|
Friday, March 29, 2002
• A return to browser competition?
Chances are you're reading this on Microsoft's Internet
Explorer. Netscape is a shell
of its former self, but if a project nearing completion succeeds,
competition could return to the browser world. Mozilla,
an open-source version of the Netscape browser, is almost ready, with
the first full version due to be released in the next few weeks, according
to CNET
News.com. The open-source project has stopped adding major changes
as the developers prepare for release. And buzz about a return to the
browser wars is growing amid
reports America Online, Netscape's owner, may replace IE with Netscape
as its default browser. Stay tuned, browser fans.
• Web stats
Are Americans spending more or less time online? Is the
number of Web sites up or down? Every week there seems to be a different
study reaching different conclusions. USA Today yesterday reported
on a Nielsen/NetRatings study that says growth in the number of Internet
users is slowing, but active users are logging on more often and staying
online longer.
• At least it's for a good cause
Three people have agreed to pay more than $100,000 each
to become among the first owners of a Segway
Human Transporter, the over-hyped electric scooter that has some tech
types gushing and most average folks yawning. Segway auctioned off the
transporters on Amazon.com to raise money for FIRST
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a nonprofit
organization founded by Segway investor Dean Kamen. The nonprofit says
it is working to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in
children, schools and communities.
React on the NetRunner
bulletin board.
Send an e-mail to Dave McPherson
Thursday, March 28, 2002
• A taxing Web
Tax Day is little more than two weeks away, and more Americans
than ever are likely to prepare and file their returns online. We're not
talking tax-preparation software like TurboTax. We're talking sharing
your financial data with a Web server by a company like Intuit or H&R
Block that does the necessary calculations and then sends along your finished
return to the IRS with
the promise of a quicker refund.
Washington Post Internet columnist Leslie Walker reviews
these services, but says up front she would never share her Social
Security number and income with a Web site. She cites legitimate privacy
concerns.
My own experience with Web-based tax services was extremely
painful. A few years ago, I tried one such site and found it took at least
twice as long as usual to complete my federal return. Operating with a
slow dialup connection, I found moving back and forth between the various
pages of my return was excruciatingly slow. This year and last, I just
bought the corresponding software and worked from my hard drive.
• The language of e-mail
Experienced e-mail users know to be careful about the
tone of a message for fear of offending the recipient. What the sender
intends to be a joke easily can be misinterpreted. The Unofficial
Smiley Dictionary can help you communicate an emotion with the just
right inflection. ; - )
• Rules and regs, Part II
A week ago, Secretary of State Edward Inman announced
with some fanfare his office has placed online nearly 1,600
rules and regulations issued by state agencies once stored in 20 cardboard
boxes.
The site, says Inman, has been "a big hit with Rhode
Islanders."
As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,887 Web users had visited.
Regulations related to lead
paint, hunting
and fishing, and the fire
safety code are the most popular downloads, according to Inman's office.
When Inman unveiled the rules and regs site last week,
I gave a gentle poke at the state's Web efforts because the new site was
not accessible through the state's portal site, RI.gov.
A followup visit today, however, shows the the rules and regs site has
been given a prominent link on RI.gov.
And also remaining is an outdated invitation to a state
employee's retirement party.
React on the NetRunner
bulletin board.
Send an e-mail to Dave McPherson
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
• Ranking the news
"Will anybody read this?"
That's the question I asked myself often when I worked
as a newspaper reporter. I could guess which stories drew in people and
which didn't. I just never knew for sure. Now that I work on the Web,
I can tell exactly how many times projo.com visitors looked at something
I write. No more guessing. Ouch!
Yahoo has turned that precision into an interesting feature:
It's most-viewed news
stories and photos, most
e-mailed news stories and photos, and the Buzz
Index, an online barometer of popular culture.
When I visited mid-afternoon today, I was pleasantly surprised
that stories about an
Easter terror alert in Italy, the
latest suicide bombing in Israel and the
Arab summit outranked a report on Britney
Spears's love life. But by 3 p.m., the news of actor
Dudley Moore's death had shot to the top.
And thank God for the Buzz Index. Otherwise, how would
I have known Halle
Berry is hot, Jennifer Lopez is losing steam and NASCAR is on a downswing?
• Speaking of Britney: Do you know how to
spell
her name? Apparently, a number of Google users haven't a clue.
• What's wrong with this picture?
