[gweekly] PT1 Weekly Project Gutenberg Newsletter
Project Gutenberg Newsletter
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Wed Nov 17 10:19:36 PST 2004
GWeekly_November_17.txt
The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter For Wednesday, November 17, 2004 PT1
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FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON
Re: <http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=11670>
"I was pleased to see NewsScan recommend Jules Verne's story "From the
Earth to the Moon". I typed the story in 1989 as a donation for Project
Gutenberg. It's available online by searching Google. (Rich Schroeppel)"
[See addition reference in coverage below of the X-43A scramjet, etc.]
November 16, 1904, 100 years ago, the first electronic tube was patented.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[Search for "*eBook" or "*Intro". . .to jump to that section, etc.]
*eBook Milestones
*Introduction
*Hot Requests New Sites and Announcements
*Continuing Requests and Announcements
*Progress Report
*Distributed Proofreaders Collection Report
*Project Gutenberg Consortia Center Report
*Permanent Requests For Assistance:
*Donation Information
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*Instant Access To Our Latest eBooks
*Have We Given Away A Trillion Yet?
*Flashback
*Weekly eBook update:
This is now in PT2 of the Weekly Newsletter
Also collected in the Monthly Newsletter
Corrections in separate section
56 New Public Domain eBooks Under US Copyright
*Headline News from NewsScan and Edupage
*Information About the Project Gutenberg Mailing Lists
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*eBook Milestones
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11,350 New eBooks Since The Start Of 2001
We Have Now Produced about 3,505 eBooks In 2004
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688 to go to 15,000!!!
We have now averaged ~432 eBooks per year since July 4th, 1971!!!
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***Introduction
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***Progress Report, including Distributed Proofreaders
In the first 10.50 months of this year, we produced 3505 new eBooks.
It took us from July 1971 to July 2001 to produce our first 3,505 eBooks!
That's 45 WEEKS as Compared to ~31 Years!
57 New eBooks This Week
74 New eBooks Last Week
131 New eBooks This Month [Nov]
334 Average Per Month in 2004
355 Average Per Month in 2003
203 Average Per Month in 2002
103 Average Per Month in 2001
3505 New eBooks in 2004
4164 New eBooks in 2003
2441 New eBooks in 2002
1240 New eBooks in 2001
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11350 New eBooks Since Start Of 2001
That's Only 46.00 Months!
14,412 Total Project Gutenberg eBooks
10,310 eBooks This Week Last Year
====
4,102 New eBooks In Last 12 Months
386 eBooks From Project Gutenberg of Australia
We're still keeping up with Moore's Law!
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*Distributed Proofreaders Collection Report
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*Project Gutenberg Consortia Center Report
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Alex-Wire Tap Collection, 2,036 HTML eBook Files
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=======Grand Total Files==========106,107 Total Files=====
These eBooks are catalogued as per the instructions of
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35,360 Unique eBooks
If we presume 3 out of 4 of these files are overcounts,
that leaves a unique book total of
26,527 Unique eBooks
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Today Is Day #321 of 2004
This Completes Week #43 and Month #10.50
49 Days/10 Weeks To Go [We get 52 Wednesdays this year]
688 Books To Go To #15,000
[Our production year begins/ends
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78 Weekly Average in 2004
79 Weekly Average in 2003
47 Weekly Average in 2002
24 Weekly Average in 2001
41 Only 41 Numbers Left On Our Reserved Numbers list
[Used to be well over 100]
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Have We Given Away A Trillion Books/Dollars Yet???
Statistical Review
In the 45 weeks of this year, we have produced 3505 new eBooks.
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That's 45 WEEKS as Compared to ~31 YEARS!!!
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for Project Gutenberg to have currently given away $1,000,000,000,000
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100 million readers is only ~1.5% of the world's population!
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Can you imagine ~14,412 books each costing ~$.28 less a year later???
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Can you imagine ~14,412 books each costing 1/3 less a year later???
At 14,412 eBooks in 33 Years and 04.50 Months We Averaged
432 Per Year [We do about 3/4 that much per month these days!]
36.0 Per Month
1.18 Per Day
At 3505 eBooks Done In The 321 Days Of 2004 We Averaged
11 Per Day
78 Per Week
334 Per Month
The production statistics are calculated based on full weeks'
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This year there will be 52 Wednesdays, thus no extra week.
*Flashback!!!
3334 New eBooks So Far in 2004
It took us ~31 years for the first 3324 !
That's the 9.75 months of 2004 as Compared to ~31 years!!!
