+ Cameraphone Searching in Japan (via SEW Blog)
Greg Sterling offers a great review of today’s NY Times article. For more on something similar, cameraphone searching, take a look at this comprehensive ResourceShelf post from a few months ago. We mention several products, word of research from MS and a look at several services including Semapedia. Btw, we also include a mention of some cameraphone searching availability in Japan since 2003. More on the service from NeoMedia in this announcement.

See Also: Although Not Available for Mobile (Yet), I’m Constantly Amazed at the Accuracy (Where We’re Specifically Located) and the Local Info We Can Quickly Access using a Wi-Fi Connection, a Browse and Some Software (free) Launched This Spring (U.S. Only) Called Loki. Worth a Look. Perfect? Nope. But it’s getting better and already quite impressive. We can’t wait for a mobile version to become available when wi-fi enabled devices become more popular.

See Also: Location Based Mapping Service from MapQuest Announced
More here.

+ Google loses French trademark lawsuit
See Also: http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060628-122055

+ Case Withdrawn: Google Book Search Wins Victory In German Challenge (via SEW Blog)

+ Microsoft Releases Final Beta Version of Internet Explorer 7 (via News.com)
Download Beta 3 here.

Articles in the newsletter include:
+ Harmless drudgery – getting started at the OED (the story of a new OED employee)
+ Interesting antedatings
+ Thought-provoking snippets from the OED quotation files

Also, on June 15th, the OED added several new entries and updates were made to the dictionary. One list is available here. New terms include “yada yada,” “geocache,” and “Energizer bunny.”

The search-related news is that Google (as a verb) is now a “draft entry (June 2006)” in this legendary and authoritative English dictionary.

intr. To use the Google search engine to find information on the Internet.
trans. To search for information about (a person or thing) using the Google search engine.

This is the second entry for Google as a verb. An early 20th century OED definition:

intr. Of the ball: to have a ‘googly’ break and swerve. Of the bowler; to bowl a googly or googlies; also (trans.), to give a googly break to (a ball). Hence googler, a googly bowler

If you’re into creating diagrams (think Visio), Gliffy.com is a new web-based app (beta, free with pricing plans coming soon) that offers many of the same features in a web environment. From flowcharts to floor plans. We haven’t had a chance to check this one out yet but will soon. Looks useful and interesting. Examples here.

See Also: This RS Post Has Links to Several Excellent Web 2.0 Application Directories

Front Page: 100 Years of British Newspapers is a new exhibit that recently opened at the British Library in London. The “web version” of the exhibit offers several items including:

• View and read about 29 memorable British front page headlines
• Search a complete digitised archive of the Penny Illustrated Paper from 1861 to 1913
• Learn more about the British Library’s collection of newspapers and how we are making them available while safeguarding them for the future

What makes a company wired? We start by looking for the basics: strategic vision, global reach, killer technology. But that’s not enough. To land a spot on our annual Wired 40 list, a business also needs the X-factor – a hunger for new ideas and an impatience to put them into practice. Such companies inevitably become trendsetters, literally: As we debated and redebated the list this year, six major themes flickered into view. From the rise of peer production to the end of carbon pollution, they tell us where the world is heading. These are the companies leading the way.

Search and info companies making the Wired 40. The number in (paren) is where the company was ranked in 2005.

1. Google (2)
2. Apple (1)
5. Yahoo (5)
6. Amazon.com (4)
9. News.Corp (NEW)
19. eBay (10)
20. Infospace (NEW)
36. Microsoft (28)

Companies no longer on the list can be found here. They include:
+ Fedex
+ Nokia
+ Dell

Source: Wired

See Also: Lists & Rankings: Google Guys Place Second on New Business 2.0 List of Fifty Who Matter in Business

2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation (via DocuTicker.com)
“Data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book are now available in our easy-to-use, powerful online database, “State Level Data Online“, that allows you to generate custom graphs, maps, ranked lists, and state-by-state profiles; or, download the entire data set as delimited text files. The pull-down menus to the left also allow you to read the book online or view the book in PDF format. Additionally, you can order a free copy of the Data Book.”

The 100 best products of the year
“We rated each candidate on its design, performance, and specifications. We generally did not consider price in our evaluations; instead, we looked for products that represent the cream of the crop. But in compiling our list, some products were such great bargains that we couldn’t ignore them. Of course, ranking laptops and Linux distributions in one place is tricky, but we used the same scoring system for each candidate and assessed them as consistently as we could. This year we have also assigned each candidate an “impact” score, to recognize significant products that changed the technology landscape. And last, we ranked every World Class award winner by its final score, creating our list of the year’s top 100 products.”

Source: Computerworld

Via ResourceShelf’s DocuTicker

Hamdan V. Rumsfeld, Secretary Of Defense, et al. (via FindLaw, includes dissents)
Also available direct from U.S. Supreme Court as PDF File (185 pages)

See Also: High court blocks Gitmo military tribunals (via CNN)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday strongly limited the power of the Bush administration to conduct military tribunals for suspected terrorists imprisoned at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The 5-3 ruling means officials will have to come up with a new policy to prosecute at least 10 so-called “enemy combatants” awaiting trial — it does not address the government’s ability to detain suspects.

Profit 100: Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies
“The 18th annual PROFIT 100 ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies proves there is opportunity in every sector of the economy — and every market around the world — for businesses that deliver what customers want: real value.” Direct to list.

