Geotagging

Interesting article on BBC about geotagging - mentions Yahoo's new Fire Eagle which i haven't seen yet.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7603810.stm

interestingly, Techwatch have an open call at moment relating to geotagging and mashups:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/services/services_techwatch/techwatch/Copy%20of%20techwatch_ic_reports2008_open.aspx

Search

Interesting article on search and how to improve it - mainly about recognising that users don't really think about entering their terms in a way a computer will understand:
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/applying-turings

Digital natives...

not sure if i have already included this in earlier post - Derek Law talking about digital natives... still not sure i like such broad segments but entertaining to read the Beloit mindset list..
http://web.fumsi.com/go/article/use/2971

Strathclyde Uni Library bucks the trend

CILIP's Gazette (5-18 Sept) has an interesting story on the cover this issue: "Don't just go to the library, take it with you" which focuses on Strathclyde Uni Library's decision to go against the trend of expanding library space and actually plan to reduce library space. The plan is to direct funding (an increase of 40%) towards virtual services. A one-off sum of £2.5m has been allocated for digitisation. Additional funding is coming from within the university which is some achievement in the current climate. The physical space taken up by the library will be halved and the unused space reallocated for teaching, research and social areas. The university has developed an "electronic preference" policy. On the downside, it does mean fewer staff but it will be really interesting to see how it develops. User consultation is being planned.

Ebooks - not cost effective?

Bookseller mentions a recent study into student use of ebooks in the US:
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/65604-e-textbooks-no-cheaper-than-print---report.html

"E-textbooks may not be cheaper than their printed versions, according to a new report in the United States.

The LA Weekly says that the report, from Portland State University and the City Colleges of Chicago, describes e-textbooks as "expensive and impractical for a large portion of the student population".

The report claims that a lack of resale value of the digital textbook and restrictions on printing and online access to some e-books make it unwieldy for some students.

It also found that only one-third of students said they were comfortable reading textbooks on a computer screen. Three-quarters said they would prefer a print textbook to an electronic one if the costs were equal."

Google's new browser

BCS has interesting blog post on Google's new Chrome browser:
http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConBlogEntry.651

The Tipping Point

This book has been around for ages but only just got round to reading it...The idea is to look at how ideas and trends cross the "tipping point", which is when they become contagious and create epidemics. Gladwell gives some interesting examples which now seem a little outdated.

Gladwell outlines 3 "agents of change":

1. the Law of the Few: "the influence of special kinds of people, people of extraordinary personal connection" which he describes as Connectors (people with extensive networks who can link others together), Mavens (people with extensive information at their fingertips and share with others) and Salesmen (people with persuasion skills that influence others' behaviour).
   
2. the Stickiness Factor : "[...] changing the content of communication, by making a message so memorable that it sticks in someone's mind and compels them to action"
   
3. the Power of Context : recognising that how we behave is strongly determined by our immediate environment