July 30, 2004
Info on Lots of Cool Gadgets

If you are interested in the latest news, reviews and competitive pricing on cellphones, wireless, PDAs, laptops, and the wide world of gizmos, along with reading Brett Burney's Gadgets for Legal Pros column on LLRX.com, take a look at Gizmodo, the gadgets weblog.

Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
9/11 Commission Report Tops Reader Lists

The New York Times reports that sales of the 9/11 Commission's 567 page report, released on July 22, have reached 350,000 copies, and the authorized publisher of the book anticipates printing several hundred thousand additional copies.

  • See also this San Francisco Chronicle article that states that 800,000 plus print copies of the report have been distributed, and also lists currently available versions and publishers.
  • Book Database for Locating New and Used Titles

    BestBookBuys: "Compare prices on new and used books."

  • Search by author, title, subject, keyword, ISBN. Browse books by author name, and review books by special category (bestsellers, etc.) or by subject category.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet, Libraries
    Guide to Natural Resources Links for Legal Researchers

    The NaturalResources WebLinks page, sponsored by the University of Denver College of Law, includes links to: primary legislation and secondary resources specific to individual countries, resources organized by major topics, newsletters, journals and other legal publications, legislative resources by topic or geographic area, treaties, reference materials, organizations and associations, and comprehensive sites. A valuable addition to your intranet or research portal.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    Guide to People Finder Info on the Web

    From Marcus P. Zillman, another terrific web guide, Finding People Resources and Sites on the Internet.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    July 29, 2004
    July 28, 2004
    Research Lawyers on FindLaw

    Thomas Legal Record (Research Lawyers on FindLaw) allows users to "to access a lawyer's litigation record, articles and more...Search by Name and Search by Experience."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    Archivist of the U.S. Forced to Resign?

    The Washington Post reported that the Archivist of the United States John Carlin, appointed in 1995 by President Clinton, resigned under pressure, subsequent to a telephone call from White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales. Mr Carlin has spearheaded NARAs Electronic Records Archives Program. "NARA appraises, manages, stores, and declassifies classified government records."

    On July 22, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs held a Nominations Hearing for Allen Weinstein to be Archivist of the United States. Prof. Weinstein's statement to the committee (7 pages, PDF).

    Commentary on the New "Culture of Secrecy"

    Spawning a Culture of Secrecy, by Mark Tapscott, July 28. [Secrecy News]

    Amazon Changes Policy For Online Product Reviews

    Amazon Prods Reviewers To Stop Hiding Behind Fake Names (WSJ, $$):
    "Amazon changed its rules to end anonymous customer critiques in a bid to bring greater integrity to its rating system."

  • From Amazon: Frequently Asked Questions about Real Names

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Commerce, Privacy
    Overture's Patent Infringment Suit Against Google

    From internetnews.com an analysis of the issues involved in Overture's patent infringement suit against Google.

  • System and method for influencing a position on a search result list generated by a computer network search engine
  • Privacy Issues and Searching for Lawyers Online

    Paid Listings Complicate Search for Quality Lawyers Online:

  • "Consumers searching for a local lawyer, especially a specialist, may find little more than advertising-based listings and nothing resembling thoughtful advice online. More troubling: While some sites, like FindLaw.com, are legitimate, ad-supported directories, others – such as The BestLegalServices.com – collect personal information and fail to disclose who they are or where they're sending your data."
  • Maryland County First in Nation With Cable Customer Service Protections

    Earlier this month I posted Maryland County Considers Regulating Cable Modem Service, and as a follow-up from today's Washington Post, this article (reg. req'd) reports that Montgomery County has passed new consumer protections requiring that "cable companies must answer the phone within 30 seconds, complete repairs within 36 hours, and refund customers for Internet service interruptions."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    Website on Clinical Trials Data in the Spotlight

    ClinicalTrials.gov, launched in early 2000, "provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers." Users may browse for information by condition, status or sponsor, as well as search the database using keywords. This Washington Post article (reg, req'd) reviews the positive features of the service while noting that it does not include critical data deemed proprietary by pharmaceutical companies.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    Google Prepares Website for IPO Related Docs.

