GWeekly_November_17.txt The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter For Wednesday, November 17, 2004 PT1 *******eBooks Readable By Both Humans And Computers Since July 4, 1971****** Newsletter editors needed! Please email hart@pobox.com or gbnewby@pglaf.org Anyone who would care to get advance editions: please email hart@pobox.com FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON Re: <http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=11670> "I was pleased to see NewsScan recommend Jules Verne's story "From the Earth to the Moon". I typed the story in 1989 as a donation for Project Gutenberg. It's available online by searching Google. (Rich Schroeppel)" [See addition reference in coverage below of the X-43A scramjet, etc.] November 16, 1904, 100 years ago, the first electronic tube was patented. TABLE OF CONTENTS [Search for "*eBook" or "*Intro". . .to jump to that section, etc.] *eBook Milestones *Introduction *Hot Requests New Sites and Announcements *Continuing Requests and Announcements *Progress Report *Distributed Proofreaders Collection Report *Project Gutenberg Consortia Center Report *Permanent Requests For Assistance: *Donation Information *Access To The Project Gutenberg Collections *Mirror Site Information *Instant Access To Our Latest eBooks *Have We Given Away A Trillion Yet? *Flashback *Weekly eBook update: This is now in PT2 of the Weekly Newsletter Also collected in the Monthly Newsletter Corrections in separate section 56 New Public Domain eBooks Under US Copyright *Headline News from NewsScan and Edupage *Information About the Project Gutenberg Mailing Lists *** *eBook Milestones 14,412 eBooks As Of Today!!! 11,350 New eBooks Since The Start Of 2001 We Have Now Produced about 3,505 eBooks In 2004 We Are Already ~41% of the Way from 14,000 to 15,000 688 to go to 15,000!!! We have now averaged ~432 eBooks per year since July 4th, 1971!!! It took ~32 years, from 1971 to 2003 to do our 1st 10,000 eBooks It took ~10 years from 1993 to 2003 to grow from 100 eBooks to 10,100 It took ~3 years from 2001 to 2004 for our last 10,000 eBooks * HOT REQUEST FOR EARLY EDITION OED Would anyone who can xerox 3 pages please contact gbnewby@pglaf.org HOT REQUEST FOR UNIX "GREP" EXPERT Please email hart@pglaf.org Still looking for more grep options HOT REQUEST FOR RUSSIAN TRANSLATOR We are trying to start up a Project Gutenberg Russian Team, and we need someone to translate simple email messages from members of Project Gutenberg who want to provide a service to the Russian Team, but who do not know Russian. . .these people will be helping with scanning, finding books, etc. The messages will be in MS Word's .doc format in cyrillic, we need them translated into English, also in a .doc file. Thanks!!! 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That's the 9.75 months of 2004 as Compared to ~31 years!!! *Headline News from NewsScan and Edupage [PG Editor's Comments In Brackets]

From NewsScan:

TELECOMMUTING TAKES OFF AT TECH FIRMS Thanks to better technology, such as collaborative software applications, a number of technology firms are giving more workers flexibility in how -- and where -- they do their jobs. When set up properly, telecommuting and flextime are good for both employers and workers, says Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute: "Providing flexibility isn't a perk. Flexible work (options) are part of effective companies." In fact, studies on telecommuting show that it increases workers' average productivity by 5% to 20%, says Jack Nilles, president of telecommuting consulting firm JALA International. "Most offices are dysfunctional. Interruptions are unbelievable," says Nilles, who adds that the number of people who work at least one day every couple of weeks away from the office is about 30 million this year, up 10% from last year. IBM is a case in point: In 2001, about a third of IBM employees worked outside the office at least some of the time. That figure has climbed to 42%, says Maria Ferris, manager of work/life and women's initiatives at Big Blue. Still, there are challenges to overcome: Top on the list is ensuring that company data isn't at risk when employees work from home, followed by convincing managers to supervise based on results rather than face-time, and ensuring that remote employees feel connected. (CNet News.com 15 Nov 2004) <http://news.com.com/At+tech+firms%2C+time+again+for+flextime/2100-1022_3-54 48994.html> UNIVERSAL AND SNOCAP MAKE MUSIC TOGETHER [NAPSTER LIVES!] Vivendi Universal has agreed to license its catalog of 150,000 songs to Snocap, a new venture headed up by Napster founder Shawn Fanning. It's unclear how Snocap's peer-to-peer service will work, but people close to the deal say one possibility is that the service would allow users to share a low-quality copy of a licensed song for free but would require a fee for access to a high-quality version. The other three big