Virtual Shtetl Portal

AFP, High-tech edge for Poland's Jewish history, 16 Jun 09 "The creators of Poland's future Museum of Polish Jews Tuesday in Warsaw launched the Virtual Shtetl website, a portal they hope will build the museum's collection even before its doors open in 2011.

""This portal has the potential to become the greatest source of information about Jewish life in Poland prior to the war," project creator and coordinator Albert Stankowski told reporters in Warsaw Tuesday."

See Virtual Shtetl Portal

Koogle

Reuters, Orthodox Jews launch "kosher" search engine, 14 Jun 09 "Religiously devout Jews barred by rabbis from surfing the Internet may now "Koogle" it on a new "kosher" search engine, the site manager said on Sunday.

"Yossi Altman said Koogle, a play on the names of a Jewish noodle pudding and the ubiquitous Google, appears to meet the standards of Orthodox rabbis, who restrict use of the Web to ensure followers avoid viewing sexually explicit material."

Lester Haines, The Register, Orthodox Jews tuck into kosher Koogle, 15 Jun 09 "Orthodox Jews - whose religious beliefs have previously kept them a safe distance from the internet - can now avail themselves of a "kosher" search engine, suitably tuned to satisfy even the most demanding rabbi."

Some sections of Koogle appear to still be in development.

China's computers at hacking risk

BBC News, China's computers at hacking risk, 10 Jun 09 "Every PC in China could be at risk of being taken over by malicious hackers because of flaws in compulsory government software."

'Holy Twitter! They're tweeting from the pews'

Diane Mapes, MSNBC, Holy Twitter! They're tweeting from the pews, 2 Jun 09 "Welcome to the 3G(od) network, where social media have become as vital a communication tool for clergy and congregations as the traditional post-sermon coffee hour. While not all churches have gone as far as to incorporate real-time Twitter streams into their Sunday services, many are using Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn and other social networking sites to get the word (or, rather, “the Word”) out there."

Interesting article, with plenty of detail.

Twitter Users Join Psychic Powers Study

Sky News, Twitter Users Join Psychic Powers Study. 1 Jun 09 "The test, conducted by university professor Richard Wiseman, requires Tweeters to correctly guess a location from five photographs."

wired.com, Wikipedia Bans Church of Scientology

wired.com, Wikipedia Bans Church of Scientology, May 29, 2009 "Wikipedia has banned the Church of Scientology from editing any articles. It’s a punishment for repeated and deceptive editing of articles related to the controversial religion. The landmark ruling comes from the inner circle of a site that prides itself on being open and inclusive."