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.
11/25/10
TechNews for the week: November 24; November 22;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
U.S. to widen area in Pakistan for drones; NATO discusses 'new phase of engagement' in Afghanistan; NATO adopts transition plan for Afghan war;
British Army Head doesn't like show about bullying among the troops; Refugees from Afghanistan's Helmand province disheartened at U.S. presence;
Former Nato commander in Afghanistan says West cannot defeat al-Qaeda; Afghan officials say Negotiator for Taliban was an impostor; Karzai aide blames UK;
WikiLeaks: New release 7 times size of Iraq logs; Marine whistleblower's Security clearance removed;
North Korea fires artillery at South Korean island of Yeongpyeong;
Alaska native status gave tiny, inexperienced firm a $250 million Army contract;
GOP bloodlust endangers the economy, national security;
Are Republicans serious about refusing to raise the debt ceiling?
Midterm election analysis shows Political divide between coasts and Midwest deepening; Are Republicans serious about refusing to raise the debt ceiling?
Allen West, one of two black Republicans just elected to House, goes against grain;
Jury convicts Tom DeLay in money laundering trial;
Doctors say Medicare cuts force painful decision about elderly patients;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Schneier on TSA Backscatter X-ray Backlash; Do Body Scanners Make Us Safer?
20% of Facebook Users Exposed to Malware; Withdrawal of the A5/2 encryption algorithm from GSM phones;
Math and science
Teen shatter Rubik's Cube record;
The Strange Story Behind Sunday's Blue Moon;
Diagrams that changed the world;
Web design issues
Google Docs Infiltrates Microsoft Office; A skeptic's history of C++ ;
Change Text Color Using HTML and CSS; Bad Websites & the Organizations That Love Them; Top HTML 5 Tutorials;
Other news
Future of TV;
Why are the Marines the military's biggest backers of 'don't ask, don't tell'?
Berners-Lee Warns Against Commericial Interests Fragmenting Internet;
Finance and Economics
Proposals by National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and the Bipartisan Policy Center to fix nations fiscal problems;
Privatizing Social Security is a turkey; Patriotic Millionaires to Obama: Tax us;
Dying with debt: A dirty little retirement secret; FTC guidelines for collecting debt from dead people;
The Truth About Health Insurance Premiums; Case against Blue Cross shows difficulty of cutting health costs;
Corporate Profits Were the Highest on Record Last Quarter; FBI widens insider trading probe; How the pros do those lightning-fast trades;
Education:
American Enterprise Institute says Rewarding Teachers for Master’s Degrees Is Waste of Money; 'U.S. News' Rankings get Poor Ratings;
Moody's Report Shines Spotlight on College Leaders Amid Bleak Financial Outlook; Tennessee Halts Enrollments in Prepaid Tuition Program;
Pushback on UCLA B-School's Plan to privatize;
Measuring Student Learning: Many Tools; Students can make up credits online; Challenge on Textbook Pricing ;
Study Suggests Female Elementary Teachers Pass Math Anxiety On To Girls;
Publisher: Students in Cheating Scandal Shouldn't Have Gotten Test;
Should college Suspend Veteran Who Wrote About Addiction to Combat? U. Miami Sued Over Credit Checks of Employees;
Truth About College Sports; Georgia cannot get enough football; U. Washington to Renovate Stadium for $250-Million;
NCAA president says NCAA Will Not Rush to Judgment on Cam Newton;
11/19/10
TechNews for the week: November 19; November 17; November 15;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Karzai wants U.S. to reduce military operations in Afghanistan ; Petraeus warns Afghans; U.S. deploying heavily armored battle tanks for first time in Afghan war;
Why George W. Bush can confess to approving torture;
GOP Wants To Strip Fed Of Power To Combat Joblessness; Emergency Unemployment Extension Blocked in House by Republicans; GOP to jobless: Drop dead;
Sen. Dick Lugar Eliminating Earmarks Cuts No Spending;
GAO reports Raising retirement age hurts poor;
U.S. accused of illegally spying in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Iceland;
Alaska Sen. Murkowski wins write-in bid;
Health insurers' group gave U.S. Chamber $86.2 million in 2009 for lobbying;
Airports consider congressman's call to ditch TSA; Fliers liken pat-downs to sexual assault; Has Airport Security Gone Too Far?
TSA to exempt pilots from 'virtual strip searches'; TSA says If you won't submit to screening, you won't fly; Body scanner saved 35,000 'naked' images;
Fox News CEO Ailes: NPR Execs Have 'Nazi' Attitude;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
November Crypto-Gram Newsletter, Surveillance, cargo security, airplane security and more;
Wi-Fi on Planes Creates New Security Questions;
FBI Director Meets with Internet Firms About Wiretapping; Stuxnet virus could target many industries;
Unsolicited Terrorism Tips to the U.S. Government; Airplane Terrorism Twenty Years Ago;
Math and science
The rise of eye-tracking computers;
"Brilliant 10" List includes Sensor Developer ;
Web design issues
Top 10 HTML5 Resources; How to Customize Web Photo Galleries in Photoshop CS3; Backing up Facebook data;
Guide to Copyright Issues of Multimedia Projects;
Other news
George Bush Book 'Decision Points' Lifted From Advisers' Books;
Rep.-Elect Allen West Dismisses Controversial Chief Of Staff Before She Starts; Joyce Kaufman: The Ballot Box or The Cartridge Box;
Why film studios are betting on Web again;
Olbermann, O'Reilly and the death of real news; Olbermann: False promise of ‘objectivity’ proves ‘truth’ superior to ‘fact’;
Stewart Mocks McCains' DADT Stand;
Another firing over Facebook comments: Lawsuit pending;
Finance and Economics
Lawmakers vow to spare millions from tax increases from AMT; Why is Congress protecting a tax code that benefits the rich?