labels -- Warner Music, EMI Group and Sony BMG -- all are seeking ways to license legitimate copies of their songs to peer-to-peer network, but Universal's move marks the first such partnering deal. (Wall Street Journal 15 Nov 2004) <http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110030801621473060,00.html> (sub req'd) CISCO TO BUILD CHINA'S NEXT-GENERATION NETWORK [Remember our predictions about China?] [Also story below that India has more cell phones than land lines. Notice in this China article no mention is made of wired versus wireless.] Cisco Systems has been chosen by China Telecommunications Corp., China's biggest telecom company, to build China's next-generation backbone network. Known as the China Telecom Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network, it will connect more than 200 cities and allow China's users to connect to overseas networks through virtual private network (VPN) services. The next-generation network is part of a plan by China Telecom to become one of the world's largest providers of Internet protocol services within the next two decades. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 12 Nov 2004) <http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/10164520.htm> STUDYING NANOTECH RISKS [We heartily recommend you read "The Diamond Age," by Neal Stephenson, and "Engines of Creation," by Eric K. Drexler to see the potential in several very interesting perspectives.] The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $4 million in grants to a dozen universities to study the biological and medical implications of nanotechnology, which has already yielded such products as carbon "nanotube" electrical wires; cages of atoms that can capture pollutants in water and soil; and catalysts that reduce manufacturers' dependence upon caustic chemicals. Recognizing that these materials are small enough to enter the lungs (and perhaps even be absorbed through the skin and travel to the brain and other organs), EPA official Paul Gilman explained: "This emerging field has the potential to transform environmental protection, but at the same time we must understand whether nanomaterials in the environment can have an adverse impact." Barbara Karn of the EPA's Office of Research and Development says the projects funded by the new grants will do "infinitely more" on nanotech safety than has ever been done previously. (Washington Post 11 Nov 2004) <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43763-2004Nov11.html> AOL WINDS DOWN BROADBAND SERVICE [Why just the Southeast? Isn't AOL headquartered in Virginia?] [Will this bring back the "Digital Divide?" In only two months?] Earlier this year America Online stopped signing up new broadband customers -- and now it's telling existing broadband subscribers in nine Southern states that they'll need to find a new broadband carrier by mid-January, or face being moved to dial-up service. Broadband customers affected by this decision are residents of Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. (AP/Los Angeles Times 12 Nov 2004) <http://www.latimes.com/technology/ats-ap_technology10nov11,1,1067276.story? coll=sns-ap-toptechnology> MICROSOFT CRACKS DOWN ON XBOX MODIFICATIONS Cameron Ferroni, Microsoft's general manager for the Xbox software platform, says the company's not planning to sue individual users but that it does want to stop users of the Xbox Live online service from modifying their machines to improve their performance at games. Ferroni believes it's important that Microsoft prevent cheating on Xbox Live (where multiple players can take part in games) and says that the company's goal is to make sure there's a level playing field for game players. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 15 Nov 2004) <http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/10189248.htm> SOFTWARE FREE AS THE SUN, FROM SUN Sun Microsystems, which spent $500 million developing its next-generation operating system, will offer its Solaris 10 operating system free, in hopes of expanding both its customer base and the number of software developers who write programs for it. To generate revenue, the company will charge subscription fees for Solaris support and service programs. Sun chief executive Scott McNealy says: "Hewlett Packard sells a printer at a low price and makes a lot of money on printer cartridges. Gillette gives you the razor and makes a lot of money on the blades. There are different ways to drive market penetration." (AP 15 Nov 2004) <http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041115/D86CA3700.html> [See related story below in Edupage section] 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

