via https://twitter.com/#!/mrgunn/status/203160853959278592

via http://www.liv.ac.uk/english/staff/paulwatry.htm

via https://twitter.com/#!/xrce/status/154594803143819266

via http://louistheran.tumblr.com/post/14111619127/uk-as-isolated-as-someone-left-on-the-dock-in#disqus_thread

via http://twitter.com/genericpoints/status/146319903140495361 "People say that the EU was created to ensure there were no more wars in Europe but personally I think a West European centered WWIII was never a very likely eventuality. In any event the EU could have been set up with a much more limited objective, namely to end periodic outbreaks of tribalism and jingoisim. This is the real European curse, and this is what we are now facing in one country after another, as – with the local national press in the vanguard – each blames the other for causing the crisis, or for not reaching the much needed agreement to end it. The sad reality is that Europe’s leaders fiddle even as Rome is about to burn."

"Risk and Opportunity management of huge-scale BUSiness communiTy cooperation"

"EuropeanaConnect is a Best Practice Network funded by the European Commission within the area of Digital Libraries of the eContentplus Programme.

Its overall objective is to deliver core components which are essential for the realisation of Europeana, the European Digital Library as a truly interoperable, multilingual and user-oriented service for all European citizens. EuropeanaConnect will also add the music dimension to Europeana by aggregating a critical mass of audio content.

Europeana provides integrated access to digital resources from museums, archives, audio-visual archives and libraries of Europe.

EuropeanaConnect started in May 2009 and will last for 30 months."

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see also http://euprofiler.eu/

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As shown in the figure above, the IMPACT argumentation toolbox being developed will consist of:
An argument reconstruction tool, which uses a library of argumentation schemes to support the manual reconstruction of arguments from natural language texts. Moreover, an extension of existing XML formats for weblogs, such as RSS or Atom, will be developed which would enable future weblogs to mark up the structure of arguments in articles in such a way as to enable the arguments to be automatically aggregated, analysed and visualized, without human intervention. The extension may be based on the argument elements of the Legal Knowledge Interchange Format (LKIF) developed previously by the partners in the ESTRELLA project (IST-2004-027655).
A policy modelling and analysis tool, based on computational models of argumentation about alternative courses of actions given the goals and values of multiple stakeholders, and our prior research on knowledge representation languages for concepts ("ontologies"), defeasible generalizations ("rules") and precedent cases, including the Legal Knowledge Interchange Format (LKIF) we developed in the ESTRELLA project (IST-2004-027655). This tool will also include a graphical user-interface for engaging in a dialogue with an inference engine to simulate and analyse the consequences of a proposed policy in particular cases, including hypothetical cases. The tool will be able to produce a clear visualization of its reasoning, so that citizens can understand not only the effects the policy would have on their own lives, but also understand why. The tool will enable citizens and other actors in the policy development process to compare the effects of different policy proposals.
A structured consultation tool, based on prior research on the PARMENIDES system developed by the University of Liverpool, a member of our consortium. This tool will be an advanced, intelligent polling and survey tool, based on the state-of-the-art of computational models of argumentation. The questions in the surveys are generated automatically from a model of argumentation schemes, together with a model of the issues and arguments which have been put forward previously in the ongoing consultation. The tool will dramatically increase the signal to noise ratio in online discussions, without unduly restricting the substantive arguments which can be made, by helping citizens to apply a model of rational argument, using only argumentation schemes which are accepted by the community in which the consultation is taking place. The tool also enables arguments to be more easily tracked, mapped and visualized, since it obviates the need to manually reconstruct arguments from natural language texts.
An argument analysis, tracking and visualization tool, based on the state-of-the-art in the field of computational models of argument and argument mapping methods. The analysis features of this tool will enable citizens to identify which argumentation schemes have been applied, to reveal implicit premises helpful for asking critical questions, to determine whether some statement at issue is acceptable given the arguments which have been put forward, according the user's choice of proof standard. The tracking features of this tool will enable users to register their interest in particular issues and request and receive notification whenever new arguments have been put forward which affect these interests. The visualization feature of this tool provides a variety of interactive, graphical views onto argument graphs, at different levels of abstraction and detail. This will enable citizens to appreciate the complexity of the policy issues in their entirety, to zoom in on the issues which are of interest to them and then be in a position to articulate a reasoned contribution to the consultation."

" Things the European Union Needs In Addition To Love
* A common foreign policy
* Consensus about the proper scope of federal rule
* A credible army
* Mandatory musical re-education camps
* A meaningful role for the European parliament
* Decent Mexican food
* Reductions in bureaucracy
* Agricultural reform
* Some degree of sovereign power
* A constitution
* 24 hour convenience stores
* Jobs
* An increase in the birth rate
* A sane immigration policy
* Deportation of all Eurovision contestants to karaoke bars in Central Asia
* Lower taxes
* Aircraft carriers
* Air conditioning
"

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"he development and wide use of powerful new ICT applications is transforming the way citizens and civil society interact, debate and participate in public life. These new tools have enormous potential to enhance decision-making processes by involving large numbers of EU citizens."

"Several European nations, including France and Germany, have expressed concern that the proposed settlement gives Google a monopoly in content. Since the settlement was the result of a class action against Google, it applies only to Google. Other companies would not be free to digitise books under the same terms. "

"eCAALYX—Enhanced Complete Ambient Assisted Living Experiment (June 2009 - May 2012) is a three-year project funded by the European Commission under the AAL Joint Programme (Strategic Objectives addressed: ICT-based Solutions for Prevention and Management of Chronic Conditions of Elderly People). "

"One key aspect that could influence the digital identity policy landscape has not been studied: the views of the European citizens, particularly the views of the generation that has grown up with digital devices. This survey seeks to find out more about future user needs and requirements in the area of digital identity, with a view to informing EU policy making.
This survey has a twofold objective: identifying a) young people’s perception of the risks that the new eID technologies may pose and b) young people’s acceptance levels of these risks, and their general motivation and intent regarding the use of these new technologies. In summary, the survey should identify the key factors that should encourage or support the development of actual and potential eID-based services, in the views of young European consumers. "

Simplifying Complexity Through a Single Federated Search Box
By Verne W. Newton and Kathryn Silberger

"they are now developing a new realism about striking a variety of alliances with private companies, including national deals with Google.""limited government funding " "pondering new ways of charging fees for copyrighted material, like allowing low-resol

"Does assuming total control over the least open part of the OCLC family suggest that the wayward child is to be forcefully turned toward openness, or are we peering over the edge at an abyss that seeks to swallow all of us and our data, only to sell it b

The European Commission today confirmed its decision to allow Britain and Ireland to keep some of their old imperial measurements so pubs can still serve pints and road signs will show miles instead of kilometres. "the United States is one of only three c

"Google Inc. has decided to make the data it stores about end users anonymous in its server logs after 18 months, according to a blog posted yesterday by the company's global privacy counsel."

"spatial data infrastructure"

There is no theory of protecting content other than keeping secrets. DRMs haven’t worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy.

European Social Survey

The European Social Survey (the ESS) is an academically-driven social survey designed to chart and explain the interaction between Europe's changing institutions and the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of its diverse po