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.
7/26/13
TechNews for the week: July 26; July 24; July 22;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
U.S. court renews surveillance program exposed by Snowden; In post-9/11 world, dramatic largely hidden — growth at NSA;
Israel, Palestinians still at odds over borders ahead of talks; US says 1967 lines basis for talks;
After Morsi’s ouster, Egypt’s old guard is back — and Muslim Brotherhood is out;
After Af-Pak, US to deploy drones to fresh frontiers like spying;
McCain Goes After 'Stand Your Ground';
Detroit bankruptcy: Retirees could bear brunt; bankruptcy petition on hold;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
The costs and benefits of the US government prosecuting Snowden; Michael Hayden on the Effects of Snowden's Whistleblowing;
Secret Information Is More Trusted; How the FISA Court Undermines Trust;
Details on NSA/FBI Eavesdropping;
Former NSA Director Says Huawei Spies For China;
Web and Computing issues
Microsoft's XP Eulogy: Not Everyone's Listening;
Ten free tools that deserve a price tag; Google Maps Updated: 10 Cool Features;
The What, Why and Who behind HTML5;
Finance and Economics
How a secretive panel uses data that distorts doctors’ pay;
Education:
NCAA Medical Chief on Concussions: 'There's a Sense of Urgency'; E-Mails Raise Concerns About How Seriously NCAA Regarded Concussions;
Dismissed Coach at Oakland U. Draws Scrutiny Over Treatment of Players;
7/19/13
TechNews for the week: July 19; July 17; July 15;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Afghans Want To Charge U.S. For Removing Military Gear; Congress fuming as U.S. buys Russian copters for Afghanistan;
Soldier and veteran suicides 'outstrip Afghan deaths'; Army lost records documenting battlefield action and other operations in Iraq and Afghanistan;
Egypt’s army chief defends Morsi’s ouster; Saudi missile sites target Iran, Israel;
Netanyahu gets flak for yielding to China; Netanyahu criticizes ‘no sense of urgency’ on nuclear Iran;
South Korea Blames North Korea for Cyberattacks;
Hagel orders 20 percent cut in Pentagon top brass, senior civilians;
Kentucky’s shift to private Medicaid plans brings problems;
Trial to measure lawfulness of Pa. voter ID law;
Senate breaks standoff over 'nuclear option';
Holder condemns 'Stand Your Ground' laws;
NSA director suggests phone companies could store records;
Inspector says IRS withheld info on targeting liberals;
Detroit files for bankruptcy;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
July Crypto-Gram Newsletter, NSA Surveillance, secrecy, and Eavesdropping; Counterterrorism Mission Creep;
U.S. works behind the scenes to force Internet firms into helping with surveillance demands; Creepy, Long-Standing Practice of Undersea Cable Tapping;
Why Prism Is The Right Investment; NSA Surveillance: What do IT Pros Say; Snowden's Dead Man's Switch;
DHS Puts its Head in the Sand; The NSA Slide you never seen; NSA’s phone and web snooping more far-reaching than thought;
Researchers hack Verizon device, turn it into mobile spy station; Mobile Malware Threats Getting Steadily Worse;
Countries Paying Hackers Who Find ‘Zero Day’ Flaws;
Court Says Yahoo Can Disclose Data Search Documents; Microsoft asks US for OK to disclose security requests;
Report says half of world's exchanges suffered cyberattacks; American Research Universities Face Growing Wave of Cyberattacks;
The Value of Breaking the Law;
Math and science
Painted with numbers: mathematical patterns in nature; How geometry came to the rescue during the banking crisis;
Scientists say Pumping water underground could trigger major earthquake; Sound Waves Levitate and Move Objects;
U Tennessee Prof Takes on Exascale Computing;
3D-Printed Rocket Engine Part Passes Key NASA Test;
Web and Computing issues
Did poorly written legislation in Flordia just ban all smartphones and laptops?
Here come the Arabic, Russian, and Chinese Net addresses; Critics Say New Domains Threaten Infrastructure;
Excel: Magic Trick 1010; and Magic Trick 1015; Mr Excel: Summarize Dates by Month and Year; and Transpose While Keeping Live Links;
Schedule E-mail on the Go with Boomerang;
SC Politics
SC Public Service Commission to re-examine solar power rules;
Finance and Economics
Elizabeth Warren and John McCain want Glass-Steagall back; Tourre jurors endure expert’s CDO explanation from A to Zzzz;
Tech Firms Oppose ‘Do Not Track’ Technology;
U.S. Blames China for Tech Tariff Dispute;
Other news
Low-rent scandal hits all levels of rhythmic gymnastic judging;
Education:
The Gates Effect: a special report;
Taking Online College Courses Have A Variety Of Benefits For High School Students;
Many States Increased Student Aid Despite Recession; Exploring Federal Programs for Student-Loan Repayment;
Federal Student-Loan Debt Crosses $1-Trillion Threshold; Will Students Be Able to Repay Loans?
