Wanna help shape the Web?

Mozilla, the people who make that cool Firefox browser, is calling for help in visualizing what the next generation of Web applications will look like.
Of course, Mozilla is an open source project, meaning that computer engineers and programming types have been able to chime in from the word go. What makes this different, though, is that the organization is specifically calling for people less embedded in the programming world. They want to hear about what people want to use, rather than what they want people to use. Some of the ideas so far sound pretty dreamy; the ability to share files with other users within the browser, for example, and IM built into the browser as well.
Here's a much more detailed analysis from PC World.

Steampunk as a cultural movement

Could a growing literary genre become a design movement?
According to SF writer Cory Doctorow, posting here at the news blog Boing Boing, that answer is yes. It's happened before, and is happening again with steampunk (in grossly oversimplified terms, a kind of cross between science fiction and Victorian-era tech).
Doctorow's post includes a link to a podcast panel discussion of the aesthetic that took place at ReaderCon, an annual science fiction convention in Massachusetts.

Cuil maybe not so cool

OK, so yesterday I was all excited about the prospect of a Google competitor. After all, competition's a good thing, and Google is getting a little too pervasive in the information world for comfort.
So I gave upstart www.cuil.com a shake. Yesterday about half my searches resulted in an error message stating servers were overloaded. This wasn't starting off well. Moreover, many of the promised features, like tabs and a unique drill-down tool, didn't seem to be up yet.
Perhaps most troubling was the search results themselves. I've long been skeptical of Google's ultra-secret search algorithm that leaves most of the Web invisible. Cuil didn't really seem any better, though. Results of the searches I tried (Twinsburg library, my own name, how to fix a broken vase without my wife catching on, etc.) mostly just pulled up various iterations of the same sites.
I hope Cuil catches on and improves. At first blush, though, it looks like the former Google devs behind the project may have bitten off more than they can chew.

A rival for Google?

Here's a new startup that's come into a market long dominated by Google.
Cuil claims to be a bigger, better, faster search engine than the pervasive Google. Time will tell, but at first glance, the new company just might be right. Or at least right-ish.
Google has long used an ultra double-secret algorithm for determining result priority. One of the biggest factors in that was how many other Web sites link to the site returned by a search. Cuil takes a different approach, relying more on content relevance. Other nifty features include tabbed searches so you don't lose your results, and an easy drill-down tool that helps narrow searches.
I've only been using Cuil for an hour or so now, but it seems good. I don't know if, as it claims, it really does index more sites than Google, but given the explanations of its search methodolofy it does seem plausible.
But will it unseat the giant? Without enormous marketing, it'll be hard-pressed to do so. After all, "google" has become recognized by some dictionaries as a legitimate verb. And I'd be wary of publicly talking about "cuiling" someone. It could be misunderstood in oh so many awkward ways.

DRM, unsurprisingly, losing popularity

Hate Digital Rights Management? You're not the only one. DRM is a security measure bundled into various forms of electronic media to keep people from copying it illegally. The thing is, there's loads of collateral damage. For example, the library's Overdrive download service can drive even the most tech-savvy patrons bonkers with its conflicting information about what a track is labeled, prevention of many unspecified players from working with the files at all, and general hostile messages. Of course, the DRM in that case is pretty easy to get around for those of a mind to do so; just copy the files to a CD and rip them back to mp3 format, and Bob's your uncle. What that means is that the only people really burdened by the system are those trying to use it legitimately.
Here's an article at PC World that offers some hope better days ae ahead.

List of cool free software

The blog Lifehacker posted this list of all the software used by its editors. Most of it's free. There are, of course, any number of lists of free apps. What makes this one stand out is that the programs included are used in a real-world environment.

Technology & Cataloging

Many of our readers are probably familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, the system of cataloging library books created by Melvil Dewey in the 19th century. Most public libraries, and some academic and school libraries, use this system to this day. Well, Tim Spalding, the founder of LibraryThing, thinks we need a new system. He's created an open source project, called The Open Source Classification, and has opened it to librarians all over the world to help create this new classification scheme. We've seen that collaboration online can do some extraordinary things -- witness the rise of Wikipedia and social networking. Can we, together, oust Dewey after all these years? I'm not sure. I grew up in libraries and have been memorizing Dewey numbers since I was a small child, so part of me resists this idea. The other part of me, who's been a cataloger and a public services librarian, realizes that Dewey doesn't always work when it comes to co-location and finding the materials you want when you want them. I wonder if there's a compromise? Or will libraries start coming up with their own classification schemes? I wouldn't mind writing my own classification scheme just for TPL! Keep watching for more info about this exciting trend. Well, it might be exciting to me and boring to you, but it'll definitely affect you, one way or another!