These pages are a modest attempt to provide up-to-date news that is relevant to the areas of mathematics, education, computer science or information technology. Reader should keep in mind that old links often disappear.
7/29/11
TechNews for the week: July 29; July 27; July 25;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Talks on long-term Afghan-U.S. partnership stalled; Investigation: U.S. trucking funds reach Taliban; U.S. officials believe al-Qaeda on brink of collapse;
Libya rejects Gaddafi proposal to remain in Libya if he leaves power; Britain recognizes Libyan opposition, unfreezes millions;
Iran draws the line with Turkey on Syria; Pakistan's Iran overtures test Saudi faith; Iran accused of arrangement with al-Qaeda;
CIA vaccine program used in bin Laden hunt in Pakistan sparks criticism;
Chinese Fighter Jets ‘Repel’ US Spy Aircraft; US in 'denial' over China's Pacific strategy ;
Chart: How the debt got so big; Gov’t report: US health care tab to hit $4.6 trillion in 2020, averaging $13,710 per person;
House approves debt bill; Senate ready to reject;
Overseas Solutions To Washington’s Budget Deadlock and reprinted;
Debt ceiling: Will congressmen get paid?
Alabama county's bankruptcy would top $4.1 billion;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Director of U.S. Cyber Attack Team Resigns;
Wiretapping and Cryptography; ‘Hack’ Is the Wrong Term for Current Hacking–er;
Using Photographs to Duplicate Physical Keys; Smuggling Drugs in Unwitting People's Car Trunks;
Chief NSA Lawyer Hints That NSA May Be Tracking US Citizens;
Add-on for preventing tracking from third-party buttons;
Math and science
God Particle Higgs Boson is Elusive, CERN Hopes for Breakthrough in 2012; Physicists Discover New Subatomic Particle;
Lawsuit That Defies the Laws of Physics thrown out;
3D printing: The world's first printed plane; AirBus to print an entire wing;
Geoffrey West: The surprising math of cities and corporations; Scaling Laws in Biology and other complex systems;
Pixeet: Full Panorama Photos With Almost Any Phone;
Backing up 'folk wisdom';
Web design issues
How patent trolls destroy innovation; Should Software Patents Be Abolished?
Google VP: Why Google+ requires real names; Dangers of a 'Frenemies' Circle;
How to Turn Any Page into a Feed with RSS Scraping; another how to; Displaying RSS Feeds with XHTML, CSS;
Windows Explorer supports Raw format; An intro to Wolfram's Computable Document Format (CDF) with examples;
Easily Open a KML File in Google Maps;
10 stupid user stories;
Other news
In defence of the maligned PowerPoint;
Federal Judge Rules for Students in Lawsuit Stemming From Rejected Voter Applications;
House Committee OKs broadened ISP snooping bill;
Finance and Economics
PEW report on Wealth Gap;
What profit crunch? Corporate earnings are better than expected for 2Q; Bank store up cash to soften U.S. credit blow;
Speculation Drove Wheat Prices up While Supply Expanded, where is the regulation? Quant trader going it alone;
Patent Licensing Firm Sues Angry Birds Maker; Microsoft Faces Patent Suit Over Kinect Controllers;
The $32 Bn weather disasters of 2011(so far);
Education:
Using GuideStar to Learn More About University Finances; Fixing college's debt; Does Performance Funding Work?
Reliance on Financial Aid grows as Graduate-Student Population Grows; Stalemate Over Federal Debt Ceiling Leaves Student-Aid Funds in Limbo;
Survey: Health-Care Costs in Academe Are Still on the Rise; Auditor Says UCLA Inappropriately Spent Fee Revenues;
In 3 States, Criticism of Presidential Pay; Perks for College Presidents in New Jersey;
Chicago State improves retention rate by letting failing students stay; 40 educators in Atlanta cheating scandal have resigned or retired;
B-School Case Study takes tablet form; Teaching with the cloud;
Are 8:00 am classes an attrition machine?
