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.
1/29/10
TechNews for the week: January 29; January 27; January 25;
War Politics and Reports (Also, see Free Speech and Homeland Security)
Killing of cleric prompts outrage in Kabul and apology from coalition forces; Analysis: To Gates, Taliban is both a 'cancer' and part of Afghan 'political fabric' ;
Attack targets Baghdad hotel compounds, kills at least 36; U.S. military teams, intelligence deeply involved in aiding Yemen attacks;
Future of Okinawa base strains U.S.-Japanese alliance; Has China Declared War On the U.S.?;
Justice Department to appeal dismissal of Blackwater indictment;
New York Fed documents reveal more detail about AIG bailout; AIG asks employees whether they want retention bonuses;
Government plans exit from mortgage markets;
Supreme Court ruling calls for a populist revolt;
Oregon Voters Endorse Tax Increase, in Boost to State Programs;
Information technology:
Security issues
How the U.S. enables Chinese hacking of Google;
Deconfliction Homeland Security on the job;
How unique and trackable is your browser- take the test
Design issues
Web Apps: Where Business Needs & User Needs Collide;
Using CSS to make Custom Scrollbars;
Other news
Video: Explain computer concepts to non-technical people with analogies;
Unlock thumbnail previews for Firefox 3.6 on Windows 7;
Net politics:
Good sources include Politechbot.com and Greplaw (cyberlaw forum at Harvard Law School);
Trademark, domain names
Fujitsu Claims Right to "iPad" Trademark;
First Amendment, Free Speech
Chinese Newspaper Accuses U.S. of Controlling Internet;
Judge rules Rhode Island Students Do Not Have a Right to Party;
Privacy issues
Privacy Flaw in Google Toolbar Highlighted;
Other News
10 Ways, ATandT, Verizon, Other Mobile Carriers Gouge Customers;
Organizational Agility in a Volatile Economy;
Education:
Survey finds Trustees and Professors Don't Understand One Another's Roles;
Faculty urged to hold the line - no more cancelling classes before vacations;
Report: States Collect Information on Students, but Don't Use It Enough;
Average Return on Endowment Investments Is Worst in Almost 40 Years; City College of SF's Foundation seeks control of assets;
Education department says Colleges Are Moving Toward Direct Lending; but Almost 2/3 of Federal Student Loans Still Made Through FFEL Lenders;
Study: Girls May Learn Math Anxieties from Female Teachers; The NAS study;
Female Undergraduates Continue to Outnumber Men, but Gap Holds Steady;
Online-Course Limits in Maryland May Raise Issues in Several States; Maryland Higher-Ed Commission Won't Reconsider Ruling;
Louisiana Board Of Regents Recommends Elimination Of Some Low-Enrollment Programs; U. of Montana Debates 4-Day Week;
Former Shelton State president, dean, arrested on theft charges;
Copyright law and class videos; 5 Teaching Tips for Professors—From Video Games; A Political Science Professor describes his maths;
The Unacknowledged Ethicists on Campuses;
Oregon institutes new teacher certification process;
Retirees Get Skunked by Necessary Low Interest Rates;
1/22/10
TechNews for the week: January 22; January 20;
War Politics and Reports (Also, see Free Speech and Homeland Security)
Taliban attack shows tactical skill, military limits; Kabul paralyzed by attacks; Plan on hold for Afghan militias to fight Taliban;
Pakistan pressed to expand crackdown against Taliban; Poor schooling slows anti-terrorism effort in Pakistan;
FBI broke law for years to get phone records;
Republican wins special Senate election in Massachusetts; For health-care reform, picture gets much more complicated;
Misleading claims about Safeway wellness incentives shape health-care bill;
Recipe for dealing with Wall Street; Big banks report slow lending; Obama proposes new limits on large banks' size and investments;
Supreme Court rolls back campaign spending limits; Blogs, YouTube prompt campaign finance ruling;
Information technology:
Security issues
Sean Gourley on the mathematics of war; Loretta Napoleoni: The intricate economics of terrorism;
Germany Warns of Security Issues with IE; Microsoft readies emergency patch;
Design issues
Blogging with WordPress; Video Tutorial: Delicious; Creating and Installing Your Own URL Shortening Service;
Interview-Based Tasks—Learning from Leonardo DiCaprio;
News Video Sites Consider Charging for Content;
Why Can't YouTube's Player Auto-Detect When A User Should Get HD Quality?;
Other news
Cybercrime Kits Appeal to Do-It-Yourselfers;
Net politics:
Good sources include Politechbot.com and Greplaw (cyberlaw forum at Harvard Law School);
Patent issues
IBM Patenting Airport Security Profiling Technology;
Trademark, domain names
Trojans Defeat Gamecocks in Trademark Battle;
First Amendment, Free Speech