Critics Say Deal on Student-Loan Interest Rates Will Hurt Future Borrowers;
Despite Wariness, Outsourcing Pays Off for Universities;
Nate Silver Crunches the Humanities;
U.C. Berkeley Data Science Master's Program 100% Online; A MOOC Delusion: Why Visions to Educate the World Are Absurd;
In E-Mails, Former Indiana Governor Wanted Scholars Silenced;
NCAA Won’t Renew Licensing Deal With Video-Game Maker;
6 Current Athletes Are Added to Antitrust Lawsuit Against NCAA; Current Players Speak Out in NCAA Antitrust Case;
Penn State Will Reportedly Settle Some Sandusky Claims for $60-Million;
7/12/13
TechNews for the week: July 12; July 10; July 8;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Liberal ElBaradei named Egypt PM, Islamists cry foul; Egypt's interim presidency appoints PM and vice-president;
In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood faces a stark choice; crackdown vindicates use of violence as political tool; Why the U.S. Won't Suspend Military Aid to Egypt, Yet;
U.S. Congress Blocks White House Plans To Arm Syria's Rebels;
Luxembourg PM Juncker to resign over spy scandal; Berlusconi ruling shakes Italy government;
Snowden to seek temporary asylum in Russia; offered asylum by Venezuelan president;
Agreements With Private Companies Protect U.S. Access To Cables’ Data For Surveillance; US must fix secret Fisa courts, says top judge who granted surveillance orders;
Paper reveals NSA ops in Latin America; Latin American nations fuming over NSA spying allegations;
NSA Senate oversight bill may handcuff U.S. companies trying to challenge warrantless demands; Lawmakers see deceptive pattern on surveillance;
Privacy group sues Britain over NSA surveillance; Supreme Court asked to stop NSA telephone surveillance;
Hackers Spy on South Korea Military for Four Years; U.S.-China Cyber Working Group Launches;
Federal judge says Obama can halt ‘degrading’ force-feeding at Guantanamon; Judge halts genital searches of Guantanamo detainees;
Holder announces major changes to leak probe guidelines; Napolitano Stepping Down as Homeland Security Chief;
IRS documents show liberal groups vetted like Tea Party;
House defies Obama, passes farm bill without food stamps; House GOP aims to take down Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac ;
Federal judge temporarily blocks part of Wisconsin's new abortion law; Northern Colorado wants to secede from Colorado;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
FAQ: What You Need to Know About the NSA’s Surveillance Programs; Big Data Surveillance Results in Bad Policy;
Why "Nothing to Hide" misrepresents online privacy; Protecting E-Mail from Eavesdropping;
Defcon to feds: 'We need some time apart'; Microsoft Helped NSA Siphon Hotmail, Skype User Data;
Résumé Shows Snowden Honed Hacking Skills;
U.S. Security Official Warns About Israeli Program;
Math and science
Collected Forsooths, 2005-2012; 50 science misconceptions in less than eight minutes; User-defined functions in Excel;
SolePower charges smartphones by harnessing walking power;
Developers Have More 3-D Printing Options Available To Them; 3D-printing with liquid metal at room temperature;
Turning an Off-The-Shelf Drone Into A Weapon;
Web and Computing issues
Five handy web development tools; Five tips for the new Google Maps on Android;
SC Politics
Nancy Mace to challenge Sen. Graham? her views; Factcheck: Nancy Mace's Struggle with the Truth;
Sheriffs under fire over gun control; Super patriots: More Patriotic than Thou;
Benefits of S.C. settlement with N.Y. bank questioned;
Finance and Economics
Boeing 777 crashes in San Francisco; Empty 787 catches fire, hits Boeing with new setback;
OECD to Examine Tech Firms’ Tax Loopholes; Canada Tries To Attract Workers From Silicon Valley;
A ‘too big to fail’ crackdown for U.S.; Regulators choose AIG, GE Capital for more oversight; Diverging Debate at Fed on When to End Stimulus;
Microsoft hits the reorg button;
Other news
A Cutting-Edge Second Look at the Battle of Gettysburg; Local group reenacts the glory of the black Union Soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts;
Why Queen recognises a US tribe but US government does not;
10 things baby boomers won’t tell you;
Education:
Senate Fails to Restore Lower Interest Rate on Student Loans; Higher student loan default rates than graduation rates: Trident Tech on 'red flag' report;