    The site, located here, currently states, "This page is not yet ready."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Search Engines
    E-Mail Fraud Continues to Lure Unsuspecting Readers

    Consumers still falling for phish: "Fake e-mails fool users 28 percent of the time, study finds." See these additional resources:

  • MailFrontier’s Email Threat Information Center

  • The MailFrontier Phishing IQ Test

  • FTC pushes e-mail standard

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Mail
    July 27, 2004
    Beta Version of MSN Newsbot

    "The MSNBC Newsbot (beta), powered by MSN Search Technology, is an experimental, automated news service. Newsbot gathers news from over 4,800 sources on the Internet to speed your discovery of the information you care about most. Enter a topic, interest, or news story you want to learn more about and MSNBC Newsbot will bring you up-to-the-minute coverage from around the Internet." [Link to About Newsbot]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Search Engines
    The Challenges of Digital Data Preservation

    Life has gotten even shorter in digital age

  • Related posting, What is the Life Span of Ditigal Content on CDs & DVDs?
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Libraries
    Two Legal Publishers Dominate Global Market

    Publishers Dueling for No. 1

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    July 26, 2004
    Google and Domain Name Disputes

    From Susan Kuchinskas, interesting news of the continuing saga concerning Google's domain name challenges, as documented in Of Boobles, Froogles and Googles. See also Google's challenge of Froogles.com name rejected.

    Michigan Captures Top Spot in Digital State Survey

    "The Center for Digital Government is pleased to announce the results of its all-new 2004 Digital States Survey, a comprehensive study on best practices, policies and progress made by state governments in their use of digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline operations." [Link]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    New Report Documents Overclassification of Gov't Docs.

    The Report on Cost Estimates for Security Classification Activities for 2003 from the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO). [Link]

  • See this article and this article for perspectives on the overclassification of government documents compiled at taxpayer expense.

  • In addition, here is a press release from Senator Ron Wyden about recently introduced bipartisan legislation to create an "independent National Security Classification Board to recommend changes to classification standards and process and reexamine classification decisions."
  • NPR Joins the RSS Bandwagon

    RSS Feeds: NPR News and Information Delivered to Your Desktop

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): RSS
    Google's IPO Share Valuation

    Via Findlaw:

  • "The Internet Search Engine Company's Initial Public Offering Valuation Filed With The SEC, Estimating That Shares Will Sell For Between $108 - $135 Each, Which Could Raise Roughly $3.32 Billion,"
  • [Link]
  • Related news: Loss of Google sends users scrambling
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Search Engines
    July 25, 2004
    9/11 Commission Report Focuses on Facts

    Correcting the Record on Sept. 11, in Great Detail

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Depository Libraries Directed to destroy DOJ Pamphlets

    From the Boston Globe, this article reports the story about a DOJ directive to GPO concerning the destruction of five government documents on the prosecution of asset forfeiture cases. The data contained therein is already part of the public record, raising questions about the directive by the library community.

    July 24, 2004
    July 23, 2004
    NIH Launches Database of Legal Materials on Human Genome Research

    National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Policy and Legislation Database:

  • "This database contains Federal and State laws/statutes; Federal legislative materials; and Federal administrative and executive materials, including regulations, institutional policies, and executive orders. The database currently focuses on the following subject areas: privacy of genetic information/confidentiality; informed consent; insurance and employment discrimination; genetic testing and counseling; and commercialization and patenting."
  • Comprehensive Review of IE Browser Alternatives

    A look at Internet Explorer alternatives (Part 1). This installment covers Mozilla and Opera.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    Lost and Found Military Records

    Pentagon Finds Bush's Guard Records. This AP article states that the records located do not provide any information about the President's whereabouts the summer of 1973. In June, AP filed a FOIA lawsuit to obtain copies of all the President's service records.

  • From the article: "Previous attempts to locate the missing records at the Federal Records Center had been unsuccessful due to the incorrect records accession numbers provided." (CY Talbott, chief, Pentagon's Freedom of Information Office)

  • See also this New York Times Op-Ed, comparing and contrasting UK and US military record archives - defly detailed by author Caroline Alexander.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    GAO Weighs In on E-Voting

    Elections: Electronic Voting Offers Opportunities and Presents Challenges GAO-04-975T, July 20, 2004.

  • "..direct recording electronic systems offer advantages in ease of use because they can have features that accommodate voters with various disabilities, and they protect against common voter errors, such as overvoting (voting for more candidates than is permissible); a disadvantage of such systems is their capital cost and frequent lack of an independent paper audit trail."
  • Enterprise Wide Blogs Catching On

    Blog's the word in big business: Microsoft has about 1,000 unregulated employee blogs according to this article.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
    E-mail Privacy Act of 2004

    "Representative Jay Inslee, a Washington Democrat, and three other congressmen introduced the E-mail Privacy Act of 2004 on Thursday. The bill would require that e-mail be subject to federal wiretap law that requires a court order for real-time interception of communications." [Link]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, E-Mail, Legislation
    Hearing on the Induct Act