*Headline News from NewsScan and Edupage
[PG Editor's Comments In Brackets]
>From NewsScan:
TELECOMMUTING TAKES OFF AT TECH FIRMS
Thanks to better technology, such as collaborative software
applications, a number of technology firms are giving more workers
flexibility in how -- and where -- they do their jobs. When set up
properly, telecommuting and flextime are good for both employers and
workers, says Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute:
"Providing flexibility isn't a perk. Flexible work (options) are part of
effective companies." In fact, studies on telecommuting show that it
increases workers' average productivity by 5% to 20%, says Jack Nilles,
president of telecommuting consulting firm JALA International. "Most
offices are dysfunctional. Interruptions are unbelievable," says Nilles,
who adds that the number of people who work at least one day every couple
of weeks away from the office is about 30 million this year, up 10% from
last year. IBM is a case in point: In 2001, about a third of IBM employees
worked outside the office at least some of the time. That figure has
climbed to 42%, says Maria Ferris, manager of work/life and women's
initiatives at Big Blue. Still, there are challenges to overcome: Top on
the list is ensuring that company data isn't at risk when employees work
from home, followed by convincing managers to supervise based on results
rather than face-time, and ensuring that remote employees feel connected.
(CNet News.com 15 Nov 2004)
<http://news.com.com/At+tech+firms%2C+time+again+for+flextime/2100-1022_3-54
48994.html>
UNIVERSAL AND SNOCAP MAKE MUSIC TOGETHER [NAPSTER LIVES!]
Vivendi Universal has agreed to license its catalog of 150,000 songs
to Snocap, a new venture headed up by Napster founder Shawn Fanning. It's
unclear how Snocap's peer-to-peer service will work, but people close to
the deal say one possibility is that the service would allow users to share
a low-quality copy of a licensed song for free but would require a fee for
access to a high-quality version. The other three big labels -- Warner
Music, EMI Group and Sony BMG -- all are seeking ways to license legitimate
copies of their songs to peer-to-peer network, but Universal's move marks
the first such partnering deal. (Wall Street Journal 15 Nov 2004)
<http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110030801621473060,00.html> (sub req'd)
CISCO TO BUILD CHINA'S NEXT-GENERATION NETWORK
[Remember our predictions about China?]
[Also story below that India has more
cell phones than land lines. Notice in
this China article no mention is made of
wired versus wireless.]
Cisco Systems has been chosen by China Telecommunications Corp.,
China's biggest telecom company, to build China's next-generation backbone
network. Known as the China Telecom Internet Protocol Next-Generation
Network, it will connect more than 200 cities and allow China's users to
connect to overseas networks through virtual private network (VPN) services.
The next-generation network is part of a plan by China Telecom to become one
of the world's largest providers of Internet protocol services within the
next two decades. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 12 Nov 2004)
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/10164520.htm>
STUDYING NANOTECH RISKS
[We heartily recommend you read "The Diamond Age," by Neal Stephenson,
and "Engines of Creation," by Eric K. Drexler to see the potential in
several very interesting perspectives.]
The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $4 million in grants to
a dozen universities to study the biological and medical implications of
nanotechnology, which has already yielded such products as carbon "nanotube"
electrical wires; cages of atoms that can capture pollutants in water and
soil; and catalysts that reduce manufacturers' dependence upon caustic
chemicals. Recognizing that these materials are small enough to enter the
lungs (and perhaps even be absorbed through the skin and travel to the brain
and other organs), EPA official Paul Gilman explained: "This emerging field
has the potential to transform environmental protection, but at the same
time we must understand whether nanomaterials in the environment can have an
adverse impact." Barbara Karn of the EPA's Office of Research and
Development says the projects funded by the new grants will do "infinitely
more" on nanotech safety than has ever been done previously.
(Washington Post 11 Nov 2004)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43763-2004Nov11.html>
AOL WINDS DOWN BROADBAND SERVICE
[Why just the Southeast? Isn't AOL headquartered in Virginia?]
[Will this bring back the "Digital Divide?" In only two months?]
Earlier this year America Online stopped signing up new broadband
customers -- and now it's telling existing broadband subscribers in nine
Southern states that they'll need to find a new broadband carrier by
mid-January, or face being moved to dial-up service. Broadband customers
affected by this decision are residents of Florida, Kentucky, Georgia,
Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina and South
Carolina. (AP/Los Angeles Times 12 Nov 2004)
<http://www.latimes.com/technology/ats-ap_technology10nov11,1,1067276.story?
coll=sns-ap-toptechnology>
MICROSOFT CRACKS DOWN ON XBOX MODIFICATIONS
Cameron Ferroni, Microsoft's general manager for the Xbox software
platform, says the company's not planning to sue individual users but that
it does want to stop users of the Xbox Live online service from modifying
their machines to improve their performance at games. Ferroni believes it's
important that Microsoft prevent cheating on Xbox Live (where multiple
players can take part in games) and says that the company's goal is to make
sure there's a level playing field for game players.
