Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: August 15, 2014

U.S. Satisfaction Generally Stable at 22% – Gallup

“Twenty-two percent of Americans are satisfied and 76% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. at this time. Americans’ satisfaction has been quite stable this year, ranging narrowly between 22% and 25%. The last time a majority of Americans were satisfied with the direction of the country was more than a decade ago, a 55% reading in January 2004. Further, satisfaction has not topped 40% since July 2005, amid a struggling economy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and declining confidence in government. This period also saw satisfaction sink to an all-time low of 7% in October 2008, shortly after the financial crisis hit. While satisfaction is higher today than back then, it has only exceeded 30% for two brief stretches since 2008 — from May through August 2009 shortly after President Barack Obama took office, and in November 2012 when he was re-elected to a second term. Historically, Gallup has found partisan differences in satisfaction ratings, usually tied to the party of the president. Consistent with this pattern, currently 37% of Democrats are satisfied, compared with 19% of independents and 10% of Republicans.”

The Information Content of Insider Trades around Government Intervention during the Financial Crisis

Jagolinzer, Alan D. and Larcker, David F. and Ormazabal, Gaizka and Taylor, Daniel J., The Information Content of Insider Trades around Government Intervention during the Financial Crisis (August 14, 2014). Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University Working Paper No. 189. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2480796 “This paper examines whether insiders at leading financial… Continue Reading

Report: British spy agency scanned for vulnerable systems in 32 countries

PCWorld via Mikael Ricknäs: “British intelligence agency GCHQ used port scanning as part of the “Hacienda” program to find vulnerable systems it and other agencies could compromise across at least 27 countries, German news site Heise Online has revealed. The use of so-called port scanning has long been a trusty tool used by hackers to find systems they… Continue Reading

Nation’s Top Ten Consumer Complaints

Consumer Federation of America, North American Consumer Protection Investigators, 2013 Consumer Complaint Survey Report “Every year Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators conduct a survey of state and local consumer protection agencies to ask about the top complaints they received the previous year, the worst and fastest-growing complaints, new types of complaints,… Continue Reading

Smithsonian Project Brings Rare Historical Documents Online for Public Access

FCW.com: “Volunteers are powering an effort by the Smithsonian Institution to create online, searchable versions of its vast collections of diaries, journals, biological specimens and other historical gems. After more than a year of testing, the project came out of beta Aug. 12, with officials inviting the public to join in the massive transcription and… Continue Reading

As machines take on more human work, what’s left for us?

Drew Desilver: “For decades, labor economists have sought to quantify and predict the the impact of computer technology on both current and future employment, a subject that a new Pew Research Center report probed with a survey of nearly 1,900 experts. Computers had typically been thought of as best suited for jobs that involve routine, repetitive tasks that can easily… Continue Reading

Paper – TSA device flaws compromise airport security

Via FCW.com: “The cybersecurity vulnerabilities uncovered in a number of the Transportation Security Administration’s electronic security and personnel management devices are part of a growing problem for federal IT managers, according to the expert that discovered and reported the flaws. Billy Rios, director of threat intelligence at Qualys, a large security tech firm, presented a paper in early… Continue Reading

Help Celebrate 103rd birthday of Eldest Surviving Civil Rights Activist, Amelia Boynton­ Robinson

Aug. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ – “Amelia Boynton ­Robinson, the oldest of the surviving veterans of the 1965 Selma, Alabama Civil Rights Movement, will celebrate her 103 birthday this coming August 18. Still completely mentally alert and combative, Boynton­Robinson states that not only does she intend to attend the 50th anniversary commemoration of the passage of the Voting… Continue Reading