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.
10/28/11
TechNews for the week: October 28; October 26; October 24;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Iraqi nothern province declares autonomy; Iraq years change U.S. military's understanding of war; Report: U.S. police training program in Iraq lacks focus;
Iraq PM: Immunity issue scuttled US troop deal; Republicans criticize Obama over Iraq withdrawal;
Experts claim US technology used to censor the Internet in Syria;
Saudi crown prince dies, opening succession issue;
European leaders agree to plan designed to stem debt crisis; China's unfolding debt crisis;
Cantor Calls Off Speech at Penn because members of the public can attend; Bachmann’s ex-staff in New Hampshire calls campaign ‘dishonest’ and ‘cruel’;
Perry proposes major spending and tax cuts; Cain tweaks 9-9-9 plan — for poor, it’s 9-0-9;
Senate Democrats offer $3 trillion debt deal;
Redrawn Districts Could Shake Up Congress;
State spending on Medicaid up sharply;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
FBI's Wished-For Network Security Utopia Can't Exist; FBI going to court more often to get personal Internet data;
Virus Strikes Computers in Japan’s Parliament; Report: U.S. Government Satellites Hit by Hackers;
NSA provides Wall Street banks with intelligence on foreign hackers;
Hackers port trojan from Linux to OS X;
Chinese Leaders Propose New Internet Restrictions;
Facebook Patent to Track Users Even When They are Not Logged In to Facebook;
Math and science
From BBC: Dangerous Knowledge (Philosophy, Physics, Mathematics);
Math Monday: TV Lawyers Solve NP-Complete Problem (part 2);
Spherical Flying Machine Developed by Japan Ministry Of Defense;
Cracking the Copiale Cipher;
In a marathion, a sip is safer than a gulp;
Web design issues
CSS3: Dynamic graphics using new transition and transform properties;
Other news
India’s $35 Android tablet, the Aakash;
Finance and Economics
Biggest Fish Face Little Risk of Being Caught; No prosecution of top figures likely; CBO report: Nation’s wealthiest 1 percent triple their incomes;
Money managers assail SEC disclosure rules; SEC waters down, adopts disclosure rules for money managers;
Bank bonuses survive slump in earnings; Wells Fargo mixes up customer statements;
U.S. economy grew at 2.5 percent rate in third quarter; Medicare's 2012 premium increase is less than expected; Income gap gets wider;
FHFA announces new program to help ‘underwater’ homeowners;
Which GOP flat tax plan is fairest of them all?;
Education:
Tuition, Fees Rise More Than Eight Percent At Public Colleges; For 5th Year in a Row rise in Sticker Price at Public Colleges Outpaces That at Private Colleges;
Texas Board Requires the Phasing Out of 64 Degree Programs With Low Enrollments; Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Higher Education: Part 2;
AGB Survey: Boards of Trustees Are Less Engaged on Budgets; Bill Maher on the college debt bubble;
Study raises questions about virtual schools;
College Board’s President Pledges Review of SAT Security After Cheating Scandal;
Federal Judge Says LSU Cannot Discipline Scientist for Speech Outside Work;
Better examples through peer instruction; What Wikipedia Deletes, and Why; Educause Video Archive;
NCAA Approves Scholarship Increases and Multiyear Grants for Athletes; Administrators Say NCAA Reforms Won’t Produce ‘Systemic Change’ in College Sports;
U. of Kentucky Board Moves to Assert More Control Over Athletics; Congressman Seeks Investigation of College Athletics;
Division I Colleges Increase Athletics Spending at Far Faster Rate Than Academic Spending; Doubts Surface About NCAA's Cost-of-Attendance Proposal;
College Athletes Press NCAA for a Share of the Revenue Their Teams Bring In; Athlete Welfare on the Table;
NCAA says Athletes Continue to Graduate at Record Levels; 'Life of an Athlete' Helps Kids Make Smart Choices;
