PGWeekly_August_13.txt ***The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter For Wednesday, August 13, 2003*** ******eBooks Readable By Both Humans and Computers For Over 32 Years******* This Week We Passed Another Major Milestone!!! We Now Have Produced Over 9,000 eBooks = 9/10 of 10,000!!! >>> 8,000 eBooks In The Last 6 Years!!!!!!! <<< We Posted #1,000, Dante's Divine Comedy, The First Week Of August, 1997 We Are Now At 9,036!!! Only 18 eBooks From Having Produced 5,000 eBooks Since Start Of 2001!!! Imagine the 10,000 books have been separated into 10 stacks of 1,000 each, we have just now completed 9 stacks leaving just 1 stack to go!!! GRAND TOTAL #10,000 _____ (_10__( 10,000 BOOKS DONE!!! _____ _____ (__9__( 9,000 (__9__( 9,036 _____ _____ (__8__( 8,000 (__8__( 8,000 _____ _____ (__7__( 7,000 (__7__( 7,000 _____ _____ (__6__( 6,000 (__6__( 6,000 _____ _____ (__5__( 5,000 (__5__( 5,000 _____ _____ (__4__( 4,000 (__4__( 4,000 _____ _____ (__3__( 3,000 (__3__( 3,000 _____ _____ (__2__( 2,000 (__2__( 2,000 BOOKS TO GO!!! _____ _____ _____ (__1__( 1,000 (__1__( 1,000 (__1__( 964 <<< GRAND TOTAL #10,000 BOOKS DONE!!! BOOKS TO GO!!! We Produced Hundreds More eBooks In 32 Weeks Than In The First 29 Years! Only 4 Months/17 Weeks Until eBook #10,000 I Hope!!! 9036 Books Done. . .964 To Go. . .in 119 More Days! [The Newsletter is now being sent in three sections, so you can directly go to the portions you find most interesting: 1. Founder's Comments, 2. News, Notes & Queries, and 3. Weekly eBook Update Listing.] This is Michael Hart's "Founder's Comments" section of the Newsletter Over Our 32 7/53 Year History, We Have Now Averaged About 275 Ebooks/Year And This Year Averaged Over That Same New eBook Level. . .PER MONTH!!!!! We Are Averaging About 314 Per Month!!! *** In this issue of the Project Gutenberg Weekly newsletter: - Intro (above) - Requests For Assistance - Progress Report - Flashback - Continuing Requests For Assistance - Making Donations - Access To The Collection - Information About Mirror Sites - Have We Given Away A Trillion Yet? - Weekly eBook update: Updates/corrections in separate section 75 New Public Domain eBooks Under US Copyright - "The Future Of Project Gutenberg" - Headline News from Newsscan and Edupage - Information about mailing lists *** Requests For Assistance We're looking for a decent history of the US War of Independence, or War of Insurrection, as it was also known. Thanks! Michael *** We're forming a De-hyphenation Team. . .for a long time it was the standard here not to include hyphenation, but, not being very bossy, I didn't insist. . .but we have had several requests on this, so I think we should look into it. *** I am working on trying to collect and convert some public domain folk tunes to ABC notation. Could use some help tracking down public domain versions of the melodies or proof that these songs are in the public domain. Songs I'm working on at present include: I Know Where I'm Going Simple Gifts She Moved Throught The Fair A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter (aka Constant Lovers) The Fisher Who Died in His Bed Ufros Alienu If anyone's interesting in converting folk songs to a digital public domain format and would like to help or if you want to contact me, you can do so through the mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pdsongs *** Latin Is A Dying Language??? Latin Library (www.thelatinlibrary.com) died, and was resurrected recently, bring attention to the fact that we need to save these files, find matching paper editions, and be sure the files don't disappear. If you would like to help with Latin eBooks, please let me know. We have a few volunteers for this who could help coordinate your efforts, if you should be able to locate any Latin books. *** Project Gutenberg DVD Needs Burners So far we have access to a dozen DVD burners. If you have a DVD burner or know someone with one, please email me, so we can plan how many DVD's we can make with all 10,000 Project Gutenberg eBooks on them when they are ready. We can likely send you a box of CDs containing most of these files early, and then a final update CD in November while you would download the last month's/weeks' releases. *** PROJECT GUTENBERG IS SEEKING LEGAL BEAGLES We are seeking pro bono or very cheap legal assistance to pursue Project Gutenberg trademark infringers and similar issues. Please email Michael Hart <hart@pobox.com>. [We received 3 replies from the US, 1 from Australia, but may need more around December 10.] *** NEW ADDRESS FOR "PUNCH" MAGAZINE TEAM If you have, and are willing to scan bound volumes of Punch pre-1923 please contanct as below. No single issues, please, unless you have a complete year of them. Please contact: jonathan_ingram@yahoo.com *** Progress Report In the first 7.25 months of this year, we produced 2300 new eBooks. It took us from 1971 to 1999 to produce our first 2,300 eBooks! That's 32 WEEKS as Compared to 29 Years! 