Digital Fingerprints: everywhere you don’t want them to be

Everyone knows, or at least should know, that our actions online are tracked. Online privacy is a myth. An old story, right?

Not so much. “Device fingerprinting” is the “next generation of online advertising.”

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal published an article about a company called BlueCava Inc., which to quote the Journal, “is building a credit bureau for devices” in which every computer or cellphone will have a reputation based on its user’s online behavior, shopping habits and demographics.” The owner of BlueCava plans to “sell this information to advertisers willing to pay top dollar for granular data about people’s interests and activities.”

Jump to this useful summary put out by International Business Times.

 

A must-read blog

Ok, I’m biased. Katie Nolan has just joined Plymouth Rocket, Inc. as a Product Specialist. When not working at her library or with us, she works on this very cool blog. If you like books, reading, and lists, its a must read.

Libraries are busy, busy

When jobs go away, Americans turn to their libraries to find information about future employment or educational opportunities. This library usage trend and others are detailed in the 2010 State of America’s Libraries report, released today by the American Library Association. The report shows that Americans have turned to their libraries in larger numbers in recent years.

Since the recession took hold in December 2007, the local library, a traditional source of free access to books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs, has become a lifeline, offering technology training and workshops on topics that ranged from résumé-writing to job-interview skills.

The report shows the value of libraries in helping Americans combat the recession. It includes data from a January 2010 Harris Interactive poll that provides compelling evidence that a decade-long trend of increasing library use is continuing—and even accelerating during economic hard times. This national survey indicates that some 219 million Americans feel the public library improves the quality of life in their community. More than 223 million Americans feel that because it provides free access to materials and resources, the public library plays an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed.

Read the ALA Summary press release here.

Tour the Library of Congress at home

The App Store at iTunes has a new Library of Congress Tour for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. A nice app that makes you want to hop on a plane and see the real thing. From the iTunes description:

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library and the largest body of knowledge under a single roof. Whether you’re onsite, at home, in a classroom or elsewhere, this app will give you a virtual tour that mirrors the Library of Congress Experience, an award-winning group of exhibitions and features that has drawn record numbers of visitors.

Trade your gadgets for Cash or Cause

Perhaps your desk drawer is chock full of old stuff that used to work, works a little, or works not even a little bit. What is the environmentally responsible thing to do with those first generation iPods and such?

Check out Gazelle for an easy way to recycle your old stuff for cash, or you can even set up a gadget drive for a favorite cause or charity. I found the site easy to use and attractive, and it certainly offers a nice solution to a big problem.

Stand By Me

more about “Stand By Me“, posted with vodpod

Reading in America. Yikes!

The average American aged 15 – 24 spent only 7 minutes a day reading for pleasure. Older Americans, on average, spend about 20 minutes per day, with Seniors reading as much as 50 minutes each day.

Claiming that we’re too busy to read is a small piece of these frightening numbers. How can we sustain the habit of life-long reading?

Read the 2007 (PDF download) NEA Report here.

Another good reason to back-up…

According to a Reuters report:

U.S. federal agents have been given new powers to seize travelers’ laptops and other electronic devices at the border and hold them for unspecified periods the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Under recently disclosed Department of Homeland Security policies, such seizures may be carried out without suspicion of wrongdoing, the newspaper said, quoting policies issued on July 16 by two DHS agencies.

Traveling safely by land, sea, or air is important to all of us. TSA does a good job under very stressful conditions 99% of the time. How far will the government go?

Read the entire article here.

Russian Business Network

Ever wonder who or what’s behind most of the annoying and unwanted spam, or the destructive malware and spyware that can invade your PC in search of personal information to exploit?

Check out this lengthy but very informative article on the Russian Business Network. These folks are a great argument for smart computing, never opening junk mail, keeping your machines current with the latest security patches, and of course, keeping clear of unknown attached files. Good reading, but very scary.

Gen yers and Public Libraries: Good News

Today’s libraries are definitely not the same places where today’s senior citizens did their homework after school. Indeed, according to the results from a study conducted by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Pew Internet & American Life Project, today’s seniors — and even many baby boomers — probably wouldn’t recognize half the resources available to patrons.

However, younger generations do. Compared to all other demographic groups, Gen Yers — 18 to 30 years old — are flocking to libraries to take advantage of their tech tools and information lode.The survey did not set out to study library usage — at least, not directly.

Rather, it examined how people went about looking for answers or solutions to several common problems that might involve the government: addressing health issues; making a decision about school enrollment; dealing with a tax matter; getting information about Medicare, Social Security or voter registration; or seeking helping on a local government matter, such as a traffic problem.

Go here to read the entire article.