Mentat
« February 2004 | Main | April 2004 »
March 31, 2004
What's at stake in November
Just catching up on some of my blog reading and found a couple items to pass along about what's really at stake in the next presidential election. Lawrence Lessig commented on his "Fear about Kerry" entry that he's concerned that Kerry is reeling off lists of new policy initiatives rather than sticking to what really is at issue in this campaign. He states:
... the passion and anger that bubbled Dean to the top was focused on something much more fundamental: a basic corruption of government. Not corruption in the banana republic sense ? money to politicians. But a corruption of basic integrity. Deception about the war. Obstruction of access to information about influence (e.g., Cheney and the oil companies). Coddling to corporate criminals. (Yea, I know, you?ll whine about that, but it sounds so good). And persistent Nixonian attacks on critics.
This is the basic, apple-pie message that I would bet would win. That we have gone back on basic American values ? or those values we believe we believe. ?Truth, Justice, and the American Way? was not meant to distinguish ?Truth and Justice? from the ?American Way.? And I would think a constant beat reasking the same question ? Who have we become? ? would slowly erode any passion for reelecting this President.
Thanks Lawrence, I couldn't agree more.
And by way of another of my favorite bloggers, The Librarian in Black, I found the very same point being made -- perhaps in a less intellectually sophisticated, but certainly more playful, way:
Dishonest Dubya Lying Action Figure
I still can't believe this guy is our president. Why oh why couldn't we have a president like Jed Bartlet. Is that really too much to ask? Doesn't this country deserve a president that is actually smarter and more reflective than the average citizen. When did being an inarticulate good 'ol boy become a presidential quality?
Posted by at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 30, 2004
Wireless Notebooks
Network Computing, 3-18-04 issue has a buyer's guide on "untethered notebooks."
Here's some highlights and my commentary.
Standards: 802.11b is still the most popular but 802.11a and g are gaining ground fast. Used to be safe to invest in 802.11b -- at least safe in the sense that everything would be compatible for a year or two. But no more. Looks like it is time to purchase 802.11a/b/g products to get the kind of compatbility you need (in your library or your working laptops).
Centrino: Centrino is Intel's processor with the Pentium-M 855 chipset plus Intel's Mini-PCI wireless NIC. Centrino currently only supports 802.11b. I knew that Centrino and wireless went together but hadn't clearly understood what made a Centrino processor a Centrino processor -- well there it is. But isn't it disappointing that it is limited to 802.11b? To get wireless in your laptop that is a/b/g, go with a Broadcom mini-PCI instead of Centrino. Atheros, Cisco and Intel also offer some alternatives. Dell offers a Centrino to Broadcom upgrade on their laptops.
Battery Life: With your wireless NIC turned "on," you can expect your battery life to be reduced by half. Might be worth investing in laptops that have an off switch for your wireless, eh?
Ports: Lots of port options available these days. With laptops, you can't just add them later by sliding in a new card so figure out which ports you may need and be sure they're included in your laptop: USB 2.0, PC card slot, headphone/microphone, integrated modem and Ethernet -- and for the person who wants it all -- S-Video output, IrDA, FireWire (1394), and your choide of portable storage (SD memory, memory stick, compact flash). This article doesn't mention BlueTooth but I'd be sure to include that in my laptop as soon as its available. Wouldn't it be nice to print from your laptop without a cable?
Posted by at 7:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
March 29, 2004
Spyware, Adware and Friends
Have you noticed that you're getting pop-up ads that are somehow more targeted to your interests than they used to be? Is your computer running more and more slowly?
Could be you are experiencing an invasion of spyware! Huh?
For an easy-to-read backgrounder, check out The Christian Science Monitor's Is your computer spying on you?". The article defines the different forms of spyware including browser hijackers, keyloggers, malware and spybots. It explains that spyware is different from cookies and explains why spyware can be dangerous.
The article recommends some useful tools for keeping a handle on these sneaky, annoying programs. Here are the free ones they mention:
I'm planning to give Spybot a run because in addition to rooting out the "uninvited Web-borne flotsam" it also has some other utilities I'm interested in including a file shredder, the ability to block adware servers and a tool for controlling what apps load when I start my computer. I'll let you know how it goes......
Posted by at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
March 22, 2004
Self Selecting "Filter Disabled" and Using "Warn" Instead of "Block"
I'm delighted to report that Mary Minow is publishing an article on the whole issue of disabling filters and CIPA compliance. It will appear in First Monday very soon.
In Filtering and Filter Software, I couldn't adequately cover the myriad issues associated with disabling the filters for patrons because not enough legal analysis had yet been done on the issue -- the Supreme Court decision was a bit too new. Also, I'm not a lawyer so I needed to steer a bit clear of the issue.
