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.
1/31/14
TechNews for the week: Jan 31; Jan 29; Jan 27;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Congress cuts military, development aid for Afghanistan; Karzai said to suspect U.S. behind insurgent-style attacks;
Hagel voices frustration with Afghan foot-dragging; After billions in U.S. investment, Afghan roads in disrepair;
Iraqi airstrikes, artillery target militants in Fallujah; US To Sell Apache Helicopters And Missiles To Iraq;
Europeans are flocking to the war in Syria;
Egypt army says its chief Sisi must run for president;
Israel Creates Cyber-Emergency Response Teams; Peace plan would allow most West Bank settlers to stay;
Robert Leider argues that the Constitution originally divided military power between the federal and state governments;
US military plagued with `toxic commanders`, reveals Pentagon probe;
Retired Army General To Tea Party Group: I Would Lead A Coup Against The U.S. Government;
Snowden interview: NSA also serves economic interests; U.S. relaxes gag order on federal data requests;
Full Text: President Obama's 2014 State of the Union Address; State of the Union responses reflect GOP rivalries; Another bogus Obamacare story: The GOP's 'Bette';
Obamacare Replacement Proposed by Republicans; Proposed Republican Replacement Is A Big Tax Hike;
Arizona GOP censures McCain for 'liberal' record; Ted Cruz changes story on government shutdown;
Justice Kagan was wrong: Alabama would not be covered under new Voting Rights Act;
Is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act unconstitutional? How should the Supreme Court decide the dental examiners case?
Obama to Hike Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Report: NSA use smartphone apps to track people; NSA Documents Show U.K. Can Tap Internet Cables;
NSA Exploit of the Day: SPARROW II; TAWDRYYARD; GINSU; HOWLERMONKEY; IRATEMONK;
Catalog of Snowden Revelations; more;
US Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) Condems NSA Mass Surveillance; US looks to prevent spying on its spies;
Android Banking Apps Called Vulnerable to Cybercrime; Cyber Criminal Ring Gets Card Info from 11 Retailers;
Yahoo Reports Cyberattack on E-mail Accounts; Hackers Block Access to Federal Court System’s Sites;
New Security Risks for Windows XP Systems;
The Politics of fear;
Math and science
300,000-Year-Old Caveman 'Campfire' Found in Israel;
Researcher Designs Drone With Legs Like A Bird; Engineers Use Principles Of Origami To Design Antennas;
Scientists discover a new, simpler way to make stem cells;
A 10-minute workout for the time-pressed;
Web and Computing issues
10 Tips for Creating Fast Loading HTML5 Videos; Exploring HTML5's New 'datetime' Input Types For Your Web Apps;
Spot a phishing e-mail in 2014;
New Web addresses now live: .bike, .guru, others now open;
Quick solution to Android update problem;
Finance and Economics
U.S. Economy Grows At 3.2 Percent Annual Rate;
As Fed, China pull back, so do global markets; Japan records worst trade deficit;
The Unemployment Rate: Get Real; Wealth gap: A guide to what it is, why it matters;
State-by-state report on taxation; How The 'MyRA' Plan Will Impact The U.S. Economy; How Education And Training Affect The Economy;
SEC's Turf Threatened by Banking Regulators; Western U.S. drought puts big strain on reservoirs;
Thousands of doctors cut from Medicare Advantage plans;
Justice Department Files Suits Over Counterfeit Apps;
Bitcoin dealers charged with money laundering; At Hearing, Officials Link Bitcoin to Criminal Activity;
After Trademark Flap, Microsoft Renames ‘SkyDrive’;
Other news
What Steve Jobs really meant when he said 'Good artists copy; great artists steal';
Education:
States with the best (and worst) schools; Time for a New Definition of Accreditation? Grades Still Matter Most in Admissions;
Strong U.S. Stock Market Put College Endowments Back in the Black in 2013;
State Funding for Need-Based Aid Averages Less Than $500 per Student;
Another For-Profit-College Company Receives AG Inquiries From 12 States;
Franklin Pierce U. Shuts Down 6 Academic Programs;
Despite canceled classes, some Ohio State students assigned work; Backlash Hits U. of Illinois Over Decision to Be Open in Frigid Weather;
Elite Colleges Should Not Give Credit for MOOCs; San Jose State U. Adopts New Policy for Online and 'Hybrid' Courses;
Alternate Reality Games in the Classroom; Blackboard is taking on the college campus bookstore; US sanctions hit access to online education in Iran, Cuba;
Mold Outbreak Threatens Books at U.Missouri Offsite Library Facility;
Colorado Removes Philosophy Chair Amid Finding of Sex Harassment ;
College Football Players Seek to Form a Labor Union; Even Campus Buildings Will Revolve Around Notre Dame Football;
1/24/14
