OLDaily

By Stephen Downes
May 5, 2005

Exploring Single Sign-on
This item lists several other single sign-on initiatives, such as A-Select, Lasso and CAS. All three require some sort of 'identity service provider' (as Lasso calls it). It also mentions my own mIDm proposal in passing, which does not require a third party. Scott Wilson, meanwhile, has created a Zope version of mIDm. Gerrit Visser of Smart Mobs picks up the item, which is echoed in a couple of places. Alan Cooper, meanwhile, took issue with my argument against authentication (badly treated by my comments system (for which I apologise) he appears to have created a blog specifically to comment on this - a blog I hope he continues, as his point of view is clearly written and well argued). By Various Authors, system :: Weblog, May 5, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking
If you just don't get things like tagging, folksonomies or del.icio.us then this quick two-page (PDF) guide is just the thing for you. Not too deep, no jargon, and yet a concise and complete explanation. By Cyprien Lomas , EDUCAUSE, May, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

Course Management: Ready for Prime Time
Good look at the changing face of course managements as this article examines cases at four universities (running WebCT, Blackboard, Sakai and Jenzabar) in order to suggest that campuses are scaling up and investing in more complex, more functional, learning systems. By Rebecca Sausner, University Business, May 5, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

If Pirating Grows, It May Not Be The End of Music World
Something to note well: Instead of predicting that China will change as it engages with the global economy, "The business model for the record industry worldwide is moving toward resembling what we see in China today." And what we see in China today is that some 95 percent of all music sales are of pirated CDs, where music is not seen to be worth more than a few cents a song, and where music sharing is widely practiced (and not likely to change). So how does the artist make money? "By performing concerts, getting endorsement deals and appearing in commercials." By Kevin Maney, USA Today, May 3, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

Universities' High-speed Internet2 Used by Students to Pilfer Music
RIAA head Cary Sherman penned this appeal in a Pittsburgh newspaper urging the city's universities to join a commercial music download service in order to counter file sharing, and activity which, he asserts, has now spread to Internet 2. Carnegie Mellon's Roger Dannenberg fired back a letter attacking Sherman's article and saying, in essence, "Lower your prices and pay your artists and we may have something to talk about." I would also question the veracity of Sherman's figures; with the rise of podcasting and other forms of free media, an increasing number of supposedly 'illegally shared' files are actually legitimate, and quite legal, downloads. Via Wired Campus blog (here and here). By Cary Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 1, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

TeacherEd
TeacherEd, according to the website, is a free service, designed to connect teachers with each other. The site uses an ELGG platform (which now has a new development roadmap) and offers teachers a means to connect with other teachers interested in the same subject. Readers may be thrown off, however, when they click on a tag (a link describing a user-defined topic area) and find only a link to an RSS feed. The registration form is also an endless loop (ignore the second iteration and simply click on the link in the verification email; note that it will assign you a user name (probably not what you were expecting) which you have to use when you log on). Via Dave::Weblog. By Various Authors, May 4, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

Why DRM Sucks (Redux)
I had a similar experience of my own on a similar airplane, except with an actual DVD of Gangs of New York. Legally purchased movie won't play because of DRM failure. So I'm sympathetic. I'm also convinced that the DRM solution, as described here, is not the way to go, for just this sort of reason. By Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian, May 4, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

Marquette Joins BSA's DefineTheLine.com Initiative
Critical look at Marquette University's decision to join the Business Software Alliance program Define the Line. The program, which adovates against students sharing commercial software, was launched last October and now has one participant - Marquette. The author asks, "Why did Marquette step up to the plate when no one else has? Why did it take 7 months to line up a single school to participate in the program? What's in it for Marquette? Is BSA providing some consideration?" Good questions. By Eric Goldman, Technology & Marketing Law Blog, May 3, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

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