West Virginia Close to Leaving Big East for Big 12;
10/21/11
TechNews for the week: October 21; October 19; October 17;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
U.S. troops to leave Iraq by end of year; The (Dis)information war gets ugly: US officials peddle false intel;
Libyan prime minister confirms Gaddafi killed after his home town is overrun; Pentagon had weighed cyberattack on Gaddafi air defenses;
Gaddafi’s death swings spotlight to Syria, Yemen; U.S. envoy to Syria warns of worsening violence;
U.S. must reevaluate assistance to Israel;
U.S. ramps up attacks against Haqqani network; FBI account of 'terror plot' suggests sting;
Pentagon lawyer warns of militarized approach to counterterrorism;
Republicans in Senate blocks money for teachers, firefighters; The Tax Hikes That Republicans Love;
‘Supercommittee’ decision could cut funding for public health initiatives; Some states seek flexibility to push health efforts further;
Cain’s 9-9-9 plan make for good marketing, but bad policy; FACT CHECK: Closer look at Cain's retirement model; Cain defends ‘9-9-9’ tax overhaul plan;
Anita Perry Blames Obama for Son Quitting his Job; Perry pushes flat tax; ideas could fall flat;
Long ties to Koch brothers key to Cain's campaign;
Occupy Wall Street protests go global;
The GOP War on Voting;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
October Crypto-Gram Newsletter, Emerging Cyber Threats, German Police Malware and more;
SEC: Companies must report cyberattacks; Criminal Uses of Crowdsourcing;
10 security problems you might not realize you have;
German Public Condemns Web-Based Spying; General Says U.S. Working on Cyber-Military Plan;
Stuxnet 2.0? new 'cyber-surveillance' malware threat; Duqu; Malware Linked to Creators of ‘Stuxnet’ Worm;
Math and science
Ball-camera that you toss in the air for a 360° panorama;
Researchers shed light on source of Earth’s water;
Math Monday: TV Lawyers Solve NP-Complete Problem (part 1); The Magical Mind of Persi Diaconis; Measuring cup does the math for you;
Why the Milwaukee Brewers have the best manager in baseball;
100-year-old marathoner sets world record by completing Toronto race; Marathon Runner Takes Bus to the Finish Line;
Web design issues
The 10 rising tech trends of 2012;
Google MapsGL Ushers in 3D Mapping; Using a Map Warper for Map Overlays;
HTML5 Forms: New Email, URL, and Telephone Input Types; Determine an Image's Type using the JavaScript FileReader;
Other news
Cold Pizza from Herman Cain; In Campaign 2012, Web sites are the new real estate;
Reusable 'growlers' grow popular for carrying draft beer;
Finance and Economics
Half of workers earn less than $26,364 as income gap grows; Social Security recipients to get 3.6 percent increase;
Europe rejects U.S., IMF recommendations on debt strategy ; SEC struggles to write ‘conflict minerals’ regulations for companies;
US budget dilemma as taxes on rich expire; Budget cuts claim hundreds of thousands of county, city jobs;
How investment banks turned housing and student loans into a toxic and financial disaster;
Why are conservatives backing government help for homeowners?
Education:
Report: High Demand for Science Graduates Enables Them to Pick Their Jobs;
Study: Stimulus Money Helped Public Colleges; Marine Corps Cuts Tuition Aid;
Few Fail Post-Tenure Reviews at U. of Texas System; Colleges are calling off the deals that allowed many professors time out;
Florida Governor Posts Online Individual Faculty Salaries; Governor's web site; Wants Job-Placement Data From State Universities;
State Review Finds Leadership Failures Threaten West Virginia State U.’s Solvency;
Draft Contract for Florida A&M Chief Drops 'Evergreen' Clause but Not Supermajority Voting;
Should College President Be Called 'Dr.' If Doctorate Is Honorary?