TechNews for the week: Jan 24; Jan 22;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Deadly Attack at Kabul Restaurant Hints at Changing Climate for Foreigners;
Peace talks a tacit admission that Assad won’t leave soon; Report on systematic torture by Syrian regime;
Syria Peace Talks in Jeopardy After UN Invites Iran to Participate; Under U.S. Pressure, U.N. Withdraws Iran’s Invitation to Syria Talks;
Israel targets Gaza militant after Palestinian rocket attacks; Israel: Iran's military nuclear bid 'will be stopped';
Obama’s NSA restrictions rely on thin definition of ‘spying’; Watchdog says NSA phone spying program is illegal and should end;
Pennsylvania judge strikes down voter ID law; Missouri Law Restricting Obamacare Guides Blocked by Judge;
Pentagon has no defense against lawmakers when it comes to appropriations;
Company in West Virginia spill failed to disclose second chemical;
Blimplike surveillance craft heighten privacy concerns;
Schmidt: Snowden 'deserves credit' for NSA debate;
Flurry of subpoenas in New Jersey bridge flap;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Obama Outlines 5 Surveillance Reforms; Ex-CIA No. 2: NSA surveillance system might have stymied 9/11 attacks;
Questioning the Efficacy of NSA's Bulk-Collection Programs; Microsoft to shield foreign users’ data; Verizon reveals scale of security requests;
NSA Exploit of the Day: CTX4000; LOUDAUTO; NIGHTSTAND; NIGHTWATCH; PHOTOANGLO;
Snowden: 'Not all spying bad' but NSA program 'divorced from reason';
Target's data breach: Yes, it gets worse; at least 6 more active attacks; FBI warns retailers to expect more credit card breaches;
Malware: More Hype Than Reality; DDOS Attacks Using NTP; A Tale Of Two Cyberheists; Refrigerator Sending Spam Messages;
Cybersecurity Firm Links Russia to Cyberattacks;
Income Inequality as a Security Issue; Consumer Manipulation;
Math and science
Archaeologists might have found bone of England's King Alfred the Great; Ancient Church Mosaic With Symbol of Jesus Uncovered in Israel;
Why Is It So Hot in Australia?
The First Image Of The Mysterious Web That Connects All Galaxies In The Universe; Mysterious rock found by Mars rover;
Will the Rosetta spacecraft wake up today after two-year sleep? DNA solves one of the Titanic's oldest mysteries;
Implanted Devices Might Someday Run on Energy From Nearby Organs;
Traits That Make A Great Data Scientist;
Web and Computing issues
Judge Says IP Address Insufficient in Copyright Case;
Supercharge Your Slow Android Emulator; Choose when to block your phone numbern;
Free tools that help locate your websites' external broken links; Control your PC remotely (for free!);
Social Security Administration To Build Private Cloud;
SC Politics
Look to Localities to Learn How to Make State Government Work; The real reason why we're losing the War on Poverty;
Haley, Sheheen want credit for new government restructuring plan;
Snap judgments about last week's cold snap;
Finance and Economics
Unemployment And Labor Force Participation Rates Adjusted For Discouraged Workers Who Have Left The Labor Force;
China’s economy grew 7.7 percent in 2013; Panama Canal dispute threatens expansion of waterway;
Refighting the ‘mortgage wars’ could create new risks; Company files for bankruptcy after W.Va. spill;
IBM Sales Slump Prompts Top Executives to Forgo Bonuses; High Court: Unions circling wagons on court case;
Wells Fargo bans staff from investing in P2P loans; P2P lenders bankroll development of new homes;
Verizon to buy Intel's TV business for undisclosed sum; T-Mobile will help you cash your checks: How it works;
Oil to start flowing in southern leg of Keystone pipeline;
High-tech upgrades may let aging boomers live independently; Court decision on Net Neutrality actually made the FCC stronger;
Pimco/Allianz: El-Erian departs;
Other news
5 questions for Snowden that aren't exactly about the NSA;
Education:
State Higher Ed Budgets Rebound; Bracing for Demographic Shifts, Colleges Face Tough Trade-Offs;
Report examines how Liberal-Arts Majors Fare Over the Long Haul; Concerns over Student Data Privacy Widespread Among Americans;
Public-University Group Offers Alternative to Obama's College-Rating Plan; Netflix-Like Algorithm Drives New College-Finding Tool;
Completion Rates Aren’t the Best Way to Judge MOOCs; Harvard, MIT Online Courses Dropped by 95% of Registrants;
When Meta-MOOC Meets Wiki: Transforming Higher Education; Fixing the wifi situation at academic conferences;
N.Y. Governor’s Watchdog Investigates 13 Student-Debt-Relief Companies; Obama Promises Governmentwide Scrutiny of Campus Rape;
FBI Investigates Alleged Fraud at Oklahoma State U. Lab Company;
Procedure, Politics, and the MLA Resolution on Isreal;
Black Men as College Athletes: The Real Win-Loss Record; Researcher’s Findings on Athletes’ Literacy Bring a Backlash;
NCAA’s Top Level: Should it split away from Division I?
