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Daily Archives: April 17, 2014

Pew – U.S. Views of Technology and the Future

Science in the next 50 years, by Aaron Smith: “The American public anticipates that the coming half-century will be a period of profound scientific change, as inventions that were once confined to the realm of science fiction come into common usage. This is among the main findings of a new national survey by The Pew Research Center, which asked Americans about a wide range of potential scientific developments—from near-term advances like robotics and bioengineering, to more “futuristic” possibilities like teleportation or space colonization. In addition to asking them for their predictions about the long-term future of scientific advancement, we also asked them to share their own feelings and attitudes toward some new developments that might become common features of American life in the relatively near future. Overall, most Americans anticipate that the technological developments of the coming half-century will have a net positive impact on society. Some 59% are optimistic that coming technological and scientific changes will make life in the future better, while 30% think these changes will lead to a future in which people are worse off than they are today.”

EPIC Obtains Documents About FTC’s Facebook Investigation

“As the result of a Freedom of Information Act request, EPIC has received several hundred pages of documents related to the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation of Facebook business practices. The documents include assessments by the FTC of Facebook’s privacy changes and communications with the company. EPIC has repeatedly pressed the Commission to enforce the 2012 Consent Order which barred the company from future… Continue Reading

Out-of-Pocket Net Price for College

“This Data Point uses data from four administrations of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000, NPSAS:04, NPSAS:08, and NPSAS:12) to briefly present trends in out-of-pocket net price for college, the amount that students and their families must pay to attend college after subtracting grants, loans, work-study, and all other student aid from the total… Continue Reading

Report – Street View and reCAPTCHA technology just got smarter

Vinay Shet, Product Manager, reCAPTCHA: “Have you ever wondered how Google Maps knows the exact location of your neighborhood coffee shop? Or of the hotel you’re staying at next month? Translating a street address to an exact location on a map is harder than it seems. To take on this challenge and make Google Maps… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Information Security at the SEC, IRS and Large Partnerships

INFORMATION SECURITY: SEC Needs to Improve Controls over Financial Systems and Data, GAO-14-419: Published: Apr 17, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 17, 2014: “Although the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had implemented and made progress in strengthening information security controls, weaknesses limited their effectiveness in protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of a key financial system. For this system’s… Continue Reading

CBO – An Analysis of the President’s 2015 Budget

“This report by CBO presents an analysis of the proposals in the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2015, as submitted to the Congress on March 4, 2014. The analysis is based on CBO’s economic projections and estimating models (rather than the Administration’s), and it incorporates estimates of the effects of the President’s tax proposals… Continue Reading

2010-2014 Cetacean Unusual Mortality Event in Northern Gulf of Mexico

NOAA news release: “Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (as amended), an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been declared for dolphins and whales (cetaceans) in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Texas/ Louisiana border through Franklin County, FL) from February 2010 through the present.These numbers are preliminary and may be subject to change. As of April 13, 2014, the UME involves… Continue Reading

ETFs Growth Prospects: A Review of Global Trading in Year 2013

Omondi, Ojwang George, ETFs Growth Prospects: A Review of Global Trading in Year 2013 (April 17, 2014). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2426116 “Investment is a multidisciplinary function that should not be left to investment consultants and private bankers without the investor taking a leading part in its course. The capital markets are for the better part channels… Continue Reading

EPA Publishes 19th Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory

News release: “ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 19th annual report of overall U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions today, showing a 3.4 percent decrease in 2012 from 2011. The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, which is submitted annually to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, presents… Continue Reading