STRONG SHOWING FOR ONLINE EDUCATION According to a new report by the Sloan Consortium, significantly more students are enrolling in online courses, and the perceived quality of online education is also rising. The study, which is in its second year, showed a 19 percent increase in the number of students enrolled in an online course. The authors of the report expect that number to grow by another 24 percent in the next year. Growth rates among private, for-profit institutions outpaces others by a factor of almost two to one. The study also showed increasing confidence in the quality of online education, with more than 40 percent of respondents saying they believe students are at least as satisfied with online courses as with classroom instruction. According to Jeff Seaman, chief information officer for the Sloan Consortium and coauthor of the study, small baccalaureate institutions are the slowest to embrace online learning. Administrators at those institutions, he said, are more likely to support small, on-campus classes for the type of educational experience they provide. Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 November 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/11/2004111503n.htm [and. . . .] S. KOREA CONSIDERS BANNING N. KOREAN COLLEGE WEB SITE Officials from South Korea are reportedly considering forbidding access to the Web site of North Korea's Kim Il-sung University in an effort to shield computer users in South Korea from communist ideology. Police in South Korea have asked the government to block access to a total of 31 Web sites under the country's National Security Law, which is currently being debated in parliament. South Korea's president wants the law, which places restrictions on contact with the north, to be revised or thrown out. Supporters of the law said it remains necessary to protect those in the south from the propaganda of North Korea, which has never officially rescinded its call for taking over South Korea by force. According to an unnamed South Korean police official, "We need to block access to resources of one-sided information or knowledge which ordinary people can obtain easily." Reuters, 12 November 2004 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=6800390 SUN OFFERS NEW SOLARIS FOR FREE Sun Microsystems announced that its upcoming Solaris 10 operating system will be available near the end of January and said it will offer a free version of the software. Sun's move reflects a growing practice among vendors such as Linux distributor Red Hat: offer software in a free version or a flagship version that includes licensing and support fees. An official from Sun said that under the new pricing arrangement, "Solaris will be less expensive in any category than our Linux competitors." Sun also hopes to appeal to customers on the basis of its being able to offer hardware, software, and support from a single vendor. According to IDC, Solaris is currently running on about one million computers around the world. Analyst Jean S. Bozman said, "They're looking for ubiquity." New York Times, 15 November 2004 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/technology/15sun.html YAHOO UPS STORAGE LIMITS ON E-MAIL ACCOUNTS In an effort to stay competitive with Microsoft's Hotmail and Google's Gmail, Yahoo has announced an increase in the amount of free storage it allows for its e-mail customers. Yahoo users now have up to 250 megabytes of free space--the same as Hotmail customers--up from the former limit of 100 megabytes. Gmail offers 1,000 megabytes of free storage space but is currently in testing and only available by invitation or to existing account holders. Brad Garlinghouse, vice president of communications products at Yahoo, said, "[Gmail] really has raised the game for everyone, and that's good for consumers." Yahoo also said it has improved its technology for verifying the identities of those sending e-mail and its technology for searching e-mail content. Washington Post, 15 November 2004 (registration req'd) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50385-2004Nov15.html CAMPUS GROUPS EDUCATE STUDENTS ABOUT COPYRIGHT Students at about a dozen colleges and universities have started organizations called Free Culture groups to educate other students about copyright and fight what they see as a tilting of the law to favor copyright owners. The first Free Culture group was started by Swarthmore College student Nelson Pavlosky, known for his successful legal challenge to Diebold Election Systems' use of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in trying to suppress leaked company memos. Pavlosky and other Free Culture organizers want college-age people to understand how copyrights have changed in the electronic era, particularly with respect to legislation such as the proposed Induce Act. Pavlosky acknowledged that a danger of the Free Culture groups is that participants will simply be seen as "rich white kids who want free music." Jessica Litman, a law professor at Wayne State University and a speaker at a meeting of the Free Culture groups, noted that copyright law is traditionally written by lobbyists who represent copyright owners and said that consumers should be included in that process. Wired News, 10 November 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65616,00.