Web Search–Google
Source: Wired News
Lawsuit: Google Stole Orkut Code
“A small social-networking software company has filed suit against Google, claiming that much of the source code behind orkut.com, the search engine’s popular social service, was stolen by a former engineer. In its lawsuit, Affinity Engines, based in Palo Alto, California, said engineer Orkut Buyukkokten illegally took the code that he had written for the company — which he co-founded — with him when he joined Google. Affinity Engines also claimed that Buyukkokten promised Affinity Engines that he wouldn’t develop a competing social-network service for Google. Affinity Engines, which filed the claim on May 25 in Santa Clara Superior Court, is seeking unspecified damages and royalties.”
See Also: Dates and other info via the court docket.

Desktop Search
Source: New Scientist
Apple Previews Desktop Search Technology
This area is making news on what seems like a daily basis. From the article, “The ‘most revolutionary’ feature of Tiger, according to [Steve] Jobs, is a new search tool, known as Spotlight. This fits into the desktop task bar and promises to let users search through various types of data, including email messages, address book entries, text documents and images in a fraction of a second. Spotlight can scour through more than 100,000 files in less a second. It achieves this by using special classifying information known as “metadata”, which is automatically tagged to documents to provide a simple description.” The author mentions Google’s rumored product (will it be available for the Mac?) and the MS Longhorn technology but fails to note existing players like X1 and the recent Ask Jeeves acquisition of Tukaroo.
UPDATED 7/1: Sun Microsystems has licensed the Watson search technology for desktop search. (via News.com)

Iraq–Internet
Source: AP (via FindLaw)
Iraqi Sovereignty Won’t Extend to the Web
“More than 240 places have their own two-letter Internet country codes, from ‘.ac’ for Ascension Island to ‘.zw’ for Zimbabwe. There’s even ‘.ps’ for the Palestinian territories. But the domain assigned to Iraq, ‘.iq,’ is stuck in a strange bureaucratic limbo - the company that had administered it is under U.S. criminal indictment - and could remain there for months. As a result, if Iraq’s government, national institutions or regular Iraqis want a Web site, they need to use international domains, such as ‘.com,’ ‘.org’ or ‘.net’, which are maintained in the United States.”

Web Search Briefs
+ Adios to AllTheWeb’s URL Investigator
Sad news. It appears that AllTheWeb’s useful URL Investigator feature is no more. After many of ATW’s special search features were removed a couple of months ago, URL Investigator remained online. However, we’ve just noticed that it’s no longer working. URL Investigator was first launched in March 2003.
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+ UJIKO Launches German Language Interface
Here’s the ResourceShelf 5/04 overview of this search resource from KartOO. The company is also touting faster response times on all interfaces (French, English, German).
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+ Gigablast Reaches Half-Billion Page Mark
Matt Wells has really cranked up his crawler. Kudos Matt!

Professional Reading Shelf
Students–Research
Source: Library Journal
Columbia Study: University Students Gravitate to Electronic Resources
From the article: “For a while, librarians and others in the scholarly community have been saying that college students often try Google first and may miss more serious sources available via the library or its web site. Now some statistics back that up. The Electronic Publishing Initiative at Columbia (EPIC), as part of a longer project on electronic resources, recently released the results of its study of 1,223 undergraduate and graduate students around the country, specializing in the fields of political science, international affairs or earth/environmental science. The results, which made the front page of the June 21 New York Times, led EPIC to point out the need to train students on how to evaluate resources, as well as the need to provide better access to full-text digital sources.”
Read the Executive Summary
Read the study [PPT]
See Also Gary’s views on the article that appeared in the New York Times
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Libraries–Filtering
Source: Managing Information
American Library Association To Launch USA Patriot Study
From the article: “The American Library Association (ALA) announced during its 2004 Annual Conference in Orlando (June 24 to 30) that it is seeking funding to conduct this fall an in-depth, longitudinal study of Law Enforcement Access to Library Records and Technology. The study seeks to make clear the extent to which a variety of law enforcement tools are used to gather data on individuals through their interaction with public and academic libraries in the wake of the USA PATRIOT Act.”
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Intellectual Property–Digital Rights Management
Microsoft Research DRM Talk
Transcript of speech given by Cory Doctorow to Microsoft’s Research Group on why digital rights management systems “don’t work…are bad for society…are bad for business…are bad for artists…are a bad business move for Microsoft”.

