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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2006 Microsoft Debuts Academic Search Service Stanford Announces Online High School for Gifted Youth Google Rebuffs Critics, Expands Chinese Research Center China Adopts New Rule to Address Software Piracy MICROSOFT DEBUTS ACADEMIC SEARCH SERVICE Microsoft has introduced a new service called Windows Live Academic Search to compete directly with Google's similar service, Google Scholar. Danielle Tiedt, general manager of content acquisition for Microsoft, noted that the academic search market exceeds the market for nonacademic users by a factor of six, and some analysts have predicted that the academic search market will grow to $10 billion by 2010. Microsoft's new service was launched with limited content--only resources from computer science, electrical engineering, and physics are included because these fields provide "the most highly structured metadata," according to Tiedt. Microsoft has partnered with a number of leading academic organizations and publishers and plans to add to the content included in the service. Tiedt also said the new service fits with Microsoft's efforts to cultivate relationships with academics generally. Chronicle of Higher Education, 12 April 2006 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/04/2006041201t.htm STANFORD ANNOUNCES ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUTH Stanford University has announced that its existing Education Program for Gifted Youth program will in the fall begin offering a full high school curriculum and a diploma to students who complete it. Started in 1992, the Education Program for Gifted Youth currently offers online courses to about 4,000 students between the ages of 4 and 18. The new offerings will round out a high school curriculum and will establish the program as the first online high school that targets gifted students. Other institutions, such as the University of Miami and the University of Texas, operate online high schools without a focus on high-performing students. Stanford's new program will be open to students in grades 10-12 who must apply for admission; demonstrate excellent achievement after they are enrolled; and pay tuition for the program, which is expected to be about $12,000 per year. Stanford said it will offer financial assistance and will particularly look for students from disadvantaged schools. San Jose Mercury News, 12 April 2006 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/14325928.htm GOOGLE REBUFFS CRITICS, EXPANDS CHINESE RESEARCH CENTER Responding to critics of Google's decision to filter certain content to Chinese users, CEO Eric Schmidt reiterated the company's position that it is better to have a presence in China with some restrictions than not to be there at all. Other Internet companies operating in China face the same restrictions as Google--preventing access to sites the government deems objectionable--and Schmidt said Google has not received any complaints from Chinese users. Noting that one-fifth of the world's population lives in China and that many of them are or will be Internet users, Schmidt said Google would comply with applicable local laws and would expand its research operation in the country. The company currently employs about 30 engineers in its R&D facility in Beijing and plans to increase that number to 100. Schmidt also said Google is working with Chinese libraries to include their books in its Book Search program, which is scanning millions of books for online access. Wall Street Journal, 12 April 2006 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114484852659023945.html CHINA ADOPTS NEW RULE TO ADDRESS SOFTWARE PIRACY Following trade talks with the United States, Chinese authorities have issued a new guideline requiring PC manufacturers to load a licensed operating system on all computers before they leave the factory. Although an official from the State Copyright Bureau in China denied that the new regulation is in response to foreign pressure--insisting it was implemented for "the country's economic development"--China has long been seen as a haven for software pirates, with piracy rates as high as 90 percent. Under the new rule, computer makers must install legally licensed operating systems on all systems, and retailers who sell imported computers must do the same. Furthermore, computer manufacturers and vendors of operating systems must report the numbers of computers made and operating systems installed each year to the country's Ministry of Information Industry (MII). The MII also stated that software makers should provide "favorable pricing and qualified service" to computer manufacturers. BBC, 12 April 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4902976.stm ***************************************************** 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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