And for those who are back in the classroom already, such as myself, happy new term!

InsideHigherEd.com reports that American Anthropology Association is making digital material free, if you can wait 35 years for the latest bits.

The American Anthropological Association [is making] “a groundbreaking move” that would provide “greater access for the global social science and anthropological communities to 86 years of classic, historic research articles.” The problem, critics say, is that the emphasis should have been on the word “historic,” because those 86 years worth of articles aren’t the most recent 86 years. Rather the association will apply its new policy for its flagship journal, American Anthropologist, only 35 years after material was published. The association has created open access to the scholarship of the ’50s and ’60s.

Kinda dulls the notions of being on the cutting edge of things.

Read the full story

This from HigherEd.com:

Blackboard, the dominant player in course management software, has the ability to inspire devotion and, for the more fervid open-source adherents, not a little contempt. So today’s announcement may cause a stir among those more apt to liken Blackboard to the devil than a gentle giant: The company is partnering with Syracuse University to develop a way to integrate Blackboard with Sakai, one of the primary open-source alternatives.

The whole story

InsideHigherEd.com reports that the music industry is engaging in something akin to preemptive strikes. The article Mysterious Multiplication of Copyright Complaints takes a look at the speculative reasons behind increase in complaints lodged with a variety of colleges and universities, both big and small, despite no evidence of an increase in illegally shared files.

The new complaints seem to be resulting in an increased reluctance to pursue alleged violations. For instance,

Indiana officials are now discussing whether they should continue to respond to complaints from the recording industry with the same aggressiveness. It’s not that university leaders have suddenly decided that illegal behavior isn’t wrong; instead, they are beginning to question the legitimacy of the notices the Recording Industry Association of America sends accusing network users of illegally sharing music.

One commenter in the discussion noted that the investigative arm of the RIAA is now referred to as a "contractor" rather than investigator.

Inside Higher Ed is reporting today on the 300% Error made by the MPAA when they claimed in 2005 that college students are responsible for nearly 45% of illegal movie downloads, which they revised downward to 15% recently. The big question, who is the other 85%? Wonder what the RIAA thinks of this?

Can it be true? Only this video knows for sure.


Bill Gates Last Day CES Clip

A story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer indicates more resistance, maybe even growing resistance, to the RIAA strategy of going after students through the institution they attend. Here's the lead:

The University of Washington is evaluating reports that 16 students illegally downloaded music on campus computers, and officials say they won't pass along letters from the Recording Industry Association of America asking for thousands of dollars until they can identify the students at fault.

This from the Humanist Listserv (humanist@Princeton.EDU):

I'm pleased to announce a new ListServ for librarians called 'DRUPAL4LIB'.

As the name implies, 'DRUPAL4LIB' is for those interested in Drupal, a popular open-source CMS, as it relates to libraries and librarians.

The idea is to have a forum to exchange ideas and advice, share experiences, and maybe even collaborate on a couple of projects that highlight the use of Drupal in a library context.

The Wall Street Journal today, November 24, has a great report on the way in which One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is faltering, in large part due to the efforts, official and backchannel, of Microsoft and Intel. Intel has launched it's own cheap laptop, called Classmate, fostering direct competition, even after the signing of a nondisparagment agreement. MS, as you might expect, has badmouthed OLPC from the top, Bill Gates, all according to the WSJ.

The NY Times reported yesterday that the less student's read, the less well they do on reading tests. That's a shocker, that one is. In our digital world, does this divide matter as much as the so-called digital divide? Does the alpha-numeric (for lack of a better name) literacy divide matter in a digital world? I tend to think so. I'm also starting to think that the more we focus on digital text production when students lack the ability to read or produce a traditional text, an essay, that we do them a disservice.