    An Examination of S. 2560, The Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act of 2004, Senate Judiciary Committee Full Committee, July 22, 2004

  • Links to Testimony and Member Statements
  • July 22, 2004
    Part II of Hearing on Purchasing Pharmaceuticals Over the Internet

    Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations - Buyer Beware: The Danger of Purchasing Pharmaceuticals over the Internet - Day 2, Federal and Private Sector Responses, July 22, 2004. (Day One)

  • Link to Member Statements and Witness Testimony
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, E-Commerce
    SEC Reviews Tech Tag Format for Public Company Filings

    Dow Jones reports that the http://www.sec.gov">SEC is considering allowing public companies to submit filings using XBRL, eXtensible Business Reporting Language.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    Senate Commerce Cmte. Passes Voice Over Internet Protocol Bill

    Press release today: "The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved by roll call vote, S. 2281, the VOIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004. Senator Sununu (R-NH) introduced the legislation on April 5, 2004. This legislation is designed to provide a structure for the regulatory treatment of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) applications."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress
    How Current Is Newspaper Website Content?

    A University of Texas at Austin study evaluating how often 30 newspapers refresh their respective website content indicated that "only 12 updated their home pages frequently, and the rest made few or no changes during the day." [Link]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    New Blog From IE Browser Team

    IEBlog, the Microsoft Internet Explorer Weblog, launched July 21.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
    9-11 Commission Report

    9-11 Commission Report: On July 22, 2004 the Commission released its public report, which is available for download from this site. The report is also available in bookstores nationwide and from the Government Printing Office [free PDF version]. See also the Executive Summary. On August 21, 2004 the Commission released two staff monographs, available for download along with other staff statements on this site. The ten members of the 9-11 Commission announce the creation of the 9/11 Public Discourse Project. The Commission closed on August 21, 2004."

  • See also related postings on 9/11
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    The 9/11 Commission Report

    Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Official Government Edition

  • "The Commission's Final Report provides a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. It also includes recommendations designed to guard against future attacks. Below you will find the official Government edition of the Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States."

  • "The Full Report (7 MB, 585 pages) has been made available in its entirety, as a single PDF file. The report is also available as a collection of smaller PDFs arranged in a browse table based on the Final Report's table of contents. An Executive Summary (344 KB, 35 pages, PDF) of the Final Report is also available."

  • Please note, this is a faster loading version of the entire document that also provides search functionality, [via Boing Boing], as do the sites from Vivisimo and AskSam.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    July 21, 2004
    Indictment For Hacking Millions of Personal Data Files From Acxiom

    From Findlaw:

  • "United States v. Scott Levine (July 21, 2004), A Federal Grand Jury Indictment Accusing A Florida Man Of Illegally Accessing And Downloading Approximately 8.2 Gigabytes of Data Over A 17-Month Period From A Server Maintained By Acxiom, An Arkansas Company In The Business Of Managing Personal, Financial, And Corporate Data [PDF]"

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Cybercrime, Privacy
  • Testimony From House Hearing on E-Voting

    House Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Inter-governmental Relations, and the Census hearing on "The Science of Electronic Voting Machine Technology: Accuracy, Reliability, and Security," July 20, 2004.

  • Link to opening statement and testimony

  • "An estimated 50 million registered voters, representing nearly 30 percent of all voters, are expected to cast their votes using some type of electronic voting technology this November. The Subcommittee scheduled this oversight hearing to examine where we are today with the evolution of electronic voting technology, including the subject of access, utilization and the associated issues of reliability, ease of use, efficiency, accuracy, and security."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, E-Government
    Wireless Carrier Sues Spammer

    "First Lawsuit Over Cell Phone Spam - Legal ambiguity doesn't stop Verizon Wireless from slapping text-message spammers with unprecedented litigation." [Link via Slashdot]

  • Copy of complaint (PDF, 26 pages)
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Wireless Web
    Practical Tips on Gmail Features

    The Information Architecture of Email

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Mail
    WSJ on Sentencing Law Blog and New RSS Feeds

    Today's WSJ has another article on blogs (that's two this month!), Law Professor's Web Log Is Jurists' Must-Read

  • In addition, the Journal has launched a range of RSS feeds as follows (please note - "Headlines are available to all users, but full stories are available only to subscribers of the Online Journal."): What's News - US, What's News - Europe, What's News - Asia, What's News - Technology, US Business, Market News, Opinion - Review & Outlook, and Personal Technology/Walt Mossberg (this column is free to non-subscribers).