1/17/14
TechNews for the week: Jan 17; Jan 15; Jan 13;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Amid Afghan drawdown, U.S. anti-drug efforts face a test; Iraqi official: U.S. must remain engaged in Iraq;
How Israel and Hamas weaponized social media; Senate about to vote to give Isreal A Blank Check For War on Iran;
A setback in bid to shift drone campaign’s control from CIA; Law enforcement increasingly using surveillance drones;
Air Force accuses 34 of cheating on nuclear proficiency exams;
Obama to call for limits on NSA data collection programs;
More than 2.1 million sign up for Obamacare health coverage - Young adults lagg; Second wave of health-insurance cancellations begins;
Dozens of trade-offs in $1.1 trillion budget bill; Houses passes bipartisan $1.1 trillion spending bill; Senate easily passes $1.1 trillion spending bill;
Unemployment insurance hits new snag in Senate as McConnell calls proposal 'ridiculous';
Lawmakers plot new strategy for defying gun laws;
U.S. judge rules Oklahoma same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional; Justices to hear cases on juice labeling;
Republican goal: ‘Tarnish’ the brand of Democratic presidential hopefuls early; A National Strategy Funds State Political Monopolies;
Survey: America has changed. Should business, government?;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
January Crypto-Gram Newsletter, NSA, security risks and more;
NSA phone-data mining prevents few attacks; Debunking the "NSA Mass Surveillance Could Have Stopped 9/11" Myth;
How the NSA Threatens National Security; Surveillance: Fast, Cheap, And Out Of Control; The Changing Cost of Surveillance; the blog post;
NSA Exploit of the Day: SOUFFLETROUGH, HEADWATER; SCHOOLMONTANA; SIERRAMONTANA; STUCCOMONTANA;
NSA Software Implanted on 100,000 Computers; NSA Collects Hundreds of Millions of Text Messages Daily;
NSA Can Hack You Even if You Aren't Connected to the Internet;
Spy agencies’ attorney has fiercely defended surveillance programs; NSA-O-Matic;
More Retailers Reportedly Hit by Data Breaches;
Math and science
9 Health Problems You Can Cure with Exercise; Heavy drinking linked to early onset of memory decline; New Spacesuit That Could Fight Bone Loss;
Micro-Windmills May One Day Power Your Smart Phone; Google developing smart contact lens;
40 charts that explain the world; 40 more maps that explain the world;
Marvin Minsky Wins BBVA Foundation Frontiers Of Knowledge Award;
Climate Change Disbelief Rises in America;
Web and Computing issues
Google+ Email Changes: How To Opt Out;
Ten Tips for Designing, Implementing and Packaging Apps for Mobile Devices;
Microsoft Delays Windows XP Antivirus Doomsday;
SC Politics
Legislators Should Tackle Really Tough Issues; After decade of debate, state government restructuring bill approved;
South Carolina's ethics laws are a mess; State grand jury to investigate ethics allegations against SC House Speaker Bobby Harrell;
Haley headed to North Carolina fundraiser next month;
Democratic sacrificial lambs and GOP buffoons will dominate 2014;
Finance and Economics
Supreme Court to hear case on Aereo's broadcast TV streaming; Supreme Court Won’t Hear ‘Shopping Cart Patents’ Case;
U.S. appeals court strikes down Net neutrality; Why you should care about Net neutrality;
Execs say Surveillance fallout hits startups hard;
Accenture Jumps Into HealthCare.gov Hot Seat; Hate Obama, Love Obamacare; Brill Interview;
Wells Fargo Discussing Bitcoin ‘Rules of Engagement’;
Square Said to Hold Offering at $5 Billion Valuation;
IBM Gets Most U.S. Patents for 21 Years in a Row;
Other news
Aereo's Supreme Court battle may change how you watch TV;
Nobody knows history, says FOX host, then proves it;
Education:
How to reclaim honesty in academe and end grade inflation; Questions of grade inflation with B+ median at OSU;
Meeting of College Leaders Who Pledged to Expand Access; At-Risk Young Adults Go to College at Higher Rates;
'U.S. News' Releases New Rankings of Online Programs ; Exactly How Many Students Take Online Courses?