Briefly
+ Thomson Gale Announces Single Platform For Online Resources
+ ScienceDirect collection reaches 6 million full-text articles

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Glossaries–Employment and Compensation
Two from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
+ BLS Glossary
Definitions of labor and employment terms as used in BLS research and publications.
+ Glossary of Compensation Terms (PDF; 200 KB)
Employee compensation terms with brief definitions.
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Education–Statistics–United States
Source: U.S. Census
Just Released, Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003
Summary ||| Fast Facts
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Small Business–United Kingdom
Source: House of Commons Library
New Report, Small Firms: Red Tape
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Alcohol and Tobacco–Taxation
Source: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Complete Industry Circular Archive Now Available Online
From the site: “Due to popular demand we have made available all the Industry Circulars issued by TTB, the former Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and their predecessor agencies since the Internal Revenue Service’s former Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division issued the first circular in 1954.”
Note - All industry circulars are in PDF format
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Terrorism–Information Technology
Source: Institute for Security Studies (Dartmouth College)
Examining the Cyber Capabilities of Islamic Terrorist Groups
“Discussions between law enforcement, the private sector, and academia revealed that there is a lack of authoritative unclassified materials concerning the use of cyber technology by Islamic terrorist groups. To meet this need, the Technical Analysis Group at the Institute for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College has prepared a report detailing how cyber technologies are exploited by these hostile groups. There is clear, factual evidence that Islamic terrorist groups are using information technologies to facilitate propaganda, recruitment and training, fundraising, communications, and targeting operations.”
Full Report (PDF; 3.17 MB)

Internet–Pornography
Supreme Court Keeps Net Porn Law on Ice
Source: CNET
“A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday barred prosecutors from filing criminal cases under a federal law designed to restrict Internet pornography, concluding that enforcement could violate Americans’ free-speech rights…. The majority opinion…written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, suggested that a trial may show that filtering software was a more effective way of preventing children from seeing inappropriate material than relying on criminal laws that can’t reach overseas.” He did acknowledge the limitations of Internet filters. “‘Filtering software is not a perfect solution to the problem of children gaining access to harmful-to-minors materials,’ Kennedy wrote. ‘It may block some materials that are not harmful to minors and fail to catch some that are.’”
Read the decision [PDF]

Web Search–Google
Several Google Officers and Directors File Documents with the Securties and Exchange Commission
Late Monday, several Google execs and board members filed Form 3 (Initial Statement Of Beneficial Ownership Of Securities)with the SEC. It contains the number of shares (preferred stock, common stock, stock options) that these officers and directors will receive. Some of this was included in the IPO filing but a bit more detail in Monday’s filings:
+ Sergey Brin
+ Larry Page
+ Eric Schmidt
+ Arthur Levinson
+ Omid Kordestani
+ Michael Moritz
+ Shriram Kavitark Ram
+ John Doerr
+ David Drummond
+ John Hennessy
+ Jonathan Rosenberg
+ Wayne Rosing
+ Shona Brown

and in other Google News…
A Company Google is in a Legal Dispute With (Digital Envoy) Receives a Patent (via News.com)

Government Information
Source: The Center for Public Integrity
Foreign Lobbyist Database Could Vanish
“Responding to a recent Freedom of Information request from the Center for Public Integrity , the Justice Department’s Foreign Agent Registration Unit said it was unable to copy its records electronically because their computer system was ’so fragile.’ In a letter, the head of the unit’s Freedom of Information office said that simply attempting to make an electronic copy of the database ‘could result in a major loss of data, which would be devastating.’ The database details millions of dollars spent on lobbying activities by foreign governments, companies, and foundations. Those activities include everything from wining and dining lawmakers to broadcasting issue ads on American television and radio stations.” (via A.T)

Professional Reading Shelf
Government Information
Source: State Library of North Carolina, Access to State Government Information Work Group
Access to State Government Information: Extended Annotated Bibliography
Extensive annotated bibliography of online articles and documents covering access/search, digital libraries, government information, libraries, metadata, and preservation.
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Libraries–Public Access Computers
Source: Computers in Libraries
An Overview of Public Access Computer Software Management Tools for Libraries
“I’m about to describe a representative sample of software tools in several important categories. This article does not attempt to address all programs in all software management categories because there are too many products to do that. I’ll discuss specific products from specific vendors, but won’t recommend any. You should do further research and make a purchase decision appropriate to your environment. Most of the software discussed in this article is available for testing prior to purchase. Some of the programs are free.” By Richard Wayne, systems groups manager, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
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Archives–United Kingdom
Redesigned Web Site Launched by National Archives
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Archives–United States
National Archives To Permanently Preserve Military Service Records
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Freedom of Information
Conference Announcement, Freedom of Information Conference
June 15th-17th 2005, Burleigh Court, Loughborough University UK
“An International Conference on the two concepts that are linked in the term ‘Freedom of Information’, providing an opportunity to explore the dimensions of the relationship between the two, and explore their significance for theory and practice in the field of information and communications.”
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Public Libraries–Delaware
Source: The News Journal
Delaware Libraries Offer Unequal Services
“Because of their separate histories, the different ways they are governed and resulting differences in finances, the nearly half a million patrons of the state’s 34 public libraries receive uneven levels of services depending on where they live and which library they use.”

