EdNA Online adds ALIA RSS feeds to MyEdNA
This looks like a really good story that popped up in Edu_RSS from the EdNA RSS feed. But the link provided was to a registration page, and the link from EdNA's home page redirects to a login. More...

Atom as the New XML-Based Web Publishing and Syndication Format
Comprehensive coverage of Atom, touted as a replacement for RSS. What's interesting about Atom (aside from the fact that they're finally decided on a name for it) is that it is being "created through an informal consensus process by volunteers in the Web developer community at large." There's a lot of material here, and the page is mostly useful to you only if you are an XML developer. More...

vPreliminary LOM Survey
Ever wonder how people are actually using learning object metadata? This was the subject of a study conducted by Norm Friesen and Lassi Nirhamo over the summer and presented at the ADL Learning Repository Summit (the report is available from the SC36 WG4 Documents List. Though some things - such as the use of languagestrings - are working well, the vast majority of fields, especially educational metadata fields, are underused, and we are beginning to see promotional material creep into the description field. More...

Longhorn
Microsoft unveiled its proposed Longhorn operating system last weekend, and after a couple of days, the reviews are out. Numerous commentators have noted that it draws a lot from Apple. Others concentrated on whether Longhorn would offer more security. Also interesting is the discussion about how the operating system handles information. Overall, the reviews appear mixed, with many wtill adopting a 'wait and see' attitude. More...

The End of RSS
Good article that points to a problem with RSS and makes a pitch for some sanity. The problem is this: "If your feed works, if you are successful in attracting subscriptions on a global scale, if you do it right, you are doomed [because] everyone subscribes to a small file on your site. The critical word there is 'everyone'." Now of course, content syndication doesn't work if nobody syndicates the content. More...

Social Software Reader
Nice list of useful readings on the topic of social software. Seb's faves from this list include Stowe Boyd: Are you ready for Social Software, GBN/Shirky: Social Software and the Next Big Phase of the Internet, Lee Bryant: Smarter, Simpler, Social, and the SocialSoftware page on Meatball Wiki. More...

Florida Dorms Lock Out P2P Users
Stopping students from sharing files is a good thing, right? Consider this method: "Icarus then scans their computer, detects any worms, viruses or programs that act as a server, such as Kazaa. Students are then given instructions on how to disable offending programs." Essentially, the program prevents any file sharing, not merely the sharing of copyright files, and it does so by monitoring individual computers. More...

How DRM-Based Content Delivery Systems Disrupt Expectations of 'Personal Use'
The 'personal uses' identified in this paper include portability (the ability to use content on multiple devices), excerpting, and "limited relation and interaction with copyright holders." This last is probably the most significant: when you buy a coffee, you don't show identification, you don't sign a contract, and the relationship ends with the transaction. More...

Send Back Your MP3s!
If something has been stolen, then the right thing to do is to send it back, right? That's the premise - and the absurdity - behind this new campaign to get people to send back the MP3s they had illegally downloaded. Obviously, the music publishers would not be able to cope with the millions of MP3s they say were 'stolen'. More...

The Fourth Planet
This site attempts a new dimension in learning: the use of blogs within a simulated Mars mission. beautifully designed, this site (which is just getting started) provides tasks, blogs, discussion and chat. More...