The Legal Architecture of Virtual Stories: World Wide Web Sites and the Uniform Commercial Code

“Virtual Stores” on the Web raise a myriad of traditional legal controversies in a new forum: the “battle of the forms” among purchasers and sellers; jurisdictional concerns and conflict-of-law problems; and the enforceability of contracts. This wide-ranging article analyzes law regarding these issues, with particular emphasis on the U.C.C

Saving time, saving money, saving the planet, 'one gift at a time': a practice-centred exploration of free online reuse exchange

Online reuse networks seek to reduce waste by connecting people who have something they no longer want with others who might have a use for it. The intention is that 'everyone wins': givers are saved the hassle of disposal, recipients save money and the ecological burden of consumption is eased. Existing research has tended to focus on individuals' motivations for involvement. As part of a wider study of how alternative consumption practices become embedded in everyday life, this paper follows a different line of enquiry, taking its orientation from how theories of practice conceptualise what people do and how this changes. The initial emphasis is on establishing 'what sort of practice' free online reuse is, what makes it different from other ways of acquiring and disposing, and on identifying its constituent materials, competences and meanings. The focus then shifts to how these elements are variably integrated in the performance of reuse. First, what are the implications for how people go about giving and receiving when small details are changed relative to other similar practices? Findings suggest that technologically mediated reuse 'communities' connect some people but exclude others. Eliminating money from the exchange process gives participants access to goods they would otherwise struggle to afford, but at the same time raises questions as to how goods are allocated, potentially privileging other unequally distributed material and cultural resources. Second, the meanings of reuse vary from context to context, in turn corresponding to different kinds of performance. Any given performance can, meanwhile, belong to a number of different practices at the same time

Recommender Systems for Online and Mobile Social Networks: A survey

Recommender Systems (RS) currently represent a fundamental tool in online services, especially with the advent of Online Social Networks (OSN). In this case, users generate huge amounts of contents and they can be quickly overloaded by useless information. At the same time, social media represent an important source of information to characterize contents and users' interests. RS can exploit this information to further personalize suggestions and improve the recommendation process. In this paper we present a survey of Recommender Systems designed and implemented for Online and Mobile Social Networks, highlighting how the use of social context information improves the recommendation task, and how standard algorithms must be enhanced and optimized to run in a fully distributed environment, as opportunistic networks. We describe advantages and drawbacks of these systems in terms of algorithms, target domains, evaluation metrics and performance evaluations. Eventually, we present some open research challenges in this area

A plan for the establishment of a national bibliographic network for Kuwait in the light of international and local standards

This research was carried out in order to gather information on the current situation and practices of libraries in Kuwait so as to investigate the possibly of designing a model for establishment of a national bibliographic network in the State of Kuwait. As context for the research, background is provided on national bibliographic networks in developed countries and in the Arab World, together with consideration of the role of a national library in such a network. In order to gather data, three questionnaire surveys (for library administrators, cataloguers and automation specialists) were distributed to all types of libraries in Kuwait. Information was sought on the composition and training of staff, the nature and extent of library resources and databases, the degree of automation of systems and services, and the nature of co-operation and resource sharing. Opinions were also sought on the feasibility of establishing centralised cataloguing and the implementation of a national bibliographic network. Follow-up interviews were also carried out, and professionals in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were consulted for advice on practical solutions and recommendations for an effective national bibliographic network. The findings of the questionnaire surveys indicated some deficiencies that Kuwait libraries face: the absence of a leadership role by the national library; lack of a deposit law for national publications that would ensure a collection that would provide central focal point for a national information infrastructure; coverage by the national bibliography is neither comprehensive nor adequate; there are no formal systems of co-operation for resource sharing; implementation of standards for bibliographic services has been ineffective; many libraries still lack automated systems; lack of professional staff was noted by all sectors. Nevertheless, respondents were positive in their concern for needing strong leadership, adequate financial support for the national library, and expressed a desire for co-operation, which was felt to be possible even under the current circumstances. Based on the findings of the survey and experience described in the literature, it is concluded that a national library is the most appropriate body to develop and maintain the bibliographic databases that would be the centre of national bibliographic network. A model for such a network is presented, discussing the links to different libraries in the country and the duties and responsibilities of the national and other libraries in attaining successful functioning of the network. Recommendations are made for the functioning of the proposed national bibliographic network

George Washington’s Attorneys: The Political Selection of United States Attorneys at the Founding

This Article examines the relationship between the Nation’s first President and the selection of United States Attorneys. It argues that politics played an important, if not primary, role in the President’s selections. George Washington sought those who would represent the government’s interests, adhere to the government’s policies, and advance Washington’s political goals. His selections also demonstrated Washington’s requirement of loyalty to America. In this respect, the politicization of United States Attorneys occurred at the outset. Part I of this Article defines politicization and identifies its four aspects. Part II describes the United States Attorney position as understood through the 1789 Judiciary Act and state experience. Part III examines how Washington’s selections and selection process included three of the four politicization categories. The concluding Section briefly explores the ramifications of politicization and its potential benefits in today’s prosecutorial environmen

In Trusts We Trust: Pension Funds Between Social Protection and Financial Speculation.

les réformes européennes des retraites ont pris pour référence le système américain. cet article propose de comprendre les origines d'une telle croyance persistante dans les vertus des fonds de pension. l'analyse met en évidence le rôle joué par leur structure juridique, le trust, dans la légitimation de la "pension industry".Recent reforms of European pension schemes have largely taken the American system as a reference.The remarks which follow are aimed at understanding the origins of such a persistent belief in the virtues of the pension funds. The analysis brings out the role played by their legal structure, the trust, in the legitimisation of the ‘pension industryFonds de pension; Trust;