Maine gov wants 5-year high school; Math Teacher: Schools Must Stress Math More In Middle Grades;
Big Ten coaches talk violations, new additions and 'The Game'; NCAA finds no new violations at OSU;
Maryland Athletic Program's Fiscal Woes Should Be a Wake-Up Call to Governing Boards;
‘Pac-12 Everywhere’: Plans for National and Regional TV Networks;
New NATA Guidelines Address Safe Weight Loss Practices for Student-Athletes; Evidence Suggests Marijuana Use Is Up Among College Student-Athletes;
7/22/11
TechNews for the week: July 22; July 20; July 18;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Syrian troops storm town near Lebanese border; warns French and US ambassadors not to travel outside Damascus; tens of thousands protest Assad regime;
Pakistan, Iran become 'natural allies'; Violence in Karachi exposes deep divides;
France floats plan for Gadhafi to stay in Libya if he quits power;
Latest developments in Arab political unrest stretching from North Africa to the Persian Gulf; CIA veteran: Israel to attack Iran in fall;
Canadian Prime Minister declares criticism of Israel is a form of anti-Semitism;
Saudi Arabia squelchs political dissent, Mandates Jail for Critics of King;
US war debt dances on the ceiling; Five truths about the deficit and the national debt;
Obama calls new Senate plan a ‘very significant step’ in debt talks; Senators deficit plan targets tax breaks for millions but reduces rates for all;
New debt plan gains support in Senate; House passes balanced-budget measure; Senate Rejects Republican 'Cut, Cap, Balance' Bill;
GOP-leaning group launches TV ads targeting vulnerable House Democrats in 10 districts; Republicans replace 'death panels' with ‘rationing’ panels;
Harrisburg city council rejects Pa. appointee's financial recovery plan;
Congressman Allen West's email tirade at colleague;
Texas Congressman introduces bill to block President's authority on deportation until after 2012 election;
Fed chief and other regulators to face tough questions over delays in financial rules;
After Exxon Mobil spill in Mont. river, gaps in oversight create worries of another accident;
Murdoch scandal: aide Brooks arrested; London Police chief resigns;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Phone hacking, technology and policy; Declassified DoD report on classified information systems;
Marine General`s Call for an Offensive Cyber-Security Strategy Dangerous; Fighting viruses, defending the net against crime and espionage;
How Websites Poison Your Computer; Using data to protect people from malware; Little-known firms track data used in credit scores;
Police stalking you: Liberty, Security, and Biometrics; commercial: biometrics scanner for police forces; Police Use iPhone Iris Scanners;
TSA to revise nudie scanner; Beating censorship systems;
Math and science
The 10 worst things about being an analytical thinker; Microsoft Wants to Make It Easy for Academics to Analyze ‘Big Data’;
Data Mining Could Improve Computers' Ability To Understand Human Gestures;
Los Alamos National Laboratory Employees Working On Preserving Webpages;
Manufacturers Turn to 3-D Printing; MIT folds solar cell into paper airplane;
Perspective in Math and Art; Tim Harford on TED.com: Trial, error and the God complex;
Phys Ed: Do Marathons Hurt Your Knees?
Web design issues
Free Windows utilities that are important; Five Steps To Social Network Success;
Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Google+; the Complete Google+ guide;
CSS3 Preview: Tables and Grids;
Anti-PowerPoint revolutionaries unite;
Other news
Why the Christian Right is Anti-Tax, Anti-Fed, Pro-Defense; 'WSJ' publisher resigns in phone-hacking scandal;
Management Tips Straight Out of Grade School;
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Reinvent the Toilet;
Program or Be Programmed; Google shuts down Google Labs; 10 Google Labs Experiments Worth Saving After Shutdown;
Finance and Economics
The Growing Divide Between Silicon Valley And Unemployed America;
Moody's eyes possible credit downgrade on 5 states including SC; States see little effect; Calif. AG to Decide Next Step for Online Sales Tax;
Why banks aren't lending; Another approach to high-risk loans; Wells Fargo fined $85m over subprime loans;
Apple deals massive patent blow to HTC, Android;
Phone Co. Trade Group Wants Facebook Regulated;
Education:
Governors Say It Again: Higher Ed Needs Accountability; Governors' Group Offers Advice on Higher Education Productivity;
Moody’s Reports Highlight ‘Divergent Trends’ Between Stronger and Weaker Colleges;
Report: California’s Public Colleges Are Falling Behind in College Preparation; Documenting California's Decline;
Community College in Florida Admits to Graduating Students Without Required Courses; 60 percent of Texans suspended before high school graduation;
Study of Student Teaching programs says three-fourths are inadequate; Student-Teaching Experiences Are Weak;
Community-College Students Perform Worse Online Than Face to Face; Online education is not a panacea for educating students; the study;
Study: College Students Lead in Internet Use and Tech Gadgets; 10 Guidelines: Running Synchronous Web Teaching Sessions;
Three Thoughts on Coaching and Teaching; Is Calling Out Faculty ‘Coasters’ Name-Calling?
