Category Archives: National

Tom Zeller Jr. of The New York Times writes about copyrights and multimedia in academic institutions. “Many scholars, librarians and legal experts see rich promise for the use of multimedia materials in research and education. But the possibility of litigation over file-sharing and confusion over digital copyright protections have scholars feeling threatened about venturing beyond the more familiar world of printed texts.”…

CNN: “Former President Ronald Reagan died Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 93″…

The Seattle Times has a slideshow of the new Seattle Central Library. Vibrant colors, lots of glass. Hopefully user friendly too! (via Jason Kottke)…

Fred Kaplan of Slate breaks down the United States budget for nuclear weapons. [T]his year’s spending on nuclear activities is equal to what Ronald Reagan spent at the height of the U.S.-Soviet standoff. It exceeds by over 50 percent the average annual sum ($4.2 billion) that the United States spent—again, in real dollars—throughout the four and a half decades of the Cold War….

The CAIN Web Service provides information and source material on politics, society, and the struggle between Catholics and Protestants in the region since 1968. Sponsored by the University of Ulster, Queen’s University of Belfast, and the Linen Hall Library, among others. (via MetaFilter)…

Mary Williams Walsh wrote a long article in today’s New York Times about the relationship between money managers, plan sponsors, and the consulting firms who represent both. Pension consultants sort money managers into asset classes and build databases using their own criteria to help trustees compare and select managers. Some consultants also sell their databases and tracking software to money managers and even sell advice on how to achieve higher rankings. True. Like an Internet search engine, products must be sorted into asset classes and sub-classes. Callan sells its database and tracking software in the form of PEP. Wilshire has…

With number portability in full effect, eBay has some listings for phone numbers. Would you like to own 212-867-5309? I have thought about wanting this number (in the 415 area code), but you would get so many crap calls it might not be worth it. I would rather have 362-4368 from AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap than a Tommy Tutone song….

According the the Associated Press, the FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that they could be used for terrorist planning. What does that say about my copy of Mein Kampf and Art of War?…

I just sent in my absentee balot for the November 7th elections. Get out and vote! The government is going to take the money from your paycheck anyways, at least play a part in deciding where your money goes and whose salary it helps pay….