links for 2009-04-13

A line by line look at what the code in the Digg bar is actually doing - and how it will explain any stories you see about a sudden growth in popularity for Digg over the next couple of months...

"If Google were ever to frame web sites when you click to them from search results in the way Ask does, the web would almost certain erupt in anger. I don’t think this will happen, of course — but if it’s not something we’d allow Google to do, it’s not something we should be allowing any sites to do."

"When, back in 1859, John Stuart Mill wrote that truth - provided it wasn't suppressed - would eventually triumph, he also added a caveat. As long, he said, as there are people prepared dig it out and make a song and dance about it."

"The TweetMinster Wire is a desktop application that lets you track conversations, connect and engage around UK politics and the issues that matter in real time. Analyse conversations, discover the hot topics and follow what politicians are talking about directly from your desktop". Also incorporates content from The Guardian API

The poll 'asked 43 media insiders', making it, in my eyes, about as valid as most of those puff-piece polls that say the key to family happiness is at least one overseas holiday a year, sponsored by BAA etc etc which, for me, do more damage to the reputation of news than "the Internet"

"At the end of my shift I'd drive home and tune my car radio to CBS-owed KMOX Radio...And every night I'd hear McCormick reading news stories that word for word matched something I'd typed only hours before. He'd close his newscast: 'So now you know, and via radio'. The Globe-Democrat is gone now, one of many city dailies that collapsed in those days. It wasn't KMOX Radio that did it. Let's not distract ourselves from the real issues."

"The New Zealand Government has pulled the plug on a proposal to review digital broadcasting planned by the previous Labour-led government. The review of broadcasting, telecommunications and internet regulations was unveiled in January 2008".

"NISHANT RATNAKAR alerts us to a Flickr group called Indian Copyright Laws that has sprung up. Its express intent is to showcase the work of individuals whose work has been happilly filched by cheapskate companies which should know better, without crediting the original photographer or paying her."

"Now I have nothing against Paul McGuinness. I wish him well. His band has been a fav. of mine (on and off) for the 30 years he has been managing them. But why should my grand- and great-grand children be paying his and the rest of the band’s grand- and great grand children if in the year 2079 one of them downloads 'A day without me'?"