SLA Information Technology Division Blog

Host your own show on BlogTalkRadio

A recent post on the Read/Write Web blog highlights BlogTalkRadio, an internet radio hosting service.  Founded one year ago, the site's goal is to provide a platform that will surpass the current limits of the written blog.  Delivering both written and audio content, the blogger is able to interact in real-time with the consumer. 

I think that this could provide librarians with one more way to deliver content to their clients.  One idea is to host a show to provide faculty and students with a review of important information resources within a discipline.  Actually, the University of Missouri provides an innovative example of the use of this technology.  The School of Information Science & Learning Technologies put together LiSRadio to present stimulating conversations with libraryland's movers and shakers.  It's an interesting concept and definitely worth a visit.   

New feature on Google News

Google News announced that it's providing a new experiential feature to their readers.  Individuals or organizations who are involved with a story will be able to post comments alongside it in order to share their perspectives on the situation.  You can learn more about it by visiting their FAQ page or checking out the commentary on the Read/WriteWeb blog.

Introducing HTML 5

With the last development of HTML occurring in 1999, HTML 5 introduces features that ease the creation of web-based applications.  Coming together to create the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WhatWG), Apple, Opera, and the Mozilla Foundation worked to update the web's core language.  You can learn more by reading this article on IBM's web development page. 

Google CEO describes Web 3.0

A recent post on the Read/WriteWeb blog includes a video that provides viewers with a description of Web 3.0.  Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, recently attended the Seoul Digital Forum and was asked by an attendee to define Web 3.0.  Describing Web 2.0 as based on Ajax, Eric goes on to say that Web 3.0 will be "applications that are pieced together".

A cost-effective solution for disaster recovery

An article in Network World details an innovative disaster recovery solution that Loyola Marymount University and Bowdoin college have teamed up to create.  In an effort to curb the high costs of disaster recovery, the schools' CIOs worked together to provide each school with a bicoastal hot site hosting solution for a fraction of the price normally charged by commercial providers.  The plan is expected to save the schools over $1 million annually. 

This sounds like an excellent idea for libraries who are interested in exploring cost- effective disaster recovery solutions. 

Indiana University partnering with Cha Cha

An article in the Indianapolis Star details a recent partnership between Indiana University and Cha Cha.   IU will install Cha Cha's software on every IU web site in order to provide users with advanced search tools.  IU plans to recruit their librarians and IT employees to become credentialed Cha Cha guides for the university's websites. 

Guarding your post: Content scraping

With a recent article on the CNET new site, readers can learn more about content scraping and get tips from a blogger who has come up with her own solutions to protect her content.  Lorelle VanFossen, the author of a popular blog, has seen her content copied on "scraper sites".  These sites utilize bots that can scrape content at the rate of thousands of posts per hour.  This content is then used to attract visitors to their site in order to generate ad revenue for the site owner.   

GENI: Network innovation is key

The Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) is an experimental facility that allows researchers to study, experiment, and create their own new versions of the net in an innovative way.  A recent article in the Guardian Unlimited takes a look at the proposed project and what it may mean for the future of the Internet. 

Ubuntu: A CIO's experience

An article in CIO takes a look at CareGroup's John Halamka's experience in testing out an open source operating system called Ubuntu.  As the CIO of the large organization, he was eager to find an alternative to the Windows operating system.  Providing an open source solution for laptops, desktops, and servers, Ubuntu can serve as a workaround for those interested in cutting licensing costs associated with using more popular software.