Pension insurer PBGC deficit up 4.5% to $23B;
Congressional watchdog warns Don't underestimate foreclosure crisis; States, mortgage lenders in talks over fund for borrowers in foreclosure mess;
Education:
Faculty have Uncertain First Amendment Rights in criticisms of administrators.; Academic Freedom vs. Mandated Course Content;
Panel of top educators urge Major revision of teacher training programs; Accreditor Re-Ignites Debate Over Ph.Ds for Business-School Faculty;
Study: State Spending on College Construction Does Not Track Economy; Tuition Discounts Rise at Public Colleges;
California Supreme Court Upholds Law Giving In-State Tuition to Illegal Immigrants; ‘Application Inflation’ Has Many Causes—and Consequences;
As Textbooks Go Digital, Campus Bookstores May Go Bookless;
Million-dollar college presidents on the rise;
At West Potomac High School, taking F off the grade books; Falling Behind on Grading;
Cheating and the Generational Divide; U. Central Florida Cheating on Test Was Aided by Use of Textbook Questions;
Hand-Held Devices See Increasing Use In Classroom Instruction; Top 10 Sites for Creating Quizzes;
Activists use edited videos to attack professors; Teacher Suspended After Stopping Anti-Gay Talk;
Slimming Athletic Department's Sports Spending; SEC athletes fly high;
OSU football game day costs add up to $9.4 million for athletic department;
Graduation Rates for Basketball Players Trail Those of Students in General;
11/12/10
TechNews for the week: November 12; November 10; November 8;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Iraqi leaders reach tentative deal to break political deadlock; Sunni-backed coalition walks out of Iraqi parliament;
U.S. deploying drones in Yemen to hunt for Al-Qaeda;
U.S. military helping Mexican troops battle drug cartels; Homeland Security tightens rules for air cargo;
Bush defends Iraq war and waterboarding; Sen.-elect Paul: GOP must consider military cuts;
Deficit panel leaders propose curbing Social Security, major cuts in spending, tax breaks; Many deficit commission staffers paid by outside groups;
Texas Considers Medicaid Withdrawal;
Court order blocks Okla. amendment on Islamic law; How the private prison industry got the Arizona immigration law passed;
DeLay Airfare Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card;
Michigan Republican challenges Steele for party chairman; In Alaska, a preview of the GOP's future;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
How Firesheep Can Hijack Web Sessions An introduction to Firesheep; Vulnerabilities Found In Banking Apps; The Gonzalez cyberheist;
Terrorist Scares Putting In-Flight Wi-Fi At Risk? Backlash grows over TSA's 'naked strip searches';
Security firms blast Microsoft for free antivirus offer;
Math and science
U.S. Runners & Marathon Challenges; the perfect stride; a video analysis;
Study: Oil will run out 90 years before alternatives are widely available;
Electronics Could Enable Thoughts To Be Translated By Computers; Researchers link 'night owl' habits to higher intelligence;
Raytheon Launching New MathMovesU Website;
Scientists learn physics behind how cats drink water without getting wet;
Web design issues
Marc Andreessen backs new way to surf Internet; What should a small business' website do?