(AP/San Jose Mercury News 15 Nov 2004)
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/10189248.htm>
SOFTWARE FREE AS THE SUN, FROM SUN
Sun Microsystems, which spent $500 million developing its next-generation
operating system, will offer its Solaris 10 operating system free,
in hopes of expanding both its customer base and the number of
software developers who write programs for it. To generate revenue,
the company will charge subscription fees for Solaris support and service
programs. Sun chief executive Scott McNealy says: "Hewlett Packard sells
a printer at a low price and makes a lot of money on printer cartridges.
Gillette gives you the razor and makes a lot of money on the blades.
There are different ways to drive market penetration." (AP 15 Nov 2004)
<http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041115/D86CA3700.html>
[See related story below in Edupage section]
You have been reading excerpts from NewsScan: NewsScan Daily
is underwritten by RLG, a world-class organization making
significant and sustained contributions to the effective
management and appropriate use of information technology.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the text, html, or handheld versions
of NewsScan Daily, send the appropriate subscribe or unsubscribe messages
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*
>From Edupage
STRONG SHOWING FOR ONLINE EDUCATION
According to a new report by the Sloan Consortium, significantly more
students are enrolling in online courses, and the perceived quality of
online education is also rising. The study, which is in its second
year, showed a 19 percent increase in the number of students enrolled
in an online course. The authors of the report expect that number to
grow by another 24 percent in the next year. Growth rates among
private, for-profit institutions outpaces others by a factor of almost
two to one. The study also showed increasing confidence in the quality
of online education, with more than 40 percent of respondents saying
they believe students are at least as satisfied with online courses as
with classroom instruction. According to Jeff Seaman, chief information
officer for the Sloan Consortium and coauthor of the study, small
baccalaureate institutions are the slowest to embrace online learning.
Administrators at those institutions, he said, are more likely to
support small, on-campus classes for the type of educational experience
they provide.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 November 2004 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/11/2004111503n.htm
[and. . . .]
S. KOREA CONSIDERS BANNING N. KOREAN COLLEGE WEB SITE
Officials from South Korea are reportedly considering forbidding access
to the Web site of North Korea's Kim Il-sung University in an effort
to shield computer users in South Korea from communist ideology. Police
in South Korea have asked the government to block access to a total of
31 Web sites under the country's National Security Law, which is
currently being debated in parliament. South Korea's president wants
the law, which places restrictions on contact with the north, to be
revised or thrown out. Supporters of the law said it remains necessary
to protect those in the south from the propaganda of North Korea, which
has never officially rescinded its call for taking over South Korea by
force. According to an unnamed South Korean police official, "We need
to block access to resources of one-sided information or knowledge
which ordinary people can obtain easily."
Reuters, 12 November 2004
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=6800390
SUN OFFERS NEW SOLARIS FOR FREE
Sun Microsystems announced that its upcoming Solaris 10 operating
system will be available near the end of January and said it will offer
a free version of the software. Sun's move reflects a growing practice
among vendors such as Linux distributor Red Hat: offer software in a
free version or a flagship version that includes licensing and support
fees. An official from Sun said that under the new pricing arrangement,
"Solaris will be less expensive in any category than our Linux
competitors." Sun also hopes to appeal to customers on the basis of its
being able to offer hardware, software, and support from a single
vendor. According to IDC, Solaris is currently running on about one
million computers around the world. Analyst Jean S. Bozman said,
"They're looking for ubiquity."
New York Times, 15 November 2004 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/technology/15sun.html
YAHOO UPS STORAGE LIMITS ON E-MAIL ACCOUNTS
In an effort to stay competitive with Microsoft's Hotmail and
Google's Gmail, Yahoo has announced an increase in the amount of free
storage it allows for its e-mail customers. Yahoo users now have up to
250 megabytes of free space--the same as Hotmail customers--up from the
former limit of 100 megabytes. Gmail offers 1,000 megabytes of free
storage space but is currently in testing and only available by
invitation or to existing account holders. Brad Garlinghouse, vice
president of communications products at Yahoo, said, "[Gmail] really
has raised the game for everyone, and that's good for consumers."
Yahoo also said it has improved its technology for verifying the
identities of those sending e-mail and its technology for searching
e-mail content.
Washington Post, 15 November 2004 (registration req'd)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50385-2004Nov15.html
CAMPUS GROUPS EDUCATE STUDENTS ABOUT COPYRIGHT
Students at about a dozen colleges and universities have started
organizations called Free Culture groups to educate other students
about copyright and fight what they see as a tilting of the law to
favor copyright owners. The first Free Culture group was started by
Swarthmore College student Nelson Pavlosky, known for his successful
legal challenge to Diebold Election Systems' use of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act in trying to suppress leaked company memos.
