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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2005 Berkeley Funded for New Research Lab Study Evaluates Wikipedia Content FCC Chair Pushes New Internet Phone Tax Senate Panel Proposes New FTC Policing Powers Mobile Mail Patent Suit Filed Against Microsoft BERKELEY FUNDED FOR NEW RESEARCH LAB Google, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems plan to fund the Reliable, Adaptive, and Distributed Systems Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, to focus on the design of more dependable computing systems. According to Berkeley researchers involved with the new lab, research results will be nonproprietary and freely licensed. The three companies have pledged $500,000 each yearly for five years to support the project. The lab's founding director, computer scientist David Patterson, is currently president of the Association for Computing Machinery. According to Patterson, "We're trying to sustain the broad vision, high-risk, and high-reward research model" in establishing the new research facility. New York Times, 15 December 2005 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/technology/15research.htm STUDY EVALUATES WIKIPEDIA CONTENT According to a research study published in the journal Nature, Wikipedia compares favorably with the Encyclopedia Britannica in the accuracy of its information despite recent criticisms of its content and methods. The Nature study compared articles from both Web sites on a wide range of topics, asking field experts to review the accuracy of the entries. Serious errors (such as misunderstandings of vital concepts) were evenly distributed between the two encyclopedias, with four serious errors each. As for errors of fact, omissions, or misleading text, Wikipedia had 162 such errors and Britannica had 123. The study is the first to use peer review to compare the accuracy of the two sources' coverage of science. Silicon.com, 16 December 2005 http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39155109,00.htm FCC CHAIR PUSHES NEW INTERNET PHONE TAX Chairman Kevin Martin said that imposing new taxes on more Internet phone users will probably be a priority next year for the FCC. The issue arose with regard to the Universal Service Fund (USF), which subsidizes services in rural and other high-cost areas, schools, and libraries. Long-distance, pay, wireless, and regular telephone services pay into the fund. Not determined are how such taxes will affect voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) providers and other telecommunications services. Some of the companies that provide VoIP services already contribute to the USF, but no regulations require such participation. "We need to move to collection for the Universal Service Fund that is technology-neutral," said Martin. Congress also is expected to address changes to universal service reform in 2006. ZDNet, 14 December 2005 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5995488.html SENATE PANEL PROPOSES NEW FTC POLICING POWERS A bill approved by a U.S. Senate panel would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) increased policing power and the authority to share with foreign governments information about spammers and others suspected of illegal acts. Called the Undertaking Spam, Spyware, and Fraud Enforcement with Enforcers Beyond Borders Act of 2005, the proposal mimics legislation requested by the FTC two years ago that roused objections from civil liberties groups and was not enacted. Collaboration with foreign law enforcement agencies would permit the commission to address problems such as spyware and telemarketing fraud that cross national borders. It has yet to be debated by the full Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. ZDNet, 15 December 2005 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5996703.html MOBILE MAIL PATENT SUIT FILED AGAINST MICROSOFT Visto Corporation of Redwood Shores, California, a start-up company dedicated to mobile e-mail, has sued Microsoft Corporation for infringement of three patents. The suit targets methods for handling information between servers and handheld devices. Microsoft bundles its Windows Mobile operating system with its Exchange e-mail server. According to a Visto release, "This method of bundling software ... potentially increases the rate and manner in which their infringement on Visto's patents occurs." Microsoft representatives declined to comment until the company had seen and evaluated the suit. San Jose Mercury News, 15 December 2005 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/technology/13415305.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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