Big Business Speaks Out for the Common Core; Will Net Neutrality Ruling Doom Education to Second-Class Status?
Doubts About MOOCs Continue to Rise; Credit-for-MOOCs Effort Hits a Snag; Blackboard Buys Student-Centric Web Platform MyEdu;
U. of Texas Unveils a New Tool for Judging a Degree's Worth ; Six foolish majors to avoid;
Yale Blocks Student-Created Course-Evaluation Website; CUNY Seeks to Fire Brooklyn College Professor After Financial Inquiry;
NCAA Governance Proposal Prompts Mix of Reactions; goverance changes: They want to put a muzzle on us; Begins Debate Over Power Shift;
NCAA Members Support Big-Conference Autonomy; At NCAA's Annual Convention, a Reduced Role for Its President;
U. of North Carolina Suspends Researcher’s Work on Athletes’ Literacy; Charges Are Dismissed Against Athlete in Naval Academy Assault Case;
1/10/14
TechNews for the week: Jan 10; Jan 8; Jan 6;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
U.S. envoy says Karzai unlikely to meet deadline on signing long-term security deal;
Al-Qaeda affiliate captures Fallujah; Republicans fault administration for surge of Iraq violence;
Syrian rebels seize al-Qaeda-linked group’s base in north; Syria rebels push al Qaeda back; U.S. open to Iran role;
Israel issues construction for settler houses;
US feared threat from ‘virtual bin Laden’;
Libyan navy blocks tanker at eastern port; U.S. deploys military advisers to Somalia;
Ruling against NSA collection of phone data is appealed; Appeals court rules surveillance opinion can remain secret;
ACLU appeals ruling that NSA bulk phone record collection is legal;
Koch-backed political coalition, designed to shield donors, raised $400 million in 2012;
Supreme Court stays gay marriage in Utah;
E-mails suggest Christie aides jammed traffic as political revenge; An end to presidential plans? Christie apologizes for bridge scandal, fires top aide;
Why Republicans are going on offense about poverty; U.S. unemployment benefits extension stalls in Senate;
Obama administration to dump IT firm behind HealthCare.gov;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
NSA Exploit of the Day: IRONCHEF, GOURMETTROUGH, HALLUXWATER, JETPLOW;
Matt Blaze on TAO's Methods; NSA Documents from the Spiegel Story;
Security Risks of Embedded Systems;
The Failure of Privacy Notices and Consumer Choice; Cases Focus on Clickable Consent to Privacy Agreements;
Target Data Breach Could Help Anti-Fraud Technology; Target Breach Widens: 70 Million Warned; serious threat of POS malware and botnetsexposed ;
Yahoo-Linked Malware Infected Up to 2 Million Users in Europe;
Math and science
Distinguishing Science From Nonsense;
Japanese Researchers Develop Technique For Levitating Objects With Sound Waves;
Researchers Develop AI Chip That Could Help Computers Understand Images; Engineers Develop World’s Fastest Thin-Film Organic Transistors;
Technique That Could Reduce Cost Of Biofuel Production; Device That Would Let Ships Harvest Energy From The Sea;
Football Helmet That May Protect Against Concussions;
Space station operation extended, won’t crash in 2020;
Web and Computing issues
Windows XP Won't Go Quietly;
5 Program Management Lessons From HealthCare.gov;
Finance and Economics
U.S. economy added 74,000 jobs in December; unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent; Unemployment Falling For All The Wrong Reasons;
China overtakes US as largest goods trader;
Idaho to Take Over Troubled Privately-Run Prison; Complaints surface over pollution from oil and gas drilling;
GE pays $1bn to bolster life sciences division; IBM forms Watson Business Group;
Huge 9/11 Fraud Case Accuses Retired New York Cops, Firefighters;
