit like having a free Web site, with a built-in editor for hire without a salary.. going to give it a tryout.. Update: oops.. heavy demand makes this message appear:

"Thank you for your interest in Google Page Creator!
Google Page Creator has experienced extremely strong demand, and, as a result, we have temporarily limited the number of new signups as we increase capacity. We will notify you as soon as we are ready to add new accounts. Thank you for your patience."

So, provide your e-mail address for your GMail or Google account, and you'll be notified when this is up and running full-speed again...

Washington, DC Chapter Remarks, February 2006 - Special Libraries Association

Washington, DC Chapter Remarks, February 2006 - Special Libraries Association.

Washington, DC Chapter Remarks,
February 2006

Strengthening SLA's Global Visibility Substance and Culture in Tunisia

Remarks to the Washington, DC Chapter Wednesday, 22 February 2006 National Press Club

Thank you, Anne, and good evening, everyone! I am so pleased and excited to be here with you – the heart and soul of the home chapter of SLA. It’s so nice to be able to visit with a group of SLA members for an evening – AND THEN GO HOME!

The last three years have been filled with visits to SLA chapters around the world, but none pleases me more than being here tonight. I say that not simply because I can sleep in my own bed and see my family, but also because I have a great affinity for this chapter simply because it is SO ACTIVE. Whether it’s local programming or getting involved in international relations or nominating peers for SLA awards, you set the standard for other chapters in so many ways.
...
Recognizing that this new dynamic requires global discussion, the International Telecommunication Union – a United Nations organization devoted to advancing the development of international communications technologies -- decided in 2001 to hold a World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and place it on the agenda of the United Nations. The Summit would be held in two phases: phase one took place in Geneva in 2003, while phase two took place in Tunis in 2005.