I did advise people to select a filter that
- could be easily turned off entirely
- enabled staff to easily allow access to a single blocked page
- enabled staff to easily allow certain blocked categories.
In addition to being easy, I recommended looking for filters that enable staff to set a override duration for each of the above so you wouldn't have to worry about turning the filter back on.
Adults Self Select "Filter Disabled"
But Mary (and presumably others) are coming to the consensus that libraries are relatively safe allowing adult patrons to turn off filters for themselves and leave the staff out of it!
Mary's First Monday article evaluates all the law that brings her to this conclusion so please get a copy right away and send it to your legal counsel. If you haven't set up your public access computers such that adults can choose for themselves whether they want to be filtered, please do so soon. Save yourself the headaches.
One caveat, depending on your library, you may need to validate adult users somehow before giving them the option to browse unfiltered. This is easy if your Internet terminals are tied to your circulation system since the age of the patron can be determined automatically when they swipe their card for access. If you don't have a handy tie-in to your circulation, you may have to set up a page that asks the user to state their birthdate (or something like that) and then gives them the option to browse unfiltered as appropriate for their age.
Warn Instead of Block
This also opens up the possibility of allowing "warn" instead of "block" for adult patrons. Instead of automatically blocking content in a certain category, you can set your filter to "warn" the user about the category the content falls into and allow the end user to judge for themselves whether to go to a different page or view the current page anyway.
This approach is ideal because it relieves the library of the problem of blocking protected speech which they will do by selecting a category of content to block such as those that are typically available (pornography, sexually explicit, gambling, hate). While these categories may sound undesireable, they are all constitutionally protected so even blocking pornography can get you in trouble. Blocking "child pornography" and "obscene images" would be safe (Constitution-wise) but I haven't seen a filter yet that had those categories.
But with warn, patrons could browse as they normally would and if they bumped into something possibly unseemly, it would be their choice to skip it or view it -- and they could make that decision based on the information provided by the filter such as:
Warning
www.iwannaknow.org
has been categorized as "pornography"
to access this page, press F5
To go back, press Enter
That's just an example of how it could work. But the great thing is that it leaves more responsibility in the hands of the patron. I'd rather they had more choice in how to interpret the filter's work than leaving all the responsibility in the hands of the librarian. Afterall, definitions of what is offensive and even what is obscene are ulimately a subjective decision so someone else can't really make that decision for you -- assuming you're 17 or older that is.
Posted by at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
March 17, 2004
Rumsfeld Busted on Face The Nation
Ooops, did I say that?
Face the Nation caught Donald Rumsfeld lying about having called Saddam Hussein an "immediate threat." Here's clip.
What I'd like to see is a similar effort with Bush and the numerous times he criticized Clinton for nation-building and getting our military involved in situations around the world where the mission was not clear and there was [gasp] no exit strategy. Sound familiar?
Posted by at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Why I Hate Keyword Blocking
Here's a good example of what is wrong with keyword blocking. Flesh Public Library in Ohio blocked their own domain because they had keyword blocking turned on. Here's the story. They use Net Nanny which does allow for keyword blocking to be disabled and it should be....always. Keyword blocking never works. Maaaaaybe it would be acceptable with a very very very short list of words to block but even then, I don't recommend it.
The truly sad thing about this story is that the library chose to change the URL to their website instead of turning off keyword blocking! What about taking the word "flesh" out of the keyword list! Deargod, is this what libraries are doing out there?????
By the way, I picked this story up from the Travelin' Librarian's weblog.
Posted by at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
March 16, 2004
My debut as published author
Filtering and Filter Software - the dynamically titled manuscript I authored for ALA's Library Technology Reports is now out and available. Turns out it was a labor of love more than anything else. Here's why...(from the intro):
I do not take the position that filters should not be used in libraries. Nor do I take the position that filters should be used in libraries. Management of Internet access, including the use of filters or not, is a decision most appropriately made by each library based on the needs of the local community.
I come to this issue recognizing the importance of the U.S. Constitution and the protections provided, particularly by the Bill of Rights. These protections are under attack and all citizens, not just librarians, are obligated to challenge policies that legitimize censorship or lead to loss of privacy.
Fear pervades our culture and drives our policies today?fear of international terrorism, fear of online predators, fear of people and values different from our own. Laws such as the Children?s International Protection Act (CIPA) and the USA PATRIOT Act have emerged in response to these fears. Some people are of the mistaken belief that technology can solve problems that are better addressed with education, training, celebration of diversity, and policies that encourage cooperation and understanding rather than mistrust and isolation.
I also come to this issue as a technologist who is painfully aware of the limits of technology. I see software companies market their filtering products as CIPAcompliant and as filter solutions when they are, at best, imperfect responses to a complex, highly subjective problem.