Report Calls For New Science Education Framework; Academic Journals are Really Expensive!
Challenging Student Beliefs or accepting Pseudoscience? Consequences of using plagiarism-detection software to police cheating students;
For-Profit Colleges Sue to Block ‘Gainful Employment’ Regulation; Businesses Oppose NLRB Changes Sought by Private-College Unions;
Review: Florida State Narrowly Dodged Trouble From Koch Grant;
More than dozen college coaches involved in possible Ponzi scheme;
NFL Labor Dispute Upends Plans for Training Camps at Several Colleges;
NCAA Punishes LSU for Football Recruiting Violations; Ivy League Will Limit Full-Contact Football Practices;
7/15/11
TechNews for the week: July 15; July 13; July 11;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Outgoing US commander says violence waning in Afghan cities, fight continues in rural areas; Afghan President Karzai's brother assassinated; What next for Afghanistan?
Gadhafi facing pressure from dwindling supplies of fuel and cash, low troop morale; U.S. to recognize Libyan rebels as legitimate government;
Iran sanctions target shipping lifeline; US targets Iran - via Iraq;
Israel and Lebanon dispute maritime border;
Democrats may want to raise taxes, GOP may want to protect loopholes, but they won't say it;
No debt deal? Here’s what could happen; Voters blame Bush more than Obama for the economy;
Eric Cantor’s no compromise stance; Rep. Ryan Tastes The (expensive) Grapes Of Wrath;
Congress hears outcry from business lobby on debt ceiling and deficit; Lobbyists woo lawmakers with donations to their favorite charities;
How an obscure lightbulb law became a Tea Party rallying cry; Vote To Repeal Bulb Efficiency Standards May Come Tuesday;
China's central bank says debt risks for local governments 'controllable' ; Researcher: China worried about US economy, watching whether Fed launches QE3;
Thirteen conservative California counties want to separate from California;
US senator calls for News Corp probe;
Saving money by cutting the size of Congress;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
June Crypto-Gram Newsletter, "Reasonable" Electronic Banking Security, Protecting Private Information, and more;
Pentagon Unveils Cyberspace Security Plan; Military wants to 'protect' key civilian networks; Report: Terror threat amplified by new technologies;
AntiSec Hackers Hit F.B.I. Contractor;
History of Stuxnet; Insurgent Groups Exhibit Learning Curve; Comments;
Math and science
Believers In Mysterious Planet Nibiru Await Earth's End (another crackpot group);
Capturing energy in the air to power electronics;
Standing ovations at TED; a mathematical paper on standing ovations;
The fine print: North Dakota may not be a state;
Web design issues
How to try to get a Google+ account; Introducing Google+; invitations no longer so scarce;
Five blatant security mistakes you should avoid when setting up a wireless access point;
HTML5: The next generation of web design; Tooltips with CSS3;
Other news
ISP data retention plan hits Capitol Hill snag; Republican Proposal Would Kill Net Neutrality Rules;
Judges Approve Warrants to Search Facebook Accounts; Court Case Tests Right To Withhold Passwords;
What Every CIO Can Learn from Donald Trump;
Finance and Economics
Banks act to woo hedge funds; Backlash over fund performance fees; Citigroup moves closer to credit card U-turn;
Dow Jones chief under hacking pressure; Brooks Quits and Murdoch Apologizes;
China holds firm on rare earth quotas;
Education:
Study A Grade is Most Common, Few Fs Handed Out; Author: Universities Must Adapt To Digitally Immersed Students;
Efforts to Measure Faculty Workload Don't Add Up;
5 degrees Worth the Investment; STEM jobs Paying More, Growing Faster; Recession effect on College Enrollment Patterns;
Despite Fiscal Woes, Spending Rose on Student Aid in Many States in 2010; Obama Rejects GOP Proposal That Would Increase Student Debt;
Moody: All but Elite Colleges Could See Impact From Federal Default; NACUBA podcast: Building Leaders and Touching on Untouchable Topics;
Texas regents call for increased hedging to protect endowment fund;
Blackboard Announces Collaboration With Major Textbook Publishers; Credit-Card Companies Cut Back on Deals With Colleges;
Program To Link Four Virginia Universities Through Technology;
Professors Consider Classroom Uses for Google Plus; How Do You Grade a Presentation Minus Content?