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs, RSS
    New Gov't E-Health Records Info Network

    HHS Press release: Strategic Report Outlines Steps to Implement Widespread Adoption of Electronic Health Records and New Nationwide Interoperable Health Information Network.

  • Full-text of the report, (176 pages, PDF), The Decade of Health Information Technology: Delivering Consumer-centric and Information-rich Health Care, Framework for Strategic Action, July 21, 2004

  • And from today's New York Times, Government Wants to Bring Health Records Into Computer Age
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government, Privacy
    GPO Update on Availability of 9/11 Report Tomorrow

    "The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is offering The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States both online through GPOAccess and in the official Government print edition, beginning on Thursday, July 22, 2004 at 11:30 a.m. GPO will provide public access to the report at no cost through http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/index.html."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    July 20, 2004
    Smaller Search Engines May Prove the Right Match For Your Research

    From today's San Francisco Chronicle, this article reviews some alternatives to search engine powerhouses Google and Yahoo, several of which you may have heard of and/or use now, such as clustering engine Vivisimo and Topix.net (which bills itself as "The Internet's Largest News Site). But other suggested sites may be new to you and worth a try. These include Find.com, focused on sources for business research (in beta, and offering a range of search features that include Boolean operators, stemming, proximity and grouping) and the open source engine Modex (which was unavailable at the time of this posting).

    Innovative Blog Provides Gov Docs in PDF Via P2P

    Using P2P applications, Download for Democracy is providing free access to a growing database archive, currently comprising "600 government memos, communications, and reports, all of which were obtained from mainstream media sources, respected legal or academic groups, or the federal government itself." For background and commentary on this new website, created and maintained by a law student whose maternal grandmother is a librarian (yeh!), see this July 19 Wired article.

    RSS Feeds For High Traffic Tech Sites Stress IT

    The implementation of RSS by InfoWorld.com has caused a significant increase in hourly traffic to the site which has resulted in "some aggravating scaling issues," according to the site's CTO. [Hot Links]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): RSS
    New Report on Privacy and E-Health Records

    On July 14 the Markle Foundation issued this press release and link to the accompanying report, Achieving Electronic Connectivity in Healthcare, A Preliminary Roadmap from the Nation's Public and Private Sector Healthcare Leaders (PDF, 67 pages).

  • Related news: HHS to Present Plan on Transforming Health Care Through Information Technology at National Conference July 21.

  • Health Privacy Project calls for medical privacy standard for candidates for public office.

  • Groups promote e-records for doctors
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Privacy
    New Studies Evaluate US and UK E-Gov Accessibility

    Assessing the accessibility of fifty United States government Web pages: Using Bobby to check on Uncle Sam:

  • "This study evaluates the current accessibility of U.S. Government Web pages for people with disabilities. ...The home pages of fifty U.S. government agencies were reviewed for accessibility based on Section 508 guidelines. This study establishes that the U.S. government has not met its accessibility goals."

  • A comparative assessment of Web accessibility and technical standards conformance in four EU states: "This paper presents results of a comparative survey of Web accessibility guidelines and HTML standards conformance for samples of Web sites drawn from Ireland, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. It also gives some recommendations on how to improve the accessibility level of Web content."
  • July 19, 2004
    EU Financial Sanctions Database

    Consolidated list of persons, groups and entities subject to EU financial sanctions

  • "In order to facilitate the application of financial sanctions, the European Banking Federation, the European Savings Banks Group, the European Association of Co-operative Banks and the European Association of Public Banks ("the EU Credit Sector Federations") and the Commission recognised the need for an EU consolidated list of persons, groups and entities subject to CFSP related financial sanctions. It was therefore agreed that the Credit Sector Federations would set up a database containing the consolidated list for the Commission, which would host and maintain the database and keep it up-to-date."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    9/11 Commission Announces Release of Final Report

    A press release from the Commission today states that its final report will be released to the public on July 22, at 11:30 am.

  • Recent related posting.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    OSHA Launches New Site on Whistleblower Program

    From today's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) press release: "The Whistleblower Program webpage...provide[s] a single source for obtaining detailed information on the laws with whistleblower protections that are administered by OSHA...The webpage includes direct links to the 14 laws with whistleblower protections administered by the agency, and lists the regulations governing the procedures for handling complaints under the various statutes."

    NY AG Settles Case With Spammer

    From the press release today: "State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today announced the settlement of a lawsuit against email marketer Scott Richter and his company, OptInRealBig.com, LLC. The suit alleged that unsolicited emails, or spam, sent on defendants' behalf contained falsified headers, falsified routing information, and deceptive subject lines, and were illegally routed through a worldwide network of more than 500 vulnerable computers."

