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You Are What You Read - Books - Review - New York Times

You Are What You Read - Books - Review - New York Times.

Essay
You Are What You Read
By LEAH PRICE, Published: December 23, 2007

In 1605, Francis Bacon observed that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Today, as we supersize our burgers and abridge our books, reading and eating continue to provoke symmetrical anxieties. Surveys now diagnose too little of one, too much of the other; regression analysis correlates calorie surplus and book deficiency with drug use, divorce and teen pregnancy.

Last month, the National Endowment for the Arts lengthened that list. “To Read or Not to Read,” its 2007 report on American reading habits, identifies who reads as the best predictor of who exercises, plays sports, volunteers, votes and stays out of jail. These data, the study goes on to suggest, refute “assumptions that readers are passive, isolated or self-absorbed.” So what’s the X factor that will make you not just civic-minded and muscular, but also friendlier, outdoorsier and less wrapped up in your thin, law-abiding self? The N.E.A. refuses to speculate, acknowledging only that “strictly understood, the data in this report do not necessarily show cause and effect.” The obvious explanation is tucked away in a “technical note” whose fine print acknowledges that “no attempt has been made to ... delve into racial, ethnic or income traits of voluntary readers.”

Countdown to LOST Season 4 Premiere.. Jan 31, ABC, 9pm..

So, it's countdown time to LOST Season 4.. January 31, 2008, ABC, 9pm Pacific, 8pm Central time.. I can't wait.. I hope to get the Season 3 DVD for Christmas, we shall see..

Thanks to John Moats for permission to use his countdown to LOST Season 4 Premiere clock here.. way to go, John!   

   

The Associated Press: Studio Head Frank Capra Jr. Dies

The Associated Press: Studio Head Frank Capra Jr. Dies.

Studio Head Frank Capra Jr. Dies
By MARTHA WAGGONER – 15 hours ago

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Frank Capra Jr., a producer who helped build a major television and movie studio and whose father directed the Christmas classic "It's A Wonderful Life," has died. He was 73.

Capra Jr. died Wednesday night at a hospital in Philadelphia, said Bill Vassar, the executive vice president of Wilmington-based EUE Screen Gems Studios, of which Capra was president. Capra died after a long fight with prostate cancer, Vassar said.

"With his Hollywood pedigree and extensive experience as a producer, Frank was the perfect ambassador to Hollywood," Chris Cooney, chief operating officer of EUE Screen Gems, said in a statement. "He will be missed as a friend and a colleague."

Under Capra's leadership, EUE Screen Gems' credits include several major motion pictures, including "28 Days," "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," "Domestic Disturbance," "Black Knight" and "A Walk to Remember."

Borders and Sony Launch Co-Branded E-Book Store

Borders and Sony Launch Co-Branded E-Book Store.

Borders and Sony Launch Co-Branded E-Book Store
December 21, 2007, By Kimberly Maul

Borders and Sony have launched a co-branded online e-book store that will work with Sony's Reader Digital Book and offer downloads of more than 25,000 e-books. Sony extended its contract with Borders in September and released a new Reader device in October.

Customers who buy a Sony Reader device at Borders are given access to the co-branded site, allowing them to immediately purchase new titles. T-Mobile Hot-Spot customers can also access the website while using the T-Mobile wireless access in Borders stores.

The Generational Divide in Copyright Morality - New York Times

The Generational Divide in Copyright Morality - New York Times.

From the Desk of David Pogue
The Generational Divide in Copyright Morality    
By DAVID POGUE, Published: December 20, 2007

I've been doing a good deal of speaking recently. And in one of my talks, I tell an anecdote about a lesson I learned from my own readers.

It was early in 2005, and a little hackware program called PyMusique was making the rounds of the Internet. PyMusique was written for one reason only: to strip the copy protection off of songs from the iTunes music store.

The program's existence had triggered an online controversy about the pros, cons and implications of copy protection. But to me, there wasn't much gray area. "To me, it's obvious that PyMusique is designed to facilitate illegal song-swapping online," I wrote. And therefore, it's wrong to use it.

Great article, and at the end, he leaves you wondering: will *will* our children and their children think and do about illegal or "secret" downloading, burning, and copying as time and technology move on?  And privacy.. And intellectual property rights.. I'm not sure we have done a good job of teaching our children *why* some of the basic parts of freedom and laws come with responsibilities.. thought-provoking piece by Pogue...

