feeds | grep links > More Public Domain Shenanigans, Quantum PageRank, Big Content’s Piratical Hypocrisy, and More

• Cambridge digital library posts scan of Newton’s Trinity College notebook, claims copyright over scans
  Cory at Boing Boing deftly spots the aspect many others missed in reporting the release of scans of Newton’s notebook, that once again a work that should be made available in digital form without any encumbrance is being enclosed for the worst of reasons. Cory includes a follow up though after conversations in the comments about how this practice of privatizing what should be public information catalyzes a self defeating spiral for galleries, libraries, archives and museums that go down this ill considered path.
• Quantum PageRank algorithm outperforms classical version
  Technology Review explains that the comparison between quantum and classical algorithms is not entirely fair. The research in question doesn’t rely on quantum computers nor can it be applied to classical information as the title might suggest. Rather the researchers are working with quantum networks which may prove somewhat more feasible to build than computers that deal with information encoded in qubits rather than the traditional kind of on-off state. Given past work on applying quantum driven processing to searches, the findings here are not entirely surprising though the path to application isn’t entirely certain.
• Busted: BitTorrent Pirates at Sony, Universal and Fox
  The kind of hypocrisy that Ernesto at TorrentFreak highlights is far from new. In a fair world, it would erode much of the over reaching rhetoric of the content industry as it flogs piracy in service of protecting decrepit business models. Sadly, not only do we not live in that world but evidence such as the rush to pass ill considered legislation like SOPA points to considerable hurdles towards realizing a more level playing field between the public industry and the wishes of a few influential intermediaries.
• Public Domain Day: January 1st 2012, Open Knowledge Foundation Blog
• Internet Explorer Users Have Low Risk Intelligence, Slashdot
• Steelie Neelie dreams of apps slurping public data for free, The Register
• Megaupload sues Universal over questionable video takedown, as Will.i.am says he sent takedown too, Techdirt
• Donate to the Ada Initiative, support women in free/open culture, get a snazzy Ada Lovelace pendant, Boing Boing

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