links for 2008-10-09

• Chicago/Turabian Manual of Style Citation Guide
  Based on The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, this guide provides examples in Author-Date style (recommended for physical, natural, and social sciences) Created by The Ohio State University Libraries
  (tags: writing citations reference chicago turabian)
• Modern Language Association (MLA) Citation Guide
  Created by The Ohio State University Libraries
  (tags: citations mla reference writing)
• APA Citation Guide
  Created by The Ohio State University Libraries
  (tags: citations apa writing reference)

Maker of EndNote Citation Software Sues George Mason U.

Wired Campus: Maker of EndNote Citation Software Sues George Mason U.

Thomson Reuters Inc. sued George Mason University in a Virginia court this month, arguing that a free software tool made by the university makes improper use of the company’s EndNote citation software.

The company’s complaint argues that programmers at George Mason’s Center for History and New Media reverse-engineered EndNote to create a free program called Zotero. The university’s free software is a plug-in for the Firefox Web browser, and it is designed to help scholars store and organize their online research. It has been downloaded more than 1 million times.

Thomson Reuters argues that the latest release of George Mason’s software, which can import files created by EndNote and turn them into files that can be used and shared online using Zotero, “is willfully and intentionally destroying Thomson’s customer base for the EndNote software.” The company seeks $10-million in damages for each year the university has offered the software and to stop the university from distributing versions of Zotero that can convert EndNote files.

I’m a big fan of Zotero.  To me, this lawsuit is akin to Microsoft suing Mozilla (the makers of Firefox) for making a better web browser.   Considering that Zotero is a browser plug-in, and EndNote is a proprietary, stand-alone software application, this lawsuit is alleging some pretty fancy reverse-engineering.  A dubious claim in my view.

BTW — Zotero is free.  EndNote is $250.   Maybe if Thomson focused on improving its product, and cutting its absurd prices, it wouldn’t feel so threatened.  Just a thought…

Paul Newman, Hollywood’s anti-hero, dies at 83

Paul Newman, Hollywood’s anti-hero, dies at 83

Paul Newman never much cared for what he once called the “rubbish” of Hollywood, choosing to live in a quiet community on the opposite corner of the U.S. map, staying with his wife of many years and - long after he became bored with acting - pursuing his dual passions of philanthropy and race cars.

And yet despite enormous success in both endeavors and a vile distaste for celebrity, the Oscar-winning actor never lost the aura of a towering Hollywood movie star, turning in roles later in life that carried all the blue-eyed, heartthrob cool of his anti-hero performances in “Hud,”"Cool Hand Luke” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

The 10-time Academy Award nominee died Friday at age 83, surrounded by family and close friends at his Westport farmhouse following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said Saturday.

Debunking Internet smears on Palin

READ: CNN Political Ticker

This story on CNN’s website notes some of the debunking going on over Sarah Palin’s alleged attempts to ban library books.  I saw the very list cited on a email listserv for librarians, a list debunked by Snopes.com as false…

Obama’s no Muslim and Palin’s no book-burner.  Now, can we get back to the bigger issues of this campaign?