By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Gloria Gery, Internet Time August 30, 2005

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. A New Home, Stephen's Web August 30, 2005
OK, we'll keep things a bit short today. The expected technical problems did in fact occur but here it is, the new look of OLDaily. Right now, things are pretty basic. The biggest change, aside from the nifty theme, is a greater emphasis on the authors of the posts I cite. Links now redirect through a hit counter (I track traffic only, and not individual users) which will help me rate links (a bypass will be made available in a few days, for those who don't want to be counted. The comment link not only allows you to comment but will also be the gateway to the post's permanent location and to a range of features related to each post - but it's pretty basic for now. And while you can comment today without logging in, this will be changed shortly; a login will be required to post comments (but never to merely read). Anyhow, though there's not a lot to look at now - think of it as a brand new house with the paint still fresh on the walls and the workers scurrying out the back door. Over the next weeks, I'll be moving in the furniture, and then we'll really see this thing fly. Anyhow, for now, please send me your comments, and if you are having problems, don't hesitate to write. [Comment]. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. A Global Imperative: Report of the 21st Century Literacy A Global Imperative
Unintentionally, I think, the authors present a stark contrast: a two-columned PDF that is almost unreadable on a computer screen, interspaced with nifty little graphics that capture meaning much more effectively than the dense text. The main point is that "21st century literacy is the set of abilities and skills where aural, visual and digital literacy overlap". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Brainbench
I was reading through the Perl.com Newsletter yesterday and followed this link on the information that "Brainbench has updated its certification exam to cover Perl 5.8." The link took me to this test, but more interestingly, to Brainbench in general. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. End of an Era
In the winter of 1997-98, sheltering from Brandon's cold norther storms, I wrote the basis of a database system that would become the foundation for my website, the NewsTrolls blog, and with the addition of an email system in 2001, OLDaily. Now, unless something weird happens to the code (always a possibility), today's newsletter will be the last issue published and mailed using the old system. Yes, just a new coat of paint (actually, the subscription script and some security features) and the new EduRSS02 will be ready to roll into production, at least on the blogging and newsletter side (the integrated harvesting will come in October). This is a major step for me, the result of a lot of work, and the new system will be a strong platform on which to implement a lot of what I've talked about over the last year or so: the semantic social network, single self-identification, RSS referencing, and more. For now, here's the code, such as it is (please note that it is still very much under construction and that this does not constitute a release, just good open source practice).

Anyhow. Tomorrow's newsletter should arrive as usual. You'll see some format changes, but nothing shocking. Should your newsletter not arrive, or somehow be gibbled, please send me an email and I'll get it fixed. This should be a smooth transition, but I've been in this business long enough to expect anything. Thanks in advance for your patience. By Stephen Downes, Stephen's Web, August 29, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Longhorn to Require Monitor-Based DRM
Let me ask you, is there any consumer demand for monitors that don't work? I thought not. Howabout software that breaks your monitor? No? How, then, does it make sense to do this: "if Longhorn detects that your monitor is not 'secure' enough, then your premium video content won't play on it until you buy one that is. Who gets to decide? The content providers of course". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Study Great Ideas, but Teach to the Test
The author argues that teaching a standard way to write a paragraph may help students pass the test, but at the cost of lessening their capacity to write expressively and well. One of a series of ten pretty good articles in yesterday's New York Times. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. EDUCAUSE Review 20-4
It's interesting to read the articles in the new EDUCAUSE Review, especially in light of Ubiquity's interview with Leonard Kleinrock, the father of packet-switching. Kleinrock: "I should be able to talk to the environment. It could respond with voice, or perhaps displays pop up or holograms. Maybe there's a keyboard around. Maybe there's some kind of other input device, or output device. But I want it to be there when I get there and not have to import all of the technology with me". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. CC Licensing for WordPress: Now with AJAX
Now why can't learning objects be associated with ODRL rights expressions in the same way as WordPress now associates Creative Commons licdenses with blog posts. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. IMS, ADL and IEEE LTSC will Collaborate to Update And Standardize Content Packaging
"The updated specification will be accredited as an IEEE standard and the profile of the Content Packaging specification included as a key component of SCORM 2004, which will be revised to comply with the resulting standard". More...