Source: Canadian Business Online

The ARTnews 200 Top Collectors

Our annual list of the world’s top collectors by The Editors of ARTnews

Source: ARTnews

One service that we’ve mentioned (and continue to mention) regularly on ResourceShelf is NewspaperARCHIVE.com. In the past few months we’ve posted, on an almost weekly basis, links to subject-focused, full text, full image archives of newspaper pages available free to the general public. Very cool and very useful. Here are a few examples of what we’ve been posting. The digitization company currently digitizes about 2.5 million newspaper pages per month.

Today, we’ve learned that NewspaperARCHIVE.com is now offering free (to K-12 Schools and public libraries) access to a major portion of their database via IP authorization.

This free version of Access NewspaperARCHIVE will allow users to view, save, and print full-page newspapers dating from 1759 to 1977.

To participate, all that K-12 schools and libraries have to do is sign up. More information about the sign-up process is available at http://access.newspaperarchive.com. The complete press release is also available at this URL.

Long Term Fate of Our Digital Belongings: Toward a Service Model for Personal Archives
by Sara Bly, Francoise Brun-Cottan, Catherine C. Marshall
6 pages; PDF.

This paper provides useful background information on how home computer users are creating, receiving, and archiving their data. Based on the results of a survey, the study highlights the obstacles faced in PIM such as inconsistent and piecemeal approaches to the problem and lack of technical support. There is also the notion among home computer users that digital data is long lived, so minimal intervention is required. The conclusion is that unless a systematic approach to digital archiving is developed by personal computer users, personal digital data is in danger of being irrevocably lost. The information gathered will be used by the authors towards their goal of designing a Personal Information Management (PIM) system.

Published in Proceedings of IS&T Archiving 2006. (Ottawa, Canada, May 23-26, 2006), Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 2006.

The RFID solutions providers Tagsys and Integrated Technology Group (ITG) have made a valuable contribution for the renovation work at the Alvar branch of New Orleans Public Library. The Alvar branch was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina last year.

Tagsys and ITG donated RFID tags for this library. It will reopen for the public on July 5. Now the visitors will find almost all the 13,000 books on its shelves have RFID tags.

Source: RFID Blog

Something new sponsored by the Canadian Library Association.

The idea for a month dedicated to library and information services in Canada was developed by provincial and territorial library partners from across the country to help raise public awareness of the valuable role that libraries play in local communities.

Source: CLA

+ OverDrive Adds Audiobooks from Random House

+ ProQuest Announces New Program and Services for Library Schools

All North American library schools are eligible for free school term access to such popular ProQuest databases as ABI/INFORM®, Research Library, National Newspapers, ProQuest Historical Newspapers™, Literature Online, eLibrary, SIRS, and Black Studies Center. The free subscriptions will be available to library school students only and not available campus-wide.

++ ProQuest Provides Content and Functionality Upgrade to All Public Library Historical Newspaper Subscribers
+++ ProQuest Expands Agreement with Getty Images to Provide Largest Image Archive Available to the Library and Educational Markets
++++ ProQuest Donates ‘Shelter Library’ to New Orleans Public Library

+ Scirus partners with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

+ New Version of Endeavor’s Voyager ILS Released

+ Factiva Unveils a Range of Powerful Tools to Combat Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Risk

New Memorandum: Protection of Sensitive Agency Information
10 pages; PDF

Source: Office of Manangement and Budget, White House

See Also: CIA Adds 35 New Documents to FOIA Electronic Reading Room

Full Text: The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke

From the news release:
U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

The report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, finds that even brief secondhand smoke exposure can cause immediate harm. The report says the only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors.

This URL contains the news release, highlights, and a direct link to the full text of the report.

Source: CDC

• Oil Industry Profit Review 2005
• Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment
• Navy Ship Propulsion Technologies: Options for Reducing Oil Use — Background for Congress
• Cuba after Fidel Castro: Issues for U.S. Policy
• An Overview of Tax Benefits for Higher Education Expenses
• Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: 109th Congress Proposed Refinements
• Saving Incentives: What May Work, What May Not
• The International Space Station and the Iran Nonproliferation Act (INA): The Bush Administration’s Proposed INA Amendment
• Iraq: Elections, Government, and Constitution
• Regulation of Broadcast Indecency: Background and Legal Analysis
• Nonimmigrant Overstays: Brief Synthesis of the Issue
• U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Rising Oil Prices
• International Population Assistance and Family Planning Programs: Issues for Congress
• International Efforts to Control the Spread of the Avian Influenza (H5N1) Virus: Affected Countries’ Responses

Sources: CRS via OpenCRS, FAS, FPC, NCSE, US Embassy in Rome

Cadillac Escalade and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution top the list of highest insurance claims for theft
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (via DocuTicker.com)
“Versions of the 2003-05 Cadillac Escalade, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab pickup have the highest rates of insurance theft claims. The 3 vehicles have claim rates 4 to 5 times the average for all vehicles. These are the latest theft loss results for passenger vehicles 1 to 3 years old published by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.”
Full Document (PDF; 175 KB)

Just released report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics

Presents data on citizen complaints about police use of force received by large, general purpose State and local law enforcement agencies as well as on complaint dispositions. Findings presented are from new questions on formal citizen complaints about police use of force added to the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey.

Highlights include the following:

During 2002 large State and local law enforcement agencies, representing 5% of agencies and 59% of officers, received a total of 26,556 citizen complaints about police use of force.
About a third of all force complaints in 2002 were not sustained (34%). Twenty-five percent were unfounded, 23% resulted in officers being exonerated, and 8% were sustained.
Using sustained force complaints as an indicator of excessive force results in an estimate of about 2,000 incidents of police use of excessive force among large agencies in 2002.

Source: BJS