Millions of Taxpayers Erroneously Claimed $3.2-Billion in Education Credits;
Colleges Unite to Drive Down Cost of 'Cloud Computing'; U Rhode Island does Digital Surveillance on a Budget; iPad Experiments, With Mixed Results;
NCAA to Consider Sweeping Changes in Athlete Aid and Eligibility Rules;
Mountain West and Conference USA conferences to Merge, Creating a 5-Time-Zone Behemoth;
10/14/11
TechNews for the week: October 14; October 12;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
A bloody U.S. legacy in western Iraq; New security steps in Iraq withdrawal; Again, what's the goal of our being in Iraq?
Iraq, siding with Iran, sends essential aid to Syria’s Assad; U.N. rights chief: Syria risks 'full-blown civil war';
U.N. says Afghan detainees tortured in prison; Yemen president says he wants to resign;
Libya Weapons smuggled into Egypt; Official says U.S. foils Iran-backed terror plot;
Israel and Hamas Agree to Swap Prisoners for Soldier;
Secret panel can put Americans on 'kill list'; U.S. Gets Secret Order Against Google email in WikiLeaks Case;
Koch’s history of bypassing, breaking rules; the news report; North Carolina for sale;
Senate Republicans vote to kill Obama’s jobs bill; Obama administration pulls plug on new long-term care insurance plan;
Failed energy projects cross U.S. party lines; Democrats want supercommittee to reject more federal worker cuts;
Is Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan fair? The plan is simple: Most will simply pay more; Herman Cain: What is there beyond ‘9-9-9’?
Appeals court says Alabama must stop asking K-12 students about citizenship;
Ex-ICE analyst admits to role in travel kickbacks;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Former NY Mayor Leans on NYU to Disavow Report on Terrorism;
U.S. Drones Have a Computer Virus; Air Force calls drone fleet virus a 'nuisance'; Says Virus Didn’t Harm Drone Aircraft;
German government accused of spying on citizens with state-sponsored Trojan; Official Malware from the German Police;
New Attacks on CAPTCHAs;
Math and science
Kicksat Allows Anyone To Launch A Satellite;
Is math dependence on technology the real threat?
Cops on the trail of crimes that haven't happened;
Web design issues
Introducing Dart, Google's answer to JavaScript;
Introduction to CSS3 Layout Properties; How to implement the box-shadow property; HTML5 vs. Flash: Choosing the Right Tool;
Create Your Own E-Book with Open-Source Sigil; Photo editing for nondesigners;
Other news
The history of leaderless movements; Is it Really the 1% Who Are to Blame? Fixating on things that don’t matter;
Blue Boxes: The 1971 article that inspired Steve Jobs;
Lies Your Boss Tells You;
How to Reform Copyright;
Finance and Economics
Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan: Break for the rich?
A quarter of U.S. millionaires pay taxes at a lower rate than some in middle class; Who owns the U.S. federal debt?
