One thing I’ve wondered, however, is just how accurate reCAPTCHA is.  I just read a post over at ars technica that answers that question.

The researchers tested the system using a random sampling of 250 New York Times articles from different eras where the identity of every word was confirmed by two independent transcription experts. Each OCR software program managed about 84 percent accuracy but, when their results were combined with the reCAPTCHA system, the overall accuracy shot up to 99.1 percent. That’s actually within the bounds of professional transcription services that use two independent experts to generate copies that are then examined by a third party.

Very cool!  Looks like a win-win situation for all.

OnStar will soon include the ability for the police to shut off your engine remotely. Buses are getting the same capability, in case terrorists want to re-enact the movie Speed. The Pentagon wants a kill switch installed on airplanes, and is worried about potential enemies installing kill switches on their own equipment.

Microsoft is doing some of the most creative thinking along these lines, with something it’s calling “Digital Manners Policies.” According to its patent application, DMP-enabled devices would accept broadcast “orders” limiting capabilities. Cellphones could be remotely set to vibrate mode in restaurants and concert halls, and be turned off on airplanes and in hospitals. Cameras could be prohibited from taking pictures in locker rooms and museums, and recording equipment could be disabled in theaters. Professors finally could prevent students from texting one another during class.

Somehow I knew Microsoft would be involved in this.  Read on for Bruce’s impressive rant against devices controlling devices.  I’m in 100% agreement with him on this issue.

Libraries might like the idea of being able to silence cellphones entering the building, but there are just too many ways that something like this can be abused.  At least give me the ability to reject these “orders” being sent to my gadgets.  You hear me, Microsoft?

So that’s why people aren’t going libraries! They don’t get headaches from trying to figure out our catalogs or navigate our poorly designed sites. It’s the free WiFi! Maybe libraries should pass out tin-foil hats. Or would that just amplify the signal?

As crazy as this sounds, there are many people who claim to be electro-sensitive. My question for this group is why focus on WiFi? There have been tons of other signals bombarding us for decades. And if there really is something in the 2.4GHz range that affects people, why should this be treated differently than any other allergen? Should we remove all other sources of pollen and dander in cities? Seriously, many people suffer from and have to manage their allergies. Why would a WiFi allergy be any different?

Before these people start attacking libraries for providing a free, needed service, they should check their own neighborhood. I bet a few of their neighbors are leaking some sickening WiFi from their homes.

Now I dislike DRM just as much as the next person. In fact, I probably dislike it more than most people. I understand that it makes content unnecessarily difficult to access and leaves out people without access to certain software or hardware. But the sad truth is that libraries don’t really have much choice. DRM is put in place by the vendors and if libraries boycotted those companies they wouldn’t have much digital content to offer their users.

We’ve seen the retail sector start to move away from DRM with vendors offering unprotected music and such. We are also starting to see library vendors offer DRM-free content. So we are hopefully seeing the beginnings of a trend away from locked-down content. There’s still a long way to go and it’s not going to happen over night. Baby steps.

So while I appreciate all that the Free Software Foundation does, demanding that libraries drop DRM now is just not feasible. Our users want popular, digital content and libraries need to provide it if they want to stay relevant. Should users complain to libraries about DRM? Sure. Should libraries complain to their vendors about it? Definitely. Boycotting digital content, however, is just not an option.

Over the past several years, people have used the phrase “free as in kitten” when describing the pros and cons of open source software. Like a kitten, you might pay nothing up front for the software. Over its life, however, you will invest time, knowledge, and maybe even money to maintain it. People use “free as in kitten” to imply that open source is more difficult to maintain and support than proprietary software. A few years ago, this was an accurate metaphor. Today, however, open source is often just as easy to maintain and there are many vendor options available to libraries. In fact, open source software gives libraries the choice to choose who will provide their support. Proprietary software vendors, on the other hand, often lock libraries into maintenance contracts. If the vendor decides to stop development or support on a product, the library is out of luck. Libraries in Ohio will soon be able to choose from many different library organizations, vendors, or in-house staff for support of their open source software.

So please stop using “free as in kitten” to describe open source software. Sure it may cost you something to maintain and support it, but the same is true of proprietary software. You can spend $500 up front on an AKC registered puppy, but you’ll still invest time and money over the life of the dog.

The kitten is dead. Let’s bury it.

There are a few things I really do like about Google Reader. The keyboard shortcuts are nice. I like anything that keeps me from having to reach for the mouse. I also like the Trends feature that tells me stats on my reading and subscriptions. The coolest feature, however, is the ability to create a link blog of the items I’ve chosen to share. I even have an RSS feed of my link blog in the right column of this site.