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Iraq–Reconstruction
Source: U.S. GAO
Just released: Rebuilding Iraq: Resource, Security, Governance, Essential Services, and Oversight Issues (PDF; 3.74 MB)
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Legal Industry–United States–Lists & Rankings
Source: The American Lawyer
Just Released, The American Lawyer 100
“Top-grossing law firms in 2003.”
Article/Methodology ||| Top 10 ||| Top 100 (registration required, free)
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Internet–Voice over IP
Source: Pew Internet & American Life
New Report, One Quarter of Online Americans Have Heard of VOIP Telephone Service; About One in Eight are Considering Getting it at Home
“While telephone calling using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has attracted considerable attention in the business community and among policymakers, 27% of Internet users in the United States - or 17% of all Americans - have heard of the service.”
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Higher Education–United States–Statistics
Source: NSF
New Info Brief, Graduate Enrollment in Science and Engineering Fields Reaches New Peak; First-Time Enrollment of Foreign Students Declines
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E-Commerce–Privacy
Source: Harvard Business School
The Presentation of Self in the Information Age (PDF; 120 KB)
Working paper “…explores how buyers assert or accept digital identities, and how they evade digital identification and surveillance in their interactions with sellers.”
See also: Web Marketers Get Personal (NYT)
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Homeland Security–United States
Source: U.S. Conference of Mayors
Mayors Measure Interoperable Communication Between Cities, Regions, States and the Federal Government
From the Press Release: “The United States Conference of Mayors Homeland Security Monitoring Center today released its June 2004 Interoperability Report, which measures the reliability and effectiveness of communications systems between local city agencies and federal, regional, state and other local entities in responding to disasters. While the survey findings include encouraging data, it also reveals several local challenges, including funding, to communication.”
View the Report
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Air Travel
Mobissimo
We’re always looking for the “perfect” online search tool for air fares. Here’s a new beta. More on this one later. From the FAQ: “We search across the largest supplier base of any travel search engine on the Web. Our coverage includes travel agents such as Orbitz and Travelocity, consolidators such as Airfare.com and Onetravel.com, airlines such as United, American, and JetBlue, and international suppliers such as Zuji and eBookers.”
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United States–Statistics–Education
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Just Released - Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003 [PDF]
See Also - Attached Tables [PDF]

Search Engines–MSN
Source: CNET
Microsoft prepares for search assault
From the article: “Microsoft plans to kick off a series of improvements to its search capabilities starting in July as it looks to compete with heavyweights Google and Yahoo, Bill Gates said Monday. Microsoft’s chairman told a media briefing here that the company had ’several milestones with its search site’ on the way. In July, the format of the site will change–and so will the quality of what you get–and the way it’ll look is dramatically improved, Gates said. ‘It’ll be later this year that we actually roll out what’s entirely our own back-end driving the search.’ A mundane search task that needs improvement, Gates said, is a query about whether a given flight is on time. ‘Generic Web search today is actually terrible for that, but we should be able to look at your query and say, “Hey, that’s a flight number” and give a response that’s basically just a direct answer to the question, not a list of random Web sites.’”
Note: While we eagerly wait to see what MS is up to in the web search space, the example from Mr. Gates about entering an airline name and flight number is hardly “milestone.” Yahoo and Google (Yahoo’s seems to work better) have offered this service for nearly six months. Ask Jeeves has also been doing some very interesting things with their SmartSearch technology. In many cases, a trigger word isn’t needed and the result appears directly at the top of the results list.
See Also: A bit more in this News.com article

