Experimental Space

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:27:47 GMT

California Law Requires Linking to Privacy Policy from Home

Google bows to pressure, adds 'Privacy' link to home page. For Google, ready Privacy: That could be the subliminal message Google wants to send by replacing its name in the homepage footer. [Latest from Computerworld

Last month, privacy organizations wrote to Google CEO Eric Schmidt asking the company to link to its privacy policy from its home page. Including the link on the home page is good practice -- and also mandated by California law, the organizations said.

On Thursday, Google acceded to the request, putting the word "Privacy" at the foot of its home page and linking it to its privacy information pages. The link replaces the company's name next to the copyright notice, leaving the number of words on the home page unchanged.

I don't think laws should address homepage content as specific as links to privacy policies, or to public records request process (for State Departments and Agencies). Page Contents and placements are in the domain of information architecture, user experience design and usability not legislation.

I'm actually relieved that Google.com stays famously uncluttered. I joke that some of my colleagues would put 3 or 4 paragraphs explaining what you can type in the Google search box and add a paragraph about Google's history.

Mon, 19 May 2008 03:35:44 GMT

Green Computing

The healing power of computers. Bill Thompson wonders if hi-tech can help keep the Earth habitable for humans. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition] California could put data centers near wind farms.

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:31:39 GMT

The WWW is 15 years old: what would we do without it?

Happy 15th birthday, WWW-- Fifteen years ago yesterday, the World Wide Web became official and was put into the public domain. [CNET News.com]

The rumor is that we would watch more television, but I think television viewing was dropping for its own reasons.

Fri, 02 May 2008 04:04:40 GMT

California Court Publishes Personal Identifiable Information

California court posting SSNs and other personal data, privacy advocates charge. A court in California's Riverside County is openly posting sensitive personal data on its Web site, according to privacy watchdogs. But the court's IT director compared searching for that information to "finding a needle in a haystack."[Latest from Computerworld]

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:12:25 GMT

Social-Network Advancement

Twitter gets another round of funding. Source says the term sheet is signed, sealed and delivered. Now we're just awaiting the official announcement. [CNET News.com]

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:07:24 GMT

Recent Web Site Attacks

Microsoft: Massive site attacks not our fault. Microsoft late Friday responded to news reports that hackers have leveraged weaknesses in the company's Web and SQL software to attack hundreds of thousands of Web pages. [Latest from Computerworld] Bill Sisk, Communication Manager at Microsoft Security Response Center, said the post was in response to reports that over half a million pages, including some belonging to the United Nations, have been compromised by SQL injection attacks. Once hacked, those sites were modified to download malware to visitors' PCs. Is it my reading, or has security become worse recently--Not much place to be secure any more.

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:01:23 GMT

Law Resources Coming Online

Lawyers Open Their File Cabinets for a Web Resource. Services are appearing on the Web that may make it easier for consumers to do their own preliminary homework on legal issues before seeking professional help. [NYT > Technology] So many services about laws and legislation want to charge subscriptions, so it's good to see some without subscriptions.

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:03:54 GMT

Interesting to Watch How Hosted Services Go

Google Offers to Host Services on App Engine. Google is offering to host enterprise Web applications on its own infrastructure with a new tool for developers, App Engine. [NYT > Technology]

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:00:24 GMT

E-voting Panel at RSA 2008

Expert says flawed e-voting systems need constant audits. Panelist at RSA 2008 says election officials are stuck with flawed electronic voting systems and the only solution is to require audits after every election. [CNET News.com]

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:58:27 GMT

Green IT Strategy Whitepaper

3 Building Blocks for a Profitable Green IT Strategy. (Source: Verdiem) This practical white paper compares "greening" your IT department to "greening" your home: the key to a lasting return is starting with small steps. Learn how to create an IT carbon footprint baseline, draft a list of objectives, and implement for the best ROI. [Computerworld Breaking News]

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:56:47 GMT

Gladwell at RSA 2008

Malcolm Gladwell tells security folks: Don't think too much. Author of Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, warns security professionals at RSA 2008 not to let too much data cloud their judgment. [CNET News.com]
Al Gore is speaking on Friday.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:53:20 GMT

Retirees Continuing to Work

Going to the Company Elders for Help. Hewlett-Packard is trying to galvanize thousands of its retirees into an auxiliary army of senior marketers, good-will ambassadors and volunteer sales people. [NYT > Technology] HP connects its former employees as volunteers.

While for many years the State of California has volunteers in its parks and museums, other State Departments have retirees who continue to work. The newer State of California Boomerang website provides a registration place for retirees interested in work and State departments looking for retirees.