Will the NSA's activities handicap IT in the United States? NSA Fallout: Why Foreign Firms Won't Buy American Tech;
What Liberals Don’t Get About Single Payer;
Taxpayer Advocate Wants IRS Rules on Bitcoins;
Other news
Photoshop instantly transforms clebs;
After 42 years, burglars of FBI 'Cointelpro' docs reveal their roles;
Education:
18 Million Undergraduates Enrolled in Fall 2012, and Other New Data;
More Colleges Might Want to Measure What Regulation Costs Them; Speaker Warns Pressure on Accreditation Is Cause for Concern;
For-Profit College’s Apparent Closure in California Surprises Students; NYU’s Controversial Expansion Plan;
The Power of Interim Participation Grades; Getting students to want to do pre-class work;
Report Says US Has More Than Enough People To Fill Most STEM Jobs but people still need STEM education;
U.Colorado Scholar Will Return to Teach ‘Deviance’ Course;
Sexual-Assault Reports Dip at Military Academies; Military academies fuel "Culture of disrespect";
U. of Texas Drops Olympic-History Project Amid Legal Fights;
How to Save the NCAA From Itself;
NCAA Governance Proposal Prompts Mix of Reactions; New NCAA Standards Encourage Academic Shortcuts;
New NCAA hand-check rule: Too radical or perfect remedy?;
1/3/14
TechNews for the week: Jan 3; Dec 30;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
U.S. assessment warns Afghan gains will be lost quickly; Afghanistan rejects grim U.S. intelligence forecast;
U.S. aid to Syrian refugees generally stops at the border; Syria's chemical weapons removal delayed;
Israel to extend Jordan Valley settlement; Kerry Seeks Blueprint to Sustain Israeli-Palestinian Talks; Beirut bomb blast causes death and injury in Hezbollah stronghold;
South Sudan rebels 'forcibly recruiting civilians' amid humanitarian crisis;
Egypt’s latest terror suspect: The puppet Abla Fahita;
Volgograd in lockdown as bombings raise security concerns for Olympics;
Marines bristle at prospect of bigger Army presence in Pacific;
Red, blue states moving in opposite directions; Contentious Regulatory Battles Expected In 2014;
How a few efforts to cut federal government spending succeeded — or failed;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
How the NSA has destroyed trust; The value of Trust;
Der Spiegel reveals NSA hacking tactics; More about the NSA's Tailored Access Operations Unit; NSA Exploit of the Day: DEITYBOUNCE;
Cost/Benefit Analysis of NSA's 215 Metadata Collection Program; NSA eyes encryption-breaking 'quantum' machine;
Judge upholds search of passengers’ laptops;
Math and science
Researchers Develop Device That Allows 3D Image Interaction;
Introduction: The Leading Edge;
Web and Computing issues
Three must-have web development tools; Is this the era of free operating systems? How to find and convert StarOffice files;
Staying healthy with technology;
SC Politics
Battle for the soul of the SC GOP; Lindsey Graham: Newsmaker divides own party;
Finance and Economics
Why don't Americans realize the deficit is falling?
Fourteen States Set To Raise Minimum Wage, But Only Three Will Reach Obama’s Goal;
Health-care costs too high? Blame the government; The Unintended Consequence of Expanding Medicaid;
An accidental tax break for America’s wealthiest;
10 Most Shameful Bank Scandals Of 2013;
Other news
Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson shows what's wrong with conservatives;
Education:
U.S. Names 3 Universities as Test Sites for Drones; Colleges Providing Degrees On UAVs Expected To Grow;
Judge Blocks Revocation of City College of San Francisco’s Accreditation;
In College Bowls, Losing Can Be More Profitable Than Winning; A’s for Athletes, but Charges of Fraud at North Carolina;