75 New eBooks This Week 90 New eBooks Last Week 75 New eBooks This Month [August] 314 Average Per Month in 2003 <<< 203 Average Per Month in 2002 <<< 103 Average Per Month in 2001 <<< 2293 New eBooks in 2003 <<< 2441 New eBooks in 2002 1240 New eBooks in 2001 9,036 Total Project Gutenberg eBooks 5,749 eBooks This Week Last Year 3,254 New eBooks In The Last 12 Months <<< 4,416 New eBooks in the last 18 months <<< 262 eBooks From Project Gutenberg of Australia *Main URL is promo.net Webmaster is Pietro di Miceli of Rome, Italy* Check out our Websites at promo.net/pg & gutenberg.net, and see below to learn how you can get INSTANT access to our eBooks via FTP servers even before the new eBooks listed below appear in our catalogue. The eBooks are posted throughout the week. You can even get daily lists. *** FLASHBACK!!! 2293 New eBooks So Far in 2003 It took us 29 years for the first 2293! That's the 32 WEEKS of 2003 as Compared to 29 YEARS!!! Here Is A Sample Of What Books Were Being Done Around #2293 Sep 2000 A House to Let, by Dickens, et.al. [Dickens #53][hsletxxx.xxx] 2324 Sep 2000 Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee[releexxx.xxx] 2323 Sep 2000 Hans Huckebein, by Wilhelm Busch [Three Stories] [?hckbxxx.xxx] 2322 Contents: [In German] Hans Huckebein, der Ungluecksrabe Das Pusterohr Das Bad am Samstag Abend Sep 2000 Goetz von Berlichingen, by Johann W. Goethe [#12][?getzxxx.xxx] 2321 Sep 2000 Novelle, by Johann Wolfgang Goethe [Goethe #11][?nvllxxx.xxx] 2320 Sep 2000 West-oestlicher Divan, by Johann W. Goethe[JWG#10][?wdvnxxx.xxx] 2319 Sep 2000 Droll Stories [V. 2], by Honore de Balzac[HdB #92][2drllxxx.xxx] 2318 Sep 2000 The Story of My Heart, by Richard Jefferies [tsomhxxx.xxx] 2317 Sep 2000 The Choir Invisible, by James Lane Allen [chrnvxxx.xxx] 2316 Sep 2000 The Flag-Raising, by Kate Douglas Wiggin[Wiggin14][flgrsxxx.xxx] 2315 Sep 2000 Geschichte des Agathon, Teil 2, by C M Wieland #3 [?2agtxxx.xxx] 2314 Sep 2000 Geschichte des Agathon, Teil 1, by C M Wieland #2 [?1agtxxx.xxx] 2313 [In German] Sep 2000 Hermann und Dorothea, by Goethe [German 8-bits] #9[?hermxxx.xxx] 2312 Sep 2000 Travels through France & Italy, by Tobias Smollett[ttfaixxx.xxx] 2311 Sep 2000 In The Carquinez Woods, by Bret Harte [Harte #13][crqnzxxx.xxx] 2310 Sep 2000 The Freelands, by John Galsworthy [Galsworthy #2][frndsxxx.xxx] 2309 Sep 2000 Bunyan Characters (3rd Series), by Alex. Whyte #3 [3bnchxxx.xxx] 2308 Sep 2000 The Depot Master, by Joseph C. Lincoln [dpmstxxx.xxx] 2307 Aug 2000 Uncle Remus/Songs/Sayings, by Joel Chandler Harris[remusxxx.xxx] 2306 [Full Title: Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings] Aug 2000 A Set of Six, by Joseph Conrad [Joseph Conrad #24][seto6xxx.xxx] 2305 Aug 2000 Legends and Lyrics, Pt 2, by Adelaide Ann Proctor [lgly2xxx.xxx] 2304 Aug 2000 Legends and Lyrics, Pt 1, by Adelaide Ann Proctor [lgly1xxx.xxx] 2303 Aug 2000 Poor Folk, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky [Dostoyevsky #3][prflkxxx.xxx] 2302 Aug 2000 A Simpleton, by Charles Reade [smptnxxx.xxx] 2301 Aug 2000 The Descent of Man, by Charles Darwin [Darwin #7][dscmnxxx.xxx] 2300 Aug 2000 Pandora, by Henry James [Henry James #21][pndraxxx.xxx] 2299 Aug 2000 Great Astronomers, by R. S. Ball [grastxxx.xxx] 2298 Aug 2000 Snow-Bound at Eagle's, by Bret Harte [Harte #12][sbdaexxx.xxx] 2297 Aug 2000 Pillars of Society, by Henrik Ibsen[Henrik Ibsen2][pllrsxxx.xxx] 2296 Aug 2000 Waifs and Strays, etc, by O Henry Pt 1[O Henry #8][1waifxxx.xxx] 2295 Aug 2000 Anthol. Massachusetts Poets/William S. Braithwaite[mpoetxxx.xxx] 2294 Aug 2000 A New England Girlhood[Beverly, MA] by Lucy Larcom[grlhdxxx.xxx] 2293 Aug 2000 Yet Again, by Max Beerbohm [Max Beerbohm #8][ytagnxxx.xxx] 2292 Aug 2000 David Elginbrod, by George MacDonald[Scottish][#7][?lgnbxxx.xxx] 2291 Aug 2000 Twenty-Two Goblins, Translated from the Sanskrit [22gblxxx.xxx] 2290 Aug 2000 Rosmersholm, by Henrik Ibsen [Henrik Ibsen #1] [rsmrhxxx.xxx] 2289 Aug 2000 Through Russia, by Maxim Gorky [Maxim Gorky #2] [trussxxx.xxx] 2288 Aug 2000 Havoc, by E. Philips Oppenheim[E. P. Oppenheim #9][havocxxx.xxx] 