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I was reading about the small window that opened the other day in the "Great Firewall of China" and then read this article. It bothers me that so many people seem to be ready to send printing presses to a junkyard and rely entirely on electronic distribution of information. First, there is still a HUGE demographic who does not have regular access to the internet. Secondly, what would happen if all of our information could be controlled with a filtering program? And finally, printed material still gets into places that a computer cannot. I read an opinion piece in the NYT before Christmas that discussed how an Afghanistan woman learned to read with the help of her young daughter and the newspaper pieces that wrapped her fish. Are we turning information into something elitist? Is there a parallel between a push to make everything electronic - so only people with Kindles and laptops can get information, and a time not-so-long-ago when literacy was a class distinction? DO WE REALLY WANT TO CREATE A NEW CLASS DISTINCTION BY RESTRICTING INFORMATION TO ONLY THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD ACCESS TO IT?

Fascinating points!!! The printed word has been responsible for the American colonists ability to read the words of the great Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin and perhaps be inspired to foment the continued revolt that brought us America. It brought the thoughts of the imprisoned Nelson Mandela and Adolf Hitler to the world. For good, and less so, the printed word has been a catalyst for change that has moved the world and impacted people around the globe. While there are many who have access to the Internet and PC, there are far greater numbers around the world who have no such access, for them even a phone is a luxury. Many represent the populations of the third world, but high numbers are the disadvantaged right here at home or in other developed nations around the globe. When oppressive regimes and less then optimal economic or geographic conditions prevent technology from bringing information via wire or air wave, the printing press will continue to spread the message. Education, found in the pages of textbooks, passed down from generation to generation or moved around the world, bring knowledge and potential to those who have no access to the Internet. Until, in some distant future when the earth is truly the global nation envisioned by some futurists today, the printing press will hold its place as a global facilitator of knowledge and information.

Haystack is a new program designed to provide unfiltered internet access to the people of Iran. The software package is compatible with Windows, Mac and Unix systems, and specifically targets the Iranian government's web filtering mechanisms

I think this is an excellent read on the rapid speed of the digital divide. Written about England, but applies everywhere.

The Internet Archive asks the ruling judge to intervene in the settlement between Google and the AAP, claiming that Google will gain a monopoly on the use of orphan works.

"We're sort of stuck in this perpetual now," Nelson said. "Figuring out what was on the Web an hour ago, a day ago, a week ago, we're really bad at that." Nelson and some colleagues at Old Dominion and the Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a sort of Internet time machine called Memento . When attached to a browser, it enables the user to search for a Web site as it appeared on some past date, if an archived page exists.

From Meredith "Another interesting article to share about the digital divide in America. What I thought was interesting in this wasn't that there was a gap in technology tools but that there is a gap in technology support once those tools/gadgets arrive at the school."

Very interesting article. Though internet access can be a huge problem in rural areas, this article didn't mention its rather large costs. Often times, rural areas pay significantly more for internet than in a city. For some of these kids the problem is not just having the phone company improve access, but the cost of it, too.

When does collecting Internet user information for targeted advertising cross the line? Can the online advertising community police itself?

Privacy and freedom of expression are always the early victims in spread of repression.

iPublishCentral, a self-service digital content publishing, marketing, warehousing and distribution platform, will allow participating AAUP members to market books on the Internet, sell content online, and promote brands and titles across the Web. Among the three core components of iPublishCentral are market, distribute and deliver.

Why SOPA is dangerous legislation.

A little old, but still very relevant to the discussion of meshing personal and professional lives on the Internet.

Can Google continue to "Not be evil" and dominate the global market for search and user-generated content (YouTube, Blogger). Discussed how Google balances among free speech and privacy, the censorship demands of governments and its financial interests.

"But if Amazon tries to enforce its demands by removing "buy" buttons from some pages again, some believe it could harm its reputation in the eyes of customers and the publishing industry." You THINK???? Unfortunately, as long as they keep free shipping, most people probably won't care. I see this as a really serious industry issue.

Anti-censorship technology, of current interest in light of developments in Iran.