Professional Reading Shelf
Libraries–Intellectual Freedom
Source: Orlando Sentinel
Librarians Weigh Liberties: We’re Not Terror Police
“A group of about 50 college librarians attending the American Library Association’s annual convention met at the JW Marriott hotel in south Orange County on Sunday to figure out how to protect their patrons’ privacy and still preserve national security.”
See also: Cognotes (daily updates from the ALA Annual Conference)
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Engineering Literature
Source: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IEEE Library Training and Support
One-stop shopping for information on how to link to IEEE publications from your OPAC, journal e-mail alerts, graphics for library websites, promotional materials and tip sheets for users, shelf labels for IEEE collections, online training and classroom training schedules.
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Public Libraries–Overdues
Source: USA Today
Debt Collectors Go After Overdue Books
“As public libraries face declining or static funding and rising costs for books, a growing number are turning to stronger tactics to track down overdue material. Ignore the traditional overdue notice, and you may hear from a debt-collection agency.”
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Digital Archives–United Kingdom–British Library
Source: ZDNet/UK
British Library Plans to Archive Whole UK Web
“The British Library is starting the first phase of a project that may eventually lead to it archiving all UK Web sites.” Additional info in this announcement from the BL.
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Public Libraries–Popular Books
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Libraries Reveal Their Favorites
“This month, Library Journal has devised a survey of what Americans might actually be reading. Their new ‘bestsellers’ list records the most borrowed and requested books at hundreds of public libraries - from a bookmobile in rural Washington State to branch libraries in New York City.”
See: Check It Out! The Most Popular Library Books in America (PDF; 32 KB)
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Libraries–Budgets
Source: Association of Research Libraries
Libraries Investing in the Future First–Some Practical Suggestions
From the article: “This essay offers some practical suggestions for implementing transformative strategies for libraries, with a focus on using the materials budget as an investment fund. To ensure that mediocrity does not become an ever more apt description of our collections, and to meet the needs of present and future users, libraries must move transitioning and transformative options to the top of the priority list. These options look expensive only if judged against the marginal increases in our materials budget–if weighted more correctly, as an amount judged in the context of the total costs of research collections, they loom less large.”

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Drugs–Statistics
Source: United Nations/UNDOC
New Report, Just Released, 2004 World Drug Report
on a related note…
The Federal Research Division at the Library of Congress has just placed online a 12/2003 report, Marijuana Availability in the United States and Its Territories
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Traffic Safety–United States
Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
The Safety Impact of Vehicle-Related Road Debris (PDF; 1.93 MB)
From press release: “According to new research released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, vehicle parts, cargo, or other material that has been unintentionally discharged from vehicles onto the roadway is estimated to cause over 25,000 crashes per year in North America resulting in approximately 80-90 fatalities…. A survey of road authorities in the U.S. and Canada on maintenance practices found the three most prevalent forms of VRRD include tire treads, garbage from waste haulers, and lumber and construction materials.”
See also: Fact Sheet || Slide Show
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Military Rank Insignia and Decorations
A compilation of resources:
+ Why Is the Colonel Called “Kernal”? — The Origin of the Ranks and Rank Insignia Now Used by the United States Armed Forces (classic)
+ Understanding Military Rank
+ Insignia: The Way You Tell Who’s Who in the Military
+ United States Military: Rank Insignia
+ United States Military: Ribbons and Awards
+ Rank Insignia of the World
+ Rank Maven: World Rank Insignia Links
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Languages–Washington, D.C.
Source: The Brookings Institution
Polyglot Washington: Language Needs and Abilities in the Nation’s Capital
“An analysis of language use and English-speaking ability in the Washington metropolitan area reveals that: Twenty-one percent of the Washington metropolitan region’s population communicates in non-English languages at home, while in the District 17 percent of residents report speaking a language other than English at home. Regionwide, more than 100 languages are spoken.”
Full Report (PDF; 237 KB)
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Marriage–United States
Source: National Marriage Project (Rutgers University)
The State of Our Unions: The Social Health of Marriage in America 2004
“This year’s feature essay, ‘The Marrying Kind,’ reviews the results of a national survey of young men 25 to 34, looking at the characteristics of the men who marry and those who don’t. The report also includes updates of the social indicators of marriage, divorce, cohabitation, child wellbeing, and teen attitudes.” Also available in PDF (400 KB).
See also: Survey: Married men have more money, sex (Chicago Sun-Times)
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Business–Reading Lists
Source: Knowledge@Emory
Great Summer Reading Finds
“With summer just beginning to heat up, there’s plenty of time to relax and read a good book. Faculty members from Emory University and its Goizueta Business School, along with our savvy readers, offer up a list of books that are educational yet entertaining enough to take along on your next getaway.”