08.19.03

Blogging Systems

Posted in Blogging, Pedagogy and Scholarship at 5:22 pm by Lisa Spangenberg

I’ve been experimenting, off and on, with both Live Journal, a free (with increased options for paying users) “journal” style blogging system with built in tools for community involvement and communication between other Live Journalers, and with Fotolog.net, a free (but limited) photo blogging systems, with increased options for pay. Both systems are intriguing, with easy to use interfaces and potential for instructional use. I’m particularly struck by the possibilities for foreign language instruction, in part because of the extensive multi-lingual communities both systems have.

08.12.03

MS loses patent suit: forgot to buy jury

Posted in Copyright at 10:39 am by Lisa Spangenberg

From Observable Phenomena

- A news report yesterday stated that benevolent software hegemony Microsoft (all blessings to them [please don’t hurt us!]) lost a patent suit brought jointly by Eolas Technology and the University of California. The jury decided that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer contains functions that infringe an Eolas-UC patent, and the jury awarded the plaintiffs over half a billion dollars. Microsoft, looking through its pockets for spare change to tip the legal staff, announced that they will appeal the decision. Given the justice system’s track record in dealing with Microsoft, one can expect that within five years California will boast the William Gates University of California, and that the degrees it grants will be licensed on a three-year renewable basis.