Draft Copy of Victory Act

Here is a link to a draft of the Victory Act (89 pages, pdf), courtesy of Rich Allen, Winthrop Public Library. Rich found the link on PatriotWatch, a blog that has numerous links to related documents, most of which are hosted by advocacy groups. Many thanks Rich! For reference, see my previous related posting, Controversy …

Subjects: Legislation, Privacy

Report Measures Consumer Satisfaction With Web Engines, News

Consumers Rate Online Search, Portals, and News: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: “E-businesses are getting better overall in the view of their customers—but performance varies widely from company to company, according to the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) study released today. The report, which includes measurements of search engines, portals, …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Search Engines

Trio of Articles on E-Commerce

From the New Jersey Law Journal: Is Open Source the Beginning or End of the Software Revolution?: “The debate between open source and the traditional license model is gaining attention at all levels of the electronic universe.” Contract Law, Arbitration Agreements and the Internet: “Now that businesses have moved toward an increasing amount of e-commerce, …

Subjects: E-Commerce

Radio Frequency ID Tags

This presentation, RFID and the Public Policy Void, by Beth Givens, founder and director of the non-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, was delivered to the Joint Committee on Preparing California for the 21st Century. Radio frequency ID tags, used by manufacturers and merchants in a wide range of products ranging from automobiles to clothing, are the …

Subjects: Legislation, Privacy

Dept. of Ed. To Shut Down ERIC Clearinghouses

From a posting on Lisnews.com written by Nancy Macomber: “The U.S. Department of Education has decided to shut down the 16 subject-specific ERIC Clearinghouses on December 31, 2003. The Department is running a competition to select a contractor to maintain the database portion of ERIC. This “new” ERIC is expected to begin operating in mid-October …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

New GPO Access Training Resource

The GPO Access Training Booklet, July 2003, 73 pages in pdf, is available here. GPO Access is one of the premier e-gov resources, providing access to over 2,900 databases, including the daily editions of the Federal Register and the Congressional Record. This manual’s content, which includes a number of screen shots, covers searching strategies, resources …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

Search Engine Tips and Tricks

Fishing for Information? Try Better Bait. Congrats to Tara Calishain whose book Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips and Tools receives much deserved recognition in the beginning of this article that focuses on advanced search features specific to the major search engines.

Subjects: Search Engines

News and Resources on the New Version of Old Virus

Day Three of the W32/SoBig.F virus, which is hitting home users hardest. Counterpane Internet Security has identified 1,500 malicious file attachments associated with the virus, and counting. For more information, see the following links: McAfee Security Virus Profile Symantec Security Response, W32.Sobig.F@mm The virus is apparently set to self destruct after two weeks, making that …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Mail, Internet