The values represented by our libraries and the services being provided in our
libraries are critical to our society. Literacy, access to information, tolerance,
love of learning, community?these values are all represented in library programs. Thankfully, as fear pervades other institutions, libraries continue to focus on the positive.
Librarians face many decisions regarding filtering. They can eschew E-rate
discounts or they can comply. They can attempt to follow the letter of the law
or they can use filters to block obscenity, child pornography, and more.
How any given library responds to these choices must be made locally. This
report clarifies the issues associated with filtering in libraries and provides the
information each library needs to decide whether to filter, and if applicable
how to do it in a way that conforms to library values.
Posted by at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
March 10, 2004
Wireless to Idaho
Well, I travelled to Idaho recently and on the way there tested out where I could pick up a free, wireless Internet connection. I was surprised to find that the Flying J truck stops offer wireless service for the low low cost of $2.00 for a one hour subscription. There are several of these truck stops along 80 in Nevada.
I had to try it out of course and found the connection very slow but I was able to get my mail. I tried to share my connection with my fellow traveler but the service was clever enough not to let us do that. As soon as I ended my session -- after 10 minutes, so we could log in on the other laptop using the same subscription -- my subscription was over. No logging back in allowed. What a rip!
Even better than paying for service was using connections we picked up along the way. The best one was along a two lane highway in the middle of nowhere. Well except for the farm houses we passed every three or four miles. Turns out one of those farmhouses had a darn strong signal and we were able to get to the Internet for several minutes as we screamed down that highway in our diesel truck. We fit right in, no one would suspect we were Internet rustlers!
Picked up another wireless connection in the mountains with no signs of civilization in sight. That was odd. Wondered if maybe one of the cars we were passing had a PC Connection card that we were joining in on. But we'll never know.
On the way home, we stopped in at Starbucks and signed up for their pay-as-you-go service which is $6.00 each time you sign on which makes it kind of pricey if you just want to do email but a fine price if you're going to hang out for awhile. [I forget how many minutes you get for $6.00 but it seemed like plenty to me so "plenty" is all I stored in my overstuffed brain.] We had something we needed to mail to our pal, Linda at Infopeople, so $6 was a small price to pay to make Linda's life easier. :)
At any rate, it was fun to see how easy it is to borrow the Internet. Turns out it can be quite easy. Of course you have to be able to leave your computer 'on' while you're driving so that means getting an adapter so you can plug it into the lighter. But those are cheap. You can pick one up at Costco. And it's crucial to have a partner. I don't recommend shopping for wireless connections alone -- while driving.
Posted by at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 4, 2004
Blogs of Fun
I've been preparing my presentation for the Infopeople webcast on blogging and have enjoyed finding some very creative uses of blogging software. And some that just crack me up!
As one facing severe depression at the thought of W's upcoming campaign (as if posing as Mr. Top Gun didn't signal the start of his campaign)....here's some blogs that might cheer you up!
Blog titled "Sex and the Library" with the tag line -- Detailing the fashion, glamour and humor of the public library -- but what I love is the URL "whereismyhandsantizer.blogspot.com."
Male Librarian Centerfold is fun. Kinda different!
The Well Dressed Librarian is an entertaining blog. I particularly enjoyed the list of ways the US and England differ:
1. People drive on the opposite side of the road.
2. Underwear are called pants.
3. Pants are called trousers.
4. Extra letter "o's" get tucked in in unsuspecting places: i.e. colour, odour
5. Police officers do not carry guns.
6. Pharmacists are called chemists.
7. At the chemists, you have to ask for things like Pepto-Bismal, and Tums. They are kept behind the counter.
8. You can actually have an address without numbers: The Oaks, Bridals End, Berkshire.
9. The mail comes twice a day.
10. They have a Queen, and we have a President. We also have a president who doesn't like queens to get married.
11. Standard TV has 5 channels as of 1997.
12. The Brit's don't celebrate the 4th of July or Thanksgiving. (go figure).
Oh by the way, if you really are concerned that Bush has 100x more money than Kerry, you can now make a recurring donation to the Kerry compaign. I'm in for $50/month. Is that too much to ask to rid our country of a fascist regime??? Ooops, I was trying to be light and happy.
Back to fun. Here's a giggler from The Lipstick Librarian on the problems librarians have socializing with one another at conferences. Here's a teaser "For the past three days, I don't think I had a single conversation that didn't center around what we do. I know it's a librarian conference and all, but heaven help us, I'm sure even nuns get tired of talking about their work, no pun intended." [more] .
And if that didn't cheer you up, the more neurotic of you might find this comforting.
Posted by at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)