U. Pennsylvania Professor Accuses Colleagues of publishing ghostwritten article on behalf of a pharmaceutical company;
Cheating on Atlanta Standardized Tests;
FBI offers MS degree in Strategic Studies in WMD to select people;
Recent NCAA Investigations Prompt New Approaches to Compliance; How it came to be: The forced resignation of Jim Tressel; Debate Over Pay-for-Play Heats Up;
NCAA punishes Ga. Tech;
7/8/11
TechNews for the week: July 8; July 6;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
U.S. turns to other routes to supply Afghan war as relations with Pakistan fray; suspending $800M in Pakistan aid;
In Yemen, violence fuels economic collapse; In Libya, rebels gaining in the west ;
Thousands protest in cities across Syria; Syria accuses Washington of inciting unrest as Syrians pour into the streets;
5 years after Thailand coup, ousted PM Thaksin’s sister wins elections with proxy party;
Israeli FM threatens tough response to planned Palestinian declaration of independence at UN ;
China buys up more Euro debt, who owns China's debt;
Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program is part of a culture change for the Army; Does the U.S. Military Have a Clear Purpose?
Dishonesty in the debt talks; Boehner abandons efforts for $4 trillion deficit reductions, will seek $2 trillion deal;
Section 4 Of The 14th Amendment Was Designed To Stop Boehner; Congress Really Could Not Stop Obama From Ignoring The Debt Ceiling;
14th Admendment discussion; GOP Rep. Tim Scott Suggests Impeachment for Obama Over Debt Limit over use of 14th admendment; the video;
GOP using budget, nomination fights to nibble away at Obama's financial overhaul law;
House votes to block same-sex marriages on military bases; Conservative ‘marriage pledge’ group apologizes for slavery reference;
Minnesota government shutdown reflects widespread budget paralysis;
Economic problems of South Carolina could change the political calculations of GOP candidates; SC Lawmakers quickly override most of Haley’s vetoes;
FAA efforts to modernize air traffic control system at crossroads, delays possible;
Papers reveal Oil and gas spills in North Sea every week;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Are You Ready For An FBI Server Takedown? Man Flies with Someone Else's Ticket and No Legal ID;
Apple iOS Zero-Day PDF Vulnerability Exposed; LulzSec's Top 3 Hacking Tools Deconstructed;
Security Experts See Flaw in iPhone Software;
Math and science
Mathematicians Want to Say Goodbye to Pi; How Is Crowd Size Estimated?
How much of the Web Is Archived? Video: 3D Printer;
Marathoner loses $27K by one second;
Experts say Calorie counts don’t change most people’s dining-out habits;
Web design issues
Basic HTML That Everyone Should Know; Eight Tips for Creating Bulletproof Passwords;
Updates to Google Calendar; Why Google Plus is about to change the Web as we know it; Facebook unveils video chatting, thanks to Skype;
Design Principles and Visual Design for Web Applications;
Questions over who governs internet names ;
Other news
US police smash camera for recording killing ; Smartphones Tied To 25% Of U.S. Car Crashes; ISPs Agree to to become copyright cops;
Fox News claims false news result of Twitter hack;
Google, Microsoft Face Patent Suit Over Maps;
Florida Election Servers Hacked Again;
News of the World closed down amid scandal; phone hacking more widespread than previously thought;
Finance and Economics
Storm damage could cost SC tax payers; Why health-costs are so high in SC; SC to pay for 2012 GOP presidential primary; I-526 the road that won't die;
Verizon plans cell phone data limits; the decision deciphered;
Brazil says Currency wars not over;
95 percent of oil market volitility due to day traders;
Education:
Study: Students Least Likely to Persist Benefit Most From Extra Financial Aid;
Report: What college CFO worry about; P.h.D. Holders Feeling Sorry for Themselves;
Back to Basics: Core Economic Ideas for Higher-Education Policy; As Budgets Are Trimmed, Time in Class Is Shortened;
U. of Texas Dean Blasts Govoner's Higher-Education Reform Agenda;
Blackboard bought by private equity company; the future of Blackboard;
Michigan federal appeals court throws out ban on affirmative action;
