Microsoft Open XML standards vote foments politics, dismay

"What we need are multiple competing products, not competing standards"

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9769670-7.html

The ISO/IEC Voting Process on OOXML Explained

"I've had several questions from journalists today who want to know how the votes will be counted on the OOXML vote, and what the distinction is between the influence of P (Participating) as compared to O (Observer) members of ISO. I had promised in a prior blog post to explain the rather complicated rules, and with voting now in its final stages, that time is now. While I'm at it, I'll also explain in greater detail why the surge in membership in SC 34 matters, and what will happen between now and the OOXML Ballot Resolution Meeting (BRM) in Geneva, Switzerland in February 2008."

http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070831151800414

Help your national board say "NO" to OOXML

"OOXML is an immature documentation of one vendor's proprietary document format which depends on software patents held by this vendor, which block interoperability. It conflicts with existing ISO standards. More than three hundred technical comments have been raised by industry, academics, researchers, and experts. The ISO JTC-1 Directive p.48 section 9.8 requires national bodies to vote "NO with comments" if there remain unanswered technical problems. The accuracy and honesty of the voting process has been questioned in many countries."

http://www.noooxml.org/

Algorithm Rates Trustworthiness of Wikipedia Pages

"We compute the reputation of Wikipedia authors according to how long their contributions last in the Wikipedia. Specifically, authors whose contributions are preserved, or built-upon, gain reputation; authors whose contributions are undone lose reputation."

http://trust.cse.ucsc.edu/

ISO boards face OOXML deadline pressure

"What seems clear by now, however, is that Microsoft is scared out of its wits about having to compete on the level playing field of a precisely specified international standard for office document formats, that is, the Open Document Format (ODF)"

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=42055

The Joy of OOXML

"Finally - and perhaps most importantly - the sudden interest in file formats is an indication that cloud computing is beginning to make its presence felt. There can be no lock-in to particular desktop programs here, because there are no desktop programs (other than the browser, and fortunately Firefox has pretty much won the fight to keep Web standards open). Ultimately, file formats are not just important, they are the only thing that counts."

http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000294

Power Wi-Fi using the sun

"Comprising a large solar panel connected to a generator unit, the system claims to be able to power such devices for up to seven days without sunlight to recharge its batteries, hence the out-sized panels. In normal use, power stored during the day keeps the system running at night."

http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;209822754;fp;16;fpid;1

Assyrian, Babylonian, Sumerian Translator Created

At VirtualSecrets you will learn knowledge that is not widely known all the way back to Ancient times. Where possible, learning tools have been created to assist you (such as translators and flashcards).

http://www.virtualsecrets.com/

Linux Foundation Releases Statement Calling for National Bodies to Vote "No" on OOXML

"It is essential to remember in this context that the national and global rules of standards participation are intended to ensure that the best standards are created, and that those standards will serve everyone, everywhere, in the best way possible. Accordingly, those rules are biased towards making it easy to become qualified to vote and to participate in the evaluation and voting process. Many nations have taken this opportunity and obligation seriously, and have done so on a very long-term basis. In the case of OOXML, the standards experts of these nations have labored long and hard to vet a gargantuan specification, and to offer detailed comments to indicate what changes would be required to turn a specification that should have been better prepared into a document that would be entitled to achieve the status of a global standard."

http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070829095223942

China Says Tibetans Need Permission To Reincarnate

In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20227400/site/newsweek/