August 2009: How Google beat Amazon and Ebay to the Semantic Web
This is a great article describing clearly how the semantic web will change our relation to information - and to each other. As I read this article, I began to sense how what I will call "semantic opacity" will be necessary for the semantic web to work properly. In the new semantic web, everyone will have access to statements like "[Citibank] says (Scott Rahin) is (Trustworthy)" and "[The Sherriff's Department of Dallas, Texas] says (Dave Trebuchet) has (Bounced Checks)." But do I want the world to know what Citibank or some Sheriff's department thinks about me. More...

Click from Microsoft to Amazon
OK, leaving aside the implications this has with respect to large, overbearing software companies, open distribution systems, online commerce, and the like, let's focus on the strategy behind the deal which allows Microsoft to offer users of its software products access to Amazon's complete library through a feature in Office. More...

Techno-News Blog. At the beginning of last decade, college students who went to public universities paid for about one-third of their education. Today, in more than half the states, they pay for most of it. In that time, the College Board has found that the average price of tuition, room, board and fees at public institutions has risen more than 60 percent, to $20,770. More...

Techno-News Blog. The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) has relaunched it’s #TextbookBroke campaign to highlight the high cost of textbooks and urge professors to choose free alternatives. More...

Techno-News Blog. Recently, US-based edtech company Cengage announced a new subscription service for college students to access more than 20,000 digital course materials. This includes eBooks, online homework and study guides, at just US$119.99 a semester or US$179.99 a year. More...

Techno-News Blog. Though the university and publisher argue that the $999 price was just a “placeholder” that no one would actually pay, the incident has caused uncertainty and anger among students who are just trying to purchase the correct items at the best price. More...

Techno-News Blog. First, a few statistics. Coursera, which partners with top universities and organisations to offer courses online, has 35 million registered learners globally, and adds half a million new learners every month. More...

Techno-News Blog. Later this week Saint Louis University will open up for move-in, when students begin occupying their dorm rooms and apartments. They’ll be greeted by Amazon Alexa-enabled devices primed and ready to answer questions about the university and the campus experience. More...

Integrating DRM with P2P Networks: Enabling the Future of Online Content Business Models
This is a very interesting little paper with wider implications. First, some background. I have written an extended comment on my website. More...