Love That Book? Then Set It Free - New York Times

Love That Book? Then Set It Free - New York Times.

Cyberfamilias
Love That Book? Then Set It Free
By MICHELLE SLATALLA, Published: December 20, 2007

THE mission began at dusk, in a light rain. I carried the package under my arm, hoping not to attract attention. As my husband and I approached the target — a large hospital — from the south, I whispered, “Try to look normal.”
...
After all, the idea behind BookCrossing.com is simple. You drop off a book in a public place. Or pick up one someone else left behind. Eventually the whole world becomes one big, free library. More than 600,000 people engage in “catch and release” missions worldwide. I wanted to be one.

BookCrossing.com seemed like poetic justice. The Internet, which threatens to replace good, old-fashioned books with soulless bits of downloadable information that readers have to click through, instead was extending the lives of my paper friends.

More than 4.4 million books have been registered; many have been released in places like the back of a public bus in Hamburg, Germany, or in a bar near the governor’s residence in Mozambique or even, in a process known as a “controlled release,” by being mailed to “bookcrossers” who serve in the United States military in Iraq.

One well-written, lovely tale of books released into the wild, finding another reader.. and the very end of the essay is poignant and touching.. I'll have to check out Bookcrossing ...

Schneier on Security: How to Secure Your Computer, Disks, and Portable Drives

Schneier on Security: How to Secure Your Computer, Disks, and Portable Drives.

Schneier on Security
A blog covering security and security technology.

December 04, 2007
How to Secure Your Computer, Disks, and Portable Drives

Computer security is hard. Software, computer and network security are all ongoing battles between attacker and defender. And in many cases the attacker has an inherent advantage: He only has to find one network flaw, while the defender has to find and fix every flaw.

Cryptography is an exception. As long as you don't write your own algorithm, secure encryption is easy. And the defender has an inherent mathematical advantage: Longer keys increase the amount of work the defender has to do linearly, while geometrically increasing the amount of work the attacker has to do.

Unfortunately, cryptography can't solve most computer-security problems. The one problem cryptography can solve is the security of data when it's not in use. Encrypting files, archives -- even entire disks -- is easy.

All of this makes it even more amazing that Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs in the United Kingdom lost two disks with personal data on 25 million British citizens, including dates of birth, addresses, bank-account information and national insurance numbers. On the one hand, this is no bigger a deal than any of the thousands of other exposures of personal data we've read about in recent years -- the U.S. Veteran's Administration loss of personal data of 26 million American veterans is an obvious similar event. But this has turned into Britain's privacy Chernobyl.

Fine, long, in-depth piece on computer security today.. Schneier is a marvel, and his notes on portable (ScanDisk ,etc.) and thumb/USB drives is worth a read...

Digital library is now online in Newport News -- dailypress.com

Digital library is now online in Newport News -- dailypress.com.

Digital library is now online in Newport News
By SABINE HIRSCHAUER | 757-247-4536    
10:03 AM EST, December 18, 2007

NEWPORT NEWS - The city's Public Library System this month launched its first segment of a digital library, starting to allow people to view historical documents, old city postcards and booklets online at www.nngov.com/library/resources/digital.

The digital library for example includes collections from the Old Dominion Land Company, which developed most of downtown Newport News in the early 1900s as well as parts of old Warwick County. It will also include The Souvenir of Newport News Collection consisting of 20 images taken of a set of Newport News postcards covering 1917 to 1918, The Historic Postcards of Newport News, a collection of 27 double-sided post cards with images of historic Newport News from 1887 to 1919 and The Historic Booklets of Newport News Collection consisting of 14 historical booklets from 1892 to 1923.

Master of ‘Rings’ to Tackle ‘Hobbit’ | The Hobbit - Peter Jackson - Movies - New York Times

Master of ‘Rings’ to Tackle ‘Hobbit’ | The Hobbit - Peter Jackson - Movies - New York Times.

Master of ‘Rings’ to Tackle ‘Hobbit’
By DAVID M. HALBFINGER, Published: December 19, 2007

LOS ANGELES — Goblins, trolls and dragons were a breeze compared with the caustic clash of egos that kept “The Hobbit” in Hollywood limbo for years. But a settlement announced on Tuesday between Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema holds the promise that peace will break out in Middle Earth and that fans could see the first of two resulting movies by December 2010.