Teen Could Face Child Porn Charges for "Sexting";
Privacy issues
Justices to hear case on disclosure of names on a petition;
Microsoft Calls for New Cloud Computing Laws;
Homeland Security
Can statistics help catch terrorists? German TV on the Failure of Full-Body Scanners;
Other News
FCC Considers Alternative Plans for Net Traffic Rules;
Education:
Study: Faculties Are Liberal Because Conservatives Don't Seek Academic Careers; Female Scientists Do More Housework Than Men;
Freshmen in National Survey: Cost of College Is a Big Worry; College Freshmen Concerned About Soft Economy; Freshmen Abandon Business;
Lawsuit settlement: Stevens President Quits and Board Faces Oversight; Stevens case: More oversight of college Boards;
U. of Illinois System's Board Reduces Its Financial Oversight;
Paychecks Stagnate for Presidents of Many Public Universities; In Ethics Class, Students Debate the Merits of Presidential Pay;
Tentative Deal for U. of Hawaii Faculty; AAUP suggest financial assistance for housework as an employee benefit;
Moody says Financial Outlook for Higher Education Remains Negative; Tennessee Approves Bill Linking Funds for Colleges to Students' Success;
Commentary: Improve Math Education, Improve Student Retention; NSF study: Americans' interest in tech news at 12-year low;
The Rocky Transition From High-School Calculus; Why all liberal-arts students should take a proof course in mathematics;
Virtual Geometry and Geography Game; Stagnation or Worse for K-12 Foreign Language;
NCAA Penalizes Georgia Southern U. for 'Unethical Conduct' of Ex-Basketball Coaches; NCAA Division II votes to Trim Athletic Seasons;
Virus attack hits Vista machines, cripples University of Exeter network; In Job Searches colleges make email blunders;
1/15/10
TechNews for the week: January 15; January 13; January 11;
War Politics and Reports (Also, see Free Speech and Homeland Security)
U.S. drone attack may have killed leader of Pakistani Taliban;
Ordinary Americans lack the power to hurt the big banks; Anger resurfaces over big bonuses resurfaces;
Federal Reserve earned record profit in 2009; SEC and FDIC chiefs acknowledge agencies' lapses; Rove's claims about national debt is breathtakingly free of facts;
U.S. unemployment rate for blacks 17.2 percent;
Health-reform headaches the Democrats don't need; Government health insurance option appears doomed;
Republican Lugar Rejects Cheney’s Obama Criticism;
Information technology:
Security issues
Crypto-Gram January Newsletter, airport security, fining intelligence and more;
Fear is al-Qaeda's real goal; Airport security overreaction;
Comparative Risk of Terrorism essay and comments; The Power Law of Terrorism;
Design issues
Flash cookies: what they are and how to delete;
Other news
MagicJack's next act: disappearing cell phone fees;
8 things Business Hates About IT;
Net politics:
Good sources include Politechbot.com and Greplaw (cyberlaw forum at Harvard Law School);
Copyright issues
Google, Viacom Seek Meeting with Judge in Copyright Case;
Patent issues
Word 2003 Gets 'Lawsuit Patch';
Patent wars: Kodak sues Apple, RIM for patent infringement;
First Amendment, Free Speech
Court Blocks Webcast of Trial, But Changes Possible;
Homeland Security
Airplane Security Commentary;
Other News
10 things you should never do on a consulting job; Employee background screenings up dramatically; A troubling new form of media manipulation;
Adult Film Star Says Violent Video Games Worse for Kids;
Education:
Questions raised about "reputational" survey used by U.S. News & World Report rankings;
Law Schools Resist Proposal to Assess Them Based on What Students Learn;
US Schools Increasingly Embracing High-Tech Approaches To Teaching, Learning; Education official says Colleges Lag in Technology and Teaching Quality;
School superintendent says Teacher certification prestigious but too costly; States reduce standards for high school graduation exams;
Michigan Universities Preparing For STEM Teacher Training Program; Opinion: Science for Science Teachers;
At Florida State, New President to Profit From University's Fund-Raising Success;
AAUP Report Slams Clark Atlanta U. Over Faculty Layoffs; Online Scheme Highlights Fears About Distance-Education Fraud;
1 more reason to use Google Edu Apps: Storage of any file type;
Agenda for annual NCAA meeting;
Coaches discipline or abuse?; Result of Tenn coach leaving for USC;
College Subsidies for Athletics Programs Increase, Despite Budget Cuts; Curbing Athletic Spending; Latest athletics fiscal data;
NCAA speaker Academic and Athletics Departments Are a Lot Alike; Secretary of Education tells NCAA Actions of a Few Have 'Stained' College Sports;
1/8/10
TechNews for the week: January 8; January 6; January 4;
War Politics and Reports (Also, see Free Speech and Homeland Security)
