Wicked. Evil. Foul. Bad.

Those words mean essentially the same thing, but we don't talk about "wicked weather," "foul witches" or the "forces of bad." Understanding such subtle differences in usage comes naturally because our brains remember the millions of words we have processed over our lifetimes and which ones go together. But people learning English don't have that repository. So, Mark Davies is volunteering to be their English brains. The View: Variation In English Words and Phrases may be accessed at http://view.byu.edu/

Complete text of article: http://byunews.byu.edu/archive06-Jun-davies.aspx

Explore Shakespeare with Google!

Google has created a new tool that allows users to find and search all of Shakespeare's plays.

"Search within Hamlet for "to be or not to be" to read the rest of his famous soliloquy. Find out who called the world his "oyster" and why. Browse through a familiar play – or follow your curiosity to discover a new one. And if you decide you want to buy a copy, "All editions" will show you every version in Google Book Search, many of which are available for purchase."

Note that some print editions of the plays may not have entered the public domain everywhere in the world. Where the copyright status is in question, the publication will not appear in "Full View."

To use: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/shakespeare/

New Tool For Genealogical Research from Google

Google Book Search has been surprisingly useful in identifying ancestors who might have contributed to a book or who might be mentioned in the text of a book. ... "Genealogical research can be complicated by the fact that some books are so rare, the likelihood that you'll find them in even a single library is fairly low. ... If you, your patrons or students are interested in researching your family history, I encourage you to give Google Book Search a try at http://books.google.com. Especially if you've got a fairly unusual name (sorry to the John Smiths out there), enter your name and see what happens."

Complete text of article may be accessed here: http://www.google.com/librariancenter/articles/0606_02.html

The Fair Use Network

"How much can you borrow, quote or copy from someone else's work? What happens if you get a 'cease and desist' letter from a copyright owner? These and many other questions make 'intellectual property,' or 'IP,' law, a mass of confusion for artists, scholars, journalists, bloggers, and everyone else who contributes to culture and political debate."

"The Fair Use Network was created because of the many questions that artists, writers, and others have about "IP" issues. Whether you are trying to understand your own copyright or trademark rights, or are a "user" of materials created by others, the information here will help you understand the system — and especially its free-expression safeguards."

http://fairusenetwork.org/

JFK Presidential Library to Launch Digital Initiative

On June 9, 2006, Senator Edward M. Kennedy announced that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is to build a new library – a digital one - consisting of the entire collection of papers, documents, photographs and audio recordings of President John F. Kennedy, eventually making them accessible to citizens throughout the world via the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s website. Some content is already available for your use. http://www.jfklibrary.org/

What if they gagged Gutenberg?

What if they gagged Gutenberg? Big telecom is trying to throttle free access to democratic Internet

Five-hundred years ago, we had Johann Gutenberg, a German metalworker and inventor who pioneered the precursor to the Internet. His printing press became the first practical mass communications medium utilizing what was then an advanced memory technology -- paper....

Read the entire article from the San Francisco Chronical at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/06/11/INGT6J4PVB25.DTL