The pact, which two people involved said was worth nearly $40 million to Mr. Jackson, ends years of litigation and acrimonious auditing over his share of the profits from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Those movies grossed $2.9 billion worldwide, made Mr. Jackson’s reputation and vastly enhanced New Line’s stature among the major movie studios.

This is great news for LOTR fans, and Tolkien fans.. two more films on the horizon.. what a nice holiday gift...

Best Books 2007 - 12/15/2007 - Library Journal

Best Books 2007 - 12/15/2007 - Library Journal.

Best Books 2007
By Margaret Heilbrun, Barbara Hoffert, Anna Katterjohn, Heather McCormack, Mirela Roncevic, & Wilda Williams -- Library Journal, 12/15/2007

Notice anything different this year? Yes, LJ has moved its Best Books list forward; from now on, the list will appear in the December issue of the year in question instead of the January issue that follows. In the old days, we wanted all the time we could get to pore over the likely candidates.

Now, with most best books compilations appearing well before the end of the year and most immediately available on the web, waiting until January seems counterproductive, and we relish the opportunity to get our selections out as soon as possible. So, from Diane Ackerman’s moving morality tale, The Zookeeper’s Wife, to Paul Trynka on the inimitable Iggy Pop, here are the books that LJ’s editors want to see on your shelves.

Ackerman, Diane. The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-06172-7. $23.95.
Although the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland decimated the Warsaw zoo, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski remained unbowed, boldly smuggling over 300 people from the doomed Jewish Ghetto and hiding them in their villa and the zoo’s ruined cages. A profoundly moving tale of moral courage and grace under fire. (LJ 9/1/07)

Read on for more best books of 2007.. also, check out Wilda Williams' blog post on this, "Everybody's a Critic" ...

The 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

The 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com.

The 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time
Published September 2007

THE 86 GREATEST TRAVEL BOOKS
* 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time
* Methodology and Judges
* Nine Commandments of Travel Writing
* The New Classics
* Bookstores Worth a Trip
* All Booked Up All Booked Up    
* Introducing CNT's New Anthology

Chosen by a literary all-star jury that included: Monica Ali; Vikram Chandra; Jared Diamond; Peter Mayle; John McPhee; Francine Prose; Paul Theroux; Gore Vidal; and more.

Along the Ganges
Ilija Trojanow (2006)
An emigrant from Cold War Bulgaria now living in Cape Town, Trojanow brings a pan-religious enthusiasm to his writings on Asia, and in his journey from the Ganges's source to the chaotic cities along its course, he treats the river and its Hindu devotees with fascination, respect, and an eye for detail. Nominated by Nuruddin Farah (Haus Publishers, $20).

Arabian Sands
Wilfred Thesiger (1959)
Born in Ethiopia to a British diplomat, the writer-explorer was disenchanted with the West and spent five years traveling among the bedouins of southern Arabia, detailing their disappearing way of life. For his dedication and his eloquence, Paul Theroux puts him "on my classics list" (Penguin, $15).

Usability Guidelines: Web Design for Users With Disabilities

Usability Guidelines: Web Design for Users With Disabilities.

Nielsen Norman Group Report
Beyond ALT Text: Making the Web Easy to Use for Users With Disabilities 75 Best Practices for Design of Websites and Intranets, Based on Usability Studies with People Who Use Assistive Technology    
148 pages 148 pages PDF format
Download Report (7 MB, free download) The retail value of this report is $124, but it is free as our holiday gift to our loyal readers, as our thanks for your support over the years.

Summary  
The report contains:

    * Results of usability tests of 19 websites with users with several different types of disabilities who are using a range of assistive technology:
o blind users using screen readers          
o blind users using Braille readers          
o low-vision users using screen magnifiers
o motor-impaired users    

* Test data collected mainly in the United States, with some additional studies in Japan to ensure the international applicability of the recommendations
o A total of 104 users participated in the usability studies:          
o 84 users with disabilities
o 20 non-disabled users who served as a control group

* 75 detailed design guidelines

Excellent holiday seasonal freebie from Nielsen.. 7MBs, value is high for those libraries who are working to be fully accessible to all users...

The Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics: Dramatic Growth of Open Access & Predictions for 2008: Minor Update

The Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics: Dramatic Growth of Open Access & Predictions for 2008: Minor Update.

Monday, December 17, 2007
Dramatic Growth of Open Access & Predictions for 2008: Minor Update

Two minor updates to my Dramatic Growth of Open Access 2007 (Interim) & Predictions for 2008.

It should be noted that my prediction that 15% of peer-reviewed scholarly journals will be fully open access and listed in DOAJ by the end of 2008 is a very conservative estimate. Indeed, by some estimates, we are already there; that is, the total number of scholarly, peer-reviewed journals in the world is generally estimated to be 20,000 - 25,000. If the total is 20,000, then the 3,000 journals in DOAJ is already 15% of the total.

The Bloggers Among Us - 12/15/2007 - Library Journal

The Bloggers Among Us - 12/15/2007 - Library Journal.

The Bloggers Among Us
A survey of the library blogosphere shows the mainstreaming of the medium
By Meredith Farkas -- Library Journal, 12/15/2007

Say “librarian blogger,” and most people would probably imagine a tech-savvy person in his/her late 20s or early 30s, working in a technology-oriented area of the field. They might assume that bloggers are low on the career ladder and relatively new to the profession. They even might think that people who blog don't publish in the professional literature.

While this may describe some bloggers, a survey I conducted of 839 blogging librarians (see box below) depicts a much more diverse and rapidly growing population. True, most respondents are under the age of 40, but more than one-third (37%) are over 40—a significant and growing segment.

The largest groups of bloggers work not in tech but in public service areas such as reference (15%), general public services (7%), and youth services (5%). While only 6% of all library bloggers are administrators, almost 40% directly supervise other staff members, and 34% have been in the profession for more than a decade. Bloggers are also well represented in more traditional media. More than 55% of bloggers have been published in print or online journals, and 20% have been published in a peer-reviewed publication.

Good stuff, way to go for Meredith.. I'm part of that over 40 :) bloggers in libraries.. this is a useful survey and should be updated annually...

BBC NEWS | Technology | Students 'should use Wikipedia'

BBC NEWS | Technology | Students 'should use Wikipedia'.

Students 'should use Wikipedia'
By Alistair Coleman, BBC Monitoring
Jimmy Wales at Online Information 2007 Jimmy Wales says students should be able to cite Wikipedia. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has said teachers who refuse younger students access to the site are "bad educators".

Speaking at the Online Information conference at London's Olympia, he played down the long-running controversy over the site's authority. He said young students should be able to reference the online encyclopaedia in their work. Mr Wales said the site, which is edited by users, should be seen as a "stepping stone" to other sources. As long as an article included accurate citations, he said he had "no problem" with it being used as a reference for younger students, although academics would "probably be better off doing their own research". "You can ban kids from listening to rock 'n' roll music, but they're going to anyway," he added. "It's the same with information, and it's a bad educator that bans their students from reading Wikipedia."

I've been willing to listen to Jimbo Wales side of the coin mostly for years now, but he's gone too far. This shows his true feelings clearer than ever before - whatever is in his pet creation, Wikipedia, is valid, accurate, and verified sourced information; educators and others like librarians who know better about Wikipedia, are not bad when they discourage, warn, and limit student use of this homemade encyclopedia. Why? Because it's not reliable; it's not verifiable; it's full of mistakes and errors. It changes at the blink of an eye. Truth and facts *don't* change in the blink of an eye.

That's why we don't recommend it. That's why we don't encourage students to use this. These jokes of better sourcing, improvements, etc. are just that - jokes. The key players and editors are a closed society of Wikipedia "fans," and  those with the power and time and desire or mission do edit and change things at their whim. What was there 1 second ago and was "correct" is changed and wrong 1 second later. That's not how scholarship, research, or documentation is done. Just because it's available on the Internet, doesn't make it a credible source of "truth." Any academic or teacher or librarian knows this is true. Jimmy Wales is wrong, and Wikipedia should not be accessible to students without cautions, warnings, and teaching them how to verify and qualify information. This type of hype and name-calling of educators shows he's desperate to gain "credibility" - even to the point of slamming the teachers who are smart enough to call his puffery...