links for 2007-03-02

“We can dispose of the preposterous notion that the changes are motivated by cost concerns. In state budgeting terms, £35m is a blip – and, assuming a 10 per cent saving from the proposals, the government may expect to find itself only about £5m better

The Government response to the e-petition against the changes to the Freedom of Information Act fees regime.

“Music site NME.com will host webcam footage straight from the ShockWaves NME Awards 2007 tonight, as part of its online coverage of the event.”

Another petition to sign: “We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to oppose the Private Members Bill exempting Westminster from the FoI Act 2000.”

“Steven Berlin Johnson and John Geraci today launched ad-supported local info site Outside.in, which culls local news and events, and allows users to search it by ZIP code.”

Christopher Ames, whose article about the Iraq dossier will appear in Friday’s New Statesman, has launched a website giving background on the story.

Chris Ames: “The information commissioner is right now finalising his ruling on whether the draft [of the "dodgy dossier"] should be released.”

“Big changes are coming to USATODAY.com. Starting this weekend, you’ll have more interactive opportunities, see a dramatic new design and find a new way of thinking about the news.”

Many CIOs are not the technology innovator in their company, “but rather the dead weight keeping the real technology innovators–employees who want to use the tools increasingly available on the wide-open Web to help them do their jobs better”

Eric Klinenberg: “While our democratic culture could survive the loss of the daily paper as we know it, it would be endangered without the kinds of reporting that it provides. It’s the journalism, not the newsprint, that matters.”

“Yesterday, the Magazine Publishers of America reported that during 2006, their members (consumer magazine publishing companies) had announced over 150 digital initiatives. … From now on, I guess MPA will announce the launch of magazines as new ‘analog

A great overview of an important concept: “Because of this information explosion, we no longer read – we skim. … the rapid growth of information causes scarcity of attention.”