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Kinley Levack is a former assistant editor of EContent who also contributes to our sister site, www.streamingmedia.com.
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Scholarly research has come a long way since the days of poring over stacks at the library, and search engine companies are beginning to explore the particular opportunities within academic research. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the most venerated American institutes of higher learning, made its own foray into the search market with DSpace, a joint project with Hewlett-Packard that was first launched in 2002. DSpace is open-source software designed to assist colleges and universities in creating, managing, and maintaining digital repositories. There are currently about 125 schools using this software, but no tool existed that enabled searching across repositories instead of just within them. Enter Google into DSpace.
A serendipitous result of the vast amount of information now available on the Internet is that it can be sifted and used by organizations for the betterment of the general population. While some of the health conscious may surf for nutritional data or new exercises, the possible impact of widespread access to this type of information extends far beyond, to diseases that are mysterious, life altering, and—thus far—incurable.
Two companies have recently entered the scene with the intent to turn your musical affinities into recommendations for other titles, albums, and artists, and, not only could it revolutionize the way consumers find music, but it has implications in a host of other consumer arenas.
For most Americans, knowledge of nautical weather patterns is cursory or anecdotal at best, but for those whose livelihoods and lives depend on understanding the ocean’s every move, technological advances have made the waters of the Gulf of Maine safer and more predictable than ever.