This week’s 4cast:
1. The War Over Neutrality
Network neutrality has emerged as one of the hottest political battles of the year, with intense disagreement over its every aspect – including what the term itself actually means. The only certainty is that proposed legislation could radically alter the way everyone uses the Internet.
- Network neutrality (Wikipedia)
- Coming soon: The Web toll (CNN)
- Strict Net neutrality passes House Committee, but fate is rather uncertain (Ars Technica)
- Strong Copyright + DRM + Weak Net Neutrality = Digital Dystopia? (LISNews)
2. In the Future, Books Will Make Great Doorstops
A recent article in the New York Times Magazine suggested that current large-scale scanning projects like Google Book Search Library Project and Amazon Online Reader will inevitably lead to a world in which every printed word has been digitized. The article has kicked off a lively discussion about the future of publishing.
- Google’s Goal: A Worldwide Web of Books (Washington Post)
- It’s Lits vs. Techs (The News & Observer)
- Building the Universal Library (SearchEngineWatch)
- The book is dead. Long live the book. (BuzzMachine)
- Technology, Books and the Librarian (Library Dust)
3. All Cell is Breaking Loose
While more and more people are using their cellphones to do just about everything, including surf the Internet, others are shunning the extra gadgetry that phone manufacturers are making standard. So how will people use their cell phones in a few years, and what impact will it have on libraries?
- How Americans use their cell phones (Pew Internet & American Life report)
- Cel Phone Use (Stephen’s Lighthouse)
- Mobile Browsing Becoming Mainstream (CNET)
- Just Give Me a Simple Phone (Wired News)
- Cell phone concierge, now at your service (CNET article regarding the AskMeNow service)
4. Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog… Wiki
Amanda Etches-Johnson, a reference librarian at McMaster University in Ontario, maintains the Blogging Libraries Wiki, which lists library blogs from around the world, broken down by type. And libraries aren’t the only ones blogging – so are their patrons.