2287 Aug 2000 Devil's Ford by, Bret Harte [Bret Harte #11][dvlfdxxx.xxx] 2286 Aug 2000 Ridgway of Montana, by William MacLeod Raine [#4][rdgwyxxx.xxx] 2285 Aug 2000 Animal Heroes, by Ernest Thompson Seton [Seton #2][anhroxxx.xxx] 2284 Aug 2000 The Lost Road, etc, by Richard Harding Davis [#30][lstrdxxx.xxx] 2283 *** The Future Of Project Gutenberg We have had renewed interest in various areas of music, from publishing more song lyrics and scores to listenable pieces in MIDI, WAV, and MP3. We would LOVE to expand our Music Team to all kinds of music, classical, folk, jazz, and music from a wide variety of countries and cultures. *** Today Is Day #224 of 2003 This Completes Week #32 146 Days/21 Weeks To Go [We get 53 Wednesdays this year] 964 Books To Go To #10,000 119 Days To December 10, 2003 [Our Goal For eBook #10,000] [Our production year begins/ends 1st Wednesday of the month/year] Week #68 Of Our SECOND 5,000 eBooks 72 Weekly Average in 2003 47 Weekly Average in 2002 24 Weekly Average in 2001 39 Only 39 Numbers Left On Our Reserved Numbers list [Used to be well over 100] *** Continuing Requests For Assistance: Project Gutenberg--Canada will be starting up soon, please let us know if you would like to volunteer! Copyright in Canada is "Life +50" as in Australia, and we have volunteers working on both of these. 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For more information, including several other ways to donate, go to http://promo.net/pg/donation.html or email donate@gutenberg.net *** HOW TO GET EBOOKS FROM OUR MIRROR SITES http://promo.net/pg (aka http://www.gutenberg.net) allows searching by title, author, language and subject. Mirrors (copies) of the complete collection are available around the world. http://gutenberg.net/list.html can get you to the nearest one. These sites and indices are not instant, as the cataloguing needs to be done by our professional Chief Cataloguer. --"INSTANT" ACCESS TO OUR LATEST eBOOKS Use your Web browser or FTP program to visit our master download site (or a mirror) if you know the filename you want. Try: http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext04 or ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04 and look for the first five letters of the filesname. Note that updated eBooks usually go in their original directory (e.g., etext99, etext00, etc.) *** Have We Given Away A Trillion Books/Dollars Yet??? Statistical Review In the 32 weeks of this year, we have produced 2293 new eBooks. It took us from 1971 to 1999 to produce our FIRST 2293 eBooks!!! That's 32 WEEKS as Compared to 29 YEARS!!! With 9,036 eBooks online as of August 13, 2003 it now takes an average of 100,000,000 readers gaining a nominal value of $1.11 from each book, for Project Gutenberg to have currently given away $1,000,000,000,000 [One Trillion Dollars] in books. 100,000,000 readers is only about 1.585 percent of the world's population! This "cost" is down from about $1.74 when we had 5749 eBooks A Year Ago Can you imagine 9,036+ books each costing $.64 less a year later??? Or. . .would this say it better? Can you imagine 9,036+ books each costing 1/3 less a year later??? At 9036 eBooks in 32 Years and 2.25 Months We Averaged 280 Per Year [About how many we do per month these days!] 23 Per Month .78 Per Day At 2293 eBooks Done In The 224 Days Of 2003 We Averaged 10 Per Day 72 Per Week 314 Per Month The production statistics are calculated based on full weeks of production, each production-week starting/ending Wednesday noon, starting with the first Wednesday in January. January 1st was was the first Wednesday of 2003, and thus ended the production year of 2002 and began the production year of 2003 at noon. This year there will be 53 Wednesdays, thus one extra week. ***Headline News*** [PG Editor's Comments In Brackets] From Newsscan: UCITA SUPPORT FADING FAST Key backers of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) have bowed to pressure from opposition groups and will stop lobbying for the bill's passage. The bill was intended to protect software developers from intellectual property theft by bringing into conformity conflicting software licensing laws in various states, but critics, including the American Bar Association and the American Library Association, said the legislation would grant software makers too much power over their products at the expense of consumers. So far, UCITA has been enacted in only two states, Maryland and Virginia, and now that the effort has lost the support of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL), UCITA