  • Consent Order and Judgement (PDF)

  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Mail
    Campaigns Will Closely Monitor Voting Irregularities

    Kerry Building Legal Network for Vote Fights: both parties are implemeting legal strategies in anticipation of a possible recount in the November election.

  • Related information: for links to "comprehensive databases on more than 40,000 candidates and incumbents," see Project Vote Smart.

  • And for a unique perspective of campaigns at the local level, here is a link to a blog authored by Hiram Wurf, who is a Democratic candidate for the DuPage County Board District 5. [via Hot Links and this Courier News Online article]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs, Legal Research
  • E-Voting Blocked In Ohio

    Press release, July 16, 2004: Blackwell Halts Deployment Of Diebold Voting Machines For 2004:

  • "Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell today halted deployment of Diebold Election Systems' electronic voting devices in Ohio for the 2004 General Election. The decision is based on preliminary findings from the secretary of state's second round of security testing conducted by Compuware Corporation showing the existence of previously identified, but yet unresolved security issues. Hardin, Lorain and Trumbull counties had selected to use new Diebold equipment this November. Those counties will use their current voting devices in 2004."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    CAPPS II Program Will Live Again?

    There appears to be contradictory information concerning the demise of the CAPPS II program. A Federal Computer Week article clearly shows how DHS and TSA have reached different conclusions as to whether the program will indeed continue. To make the situation even more confusing, here is an article from Wired today, The Man Who Helped Kill CAPPS II.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Privacy
    July 16, 2004
    Future of CAPPS II Up In the Air?

    Several sources (Wired, the ACLU) report that Homeland Security's controversial CAPPS II program may be terminated by the TSA. However, there is speculation that a similar project may appear in future.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government, Privacy
    TIME Reports on Commission Info Linking Iran and al-Qaeda

    This article from TIME states that the 9/11 Commission's upcoming final report will provide information linking Iran with Al Qaeda.

  • In addition, CNN reports that the Commission's report will be approximately 600 pages, with the text subject to review and redaction by the White House. This Washington Post article states that the report (available for purchase and free via GPO Access, and no doubt numerous news sites as well) will be released on July 22, and will include a recommendation for the creation of a cabinet-level intelligence "czar" to oversee agencies including the CIA and FBI.

  • And a update from the July 19 New York Times, Bush Says U.S. Will Look Into Possible Iranian Ties to 9/11.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    July 15, 2004
    Independent National Security Classification Board Act of 2004

    S. 2672 - To establish an Independent National Security Classification Board in the executive branch, and for other purposes, July 15, 2004.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress
    Testimony on RFID Tagging of Consumer Items

    Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology: What the Future Holds for Commerce, Security, and the Consumer, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, July 14, 2004.

  • From Computer World, this article details opposing testimony and statements from industry, privacy advocates and legislators concerning the impact of RFID on consumer privacy.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, Privacy
    Name Change for Gov't Accounting Office

    As posted on the LLSDC listserv, by Rick McKinney, Assistant Law Librarian, Federal Reserve Board:

  • "Pursuant to Section 8 of the GAO Human Capital Reform Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-271; 118 Stat. 811; 7 pages) enacted on July 7, 2004, the "General Accounting Office" has been redesignated as the "Government Accountability Office". For text of the law see the enrolled version of H.R. 2751"

  • The url for the GAO website remains the same.
  • Google Adds Browse By Name Feature

    By downloading the Google Toolbar, users may take advantage of a new Browse by Name feature to "save time by typing names instead of URLs in your browser's address bar."

  • See the FAQ for more details
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Search Engines
    July 14, 2004
    Official UK Report on WMDs

    Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 14th July 2004 for the Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction. Report of a Committee of Privy Counsellors. [216 pages, PDF]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    Accurint Acquired by Reed Elsevier

    Reed Elsevier Announces The Acquisition Of Seisint, Inc. For $775 Million

  • From the press release: "Seisint’s main product, Accurint, provides online access and analysis of public record and related information, principally serving the collections, federal and legal segments."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    July 13, 2004
    GAO Report Critical of DHS Terror Warning System

    Homeland Security: Communication Protocols and Rick Communication Principles Can Assist in Refining the Advisory System, GAO-04-682, June 25, 2004, Highlights (both in PDF):

  • "Established in March 2002, the Homeland Security Advisory System was designed to disseminate information on the risk of terrorist acts to federal agencies, states, localities, and the public. However, these entities have raised questions about the threat information they receive from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the costs they incurred as a result of responding to heightened alerts."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Government Documents
    DOJ Issues Report on Patriot Act

    Today the DOJ released a 29 page report to Congress detailing the manner in which the Patriot Act has been applied in the fight against terrorism. [Link]

  • Report From the Field: The USA PATRIOT Act at Work
  • (PDF) [thanks to Rich Allen]

    Online Used Book Market Bypassing Royalty Fees

    Online used-book sales concern some publishers: "Is Amazon.com becoming the Napster of the book business?"

