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Invisibility Cloak Metamaterial Could Speed Up The Net

One of the big stories circulating around the web is that scientists are working on an invisibility cloak that bends light around it kinda like the Predator.

Turns out that the metamaterial used for this cloak might also have implications for the future of the online world. Tonnes of data is transmitted every second by light waves in fibre optic cables. When these light waves get where they're going, they have to be spread out and processed by bulky equipment. In the grand scheme of computing, this is a fairly slow process.

It could be sped up. Now if only there were something capable of spreading large amounts of light around it, kind of like the materials you'd need to make an invisibility cloak.

Library of Congress Adds New Authors to Eighth Annual National Book Festival; Free Podcasts Invite Nationwide Participation in Celebration of Reading

From the news release:

The Library of Congress has added new famed authors to the award-wining lineup for the 2008 National Book Festival. Free downloadable podcasts, available on iTunes and the Library’s Web site, as well as other interactive features, bring the magic of the National Book Festival to booklovers nationwide.

[in ResourceShelfPLUS (From ResourceShelf.com)]

Oklahoma�??s Pioneer libraries celebrate 50 years

From the article:

Libraries have changed a lot in the last 50 years, but the mission remains the same, said Anne Masters, director of the Pioneer Library System.

“We used to be a place where books were kept and checked out, but now we’re so much more,�?? she said.

The library has become a place where people meet, she said. Libraries are the center of many of the communities Pioneer serves, but the system’s mission is still “to connect you to the joy of reading and information for lifelong learning.�??

Source: NewsOK.com

[in ResourceShelfPLUS (From ResourceShelf.com)]

Review: Jacso Looks at Scirus

From the review:

Scirus has been progressing and expanding steadily since its debut in 2001. With the significant additions of tens of millions of high quality scholarly papers, it is an outstanding source even for users whose libraries don�??t have subscription to many digital journal packages. It is a very good free federated search engine for those who are looking for scholarly publications, and can live with finding a few far less than scholarly pages in the process.

Source: Gale.com

[in ResourceShelfPLUS (From ResourceShelf.com)]

An Idea For A New Online Library Technology Conference

Steve Lawson picked up on an idea from Meredith Farkas for a new online conference "that sort of fits into the big space between something like Internet Librarian and something like Code4Lib." He brings up some good questions:
What would such a conference cover?
Who would teach or present at such a conference?
Is an online conference really the right way to learn this kind of thing?
Lastly, Meredith writes about people feeling �??over their head�?? at code4lib. Is that bad?

I'm with Steve on this... I still think the idea of such a conference is interesting, and I'm curious to see how other people feel about some of these questions.

[in LISNews.com]

Event: Seminar in the History of Libraries. Room NG16, University of London, Senate House, Malet St., London, WC1E 7HU, 7 October 2008

Library and Information History Group Institute of English Studies, University of London
Dr. John Screen (University College, London): From Helsinki to Irkutsk: Finnish military libraries from 1812 to 1918
[in CILIP-�? Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals]

Event: Seminar in the History of Libraries. Room NG16, University of London, Senate House, Malet St., London, WC1E 7HU, 4 November 2008

Library and Information History Group Institute of English Studies, University of London
Prof. Alistair Black (Leeds Metropolitan University) & Prof. Simon Pepper (University of Liverpool): Buildings, books, and social engineering: the architecture of early public library buildings in Britain
[in CILIP-�? Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals]

Argument for book banning . . . or at least a forewarning of content

safelibraries.blogspot.com points to tulsaworld.com where a Brigham Young University freshman (she's also an AP literature student with a kick-butt ACT reading score) is shocked and offended she had to read "Beloved" and "Catch-22". She's not not advocating censorship, she would just prefer compelling literature without the public-pleasing passages that "elevate" the book to best-selling status. Or maybe just some form of warning, a label, a rating or even hint on the outside of literature

In every other entertainment industry, producers are required to rate their product so the public can make an informed decision. Which is the greater travesty? Depriving the reader of information, judgment and free choice and calling it freedom of speech, or risking the buzzword "censorship" to facilitate knowledge and choice?

[in LISNews.com]

Unmasking the Myths Behind the Fairness Doctrine
Source: Culture and Media Institute
Efforts by liberal politicians to restore the Fairness Doctrine bring to mind the worst moment of Israel�??s King David. David was not satisfied with his many wives and concubines; he also had to have the beautiful Bathsheba, the only wife of one of his soldiers. American liberals already dominate four of the five most important news and information media, and they are determined to take over the fifth medium as well.
America has so many sources of news and information available that no federal regulation of broadcasting content can possibly be justified on the grounds of public interest. The Fairness Doctrine has an ugly history of political abuse directly intended to restrict the free exchange of ideas. As liberals propose and agitate for a resumption of the Fairness Doctrine, history may repeat itself.
+ Full Report (PDF; 2.6 MB)

[in ResourceShelf's DocuTicker]

GAP Report Details Azeri Privatization-World Bank Corruption

GAP Report Details Azeri Privatization-World Bank Corruption
Source: Government Accountability Project

Today, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) filed a report with the U.S. Treasury Department that exposes the World Bank�??s role in the widespread corruption surrounding privatization in Azerbaijan during the late 1990�??s. The report shows that James Wolfensohn, then president of the World Bank, personally assisted a rogue financier in his efforts to gain control of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). While these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, documents show that Wolfensohn silenced Bank staff members who spoke out about corrupt government officials working with Viktor Kožený, a notorious financial operator who had allegedly defrauded investors in the Czech Republic of nearly $1 billion only three years earlier.

+ Full Report (PDF; 2.1 MB)

[in ResourceShelf's DocuTicker]