Lies! Lies! and Suckers
Hm. John C. Dvorak argues that "The Internet is not a bastion of truth and freedom, it's a pit of horror and lies. It's geared up to become a mechanism of tyranny and madness." Nice example, though, as he argues that "trying to determine the exact wording of the 'bumpy ride' quote said by Bette Davis in the movie All About Eve is another amusing Internet exercise... Go to Google and search for 'Betty Davis bumpy ride' or 'All About Eve quotes.'" Spelling the actor's name correctly produces better results, of course, but I have to ask, is this the fault of the internet. More...

E-Books and DRM
Would you pay hardcover prices for a book that will be throws away after one read? Of course not, and it is this that publishers do not understand. This article is a good introduction to some of the issues surrounding eBooks (though I would take issue with some of the statements expressed by Adobe spokesperson Shafath Syed). More...

There's No Such Thing as Free HBO
The lesson here isn't just another case of a company suing its customers, nor is it the new judicial system under which you are guilty if you could illegally access a file. No, while these cases show that the illogic of the music industry debate is spreading to other industries, that's not the story. In fact, the lesson is this: smart cards can be hacked. In fact, smart cards are so easy to hack that the defendants in this story, 22,000 in all (the number of people who didn't settle with Direct TV), are from all walks of life. More...

Selecting and Implementing an Open Source Software Digital Repository (FEDORA)
The title of this presentation (PowerPoint placed into PDF) is a bit misleading; the talk is mostly about the Fedora digital object repository system. Still, the content is first rate, and for those immersed in learning objects, a peek such as this into the wider world of digital objects in general would be well worth while. More...

Looking Into Practical & Productive Blogging, K8
Somebody asked me the other day whether I had respources on blogging specifically for K-12 instruction. Since I don't focus on specific sectors, I didn't. But I've kept an eye out, and here is the first hit: a weblog devoted specifically to the use of blogs in K-8 schools. More...

CopperCore to Power Learning Design implementations
CETIS writes great ledes, leaving me with no alternative but to quote them: "The Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL) has just released CopperCore: an IMS Learning Design engine, the first of its kind. Rather than provide a complete take-it-or-leave-it Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), the open source package is designed to be integrated into a range of existing e-learning infrastructures." This clear writing in the same article that used the phrase 'The Gubbins' as a section head, as though we would understand. More...

Edinburgh
Now that Jay Cross has completed his coverage of his trip to Scotland, it is well worth summarizing in an item. One think I like about his work is the number of photos and images - they add a lot. So we are treated with one set, then then another, before we get to the conference. More...

Maurice Merleau-Ponty
After my discussion of Tversky the other day, a reader wrote to remind me of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of perception. Critcizing my paper on Relevant Similarity, the reader wrote, "it is the primacy of our perceptions, which are similar to each other (in terms of how and what we generally perceive) that is the tool for our cognition." Quite right, but to clarify, this is why a system of formal reasoning is inadequate to explain cognition, because if this is all we have, the senses are not sufficient for the task that they actually accomplish. More...

Calendar for Australian Schools
This item offers an example that shows that more than just cantent can be syndicated, as the Australian calendar, listing more than "300 significant Australian and international days, weeks, years and decades," is available not only on the web and on paper, but also as an RSS feed. More...

Supporting the Online Learner
Good overview of the many support systems required for online learners in a traditional institutional setting, including learner readiness assessment, career expectations and counselling, administrative and technological support, study skills and program advice, library, assistance for the disabled, an ombuds service, participation in student and university governance, and satisfaction monitoring. More...