CMU Researchers Create a Multitouch Surface Everywhere – In a joint effort between Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon Human Computer Interaction Institute the creation of a new interface has been born. The new interface is usable on any surface, including notebooks, tables, walls and body parts. The UI is completely multitouch and worn on the shoulder, which will turn any surface you are pointing at into a usable workspace by the combination of a projector and a 3D modeling device similar to the Kinect.

Are We In The DIY Era? Helping patrons help themselves – There is a movement under way to give patrons more control of their library experiences. Here are some examples of libraries providing unmediated self-services.   (From The Ubiquituous Librarian, via Wired Campus)

The USA PATRIOT Act is ten years old, with no signs of retirement. (From Wired magazine).

“The BBC reports that the Royal Society is putting all of its old papers online and has a fascinating sample of articles from the first several years. You can reach all the old journal articles from this page at the Royal Society by selecting a journal and going to past issues.” (From SlashDot)

A National Digital Public Library Begins To Take Shape– The Digital Public Library of America doesn’t exist yet, but it’s closer to becoming a reality.  At a meeting held at the National Archives, representatives from top cultural institutions and public and research libraries expressed support for the proposed library, which would create a portal to allow the public to get easy online access to collections held at many different institutions.  Organizers and observers made it clear that there’s still a long way to go before the digital public library goes online, and that its final shape—and just how public it will really be—remains up in the air. (from The Chronicle of Higher Education)