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Commerce, Internet
    RSS Feeds From Alexa

    "Free RSS feeds - Now you can access Alexa's Hot Search Terms, Movers & Shakers, or Top Sites with RSS." [Link]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): RSS
    July 12, 2004
    Call for Commission on Classified Gov Docs

    From the New York Times, July 11: "The Central Intelligence Agency's decision to delete extensive sections of a Senate report on faulty Iraq intelligence has so outraged Senator Trent Lott that Mr. Lott, the former majority leader, is calling for an independent commission to govern classified information."

    Guide to Archived Gov Docs Online

    Alphabetical List of Online Government Documents (archival materials) [David Dillard]

    July 09, 2004
    What Happened to the Billions Spent on Pentagon IT

    "They've been trying for more than a decade. They've built more than 2,000 databases to do the job. They're spending nearly $19 billion a year. But, despite all that effort, Defense Department officials still haven't come up with a way to track the Pentagon's supplies, finances or people, according to a new congressional report." [Link, Wired, July 9, 2004]

  • As referenced in the article above, GAO Report - Department of Defense: Long-standing Problems Continue to Impede Financial and Business Management Transformation, GAO-04-907T, July 7, 2004, Abstract Highlights-PDF
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    FCC Chairman Launches Blog Targeted at Tech Community

    AlwaysOn Network is hosting a blog for FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell, who published his first posting on July 8. There are also comments enabled from community members.

  • "One reason I am participating in AlwaysOn Network's blog is to hear from the tech community directly and to try to get beyond the traditional inside the Beltway Washington world where lobbyists filter the techies. I am looking forward to an open, transparent and meritocracy-based communication—attributes that bloggers are famous for!"
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
    Senate Intelligence Cmte. Report on WMDs

    Today the Senate Committee on Intelligence released a report detailing intelligence failures prior to the invasion of Iraq.

  • Report Says Key Assertions Leading to War Were Wrong

  • Conclusions Excerpted From Full Report
  • , Conclusion 1. Most of the major key judgments in the Intelligence Community's October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), Iraq's Continuing Programs for Weapons of Mass Destruction, either overstated, or were not supported by, the underlying intelligence reporting. A series of failures, particularly in analytic trade craft, led to the mischaracterization of the intelligence."
  • Report on the Intelligence Community's Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq, Ordered reported on July 7, 2004. (521 pages, PDF, redacted.)

  • Decoding the Senate Intelligence Committee Investigation on Iraq, New York Times, July 18, 2004
  • July 08, 2004
    Maryland County Considers Regulating Cable Modem Service

    This article from yesterday's Washington Post (reg. req'd, articles archived 14 days after publication) reviews the pioneering proposal under consideration by the Montgomery County Council to regulate service standards for cable service providers.

  • See also this Council press release dated July 7: "Montgomery County is about to be the first local jurisdiction to put in place customer service standards for companies that provide cable modem service.....These standards will protect cable modem customers by requiring companies to address problems in a timely fashion – or face penalties."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    California District Court Rules in Favor of E-Voting Paper Trail

    The press release and the decision (20 pages, PDF).

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    Bloggers Who Will Be At Democratic Convention

    CyberJournalist.net has a list, which will be updated, of bloggers who have been credentialed for the Democratic Convention.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
    Guide to Online Fraud Schemes for Job Seekers

    From the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse - Avoiding Online Job Scams: Critical Tips for Job Seekers

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Cybercrime, Privacy
    House Complies In Response to White House Threat to Veto Restrictions to Patriot Act

    Statements of Administration Policy (July 7, 2004) H.R. 4754, Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, FY 2005 [Link, 3 pages, PDF]

  • "If legislation were presented to the President that includes any provision that forces the courts to allow notice to criminal suspects before a search warrant is executed, the President's senior advisors would recommend that the President veto the bill. If any other amendment that would weaken the USA ATRIOT Act were adopted and presented to the President for his signature, the President's senior advisors would recommend a veto."
  • [Secrecy News]
  • And in the news today, House Refuses to Curb Patriot Act, and this press release from Vermont Rep. Bernie Sanders on his failed effort today to "restore protections to library and bookstore patrons' records which have been undermined by Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act."