is unlikely to gain further consideration from other states, says an NCCUSL spokeswoman. Opponents of the bill commended NCCUSL for its decision: "It is heartening to see NCCUSL backing away from a very flawed statute, but it will never be able to write sound law for the information economy until it takes to heart the criticisms of the user sector," said Jean Braucher, a law professor at the University of Arizona and a member of AFFECT -- Americans For Fair Electronic Commerce Transactions. (CNet News.com 7 Aug 2003) [THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT *NOT* MADE GLORIOUS SUMMER VIA TECH SUPPORT] [I have advised 100's of people NOT to do this. . .duh! Here it lies R.I.P.] [I downloaded an "upgrade" from Micron to fix some problems that made their CDROM drive pretty iffy on reading CDROMs written via consumer CD writers. Well, it's not "iffy" any more. . .now it won't read ANY of them, AND will not read many OEM install CDROMs, even many from MicroSoft, so I can't install a new OS which Micron said MIGHT help some.] [I just spent THREE hours installing a new OS over a network connection. . .didn't help. . . in fact I liked ALL the old stuff better, so far.] NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT WITH TECH SUPPORT A March survey of 10,000 computer users by Consumer Reports magazine indicates that of the 8 million users who seek tech support from software companies every year, about a third are not helped. "People are so frustrated with tech support, they're not even calling," says CR senior editor Jeff Blyskal. Not only that, but software's getting worse, according to a 2002 report funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. That study estimated that software glitches cost the U.S. economy about $60 billion a year, with more than half of that borne by users. "Consumers are unpaid conscripts in an unpaid army of product testers who go and find the problems and alert the manufacturers," says Blyskal. And while a spokesman for the Software and Information Industry Association says software makers do not intentionally hurry products to market before all the bugs are worked out, experts say the current crop of software is riddled with errors, in part because of its increasing complexity. To make matters worse, many companies are starting to charge users for the privilege of attempting to resolve problems while the number of tech support personnel steadily dwindles. And software firms' strategy of channeling users toward online help menus and e-mail leaves much to be desired, according to the CR survey, which showed that 73% of users said Web solutions are hard to find, navigate or don't work at all. The e-mail route is equally as frustrating, with 50% reporting either unhelpful replies, response delays of longer than two days or no response at all. Meanwhile, industry watchers hold out little hope for improvement: "You're adding more complex software, more hardware devices, home-based Internet applications. These things interact and they don't always work together. That's going to make this a bigger problem," says Blyskal.(CNN.com 8 Aug 2003) http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/08/07/software.glitches/index.html PRICE DISCRIMINATION COULD SPARK CONSUMER BACKLASH The Internet has made it easy for consumers to comparison shop for items such as mortgages, cars, airline tickets and the like, but the flip side of that convenience is that sellers also know more about buyers than ever before: how much they buy, when they buy, and even how much they can afford to pay. The inevitable result is price discrimination -- the practice of offering different prices to different buyers, something that drives consumers crazy. For example, a few years ago Coca-Cola experimented with vending machines that jacked up the price of its sodas as the temperature rose. And airlines have become masters of the practice, offering different customers the exact same thing -- a seat on a plane -- for vastly different prices. But University of Minnesota mathematician Andrew Odlyzko says even though consumers hate it, companies increasingly will try to vary their prices to suit certain times, places or buyers. But the trend could spark a consumer backlash, fueled by growing concern over personal privacy issues. "The growth in price discrimination is just one factor involved in this evolution of our economy toward where the fight is really going to be -- about ownership or control of information," says