Pavlosky and other Free Culture organizers want college-age people to
understand how copyrights have changed in the electronic era,
particularly with respect to legislation such as the proposed Induce
Act. Pavlosky acknowledged that a danger of the Free Culture groups is
that participants will simply be seen as "rich white kids who want free
music." Jessica Litman, a law professor at Wayne State University and a
speaker at a meeting of the Free Culture groups, noted that copyright
law is traditionally written by lobbyists who represent copyright
owners and said that consumers should be included in that process.
Wired News, 10 November 2004
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65616,00.html
You have been reading excerpts from Edupage:
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*Headline News Avoided By Most Of The Major U.S. Media
Apparently Russia's approval of the Kyoto accords,
which were stalled when President Bush reversed US
policies, were mostly a ploy to gain membership in
the World Trade Organization [WTO].
"Once you figure out what's going on, it's interesting to compare all
the countries. The big news story of the day is obviously `Insurrection
will not end in Fallujah' ... in every country except the USA and
Spain, where it's not mentioned at all. Why Spain?"
*
We've all heard the some countries could leapfrog
right over the wired to the wireless, but no one
has admitted this could be done on a large scale
until now. . .India in reporting more cell phones
than land lines. [See above story on China.]
[More on China]
A controversial system of treating drug addiction
by removing the portion of the brain responsible
for cravings has been banned. One side effect
feared most was the loss of the sex drive, too.
This treatment was invented by Russian doctors,
and apparently had only a 50% success rate in
China, and only 60% elsewhere.
*
NASA RETALIATES AGAINST X-PRIZE WINNER
November 17, 2004, off the coast of California
In an effort to reclaim some of the fame lost by NASA
with the various failures of the space shuttle and now
with the advent of commercially oriented spacecraft,
NASA decided to unveil its X-43A scramjet, short for
supersonic ramjet.
The plane, earlier versions of which graced magazine
covers many years ago but which were then hushed up,
travelled nearly 7,000 miles per hour, over twice as
fast as the SR-71A "Blackhawk" spy plane did when it
set an earlier record of 3,000 miles coast to coast
when it was retired from service and finally unveiled.
The unmanned plane was part of a three-stage effort
in which a B-52 bomber carried the plane with attached
booster rocket pack to a high altitude, then launched
the the plane via the booster, and finally the plane
separated from the booster and soared into the record
books to a speed of Mach 9.6, or nearly 7,000 mph in
a self-powered flight that lasts only about 10 seconds.
Other reports claimed a speed of Mach 9.8.
Other sources say the 9.8 figure was achieved only in
flight on the Pegasus booster rocket, and that the new
plane actually slowed down slightly after launch as it
flew past the 100,000 foot altitude mark that is used
as a general demarcation of the beginning of space.
This is not a full-sized plane, it's only 12 feet long.
This was the third of three X-43A's, the first of which
was intentionally destroyed when the Pegasus booster
failed to stay on course. The second flew last March,
reaching Mach 6.83, or nearly 5,000 mph.
The basic advantage being sought in this program is to
eliminate the need for vehicles to carry oxygen to burn,
but rather to use the oxygen in the atmosphere, thus making
them lighter and faster, able to carry more payload over
longer distances.
One idea is for these scramjets to carry satellites nearly
into orbit and then shoot them into orbit much as one would
shoot any other projectile.
Shades of Jules Verne's "From The Earth To The Moon," in which
astronauts were shot into space. . .and you can read right here
at Project Gutenberg.
[meanwhile. . .back at the lunar ranch. . . .]
SLOWLY BUT CHEAPLY, A NEW WAY TO THE MOON
from The Washington Post
Astronauts used to get to the moon in a few days, after blazing
into space atop the largest rockets ever, but a new approach,
dubbed SMART-1, is just now entering lunar orbit, after over a
year in ever-widening orbits of the earth, eventually reaching
close enough to the moon to be guided into its gravity and will
now orbit the moon, all by using a very small engine, after being
launch into earth orbit in the usual manner.
http://snipurl.com/an8a
*STRANGE QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"They can be removed from our society
with no more thought than removing
bad apples from a barrel."
Nixon's Vice-President Spiro Agnew,
about those who disagreed with Nixon
about the Viet Nam War
[Does anyone have the exact reference?]
*PREDICTION OF THE WEEK
You won't hear much more about the X-43A scramjet for a while.
*ODD STATISTICS OF THE WEEK
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