  • July 07, 2004
    Microsoft Weighs In On Corporate Blogging

    The Four-Letter Word That Can Get People Excited About Your Products:

  • "What do George Bush and John Kerry, IBM, and thousands of small businesses have in common? They all use a Web log—or "blog" for short—to reach potential customers and get them interested in their products. But not all do so with equal success."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs, Microsoft
    HHS OIG Report on Medicare Prescription Cost Controversy

    Statement of Dara Corrigan Acting Principal Deputy Inspector General Department of Health and Human Services on Thomas Scully and Richard Foster Investigation (PDF)

  • "Based on our investigation, we conclude that: CMS did not provide premium estimates that had been requested by Members of Congress. Additionally, CMS did not provide Congressional staff with some overall estimates of the total cost of the Medicare bill, as well as other requests. Our investigation failed to produce evidence that criminal statutes were violated in connection with the withholding of information from Members of Congress or staffers."

  • My previous postings on this issue are here and here.

  • Hearing on Verifiable E-Voting

    Today the House Administration Committee held a hearing on Electronic Voting System Security.

  • See this article on the hearing
  • , which includes a statement fromTadayoshi Kohno of the UC San Diego Cryptography and Security Laboratory - "It is possible to have secure-enough paperless machines...But we don’t have those machines today, and we can’t have them by November."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Congress, E-Government
    Review of Blogs and RSS in WSJ

    From the WSJ Personal Technology site, Blogs Can Help You Cope With Data Overload, If You Manage Them, addresses how newsreaders can help blog aficionados stay current with all the latest postings from a burgeoning community of content. Of note, Bloglines will be adding "unobtrusive Google-style ads to bring in revenue." The author also mentions five popular, topical blogs.

  • See also this post on upgrades and new features launched by Bloglines last night.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs, RSS
    Check-Out the Blog for the AALL Conference 2004 in Boston

    The AALL Blog: Boston 2004 (includes RSS feed) provides program and meeting updates, info on receptions, roundtables, and links to local area resources, both practical (such as a page on Internet access in the area) and pleasurable (recommended dining, book stores, sight seeing).

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs
    July 06, 2004
    Happy Belated 38th Birthday to the Freedom of Information Act

    According to this National Security Archive press release, more than 2.4 million FOIA requests have been filed since the law was signed on July 4, 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson, "at a yearly cost of just over $1 per citizen." The Archive commemorates the importance of this law by publishing "an itemized list of 38 noteworthy news stories from the last 12 months that cited documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act."

    Reliable Health Websites

    From the WSJ today ($$), A Guide to Some of the Internet's Best -- And Most Overlooked -- Health Sites. For more substantive treatment of this issue (no pun intended), see the monthly column on LLRX.com, Metaforix@Health, and Gloria Miccioli's Researching Medical Literature on the Internet -- 2003 Update.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet, Legal Research
    Clinton Presidential Library to House Largest Such Document Collection in History

    According to AP, Clinton's collection of presidential materials and documents, totally about 630 tons, of which 80 million pages are designated as official documents, are now on their way to his library. The Clinton Presidential Center currently allows the public to "browse over 20,000 documents in 400+ categories."

    Campaign Websites and the Politics of Open Source

    Knowing Their Politics by the Software They Use. Democratic campaign party websites are using open source apps, and the Republicans are using Microsoft.

  • See also Political Influentials Online in the 2004 Presidential Campaign, (56 pages, PDF), a study by GW's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet.
  • Survey Chooses Top 10 Digital Counties

    According to the Center for Digital Governments' 2004 Digital Counties Survey, the list of the top 10 digital county governments is led by San Diego County, California, followed by Johnson County, Kansas, Prince William County, Virginia, Roanoke County, Virginia, and Charles County, Maryland.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    The Growing Strain Between E-Commerce and Search Engine Results

    This PCWorld.com article doesn't cover any new territory, but it succinctly examines the increasingly competitive quest of search engines for greater profits and the resulting impact on search results.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Search Engines
    Guide to State FOI Laws

    From the Freedom of Information Center, State FOI Laws: "The following sites contain basic statutes about open meetings and open records. Many states have multiple statutes that provide exemptions." The page indicates the last update was May 1, 2004.

    July 05, 2004
    Open Source Journal Directory Adds Article Level Search

    The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) now provides users with keyword, Boolean and field search options.

