Carnegie Mellon Learning Systems Architecture Lab is working on a SCORM Content Developer’s Guide and planning to release it this October (’02). According to CETIS, the plan is to convert the materials to a series of SCOs upon the guide’s completion for a series of *open* SCORM content developer workshops.
Its been some time now since MIT made the public claim that they’d be releasing their course materials online through what they called the OpenCourseware Initiative. Apparenly they just opened the site recently for public viewing. The materials available will obviously expand with time, as will the quality of those available (some appear to be a little sketchy), and the integration with larger specifications (DCMI, SCORM, IMS, OKI) become more established. One of the posts on Slashdot suggests that MIT decided that they couldn’t make any money off of their content, so they decided to give it away. Interestingly enough, this falls in line with other murmurings I’ve heard about the rationale around *paying for content.*
Perhaps this is obvious, but a problem I’ve often had is just sifting through all the various information that’s available online. For many of us, I think, we spend time trying to find worthwhile sites that help serve as filters for us in getting us the information we need. To an obvious extent this is true around web logs, as people demonstrate their ability to find and filter out nonsense to get out information that others have trouble locating.
An interesting argument I’ve heard about centers on the aspect of people’s willingness to pay for content or not. In other words, as people put more and more time into their web logs or sites where they post information they’ve learned or found online (that is in most cases freely available), he/she starts thinking that maybe there could be money in the effort. Perhaps a better angle to the discussion could focus more so around the willingness to pay for someone to filter through all the information for us. How much would you be willing to pay for someone to send you regular updates or information that’s found freely online? Google Answers is based around this premise, where those willing can pay a few dollars to get the answer to a particular question. Better organization of information and cataloging of content would also seem appropriate to mention at this point. Several organizations are offering up various (competing?) specifications that are geared at trying to address the failings of web-based storage, search, and retreival of information. My point seems to be getting broader as I write, but…how much do you think someone would pay you to answer a question?
I mentioned this before, but I work for a vague branch of the UW System. As such my work computer is part of the university network. Somewhere along the line that is the connection between my system and the *web* some serious caching is going on. When I view my own personal web page from work, the last entry I see is from 9/11/2002 (which is a little weird). This means that I have to take it for granted (until I check it from home) that my post here is working.
This is a normal annoyance I’ve pseudo learned to live with for the moment, however, it got me thinking that to what extent do many of us through our daily *surfings* are actually seeing what the intended site creator/maintainer wants us to see. When I scan the various learning online and technology postings and sites, how am I suppose to know whats current and what’s not (if that’s a concern). What if the information I’m reading is highly technical in nature and has the possibility to effect other people’s lives (say like an airline mechanic). He/she misses an update to a particular specification, and as a result makes an error based on incorrect information because of a justly designed network that was designed for efficiency (as it should have been).
A posting on Slashdot runs through various perspectives on popular OS software for the Windows platform. I’ve been thinking more and more about what it would take to get me to switch to an alternate platform, but the list would be great for, as the post suggests, family / friends who aren’t interested in making any sort of switch.
Wired magazine has an article on Larry Lessig that does a good job explaining who he is, what he’s done, and what he hopes to do. I hadn’t actually come across his name until recently, but I did head off to the book store last night to check out his latest book “The Future of Ideas”. I have a cronic problem with keeping awake when reading, a condition left over from college, we’ll see how far I get with it.
Interesting resource I didn’t know existed. Linux on Laptops
I grabbed an old USB camera from home and set it up at my workstation at work. A USB extension cable allowed me to stretch it over on top of a couple books so that I could monitor a hallway next to my cube. Folks here at work are just now starting to ask, “Is that a camera?” But the following it more interesting, LAN based cameras that include embedded web servers. All that’s required to view the image is to point your browser to an IP number.
[via Slashdot]Tom’s Hardware Guide Networking Guide: LAN Camera Technology Offers A New View - A Tale Of Four Network-Based Cameras
To accomodate copyright laws, pre-1923 books are available online. I thought that would be kinda boring (old books, etc.) but then I discovered that all of the Sherlock Holmes stories are available there.
PROJECT GUTENBERG OFFICIAL HOME SITE - INDEX — Free Books On-Line -
I have played around with some Flash work. But the visual whiz-bangy stuff wasn’t as much my bag. However, after hearing initially about Flash Remoting I found myself becoming more interested. The only drawback of its initial release was the dependency (as I saw it) on the Cold Fusion application server. Apparently Macromedia was already thinking about it per the following news release: Macromedia - Press room : Macromedia Flash Remoting MX Available for .NET and Java Application Servers