Hedge fund oversight varies; SEC reviews proposal regulating derivatives called ‘swaps’; FDIC approves 'Volcker rule' to limit banks' trading;
Banks fail to trim bonuses in pay packages; Rife with foreclosures, banks turn to demolition;
Companies use fuzzy math in job claims; The simple math of recession;
House Panel Seeks Details on IRS Investigations of Nonprofits;
Tax prepares brace for new IRS fees, rules; For Medicare plans, reaching for stars means more revenue;
S&P Downgrades Spain's Debt Rating;
Facebook: Releasing your personal data to you reveals our trade secrets;
Education:
Completion Rates in Context; Scores of Colleges Fail U.S. Financial Test;
Pearson and Google Jump Into Learning Management With a New, Free System; YouTube Lets Schools Opt for Educational Videos;
Texas Agency Censored Article Over Climate Change; Edison State Moves to Fire Official Who Reported Academic Wrongdoing;
Appeals Court: Florida Legislature Has Tuition-Setting Authority; Florida Governor Says Enough Anthropologists, Calls for Spending on Job-Producing Fields;
Report: Smartphones Present Growing Security Problems on Campus; How to punish cheating on SAT;
Texas Christian U. Will Join the Big 12 Conference; NCAA Ends Investigation Into Auburn Football finding no problems;
How Western Oklahoma Became Baseball Powerhouse;
10/7/11
TechNews for the week: October 7; October 5; October 3;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Karzai accuses Pakistan of supporting terrorists; picks partnership with India over Pakistan; With Afghan drawdown looming, U.S. scales back ambitions;
Secret memo sanctioned targeting of Aulaqi; Aulaqi strike a joint CIA-military effort ; Second American killed in strike;
The due-process-free assassination of U.S. citizens is now reality;
Syrian troops overcome rebel town; Syrian dissidents form council;
Tunisian leader: Don’t worry about Islamists; U.S.Yemen ties strained on terrorism priorities; Panetta describes Israel as ‘increasingly isolated’;
More than 700 arrested in Wall Street protest; Anti-Wall Street Protests Spread to Other Cities;
China: US currency bill would have repercussions; Poll sees a new low in Americans' approval of Congress; Rescinding a promise to the poor?
Prosecutors: Alleged $20 million fraud at Army Corps contracting charged;
Revised primary schedule could shield ‘super PAC’ donors ;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Isaac Asimov on Security Theater;
Homeland Security says Utilities Face Risk of Cyberattacks; Homeland Security moves forward with 'pre-crime' detection;
FBI-Sponsored Backdoors; FBI Teaches Agents: ‘Mainstream’ Muslims Are ‘Violent, Radical’;
Insider Attack Against Diebold Voting Machines; Security Seals on Voting Machines;
Pentagon Announces New Leader for Cyber Programs;
Math and science
Biologists study hurricanes’ impact on wildlife; When Explaining Science Is a Matter of Life and Death;
IBM Executive Discusses Technologies That Will Shape The Next Decade;
Data scientist: The hot new gig in tech; New Program to Help Scientists Share Large Data Sets;
The Mathematics of Changing Your Mind;
Many athletes go with new, unproven treatment;
Census Bureau Wants to Kill Statistical Abstract;
Web design issues
Adobe Proposes Changes to the CSS Standards; Adobe Takes HTML5 To The Cloud;
Worldwide Browser Stats; Secrets to getting the best search results;
Other news
Hofstadter’s 'Lost' Book;
U.S. Supreme Court let stand ruling that Internet download does not constitute a public performance of musical work;
Supreme Court hears case about whether Congress can remove works from public domain;
Ronald Reagan, the original class warrior;
Finance and Economics
Greek cabinet approves budget cuts; Slovakia unsettles Europe’s rescue plan;
Cozy relationships and ‘peer benchmarking’ send CEOs’ pay soaring; pay aided by Ties to board members;
How The Financial Crisis Created A 'New Third World'; Why Prosecutors Don't Go After Wall Street;
Calif. withdraws from 50-state foreclosure talks;
Verizon Files Suit to Stop Net-Neutrality Rules;
Education:
The 10 Best Jobs of 2011;
New Path for Teacher Ed Reform; Zuckerman: U.S. Heading Toward 'Worst Time' Without STEM Ed;
College Board Considers New AP Exams In STEM Subjects; Academic Minute: Mathematics and Learning Disabilities;
Council of Graduate Schools to Examine Completion Rates of Minority Ph.D. Students in Science;
Completion Rates Outpace Growth in Community-College Enrollment;
States Are Urged to Give High Schools Better Postsecondary Data on Graduates;
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against UCLA Over Use of Streaming Video;
Athletic Directors’ Pay Is on the Rise, With 6 Breaking $1-Million Mark; salary database and bonuses;
NCAA Punishes U. of Cincinnati for Major Rules Violation;
Bill Russell Sues NCAA Over Use of His Image Without His Consent;