College Leaders Strive for Performance Measures That Fit Their Institutions; Oregon “Pay It Forward” Tuition Program;
For Black Students, College Degrees Are Separate and Unequal;
Top Universities Embracing MOOCs; Blackboard Announces New MOOC Platform; May Double or Triple Spending on Software Development;
Amherst College Rethinks Science Center After Spending $19-Million on Project;
Top Colleges Discourage Students From Careers in Teaching;
London’s Mayor Criticized for Suggesting Women Go to Universities to Marry;
Cheating Lessons, Part 2;
Reports: Ohio State turned in University of Florida violations, Urban Meyer denies involvement;
Study Finds Fewest Black Coaches in Division I Men's Basketball in Years;
7/5/13
TechNews for the week: July 3; July 1;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
New NSA leaks show how US is bugging its European allies; Report Angers European Allies; Misinformation on NSA programs includes statements by officials;
Snowden applies for Russian asylum, Putin says stop harming U.S.; says administration has made him ‘stateless person’; options dwindle after political asylum rejections;
US-EU bugging claims: Is it OK for US to spy on allies? UK blocks crucial espionage talks between US and Europe;
EU to vote to suspend U.S. data sharing agreements, passenger records amid NSA spying scandal; European firms 'could quit US internet providers over NSA scandal';
US Department of Defense Censors Snowden Story;
France’s ‘Big Brother’ network revealed;
Egypt’s military ousts Morsi, calls for new elections; Egypt army arrests key Muslim Brotherhood figures; When is a coup not a coup?
Fierce fighting batters Syria's strategic city of Homs;
Guantánamo authorities 'planning Ramadan force-feeding factory';
Cartwright's attorney: Leak allegations 'preposterous';
Obama administration to delay health law's employer mandate; NFL bucks call to promote ObamaCare, as Republicans pressure sports leagues to say no;
House Oversight Republicans: Lois Lerner waived Fifth Amendment rights;
GOP could pay price for gerrymandering;
Border package would be a boon for big defense contractors;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Latest NSA leak details PRISM's bigger picture; Facebook's outmoded Web crypto opens door to NSA spying; FISA Court Declassifies Yahoo’s Role in Case;
How the NSA Eavesdrops on Americans, collected e-mail, and internet data; Using encryption makes you a target for the NSA;
Self-destructing e-mails?
Math and science
Engineers, Industry Say Technology Exists To Get Energy From The Desert; Scorching heat bakes West, toppling records;
Loch Ness Monster mystery could be explained by a fault line under the lake;
Disabled duck to get new foot with help of 3-D printer;
July brings an abundance of planetary activity;
Mathematics: 1,000 Years Old, and Still Hot;
Web and Computing issues
Google Maps Help Find City Quizzes, Garage Sales; Court Blocks Authors’ Class Certification in Google Book-Scanning Case;
10+ things that are missing from Excel 2013; 10 open source projects that are leading innovation; Best Android tablets (July 2013 edition);
9 Android Apps To Improve Security, Privacy; Free ways to encrypt Google Drive files;
Getting Started with Responsive Web Design;
Rooting and ROMs explained;
Finance and Economics
U.S. Adds 195,000 Jobs; Unemployment Remains 7.6%; Sequestration Slashes Benefits For The Long-Term Unemployed;
Growing Number Of Tech Firms Look Overseas For Skilled Workers;
Citigroup agrees to pay $968M to Fannie Mae; Tough New Bank Capital Rules Won’t Come a Day Too Soon;
Appeals court won't reverse three insider trading cases; Court weighs a key standard for insider-trading cases;
Winklevoss Twins File for $20M Bitcoin Public Offering;
Nicaragua waterway to dwarf Panama canal;
How Social Security Works for Divorced Spouses;
Other news
Teen in jail for months over 'sarcastic' Facebook threat;
Education:
Cengage, a Major Publisher, Files for Bankruptcy Protection; Bankruptcy Filing Comes as Market for Print Textbooks Shrinks;
Everything You Need to Know About Common Core Testing;
ACC adds schools to bring total to 15;
NCAA Punishes Northeastern State U. for Violations by Former Tennis Coach; Alabama State U. Teams Get Clearance for Postseason Play;