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 *** *Headline News Avoided By Most Of The Major U.S. Media Apparently Russia's approval of the Kyoto accords, which were stalled when President Bush reversed US policies, were mostly a ploy to gain membership in the World Trade Organization [WTO]. "Once you figure out what's going on, it's interesting to compare all the countries. The big news story of the day is obviously `Insurrection will not end in Fallujah' ... in every country except the USA and Spain, where it's not mentioned at all. Why Spain?" * We've all heard the some countries could leapfrog right over the wired to the wireless, but no one has admitted this could be done on a large scale until now. . .India in reporting more cell phones than land lines. [See above story on China.] [More on China] A controversial system of treating drug addiction by removing the portion of the brain responsible for cravings has been banned. One side effect feared most was the loss of the sex drive, too. This treatment was invented by Russian doctors, and apparently had only a 50% success rate in China, and only 60% elsewhere. * NASA RETALIATES AGAINST X-PRIZE WINNER November 17, 2004, off the coast of California In an effort to reclaim some of the fame lost by NASA with the various failures of the space shuttle and now with the advent of commercially oriented spacecraft, NASA decided to unveil its X-43A scramjet, short for supersonic ramjet. The plane, earlier versions of which graced magazine covers many years ago but which were then hushed up, travelled nearly 7,000 miles per hour, over twice as fast as the SR-71A "Blackhawk" spy plane did when it set an earlier record of 3,000 miles coast to coast when it was retired from service and finally unveiled. The unmanned plane was part of a three-stage effort in which a B-52 bomber carried the plane with attached booster rocket pack to a high altitude, then launched the the plane via the booster, and finally the plane separated from the booster and soared into the record books to a speed of Mach 9.6, or nearly 7,000 mph in a self-powered flight that lasts only about 10 seconds. Other reports claimed a speed of Mach 9.8. Other sources say the 9.8 figure was achieved only in flight on the Pegasus booster rocket, and that the new plane actually slowed down slightly after launch as it flew past the 100,000 foot altitude mark that is used as a general demarcation of the beginning of space. This is not a full-sized plane, it's only 12 feet long. This was the third of three X-43A's, the first of which was intentionally destroyed when the Pegasus booster failed to stay on course. The second flew last March, reaching Mach 6.83, or nearly 5,000 mph. The basic advantage being sought in this program is to eliminate the need for vehicles to carry oxygen to burn, but rather to use the oxygen in the atmosphere, thus making them lighter and faster, able to carry more payload over longer distances. One idea is for these scramjets to carry satellites nearly into orbit and then shoot them into orbit much as one would shoot any other projectile. Shades of Jules Verne's "From The Earth To The Moon," in which astronauts were shot into space. . .and you can read right here at Project Gutenberg. [meanwhile. . .back at the lunar ranch. . . .] SLOWLY BUT CHEAPLY, A NEW WAY TO THE MOON from The Washington Post Astronauts used to get to the moon in a few days, after blazing into space atop the largest rockets ever, but a new approach, dubbed SMART-1, is just now entering lunar orbit, after over a year in ever-widening orbits of the earth, eventually reaching close enough to the moon to be guided into its gravity and will now orbit the moon, all by using a very small engine, after being launch into earth orbit in the usual manner. http://snipurl.com/an8a *STRANGE QUOTE OF THE WEEK "They can be removed from our society with no more thought than removing bad apples from a barrel." Nixon's Vice-President Spiro Agnew, about those who disagreed with Nixon about the Viet Nam War [Does anyone have the exact reference?] *PREDICTION OF THE WEEK You won't hear much more about the X-43A scramjet for a while. *ODD STATISTICS OF THE WEEK *Information About the Project Gutenberg Mailing Lists For more information about the Project Gutenberg's mailing lists, including the Project Gutenberg Weekly and Monthly Newsletters: and the other Project Gutenberg Mailing Lists: The weekly is sent on Wednesdays, and the monthly is sent on the first Wednesday of the month. To subscribe to any (or to unsubscribe or adjust your subscription preferences), visit the Project Gutenberg mailing list server: http://lists.pglaf.org If you are having trouble with your subscription, please email the list's human administrators at: help@pglaf.org ***