Afghan lawmakers reject most of Karzai's cabinet picks; U.N. envoy to Afghanistan offers dismal outlook;
Defense contractors (aka Blackwater) indicted in shooting of Afghans;
Pakistan worried about U.S. buildup in Afghanistan; In Pakistani city of Karachi, a slow change of heart;
Dislike of Yemen's government impedes U.S. efforts against al-Qaeda ;
Effectiveness of intelligence reforms now questioned; Airport screening standards intensified;
State Tax Revenues Fall Furthest in the West; December Economy loses 85K jobs, unemployment rate steady;
Long-Term Unemployed May Not Benefit From New Hiring; Rising gas prices could be a drag on economic recovery;
BofA says bonuses will rise, but no record payouts;
Opponents of health-reform bill look to Supreme Court;
Information technology:
Security issues
Breaching the Secure Area in Airports; Test of airport security fails in Slovakia using real explosives planted on passenger;
Post-Underwear-Bomber Airport Security; Connecting the Dots; and The DailyShow: Terror 2.0 by Yemen;
Other news
Apple pulls iPhone app that upset Hollywood; Google unveils Android phone; TV Makers Show Off 3-D Models;
What are the tech companies to watch in 2010?;
Office 2010 Prices Revealed ; Is $99 too much for Office 2010?;
Net politics:
Good sources include Politechbot.com and Greplaw (cyberlaw forum at Harvard Law School);
Copyright issues
New French Internet Piracy Law Takes Effect;
Other News
Fox-Time Warner Cable deal could mean billions for broadcasters;
WSJ: Best and Worst jobs 2010; IT Leadership Lessons: Coaches Talk Team Building;
Education:
Study: Labor Needs Don't Always Find Solutions at American Colleges; Best Career preparation: Probability;
Small-College Presidents Hear Tips on Building a Leadership Team; First-year retention programs: the true cost;
Grade Inflation and the surprising science of motivation;
Study Finds No Gender Gap In Math Ability but lack confidence in ability;
Universities Pledge to Train Thousands More Math and Science Teachers by 2015; Intel commits $200 million to math/science ed;
Michigan Universities To Overhaul STEM Teacher Education; The formula for changing math education;
Stan Katz comments on Teach for America article in NYTs; Dean Kamen Discusses Patents, FIRST;
Wabash College Physics Class Modeled On "Mythbusters" Show; Lafayette Program Prepares Adults For College Level Math;
How to Teach With Google Wave; Texas District expands use of math video games;
Youngstown State to charge higher fees for math, science, engineering and technology students;
U. of Hawaii Faculty Union Files Grievance Over Pay Cuts; U. of Illinois to Furlough 11,000 Employees and Freeze Hiring;
Wesleyan U. Sues Former Investment Officer; New charges filed against Fla lawmaker and college president;
Key Mississippi Legislators Oppose Governor's Plan to Merge Universities;
The Big Business of college football; Why I Am Weeping for Florida State University;
Southern Cal Self-Imposes Heavy Penalties for Basketball Rules Violations;
Fired Texas Tech Coach's Charges Detailed; NCAA Upholds Penalties Against Florida State U. in Academic Fraud Case;
1/1/10
TechNews for the week: December 30; December 28;
War Politics and Reports (Also, see Free Speech and Homeland Security)
Day of mixed emotions in Baghdad: Elation for U.S., but anger for Iraqis; Charges against Blackwater guards dropped; US commander: Iraq must be fair to Sunnis;
Civilian, military planners have different views on new approach to Afghanistan; Sources: Suicide bomber invited on base;
Closing the 'doughnut hole'; Senate health-care bill would still leave millions uninsured;
E-mails inside AIG reveal executives struggling with growing crisis;
12 biggest controversies of 2009;
Information technology:
Security issues
The Behavioral Economics of Personal Information and Separating Explosives from the Detonator;
Design issues
Video: Top five TR Dojo episodes of 2009;
Net politics:
Good sources include Politechbot.com and Greplaw (cyberlaw forum at Harvard Law School);
Patent issues
Microsoft to Pay $200 Million in Word Patent Case;
Other News
US News Offers List of 50 Best Careers Of 2010;
Sarah Palin Meets Merriam-Webster;
Education:
Students Face Rising College Costs, Difficulty Finding Loans; Alabama's Prepaid-Tuition Program Will No Longer Pay Full Costs;
NAEP math scores discussed; Missing in Action at the MLA: Today's Teachers of Today's Students;
U. Hawaii Moves to Cut Faculty Salaries by 6.7%; Appeals court: University Not Liable for Student's Fatal Plunge;
Texas Tech coach suspended over player mistreatment; Then fired for 'insubordination'; Leach says e-mails obtained show Tech didn't want him;
New Life at S.M.U. with a bowl to play; Off-the-field drama in college football is a crying shame;