Even as a tool that was bound to a specific machine, the FireFox extension Zotero merited attention for the way it fused browser-driven "bookmarking" with academic citation management. For some time the folks at Zotero have been promising to create a served version so that users could get to their bibliographic records from anywhere. The recently launched preview of their syncing tool gives reason to hope that the "feature complete" version will not be far behind.

In a June 22nd event in Second Life, the MacArthur Foundation announced the beginning of a year-long exploration of the role of philanthropy in virtual worlds.

The exploration will take the form of a series of conversations, real-world conferences on these issues, and competitive grants, all accessible from the virtual world.

The highlights of the June 22nd event were a conversation between Phillip Rosedale, CEO of Linden Lab, and MacArthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton, and the announcement of a $550,000 grant to the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy to lead the effort.