  • "This service covers free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals. We aim to cover all subjects and languages. There are now 1142 journals in the directory. Currently 302 journals are searchable on article level. As of today 53090 articles are included in the DOAJ service."
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet, Libraries
    Corporate Blogging, Marketing and Communications

    The President and COO of Sun Microsystems, Jonathon Schwartz, launched a blog on June 28. Other Sun bloggers comment on his effort: What's missing from Sun blogs (or, is Executive Blogging enough)? and Sun has gone Cluetrain.

  • Read the entire text of the book, The Cluetrain Manifesto, online for free.
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): Blogs, Marketing
    HIPAA Compliance Deadline

  • From the CMS press release, June 30: Electronic Medicare claims that do not meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards will be treated as paper claims and paid more slowly than HIPAA-compliant electronic claims beginning July 1..."

  • See also Hammer Coming Down for HIPAA Compliance
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government, Privacy
    E-Marketing Looks to RSS to Bypass Spam

    Company Plugs RSS as Alternate to E-Mail Marketing

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Commerce, Marketing, RSS
    July 04, 2004
    RSS to Track FedEx Packages

    Ben Hammersley created an RSS FedEx Package Tracker.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): RSS
    Artificial Intelligence Resources

    "Artificial Intelligence Resources is designed to bring together the latest resources and sources on an ongoing basis from the Internet on Artificial Intelligence on the Internet." [from Marcus P. Zillman]

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet
    July 02, 2004
    Massachusetts AG Files First State Lawsuit Under CAN SPAM

    From the press release: "In the first state enforcement action taken since the January 1 inception of the federal CAN SPAM Act, AG Reilly is alleging that DC Enterprises, an unincorporated business, and company principal Willliam T. Carson of Weston, Florida, have sent thousands of misleading email messages from a business address in Newton, where the company has no physical presence."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Mail
    EU Law Database Now Offers Free Menu Search

    "Access to Celex menu search is free of charge from 1 July 2004. Nevertheless the use of a login and a password is temporarily required. Please use the login enlu0000 and the password europe." As posted on INT-LAW by Lyonette Louis-Jacques.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Legal Research
    State and Local Govt's Launch Collaborative Open Code Repository

    "The Government Open Code Collaborative is a voluntary collaboration between public sector entities and non-profit academic institutions created for the purpose of encouraging the sharing, at no cost, of computer code developed for and by government entities where the redistribution of this code is allowed."

  • About the GOCC
  • Permanent Link       Topic(s): E-Government
    Advocacy Group Provides More Data on Protecting Social Security Info

    From EPIC, this statement providing follow-up information to testimony from a Congressional hearing. See also EPIC's Social Security Numbers resource page.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Privacy
    GAO Makes Recommendations for Digital Future of GPO

    Government Printing Office: Actions to Strengthen and Sustain GPO's Transformation, GAO-04-830, June 30, 2004, Highlights:

  • "Federal government printing and dissemination are changing due to the underlying changes to the technological environment...Federal agencies are publishing more documents directly to the Web and are doing more of their printing and dissemination of information without using GPO services. At the same time, the public is obtaining government information from government Web sites such as GPO Access rather than purchasing paper copies."
  • NY State Authorizes Expansion of DNA Database

    From the press release: "Governor Pataki, Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno and Speaker Sheldon Silver today announced that they have reached agreement on legislation that will expand the use of the State's DNA databank and enhance New York's status as a national leader in the use of DNA technology. The agreed upon legislation will add close to 100 new crimes that require a convicted criminal to provide a DNA sample to the Statewide DNA databank."

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Privacy
    July 01, 2004
    Is the Future of the E-Book Brighter?

    REVIEW: Sony E-Book a Revolution for Eyes:

  • "The Librie is the first major consumer product to feature a long-in-the-works display technology that is designed to replace printed words on paper - so-called electronic ink."
  • See related post here.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Libraries
    National Archives Limits Public Access to Records

    From the Federal Register, June 20, 2004, National Archives and Records Administration, Public availability and use: Federal records and donated historical materials containing restricted information; access restrictions:

  • "NARA is revising its regulations on access to Federal records and donated historical materials containing restricted information. This rule entirely rewrites and reorganizes this portion of NARA's
    regulations to incorporate several changes, and also to clarify it using plain language. The regulation has been updated to bring the language on access restrictions in better conformance with the exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)." [Link]

  • Unplanned Break From Blogging

    My PC power supply was zapped. Lesson learned. Turn everything off and just wait until it is all over.

    Permanent Link       Topic(s): Internet