Another massive, expensive, and painful IT failure was reported in the IEEE Spectrum of 24-JAN-2018, this time, it was the MIDAS Unemployment system in Michigan. Not only did this system fail to deliver, its managers refused to admit that it failed. The system was to replace the legacy software used by the State of Michigan … [Read more…]
View From the Valley Telecom Internet Tech Leaders Dismayed by Weaponization of Social MediaBy Tekla S. Perry Posted 14 Nov 2017 | 15:00 GMT IEEE SPECTRUM The tech industry can’t hide from the information war, particularly when its own creations are being weaponized. That was the consensus of a panel at the Techonomy17 conference in … [Read more…]
From the Guardian – Wednesday 15 November 2017 The inventor of the world wide web remains an optimist but sees a ‘nasty wind’ blowing amid concerns over advertising, net neutrality and fake news Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s optimism about the future of the web is starting to wane in the face of a “nasty storm” of … [Read more…]
In the NY Times, a review of a study from by Adam Lankford, a professor at the University of Alabama, found that the enormous number of guns owned by Americans was the major correlation in mass killings. In rankings, Yemen is second to the US in both mass killings and gun ownership. Why are we … [Read more…]
In a great article capturing the current efforts to make stupid “right”, Ariel Dorfman pulls together the stings in “Trump’s War on Knowledge.” From the NY Review of Books NYR Daily column, Oct 12, 2017.
WAPO, Oct 3, 2017 … How big is the federal workforce? Much bigger than you think. A new study on “The True Size of Government,” by Paul C. Light, professor of public service at New York University, says the government’s “blended” workforce is 7 to 9 million strong — including contractors and grantees.
Part one, Creation of the Label Ball, can be read here . I entered the label ball into the Sonoma County Fair’s Amateur – Adult Home Arts – Other Paper Arts – Altered Art (yes, that is the full category) and won a 2nd place ribbon! This also comes with a $4 check, so, after … [Read more…]
Monsanto and BASF, what could go wrong? Washington Post, Aug 29, 2017. “This miracle weed killer was supposed to save farms. Instead, it’s devastating them.”
From the IEEE Spectrum on South Carolina’s VC Summer nuclear power plant. “Public trust is at stake here, folks.” That’s how South Carolina’s top power industry regulator described the gravity yesterday of local utilities’ decision to walk away from a pair of partially-built nuclear reactors, according to Charleston’s Post and Courier newspaper. Public Service Commission … [Read more…]
It is difficult to put the size of the planets into perspective, but a photo of earth superimposed over the Jovian Great Red Spot does a very good job of showing just how really big Jupiter is in comparison to earth. Great Red Spot Eats Earth! [to scale] 2017-07-18 17:40 UT Credit : NASA / … [Read more…]