Odlyzko. (AP/Siliconvalley.com 7 Aug 2003) NEW WORM TARGETS MICROSOFT SECURITY SITE A virus-like computer attack expected to infect hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide is programmed to direct all infected computers to attack the security-related Microsoft Web site www.windowsupdate.com, used by millions of Microsoft users each week. The worm, variously called LoveSan, Blaster and MSBlaster, is apparently similar in structure to the Code Red virus that affected 300,000 computers two years ago; it targets a flaw in Microsoft Windows operating systems, and is considered to be a worm type of virus because it doesn't require computer users to open an e-mail attachment or take any other action to spread automatically from computer to computer. Home computer users who leave computers constantly online to the Internet through DSL or cable are among those most at risk. (San Jose Mercury News 11 Aug 2003) http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6511962.htm AMERICA ONLINE WANTS 'AOL' FOR ITSELF America Online CEO Jonathan Miller has asked AOL Time Warner to drop the "AOL" portion of its moniker, because he's concerned that "AOL," the online service, is being confused with "AOL," used as shorthand for the world's largest media company. "I believe it's time for us to get our brand back," said Miller in an e-mail to staff Monday. "Any controversy or criticism involving the corporate entity has actually hit our consumer brand." A company spokeswoman said AOL Time Warner chief executive Richard Parsons is considering Miller's proposal, but the final decision will be up to the company's board. AOL Time Warner's name has been in the news recently as the Securities and Exchange Commission investigates possible accounting irregularities, mainly at the AOL division, which is also struggling with dialup defection as subscribers switch over to broadband ISPs. (AP 11 Aug 2003) http://apnews.excite.com/article/20030811/D7SS04DO0.html MICROSOFT MUST PAY $521 MILLION FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENTS A federal court in Chicago has ruled that Microsoft must pay $521 million to Eolas Technologies and the University of California for infringing patents owned by UC and licensed to Eolas. At issue is code included in Internet Explorer that enables it to use plug-ins and applets, allowing Web surfers to view multimedia or real-time content within a Web browser rather than a separate software application. Eolas originally filed the lawsuit in 1999, and will receive 75% of the proceeds from the verdict, minus legal fees and costs, and UC will receive the remaining 25%. Microsoft has said it will appeal the jury verdict. (CNet News.com 11 Aug 2003) http://news.com.com/2100-1012_3-5062409.html [Anyone Want To Try This On Behalf Of Project Gutenberg??? hart@pobox.com] IS 'SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION' THEORY AN ACADEMIC MYTH? Columbia University researchers have conducted the first large-scale experiment examining the "six degrees of separation" theory, which posits that a short chain of acquaintances (six links or less) can be found between almost any two people in the world. In this global study, more than 60,000 people tried to get in touch with one of 18 people in 13 countries, and of the more than 24,000 e-mail chains that were started fewer than 2% reached their targets. The successful chains arrived quickly, requiring only four steps to get there, but the rest failed when someone in the middle did not forward the e-mail. Psychologist Judith S. Kleinfeld of the University of Alaska calls the "six degrees of separation" theory the "academic equivalent of an urban myth" and says: "Instead of showing we live in a small world, it really shows the opposite. Ninety-eight percent of people can't reach anybody. What do they conclude? 'Hey, we're all connected.' What? All I'm saying is this study didn't prove it." The follow-up experiment is at http://smallworld.columbia.edu. (New York Times 12 Aug 2003) http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/08/12/science/12MAIL.html History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. Abba Eban If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them. Isaac Asimov JUDGE THROWS OUT RIAA SUBPOENAS A federal judge in Boston has rejected subpoenas filed by the Recording Industry Association of America last month as part of its nationwide crackdown on digital music file-sharing. The subpoenas targeted students at Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who used various screen names to share songs online. In his ruling, Judge Joseph L. Tauro said that under federal rules, subpoenas issued in Washington cannot be served in Massachusetts. The RIAA called the ruling "a minor procedural issue" but declined to say whether it would refile in Boston. (AP 8 Aug 2003) http://apnews.excite.com/article/20030809/D7SQ5LC80.html You have been reading excerpts from NewsScan NewsScan Daily is underwritten by RLG, a world-class organization making significant and sustained contributions to the effective management and appropriate use of information technology. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the text, html, or handheld versions of NewsScan Daily, send the appropriate subscribe or unsubscribe messages (i.e., with the word 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' in the subject line) to: Text version: Send message to NewsScan@NewsScan.com Html version: Send mail to NewsScan-html@NewsScan.com NewsScan-To-Go: http://www.newsscan.com/handheld/current.html *** From Edupage RIAA ENCOUNTERS ROADBLOCK In what the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has deemed a "minor procedural issue," a federal judge ruled that some of the RIAA's subpoenas are invalid because they were issued from the wrong jurisdiction. Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently received subpoenas requesting the identities of students suspected of illegally trading copyrighted material, but the schools noted that the subpoenas were issued from Washington, D.C., and should not be valid in Massachusetts. Judge Joseph L. Tauro agreed and threw out those subpoenas. The RIAA said the ruling does not change the "undeniable fact" that Internet service providers, in this case the universities in question, are legally required to reveal the identities of suspected copyright violators. BBC, 11 August 2003 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3140933.stm ISPS CONTEST RIAA SUBPOENAS An organization representing Internet service providers (ISPs) will send a letter this week to the recording industry, expressing the group's concern over the ongoing subpoenas from the recording industry. The letter from NetCoalition, which represents more than 100 ISPs, requests a meeting with representatives of the recording industry to discuss how the group determines which individuals to pursue as violators and how it maintains accurate information in the subpoenas. According to the letter, NetCoalition fears that the goal of the subpoenas is to make ISPs legally accountable for the actions of their users, something the recording industry "has not yet been able to accomplish in Congress" but that it is trying to accomplish in the courts. An attorney from the recording industry association said the purpose of the subpoenas is simply to force ISPs to comply with the law. New York Times, 11 August 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/11/technology/11LETT.html ["Nothing In Our Schools Is More Important Than Safety," school official.] [Those Who Would Sacrifice Freedom For Safety, Deserve Neither." Franklin] WEBCAM SURVEILLANCE IN BILOXI SCHOOLS Public schools in Biloxi, Mississippi, now have Web cameras in every classroom, as the result of a two-year-long school-safety project. The webcams are housed in circular domes on the ceiling and provide a sweeping view of the classrooms to school administrators. A Biloxi school system administrator reports that students and teachers have said they feel safer: "They've been well received in the community. We have not had any problems or complaints whatsoever." In rebuttal, the president of the Mississippi American Federation of Teachers worries the cameras may affect teacher/student rapport and doubts the cameras will act as enough of a crime deterrent to justify the intrusion or the $2 million project cost. (AP/New York Times 12 Aug 2003) http://partners.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Classroom-Cameras.html You have been reading excerpts from Edupage: If you have questions or comments about Edupage, http://news.com.com/2100-1040-958352.html or send e-mail to: edupage@educause.edu To SUBSCRIBE to Edupage, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU and in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName *** About the Project Gutenberg Monthly Newsletter: [Goes out approximately first Wednesday of each month. 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pgweekly_2003_08_13_part_1.txt
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