Google+ Hangouts, the Future of the LMS; also see Hangout;
Top 10 YouTube Videos Posted by Colleges; Campaign to outlaw PowerPoint? Android for Academics; the web site;
U. Central Florida Athletic Assn. Found Negligent in Player’s Death;
Nebraska reports textbook violations to NCAA; OSU vacates 2010 football wins, Sugar Bowl victory;
7/1/11
TechNews for the week: June 29; June 27;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Governor of Afghan central bank flees; Elaborate ruse behind Kabul Bank fraud ; From Taliban taxes to shakedowns, US military hasn't changed daily Afghan corruption;
Pakistan tells US to leave 'drone' attack base; U.S. rejects demands to vacate;
Riyadh will build nuclear weapons if Iran gets them;
Syria unrest: Protests in Aleppo as troops comb border; US-backed plan for reform leaves Bashar al-Assad in place;
Army worries about ‘toxic leaders’ in ranks; Gates moved US closer to reality; Pentagon IG report: Boeing pocketed millions by overcharging Army;
Oil rises to above $91 a barrel in Asia as Greece austerity vote awaited; Greece votes for five-year austerity plan;
Poll: People divided on looming debt crisis; Some experts say Obama ignore Congress if they refuse to raise the debt ceiling;
Court backs Obama health-care law;
Feds: Owner of W.Va. coal mine where blast killed 29 sent fake safety records to regulators ;
Minn. braces for government shutdown over taxes;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
New Botnet Called “Practically Indestructible”; a TDSS Rootkit; LulzSec Hackers Retire: Time To Rethink Risk;
America has double standards in fighting cyberwar; Homeland Security Program Aimed to Limit Hack Attacks; Top secret NSA listening station;
Who Bears Online Fraud Burden: Bank or Business?;
Supreme Court will set rules for warrantless GPS tracking; Microsoft Patent Will Allow Federal Eavesdropping on VOIP Services;
Chinese Army Developed Online Wargame;
When is photography illegal;
Web design issues
Visual Design Essentials for Non-Designers; The web is not print - stop making magazines that flip; 10 ways to screw up your spreadsheet design;
SpiderOak a Secure Alternative to Dropbox; 4 Dropbox tricks;
Stay Connected with Family through Video Chats;
Ten ways to work smarter on your iPad;
Other news
High-Tech VCs Tell Congress They Oppose Protect Intellectual Property Act;
Dozens of US cities line up to contest 2010 census;
Video: the paradox of choice;
Finance and Economics
Business groups fight release of data to compare CEO and worker pay; Fed softens rule to cut debit card swipe fees;
New ‘Antitrust’ Capital Rules;
Dodgers baseball team files for bankruptcy; Airbus 'trouncing' Boeing at Paris Air Show;
Samsung Asks ITC to Ban iPhones, iPads;
U.S. caught China buying more debt than disclosed;
Education:
Report: U.S. Will Need Another 20 Million Workers With Some College Education; 'Skills Gap' Leaves Firms Without Worker Pipeline;
Americans worried by soaring tuition fees; Federal Government Moves to Help Consumers and Prod Colleges to Limit Price Increases;
Calif. Budget to Require Bigger Cuts From Public Universities; Purdue Spent $500K on Controversial Branding Campaign;
U. of Texas Releases Updated Data on Faculty Pay and Workload; Another Chief of Staff to Texas Governor Heads to Top Post at A&M;
U.S. News & World Report plansRanking Online Colleges; some college leaders worried;
Middle States Accreditation, Probation, and Warnings;
Some Colleges Turn Away From Building Campus Apps; Very big bling to adorn Citadel campus;
Major college bookstore owner Files Plan for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection; Academic Publisher Steps Up Efforts to Stop Piracy of Online Products;
Koch Foundation funds universities other than Florida State;
U.S. Air Force Academy Recruits Cadets With a Dose of Virtual Reality; Blind Florida State U. Students Sue Over E-Learning Systems;
Plagiarism, Process, and the Point;
NCAA Reorganizes Its Investigative Unit; Division III Athletes and Financial Aid; Fiesta Bowl Wants Politicians to Pay Back $154,000;
Spending Boom in Midmajor Programs Could Come at a Cost; Rutgers U. Athletic Dept. Tops Nation in Use of University Subsidies;