More and more of my life seems to be falling into Google’s hands. Even my non-Google tools like Remember the Milk integrate with Google Calendar and use Google Gears. It’s exciting and scary at the same time. I hope they continue to do no evil.

That last observation particularly troubled me. I know that there are still many people who use and need the library for Internet access. They come in to check email, chat, look for jobs, etc. I also know that many people enjoy borrowing DVDs for free instead of paying rental fees. What bothers me is that these libraries seem to be counting on these services to bring in patrons. Demand for these services, however, is going to steadily decline.

More and more people are getting high-speed, always-on Internet access from home. A Pew Internet Report from almost two years ago shows that teens have broadband in over half of all homes with Internet access. Some metro areas are getting free WiFi. Over the next several years, even rural areas will get these services via WiMax and other wireless technologies. We are also seeing an increase in the number of people using mobile devices such as smartphones to access email and other information. So where does this leave public access computers in libraries? They will always be needed and used, but public computers will become less and less of a necessity to patrons.

Most people are happy to drop by the library, pick up a video, and then bring it back when finished. They are happy to this because it’s currently the most convenient option to get movies. Many libraries are even offering drive-thrus to pick up materials. So why will libraries see a decline in demand? Because streaming, on demand video is the new thing. 2007 will be the year that downloading video, including movies, over the Internet will start to catch on. Companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and TiVo are all rolling out services to download movies and other video content on demand. A couple of them make it very easy to send video straight to the TV. Households with broadband Internet (see previous paragraph) will enjoy streaming movies that start playing minutes after renting or purchasing them online. Hollywood Video and Blockbuster are worried about this and libraries should be as well. Because people will eventually find it more convenient to pay a few bucks to rent a movie online than to make a trip to the library for a free rental.

I know that these changes are not going to happen overnight. They are coming, however, and libraries need to prepare for them now. No, the answer is not to find new services that will draw patrons into the building. Libraries need to accept that fact that more and more of their usage will be from remote users and that it’s okay if patrons are not stepping foot into the library itself. Ebooks and downloadable audio books are a start, but libraries need to consider how they will make all of their materials, including video, available to remote users. Vendors like Overdrive are already providing downloadable movies for libraries, but the pace needs to be quickened. Libraries should also consider creating their own video content.

So should libraries be concerned that fewer and fewer people are stepping into their buildings? No. They just need to be concerned about how they will continue to serve those people and stay relevant from a distance.

This doesn’t mean that the battle is over. There are still plenty of products using DRM to lock down content. Even newer products like HD-DVD/Blue-ray and Windows Vista have rights management technologies built into them. So DRM is not dead; not by a long shot. Libraries are very aware of this. They are still suffering with locked down ebooks and audio books. The DRM prevents the books from being used on some devices and adds another layer of complexity for patrons to deal with. Our only hope is that these recent steps by Apple and Microsoft will lead to DRM alternatives for digital content in libraries.

I’ve done a couple of talks on DRM at library conferences in the past and I’m scheduled to do a couple more this year. I hope that I can give attendees a more optimistic outlook in the next few months. In the mean time, be sure to spread the word about DRM at your place and educate your staff. There are some good overviews out there including “How to explain Digital Rights Management (DRM) to your dad” and Mark Shuttleworth’s recent post “Note to content owners: DRM doesn’t work.” For a great library-specific overview of DRM, ALA has a great DRM guide for librarians (PDF) on its web site.

On the flip side, someone in Alaska was busted for “borrowing” library WiFi after hours. The library itself has not commented on the case yet, but this is definitely some bad publicity for libraries in general. I guess you could make arguments both ways, but I’m in the camp that believes there is nothing wrong with a library providing WiFi access when the building is closed. Libraries that don’t wish to do so should turn off the wireless or use a gateway to disable it after hours. Libraries are now offering 24-hour services/resources on their web sites. So why not leave the WiFi on so patrons can get to them?

Patching or manually updating a computer is one thing, but what about all of the other devices out there? What will happen to routers, switches, phone systems, PDAs, copiers, faxes, and all of the other devices in your office/home that depend on the time? Better start checking them now because you’re gonna loose an hour on the 11th.

So what can you do when you must be off line? Lifehacker just ran a couple of stories on 5 things to do at your PC when your internet is out and then 5 (more) things. Just remember to print out or save these tips somewhere so you can get to them when your connection is down.