Build Web Galleries in Photoshop CS3; Create Hotspots and Rollovers in Paintshop Photo Pro; Making Flip Video Experience Even Better;
Other news
Essay: The Civil War taught us to fight for the right to be wrong;
MSNBC ends suspension of host Keith Olbermann;
Businesses Drown in data; but government has it worse;
Finance and Economics
Business roundup: Mortgage giants could cost U.S. plenty; J.P. Morgan to resume foreclosures; Starbucks profits rise; Lockheed warns of costs;
Regulators flawed in foreclosure oversight; Some judges chastise banks over foreclosure paperwork;
Fiscal truths; The Federal Budget; The growing burden of teacher pensions; Shifting Health Costs to High Earners;
Red ink for post office: $8.5B lost last year ; The prison boom comes home to roost; Price For Renewable Energy Creating Divide Between Desire, Reality;
10 worst states for retirement and the 10 best; The complete list;
5 Biggest Myths About Your Credit Score;
Boeing S.C. training has $3M deficit; Boeing 787 makes emergency landing on test flight;
Folly Beach renourishment to cost big bucks;
Education:
Proficiency of Black Students Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected; Students Lack Basic Research Skills;
Report Criticizes Many Teacher-Training Programs in Illinois; Community Colleges need to Focus on Quality of Learning;
Enrollment in Army ROTC Down in Past 2 School Years;
Louisiana State U. Campuses Take a Hit in Midyear Budget Cuts; Nevada’s Cuts in Health Benefits Could Hurt U. Nevada at Las Vegas;
Study: Trustees Fall Short in Fund Raising; British Students' Protest of Tuition Rise Turns Violent;
Arizona’s Corrupt Religious School Funding Shell Game;
Arbitrator Orders Florida State U. to Rescind Layoffs of Tenured Faculty Members; U.S. Court Ducks Academic-Freedom Debate in Ruling Against California Professor;
As For-Profit Colleges' Enrollment Growth Slows, Analysts See Signs of an Industry Reset; 'The Washington Post' and the Perils of For-Profit Colleges;
ADA Compliance Is a ‘Major Vulnerability’ for Online Programs; Penn State Accused of Discriminating Against Blind Students;
After Federal Probe, U. South Carolina Will Change Anti-Bias Policies;
Central Florida Cheating Scandal May Involve Hundreds; Cheating Students Busted;
At Kalamazoo Valley CC, Senior Citizens reportedly Abuse free classes;
Roadblocks in Deploying Google Apps; College students on streaming video; Video Games used to Measure Thinking Skills; Favorite online services;
Opinion: Drawing our best math and science minds into the classroom;
Mark Emmert on NCAA Rules, Online Courses, and Telling the Division III Story; Washington AD Questions Oregon Academics, then recants;
After an apparent workout injury, telling client to "push through it" is not a trainer's wisest course of action.;
11/5/10
TechNews for the week: November 5; November 3; November 1;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Taliban hold secret talks with Afghan president; U.S. Marines begin to hand over small bases to Afghan army in southwest;
Dems retain control of Senate, lose House; GOP vows to block Obama's agenda; Tuesday's results are open to (careful) interpretation;
Democrats Retain Edge in Campaign Spending; Outside Groups Increase Campaign Spending; U.S. Chamber of Commerce spends heavily on "issue" ads;
Measure would outlaw Islamic law in Oklahoma; Dearborn Mayor responds to Angle: Get your facts straight;
Oklahoma Trying to Ban Sharia Law in Courts; the Okla. Constitution Admendment;
Why Aren't Business Leaders Standing Up to the Tea Party?
In new memoir, Bush makes clear he authorized waterboarding; 5 myths about George W. Bush;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Social Network Approach to Understanding an Insurgency; Cargo Security; Did the FBI Invent the D.C. Bomb Plot?
The militarization of the Internet; Halloween and the Irational Fear of Stranger Danger;
Control Frauds cause greater losses than all other forms of property crime combined;
Math and science
Why rare earth metals matter to tech; University Scientists Help Baseball Solve Breaking Bats;
Harvard uses top chefs to spice up science; James Cameron: A glasses-free future for 3D; NASA, Microsoft Reveal Mars In Pictures;
Web design issues
OpenOffice.org Developers Flee To LibreOffice; How to Make Photo Flash Gallery;
What Happens When You Search Google? Web Attacks: How Hackers Create and Spread Malware;
Other news
RIM, India Reach Agreement on BlackBerry Service; Lawmaker Says Internet Privacy Could Be Priority;
MSNBC suspends Keith Olbermann for making campaign contributions;
Finance and Economics
Employers add 151K jobs; unemployment holds at 9.6%; Federal Reserve to pump $600 billion into economy; what it means;
Battle over credit card swipe fees hits consumers; New York Court Reinstates Online Sales Tax Case; Physicians face painful decision on Medicare;
Sports Leagues Fighting Pirate Video Feeds;
Extensive corrosion threatens BP pipelines in Alaska, risking explosions, spills;
Education:
Study: give students money to encourage better grades; Major May Play Less Important Role In Careers Than Thought;
Choice of Major and Veteran Status Affect Students' Experiences in College according to 2010 NESSE report;
In Downturn, More Return to College Without Basic Computer Skills; Kaplan Quest for Profits at Taxpayer Expense seek to Ensnares Veteran;
Endowment Returns Climbed 12.6 Percent Last Year but Failed to Erase Recession Losses; Colleges see Application Inflation;
Religious Tolerance Seems to Improve for Cadets at Air Force Academy; Survey: Hands-on science education is key;
In the States, New GOP Majorities Will Face Looming Budget Deficits; Nevada University system won’t submit budget with cuts;
UK Universities To Have Degrees Rated On Employment Rates, Salaries and to charge fees based on family income;
Online learning: YouTube U. Beats YouSnooze U. and Time to End the Family Feud; Teaching: Group Work that Works (Even in Large Classes!);
Alumni sues over degree name;
Inside an NCAA Investigation; NCAA Puts U. Michigan on Probation for Rules Violations in Football Program;
Auburn U football star focus of NCAA Investigation; U Iowa NCAA recruiting violations tied to Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore ;
Binghamton U. Basketball Coach Receives $1.2-Million to Resign; Former Alabama Faculty Rep Describes His Role in Purported Coverup;
Is Amateurism in college sports Dead? Utah AG Justice Dept. Lawyers Discuss Bowl System;