As described below, there's a trial
under way in Philadelphia on an American Library Association challenge
to a law requiring public libraries to use filtering software to shield
children from porn sites.
On Monday, the trial's first day, the three-judge panel
presiding over the case in U.S. District Court kicked the public out of
the courtroom during testimony about a how a particular type of filtering
software works, according
to Wired News. The company persuaded the judge the company's proprietary
secrets shouldn't be disclosed publicly. The US Justice Department and
ACLU -- which are on opposing sides in the case -- both argued against
closing the courtroom, but the judges ruled otherwise.
After the testimony ended, the
judges decided nothing confidential had been said and ordered the
release of a transcript from the closed session.
So, if I've got this straight, this is a First Amendment
court case held, in part, behind closed doors.
In a sidenote, the BBC
reports the Australian
Broadcasting Authority has found filters to have numerous shortcomings.
"Although filtering systems are getting more sophisticated,
the vast amount of material on the web, and the speed with which it changes,
is limiting their effectiveness," the BBC says.
• Privacy update
Good news for privacy advocates. A study
released today suggests Web sites are collecting less personal information
than before and doing a better job of explaining how they use that information,
the
Associated Press reports. The study was conducted by The
Progress & Freedom Foundation.
React on the NetRunner
bulletin board.
Send an e-mail to Dave McPherson
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
• A wired church
No matter what your viewpoint on the current sex abuse
scandal afflicting the Roman Catholic Church, most probably would agree
it's been a public relations nightmare. One way the church is trying to
counter the tide of negative publicity is through the use of the Web.
An online visit to the Boston
Archdiocese reveals several church statements responding to various
aspects of the scandal. It's interesting to see an institution accused
of living in the past making use of digital technology.
• A sure sign of civilization's decline: Murder
Incorporated (ABC News.com)
• It's happening everywhere
The trend toward charging for online news content isn't
just a American phenomenon. Ireland.com,
the site produced by Ireland's dominant newspaper, The Irish Times,
announced
last week it will begin charging for "premium content" such
as its breaking news service, archives and its "microsites."
The interesting twist is that Ireland.com is surveying
its users to find out what they think before it starts charging in
May.
React on the NetRunner
bulletin board.
Send an e-mail to Dave McPherson
Monday, March 25, 2002
• Net filters and the First Amendment
First Amendments rights in the Internet age will be debated
in a Philadelphia courtroom this week in case brought by America's
librarians. The U.S. District Court in the City of Brotherly Love is the
site of a legal challenge by the American
Library Association against the Children's Internet Protection Act,
the latest attempt by Congress to shield children from online porn. The
law -- passed after the Supreme Court ruled earlier restrictions on X-rated
Web sites were ruled unconstitutional -- requires public libraries to
use Net filtering software to qualify for federal funds. The library group
argues the law is both unconstitutional and unworkable. But defenders
of the law say it is a must to protect children against the pornography
explosion the Internet has sparked. NPR
previewed (RealPlayer
required) the courtroom debate this morning. Keep an eye on
this case. It's surely headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.
• From soft money to Net money
Politically minded Net users may be want to be careful
about giving out their e-mail addresses when paying visits to the Web
sites for the national Republican
and Democratic parties.
Otherwise, they might find their in boxes filled with political fund-raising
appeals.
The Associated
Press reports that as a result of the McCain-Feingold legislation
banning "soft money" contributions, the two political parties
are turning to the Net to boost their fundraising. The plan on both sides
is to the use the powers of the Net to reach out to more potential donors,
replacing the large soft money contributions with more numerous smaller
donations.
Explains Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry
McAuliffee: ``When you first come into our Web site, you have to fill
out a survey: `Here are the five, six key issues I care about.' Then we
have a communication with you about what you want to talk about. Then
you of course always ask for an appeal. Like people who have signed up
and communicated with us — they will get appeals from us on a regular
basis asking them to support us.''
No thanks, I'll pass.
• More Net politics
But wait, a new study says most congressional candidates
are ignoring the Net's political powers. The study
by the Bivings Group contends just 29 percent of Senate and House
incumbents up for re-election this year have clearly marked campaign Web
sites, reports
Newsbytes.com. And of those who operate campaign sites, just 42 percent
are capable of accepting online donations.
FYI: The Bivings Group has something of an interest in
this issue. It builds and operates campaign Web sites.
React on the NetRunner
bulletin board.
Send an e-mail to Dave McPherson
|
